One Night in Santiago/Football Under Flashing Lights (Neymar Jr. Fan Fiction)

71.

-Neymar POV-

Everything was finally normal and right in the world now that Katerina was home. Despite promising to talk to me everyday, I hadn't heard much from Katerina in the 2 weeks she was gone and if I hadn't visited her, I probably wouldn't have heard from her at all. I was glad she had finally begun to open up to me, even if it was about the former love of her life. I couldn't lie and say I didn't feel jealous at the way she described her relationship with him. I knew it would only be a matter of time before she felt comfortable enough to open up about what was bothering her so much lately.

After the pregnancy bubble was popped just as quickly as we had thought of it, I wondered what the real reason behind her irregular sleeping and eating was. I hadn't known Katerina for more than a year but I knew her long enough to know her tells. She hadn't been okay in over a month and it was so frustrating for me because I wanted to be there for her but she wouldn't let me. Today was a step in the right direction and I was optimistic about it continuing.

The team meeting at Camp Nou lasted just under 2 hours and I made it home just after sunset. I rushed up the stairs to the bedroom knowing Kat would be resting. However, when I got there, the room was empty. I looked around and spotted her on the balcony, sitting crisscross on the ottoman looking at the last of the sunset. I could tell she had showered recently since her hair was wet as it hung down her back. She was wearing a pair of joggers and one of my t shirts. As I stood behind her I wasn't sure if she heard me or not. "Baby?" I said, not wanting to scare her.

"Hey," she said hoarsely. Her voices sounded like she had been crying and I sat beside her, eyeing her face. She looked far away and her normally bright eyes were dull and glazed over by the tears waiting to fall from her eyes.

"Baby, what's wrong? Tell me," I whispered, pulling her into my arms gently.

She breathed a heavy breath and her bottom lip quivered ever so slightly. "I can't," she barely whispered under her breath.

"What did you say?" I asked softly because I wasn't sure I heard her correctly.

She closed her eyes and I saw a single tear escape down her left cheek. "Don't ask me to talk about it because I can't. Please don't ask me to. Please," she begged me in a raspy voice. Before I could even process her words, she wrapped her arms around my neck and began to sob. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she cried into my chest.

"Oh, baby," I cooed, "don't apologize. I'm sorry. It was my fault." I rubbed her back soothingly.

"No it's not. It's my fault. I know it's all my fault," she continued as I felt the wetness on my chest.

"Baby, it's not. You can't blame yourself," I tried to comfort her.

She shook her head slowly as she wiped her tears with her thumb. "There's no one else to blame," she whispered.

Hearing her talk like this was making me worried and the more I tried to examine her face to attempt to read it, the more she looked down. "Katerina, why are you talking like this," I asked, full of concern.

She looked up and met my gaze. Her hazel eyes glistened with moisture and the dark circles under her eyes looked deeper than I'd ever seen. "That's just how I feel," she answered.

I took a careful breath and didn't speak. We sat in silence for a few minutes as the stars began to fill the sky. She didn't move an inch and only stared at her hands. When she finally looked up at the sky, she took a deep breath before she spoke words I never thought she'd say. "Neymar, I- I think we should take a break," she mumbled. Silence reined over us for what seemed like years. "Say something, please," she mumbled.