And I just wanna tell you
It takes everything in me not to call you
And I wish I could run to you
And I hope you know that every time I don't
I almost do
- I almost do, Taylor Swift
...
It was the first time he got rejected.
Romanov could still remember how Espe answered no to his question signifying that there would be no future of them being lovers, at all.
Just one glance he could see the awkward expression of Espe whom she thought she hid well.
"Just take your time and reconsider, please" he begs her and left her on her own at that point.
He just pushed harder on training for almost a week until the game started; till his typical week turns regular and with that, the familiar ache of his body rushes to him like a truck.
"Did you consume all of the energy drink in our place? Sheesh!" His friend, Marcus, huff's behind him with his curly locks all hidden with a bandana on his head.
Romanov shrugged his friend's statement and went into another round of practice. "Okay everyone, another round and we'll leave this field"
"We don't want anymore!"
"Coach takes this training maniac away from us!"
Their coach, Dean Alberts shooed them away to practice more and went to Romanov's side, the star of their team.
"I expect good results from all this work, Roman" his tone gruff as he put his hands on his shoulder and gripped it.
"Thank you coach" he huffs before collecting his breath and another round of torture went till 7 in the evening and soon they're departed.
Marcus chugged on his ginormous bottle of water, splashes of it made contact with his dark brown skin, and then placed it on his bag after emptying it.
"Still unseen, huh?"
He fished out his phone in his bag, the messages he left for Trinity were still unseen and it has been a week and more since she went to he parents' place.
It's as if she disappeared in the face of the earth, vanishing without traces.
"What are you muttering about?"
"Good lord! Want me to drop dead here in shock, sheesh!" His hand was on his heart after being shocked at the silent appearance of his mushroom friend. "And to answer your question, it's nothing, just the usual"
He bit his lips as he contemplate something and just decided to get into it.
"You think Trinity still loves me? Do you think I treated her the way a lover should?"
It has bugged his mind for a long time since it wasn't the first time that he and Trinity went on and off in their relationship.
"You did man, you treated her like a queen, don't ever doubt yourself" his best friend, Romanov replied but it still couldn't stop the doubts in his head.
He and Trinity have been together since high school and were dubbed as the pair of the golden couple; high school sweethearts and couples that stayed together for such a long time.
If it weren't for her choice to further her studies they would be married now but he didn't stop her. He supported her all the way to her career as it blossoms but now, he wasn't so sure that she could do that to his career.
'If I did treat him right then why did she leave without telling him and ignore his messages?' he felt.
He sat down on the bench, the cement pressed onto his drenched, painful skin as he gathered his phone. A look of hurt and disbelief showed on his face, his brows furrowed in distress as his friend patted him on his back.
"Talk to her and please, grow a pair of balls this time. Don't forgive her so easily like the old times, know her side and tell her your grievances"
"I don't-"
"I call that bullshit"
He could only grin weakly at his friend's seriousness. "Okay fine I do but... she's just... I just love her so, so much. Do you know? I couldn't bear to tell her faults and yes— it wasn't a good thing but here's the thing, you don't want your partner to feel inadequate and that's how I feel"
Romanov wished to mold this stupid, soft man in front of him; if they knew that the infamously wild, unfiltered Marcus they see in newspapers was a different man in real life they would be shocked to tears.
"I say you go and talk to her, you've given her some time so ask her to give you some of hers as well. Talk about it"
He knew that his friend Marcus is smitten hard with his girlfriend, Trinity, but it's to the point that he has gotten way too submissive into the relationship that he couldn't talk out his wishes and grievances to her.
"Man, we two are broken-hearted huh?" He spat out bitterly and earned the incredulous look of Marcus.
"You?" His index finger pointed to him. "Heartbroken, you? Are you serious? You didn't have a girlfriend— wait, you asked someone out and got rejected?" his tone was too incredulous that it mixed into his laughter.
"Yeah, laughed hard and you'll experience it too"
His laughter stopped and was soon replaced with a heavy, bitter sigh.
"Sorry man should've given you some advice as well. Just be shameless and make sure to check up on her at times but make sure that it was all in control. Women don't like men who are too invested in them that they are borderline harassing them"
He just slapped his hand that was on his shoulder and drank beer with him outside of the field. Watching over the night and the moon above watching them from below, like fools drinking out their bitter experience in love.
...
It has been a week since I started working with the publishing house and it has been exhausting and fulfilling at the same time. To see the books that I love and grew to adore went through multiply processes just to be able to have that pristine condition was magnificent to watch. As well as tiresome.
I pressed the doorbell to Elle's house, she asked me to come here just a moment ago, thankfully I was free at this time.
"Coming!" I heard her shout from behind and soon the door opened to a woman with her hair sticking up everywhere; blotchy, red eyes that still contained tears and a messy, wet shirt that clung to her miserable self.
"What happened?" I close the door and held her arm. "Are you alright? Did someone hurt you?" I examined her body, there were no injuries whatsoever.
"Come with me" her tone broke at the end and she pulled me to her room— a catastrophe has hit this place and even her favorite magazine lay pitifully against the floor.
"Drink first"
I took off and fished out a glass from their kitchen and filled it up with water before running to her side with cautious steps.
"Here, drink first and calm yourself down. I'm here to listen, slowly" she took the glass and drank it all, hiccuping at times.
I pulled out some tissues in my bag— one that holds my necessities that she, Elle, arranged for me and made me wear every time I leave home.
"Calmed down?" She nodded, her eyes were still red and swollen. "Can you tell me what happened to you that made you cry this hard?"
"I- gulps- My modeling agency they... they only chose me b-because I'm the sister of... uuhh.. the football captain of South New Castle" she broke down again with streaming tears and a repressed, angry sob.
I held her closer to me and gently rub her back to calm her down, her tears wetted my shirt signifying how much hurt she's feeling right now. Elle doesn't cry, if she did it must be serious, it was one time that she did cry and it was because she found out that her then-boyfriend cheated on her.
I still hate that douchebag for breaking her heart but it did make her care for herself and elevate her self-worth.
"I'm sorry— you can c-change to a part of shirts here"
Rafaelle stood up and almost collapse on the floor if it weren't for the help of her friend, Espe. She could only watch helplessly as her friend made her sit on her bed and she change her shirt in front of her without batting an eyelid.
"So you were chosen because you're Roman's sister?" Rafaelle nodded, furious at what the model agent from her memories.
The model agent even stated that if it weren't for her being Romanov's sister they wouldn't even bat an eye on her.
She wasn't too tall. Her lips aren't full. Her breast needs more reshaping. She should be skinnier.
She did it all to become skinny that her mother eventually asked it in passing but she doesn't want to stop; she has to.
"But if you think about it in this way you have the privilege to show them what you got" the bed sink and their knees touched. "Prove them wrong, tell them with your abilities that you aren't just the famous football captain's sister and you are a monster rookie model"
Her words sprang light into her dim, hopeless day that she eventually released the fear of not being enough and the anger of being associated with her brother into a hug.
'I will show them, I'll prove to them that I'll become a model with my own strength' she swore under her breath.
***
Seventeenth chapter is up!
It's always like this, being siblings with a famous person would give you two things; fame and comparison. It hurts to be compared to a person that has already started the race while you are still in the beginning, practicing and honing your skill. It isn't fair to conclude that this person would give them some fame or whatsoever because of their last name.
What do you think about the oath of Elle? Will she become successful in her modeling career? What about the two men that are now heartbroken? Your opinions about Marcus' obvious pampering towards his girlfriend? Then what about the tactic of Romanov to remain shameless but give Espe a chance to collect her thoughts?
Check out the next chapter to find out!
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