[ twenty seven ]
We didn't sleep after that, we only laid there in each other's arms, making conversation every now and then. And when it became seven in the morning, I pulled away from his embrace and sat up on the couch. I stretched my arms up over my head and let out a yawn. "I'm still kind of tired." I said, looking over my shoulder at him.
"Then lay down a little longer." He tapped the spot on the couch where I had been laying down beside him.
"Do you plan to spend the rest of your life on this couch?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
He smiled the way only he knew how to. "If I can spend it with you, then yes."
"You're going to get married in a few months." I reminded him.
"But that's only because you didn't want to marry me." He pointed out, not seeming too pleased about what could possibly be the most important day of his life. He plopped his head on his hand and looked into my eyes. "Remember that? When you left me crying in a hotel in Madrid and I was begging you to stay?" There he was, doing it again. Always reminding me that I was the one who was wrong, that I was the one at fault for everything that was currently happening.
Has I said yes to him back then, everything would have been different. We might have been happily married, but we weren't. He had someone else, and I did too.
I closed my eyes. "James, don't start."
"You're right." He agreed. In the next moment, he sat up on the couch beside me and pressed his soft lips to the exposed skin of my shoulder. "I said I would spoil you today, bonita. Please forgive me, okay?" He always did that to me of the late. Made me feel bad for what I did, only to immediately apologize.
And even so, my heart always ended up forgiving him. But he didn't seem to be able to completely forgive me for what I did. And if he did forgive, he didn't forget. It always seemed to be alive in his mind, the memory of my rejection.
"Will you forgive me?" He asked again. This time an arm went to wrap around my shoulders and he pulled me close. I wasn't looking at him, but from the corner of my eye I could see he was watching me.
I sighed in defeat. "Yes, Jamesito."
Next to the couch was another door, and that one was to his parents' bedroom. The door opened and out came his mother, who was ready to start the day. She looked in our direction and didn't seem surprised to see us so close and getting along. Without saying anything, she walked right past us and went to the kitchen to start breakfast.
"I'm going to ask my mom to make you some soup." He informed me, and gave me a kiss on the cheek before getting back on his feet and walking towards the kitchen.
"Can I shower here?" I asked. Looking down at my shirt, I crinkled up my nose at the sweat stains on my blouse. That medecine had made me sweat out rivers. Since he wanted me to stay here, I thought he wouldn't have a problem with that.
He nodded as he reached the kitchen doorway, "Yeah, you can change into something mine. Grab anything you want from my closet."
I got up and walked into his bedroom while he went to the kitchen to talk to his mom.
-
When I got out of the bathroom, drying my long brown hair with a towel, he was already in the livingroom playing fifa. He paused his video game and smiled at the sight of me. My clothing choice of his was a pair of his Real Madrid training pants, with the legs rolled up because he was taller than me and the string around the waist band was pulled all the way to keep them from falling down. But instead of grabbing a Real Madrid jersey to go with it, I grabbed an old Envigado one I found in his closet.
"Those don't go together, bonita." He pointed out jokingly.
I shrugged my shoulders. "I know. I just like the Envigado jersey better. It represents a time when we were happy."
"When you were mine." He added, and then said with a smile, "You look better in my clothes than I do."
Rolling my eyes at him playfully, I said, "I highly doubt that."
He was sat on one end of the couch, while I plopped myself on the other, placing my bare feet on his lap. He didn't protest and placed his elbows ontop of my feet, his hands gripping the video game controller. He pressed the start button and continued with his game.
It was Real Madrid vs Barcelona.
He was playing as Real Madrid.
"Visca el Barca, i Visca Catalunya." I cheered jokingly, clapping my hands together.
He snorted, but his eyes never left the screen. "Hala Madrid, bonita. Hala Madrid, y nada mas."
I crinkled up my nose. I honestly was neutral; I didn't like or hate either of them. The only team in my heart was Envigado FC because it was the team where James had started his career. But just to mess with James, I would make him think I was cheering for the blaugrana team. "I don't know," I began casually, "That Neymar is fine. And don't even get me started on Marc Bartra and Gerard Pique, Catalonia has beautiful men."
James didn't look in my direction, but he dug his elbows into my leg.
"Ouch! James!" I complained.
"Sorry." He mumbled, a pout made its way onto his lips.
I laughed in amusement. "Oh my gosh, James. Don't do that. You're such a cry baby."
He paused his game and clicked 'exit', going back to the home screen. "Wouldn't want you to drool all over the couch." He said bitterly.
"You do realize you're jealous of digitally produced footballers on a screen." I poked fun at him.
"They're real guys, Arista." He said. I was in trouble, he was upset. He hadn't said my full name in a while. "And you're a sports reporter in Spain. How do you want me to feel when I imagine you talking to them, smiling at them, touching them?"
"Oh come on!" I threw my head back on the couch. "I was just joking, James. Relax."
He remained silent, the pout still on his pink lips.
Crawling over to him and cutting the distance between us on the couch, I laid my head on his shoulder and looked up at him. "Don't even pretend you don't know I like you better than anyone."
Taking me completely by surprise, he let the video game controller fall to the floor and in the next instant, he vupped my face in his hands and brought his lips to mine. It was the first time I had felt his lips against mine for two years. At first I was frozen in place, but then I found my lips responding to his kiss.
My hands went to tangle in his dark brown hair, and I closed my eyes. All my senses were clouded and I knew I wasn't thinking straight when I kissed him back.
But it felt so right.
-
i know i already updated today, but i was feeling inspired so i wrote another one. i hope you all like the new chapter. and thank you all so much for being amazing as you are because many of you support me and always vote and comment, and it means so much. will the jarista ship finally re-sail? find out in the next thrilling episode of the dream is real. lol
-clary xx
