Damaged (Rúben Dias)

Chapter 1

5 months earlier

Dani's POV

I look in the mirror, trying to convince myself this is a good idea. Will everyone be able to tell how insecure I feel?

After two years of work, I'm back to studying. My sister and I have sacrificed so much so I can do this...I have to do it even if it's just to not disappoint her. I can do this.

The students will be younger than me but not by much. And I've always been a great student. So good I should have gotten a scholarship but...no point in dwelling on that right now.

My sister's door is closed and I know what that means. She's not alone.

Shaking my head at the silly ideas inside of it, I move to the kitchen to try and eat some breakfast before I leave for my first class. A coffee and peanut butter on toast will do.

"Hi?"

I turn and see a half-naked man staring at me. Libby picked a big boy last night, I guess.

"Hey. Want some toast?"

"Eh...no. Are you...are you Lisa's friend?"

"Libby".

"Hi Libby".

"No, my sister is called Libby. Not Lisa. So I guess you not even knowing her name means you won't be her new boyfriend, right?", I wish I could not sneer at him and just ignore him but fuck it. Fuck all these men that only use her.

"No, I'm not her boyfriend. I don't do relationships at the moment".

"Charming".

"She doesn't either".

"Oh, I know", I know very well she doesn't and why.

I take another bite of my toast and can see the guy is still standing in the middle of the kitchen, just staring at me.

"What?"

"I'm Rúben".

"Dani".

"Nice meeting you".

I kind of wished he was offering a hand for me to shake just so I could slap it away.

"They usually just leave without saying goodbye. No need for small talk".

"Just because it was something casual, it doesn't mean I have to leave like that. It's not my style".

"Oh, you're a gentleman, aren't you? Could have fooled me what with all the not even knowing the name of the girl you were screwing last night".

He remains silent until my sister makes it to the kitchen. She's also surprised to see he's still there.

"Oh, you met Dani!", she says, walking past him so she can kiss my cheek. "Do you have everything you need for uni? Do you need money or something?"

I look at our guest. Should we have this conversation in front of a stranger?

"I'm fine".

"She's so smart", she says, now talking to Rúben. "She'll be the best lawyer in the country".

I try not to blush.

"Fancy", I hear him mutter.

"What do you do for a living, lover boy?"

"I'm a football player".

I snort. I really can't believe it.

"A footballer, Lib? Really? What regional league does he play in? Has he been telling you about how he'll win the Champions League one day?"