see you later // Pablo Gavi

Chapter 86

~ Author's Note ~

warning: Censored swearing

𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖.
𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑰 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒅.

𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐔𝐏 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐀 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐕𝐈 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐄. I flinch when he falls to his knees and into my arms, wrapping his arms around my back, and buries his head in my shoulder.

Angel quickly stands up, getting that it's his time to go, and mutters, "I'm gonna go back to the pool now."

We sit like that a few seconds until Angel is out of sight and earshot.

My boyfriend's whole body is shaking.

"Pablo Gavi," I whisper, resting my cheek on his scalp for just a few seconds, before leaning my head back up.

He puts his cheek against my shoulder, now, his face on my neck. He whispers to me, and I can feel the movement of his lips on my neck.

"Ember, I am so f***ing sorry."

"Gavi..."

"I'm such a f***ing idiot."

"What are you sorry for?"

"What do you mean?" he looks up at me finally. His eyes look very emotional, but that's about it.

"I just want you to tell me why you're sorry."

He sighs, shaking his head. "So many reasons. First, I want to start off with last night."

I look at him, completely and utterly surprised, concerned, and confused. "What about last night are you sorry for?"

Apparently, he mistakes my surprise for hurt and sarcasm and annoyance, or things of the like, because he looks at me so guilty, so concerned, saying, "Desire took a hold of me, and I just pressured you into letting me touch you like that, and then I went and told you to shut up and kept my hand over your mouth and was generally just really-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I chuckle. "Slow down. You're saying sorry for that? You've got that all wrong, love. All wrong. I enjoyed last night so much. Ugh, just thinking about it makes my stomach tighten. If we could do that every night, I'd love it. And I understand why you had to keep your hand on my mouth. I was completely driven insane by your touch, Gavi, and in that moment, the only way to make me shut up, because that is ultimately what you needed to do, you had to keep your hand over my mouth. I completely understand it. And, honestly, that was really hot, too. Now, putting that aside, can you please tell me what you're really sorry about?"

He sighs. "Don't you already know?"

"Well, I didn't know you were sorry for something that I consider something amazing you've done to me, so I'd just like to hear it straight from your mouth, please."

He nods, inhaling deeply, and then starts, "I punched them, at that made you and your beautiful heart cry, and I didn't mean it, and I'm so sorry... I..." His body starts trembling again in my arms like it was when he first fell into time. I can hear his breathing, which is kind of quick. Not quick enough for me to regard it as dangerous. Just quick enough to be able to tell how upset he really is.

Thinking about Angel's words from just a small while ago, I say to my boyfriend, cupping his cheeks in my hands, looking him right into the eyes, and straight past into his heart, "Love, how do you feel right now?"

He looks at me confused. "Huh?"

"Just answer my question."

I almost laugh at the words that come out of his mouth, because they're exactly what I think they're gonna be. "I'm... I'm honestly still angry, Ember."

"It's different than before, though, right?"

"Yeah. I don't want to punch anyone. I'm... mad at myself... that I would... put you aside, and myself aside, and hurt my teammates out of such anger... I can't believe myself. So I'm mad at myself."

I study his face, and I whisper, "It's okay, baby. It's okay. I just... I want you to..."

"I'll do anything for you."

I sigh. "I always tell you to be completely honest with me."

"I know. Sometimes I feel like I'm too honest."

"No, you're not. At least not to me. Be honest when I ask you this. Do you ever feel like you want to cry?"

"Ember, you know I do. You saw me today. I was shaking so much with rage, there were tears of anger threatening to fall."

I shake my head, realising that where he's at right now, it's a lost cause.

He's going to grow.

I'll make sure of that.

I wrap my arms around him and I whisper in his ear, "I forgive you. You made me cry, it's true. Yo got too angry, it's true. You lost control, it's true. But listen," I pull back to look him in the eyes. "I love you so damn much anyway, okay? Nothing you do will ever pull me away from you. I love you too much for that s***. I know you love me enough to strive not to hurt me, but everyone fails; everyone makes mistakes, and everyone struggles with their own problems. And I forgive you. And I love you for who you are." I gently touch my forehead to his, ending with, "Okay?"

There's some sort of strain in his face. A clench of the jaw. A vein popping in his head. His hand suddenly clutches my bare waist, very hard, and I feel myself blush, even though I know he didn't mean it in that way.

"What's going through your head?" I ask, leaning away from him slightly.

"Hm... I honestly don't know."

"Be honest."

"I don't!" he exclaims, and I can tell he's being honest.

I nod, smiling, and we stand up together off the ground. "I'm cold," I mutter. "and wet."

"Me too," he smiles.

"Should we go back to the pool?"

"Pedri said something like, 'If you need time with her, I don't mind. We spent time together this morning, so go straight ahead. And the other guys think your romantic gestures are annoying, I think."

"Oh," I giggle, rolling my eyes, entwining my fingers into his. "Well, do you need time with me?"

He thinks a few seconds, before saying, "Let's go for a walk. Then we can go back to the pool, okay?"

I smile. "Of course."