TESSA ▸ PAUL POGBA

TWENTY-SIX • APPRECIATION

"Say it again."

"Je t'aime."

Tessa felt giddy and full of love. "One more time."

"Je t'aime," Paul repeated.

There was a pause as Tessa took it all in before she looked at him through the brim of her sun hat. "Again?"

Paul rolled his eyes, a smile evident on his face. "Tess..."

She sat up in the beach chair they were lying on, facing him as he lounged, hands behind his head and toned shirtless body on display. She placed a free hand on his abdomen, shivering at the muscles below. "Last time, I swear. S'il vous plaît."

He retracted a hand from behind his head, resting it on top of hers. "Je t'aime, ma moitié."

Her grin grew wider than he thought possible, her hand clutching his to bring it up to her lips so she could press a kiss to the back of it.

"You know," Paul started. "In a few weeks, it'll be the anniversary of when we first started sleeping together."

Tessa raised a brow. "Really?"

"Really."

"A year, huh?" Tessa thought aloud. "We've been through a lot."

Paul couldn't agree more. They had been through a lot, through many waves of complications and many waves of peacefulness and it took all of that to bring them to where they were now.

"Things were simple back then, weren't they?" She recalled last September, only ten months ago, when everything was different.

Paul hummed in agreement, eyes fluttering shut as Tessa resumed her lounging position beside him, their intertwined fingers between them. "You had shorter hair."

"You had a red streak in your hair," Tessa reminded him. There was a moment of silence before Tessa asked him, "Do you wish you could ever go back to then? When everything was simpler?"

It didn't take Paul more than a second to shake his head. "Non, jamais."

"Never?"

"I didn't really know what I felt for you in September. We slept together... a lot... but that was kind of it. No feelings involved. I wouldn't want to go back because I didn't know I loved you then. And now, I can't imagine not loving you."

His words warmed Tessa's heart. She had turned on her side so she could face him, catching his eyes as all the love and adoration stared right back at her. She didn't deserve Paul Labile Pogba.

That night, Tessa wanted to show Paul how much she appreciated him, how much she appreciated their relationship. She decided she would finally show him what she had been working on. Along with from the painting she had started during the World Cup, Tessa had a side project. She had secretly started a painting of Paul... well, the paints were used in a blurred manner but it was meant to depict Paul on the pitch, everything Tessa saw when she attended the French games.

Even though he painting was from Tessa's point of view, every time his back was facing her, his muscles were well-defined, his body drawn out like a temple. Tessa had tried to theme the painting around focus, even though it was hazy... especially because it was hazy. There were small sparks coming from his feet as he touched the football, a solid posture as he stood with the ball at his feet.

That evening, Tessa finished the painting—she had all the inspiration she needed—and she presented it to Paul at night, when he came upon her working on the finishing touches on the floor in front of their bed.

"Tessa..." He was overwhelmed to say the least. His eyes remained glued to he painting as she hopped up onto her feet and neared him. "Is that me?"

"Oui," she responded, giving him a moment to take the painting in. "Do you like it?" She nervously fiddled with her thumbs, something she had picked up early on in life when asking for criticisms on her work.

"Baby," he started, his gaze shifted to Tessa, his eyes full of wonder. "I love it." He pulled her into a kiss, feeling her smile into it, proud of her work and all the effort that had gone into it. "It's perfect, ma moitié. Just like you."

Tessa shrugged, a blush decorating her face as her humility took over. "I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate you and everything you do for me. Tu es mon univers and I love you."

He didn't have to tell her he felt extremely appreciated for her to sense it. He promised her he would hang the canvas up in his bedroom the moment they got back to Manchester and for the rest of the night, Paul's eyes never left Tessa's figure.

His gaze kept shifting back to her as they watched a movie, as they got ready for bed, as they laid under the covers.

"What?" Tessa asked, smiling herself.

"Nothing," Paul replied, raising a hand to cup her cheek so his thumb could graze the soft skin under his hand. "I just realized I'm the luckiest guy in the world."