OFFSIDE

59

❝ She won't lose herself in love the way that I did. ❞
« ♫ ♡ ♫ »

Pedri's POV
Irritated, I kick off my shoes in the hallway. "AHHRH!" I growl.

How is it possible that Pablo gets away with everything? Why is Elena so blind? It can't be love because that's gone. That's very clear.

The only thing Elena still has is that she loves him as a person, which makes sense since they've known each other for so long. Maybe there's a spark of hope that the flame will rekindle, but honestly, at this point, the flame is more frozen than extinguished. There is no flame left.

I shuffle into the living room and flop onto the couch. I'm glad Fernando isn't home because I really don't feel like getting a lecture from him right now.

I know I should never have started this, and I know that falling in love with Elena is probably the dumbest thing that has ever happened to me. But there you have it—it happened to me. Unfortunately, you can't choose who you fall in love with.

I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket, but I have no desire to see who needs me. I just want to be alone for a while.

The vibrating stops after a while, but soon starts again. Even more irritated than before, I pull the phone out of my pocket. How hard is it to just leave me alone for a bit?

Then I see it's Emma. A small smile creeps onto my face, and I decide to answer.

"Hey, Emma," I say, my irritation melting away as soon as I hear her voice.

"Hey, Pedri," she responds brightly. "I was just wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat? It's been a while since we caught up."

Her suggestion is tempting. The idea of catching up over dinner sounded like the perfect distraction from my current frustrations. I haven't seen her in a couple days now. During my injury she spends a lot of time here, helping me.

"Yeah, that sounds good," I say, trying to sound casual. "Where do you want to go?"

"How about La Terraza? We used to go there all the time."

La Terraza. The restaurant we frequented when we were together. The place held a lot of memories, some of which I wasn't sure I was ready to face. But then again, revisiting those memories might be exactly what I needed.

"Sure, La Terraza sounds great. I'll meet you there in an hour?"

"Perfect. See you then."

I hang up and take a deep breath. Dinner with Emma. It's just dinner, I tell myself. But as I get ready and head out the door, I can't help but feel a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

I arrive at La Terraza, and the familiar scent of delicious food hits me as soon as I walk in. The place hasn't changed much. The cozy atmosphere, the soft lighting, the friendly staff—it all feels like stepping back in time. Emma is already there, sitting at our usual table by the window, her face lighting up when she sees me.

"Pedri!" she exclaims, standing up to hug me. "It's so good to see you."

"You too, Emma," I reply, returning her hug. We sit down. I'm so happy that everytime I see her everything is good. No hard feelings, no complicaties.

"So, how have you been today?" she asks, her eyes genuinely curious.

"I've been... busy," I say, not wanting to delve too deeply into the turmoil of my day. "What about you? How's everything going?"

Emma smiles and starts telling me about her past days—her job, and how she's been reconnecting with old friends. As she talks, I find myself relaxing. It's nice to just listen, to be in the moment without worrying about everything else.