The Unexpected

Chapter 29

Scarlett's POV:

Biting my nails in nerves I looked out at the field below me, watching the entire Real Madrid team in anticipation. Five minutes was all they had left, five minutes to pull a goal out of the bag and turn in the lead against their bitter rivals – Barcelona, as well as take a graceful lead in La Liga at the start of this rather daunting new season. The entire stands around me were filled with the cheering of “Hala Madrid!” on a constant repeat, the fans singing their hearts out to help the team in this dragging five minutes of injury time. The manager screaming out at the players to kick the ball further up the field whenever given the chance, attempting to feed one of the midfield players or striker to smash the ball in the net. I was nervous, really.

Seeing as I had quickly become attached to the beautiful game which they all call football, it did not take me long to start chanting loudly with encouragement for all the players. Joining in with all the fans around me in screaming the chants of Real loudly into the warm evening here in Madrid. It is such an amazing atmosphere, one in which I have become accustomed to ever since Mesut kindly invited me to that first game of his. If I can recall the day correctly I believe it was the 2010-11 Copa Del Rey final, against Barcelona, and let me tell you, what a match that was. Full of frustrating and nail biting activity through both halves, not a single goal produced in either and being forced to wait until extra time for one to eventually come.

1-0 was how it has ended, and from a wonder goal by Ronaldo in the 103rd minute of added time over in the Estadio Mestalla stadium, Valencia. And let me just say, the celebrations in which took place later on that night were far more than I would have ever expected on that very night. Far more alcohol than I – let alone Mesut, could handle, as the morning after the two of us found ourselves led across the front room to Sergio’s house. Alcohol bottles to be surrounding the pair of us, heads hurting beyond compare and swearing never to touch the slightest drops of alcohol again. But did we listen? For a week maybe but it did not last at all.

Anyway, focusing my mind back to the game I bit down more nervous than ever on my long, painted nails. Noticing the clock ticking down on the screen across from where I was stood as Mesut stepped up to take the free kick, it being the last remaining kick of the game so to be possible. Words cannot describe the feelings flooding through me, who knows how all of the die-hard fans must be feeling. My heart was in my stomach, feeling as if I was not even breathing front the intensity of the atmosphere around me. Watching as Mesut rested with his hand on his hip over the ball, eyes examining the goal like he was thinking where to in a hope place the ball. And then there it was, the whistle blowing from the referee beside him.

The whole stadium held their breaths – followed by myself, watching as Mesut ran up to the ball with one hell of a stance. In the back of my mind I was wondering what he was doing in taking such a big run up but then it hit me, he had his eyes set onto one specific area of the goal before him, well so it seemed at least. And the second in which his boot was in a sense of contact with the ball I watched it, feeling as if I was not breathing in doing so, drifting up and over the heads of the wall a few yards in front of him. At first I thought the goalkeeper was about to catch it but god was I wrong as right in that moment, seeming as if it was to be going in slow motion or something, it tipped passed his hands and dipped to the top corner.

As soon as it had processed to all of us in the crowd that the ball had gone into the net all of the Real Madrid supporters jumped in joy, cheering Mesut’s name at the top of our lungs as our eyes were glued to the pitch. Luckily enough for me I managed to get perfect seats, due to the fact of Mesut getting them for me of course, my eyes finding that of Mesut as he ran to celebrate with his team-mates all jumping on his back. And it was then in which I noticed something in which melted my heart. It was him, my boyfriend, pointing directly over at me before making a love heart sign with his hands. I do not know what came over me but I all of a sudden came over emotional, tears of happiness beginning to boarder my eyes as of now.