Someone Like You | Toni Kroos

Chapter 8 - Plus One

Toni's POV

Gabi couldn't help but wipe a tear from her eye as she watched Josef and Eva take their vows. She gazed straight ahead, mesmerized by all the comings and goings, all the while her hand resting lazily in mine, like we were used to.

We'd received invites to the wedding, just as we were promised, and in the autumn we attended it; just as the leaves started turning orange and falling off. Given that it was held in a church that had a beautiful park surrounding it, the atmosphere was wonderful.

I looked around at the church pews, which were enough to seat more than a hundred people. About three-quarters of it was occupied by guests.

Gabi finally turned to me after the bride and groom left the room and the guests started heading to the reception. "Nice wedding," she smiled cheekily.

"Not as nice as ours," I leaned over and whispered in her ear.

She gasped. "I'm totally going to tell Josef you said that."

"Remember when he tried to beat me up?" I pinched her cheek softly.

She burst out laughing. "Oh, Toni, my hero."

"Do you want a big wedding like this?" I asked.

"Not really," she shrugged. "I mean...I don't have many friends."

We'd successfully booked a venue for mid-March next year – an elegant Victorian style old house that had been converted into a nice event location, located nearer the outskirts of the Munich city. We were lucky to find such a nice place that wasn't in the city area, and at such a nice date which marked the start of spring. But we were taking it slow, and we hadn't even sent out the invites yet.

"How many guests?" I asked.

She shrugged again. "My side...I think five people?"

"Five people?!"

"Louise, Josef, Eva, Elisa, Bertha..." she said. "That's all."

"You know, I thought you wanted some of those as your bridesmaids."

"That's Amelie," she replied. "I only want one."

I turned towards her, trying to gauge her response to my next question. Cautiously, I asked, "Will you be angry if I invite the whole team?"

"The whole team?!" she gaped at me. Her mouth stayed open for a few seconds before she closed it hastily. "That's...like...twenty people?"

"Around there," I told her, but she continued staring at me, not sure what to make of it. "Gabi, it's okay if you don't want it. I'll invite less people."

"No, no, it's okay, I just...I'm a little overwhelmed."

"Are you going to tell me again," I reached over and smoothened her hair. "That you just realised you're engaged to a Bayern player?"

She giggled. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Because that's what I love about you. You love me for me and not because I play for your favourite team and I'm rich."

"I know," she sighed and leaned into my shoulder. "You wrote that in one of the cards."

"I won't invite everyone if you don't want me to," I said into her hair.

"You can invite everyone," she chuckled. "It's fine. I mean...usually weddings are much bigger than 25 people, right?"

"Really, I can?" I asked, and she nodded. "Thanks, baby. I want everyone to know that you're becoming my wife."