see you later // Pablo Gavi

Chapter 17

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎 𝒊𝒔, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌, 𝑰 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏.

𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀 𝐅𝐄𝐖 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒, 𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐒. I wish I could hug Gavi right now. These seats are so close, with such an excellent view of the pitch. And the pitch has just as much as good view of us, too.

"God, Em, how did you pay for this? You're a freaking college student. Where did you get this money?"

I make up a lie on the spot, deciding that if I don't come up with something soon, she's going to get way too suspicious of me. "My parents knew this meant a lot to me. They helped pay for it all." Lying about football and Gavi and all that stuff is becoming way too natural to me.

"Oh my goodness. I guess we'll have to send a thank you letter to your parents, then, yeah?"

"Right," I say, clearing my throat. "Now let's shut up about money for now." I start singing along to the Barcelona anthem, in unison with all the other fans in the stadium.

The game starts, and I scan the field. They are playing 4-4-3, with Jules Kounde, Marcos Alonso, Ronald Araujo, and Jordi Alba starting as the defenders, Gavi, Pedri, and Frenkie de Jong starting in the midfield, and Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres, and Robert Lewandowski as forwards. Marc-Andre ter Stegen is playing in the goal. It is going to be a good game. A really good game.

The game goes on, and starts getting tedious, nothing really happening, until the thirty-ninth minute, Gavi scores, tapping the ball in, right passed the opposing goalkeeper's foot, by an assist from Ansu.

I scream my head off, throwing my Barcelona scarf from years and years ago up in the air. Back then, I held up this scarf, and maybe I was cheering for someone else. But I was in a stadium, cheering for Barca, my team.

Barcelona, my team.

Gavi, my friend.

Gavi runs out, towards us, pumping his fist, and our eyes meet. He grins. He grins as his teammates throw themselves on him, and he hugs Ansu Fati.

I share a grin with Charli. "He looked, like, right at us, it looked like!"

"Yeah," I smile back. "Isn't that funny, the way that seems?" But I know he was looking right at me. And it feels wonderful.

Right before halftime, in the forty-four minute, Ter Stegen makes an excellent save, reaching up to knock the ball away from the goal, keeping the score at 1-0. Barcelona is going to win.

I keep my eyes on Gavi for as long as I can see him, until he has completely disappeared into the building, to go the dressing room.

Me and Charli talk, and go for a short walk, to stretch our legs during halftime. We also buy some food, being starving for some unknown reason.

Then we make it to our seats, right as the game is starting up again. Perfect timing.

I still can't keep my eyes off of Gavi. He intrigues me, and I just want to know him more and more, closer and closer. I know he's a good player. I have seen him before. But to see him play, knowing him? It's different. I have great admiration for him, but there's also a strange feeling of being proud of him. I'm so impressed. Everything he does. It is done with talent and precision.

Gavi is so, so good.

In the fifty-sixth minute, Lewandowski scores a goal, and I'm not surprised. He is, like, the top goalscorer. I expect him to score whenever he is playing, honestly. He's just that good.

The opposing team shoots two more shots on goal, but both are blocked, and don't enter the net behind our goalkeeper.

Then, in the eight-fourth minute, just to top off the score, we get a penalty. Lewandowski makes it, and the game ends with five extra minutes of added time, 3-0.

Throughout the whole game, Gavi had so much footwork, assists, a beautiful score... If he's not the MVP of this match, I'll be extremely surprised.

Me and Charli grin, looking at that beautiful final score. Wonderful 3-0 might just be my new favorite score.

That's also Gavi's previous number. 30.

My goodness, why is my mind only on Gavi?! Lewandowski scored two! Ansu had that brilliant assist! We wouldn't have won without Ter Stegen- it would have been a draw! So why-

Because he's handsome. Because I know him. Because I know his sweet quietness and his charming teasing. I know the care he shows, and I know how wonderful he is.

I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. I'm wearing his jersey. Nobody knows I know him, but it's okay, because I know. I know why I cheered so loud for him. I know why he made eye contact directly with me after he scored.

I know him, and I am so, so, proud of him. I'm impressed. My heart beats faster at simply the thought of his name... I... Right now I feel like I love him, even though I would rather not.

On the ride home, the cabbie we get is a depressed looking fat old woman, so Charli doesn't try to engage in a conversation. The whole ride, she rambles to me about the game, going over the whole game again, as if I didn't watch it, her hand on the Barcelona crest on her Pedri number 8 jersey. But I don't mind. I'm glad we both had an excellent time.

As we are almost home, Charli opens her phone at a notification, and her face lights up. She shows me a number on her phone.

𝖷𝖷𝖷-𝖷𝖷𝖷-𝖷𝖷𝖷𝖷:
𝖧𝗂. 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝖻 𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋. 𝖬𝗒 𝗇𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝖠𝗅𝖾𝗃𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗋𝗈. 𝖨𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝗂𝗋𝗅 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗋?

I chuckle, rolling my eyes. "Wow, I'm surprised he actually texted you. Maybe he figures you guys could hook up."

"I'm surprised too, honestly! He seemed kind of scared of me!" she chuckles also, quickly typing a text back to him.

Meanwhile, I text my crush.

𝖬𝖾:
𝖨'𝗆 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗋 𝗋𝗇. 𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗎 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗂 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗁𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗆 𝗌𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗅𝖾𝖽, 𝗄?

𝖦𝖺𝗏𝗂:
𝖪

I smile to myself. I love that feeling of flutters in my stomach at a beautiful football boy.

No, what am I talking about? I hate it, remember?