Finding the Way Back (gxg)

Chapter 13

As day two of our vacation arrives, I awaken with a smile on my face. Rose is curled up next to me on the bed, looking adorable as always as she sleeps with her head tucked against my shoulder.

After our beach adventure, we returned to our room, choosing to order in and watch movies as we curled up together in bed. It was a perfect end to the day, and today promised to bring even more fun. Today we will explore various shops and attractions on the island, followed by more time out on the beach, before wrapping up with a nice dinner at a restaurant in downtown Wilmington.

I decided not to wake Rose, and instead scrolled through Instagram, mainly focused on the picture I had posted of the two of us on the beach the day prior. It was a picture of Rose straddling my lap as she sat with her head tucked into my neck. I had chosen this one, with Rose's permission, as it didn't show her face. I didn't want to make identifying her possible as I didn't want her getting caught up in the publicity that came with being a popular figure.

So, I simply captioned the photo "Beach day with my favorite person" before posting the picture.

It instantly drew a ton of attention, including a bunch of speculation, but I had been prepared to see that. Regardless, most of my fans seemed to latch onto the hope that she was the same girl who cheered me on during the post showing me walking unassisted.

They, of course, were the same person, but I wasn't about to make that information public. Besides, I found enjoyment in reading the theories my fans came up with, while leaving them guessing. I wouldn't be giving anything away that wasn't necessary, all to protect Rose's privacy even though she had her own wildly popular social media page.

Speaking of which, her fan edit page was still growing strong, and she had created an amazing edit of my best goals on the various levels of the national team. It was a video I saved to my phone, using it as motivation whenever I was struggling through my harder exercises. The trick worked wonders and reminded me of the level I wanted to return to.

Slowly Rose stirred, with her eyes fluttering open as a smile blossomed on her face. It was the same thing that happened every morning following the two of us sleeping together, and I knew it would never get old.

"Morning," I say, planting a kiss on her forehead, causing her to snuggle closer to me.

We stayed like that for a while, neither of us in a rush to start our day.

Eventually, we pried ourselves apart as our stomachs rumbled, signaling our need for food before beginning our day. It was now nearly ten, meaning the hotel breakfast bar would be closed, so I ordered delivery for both of us as we began our day.

I took the time to work through my exercises, getting them knocked out so I wouldn't have to think about them later. Rose put on an episode of Love is Blind, although she paid far more attention to me than she did the show. Just like the day I watched the Euros with Rose's family, I had my head resting on her lap as she ran her fingers through my hair. It was simple moments like this that didn't need words to express how either of us felt. We could just exist as girlfriends without a care in the world.

I still couldn't believe I could call her that now. Every time I thought about it, it made my heart swell with happiness.

Then there were the words she told me. How she didn't need me to be perfect, and just wanted me to be there. To exist in a space where she can be with me.

I wrapped up my exercises just as our food arrived, with the two of us eating as we continued to only half pay attention to Love is Blind playing in the background.

After breakfast, we got dressed, finally ready to step outside and join the land of the living. We both ended up matching, with both of us wearing our Red Bull Leipzig jerseys with my name on the back. Seeing her wearing my name like a badge of honor gave me the idea of asking the guys at Red Bull if they could make one with Rose's name on the back so I could wear it with as much pride as she wears mine.