Pedri walked out of he bathroom. he had just washed his face with cold water and brushed his teeth.
he spotted Melisa waking up with a frown on her face. "hey," she started. "you're up early". her husband nodded his head and ran a hand through his hair.
"i am. i was about to get everything ready for the twins" he spoke. Melisa rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat upright , with her back against the headboard.
"let me help you" she muttered and got out of their warm bed. Pedri nodded his head before he grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head. he glanced at his wife to see her disappear into the bathroom.
the footballer walked over to where his hoodie laid and he got out the two matching bracelets. those were a great memory for him.
Lacy had stayed up all night making it for them while he was at training.
the more he looked at it , the more he grew attached to it.
he couldn't give them away. he just couldn't.
he knew Lacy gave the bracelets for him for the sole reason to gift them to the twins , but he just couldn't let them go.
so he opened the drawer and put the two bracelets where a familiar book was. Pedri quickly shut the drawer once again and walked out of the bedroom.
it was kind of dark outside and the house was quiet , meaning that the twins were still sound asleep.
Pedri turned on the lights and got the muffins , cupcakes and the cake out of the fridge.
Melisa walked into the kitchen , looking fresh and saw Pedri placing the cupcakes on the little stand.
"want some coffee?" Melisa asked him as she walked over to the cupboard. "sure" he answered , hesitantly.
Melisa took out two cups and began to make them coffee while Pedri placed the cake neatly on it's stand.
"what time is the guests coming?" Melisa asked as they moved around the spacious kitchen. "at 10." he answered curtly.
the time was currently 6 am , so they had more than enough time to get things ready for the birthday party.
"who else is coming?" his wife questioned.
"Leo , Anto and their kids said they were coming as well. it was last minute since Inter Miami canceled their game" he explained to her.
Melisa just listened as he spoke. this was the most he ever spoke to her in quite a while.
Melisa placed the cup of coffee infront of him and walked around the counter. "thank you" he spoke quietly and picked up the cup , taking a sip.
Melisa just analyzed him. she wondered where things went wrong with them.
she watched as he placed the cake , cupcakes and muffins in the fridge for later.
Melisa nibbled on her lower lip , as a frown made its way to her forehead. "i think we need to go to couple's therapy"
Pedri raised a brow and turned his head to his wife. "couple's therapy? for what?" Melisa gave him a look. "can't you see how we're living like strangers , Pedri? we no longer even look at each other for more than 10 seconds" Melisa let out.
her voice was soft since she didn't want to wake the twins up. Pedri scoffed and turned around to open the cupboard.
"walking away and ignoring the problem isn't going to help us , Pedri. we need to talk this out" Melisa spoke. she felt the tears prickle in her yes.
Pedri took the pancake mix out of the cupboard and put it on the counter. he bend down to get out a bowl and some utensils.
"we don't need fucking therapy" he spoke lowly as he poured the pancake mix into a bowl. Melisa just stared at him.
"so , there's nothing wrong with you biting my head off at the most random times? with you not even wanting to lay in the same bed as me? with you ignoring me? there's nothing wrong with that?" she continued to ask.
"for fuck's sake , Melisa. it's too early for this shit" he hissed. "today is my children's birthday and i don't want to argue and go into the day with a bad attitude, so please" Pedri spoke.
Melisa crossed her arms. "you always have a fuking bad attitude, Pedri." she started. "and what do you mean your children? they're mine too"
"or don't you see me worthy enough as a mom? huh? you don't even look at me the same way and we move past each other like strangers and iknow it's because of that girl"
Pedri slammed his hands on the counter. "don't you ever call her that girl"
Melisa let out a breath. "am i the only one who's trying to make this marriage work , Pedri?" she asked , hopelessly.
he mixed the ingredients together and put the pan on the stove. "maybe"
Melisa just stared at him as he continued to make breakfast for his children. she felt her nose burn and the lump in her throat.
"i'm going to check on the kids" she muttered and walked away from him and into the direction of their room.
Pedri let out a breath and ran his hand across his face. he briefly closed his eyes and got his phone out of the pockets of his sweatpants.
