World Cup Romance

Final

"Come on Germany," I whispered to myself. Argentina was holding strong, and I was nervous for the extra time. I was praying we wouldn't go into penalties.

"Mario looks alive," Marco nudged me. "I'm sure he'll pull something out of the bag for Germany."

As time dragged on, the nerves got larger. All I wanted was a goal to seal Germany's 4th World Cup win. Was that too much to ask?

At the end of the first 15-minute extra time half, the score was still nil-nil. Hopefully we could pull it off next half.

Lots of fouls were thrown out during this half, and Bastian Schweinsteiger's eye started to bleed. He was taken out for a moment so the team doctors could assess him.

In the 113th minute, Andre Schürrle raced along the left wing of the field and kicked it to Mario Götze, who volleyed it into the back corner.

I've never heard a louder eruption. Every German fan in the stadium cheered and all the pressure was taken off our shoulders.

"YES!" Marco picked me up and spun me around. His eyes were red. I could tell this meant the world to him.

"Four time winners, baby!" I hugged Marco and looked down to see the team celebrating.

The next seven minutes were goalless and it ended 1-0 Germany.

"Come on," Marco took my hand and started towards a security guard.

He asked him something and he nodded slightly, before leading us closer to the field.

"Marco?" I asked hesitantly.

"Come on," he smirked. I had no choice but to follow. Once I got to the bottom row by the field, Mario ran over and grabbed my waist.

"Hello guys," he smiled warmly and took my hand. What was he doing?

"Congratulations," I decided to hug him. His grip was tight as he hugged back. He was sweaty, but I didn't mind.

"Now," Marco whispered in his ear. He then headed to congratulate his teammates.

"So," Mario snapped my attention back to him. "I was thinking about something."

"Yes..." I raised my eyebrows. This made me nervous.

"Would you consider this a date?" he looked around at all the screaming fans.

"I suppose so," I shrugged. I could feel my heart racing.

"And, will you consider being my girlfriend, Nicole?" he smirked. I completely lost it. I started to breath heavily and I think I was smiling like a fool.

"Absolutely," I replied, as almost in a daze. His tanned skin came closer to me and he kissed me.

All around I could hear cheers and screams. Several cameras flashed in front of us. This was a fairy tale ending to a spectacular vacation.

I would always remember this time, this place, and Mario as my World Cup Romance.