(Part 1), (Part 2), (Part 3), (Part 4), (Part 5), (Part 6)

Note: I just really wanted to post something for you guys, so I decided to split the part in half because it was taking me forever to finish the whole thing. The second half will come later. Enjoy, and also Happy New Year! :))

—

“We need to break up.”

The nonchalant upbringing of the statement is what sent Cristiano’s abdominal muscles to tense up underneath me. I stopped tracing my finger along his smooth and tan pelvic bone and closed my eyes, not wanting to look at him. I’d forgotten what it was like just to lie with someone, albeit our first time having sex was mind blowing to say the least so there wasn’t much left to say afterwards until the unpleasant revelation hit me like a ton of bricks. 

“What?” Cristiano propped himself up on his elbows while at the same time I rolled out of bed in a frantic search for my clothes. A playful chuckle escaped his throat when he grabbed my bare leg and held it while it was still on the mattress, but I coldly moved it away. 

“We need to break up,” I echoed in the same monotone as before as I reached both arms around to clip my bra in place. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you talking about?” His eyebrows slanted, confused. The sunrise glowed orange through the shades and reflected off the slate walls but a vertical stream of light managed to streak one side of his face staring concernedly back at me.

I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, yet I found myself choking up over the whole ordeal. For the first time in the span of several casual dates with this person, I began to wonder: was I falling for him? One minute I was sitting in the VIP box at the Bernabeu stadium, trying to get a firm grasp on the sport as well as soaking in the atmosphere of fans when everything took a turn into the unknown. Cristiano had scored not one but three goals that night. The rush from the crowd was so exhilarating, I found myself wanting to cheer him on and even more so when I would see his expression on the screen that he was looking up to where I was, his expression reading something along the lines of “Are you impressed yet?”. Slowly but surely, I was learning who he was. These moments were close to being as personal and intimate as the one we shared in bed together that night once I joked that his skills on the field were ‘mediocre at best’, of course.

“What, is this a game you’re playing with me?”

Cristiano’s voice dragged me back into the present. He was sitting up fully now, and the sheets were fixed so his upper torso continued to be exposed while his legs were covered. One would think after celebrating three goals with his teammates, giving a handful of post match interviews, and spending the night lying awake with me, this man would want to sleep, but he was far from it. When I didn’t answer right away, a grin quaked on his lips.

“I’m so glad you think this is funny,” I said.

“What am I supposed to think unless there’s something you’re not telling me?” he asked.

I hiked my jeans over my hips, leaving them unfastened, as I ransacked the accumulated pile of fabrics for my sweater. Every article of clothing looked so drab in the daylight along with being twisted inside out in the throes of passion. Which one was my shirt? 

Cristiano located a pair of underwear and slipped those on; he dipped his knee back on the mattress and took me by the waist to get me to stop. I heaved a sigh of frustration before upping enough courage to look at him again. His hands massaged my hips and he implored me with enchanted brown eyes without speaking a word. I gave into him and touched his hand. He hadn’t put any product in it after showering, so it was natural and curled over my knuckles when I combed my fingers through it. This could become a regular thing, if I would just let it happen. What was holding me back? Why was I so afraid? I didn’t realize it was so easy to like someone. Then again I’d stayed in the same place for almost three months rather than moving around like usual.

“Abby.” He tilted his head so his cheek rested in the palm of my hand and his brown eyes stared affectionately into mine. “What’s going on?”

I kneeled to his level, and he adjusted himself accordingly so I could straddle his lap. His hands trailed up my back and shoulders then lowered to arch my body against his front, evoking familiar aches of pleasure to arise. Everything was so natural with him, but all I could think about was how much I would miss it.

“My aunt’s packing up and moving to Milan. Either I go with her or move in with my parents in France and who knows how long that will last,” I confessed in one unwavering breath.

He didn’t speak at first nor look at me right away. Instead, he stared fixedly into space as though he needed to repeat it in his head a couple of times. “I knew it was too good to be true,” he finally muttered. “You can’t go.”

“What do you mean?” My knees sunk into the mattress so our faces were level with each other.

“Do I have to explain further to you? I thought you spoke English,” he joked.

“It’s not so simple, Cris.” I lowered my eyes. “My salary barely allows me to afford necessities, food, and caffeine fixes alone. I can’t afford to live on my own.”

“So,” he tentatively traced a line along the pesky loose bra strap to prevent it from falling off my shoulder and then down down to the lace lined cup before making eye contact again, “move in with me.”

The second I placed a palm to his forehand, we both burst into laughter.

“Are you nuts?” I grabbed his hands off my waist in an attempt to free myself but he was too strong and wouldn’t budge. “We’ve only been seeing each other for what, three or four months? And you want me to move in with you?”

“Sim. Yes,” he clarified through a confident grin.

