Step. Another one. More and more. Finally, the girl leans against the wall and exhales heavily. About a month had passed since the girl fell down the stairs, and the recovery process was quite difficult. Sarah has already missed several weeks of matches, but most importantly, the World Cup qualifiers. Of course, she understood that after her statement against the coach, the path to the national team was closed to her, but her heart still sank heavily as soon as she remembered this.
But Hernandez didn't give up. On the contrary, this strange and absolutely inexplicable desire settled in the girl to prove to everyone that she had not yet dropped out of the game. She wanted to recover as quickly as possible. At any cost. And don't care about the consequences.
Everyone understood that this was the wrong position. From and to. Eric has already refused to be her personal driver in an attempt to create unnecessary problems for her. Ada had to persuade the security to block her entry to the training center. Fermin acted less radically: he simply tried to spend more time with her and distract her as much as possible. It turned out bad, of course. Hernandez Jr. visited a physical therapist, and once the sessions were over, she would stay for half an hour so that her conscience would not torment her. She's doing everything she can, isn't she?
A couple of days ago the cast was removed from her leg. The feeling, of course, is simply indescribable. Sarah squealed with joy, although only briefly. At some point there was a feeling that she was learning to walk again. And that was the hardest thing.
— Are you okay? — Pablo asks, literally jumping out of his chair as soon as he saw that it was becoming harder for the girl to move. — Sarah?
They're all gathered here in the Hernandez's house, in her room, and only Pablo did not understand how he ended up here. The guy wanted to be close to Sarah, because he was terribly ashamed of what happened on his birthday. He still blamed himself for what happened, which is why he wanted to be there to support her, even if she didn't want it herself.
— Everything is fine. — the girl hissed through her teeth, trying to control her ragged breathing. She immediately extended her hand, stopping Pablo, as soon as she realized that the guy wanted to approach her. — Stay where you are.
Gavira raised his hands in a sign of surrender. Yes, their relationship got really complicated after his birthday. The guy seemed to be trying to correct it, but Sarah did not immediately make contact. She needed time, and he understood that perfectly. He will give it to her as long as she needs it.
— Do you need help? — Adelaide arched her eyebrow suspiciously, trying to figure out whether to stop this strange "experiment", where Hernandez tried to prove to everyone that she was ready to play. And the fact that it was still difficult for her to walk did not bother her one bit. — Fermin, help her.
The guy rolled his eyes dramatically, rising from the bed, causing a disgusting creak to be heard throughout the room at the same second.
— She is alright. — Lopez stopped halfway, turning on his heels. — Look at her.
— Insure her. — Iglesias orders and folds her arms across her chest.
— Maybe you stop talking as if I'm not here, hmm? — the girl sighs languidly, removing her hand from the wall. She wanted to continue walking, but at the last moment she leaned incorrectly on her leg and immediately screamed.
— Fermin! — Adelaide raises her voice, urging the guy to do at least something, but he doesn't have time to get his bearings because of how quickly everything happened.
Sarah breathes heavily as she realizes whose hands have just been on her waist. The girl tries to look away, but it doesn't work out well. Very bad. Pablo's grip was strong, almost too strong. An unreal heat was felt from his palms, as if those areas of bare skin that he touched were literally melting. His proximity was damn confusing, so unknown, so... attractive, I guess.
Pablo didn't know what Hernandez was thinking at that moment, but a knot twisted in his stomach because of just knowing what was happening. He could barely stand on his feet, and at any second he was about to fall to the floor along with the girl he was holding. And, to tell the truth, for him it was something strange and inexplicable.
She smelled very tasty. The citrus aroma instantly hit his nose in one gulp, making his dizzy as soon as he leaned a little closer to her neck. What is this, shower gel? Perfume? What the hell is this? Pablo tries to drive away any thoughts associated with her, but it doesn't work.
She stuck in his head as firmly as that damn smell of oranges.
— Fermin! — Adelaide's voice brings the two of them out of their trance. Hernandez immediately grabs the guy by the hands and, leaning on him, leans against the wall again. She won't tell anyone about this. No one.
— Everything is fine. — Sarah waves her hand, trying to make the distance from Pablo more noticeable. — I think we can finish for today.
Fermin falls back onto the bed tiredly, rubbing his eyes. The disappointment that settled in the girl's heart was very quickly transmitted to everyone else. Everyone was worried inside, although they tried to pretend that everything was fine.
— Fermin, will you take Ada home? — the girl begged with puppy eyes. She wanted to quickly send her friends away. After all, they had been here all day. Pablo pushes her a chair on wheels, on which he himself had been sitting before, but the girl, purely out of principle, was not going to sit down.
