Paradise In Portugal {Cristiano Ronaldo}

9. First Date Chronicles

{Adelina POV}

By the time I knew it, Friday had made its way around the corner. I couldn't quite decide if I was feeling excited or nervous about what this weekend had to offer. Today was the day of my first date... with Gareth. I didn't know if I would even consider this a date. We were going to a wedding, to who I did not know the couple. My phone vibrated just in time to save me from my ongoing thoughts. 

Wedding starts at 14:00! I'll pick you up a quarter til then. Can't wait to see you :) -Gareth

I smiled at the text and replied that I couldn't wait either. 

"Ahh, talking to Cristiano?" My mother had came by to watch the boys while I went to the wedding. She stood by the doorframe, secretly judging me on my goofy grin.

"No, actually. It's his teammate, Gareth," I admited. I felt as though I had revealed too much than I should have. There was no turning back from this judgement she was making on me. She gave me a stern look that might as well been a death glare. 

"What?" I scoffed. 

Mama only shook her head and let out a sigh. "Just be careful with these men, Lina. Don't go hurting any of them." 

"I'm not going to hurt them, mae," I said to her. She just gave me a look before walking away. 

Soon enough, 13:30 (1:30 pm) came rolling by and the doorbell had rung. I was already dressed, only adding a few extra details to my outfit. I grabbed my clutch and phone as I made my way out the door. Halfway down the stairs, my mom came to view, beating me to the door. 

"Wow," Gareth said, taking a small step into the corridor. He leaned forward, placing a small kiss on my cheek. "You look beautiful."

"Have fun you two," my mother said, walking away with a smile. 

I linked my arm with Gareth's and we were off. 

* * * 

Later that evening, with the beautiful ceremony over, the now happily married couple joined the rest of the guests at the reception hall. Everything about the wedding was gorgeously decorated with peach and white colors and added green accents. It all felt magical. 

It was now towards the end of the night, and Gareth and I were off on a balcony alone, sipping some drinks. 

"I'm glad that you're here," Gareth said, taking a sip.

"Me too. Thank you for this," I smiled.

Gareth turned my way and flashed a smile back to me. He placed his drink on the ledge and looked into my eyes, deeply. I radiated a smile to him, brushing a piece of hair behind my ear. The atmosphere was filled with warmth, comfort, and love. And he must have felt it too, because right in that moment I felt his soft lips touch mine. I closed my eyes, just as he pulled me close, deepening the kiss a little bit more. 

After a minute or two, we pulled away from each other breathless. 

"How about we leave and go back to my place?" he offered.

Completely smitten with the moment, I nodded my head. 

* * * 

{Cristiano POV} 

"Pai!" Junior called out to me. I was sitting in the living room , flipping through channels. He came running in with a soccer ball in hand. I looked over and chuckled. 

"Want to play?" he begged, flashing me the infamous puppy eyes. 

I scooped up my son as I got up from my comfortable spot. I exited the living room, as I entered the kitchen. The kitchen had the back porch door, that led over to the backyard. 

"Come, pai!" he giggled, leaping from my arms. 

I smiled at him and ran out, following closely behind him. He placed the ball in the middle of the yard, waiting for me. We started off doing warm  ups and kicked the ball around. Soon enough, we actually started to play. My backyard was like a mini soccer field, with one goal on each side. Cristianinho was fairly good soccer and played on his elementary school team back home. He loved soccer just as much as I did, so I tried to teach him the best that I could. 

"Pai?" Junior asked as we walked back in the house for some water.

"Sim, filho?" I said. 

"When is Adelina going to be my new mom?" 

I almost choked and spit out the water I had drank. Instead, it took me a couple minutes to gulp it back down. 

"Where is this coming from?" I asked, in a more serious tone. 

"Hmm, you like her, right?"

I couldn't really believe this was coming from a 7-year-old. I chuckled as I picked him up and settled him on my knee. 

"Maybe if I get her to like me more, she'll stay in our lives for awhile."

What else was I supposed to say to him? I couldn't make any promises, and I definitely did not want to get his hopes up. Although, I was setting my hopes pretty high, mentally preparing myself for this date tomorrow night. 

* * * 

{The Next Morning; Adelina POV}

I woke up so suddenly from the blaring of my alarm. My eyes adjusted to the sunlight gleaming through the windows and into the room. As my vision cleared, I looked around the unfamiliar setting, realizing this was not my bedroom. Before I could get up to investigate further, I felt something shuffle and toss next to me. I turned my head to face the man laying sound asleep; Gareth. My eyes widened a little, coming to terms with the events that took place the night before. I lifted the sheets to take a peak and noticed we were both fully naked. 

I pulled the covers off my naked bodyn and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I had to leave. I'm not this girl. I thought. I quickly grabbed the nearest form of clothing and put it over my head; his jersey. I grabbed some sweats that laid around and through them on. I felt bad leaving like this, but I didn't have a choice. I didn't want to accept what had happened. I stuffed the rest of my things in a sports bag that I found, and began walking out of the bedroom.

Before I could make my getaway, I heard a groan come from behind me. 

"Good morning there beautiful."

I turned around to face a still sleepy Gareth, laying on the bed. 

"M-morning." 

"Leaving so early? I was going to make breakfast," he said, getting up. His grabbed his boxers off the floor and put them on. He then walked over to me and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. 

"Um, yeah. I have to get home to my sons," I semi-lied. 

He nodded his head as if he truly understood why I had to leave in a hurry. 

"Um, d-did we...?" I couldn't leave without some type of confirmation about the events of last night. 

He nodded his head once again, taking a step towards me. I wanted to step backwards, but I felt frozen in place. "Yes we did, and I loved every minute of it." He kissed me once again with his hands resting on my cheek. 

When we parted, I smiled slightly and kissed his cheek. "I have to go." 

As I made my way out of the house, I checked my phone for any missed messages or calls. Most of the missed calls were from my mother, which followed several texts updating me on the status of my children. Then, there was a message from someone that caught my eye.

Cristiano

I tapped the notification open, and guilt started to build up in my stomach. 

Morning Adelina!:) I can't wait for our date tonight. I'm taking you somewhere nice, so heads up. I'll see you later, sweetie. 

My heart sunk. I completely forgot my date with Cristiano that was happening later in the evening. My mother was right, I couldn't put them through this. I couldn't put myself  through this. Guilt flooded through my veins, giving me minor anxiety feeling about how I was going to pull this off. If I wasn't nervous before, I was now.