AUGUST - pablo gavi

twenty - six // the weight of the secret

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isabella hernández was on a high.

she'd been training endlessly ever since she'd recovered from her concussion and had been loving every living second of it.

whether it was the sound of the ball hitting the sound of the back of the net , the feeling of the contact between her foot and the football or the feeling of being out of breath after every session — but whatever it was ; she was infatuated with it.

meanwhile , in another part of barcelona , pablo gavi was a nervous wreak.

it'd been three weeks since his agreement with xavi and he was sat on his couch , his mind swirling with thoughts. he had just offered a sizeable sum of money to keep isa in the team — and he hoped to god that laporte would listen.

he couldn't shake off the feeling of anxiety that was bubbling in his chest — what if laporte rejected the offer? what if isa found out about the offer? he didn't want her to find out , knowing that she would feel humiliated and betrayed.

"you did what?!" pedri questioned in shock , his eyes wide as he responded to the news that gavi had just told him.

gavi groaned , running a hand through his messy hair. "i know , i know — but i had to do something." guilt and uncertainty swirled in his chest. "i couldn't just let her get forced out of the team."

pedri looked at him , a mix of surprise and disbelief on his face. "did you even consider the consequences?" he asked , his tone serious. "what if isa finds out?"

"i did consider the consequences — but i had to do something , pedri" gavi muttered , his eyes flickering away from pedri's , "and isa isn't going to find out ; xavi said she wasn't to know about any of it." he added.

pedri sighed , "and what if laporte doesn't go through with the offer? what then?"

gavi groaned again , feeling a sense of dread wash over him at the thought of laporte rejecting the offer. he hadn't considered that as a possibility.

he looked at pedri , his expression strained. "i don't know , okay? i didn't really think that far ahead."

pedri's expression softened , seeing the anguish in gavi's eyes. he knew how much gavi cared about isa — and he knew that gavi wouldn't have made the decision lightly.

"you really care about her , don't you?" pedri asked , his tone softer now , "about isa?"

gavi looked down , his hands clenching and unclenching anxiously. he really did care about isa , more than he cared to admit.

"yeah , i care about her." he mumbled , avoiding pedri's gaze. "she's one of the best players on the team , you know that. she doesn't deserve to be forced out. especially by her own father."

"i know." pedri replied , his tone sympathetic. he could sense the depth of gavi's emotions towards isa — and he knew that gavi had done what he felt was necessary to keep isa in the team.

"but you have to think about the potential fallout from this , gavi." pedri continued , his eyes serious. "isa doesn't know about any of this and if she finds out —"

gavi nodded , his jaw clenching as he thought about the possible consequences of isa finding out.

he looked at pedri , his eyes desperate. "i had to do something. i couldn't just sit by and do nothing."