"you look happier"
Aleyna smiled and her eyes crinkled in the corners as she did so. it was a genuine smile. she leaned comfortably back in the chair that was placed infront of Sylvia.
"i am" she answered, her eyes falling to her lap.
Sylvia had an amused and curious look on her face. she carefully put the notebook down on the coffee table onfront of them and adjusted the black rimmed glasses on her face.
her hands intertwined themselves and rested on her lap. "care to elaborate?" she voiced. Aleyna looked up at her. images of Leo flashed through her mind , causing her heart to flutter.
the tiniest thought of him made her insides go crazy.
"i had a...really great week" Ally said , a ghost smile playing on her cherry glossed lips. Sylvia continued to watch her and her movements.
"um...i met someone"
Sylvia almost instantly smiled. Aleyna was like a schoolgirl with a crush. her fingers fiddled and a blush crept onto her cheeks. she then looked up , her hair falling down her shoulders.
"i met him...a whole while ago , actually" she started , sitting more comfortably in the seat. "he was always just a friend. though that changed in the couple of weeks"
it was silent for a little while. but not the uncomfortable or sad silence. "did something happen between you two?" the therapist asked.
flashbacks flooded her mind and she smiled , nodding her head. "we kissed..." she trailed off and Sylvia smiled widely. "you did?"
Aleyna nodded her head , bouncing her leg up and down. "last night, actually." she quickly added. the memories were still freshly burned inside her mind. Aleyna knew she wouldn't forget it anytime soon.
"and how did the whole thing made you feel?"
"it made me feel amazing. it was like something u had waited for my entire life" Aleyna spoke. Sylvia leaned back in her chair , just listening to her talk. this was the first time she had ever seen Aleyna with a smile.
"it was like a wave of relief for me , you know?" she spoke and Sylvia motioned for her to continue talking.
"ever since i left Madrid , all i've ever known was heartbreaks and break downs. and he's been there through it all. it feels so...refreshing to have him"
Sylvia watched as Aleyna's eyes were filled with love and admiration as she talked about this man. it amazed her how much this man had changed Aleyna for the better.
"you know," Aleyna started and looked up to face Sylvia. "he was the one who first told me that my feelings and emotions were valid. he was the one who got me out of that pool," she continued.
"he was the one who found me unconscious on my bed and took me to the hospital and you know who was there when i woke up? he was" Aleyna said , a smile playing on her lips.
"and then there's Maia...a literal angel" she said. Sylvia's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and it didn't go unnoticed by the Spanish girl.
"his daughter" Sylvia nodded in understanding. Aleyna sighed and looked down at her hands. "he told me he was falling inlove with me"
Sylvia's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "and you? how do you feel?" the older woman asked , crossing her legs over each other.
Aleyna looked up and took a breath. "i think i'm falling inlove with him too" Sylvia almost went and hugged Aleyna. she felt immense excitement and happiness for the girl.
she was once at her lowest and now she was like the happiest girl in the world.
Sylvia knew she shouldn't bring it up but she had to. she needed to.
"what about your marriage?"
Aleyna stiffened but took a deep breath. her mind switched to Cristiano.
"i haven't thought about him in a while" she chuckled , being honest. "really?" Sylvia asked and Ally nodded her head.
"yes. he made me forget all about Cris and everything that happened, if i'm being honest" she admitted. Sylvia smiled and slowly nodded her head.
"it's a good thing" the therapist spoke up. Aleyna smiled and nodded her head with a smile. Sylvia was right. this was a good thing.
Aleyna thought she would have a hard time trusting people after what happened. but surprisingly, it was the opposite.
she felt comfortable with Leo , Maia , Anna , Mikky and the entire team. it was like she had finally found her people.
Aleyna actually found herself wanting to go to team dinners now. she wanted to hang out with the girls.
she wanted to be with Leo.
and it was scary. especially after everything that had found place. and even though she was scared of what the outcome will be , there was something deep down that was telling her to try and start something with Leo.
there was something teling her hat he was good for her.
"did you tell him how you felt?" Sylvia asked , interrupting her thoughts. she looked up and a smile played on her lips as she thought back to last night.
"um , after he told me that he was inlove with me," she started and the older woman nodded her head , curious to know.
"he freaked out and told us to go sleep." she said with a slight laugh. "he was out of here before i could even blink"
Sylvia smiled at the little laughs Ally let out.
"but i'm going to." Aleyna said and Sylvia nodded her head with a satisfied smile.
Aleyna's story was truly one to be heartbroken about and in a couple of months , this man was by her side , helping her with every little thing. he was by her side through the toughest of times. he made her smile again. he gave her good memories.
he was good for her.
