And I Love Her

Chapter 29 - Don't Think

"No! Wait!" I yell as Neymar begins to take my fake money from me.

"Pay up," he smirks.

"I quit," I sigh and throw the dice on the board.

"Quitters never win!" He sits up and I take the couch pillow from under me.

"Well," I begin to hug it. "Maybe it's because there are cheaters like you in the world and-"

"Cheaters?! Please, I played fair and square and was even letting you win in the beginning," Neymar interrupts.

"You know what," I get up. "Take this Monopoly board and shove it up your ass."

He instantly begins laughing at me and I throw the couch pillow at him.

"Come on, Kat," he keeps laughing.

"No," I chuckle. "Clean that up, I'm taking a shower."

"No worries," he yells after me as I enter the bathroom and I smile to myself.

After I take a quick shower, I come out of the bathroom with a towel on my head and another one wrapped around my torso.

"Hey," he says. "When you finish getting dressed, can we talk?"

"Uh," I'm caught off guard. "Yeah," I nod. "Of course."

"I cleaned up," he points at the coffee table we were once sat by.

"Ah," I smile. "Gold star for you."

I have no idea what he wants to talk to me about, but I have a desire and I hope he says what I've been yearning for.

After I dry my hair a tad more with the towel I had wrapped around it I exit my room.

I look back at the living room and Neymar stands up instantly from the couch.

I laugh a little and he sits back down.

"Relax," I tell him. "You're worrying me."

I hang up the towels that I was just using and then head over to Neymar.

"What's on your mind, Ney?" I ask and sit down next to him on the couch.

As I prop my elbow up on the top of the couch and rest my head on my hand, he begins to talk.

"I was just thinking," he starts. "About us."

"And...?" I begin to smile a little, but I get no response.

"Remember how I mentioned that couples have that last good bye and then can finally part ways-"

"Yeah, listen-"

"That was just my way of avoiding what was actually on my mind."

"Okay," I start. "But that is a thing."

"Kat, I don't think I'm over you," he blurts out.

"I-"

"I just needed to get that off my chest," he instantly relaxes. "I understand you're with James now and I in no way want to damage what you two have there, because I can tell how much he loves you, but I am-"

"Stop talking," I put my index finger over his mouth. "Do you mean, you're still in love with me?"

"It's in the back of my head and I'm trying to repress it-"

"Like, you want to date me and so forth, or one more night of us will ease you?"

"The second one?" He sort of questions.

"Good," I say. "I can do with that too," I bite my lip.

"Wait, what?" He asks.

"Neymar," I start and sit up. "I left James because I knew I was still yearning for you. I still want that last good bye with you. I know we spoke everything over, but it all happened so unexpectedly that we didn't have a chance to end things once and for all. It's been two years since I left Spain and I still want to end things- I want to be in the right with you. I care too much to let this go."

"I loved us," Neymar says sincerely. "We were great together, and you're right it did end too soon."

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what went wrong-"

"Nothing went wrong, I was just being stubborn and people were being nosy and saying things were happening between James and you and all of it just got to me and I couldn't handle any of it."

"I'm sorry people started talking like that, I'm truly so sorry if I started anything-"

"You didn't though, relax, we were just dumb enough to fall into that trap they made and we couldn't find a way out," Neymar interrupts me.

"Don't you ever wonder what would have happened if we didn't break up? If we stood up to that stupid test we didn't think twice about?"

"I do, a lot actually," Neymar nods. "I just end up getting angry about how stupidly we handled things. Don't talk like that though, I know you and James are meant to be and I've accepted that-"

"How do you know?"

"I just do, trust me."

"What if you're the one for me-"

"Don't take what you have with him for granted."

"I love what we had though," I take his hand.

"And don't you ever forget what we had. When you think of me, I don't want you to think of a terrible break up or if we end up fighting the last time we see each other-"

"Tell me there won't be a 'last time,'" I say.

"I'm just saying," he says. "This love was one of a kind."

"Ten years from now when I look back, I want where ever it is we were to bring a smile to my face and beautiful memories-"

"Kat," Neymar says. "Barcelona is ours. I hope you know that, we filled that city with our love and it only makes it all the more beautiful. When you think of that city think of us, when you visit it even. Leave it pure with our love."

"Of course," I lean closer.

"São Paulo is ours. Cali is ours. Hopefully New York has a part of me," he smiles a bit.

"You forgot New Jersey," I chuckle.

"I know New Yorkers don't like New Jersey," he smiled. "I decided to leave it out," he shrugged.

I place my hand on the back of his neck and pull him in to kiss him.

Just as our lips were going to meet, his phone's alarm begins to go off and a car begins honking outside.

"Shit," Neymar looks down. "The cab is here to take me to LaGuardia."

"Getting interrupted, will always be ours," I begin to laugh and Neymar joins me.

Neymar gets up and walks over to the door and I follow.

"This is it," he says. "Goodbye, Katalina."

"Have fun in Los Angeles, be safe and take care," I frown. "Goodbye, Neymar," I bite my tongue as I open the door for him. "I'll talk to you soon. Have a safe flight."

"I love you," he says.

"I love you," I say and look up.

He leans in for a kiss and I give him one.

I make sure it's a damn good one too since it's our last.

-

Barcelona - George Ezra