Lacy wasn't going to make it today. he wanted her to. he really wanted her to but she claimed that it'd be better to leave him with his family.
the footballer continued to make the chocolate chip pancakes for his twins and plated them on nice little plates.
he put the chocolate sauce and cut up fruits in little bowls around the plates.
the sun was out and Pedri took it as his cue to open the curtains and letting the natural light shine in.
some gifts were already placed on the kitchen counter and he smiled to himself , excited to see his kids open the presents.
he heard some voices and then he heard little footsteps ran down the stairs. Cia came into view , dressed in her pink pajamas and Pedri was quick to notice her.
"hello , mi amor" he said and lifted her up into the air. "happy birthday" he said and kissed her cheeks, causing her to giggle.
"hola papa" she said and wrapped her arms around his neck. "where's Teo?" he asked his daughter.
"with mama" Cia replied. "are you hungry?" Pedri asked and watched as her brown curls bounced when she nodded her head.
he walked with her over to the kitchen counter and sat her down in her stool. "can we wait for Teo?" she asked and he nodded his head. "of course"
he watched as her eyes glistened as she looked around the presents on the table. he chuckled , knowing she was holding herself back.
another pair of footsteps were heard and Teo ran into his father's arms.
Pedri scooped him up and kissed his cheeks. "happy birthday, Teo." he said and brought his son over to sit next to his duaghter.
Melisa walked down the stairs aswell, and walked into the kitchen. they ignored each other.
"can we open now?" Teo asked as he pointed to the presents. "breakfast first , amor. tell papa thank you for the food" she said.
both of the children kissed their father's cheeks and Pedri couldn't feel more at peace and content.
he sat on the opposite side and Melisa sat next to Teo. Pedri helped Cia eat her breakfast and wiped the remaining chocolate away from her cheeks.
"drink up" Melisa said as she put two plastic glasses filled with orange juice infront of them.
as soon as their mouths were wiped , both of the children lunged for their gifts. Pedri smiled at them as their eyes lit up.
both of them gushed over their gifts and presents they got from their parents.
"how about you guys go in the shower and get dressed for the day?" Pedri asked as he cupped both of their faces with each of his hands.
Melisa stood up and took the twins down from their seats. "come on" she spoke and they jumped off the stools, running to their room.
"be careful" Melisa yelled after them. Pedri was stacking the empty plates ontop of each other and his phone vibrated.
he.looked down to see it was time for him to go to training.
"i'll have to go in for today. i'll take the children with me" he spoke. Melisa licked her lips. "no , it's okay , they can stay with me"
Pedri looked a this wife. "no , i'm sure the guys will want to see them" he spoke. Melisa gulped. "no , Pedri. they'll just distract you" she replied.
Pedri turned around. "listen , Melisa. i'll take them with me today to Camp Nou and that's final. they probably don't want to stay at home for the remaining day"
Melisa ran a hand through her hair as she watched Pedri walk up the stairs.
→
Pedri buttoned the white shirt up and walked out of the bathroom. he could hear the music come from downstairs.
it has been two hours since they arrived home. the children had gone with him to training and they had an amazing time. like Pedri expected , they were showered with gifts left and right.
Melis opened the door and stepped inside. Pedri let his eyes rake over her body.
she was cladded in a pastel yellow summer dress , with some white heels on her feet. her dark hair was straight and hanging loosely on her back.
Melisa felt his eyes on her and that gave her a little bit of hope.
"you look nice" she complimented as her eyes scanned his clothing. Pedri blinked and nodded his head.
"thank you. you do too" he curtly spoke. Melisa wanted to hide the smile on her face but she couldn't.
"i just wanted to see if you were ready yet. Robert and Anna just arrived , aswell as Mikky and Frenkie" Melisa informed him.
Pedri nodded his head. "i'll be down in a bit" he spoke. Melisa gave him a once over look and exited the room.
the footballer put on some of his cologne and ran his hand through his hair like he always does , before he decided he looked decent enough to go downstairs.
the music and the voices of people and children grew louder every second he stepped down the stairs.
Robert was the first one who caught Pedri's eyes. the two greeted each other and then Pedri briefly hugged Robert's wife , Anna.
"the kids were so hasty to get here" Anna said with a kind smile. Pedri chuckled. his eyes then fell on his children who were surrounded by other children.