— No problem. — the guy got out of bed, heading towards the exit of the room. He always understood the girl at such moments and knew when it was better to leave and leave her alone. — Just promise that you will call me as soon as you need something, okay?
Sarah nods silently, smiling softly. Having hugged her friends goodbye, the girl tiredly fell onto the bed. In front of Fermin, Ada, Alex, and even her own brother, she was afraid to show herself weak. I don't need help, I can handle it myself. But now Pablo was in the room, and she definitely couldn't afford to relax.
Just not with him.
— It's probably time for you too. — her voice trembled slightly, but the girl quickly pulled herself together. — Belen is waiting for you.
— Mom is not at home. — Gavira snaps, squatting down in front of her and hesitantly placing her palms on the bed on either side of her. He wanted to try to make things right again. Simply because her indifference was killing him from the inside.
The girl wants to move away, but the guy's hands on either side of her hips clearly prevented her from doing so. He was close again, only now there was no one else in the room except the two of them. Just the two of them. It was scary.
— Pablo-
— I want to talk. — he brazenly interrupts her, as if with his assertiveness he could instantly convince her. As if this would give him any advantage. — Please.
Did Sarah want to meet him halfway? She herself still did not know the answer to this question. The most correct and safest option was to push Pablo away from her again, but did she really want that?
— About what?
Making a fool of yourself, as you had already realized, was the second most reliable option.
— About you and me. About us. — the guy whispers, so quietly that he begins to wheeze a little. His face practically lay on her legs, which incredibly tensed the girl. Sarah presses her knee lightly into his chest and stops as soon as she feels resistance.
— You're too close.
Did Pablo do anything about it? Of course not. It seemed that he did not care at all about the girl's words.
— Sarah, — for the first time in a long time, her name fell from his lips somehow differently, completely differently. — listen to me. I beg you.
Hernandez winces when his fingers accidentally brush against the skin of her thighs, and she regrets wearing shorts a million times today. She wanted to keep a very noticeable distance from him, so that there would be some kind of significant barrier between them.
— I don't understand what you want to talk about. — she raises her head and turns away, but Pablo quickly and easily takes her chin and lowers it down to better see her face. Maintaining eye contact was harder than they both thought.
The guy's eyes were dark, the pupils were barely visible. A small glimpse of sunlight through the curtains allowed Sarah to see her own reflection. And she couldn't take her eyes off.
— I'm sorry, — Gavira found it a little difficult to find words, but he understood that he didn't need to stop. — I'm really sorry, not just about your leg. I regret everything. Just-
— Just what, hm? — the girl quickly puts her palm on his shoulder and pushes him away slightly so that there is definitely a distance between them. — Tell me.
— I don't want to be your enemy.
At that second she could hear how hard his heart was beating. Of course, the guy was worried; for some reason the fact that Sarah probably hated him weighed so heavily on him. Previously, he didn't care at all, but now everything was a little different. It seemed to him that he would not be able to live a day if she looked at him like he was empty. If she doesn't say another word to him. If they continue to pretend that they are nobody to each other.
— Why do you need it?
From the outside it might seem that the girl was deliberately pushing Pablo away from her, but that was not the case at all. Did she enjoy this eternal struggle? Did she like to look at him with hatred and shake with anger every time he just appeared in her field of vision? She would like to try to be not just friends, but at least to coexist peacefully side by side. The idea was crazy tempting.
— Pablo? — his name escaped her chapped lips with a languid sigh, absorbed into them by unpleasant bitterness.
— I just like the idea that we can be friends. And I'm tired of pretending that I hate you. I think you do too. — Gavira involuntarily begins to draw circles on her skin with her fingers, causing the girl to simply shrink. — Or does it bring you pleasure?
— No.
— I want to help you. Very much. — the guy practically dropped his head into her lap from his own powerlessness, and Sarah fights the desire to run her fingers through his unruly hair. — I hate to see you suffer, and I want to do everything I can.
— I'm not ready to be friends, Pablo. I want to stop hating you, I really do. But I don't need your help.
To tell the truth, this was quite enough for him.
— I should probably leave, right?
The girl carefully leans on the guy's strong shoulder, and he immediately helps her to get up. Pablo didn't know what she was going to do, and this strange feeling that he was no longer needed here was firmly lodged in his head. But Sarah, slowly moving her feet, reaches the doorway and, leaning her elbows, smiles softly.
— Maybe you can stay for dinner? Mom seemed to leave something behind before she left.
The guy feels something warming inside him. Something strange, still completely unfamiliar to him. He smiles, sincerely, and whispers:
— I would like to stay.