"It's so nice to see the sun in February."
Everything was nice and calm in Madrid so far. The sun was shining which was very contrary to what a day in February would look like in Manchester. Although Madrid did get a little bit chilly in the winter, there wasn't the constant rain and sometimes even snow. The winter was much more ideal, and there was still so much to enjoy outside.
The Retiro Park in Madrid was a place Sarah often loved to visit and spend her free time at when she was living in Madrid. There was so much to do and see in there, and it was perfect to go to at any time of the year. Now she was walking in there hand and hand with the love of her life and showing him everything about it. There were still families walking, and children playing football in their Real Madrid or Atleti kits. It was so calming to walk in this type of atmosphere.
"In the spring and summer, it gets even more beautiful here. There's a rose garden, called La Rosaleda, that I used to wander around and daydream in. They have a lake here that is fun as well. Everything here is just so perfect for a summer date." she went on and on about the park to Harry. All he could do was stare happily at her as she led him through and stopped to show him various sights.
"You should say the rose garden again." he suggested with a cheeky smile. She raised her eyebrows and smirked back. "La Rosaleda?" she asked as he nodded. "I love when you speak Spanish, even though I can't understand it well. You sound so smooth speaking it." he explained it. She blushed a little and shrugged as she looked at the ground. "That surprised the Madrid players as well. I mean, since I'm a born and bred Brit." she explained.
He leaned over and kissed her cheek while giving her a sweet smile. "You know, it's not a bad idea to see a couple of them while we're here. They're also like family to you. I know I said I wasn't keen on it, but seeing a few people wouldn't hurt." he explained. The smile came across her face, but she just shrugged a little. She just didn't trust how quickly word would get around if someone knew she had been in town. It was easier than she thought coming back to the city, but going back to the team she once knew, it was always a hard thought.
"It's just weird for me.. I miss a couple of them, but I love City more. i just don't want to get badgered into coming back here." she admitted. Harry stopped her and had her face him. His smile stayed glued to his face as he took her other hand. "That's because they didn't realise what they all had until she left. They loved you, but they never fought for you to stay. All they can have is a friend to come visit them now." he explained to her.
There was so much truth to it. They claimed so much that they missed her, but why did they let her go that easily? Perhaps they knew that it was better for her to go, and no one could be bigger than the club. However, she kept that team together at times. It was a complicated relationship, but she knew where her heart was.
"You've just been right about everything." she admitted to him. The two of them kept walking together as they went on. He looked right at her with curiosity and smiled a bit. "Since when?" he asked. She thought about it for a moment and went back to when they were first starting to become close to each other. It was the day before the last straw in Madrid, and he started to open her eyes a bit. "The day you came with my brothers and Kyle to Sevilla. You told me, 'you'll get what you want, and what you need one day. Trust me.' Of course I believed that as I never wanted to give up."
She was hurting incredibly at that time, and Harry didn't like to think about it, but if that didn't happen, then there was a possibility that they wouldn't be where they were now. "I didn't think it would be me though." he admitted. She looked at him like he was silly and shook her head. "Well you did a lot right." she reminded him. All he could do was let his smile grow as he squeezed her hand. "And now we can just keep focusing on the good stuff, like our baby." he pointed out as her smile came across her face. "Our perfect baby."
Sarah shivered a little, and it led him to wrap his arm around her. They had been out for awhile now, so it was about time she finally got cold. "I think we should go sit inside for a bit. Get something hot to drink, so you and mini can get warm." he suggested. She nodded immediately and gave him more of a smile. "I know a place not far from here."
She immediately led him along to a cafe where there was amazing Spanish hot chocolate served. She would have been lying to herself and to Harry if she said she wasn't excited to drink some again. Spanish hot chocolate and churros were a sweet pair she loved ever since she got introduced to it in Spain. She was more than happy to share that with Harry, and he could tell by the way she walked.
They got into the cafe, where it was nice and cozy, got everything ordered, and went to situate themselves at a table with some comfy chairs. Her smile never left her face as they settled in and got warm. "Another place I loved to escape to sometimes, especially at this time of the year." she explained with a smile on her face. He took her hand and kissed it with a nod. "I see. I like it a lot." he remarked as he carefully squeezed her hand.
She felt so relaxed with him right there. It was so surprising how she could be at an old place she used as an escape for the negative was now a place for happy memories to be made. She looked down at their hands and smiled more. Months later, and it was still surreal. He was the reason her life had turned around so well.
She stared and smiled at him as he went and got their order. Everything seemed like it was going so well. Perfectly happy and relaxed. However, everything was perfectly okay, until the door of the shop opened again. There was a voice outside that was too familiar, and it made her tense up just hearing it.
"Go on, follow Tia Laura in!"
In came those adorable little boys she loved with all of her heart with one of her closest friends. Sarah threw her head back and sighed right as Harry came back with everything. He was confused, but definitely looked concerned as well. "Are you okay?" he asked. He looked over, before she could even answer, and made direct eye-contact with Laura. His jaw dropped at the same time the Spanish woman's did as he just slowly sat down with everything. Slowly, he took Sarah's hand again and squeezed it.
"It'll be okay, especially if the witch isn't with them. Don't stress." he whispered before rubbing her back. He kept his look out and was relieved to see that only the Spanish captain had come without his wife. While it was still an annoying situation, it was manageable and something that Harry would keep his guard up for.
Laura had told Sergio to go order with the little ones, before quickly coming over to the pair. There were so many emotions in her face. However, it was bright as she came up to Sarah with a smile. "You coming back here was the best surprise this trip has had to offer so far." the youngest Ramos sibling greeted her best friend. Sarah smiled nervously and embraced her close friend as she laughed a little bit. "Oh, it was a surprise to me too, but someone wanted to see all of the things I loved about this city, and frankly, I've enjoyed it so far."
