Virtual Love | Antoine Griezmann

dix-huit

It was safe to say that most viewers of the game were confused about what they had just witnessed. From four torn jerseys, to the match ball bursting, the scoreless event could've been easily mistaken for a huge wrestling match or something along those lines. Despite the final score, both France and Switzerland would advance to the Round of 16.

Carmen had her words caught in her throat, unable to express what she was feeling after the players celebrated advancing to the knockout stages. She shook it off and like most fans, forgot about the brawl that took place on the field. She accepted the result and looked at the bigger picture which was that the host nation made it through. However, Antoine failed to impress her—and she wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily.

Through her phone she sent a text, knowing very well that he wasn't going to reply right away; but she was fine with waiting.

Carmen: what was that

Les Bleus, with their jerseys still intact, filed into the dressing room for a celebratory speech from Didier Deschamps. There was no better feeling than performing in front of your country and making them proud to identify as French. The squad was aware of the hard work that waited for them in the upcoming games, but it didn't hurt to enjoy the moment. The whole stadium seemed to be in good spirits, so the manager didn't keep his team long before giving them permission to leave.

After hearing from his manager and team captain, Antoine's first instinct was to check his phone for any notifications. A familiar name popped onto the screen and invited the warm feeling of butterflies into Antoine's stomach. It was what he had been hoping for, or in other words, the icing on top of the cake after advancing out of the group stages. Antoine chuckled to himself as his eyes scanned the text on his screen. He reply within seconds of opening the message, wanting nothing more than to talk to his special someone.

Antoine: a football match

Carmen: wth were u guys doing out there, it was like a bunch of wild animals escaped the zoo! and don't argue with me. four torn shirts, a ball that exploded, not to mention paul pogba climbing on the back and flipping over that one swiss player

Antoine: HAHA yes i will never let him forget that one

 
"Hey, Paul! Nice acrobatics during the game, eh?" Antoine screamed across the change room followed by a fit of laughter.

"That's it, Grizi!"

The Frenchman rose from his seat and charged towards his teammate. Antoine jumped up in an attempt to flee, but Paul caught him in a playful headlock first. During their play fighting, the phone slipped from his hands and shattered against the hard floor. Mortified, Antoine carefully picked up his cracked phone like a baby.

"What have you done?!" He shrieked.

"Chill, it still works. Get it fixed or buy a new one."

"That'd be the second phone I've broke this month!"

 
Carmen: antoine? u there?

Antoine: yea i'm here

Antoine: sorry, paul was just attacking me and then he cracked my phone :(

Carmen: hmmm maybe i was right about u guys being wild animals...

Antoine: hey!!

Carmen: does wrestlers sound better?

Antoine: sure. paul actually does kickboxing so

Carmen: enough about him, how r u?

Antoine: never been better

Antoine spoke the truth in his last message. He was surrounded by a great group of guys, France placed first in their group, and all was well with Carmen. What more could a guy like him ask for?

"Has anyone else noticed that Antoine's been creepily staring at his phone for a straight fifteen minutes or is that just me," Olivier pointed out.

Antoine raised his head from his phone upon hearing his name, "Huh?"

"Look, he's not even changed out of his kit yet."

By now, the team was starting to gang up on Antoine, curious as to what he was hiding on his phone. Dimitri Payet was quick to snatch the device out of Antoine's hands and was the first to discover his secret, "It's a girl!"

The change room errupted, "Grizi's got a girl!"

"Is she just another one of his meaningless flings or has shy Antoine actually grown some balls and asked a girl out instead of just fucking her?"

Antoine put his head in his hands. Of course during his teenage years he was never the best with girls, but what boy really was at that age? Antoine had a limited social life due to his commitment to football, but he never regretted his decision—even when that came to awkwardly panicking when in the presence of a pretty girl. To this day, it was still a challenge he faced in his life which is why he'd normally keep things short with his partners in fear of screwing up.

Although with Carmen, that fear was almost non-exsistent. She was more than just a friend he'd met on the internet. She was more than just a one night stand. To him, Carmen was the brilliant rainbow that appeared after a disastrous thunderstorm. She was the sunshine that welcomed the spring flowers after melting the blanket of snow. Carmen was all the good that emerged from all the bad.

Maybe it took all those failed attempts of relationships with countless girls for Antoine to finally find the one he'd been looking for. Maybe the reason behind hooking up with so many girls was because he was searching for something different.

Carmen was different, but in all the best ways of course. Her warm brown eyes balanced his icy blue ones and he was attracted to the way she could counter his sarcasm and cheeky comments with her own. She was intelligent, witty, kind, beautiful, polite, and confident all bundled into one. He didn't mind her occasional stubbornness or quick temper because the truth was that Antoine wasn't that different himself; he had already accepted all of her the night they first met.

But this time around, the relationship didn't depend on physical aspects like sex. A stronger and deeper emotional connection developed through that night. Antoine couldn't believe how long it had taken him to realize there were more things to a woman. It had taken him much too long to figure out where Carmen stood in his life. At least now, he understood his feelings and knew what he wanted to do from here on.

"So, Antoine, who is she?" One voice from farther back called out. Antoine didn't bother to pay attention to who was speaking at that point.

"Yeah! Dimitri, what did you say her name was? Carmen?" His teammates were no where close to backing down as they kept throwing questions at the poor striker.

Antoine collected his thoughts while slipping on his sweats along with his sneakers. He slung his bag over his shoulder and handled his phone with care as he stood up. Immediately, the change room fell silent when they saw his neutral expression change into a more confident one paired with a sly smirk.

"Oh, Carmen? She's my girlfriend."