Home is Where the Heart is - Pablo Gavi

Chapter 44: The Last Goodbyes

"Good morning mi Princesa," Gavi greets me as I enter the kitchen. I rub my eyes having wandered down here pretty much blindly. When I open them he's at the stove with a flipper in his hand, stirring eggs.

I pull out a chair from the table and take a seat. "Good morning," I yawn.

"Have a good sleep?" he asks.

I nod, yawning again.

"Stop yawning," he teases, "or else I'm going to start too."

"I can't help it!" I joke, laying my head down on the table. I try not to let the decision I made yesterday resurface, but it's hard not to. Today will be a day full of lasts and I have a feeling it won't be fun.

I hear rather than see Gavi approach me, sliding a plate in front of me and rubbing my back. When I sit up we meet each others eyes for a second before he walks back over to the stove to make his own plate. When he has dished up he comes back over, sliding his own plate onto the table. We start eating in silence, not really knowing what to say to each other. We should be spending our last day saying anything and everything that comes to mind, yet we sit here in silence, both trying to find something to start up a conversation.

"Have a plan for today?" Gavi inquires. I know he's talking about saying goodbye to everyone.

"Kind of," I say. "I'm going to go see Xavi first." My uncle has done so much for me these past few months and will continue to do more for me over the next few years, he deserves to be the first person I share the news with. "After that I'm going to roll with it, maybe ask him to gather up the team so I can make sure to say goodbye to everyone."

Gavi nods a few times, looking down at his food as he chews. Apart of me wants him to be upset and vocalize it, it'd be better than this silence. It's not that he's not upset I'm going or that I'm leaving because I think he doesn't care, I know he feels like he needs to be strong for me.

"I'd like to go to Xavi's alone, but would you come with me to say goodbye to everyone else?" I ask shyly. I feel like he would want to come and I want him to come so bad I'm nervous he'll say no.

His back straightens a bit, as if that is exactly what he wanted to hear. "Of course mi amor," he responds softly, still staring at his plate. I think he's about to return to eating when he glances up at me and adds sadly, "I want to spend as much of today with you as possible."

I knock on Xavi's front door even though it would probably make more sense to let myself in. I did live here for a while and all the players walk in unannounced. This is different. I'm delivering big news, good or bad depending on how you look at it. I have a feeling to my uncle this will be bad news.

He opens the door, his expression conveying he was not expecting to see me. "Isla, come on in." He opens the door all the way and I step inside.

"Hey tio," I say, sliding my shoes off. "Sorry to stop by unannounced."

"Nonsense, you're welcome anytime. Would you like a protein shake?" he offers. I miss his protein shakes, they're perfected from his many years of playing futbol professionally. I should ask for the recipe even if I won't have as much use for them when I'm back home.

"No thanks," I say, touching my full stomach as I follow my uncle into the kitchen. "Gavi made us some eggs this morning."

Xavi raises his eyebrows from the other side of the counter. "Oh did he?" Xavi and I have only recently started to get comfortable talking about Gavi as my boyfriend together and I don't want that to stop. I love his little comments and his quiet fondness and approval of Gavi and I together.

I tilt my head, getting onto a stool. "He's a good cook and we do live together," I remark.

"I know, I know," Xavi says. "I still find it hard to believe my little niece is here and living with a boy."