French Lover; Antoine Griezmann

Chapter Ten

Sunlight shines under the door like a ghoul's grin, yet gives the shutters a halo of golden rays. That's the new morning, sinner and saint, just like me. Waking is a hammer swung with gusto, a painted "x" on my skull. Sleep drags me backward until a new thought can penetrate - I have the chance to achieve more than yesterday if I move now. The bed is warm, the draughts are cold, yet my feet swing outward into the chill. I moved across the room like my leg had fallen asleep under the world's weight. Hobbling like a woman triple my age, my face was a cross between a grin and a grimace. The kettle was whistling and I wanted my tea. What else was I supposed to dunk the biscuits in?

After lunch, I hesitated to move but I finally did. I slide down into the water, letting it block out the sounds around me. I wish the tub would expand so I could go swimming, like I used to on hot summer Sundays in the woods with my father. Those days were a special treat. The bath tub was fashioned from tin and beaten into shape with a flat hammer. It was just big enough for a child to sit in and the water was never more than tepid. Once you out grew it you had to wash with a damp cloth or go to the river, there was no chance of getting something bigger. No-one could spare the metal for something like that. I wiped myself clean before I get dressed in comfortable clothing. And then, at about 3pm, I could hear my doorbell ringing.

I jumped out of my couch, not prepared to face whatever was at the other side of the door. I wasn't expecting anyone right? It must've been the post man or those girl scouts, selling cookies and brownies which turns out to be unexpectedly delicious.

I opened my door, leading myself to freeze in the moment, as I felt my eyes widened and my jaw dropping.

He was there.

He was here.

Antoine's face comes from the shadows, craggy features suspended between grief and joy. Seconds passed, my brain taking him in, struggling to comprehend that he isn't one of the pictures I keep beside my brain, that he is real. My brain can't formulate a thought, at least not one based in any language, and if I don't touch him soon my atoms will tear themselves apart. How the ground between us is erased I'll never recall, but one moment we are apart and the next we are morphed into a single being. The warmth of his body meets my cold skin, giving me hope like he always did before I left. One of his hands clasps around my lower back, the other stroking my upper back. With each soft touch more tears fall, tears neither of us wipe away. After so many years we have the chance to make new memories and wasting time isn't on the agenda.

Then his hand raises, silently despite the robotic components and he touches my hair. I wish I'd put more effort on styling it today, I wish I'd put on the make-up I've been saving for when we meet again, but he doesn't seem to mind the tired eyes. Then he says "I missed you," and I snap inside, snap like brittle glass and feel the shards tearing at my guts. I can't speak, the blood leaves my face and I grip at his decaying uniform. He stops. Watching me break right before his eyes. His face stays robotic but something shifts in his posture.

"Why haven't you looked for me?" I pushed him away with a small force.

"I tried. I couldn't contact you at all," Antoine responded, tucking a hair behind my ear.

"Then how did you find me here?" I asked, as my eyes filled with tears.

God, I missed him so much.

"Having too many feels and emotions, not knowing what is real. Telling yourself that it doesn't matter but it only gets deeper. You could see the person even when you close your eyes and you begin to think that you're crazy. The senses in your body are telling you but you keep going, like nothing happens. All the feels and emotions got you drinking different kind of potions-" Antoine stopped as he noticed a tear rolling down my cheek.

"I don't know who you are but I dived into your ocean," I continued the quote from my novel.

Antoine took a few steps closer to me and pulled out my novel from his bag and smiled.

"When I got this, I thought I was dreaming. I didn't know where to start looking but your sister managed to contact me through my work and she led me here," Antoine says.

I remained silent, as my heart felt warm, as if I found what I've been missing.

"I love you so much," Antoine heaved a sigh.

I hesitantly looked up at him. The swirls of emotion I saw there made me gasp. Lust and desire. However, before I could ponder about it further, he yanked me to him and covered my mouth with his in a hungry kiss. As our lips crushed together, I felt like i was walking on air. It was magic, the way his lips connected with mine. His mouth was so warm, the caress of his lips softer than I could have imagined and I opened my mouth with a low moan.

"I love you too..."

End.

*Hey guys!! Thank you for reading 'French Lover'! Do vote & comment your thoughts!! Check out my other fan fictions which includes Neymar Jr, Dele Alli, Cristiano Ronaldo and many more!! And of course, more to come! Comment your suggestions on the footballers I should do a fan fiction of next and I'll surely add them to the list! Thank you for the support!!! xx*