Let Me Love You | Toni Kroos

Chapter 18 - Let Me

Gabi's POV

Toni came to pick me up from school every day after that incident, except when he had to leave for midweek away matches. He was always there without fail, standing at the first corner of the street on the way to the bus station. It didn't matter if he had to rush over from training, neither did it matter that he had to make a huge detour. He was always there.

He was always there at that very corner where I broke down and sat there like a stubborn child, sobbing my face off; that very corner where he chose to sit beside me and hold me as I cried it out instead of just walking away. That corner where I broke down, that corner where he picked me up. He was always there, unknowingly reminding me that he'd always be there for me when I'm down, being by my side no matter how hard other people were going to judge me. Unknowingly reminding me that I'd never have to turn any corner alone.

Every time he came back from training, I'd ask him if he got into trouble for hitting Josef. If he'd received any complaints or any fine. He would smile at me and patiently tell me that he didn't, every single time I felt insecure and asked him.

"Don't worry, Gabi," he would say. "The charges for sexual harassment are much more than the charges I would ever receive if he reported me. You're not the only person he's done all these things to, Gabi. I'm willing to bet that all those girls watching are on our side."

It was as if that entire event had spurred him on, because he started whacking in goals for Leverkusen like nobody's business. And every single time, he'd tell me the goal was for me. Whether it was outside the BayArena or at our front door, he'd take me into his arms and whisper in my ear, "Another goal for my Gabriele. Gabriele, my lucky star."

I was smiling as I dumped a bag of ice in a bucket and filled it up with water. Just as I placed it on the living room floor, Toni unlocked the front door.

"Hey," he smiled and wrapped me in a huge hug. He'd gone out for dinner with his teammates after a match against Gladbach, the last of the Hindrunde, so I'd returned to the apartment alone to wait for him. "I already said this, but – two goals for my Gabriele!"

I laughed and dragged him over to the couch. I made him sit down, and then I rolled up his pants, lifted his feet and put them in the ice water.

"Oh, yes," he gave a satisfied groan, and then put an arm around me and leaned back on the couch. "Thanks, baby."

"Thanks for the goals," I laughed. "Thanks for the winning goal."

"I didn't know you support Bayer now."

"I support you, Toni."

He kissed the top of my head. "Thank you so much. I'm sorry you have to miss all the Bayern matches."

"It's okay."

"It really means a lot to me."

"Really?" I asked, and he nodded. "Phew."

He laughed. "What was that for?"

"Nothing," I said. He lifted my head and stared at me, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, okay. It's just...you've done so much for me, and I feel like whatever I do won't ever be enough."

"Oh, Gabi," he chuckled. "All you have to do is be happy, okay? Just be happy, and that's enough for me. You don't have to do anything else for me. Nothing at all."

"Okay," I said. "Damn it, how are you so smooth? How do you make everything okay? You make everything okay. Just like that. Without even trying."

"I won't be able to make anything okay if you don't let me in the first place," he said. "So it isn't as much of me as it is you trusting me."