This Isn't My Idea of Love

Chapter Twenty-One: Lionel's Guilty Conscience

Lionel groaned as he awoke to a pounding headache, he licked his lips wondering how on earth he had gotten home that night; he didn't even remember leaving Gerard’s house.

He felt a warm naked body pressed against his own, he smiled softly to himself as he tried to remember making love to his wife; they hadn’t done so in a while and he had to admit that he missed it.

She curled closer to him and sighed softly as she buried her head contently in his neck, Lionel licked his lips as he attempted to remember what they had done the night before.

“Mañana,” said a voice that Lionel clearly wasn’t expecting to hear, he sat up quickly and stared at the brunette next to him that definitely wasn’t his wife.

“Antonella?” Lionel asked unsure what was going on, he knew that he was naked and he knew that she was naked.

However he wasn’t sure how it had happened, the brunette smiled and nodded as she wrapped her arms around him as he remembered bumping into her while he was at Gerard’s party.

“Gracias for last night… I honestly didn't think that you still cared about me,” Antonella said with a smile while Lionel stared at her wondering what the hell had he done; he licked his lips as he tried to remember anything for his night with her but he couldn't.

Antonella moved to wrap her arms around Lionel’s neck and kiss him, however he stopped her as he stared at her horrified; he hated to think what Viola would do when she learnt that he had been unfaithful to her.

“I don’t know what happened last night Anto… but it was a mistake, I’m married and expecting a child with Viola,” Lionel said as he climbed out of the bed and pulled on some boxers.

He ignored the look that Antonella gave him, he didn't know how he could have been so stupid to drink that much.

***

“You did what?” Gerard yelled as he stared at his best friend, Cesc shushed him as people looked around to see what the footballer was yelling about; Lionel licked his lips as he sipped on his black coffee.

“Leo, what were you thinking?” Cesc asked softly, he could already see that the argentine felt bad about what he had done; he hated to think what would happen if Antonella went to the press about this.

Gerard frowned as he noticed how pale Lionel looked.

“More to the point are you feeling okay?” he asked concerned; he hated to think that there was something seriously wrong with his friend.

Lionel nodded his head as he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, the guilt of what he had done was killing him and he had a horrible feeling that this was going to come back and might him in the butt.

“I’m okay… I just don’t remember last night, it’s like I can remember up until a certain point and then everything goes black until this morning,” Lionel said making his two friends stare at him worried.

They knew how easy it was to get the argentine drunk but he had never been so drunk that he couldn't remember anything.

“You think she may have spiked your drinks?” Cesc asked finally making Lionel pause for a moment, he licked his lips as he stared at his friends; he didn't think that Antonella was capable of that but she wasn’t the same one that he had fallen in love with long ago.

“Maybe you should look into it,” Gerard said making Lionel nod, he wanted all the bases covered in case Antonella tried to go to the press with an exclusive about how she had gotten Lionel Messi to cheat on his wife.

“You should tell Viola, she deserves to know,” Cesc said making the argentine nod his head, he knew that the brunette had a right to know what had happened while she had been away; if Antonella got there first then it was going to break Viola’s heart.

Lionel sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, he couldn't believe that he had allowed this to happen; he groaned as he realised that this would only make things with Antonella more difficult.

***

Stepping into her home, Viola couldn't shake the bad feelings that she got when she found Lionel sitting on the couch with Marley purring on his lap; he glanced at the brunette guilty before setting the kitten on the floor.

“Leo, is everything okay?” Viola asked as she set down her bag and moved closer to him, she watched him concerned wondering what could have happened while she was away.

Lionel swallowed nervously as he watched his wife, the last thing that he wanted to do was hurt her; she was carrying his child and she meant a lot to him, more than he cared to admit.

“I need to tell you something,” Lionel said as he signalled for Viola to sit down, she watched him concerned for a moment before she did as he asked; she didn't know what it was but she had a feeling that she wasn’t going to like it.

The brunette was wearing a black cap sleeve crop top and skater skirt in Aztec print paired with nude wedge shoes; she watched as Lionel shifted nervously under her gaze.

”I went to Gerard’s party last night... and Antonella was there,” Lionel said as he watched her, he knew that she wouldn’t like the idea that his ex-girlfriend had been at the same party as him; she had every reason not to after what he was about to tell her.

“We got to talking and she said she was sorry about what had happened at the reception… I didn't think anything of it when she wanted to talk about old times and we sat and talked while having a drink,” Lionel said licking his lips.

He could see that Viola was starting to figure out that he had been unfaithful to her; he already had several team-mates threatening to beat him up for cheating on Viola again.

“I don’t really remember much about what happened next but I know Antonella kept getting me drinks… the next clear thing I remember is waking up this morning with her in bed,” Lionel said ashamed.

Viola swallowed the bile that rose in her throat at the thought of her husband spending the night with his ex-girlfriend; she hated that he had done this to her.

“Do you think she spiked your drinks?” Viola asked as she tried to organise her thoughts, she had only known Lionel for several months and it really hurt to know that he had done this to her.

The footballer nodded his head ashamed that he had fallen for Antonella’s tricks, he had never meant to hurt Viola and he wanted to know what he could do to make this right.

“Leo, I’m hurt that you fell for her tricks and I understand that if she spiked your drink that there was nothing you could have done,” Viola said softly making Lionel offer her a weak smile.

He had already been to see a close friend on the Barcelona medical team, who was doing a blood test for him to see what he had been given.

“I hope you don’t mind but… I want to burn the bed,” Viola said making Lionel nod his head, he had a feeling that she wouldn’t want to sleep in the same bed that he had spent the time with Antonella in.

The argentine had already made arrangements to have the bed removed and a new one put in its place; he was grateful that Viola had taken the news so well.