rosie | griezmann

2

Antoine didn't know what to do with himself. When he wasn't at training or with a friend, he was straightening up his apartment, but it was far too tidy for him to be tidying it up even more. He went for walks sometimes, around his neighborhood, but he was now familiar with everything and didn't want to go on just another boring walk around the block.

So, he decided he would go to the shop with the disgusting café au lait, because he had nothing better to do and rarely did he ever like going to places he'd never been. He drove his expensive car to the small cafe, parked two blocks down, and began a slow walk to the small coffee shop.

It was sunny in Madrid today, the sky was just as clear and blue as Antoine's crystalline eyes. Antoine wore his favorite pair of jeans, dark blue and slightly distressed, with a white t-shirt and an unbuttoned plaid shirt over it. He thought he'd just gotten a haircut, but this morning he found himself with enough hair on his head for him to smoothly comb it back.

He paused in the midst of his stroll and, suddenly, remembered that there was something he had to do today; someone special he had to see. Angel. Remembering the name caused him to run to his car, hop in the driver's seat, and speed off toward's Erika's new apartment, or wherever she'd been staying ever since they broke up two days ago.

He arrived in the knick of time. 13:30. Quickly, he went up to the door and knocked only twice before Erika opened it, her eyes still filled with hatred for the man that'd unreasonably broken her heart. "Look who finally decided to show up."

Antoine opened his mouth and closed it, then spoke. "Is she ready?"

Erika closed the door as she went to go get everything gathered before coming back to open it. This time she held a sleeping baby, almost twelve months, and a bag with all of the things Antoine would need to care for her. He took it into a cold hand, then with two sturdy hands, he embraced his daughter.

"Thank you." He spoke, instantly feeling the tension he held within release itself.

Erika slammed the door in his face. Antoine stared at it for a few seconds, his mind hazy, before Angel began to stir in his arms. She opened her big, blue eyes first, pressed her small hands to her father's chest, and then tilted her head back to look up at his face.

Antoine beamed for the first time in what felt like forever. He knew his daughter could only say a few words, but still, she was so shy; she probably got it from her father. Angel flashed a smile as she reached a small hand out to her father's face, causing Antoine to laugh and speak to her as her fingers landed on his cheek. "Bonjour, Angel."

Angel wrapped her arms arms around her father's neck. "Bonjour, papa."

"Are you hungry?"

"Oui." Those words were essentially all of what her vocabulary consisted of, with the exception of a few others, in Spanish of course. Antoine and his eleven-month old drove back to the café, where he hoped the food wasn't as disgusting as the coffee, and he ordered soup and a sandwich along with café au lait—he couldn't help it, and figured maybe it'd taste better this time around—before he chose a nice table on the balcony for him and Angel.

"Antoine?"

The relaxed, feminine voice was sweetly familiar as it pronounced Antoine's name with a thick accent that Antoine couldn't identify. His small smile, which he hadn't even known plagued his lips, collapsed slightly as his blue orbs mapped out the space until his eyes landed on Rosie. She was smiling, making her way over to him.

He spoke. "Rosie."

Today, she wore a navy blue sundress and wedge heels with a cloth strap tied around her ankle. her hair was wavy down her back, leaving Antoine to wonder if she'd gotten so dressed up for the sake of a man. She tucked her hair behind her ear. "How's your day going?"

Antoine's lips remained parted, but for a moment no words dared to escape his mouth. Angel was in his lap, playing around on his phone, but previously she'd been staring at Rosie with curiosity and this was the entire reason Rosie had noticed the two in the first place.

Finally, Antoine could speak. "I couldn't complain."

Rosie smiled and nodded, then motioned to Angel. "Who's this?"

Antoine smiled, for the first time ever in front of Rosie. It was a pleasing sight, to say the least. Almost relieving for the therapist. "My daughter...Angel. She's eleven months."

"Wow, she's beautiful." Rosie's eyes filled with fascination. And it was true—the little girl had thick, dark eyelashes and a head filled with thick, dark hair to match; her blue eyes were large and curious, ready to explore the world around her.

Antoine smiled. "Thank you." He stared at the empty seat across from him, then at Rosie. He wanted to ask her the obvious question, but it would be out of place. Just yesterday, it was, he was talking to her about how messed up he is. And what's more was the fact that she thought he was gay.

"Well, I just wanted to say hi...make sure you were doing okay." Rosie flashed Angel a stunning smile, to which the eleven-month old blushed at, before standing back up. "I should—"

"Are you on a lunch break right now, or something?" Antoine blurted his words before he could stop himself, leaving Rosie to smile.

"Why yes, I am. My table is..." Rosie motioned to the table in the corner of the balcony, where a lone glass of water and a menu sat. "...right there."

"Were you meeting someone?"

"Just me."

Antoine looked back at the empty seat, then at her. Damnit Antoine, don't be so shy. It's not like you're asking her out on a date. "Well...you're free to join us." There you go. "Only if you want to, of course."

Rosie smiled and slid the chair out before plopping across from Antoine, her eyes gravitating towards his daughter once again, who looked at her curiously. She smiled wider and then spoke, her voice still remaining so calm and maintained as she did so. "Gracias, Antoine...I would love to."