Book 1: It's Time for Africa

Chapter Twenty-One: Sergio's Second Date

Alyssa stared at Sergio as he leant against her hotel room wall, she rolled her eyes but she nodded none the less at his request; she knew that she had nothing planned for today anyway.

Sergio grinned, it had been a while since he had had any one-on-one time with the brunette; plus it gave Iker and Fernando sometime to spend with one another as they adjusted to the chance in their strange relationship.

"Good now get changed," Sergio said before turning on his heel and walking away leaving Alyssa alone; she watched him leave confused, she wondered what had happened now.

Iker and Fernando had been up front with her after their win against Honduras, about what had happened between the two of them; they had thought it would be fair to at least let her know.

Alyssa moved to her wardrobe which had gotten bigger than expected, David was trying to make up for all the things that he had missed while she was growing up.

The brunette was dreading trying to get all her new clothes back to Madrid, she knew that she was going to be well over the baggage limit.

David was already insisting that he get her an apartment in Madrid and Vicente was only too happy to help, he was even footing the bill for David and Amelia's wedding.

An hour later, Sergio returned to pick Alyssa up from her room; the brunette had decided to wear a cream short sleeve frill hem top and high waisted shorts for their date, which she had paired with black heeled sandals.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow at the sight of the picnic basket that he had brought with him, she wondered what he had planned for their date and where he would be taking her.

The footballer only smiled and offered the brunette his hand so that they could leave for their date. Sergio didn't mind being seen by the rest of the team with his girlfriend now that the secret was out.

"So what's the plan?" Alyssa asked making him chuckle and roll his eyes, as they made their way downstairs and out of the hotel; she doubted that he had a swimming pool handy like he had for their first date.

"I was thinking we take a nice drive out of the city and have a picnic," Sergio said making Alyssa smile at him; she had missed spending time with the boys since she had been spending a lot of time with her parents and brother.

Amelia might have been okay with her daughter dating three men but after what happened with Joan and Javi, she wanted to keep Alyssa close for a while.

***

Walking through the park with Sergio, Alyssa couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful the park was that he had chosen to bring her to.

It was quiet and there weren't a lot of people around but that didn't mean that Sergio wasn't wearing some sort of light disguise in case they were followed.

The last thing that the Sevillian wanted was for the press to snap a picture of him and Alyssa, he knew it would only led to trouble and he knew that it would be the end of their privacy.

Sergio held his girlfriend's hand as they walked, the hot summer sun beat down on them as they searched for the perfect shaded place to sit so that they didn't burn.

"How is the wedding planning going?" Sergio asked as he smiled down at Alyssa, they were walking at a leisurely pace and he was glad that she had agreed to come with him.

The footballer worried about what would happen when it came time to let the brunette go, he knew that he had never been attached to anyone like he had become to Alyssa.

"It's going well... they want to get married as soon as possible, something about wasted time," Alyssa said as Sergio picked a spot under a tree that was in the shade; it was starting to get really warm and he didn't want the picnic going off before they had a chance to eat.

Sergio nodded along as she spoke as he lay down the picnic blanket on the grass and smiled at her as he sat down; he patted the spot next to him knowing that this was perfect.

Alyssa laughed softly as she sat down beside Sergio, she really didn't know what it was about him but she knew that she would be sad to say goodbye.

It was the reason that she had declined her father's offer of an apartment in Madrid, she couldn't bear the thought of losing any of the footballers then being forced to see them.

Sergio quickly sorted through the basket and grinned at the sight of some of the things that Monica had helped him pack.

Alyssa had never thought that Sergio was the sweet type, this date was so different from their first; the date in his swimming pool had been so intimate but this one was sweet.

They talked while they ate and Sergio seemed interested in her plans for her final year of university, she could continue with an internship or go back a study.

"What do you want to do?" Sergio asked carefully knowing he was treading into dangerous territory, he loved hearing her speak about her schoolwork but it was just a reminder of what was to come.

Alyssa shrugged as she nibbled on a piece of fruit; she honestly had no idea at the moment and she knew that she would need to make up her mind soon.

"Well my internship here finishes after the tournament... so I guess I'll be going back to study," Alyssa said with a shrug of her shoulders making Sergio nod his head; he didn't know if he could let her go after the tournament was over.

The couple sat quietly as they took in the impending break-up, it was something that now seemed to haunt the foursome and wasn't going to go away anytime soon.

"I don't want you to leave," Sergio whispered as he watched Alyssa sadly for a moment, he knew that it was selfish but it wasn't something that he had ever prepared for.

The footballer cared about her and he knew the others felt the same, none of them wanted to let her go she meant to much to them now.

Alyssa looked at him, she felt a wave of emotion as she stared at the saddened Sergio, she felt her mind make a decision that she hadn't even thought about.

"I want you," Alyssa blurted out as she stared at Sergio, her mind locked on what Fernando had said to her days ago and she knew that she had made her decision.

Sergio looked at her confused wondering what his girlfriend was talking about, he had just told her that he would miss her and now she was telling him that she wanted him.

"You have me Lissa... heart and soul," Sergio replied as he offered her a smile, he was being serious about that and he knew he was going to need to speak to the other.

The contract was going to end and they had to make a decision before then about what they wanted to happen; Sergio doubted that any of them would welcome the idea of losing Alyssa in anyway.

Alyssa shook her head as she pressed her lips to Sergio's hoping to make him understand, her hands moving to his lap knowing that this would be the perfect hint.

"You want me to be your first?" Sergio asked as he pulled away from his girlfriend, his brown eyes dark as he realised what she wanted to give him; he swallowed knowing that he felt honoured.

Alyssa nodded her head as she took a deep breath, this was what she wanted and she knew Sergio would be perfect.