see you later // Pablo Gavi

Chapter 14

𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒔.

𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐀𝐕𝐈 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐋. It is a relatively easy trail, but by the end, I am trying to hide my huffing and puffing, feeling embarrassed, because, obviously, Gavi is just fine. In fact, he looks as if he could do it about five more times, and still be in the pleasant mood that he is this early morning.

It was a walk up a rocky, wet, slippery hill, and my sneakers are coated with mud. But despite all this, I am also in a very pleasant mood.

We make it to the top, and we've just mostly walked in silence. Gavi said he wanted to bring me here. I look out. We're standing on a ridge of smooth, huge, rocks, overlooking beautiful landscape of meadows, rolling knolls, patches of trees, and misty purple and grey mountains and hills in the distance, which are probably much like the one we just hiked up. It still very early in the morning, and the sun is just rising, casting a yellowy orange color over all the green around us. There could be many proper adjectives for this moment, this peace, in this place, with this boy. Stunning. Beautiful. Quiet. Calming.

Complete peace, really.

I'm tired, and it's kind of chilly all the way up here. As we sit down next to each other on the ledge, legs dangling over the side, goose pimples appear on my arms.

After a few minutes of more peaceful silence, I say, "It really is gorgeous up here. Thanks for bringing me here."

Gavi smiles to himself. "I knew you would love it. That's why I brought you here."

I nod, glad, despite the difficult walk and the cold weather. And the waking up so early for it. I smile back to him, meeting his warm brown eyes. "How do you find these places, Gavi? Secret places, hidden in plain sight, just for you?"

Gavi shrugs. "When you really long for solitude, you find it. You just do."

I nod, thinking about that. "Is being a footballer hard sometimes?"

"Playing football is never hard. I love it, and I always will. It's my life, and I'm glad for it. Being a pro footballer, though? Yes, it can be hard. Fans, cameras... videos and the press and reporters and news stories... Yes, those are hard. So sometimes solitude is all  I need."

I nod again. I think I like that about Gavi. "Why did you bring me here then, if you like being alone here?"

His eyes soften even more when he looks at me, seeming to be thinking about that. "Not sure, Ember. I think... I think I like you. A lot. You're good. You don't cry over me like other people do. But that's because you're used to me, I guess. But you're like me. You're quieter. Maybe less, but you like alone, too. You understand what it is to get away from it all. So I like that. And so I bring you here, because I enjoy being alone with you. I know it sounds weird, but..." He shrugs. "I guess I can't explain it any better than that."

Our voices seem to echo in the silence of this world, like as if we're the only ones here. Me, Gavi, and the birds calling the distance. No cars or signs of humans can be heard from any direction. I understand what Gavi means. This solitude. It's beautiful, and it's true contentment. And we want to share that with each other. Because we're friends.

I love this. I love it all.

We sit longer, time seeming to leave with everything else, the only thing indicated how much time has passed being the rising sun on the horizon. Nothing about this isn't beautiful.

I'm wearing only a light pink t-shirt and some athletic shorts, though, so shivers keep coming back to me. I try to hide it from Gavi, but I cannot.

"You're cold?" he suddenly asks.

I shrug, kind of embarrassed about it. "I guess... I guess, yeah, a bit chilly."

He smiles, teasing, "Why didn't you wear something warmer? You knew it'd be like thirteen degrees Celsius out here, did you not?"

I shrug again, enjoying his lightheartedness. "Oh, I don't know. I didn't know you'd be bringing me up a freaking mountain at 4:00 in the morning! Sorry, Gavi!" I tease back, nudging his shoulder.

"First, it's not a mountain. It's a small hill. And second, it's not 4:00 A.M." Suddenly, before I can say more, he pulls off the Nike light and navy blue hoodie jumper he is wearing, dropping it in my hands. "Wear this, if you're going to complain."

I stare at him; he's grinning at me. I grin back, rolling my eyes. "I don't need this, loser," I say, but I pull  it over my head anyway. It's a little too big for me, and very soft inside. Very comfortable. The heat of his body that was on it warms me right away, bringing comfort to my body, enveloping me in warmth. And it smells just like him. His cologne, maybe a little bit of wood and the outdoors, and the faint scent of his favorite coffee.

How lovely this is. How lovely.

"Alright," Gavi says with a silly smirk. "If I'm such a loser, then I guess I won't."

"Won't what?" I say, too curious now. "Please, Gavi, I'm sorry for calling you a loser. You're not a loser. You gave me your jumper."

"Good," he says, still teasing me in his sweet quiet way. "Say sorry, and I can still see goosebumps on your legs. So I guess maybe, will this help?" Gavi then puts his arm, which is covered by only the sleeve of his navy blue long-sleeve shirt, around my shoulders, leaning into me gently. "Since you stole my hoodie, now I'm cold, too."

I don't look at him, because honestly, now, I don't need his hoodie jumper at all. So much warmth has come to my face because of this.

Is he flirting with me, or would he tease any of this other guy friends in this same way? I wonder. Either way, I'm enjoying it.

I leaning into him, his strong body against mine, and we enjoy the sunrise, wrapped up in each other's warmth.