The journalist's footballer (Rúben Dias)

Chapter Ten

Rúben

I shouldn't have checked IG while I was out with some of the lads. Christina has been sharing her day out with her friend. Including photos and videos in the pool wearing a very tiny bikini. I shift in my seat and put the phone away.

Thankfully we are just out to grab some food quickly. I'm worried Christina will call me while I'm out and I won't be able to talk to her.

"How about...that one?", I hear John say and realise he's talking to me.

"What?"

"Were you even listening? I'm saying that the girl over there is your type. Why don't you go talk to her?"

"I'm not interested in that today", I say, checking the girl he means. She's pretty and I guess she's my type but I didn't lie. I don't plan on going home with a girl today.

"Why?"

"I'm just not", I shrug.

I can feel him looking at me curiously. I hope I'm not too obvious.

A little later, we make our way back home. I'm sharing a taxi with Rodri and Aymeric. I decide to check my phone before the taxi arrives and I see a message from Christina. Just four words, but I don't need anything else right now.

"See you this weekend. Xx"

I realise I stopped talking to stare at my phone grinning when Rodri asks me if I'm coming or not.

"Yeah, sorry".

When I get home, I try facetiming Christina.

"Hi", says a smiley girl that clearly isn't Christina.

"Eh...hi. Who are you?"

"I'm Sarah. Christina's best friend. She's in the shower at the moment. May I take a message?", she says laughing.

"That's okay, I'll call her later", I say, ready to hang up.

"Wait!", she stops me. "Take good care of her this weekend, ok?"

"Of course".

And she gives me a genuine smile.

"Oh, wait again!", she says getting up. "Here she is!!"

I can hear Christina asking her who she's talking to before I see her on my screen.

"What? Oh! Hi Rúben!", she says, looking at her friend and mouthing something to her. I can't hear what she says, but I hear Sarah laughing.

"Sorry I called in a bad moment".

"It's ok. What did you want?", she asks, getting comfortable on her sofa. I see her friend right next to her.

"Just to talk about the weekend. So I know when to pick you up and all that", I say. It's what I wanted to talk about, but not with an audience.

"When do you want me to get there?", she asks.

Yesterday. "Friday? I'll be gone all day Saturday, so that way I can show you around and make sure you have everything you need".

I hear Sarah mutter something and Christina gives her a death stare.

"What was that?", I ask intrigued.

"Nothing", Christina says while Sarah laughs.

We finish preparing for her trip and she needs to hang up to spend more time with her friend. But she'll be all mine on Friday.

Christina

"I swear to you, Christina. If you come back telling me you didn't let that man do all types of unholy things to you, I'll stop being your friend".

"I'm not sleeping with him", I say again.

"Why? Give me a good reason?", she whines.

I move to the sink to put the plates and mugs there.

"I just...I just don't want to be another notch on his bedpost, ok?", I say sincerely. "It's not what I need right now. No matter how much fun that could be".

"I get it", she says, hugging my side while I do the dishes. "And I don't think you'll be just that for him but...you know better than me".

I bite my lip thinking. Daydreaming too much is what got me to trust someone like my ex, and I just don't want that again.

"Should we watch a movie?", I offer.

"Yes!! You pick which one and I'll make some popcorn".

We haven't even finished the first movie and Sarah is already sleeping. Typical. I take a photo of her to post on my stories.

"My date has already fallen asleep. Am I really that boring?"

This is when I would normally get a message from Matty telling me I'm not. But I'm not expecting that today.

I don't even know how we are going to deal with working together if he doesn't change his attitude. I can't hide in the tiny office all the time.

I get a couple of people reacting to my story, including my sister Lily saying that she can't blame Sarah because I got dead banter. Love you too, sis.

And then I see Rúben has reacted to it too with some laughing emojis. And I allow myself to wonder for a second how a date with Rúben could be. I bet he can make a woman feel really special. The way he holds eye contact is so intense. During our interview, I was glad I could look down at my notes every couple of minutes. The way his eyes never left mine made me forget there were people around us.

Imagine that during a dinner date. Or better yet, imagine that eye contact during sex...

"Ouch", I complain when Sarah kicks me in the stomach. She moves a lot while sleeping.

"What?", she asks half asleep.

"You kicked me! Let's go to bed. At least there you can stay on your side and kick the air", I tell her, moving towards my room. "How can anyone sleep next to you? Really".

She shrugs.