One Chain, Two Wrongs • Neymar

Chapter 5 - Feng Shui

She let me down easy.

Mariana told me she'd tell me at the end of the night if she would go on a date with me, and that she did. We spoke the rest of the night, she said she'd much rather get to know me than jump into a fling- word choice that stung- with a teammate of Piqué's.

So we just spoke. The basics, a couple of games of twenty questions and some drinks later and Mariana turned out to be great. She did refuse my date once the party came to an end when we were outside the ballroom about to go our separate ways, but I got a kiss on the cheek- and I was glad. I didn't want to jump into anything either, but now the girl managed to make me crave her more.

A week later and I'm making my way to Gerard and Shakira's home, where I'll probably encounter Mariana. Shakira picked up a book on "Feng Shui" and she was in dire need of "men," specifically teammates of Gerard's, to come over and help with the reorganization of their rooms.

I park in the only open spot and make my way up the steps and ring the familiar doorbell.

Mariana swings open the door in her paint covered overall shorts with a green apple in hand. She just looked at me silently as she took a bite of her apple then turned on the heels of her feet and exposed her bare lower back to me with her crop top making me shake my head. She leaves me to enter the house at my own will as she heads back up the stairs without saying a word.

"Gerard!" I yell out and shut the door.

"Back here!" He shouted from the family room.

Xavi and him were moving a sofa across the room as I walked in.

"Well don't just stand there," Gerard spoke before wiping his forehead. "Get comfortable and go find Shak upstairs."

I simply nod and do as I'm told after I leave my jacket on a seat.

"Shak," I speak and hear my echo as I walk down the main hall.

"In here," she speaks loud enough for me to hear.

I walk into a guest room as she has a book in hand, telling Marc and Sergi where to move the bed. When she turns to face me they both shake their heads at me and I have to bite back the smile.

"Yay," she smiles then leaves a kiss on my cheek. "An extra hand."

"Tell me what to do and I'll do it," I smile.

"Andrés is in the next room finishing up," Shakira tells me.

I walk back out the hall and spot Mariana in the room across, painting the walls but I head to Andrés first. I greet him before helping him finish up in Milan's room then I make my way across the hall.

"Mariana," I speak. "How are you?"

"How do I look?" she asks.

"You look-"

"I mean, do I look fine?"

"Yes," I say. "You do."

"Then, I'm fine," she smiles.

"You're not a 'hello,' 'how are you?' type of girl are you?" I inquire as I step into the room and spot Milan drawing on a little table in the corner.

"Milan! Hey!" I go and greet him with a high five. "What's with the paint?" I get up and head over to her.

"Apparently men only do the heavy lifting. Shak's living in the 17th century," she explains.

"Ah," I say. "Good ol' Shak."

"Good ol' Shak," Mariana repeats with a smirk.

I go over to the door and pick up a paint roller then head to the bucket full of white paint and pour some more in the black tray.

"Can't leave you to do this whole room by yourself," I chime.

"Neymar," she cheers. "The most thoughtful of them all."

I roll the roller once and pick it back up only to get a laugh from Mariana.

"What?" I let out a chuckle and look up at her, almost being blinding by the sun.

She grabs my right hand and begins to roll the roller in a different way, teaching me in the process.

"Should I even ask?" I say as I begin to paint the wall.

"My dad was a construction worker," she says.

She turns around quickly and drops the roller then heads out the door. She comes back a second later with Milan in her arms.

"Stay here, sweetie," she says as she places him back in his plastic chair.

He lets out a yell and Mariana ignores it.

"Close the door," I tell her and she shakes her head.

"The fumes from the paint," she says before disappearing back into the hall.

She comes back with a baby gate and places it in the doorway. Milan begins to yell again and Shakira comes by.

"I got it," Mariana tells her and sends her back to where she came from.

She exits one last time and comes back with an iPhone dock.

"Gimme your phone," she orders me and I pull it out of my pocket for her.

She puts on some children's song and it fills the room after she places it on the dock and Milan calms down. He starts to stomp frantically and Mariana and I let out a laugh.

"Has no one taught you how to dance, little man?" I ask.

"Your mom should've," Mariana jokes and stands up.

"Watch and learn," I tell him and grab Mariana by her waist.

Although it's a children's song I pretend to tango with her around the room and spin her a couple of times as we get some laughs from Milan. Mariana begins to laugh frantically and she tells me to stop a couple of times, but the only reason I do is when I make her step into the paint tray.

She looks down with an open mouth and I bite my lip.

"At least your shoes are white," I begin to laugh.

She rolls her eyes and steps on a piece of newspaper before stepping out the room fuming. I laugh a bit more as Milan joins me then I call for Andrés to come keep an eye on him as I go downstairs and out back to find Mariana with her right foot in the pool, rubbing away.

"You didn't give me a chance to apologize," I say as I come up behind her.

"Save it," she says.

"Don't get so mad over a shoe, all the paint is gone anyway," I lean a bit in to check on the damage.

"No, it's not that," she shakes her head.

"Then what is it?" I crouch down next to her.

She turns to face me then parts her lips to speak.

"Forget it," she mutters.

We keep our eyes on each other for a second until I dip my hand in the pool and she follows my motion. I take a strand of her hair in between my thumb and finger then rub some paint away.

"I'll go bring you some flip-flops," I say as I stand up.

I come back a minute later to a barefooted Mariana putting her hair up in a ponytail again.

"Wanna go finish that room?" I ask as I help her stand up.

"Uh, I think I'm gonna take Milan out on a walk for a bit," she says as she wipes her hands.

"Want me to go with you?" I ask.

"No," she says. "I'm good. Where's Xavi and Gerard?"

"I saw them in the family room last," I speak.

Mariana nods and walks off to the sliding doors. She takes a step inside then turns back to face me.

"Thank you," she says then disappears inside after almost bumping into Sergi.

"Master bedroom is next!" he shouts from inside and urges me to come help.