➟
it was currently 5:16 pm.
Aleyna had just finished her session with Sylvia. this was the best session she had so far. at first , she thought that having a therapist was unnecessary but it actually really helped her.
turns out just talking to someone could help a lot. and it definitely helped in Aleyna's case.
she was so hungry. she needed to get food as soon as possible or she was afraid that she's going to pass out on the middle of the street.
Aleyna put her phone back in her bag and pushed her hair out on her face. it was really sunny in Barcelona, but there was a breeze flowing around.
Aleyna heard a honk and slightly jumped. she turned around to see Leo's familiar car standing outside. she had an amused smile on her face as she saw his head peeking out.
"hi" she said softly as she neared him. he smiled at her , making her stomach flip. "hey" he started. "i've been waiting for forever"
she frowned in confusion. "you've been here this whole time?" she asked , pointing to the car. he hummed and nodded her head. "come on"
he motioned for her to climb into the car. she heard the doors click open. "i assume you're hungry" he assumed and she smiled, clutching her bag at her side.
"you know me so well"
she walked to the passenger seat and opened the car door. as soon as she was planted on the leather seat, the smell of Leo's familiar and delicious cologne filled her nostrils.
he watched as she closed the door and buckled herself in. he felt nervous as heck. just the sight of her made his stomach churn in excitement.
he was also nervous and scared that she will bring up last night's events.
she turned to him and smiled. her green eyes glistened. "hi" he smiled at her cuteness , putting the engine on. "hi" he replied.
he began driving and she glanced at him. "where's Maia?" she voiced. "with my parents. they're here for the weekend" he responded.
she hummed and turned her head to the window , looking out at the streets. the city was busy , as usual.
"i know this place. it's really cute. it's like a little café. want to go?" he asked , slightly glancing over at her. she smiled and nodded her head. "of course. i'm starving"
"then i better feed you"
she chuckled at his words and he continued to drive towards the place.
after a while of silence, Leo cleared his throat. "so um...my parents are here for he weekened like I said" he started , causing her to look at him.
"i told them about you"
her heart fluttered at the thought of him talking about her to his parents. "Maia did too" he added quickly and she smiled widely.
"they want to meet you" he spoke and she raised her brows. she didn't know how to feel. she would lie if she said she wasn't excited and nervous.
"really?" she asked as her curios green eyes looked at him. he glanced at her , suddenly feeling nervous.
"yeah...only if you want to , of course. i don't want to make you uncomfortable" he added , a small frown placed between his eyebrows.
Aleyna looked out of the window. it wouldn't hurt , would it?
"of course. i'd love to" she spoke up , surprising him. he genuinely thought she would say no. "really?" he asked in slight disbelief.
"yeah"
Leo looked over at her , giving her a smile and before they knew it , they were infront of the café.
both of them exited the car , hungry as hell. Aleyna clutched her bag to her side as she closed the car door behind her , hearing Leo lock it.
she waited for him and once he was at her side , they both walked inside the cute little place. it was cosy inside.
the café looked oddly familiar but Aleyna couldn't put her finger on what it was. Leo got them a nice place in the corner. he knew she would like that seat.
it was only until they sat down in the chairs when Aleyna felt the dots connect. it was like she was slapped awake.
this was the café from the dream.
she felt weirded out. what was happening?
"are you okay?" Leo asked with a frowned. he looked around before staring at her again. "we can go if you feel uncomfortable" he suggested.
she waved it off and shook her head. "it's okay." she said and he looked at her. she gave him a reassuring smile.
Leo called the waiter over who looked pale in the face. they knew he recognised the footballer. they both ordered something simple and waited for their food.
once their food arrived , they both talked about their day. Aleyna told him about how she had a good session at therapy and he told her about training.
he also told her about how Pablo and Ferran were both fighting over her. they both had a competition with each other. turns out , Pablo won and he wanted a date with her as soon as possible.
Aleyna laughed at the news. "i can't believe i'm going on a date with him that i didn't even know about" she spoke and Leo shook his head. "those boys are crazy"
she smiled at his words. they continued to talk with each other back and forth. Leo forgot about last night and the nervousness seemed to fade away.
"just taste" he said , holding some food on his fork. she narrowed her eyes and took a bite of his food. "how is it?" he analyzed her expression.
she thought about it then shrugged. "it's okay" she said and he looked offended. "okay? it's the best thing ever"
she laughed at his expression before continuing to eat her food. the waiter from earlier came over and took their empty plates.
Leo paid for them and took a picture with the waiter who looked like he was going to faint any second now.
