Best Mistake ︱Pedri González

47

Pedri's POV

Training was supposed to be my escape, but lately, every drill, every pass, felt heavy—like my mind was on the field, but my heart was somewhere else. After the last session wrapped up, I sat down on the bench, taking a deep breath, trying to clear my thoughts. Lamine, Ansu, and Balde were hanging around, talking and joking as usual, but today, their laughter felt distant.

"Yo, Pedri," Ansu called, jogging over and tossing a water bottle my way. "You good? You've been looking stressed, bro."

"Yeah, man, you look like you haven't slept in days," Lamine added, leaning against the bench. "Something on your mind?"

I shrugged, trying to play it off. "Nah, just tired, you know? Training's been intense."

Balde raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "C'mon, we know you better than that. It's about Luciana, isn't it?"

I stiffened at the mention of her name. They knew bits and pieces of what happened between us, but not the whole messy story. I hadn't told them about the affair, about how deep things had gotten. They just knew that things were complicated.

"Things are... complicated," I finally said, avoiding their eyes.

Lamine nodded thoughtfully, sitting down beside me. "We've seen her around the training center, man. She looks... better. Happier. But you—" He paused, trying to find the right words. "You look like you're still in the thick of it."

"Have you talked to her lately?" Ansu asked, genuinely curious.

I shook my head, biting the inside of my cheek. "Not really. We ran into each other a couple of times, but it's... awkward."

Balde sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know, you two were really good together before everything went south. Maybe it's time to talk things out. I'm not saying you need to get back together, but maybe you just need to clear the air."

I let out a bitter laugh. "It's not that easy. It's all a mess, and honestly, I don't even know where to start. Plus, I'm not sure she even wants something."

Lamine leaned in, lowering his voice slightly. "Pedri, she's getting better, and she's working on herself. Maybe she's ready to have that conversation. And honestly, maybe you need it too."

Ansu nodded in agreement. "Yeah, man. We've all seen how much this has affected you. And we're not saying this to pressure you or anything, but you need closure. Both of you do."

Balde chimed in, more serious than I'd seen him in a while. "Just go see her, bro. Don't overthink it. Even if it's just to apologize or to hear her out. You don't have to figure it all out today."

I rubbed my forehead, feeling the weight of their words. "And what if she doesn't want to talk? What if it just makes things worse?"

Lamine shrugged, giving me a small, encouraging smile. "Then at least you tried. At least you won't be left wondering what if. You owe yourself that."

The three of them looked at me with the kind of hope that I'd long lost sight of. They made it sound so simple—just go talk to her. But there was so much more they didn't know, so much more I didn't know how to say.

Still, maybe they were right. Maybe it was time to stop running from it and face whatever was left between us. I nodded slowly, trying to muster up the courage I'd been lacking for weeks.

"Yeah," I finally said, though my voice was shaky. "Maybe I will."

Later that afternoon, I found myself standing outside Luciana's apartment building, my heart pounding harder than any game-winning goal I'd ever scored. I took a deep breath, my mind running through all the possible scenarios of how this could go wrong. But I was here now, and there was no turning back.