Football Imagines

Lindelöf 💔 Wherever You Are

For a while we pretended that we never had to end it
- 5 Seconds of Summer

Victor Lindelöf
🇸🇪Swedish National Team🇸🇪
🔴Manchester United🔴

I stare up at the bare ceiling, unable to sleep. Victor lies motionless next to me, oblivious to the thoughts keeping me awake.

He knows what today is, maybe he hasn't brought it up hoping it will hurt less when the moment arrives.

I thought returning home from a 2 year long stint in England would make me happy, but instead I did the worst possible thing: get involved with someone here and have to break my own heart when the time came to leave.

I should've tried harder to resist the Swedish accent and that damned smile. I should've walked out on him when he asked me on a date. I should've stood him up, then maybe I wouldn't be in this position.

Victor slowly lifts his body and moves closer to me.

"jag älskar dig," he mumbles as he wraps his arm around me.
"No you don't," I say, refusing to believe him.
"And how do you know that I don't," he says.
"Because a year isn't long enough to know if you really love someone or not," I say.
"So what? We just throw away the past few months?" He asks.
"It was a mistake on our part pretending that this day wouldn't come where we would have to end it," I say.
"But we don't have to end it," he pleads.
"I have to get back to Auckland, this isn't my home," I say.
"Then we find a place together. Marble countertops, floor to ceiling windows, all the things we talked about. Make it our home" he says.
"What about my family, how will they take the news of me eloping to England with some guy they've never met before? The realities of the situation don't allow for a happy ending," I say.
"You don't know that because you're giving up on our happy ending without giving it a fighting chance," he says.
"Manchester isn't my home, I have to go back," I say.
"Manchester isn't my home either. My home is Vasterås, quiet small town, barely visible on a world map. But I'm here because I'm making sacrifices for the things I want in life and I'd be damned if I didn't at least try to get you to stay here," he says.
"I can't," I say.
"Why? You've spent the last two years here, what's another few?" He asks.
"I'm scared of me staying. Dropping everything I had back home to chase some crazy endeavour, with no guarantee of it working. And I'm left in Manchester with nothing," I say feeling tears brim in my eyes.
"The story goes both ways. Say you go back home, there's no guarantee that you'll find someone there that loves you like I do. There's no guarantee that going home will bring a perfect relationship, so what's the point in giving up something that's a year in the making to start all over again?" He asks.
"Why can't you just accept the fact that I have to leave?" I ask.
"Because I shouldn't have to say goodbye to someone that doesn't have to leave," he says, "what's the real reason behind you wanting to go so badly?"
"I just have to," I say.
"You don't expect me to believe that. You know we always tell each other everything Ash, even the bad stuff," he says softening his tone.

I sigh closing my eyes.

"There's no way my family is going to accept me dating a footballer," I say.
"Why not?" He asks.
"Well, you don't exactly have the greatest track record when it comes to loyalty," I say.
"You know that's not me. You said it yourself, I could never cheat because all I do is sleep and scroll through Instagram," he says.
"I know it's not you, but they're not going to be easily convinced," I say.
"What if we can fly them in to England so I can meet them," he suggests.
"They're going to see that as you throwing your money around and not making an effort to meet them," I say.
"Wow, tough crowd," he says.
"See, this is why it'll be easier if I just go back and we forget this ever happened," I say.
"I never said I wasn't willing to jump through major hoops for them," he says.
"Just save the energy, it's better this way," I say with a sigh.
"No, I refuse for our break up to go down like this. The earliest I can fly to New Zealand to meet them is late June," he says.
"That's 8 months from now, they're not going to buy into the idea that I'm in some long distance relationship," I say.
"Then stay in England," he pleads.
"I can't, my contract expired, I was only meant to stay here for two years," I say.
"Do you really want to go back?" He asks.
"I miss home," I say.
"Will you miss me if you go back?" He asks.
"Of course, and I hate myself for getting attached to you," I say.
"What I'm about to do is going to seem completely crazy," he says.
"What do you mean?" I ask.

He turns over and reaches for the nightstand. He opens the drawer and takes out a small box. My eyes widen as I might have a small clue as to what could be in that box.

"I had no intention of doing it like this, but I need you to see how serious I am about us," he says, slowly opening the box to reveal a ring, "I want you to be my wife. I want to be your husband. And I want us to have the life we always spoke about. All those plans we made, I want them."

"I don't know what to say Vic," I say in shock.
"Look I know neither of us are ready for marriage, but I do know that when I am ready, I want it to be you walking down that aisle," he says.
"I can't," I say getting out of bed and walking out onto the balcony.

I can feel the tears brimming in my eyes.

Victor comes onto the balcony two seconds later.

"I can't accept you saying no to something we spent hours upon hours speaking about," he says.
"You don't understand. My family will never accept you. You're not kiwi. You made their daughter move to a whole new continent. You have a job with the worst track record when comes to cheating. And I know that's not you, but they won't see it that way," I say.
"Queenstown was where I was gonna do it. I remember you going on and on about how beautiful it is. 8 months from now, that's where I was going to propose. Right there by the lake at sunset. Like you always pictured it," he says.
"Don't break my heart more than it needs to be," I say shaking my head.
"I'm not breaking your heart, because this isn't the end of us," he says.
"I'm going back. And there's no changing my mind," I say.
"And that's truly what you want?" He asks.
"Even if it's not what I want, it's what I have to do," I say shrugging my shoulders, "right person. Wrong time."

"Jag älskar dig," I say holding his hand.
"If you really meant that, then why are you leaving?" He asks.
"We knew what we were getting ourselves into. It shouldn't come as a surprise to any of us," I say.