Off the Deep End (Cristiano Ronaldo / Lionel Messi)

Chapter 5: Invitation

Friday 22th January 2015

After another Friday training session for the Barcelona team there was a lot of hustle and bustle in the locker room: everyone was either changing their clothes, taking shower or cleaning cleats. Leo had just taken his shirt off, when Neymar sneaked to his side in just his boxers to show a picture of a very beautiful girl from his phone.

"What do you think?" he asked smugly. "Her name is Melissa. I'm taking her out tonight."

"A pretty name, Melissa", Leo replied in approval and wrinkled his nose as he smelled his armpit. "But weren't you dating Liz again?"

Neymar rolled his eyes.

"It's not like we're married, Leo."

"I guess not", Leo mumbled and went to take a shower.

When he returned to the locker room, he could hear his phone beeping. Neymar was already fully clothed and goofing around with Suárez, trying to make him mad by calling him names. Some of them were pretty witty and Leo could see Luis getting a little bit worked up already, throwing a towel in the direction of the young Brazilian. It landed accidentally on Iniesta, who cursed and threw it back at him. Leo laughed and unlocked his phone to see, who had texted him. He frowned, not recognizing the number, but opened the message anyways.

CRISTIANO RONALDO DOS SANTOS AVEIRO TURNS 30

....and wouldn't you just love to be there, when it happens? Exactly.

Don't miss the opportunity:
You and your up to four friends are most welcome to take part in
the greatest birthday party the world has ever seen. So - be there.

Time: 7th February, 2015, from 9 pm onwards
Place: Restaurante Zalacaín, Madrid
What else: Reply this message to confirm your attendance.
Please name also your companions so they can be added to the guest list.

Leo couldn't believe his eyes. He read the text over and over again, still not quite comprehending, what it meant. Cristiano Ronaldo wanted him – of all people - to attend his birthday party. They weren't even friends or anything.

A memory rushed into his mind of himself and Ronaldo, sitting by a fountain drinking wine. Chatting and playing football drunk in dress shoes. Falling over and then a brief moment Leo couldn't quite get his head around: Ronaldo looking at him in a way that made him feel uncomfortable in his skin and his stomach flutter a bit. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought that there was something akin to longing in his eyes.

Leo chewed on his upper lip. 'I must be going crazy', he thought to himself. 'Why else would I be thinking that he wanted to...'

"Did your washing machine flood your house or what's wrong?"

Luis's question snapped Leo out of his thoughts: he realized he must have been looking awfully absent for the last few minutes. Quickly, he shook his head and handed his phone over to Luis and Neymar. Neymar glanced at the first couple of lines of it and then let out a high-pitched squeal.

"What the fuck? Cristiano Ronaldo? Why? Well I'm in", Neymar hurried to say. "But when the heck have you become such good friends with him?"

"I haven't and that's what is bothering me", Leo admitted and ran a hand though his still damp hair.

"Anyways, you have to go, I want to know what he's up to. Are you coming too, Luis?"

Luis nodded.

"It's the greatest birthday party the world has ever seen, who the hell would want to skip that?"