"Don't let my father get into your head," Rafaella said with a sigh, she was a little surprised to hear from Valeria especially with everything that was going on right now.
However, she was happy that her boyfriend's girlfriend felt comfortable enough to speak to her on such issues when she wasn't comfortable doing so with Neymar.
Valeria was good for her brother and Rafaella knew that Neymar needed someone to ground him; their father was a yes man and would do anything to please him because of it.
The last thing that Neymar needed was a swollen head because people were telling him what they thought that he wanted to hear; he needed someone to keep him grounded and focused.
"And don't worry about my brother, he'll understand about you wanting to remain in Barcelona for a little longer," Rafaella continued knowing that Valeria was still listening, it would be stupid of her brother if he hadn't considered the fact that Valeria loved her job.
It was rather sudden especially since he hadn't even told her that he wanted to leave Barca to expect her to just up and leave in a matter of days.
"I know. I just worry that your father might have something up his sleeve," Valeria mumbled feeling rather silly, she was sure that anyone else would have laughed at her for saying it but Rafaella had become a good friend to her since she had started dating Neymar.
She didn't trust Neymar's father for a moment not to spin things against her when she returned to Barcelona; she didn't want to worry about her relationship all the time when she did return home.
"Ney would never forgive him if he did," Rafaella insisted, she was sure of that and had even warned her brother that he would be a complete fool to let Valeria slip through his fingers.
Valeria was amazing and Rafaella doubted that he would find anyone better suited for him and that could keep him ground when he was flying so high.
Smiling at her words, Valeria hoped that Rafaella was right especially with the sudden presence of Bruna; she couldn't help but fell unprepared for Neymar's ex-girlfriend hanging around and not sure what to make of her.
She knew it was silly, but Bruna was from Neymar's world while Valeria was just like everybody else; she often felt that she was out of place when she was stood at Neymar's side.
"Listen I have to go... but promise me that you'll talk to Neymar about this, don't leave it too long," Rafaella said apologetically, she understood that Valeria didn't want to rock the boat when Neymar is happy.
However, it would only make things worse eventually and Neymar would only be upset that she felt the need to panda to him because she didn't want to hurt his feelings.
If there was something that Rafaella loved about her brother was his ability to understand that not everyone was comfortable in the situations that he seemed to find himself.
He knew that his rise in profile was not something that would come easily for everyone, he had been a nobody at the start of his career and now everyone knew his name.
"I promise," Valeria replied leaning back on the hotel couch, she stared up at the ceiling doubting that she would say anything today and she wanted nothing more than to ease into it when she was ready.
Getting off the phone with Rafaella, Valeria pondered her next move as she stretched; she had been on her own most of the day since Neymar had things that needed to be done.
Looking around the hotel suite, Valeria couldn't imagine how much it was costing to stay here a night; it was a fancy hotel and she doubted that the club would wanting Neymar staying here for long.
Neymar had headed out to training that morning, he wanted things to be perfect for his first match for the club; he was expected to play against Guingamp at the weekend.
This meant that Valeria had been left alone at the hotel, the only plus side of this was that Neymar's father wasn't around; she didn't know where he had skulked off too, but she didn't care as long as he left alone.
Shaking her head, Valeria knew that Rafaella was right and that she had to talk to Neymar soon about returning to Barcelona; she needed to do it before something came along and made it even harder for her to talk to him about it.
***
Dropping his bag down on the floor, Neymar smiled pleased with how things had gone while he was at training; it was still a little odd being at a new club, but he didn't regret the fact that he had made the move.
It certainly helped that he had friends that already played for PSG that were more than willing to help him get settled in; it was making the entire move a lot easier than starting fresh.
"How was training?" Valeria asked looking up from where she was curled up on the couch where she was starting on some lesson plans for when she returned to work.
There was still time before the summer holidays were over but she had needed something to do to keep her mind off the conversation that she wished to have.
"It was good," Neymar replied plopping down on the couch next to her, he peeked towards the paper that she had been writing on and raised an eyebrow at her.
He could see that she was nervous, and he guessed that now would be a good time for them to talk; he didn't want them to have any misunderstandings.
"You know that you can tell me anything," Neymar murmured reassuringly, he ducked in close to kiss her cheek and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to draw him close.
He wanted nothing more than for things to stay good between them and Neymar hoped that she felt comfortable enough to tell him anything.
It was one of the reasons that he loved Valeria, she could be honest with him and when she spoke, she was completely honest in her words; she didn't say things or change her opinions just to please him.
Valeria nodded her head, she peeked down at her feet as she tried to think about how she would tell him; she took a couple of deep breathes to calm her nerves before she looked back up at him.
"I'm not ready to move here," Valeria admitted nervously, she tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke and she was glad that she hadn't put this off; she always got so nervous when it came to the serious talks.
Even three years in, Valeria often felt tongue tied and like the wrong thing could start a fight that she had no hopes in winning.
It was one of the main reasons that she hadn't gone to law school like her parents had wanted, she couldn't argue her way out of a paper bag if she tried.
Neymar searched her face for a moment, a small smile appearing on his face as he admired the pink that had appeared on her own face at being so forward with him.
He ducked forward and kissed the tip of her nose catching her by surprise before he took her hands in his own.
"Ria it's okay, I get it," Neymar reassured her, he understood that he had dropped this on her rather suddenly and she wasn't ready to up and leave.
They'd built a life in Barcelona and he wished that he could have done things a little differently, he wanted nothing more than for her to be comfortable before she made the move to be here with him.
It was a big ask and Neymar would never pressure her into doing something that she was not comfortable for her, she loved her job and he would never expect her to quit to please him.
"I know how much you like teaching, I would never expect you to just give it up," Neymar insisted, things may take some getting used to especially when they would be living in two different countries but they could make this work.
It would certainly take some getting used to, he loved coming home to having her and Davi in the house doing whatever activity that Valeria had cooked up for them.
"I just worry," Valeria mumbled not sure how to bring up that she didn't trust his father for a moment; the moment that she was back in Barcelona that Neymar Sr would be plotting against her.
It wasn't that she did not trust her boyfriend, he was wonderful and Valeria knew how lucky she was to have him in her life but there was only so much she could do from Barcelona.
"Hey. We'll make this work... you can fly out on weekends and I'll come back to Barcelona when I can," Neymar reassured squeezing her hand, he knew that she was worried, and he wanted to let her know that this would work for them.
A part of him wished that he could offer more but he was signed to PSG now and Neymar was going to work his hardest to make it work.
There had been bridges burned on his way out of Barcelona, people who would not welcome him back so easily but that didn't mean that his relationship had to suffer because of that.