“Is that regarding my moving in with you or your sanity?” I asked, tossing my unbrushed hair out of my face.

All he could do was stare, that grin of his not leaving his lips, and he leaned forward to begin pecking fluttery, sporadic kisses from my forehead down to my jaw.“You’re so beautiful.”

“No, no, no, no,” I moaned and tried to wriggle from of his grip a second time. “I never agreed to anything!”

“Why not?” He stopped to lick his lips.

“Why should I say yes to this?”

“Because with you living on the other side of town right now and my training schedule and the matches, we don’t see each other enough as it is. I had to invite you to a game just to see you.”

I’d stopped wriggling to listen to what he had to say, and afterwards, I skimmed his features, which were nothing short of sincere. Bashfully I began to poke at his bare chest before running my hands up to his shoulders. “You’ve been thinking about this.”

“After last night, I think it’s a good idea. Don’t you?” He touched his forehead against mine. “And with our schedules, we won’t get sick of each other, but you could travel with me if you wanted.”

I hummed in agreement.

“I’ll even buy a coffee maker for here so you can save your money,” he added.

I chuckled at this and wrapped my legs around him tighter. “An expensive one that can do a bunch of fancy things?”

“Yes,” he smiled, lifting me up so he could lay me down flat on the bed. I felt light as a feather in his arms, and he was gentle, hands grazing down my sides until his fingers hooked around the belt loops of my jeans. 

“Move in with me,” he breathed onto my lips.

There was nothing left to say but yes.

—

The dining hall, like much of the lakefront resort where the wedding festivities were being held, was covered floor to ceiling with elegant dark wood. Upstate chic, as I once eavesdropped in the planning stages of this ceremony no more than twelve hours after my boss was proposed to. It only seemed like a short time ago when I first joined the company Gabby had just begun her second marriage, which came to an abrupt end, and she was now heading into her third. Not many of the notable names attending placed judgement but more so treated the event as a business opportunity to network and mingle with other well known figures in the industry. Then there was me, who simply wanted to focus on something else for twenty four hours. 

Standing alone outside of the entrance in a fitted black dress, my hair teased into an updo and my makeup done, I studied the faces loitering around the lobby in the hopes of spotting someone I knew, yet I recognized no one, no one I desired to stick around for at least. I was beginning to think maybe a wedding wasn’t such a good idea since the word alone brought thoughts of what could have been to the surface.

“Abby!” 

After months of tolerating her as my assistant, I knew Bianca’s squeaky voice anywhere, and sure enough I was right. Waving me down like I was Benny, Bianca stood out amongst models and socialites in a multicolored sequin dress which no doubt complimented her buoyant personality to a tee. I had nowhere to hide, and her perseverance of calling out my name in a shrilled and hushed tone forced me to grit my teeth and bear it. One last survey of the room led to no avail, and I mustered my best funny-to-see-you-here expression while I grudgingly entered the party by myself. 

“I had no idea! You said you weren’t coming,” she laughed before leaning forward to place an imaginary kiss on one of my cheeks. 

“I changed my mind.” I shrugged my shoulders, avoiding any sort of contact from the tall and lanky man next to Bianca trying to make eyes with me. 

“Oh my gosh, your dress!” She finally got a good look at the dress I was wearing. “I love the lace.”

I tugged at the hem of the skin tight black garment to ensure it was covering to about mid-thigh. My arms and collarbone were covered with a layer of elegant black lace so the dress was simplistic yet stylish enough on its own with a matching pair of ankle boots.

“Thanks,” I replied, somewhat distracted.

“Are you looking for Tad too? I haven’t seen him.” Bianca huffed dejectedly and turned to the shaggy haired string bean standing beside her. “Abby, this is Jacob. He’s the cousin I told you about!”

“Oh.” It took me a moment to recollect when and for what reason she’d mentioned him before. “Oh.”

“Bianca’s told me about you.” He spoke in monotone and rocked back and forth on his heels as though he was just as bored with his surroundings as much as I was. His facial features were okay however they bore an eerie resemblance to Bianca’s after a while.

“You’re in graphic design, right?” I asked, trying to ignore the fact that his facial features bore an eerie resemblance to Bianca’s after a while.

“Graduated last spring,” he nodded.

“Your family must be so proud.”

“Yup, I am one proud cousin,” Bianca chimed in, seemingly distracted. “Is that Tad over there?”

It wasn’t, and I didn’t know why she cared so much about where Tad was anyway. I’d spotted him ten minutes prior to my ‘arrival’ hovering around the wedding party with his camera, so they were at the far end of the hall by then. A flash of Gabby’s fire engine red hair would appear every so often, but I was never fast enough to catch a glimpse of the new man on her arm. Surprisingly she was not known for her many nuptials but her flamboyant personality despite her age and her excellent business sense, even if it did pertain to marrying billionaires as well. We never talked to each other one on one since my interview, but I knew she had a big part in hiring me and she never assigned me a project I couldn’t handle. 

