Wrong choice (Ferran Torres)

Chapter 17

After the move, things seemed to get better. It had been hard for Anna to hear about Ferran breaking up with Cecilia. Knowing he was single had awakened again the feelings she had tried to keep buried for months. But it wasn't fair to Hugo. She couldn't just run away from him when Ferran was available. He hadn't done anything to deserve that.

So focusing on the move had been good for her. Also, Hugo had been treating her like a queen. He made sure the house was just how she wanted it to be. If Anna wanted to redecorate the whole house, he would have told her to do it. No problem at all. But she didn't want to. She was still trying to see the place as hers too and not someone else's.

"Hey. They sent you to our training today?"

Anna was looking down at her phone when she heard Ferran's voice. The radio team took turns going to the Barça training sessions and it was Anna's that day. It had been a while since it had been her turn.

"Yes. They sent me to the boring task today. Nothing I could do about it".

"Ha ha. Are you ok?", he asked, looking down at Anna's thigh. "Why are you scratching your leg?"

"I got a few mosquito bites".

"I could find some pomade for you".
"It's fine...", she tried to argue but Ferran wasn't listening.

"Joan! Do you have anything for mosquito bites Anna could use?"

"Sure. Be right back".

The physio came back quickly with a tube of pomade and a little bandage Anna could put over the bites. But it was Ferran who took those things from his hands.

"Hold the shorts and I'll put the pomade on".

"I can do it...".

"You'll get the shorts dirty, just let me do it".

His explanation made sense, so Anna lifted her shorts to expose the two bites so Ferran could apply the pomade there.

"Those look painful. Let's get to work quickly".

Feeling the cold pomade over the sensitive area was already glorious but the little massage motions Ferran was using to apply it made Anna want to close her eyes and enjoy the feeling. Ferran took the bandage and put it over the bites so the pomade wouldn't move and transfer to her shorts. He moved his index finger over the edges of the bandage, where the sticky product was so it would stay there. Maybe he could have just done that once but he enjoyed having the excuse to touch Anna way too much so he went over the area a few times. By the time he was done, Anna had almost forgotten how to breathe.

"Done".

"Thank you. Eh...you should wash your hands before training. Because of the pomade. My leg was clean, I swear".

He laughed seeing her so nervous and they stared at each other for a second too long. "Enjoy training. And tell people on the radio I was the best today".

"I would but journalists are supposed to tell the truth".

Ferran smiled at her before leaving and Anna released a breath. Her eyes wanted to water. Why did such an innocent touch feel so wrong?

Anna was distracted the whole time she was at training. Even her radio colleagues made fun of how she kept getting things wrong. But she didn't find it funny. She just wanted to go home.

"Hello?", she called and Hugo showed up by the door quickly, ready to welcome her.

"Why do you have a bandage there? Did you get hurt?"

"It's mosquito bites. I put it on so the pomade wouldn't get my shorts dirty".

"I can help you reapply it...".

She then remembered Ferran's touch and didn't want that memory to be replaced by Hugo doing the same. "I'm fine, don't worry".

"Come on. It's not as if I've never touch your thigh...", he laughed.

"I know. It's just really sensitive right now. I rather do it myself".

"Are you allergic? We could go to the hospital...".

"It's fine, really. I bet it won't bother me tomorrow".

The guilt, though. That'd take longer to go away.