"i'm just glad everyone's having fun" he spoke. he continued to talk to them for a while until he began to get thirsty.
the children , who were mostly from Cia and Teo's school , were outisde , eating some snacks and playing some games.
Melisa was in the kitchen with some of her friends , who's children was also friends with the twins.
his wife looked up as he entered the kitchen. he went straight to the fridge. "are you thirsty? should i get you something?" she questioned.
Pedri opened the fridge and got out a redbull from the top. "no , i'm okay" he said and swiftly opened the can.
the ladies — Melisa's friends, were still staring at him. Pedri hadn't officially met them yet.
"my apologies, i'm Pedri" he introduced himself. "we already know who you are" the strawberry blonde haired girl said.
the footballer raised a brow. "you do?" he asked. she nodded her head , giving him a flirty smile. her pearly whites were on display and so were the dimple on her left cheek.
Pedri hated to think it , especially when his wife was right there, but he had eyes and she was an attractive woman.
he didn't miss the glint in her eyes or how her fingernails lightly tapped on the counter. or how she subconsciously stepped forward. or how she brushed her hair out of the way to flash her skin.
he didn't care though.
she was beautiful , but she wasn't Lacy.
"yeah , we watch your games all the time. my brother's a huge fan" the woman said. Melisa shot daggers into the woman's side profile.
she didn't like this one bit.
"i'm Wynter. me and Mel have been friends since high school" the woman said. Melisa had a tight lipped smile on her lips and nodded her head.
"this is Angelina , Eva , Jennifer and Macy" Wynter said and Pedri acknowledged them with a smile and light nod of his head.
Melisa stepped forward and placed a chaste kiss on her husband's cheek. even though she couldn't physically see it, she felt his muscles tense underneath her touch.
"i'll be outside with the children. you ladies have a good time" Pedri bid them goodbye and then hastily walked outside , happy to be out of the eyes of Wynter.
he finally got some fresh air and let out the biggest sigh of relief once he spotted Pablo.
"finally. i've been waiting for you" Pedri said and the two gave each other a bro hug. "missed me so much?" Pablo teased.
"shut up" Pedri said. "what's going on inside the kitchen? Melisa looks pissed off" Pablo spoke with a raised brow.
Pedri took another sip of his redbull before Pablo took the can out of his hands. "the blonde flirted with me. openly. infront of everyone"
Pablo leaned his head back. "the giddy one? she's cute" he said. Pedri hummed. "but she's fucking crazy" Pedri spoke.
"really? how do you know?" Pablo questioned and Pedri took his drink back. "you can see it just by talking to her. she looks like she scratches faces"
Pablo snorted. "you don't need that in your life. you're lucky to have someone like Melisa. laid back , loyal , trustworthy , calm" Pablo spoke.
Pedri grew quiet. for a split second he forgot Pablo was even there and there were people around him.
"yeah" he let out.
the front door opened once again and a familiar face walked in. Pedri smiled wide like a Cheshire cat and hastily made his way over to his old teammate.
"Leo" Pedri spoke and the two engulfed each other in a hug. "how've you been , man?" Pedri asked and then his eyes landed on the beautiful kids beside him.
"life's been good. absolutely amazing." Leo spoke. Pedri then briefly hugged Antonela aswell and thanked the two for coming.
"now , where are the food? i'm hungry and they were so eager to come" Leo spoke and pointed to the three children.
Anto playfully punched his bicep. "manners" she spoke with a raised brow.
Pedri laughed. "no , i understand. the food's outside , and so are the rest of the children." Pedri spoke.
Thiago, Mateo and Ciro ran outside to where the other children were and Pedri took the gifts that Anto and Leo got for Cia and Teo.
Pedri felt light headed all of a sudden. he just wanted to lay down. but he glanced around to see people mingling and talking with each other , aswell as kids running round.
on top of that , the music gave him a banging headache. he sat down on the couch and put his hand in the pocket of his slacks.
he pulled out the matching bracelets and just held them while admiring them.
his heartbeat calmed down and his sight became clearer.
Melisa walked in. she frowned once she saw her husband. "Pedri?" he looked up
"we're about to sing and cut the cake. you coming?" she questioned. she caught the sight of bracelets in his hands but said nothing.
Pedri nodded his head and put the things back in his pockets. "come on then"
—————