OFFSIDE

82

❝ Do the girls back home touch you like I do? ❞
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Elena's POV
"HAVE YOU HEARD?!" Julieta yells as she bursts in the moment I open the door. Well, good morning to you too.

"What?" I ask, closing the door behind me as I follow her through the living room and into the kitchen.

"Pedri boy is back to his old self," she laughs. I stare at her, confused. "His old self? What do you mean?"

"He's not dating Emma anymore, so apparently, he hooked up with two girls yesterday and the day before," Julieta spills. "I told Fermín just last week that I couldn't believe that he was dating. This guy's a player, plain and simple, not made for relationships."

My jaw drops, and I just stare at her. "What?!" is all I can manage to say. "How do you know this?" A stupid question, really, because I already know the answer: Fermín López Martín.

People say women gossip a lot, but Fermín could win an Olympic gold medal if it were a sport. The upside is that Julieta knows everything, and through her, so do I.

"Fermín. After they got home on Saturday, Emma and Pedri had a serious talk and decided it wasn't going to work. And then, that very night—can you believe it? What time did they get home? After 3 a.m., right? But that very night, he was already with another girl at a hotel, and then again yesterday afternoon. Does this guy have too much sperm or what?" Julieta keeps rattling on, and I do my best to act nonchalant.

But I feel anything but nonchalant. This guy declared his love for me, then a day later decided to get back with his ex, forcing me to watch their romance unfold, then dumps her and starts hooking up with random girls. What the actual fuck?!

I can't wrap my head around the fact that I had an affair with this guy. This is so not the Pedri I met in July. Its not the Pedri who gave me butterflies. It's been, what? Barely three months? And look at what he's become. Just a beast. Ugh.

"Elena?! Earth to Elena," Julieta waves her hand in front of my face.

"Yeah. Yeah. Sorry," I say, still a bit dazed.

"Why do you always look so shocked when I tell you about Pedri's sex life? When I talk about Ferran's, you don't bat an eyelash," she says, puzzled.

"That's not true. It's just shocking to dump someone and then immediately hook up with someone else the same night," I say, disgusted.

"Yeah, you've got a point. That's really gross."

"Yeah," I mutter.

"But anyway, the real reason I came over. The guys are all heading to Fermín's after training, so I'm here to pick you up. Gavi's coming too—he definitely didn't tell you that, right?" she grins.

"You know him?" I joke, and we both burst into laughter. "Nope. Didn't know at all, but I'll get changed, and I'm in," I say.

The only downside is that Pedri will be there too, and I really don't feel like seeing him right now.

~~

We all meet at Fermín and Julieta's place after the boys training session. The atmosphere is lively, with everyone scattered around the house, either chatting or diving into the various games Julieta has set up. Tapas are spread out on the table in the living room, and I can hear laughter coming from different corners of the house. It's nice to see everyone relaxed, just enjoying each other's company without the usual intensity of our routines.

I join Ferran, Lamine and Alejandro playing cards, trying to focus on the game, but my mind keeps wandering. It's hard to shake the tension I've been feeling lately. The whole situation with Pedri and everything that's happened still feels like a storm I can't quite escape from. And I fucking hate it.

After a while, I excuse myself to go to the bathroom. The hallway is quiet, a stark contrast to the lively energy of the living room. I take a deep breath, trying to clear my head. But as soon as I step out of the bathroom, I nearly bump into Pedri, who's standing there like he's waiting for me.

I raise an eyebrow, a smirk playing on my lips despite the rush of emotions that suddenly hit me. "What is this? Are you following me to the bathroom now?" I ask, my tone half-joking but with a sharp edge, referring back to when we ran into each other at the restaurant.

Pedri's expression tenses, but he tries to play it cool. "Just a coincidence," he says, but I can see the irritation flicker in his eyes.

I don't let it drop. I can't help it. The words are out before I can stop them, the sting of them almost surprising even me. "So, how were they?" I ask, with emphasis on they, crossing my arms and leaning slightly against the wall. "The other girls, I mean. Were they better than me?"

His jaw tightens, and for a moment, I think he's going to walk away. But he doesn't. Instead, he steps closer, his eyes narrowing as he looks down at me. "What do you want me to say, Elena?" he snaps, clearly irritated now. "That I compare every girl to you? Is that what you want to hear?"

The air between us is thick with unresolved tension, and my heart races. Part of me regrets saying anything, but another part—one that's hurt and angry—won't let me back down. "I don't know, Pedri. Maybe I just want to understand how you can go from... from what we had to jumping into an almost relationship with your ex to fucking every girl you see so quickly."

His face softens, but only for a second. "It's not that simple," he says, but his voice has lost its edge. There's something almost vulnerable in his eyes, but it's gone before I can fully register it. He takes a step back, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Look, this—whatever it was between us—it's messing with my head. And maybe... maybe I'm just trying to forget you. Okay?"

His words sting more than I expected, and I bite my lip, trying to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. But before I can say anything else, we hear footsteps approaching from the living room. Pedri glances over his shoulder, then back at me, his expression unreadable.

"Let's not do this here," he says quietly, before turning and walking away, leaving me standing there, heart pounding and mind racing.