Bianca grabbed my arm and practically yanked it out of the socket. “There he is! I’m going to go say hi and congratulate Gabby. You two are okay talking amongst yourselves, right?”

Jacob and I both exchanged paranoid glances, but she moseyed on anyway, leaving us to our own devices. I supported my hand on my hip while he played with his loose striped tie.

“So how about this crowd, huh?” He scoffed. “A bunch of airhead pretty people with more money than they know what to do with.”

My brow lowered in confusion. “Excuse me?”

He choked a nervous laugh. “No, I’m not talking about you, of course. I mean, even Bianca’s jaded. We’re the ones with the diplomas and we’re the ones putting in all the hours while these people get ahead by just their looks.” 

“I didn’t graduate college.” I found myself glaring down at the floor instead of him. “I also modeled for a short time last year.”

“Oh, I’m—” He was already stammering apologies left and right. “I didn’t know…”

“No, you didn’t, did you?”

“I screwed this up, didn’t I?”

“Evidently.”

“Man, it must be a new record.” He dug his hands into his pockets and squeezed. “Well, would you like something to drink? You do drink, right?”

My lips parted, but a warm hand placed at the center of my lower back prevented me from speaking any further. Dressed in a tan blazer and a pair of dark wash jeans, Cristiano came out of nowhere and handed me a tall glass of cucumber water while he assumed the role of my protector in an uncomfortable situation.

“They didn’t have your wine, so I got this for you.” Our fingers paused mid-grasp together on the glass when he acknowledged Jacob with a cool and casual nod. “Ela é impossível. Abby only likes one specific brand of sparkling white wine when she goes out or she’s very cranky for the rest of the night. Right, bebê?”

I bared a half loving, half are-you-kidding-me smile. “Sure, baby.”

Jacob had been standing there gaping in bewilderment, swinging his pointed fingers around to make a possible connection. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand…”

“Sinto muito,” Cristiano extended his palm out to him, “I am her boyfriend.”

I glared at Cristiano to cut down on the Portuguese because I could see Jacob growing more and more confused by the minute, starting off by him staring at his hand like it was a foreign custom. Then it hit me what Cristiano just said. 

“No offense, man,” Jacob held his arms up in defense, “but when I saw her walk in, I didn’t see anybody with her.”

“You don’t believe me?” Cristiano asked.

“Cool it, Cris,” I whispered.

“Let’s see.” He licked his lips, turning towards me so Jacob was blurred out of the picture. “The things I could tell you about Abby.”

“Fire away, if you dare.” I took a lengthy sip of my water.

He grinned so hard, I swore his jaw was about to break. “Aside from her weakness for Spanish wine, she likes a good plate of pasta and cheesecake and drinking as many cups of coffee as she can.”

“So you’re making me into a wino food addict with a caffeine issue?” I smirked.

“Okay, okay.” He calmed in his laughter. “She hates any form of exercise. She listens to music I’ve never heard of, and she doesn’t like to watch a lot of television. From what I’ve seen it firsthand, she deserves more credit than she gives herself. Both her parents are artists so she sees and thinks differently than other people which is what makes her job so perfect for her, and I wouldn’t dare to mess it up for her.”

His arms slithered around my waist. I had to admit it was nice to be in a pair of arms again. What he had to say however, I was uncertain if I wanted to come to terms with just yet.

“Right.” Jacob managed to de-blur himself by scurrying past us on a one way stop to the bar. “I’m going for that drink.”

“You tried,” I stated over Cristiano’s shoulder, then I felt his lips graze across my temple.

“You also enjoy eating chocolate in bed, but I think that goes against what you said before.”

“Thank you. Don’t ever call me bebê again.” I blinked slowly and managed to pull myself away from him once my eyes were open. “Now what are you doing here?”

“You asked me to,” he said, swiping the glass of water from my hand so he could have a sip.

“You would’ve come anyway if I hadn’t invited you,” I retorted. “It took you long enough to get here.”

“It took a helicopter ride and a half hour by car. I had to book a suite and change.”

“You could’ve just taken the train up like a normal person.”

“That wouldn’t be very me, would it?”

“No, I guess not,” I chuckled.

“You look stunning, by the way.” His fingers trailed along the dainty zipper holding my dress together, and he stepped closer to me so only I could hear. “Magnificente.”

“Is it too obvious I don’t want to be here?” I asked.

“Sim.” He nodded, grinning.

“So,” I began, “let’s leave.”

His eyes searched mine. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve attended more functions this week than I have this entire year. Let’s go for a walk or something.” I started towards the hotel lobby first, but he zoomed ahead of me, his hand gripping mine, to lead the way.

“I have a better idea.”