Never Let Go (Of Me) • Ferran Torres

Chapter 18: Straight from Japan

🎶 Lost In Japan - Remix — Shawn Mendes, Zedd 🎶

Ferran POV

After our win against Iniesta's Vissel Kobe, we had gotten the next morning off to explore the city before having to fly back to Barcelona. I had just three hours left in which I intended to find the perfect souvenir for Cata and so I had dragged poor Eric along with me and he was currently contemplating his life choices. Lucky Pedri had escaped my grasp with his injury and thus not having been able to travel to Japan with us.

"Just buy her an I ❤️ Japan t-shirt and let it be, it's not that deep" he groaned as we walked out of the 300th traditional shop we had visited.
"That's why you don't have a girlfriend, you unromantic donkey" I snarled.
"That's rich coming from someone who has just been dumped" he muttered and I shot him a glare.

"I could buy her a kimono... but when will she wear that?" I asked as we walked down the main street. "Or maybe some tea? I don't even know if she drinks that..." I continued rambling out my thoughts. But when we stopped by an antique shop and I saw its windows, I grabbed Eric's collar and dragged him inside.
"Good afternoon, may I help you?" the shop assistant asked in English, having seen that we weren't from around here.
"Yes... I was wondering if you had a traditional painting of a dog?" I asked and Eric grunted out a laugh next to me.
"Certainly, I will show you some if you could wait here for a minute" the shop assistant replied and I nodded friendly.

"The dog represents you held on a leash by her?" my friend snickered and I hit the back of the head.
"She likes dogs... Just like me... And she's currently dogsitting Milo, so it's kind of... fitting and personal" I explained.
"Some would call it romantic" he teased me.
"We're friends. I'm still getting over Sira and she sees that so she's certainly not interested in a pathetic ass like mine" I sighed.

"Oh, sure, no girl would be interested in a tall, handsome, muscular and rich pro athlete" Eric chuckled.
"Have you seen her? She could literally have anyone she wanted, she's certainly not waiting around for someone like me" I counteeed.
"Sure, that's why she's dogsitting Milo last-minute for free" Eric replied.
"She's being nice. It's something you could try too, you know?" I said annoyedly.
The shopkeeper now came back with three frames, but one immediately caught my eye.
"This one" I said decidedly, with no second thoughts.

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"Now what the hell is this?" Xavi's brother and assistant coach Oscar asked me as I was standing next to Eric and Sergi Roberto at the check-in with my rather big, carefully packed framed painting.
"Ferran did some shopping for his new girlfriend" Eric snickered and Oscar looked at me surprisedly.
"New girlfriend? Already?" he asked.
"She's not a girlfriend, she's just... a girl dogsitting Milo" I simply said. The coaches didn't have to know everything about my love life.

"Woah Ferran... what is this?" Xavi now asked as he joined his brother in our round and Eric buried his head in Sergi's shoulder, who was also laughing to himself.
"Present for his dogsitter" Oscar replied.
"She's not the dogsitter!" I argued.
"What is she then? She's not the girlfriend, she's not the dogsitter, eh what is she?" Oscar asked agitatedly, gesturing with his hands.
"She's just a friend, my God!" I exclaimed annoyedly, a tad bit louder apparently, as some of my teammates' faces turned to us too.
"Oh my... and summer is coming around... She's not staying a friend for long" Xavi joked with his brother and I only rolled my eyes, hoping that the check-in line would move quickly so that I could hide in the bathroom until boarding to escape any more stupid comments.

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The second the plane touched down in Barcelona and I was able to de-activate flight mode, I opened the chat to the person I wanted to text first, only to find a picture that she had sent to me first.