"hey , i have this place that i want to show you" he spoke up. Aleyna took one last sip of her drink before nodding her head.
he smiled as she walked next to him and out of the little café. people were staring at him , all freaking out as soon as he stepped outside.
all Leo cared about in that moment was getting Aleyna safely in the car. he unlocked the doors and Aleyna climbed in the car , feeling immediate relief.
she looked out of the tinted windows to see him taking some photos and waving to them before jogging over to the driver's seat of the car.
he buckled himself in before putting the car in drive. "does that happen all the time?" she asked , pointing to the huge amount of people. he shrugged.
"now and then"
she scoffed and shook her head at his nonchalance. he smirked at her before putting his eyes on the road.
Aleyna had no idea where they were going , but since he suggested it , she trusted him.
he heart skipped a beat as she realised that she actually trusted him.
there was a soft song playing from the radio. Aleyna didn't recognise it , but it was catchy. she slightly bopped her head to the soft beat of the song. her actions didn't go unnoticed by Leo.
after a while , they stopped outside of a beautiful , huge building. it had unique designs on the outside.
Leo hastily climbed out of the car and opened the door for her , making her blush. she thanked him and got out of the car , hearing him lock it behind her.
"what is this place?" she asked as she looked up at it. he smiled at her and pointed to the sign. she raised her brows.
there , Maia Messi was plastered on the huge hotel.
"i built this for her two years ago" he said with a proud smile on his face. "damn , father of the year" she said , amazed.
"let's go in" he said and grabbed her hand , causing butterflies to erupt in her stomach. her hand fit perfectly in his.
it electrified her. in a good way.
on the way to the elevator, the staff members greeted the footballer and he smiled and waved at them in return.
he took her all the way to the top , until they were on the rooftop. Aleyna gasped at the beautiful sight.
the sun was setting and there was some beautiful tables here and there.
"holy shit , this is amazing" she said as she looked around. he smiled at her. he had built this , with the intention of bringing someone special up here.
and seeing the look on her face and how happy it made him to see that smile , he knew she was the person he had in his mind when he made this.
"why have you never told me about this?" she asked in disbelief. he shrugged. "i wanted it to be special" he spoke.
he walked to the corner snd brought out two huge cushions, placing it on the ground. "here , take a seat" he said.
Aleyna put her bag on the ground and happily took a seat on the comfortable cushions. she felt his presence next to her.
both of them just stared at the beautiful sunset.
well , atleast she did.
he stared at her.
"you know, i kept rethinking about what you said last night" she spoke up. Leo tensed. he was not ready for rejection.
he cleared his throat. "you did?" he asked and she nodded her head. "i did" she confirmed.
she scooted closer to him , causing his breath to hitch in his throat.
her scent made him dizzy.
in a good way.
in a beautiful way.
"i don't even know where to start" she said under her breath, looking towards the sunset.
"you have been there for me in so many ways." she spoke. she turned her attention to him. her green eyes stared at his brown ones.
their eyes wer like magnets. they didn't want to pull away.
Aleyna decided not to beat around the bush anymore. she was going to tell him. everything.
her small hand found his big one and she held it in her lap. Leo felt his heartbeat almost jump out of his chest.
"the last couple of months , were complete shit" she said with a slight chuckle. "my husband and best friend fucked me over. i had my entire life ruined in a split second" she continued.
"i felt like i deserved everything that was coming my way. i felt like i didn't deserve anyone — not even myself" she confessed to him.
he started at her intently , just watching her speaking and letting her vent.
"but then i met you"
"and Maia" she added with a smile.
"and i've come to realize that when i’m with you i feel like myself. i feel like every side of me is present and accepted. and i feel good about it— i feel good about who i am when i’m with you"
her words was like a hug. Leo felt so happy in that moment. "and it took some time for me to realise it , i know that" Aleyna continued.
"so when you told me that last night...it felt like all the broken pieces of my heart was mended together"
she smiled as him and let his hand fall in her lap. she trailed her hands on his face until they slightly cupped his cheeks.
"i'm inlove with you too , Leo Messi"
Leo wrapped her in a hug. his face was buried in her neck. he couldn't believe his ears. he felt her arms hugging him back.
he felt so content with her.
she felt so safe with him.
he was so endlessly inlove with her.
he brought his face up and cupped her soft cheeks. he looked into her eyes , asking for permission.
when she nodded her head, he swooped her up in yet another mesmerizing kiss. it was soft and genuine.
she sunk into his lips , feeling as if they were the only ones who mattered in that moment — no matter how corny it sounded.
they were truly everything they searched for in someone.
they were soulmates.
they were inlove.
———
L.
— crying , kicking ,
punching the air. i love them 😭