Laura was practically beaming at that point as she looked over at Harry and then back at Sarah. "I always knew I liked him," she mused before looking at her brother and her boyfriend distracting the boys, "you're safe by the way. She's at the doctor for an ultrasound." The eyeroll came natural from Sarah as Harry muttered something under his breath. "Why can't that woman just keep her legs closed? She's stealing your thunder." Sarah pointed out as Laura just shrugged and smirked. "Madre is more excited about mine, because I'm having a girl, while they got yet another boy coming. Madre wanted another granddaughter."
The two high-fived each other as Sarah's smirk came across her face as she shrugged and got closer to Laura. "It'd be very amusing if both of our little ones ended up being girls, because then Madre would be more excited about mine." she whispered and laughed at the same time. Laura nodded and laughed back with her without any realisation at what Sarah had said. Sarah waited for it to sink into Laura's head, before Laura's jaw dropped.
"You are not!" she whisper-yelled as Sarah's smirk grew. "It's a secret between us, okay?" she responded with as Laura's smile grew as large as it could. "Secret kept, but oh my gosh! Finally! I've been waiting for this." she went on about as Sarah nodded and blushed a little. "It wasn't planned, but I think we're both pretty happy about it." she admitted as Harry took her hand again. Laura was beaming at him as well as she nodded and gave him a thumbs up. "I hope it's a girl." she told him as he nodded in agreement. "I'm already saying it is."
Sarah just laughed and shrugged. She was going to say something, but then a couple of small pairs of legs came running over to the three of them. The wide smiles on their faces as they realised that Sarah was there too. "It's Tia Sarah!" Junior happily stated as he hugged Sarah's leg. Marco came right behind and had the most adorable smile on his face. "Hi little ones. I'm glad to see you." she greeted the pair as she was hugged by the both of them.
The little ones looked at her with bright eyes, before turning their attention over to Harry and smiling wide. "Tia, is that the big man?" Marco then whispered to her. She smiled at the little ones and nodded. "You remembered. He's really nice to me." she reminded them. The two wanted to go over to him. Harry was smiling and giving them the cutest waves as the two boys giggled at him. They adored him, and they were about to take their little legs over to him, but then...
"Oh my god."
The interruption came the moment the boys' father had realised and noticed who was sharing the building with him. For once, Sarah was the one looking at Sergio staring at her nervously. They both remembered how last time they saw each other went, and neither of them had spoken to each other since. He made her cry, and Harry almost tore him to shreds. The tall English man was there with her, and that is what made Sergio shake. He was scared.
Harry was calm, however. He didn't want to be hostile, especially when they were there to just enjoy their holiday. He held onto Sarah's hand as a way to keep her calm and was relieved as she didn't shake at the sight of him. Laura stood off to the side with Olivier and kept the little ones close to them. It was something the kids shouldn't be in the middle of, especially when this was the first time they were seeing Sergio and Sarah together in the same room since the wedding.
"I didn't think you would ever come back, except for the match in a few weeks."
After all of the silence and staring, Sergio had spoken up again. Sarah could tell there were nerves in his voice as she raised her eyebrows and gave him a curious expression. "I would never come back to the team. I never said I wouldn't come back to the city I love, because the person I love wanted me to show him everything that was good about it."
The words hit him like a knife. She said that so confidently and sincerely. The man next to her looked at her in so much admiration and joy, while his little boys stared at that same man in awe. He wanted to give in to his hostility for what happened before, but he thought about how that went down with James. James wanted Sarah gone out of Madrid completely. Sergio could tell as Harry nodded that he wasn't opposed to Sarah being in Madrid itself, but he was opposed to the idea of her being somewhere toxic.
"And the game in a couple of weeks?" Sergio then asked out of curiosity. The calmness from Harry's face at that moment disappeared. He frowned slightly and prevented himself from glaring. "If she wouldn't have told me she needs to be there for her team, then I wouldn't have let her go. I heard some things, and your wife isn't gonna be alone with her." The hostility came out of Harry's voice at that point, while the reluctance to agree came across Sarah's face. They must have heard. Someone on the squad must have told her. Someone must have been James. If Sergio had said something about her, James probably gossiped if it were more important.
Sergio looked over and saw the blush on her face. She knew she didn't want the hostility there from Harry, but at the same time, she knew her significant other was correct in a sense. "You don't trust being alone with her?" he asked. She looked at him like he was silly and let out a sigh. She didn't want to stress about it, but she knew she still hated Pilar. She wouldn't trust being alone with that woman until she knew she would change.
"You know I don't trust that woman. I haven't seen any change in her, or any willing to change. She's still angry I called her out. I'm not going to be willing, until I know she's not going to do any harm to me if I'm alone with her."
Sergio knew she was right, but at the same time, he was sick of this all weighing on his mind. When Pilar said she would change, he thought that something could actually happen that was positive for them. Sarah was so weary on Sergio being in her life for the fact that his wife's attitude was in between them. He couldn't take it much longer. It weighed on his mind heavily, so he had an idea.
"So what are you up to tomorrow night, since you're still here?" he asked. The couple looked at each other and shrugged. There were unreadable expressions on their faces. Both had seemed hesitant. "We didn't really make dinner plans yet, why?" Harry then stated skeptically. There wasn't that trust there either, and Sergio needed to earn it. "Can I suggest going out to dinner then? Since there will be some objection on coming to my house." he suggested. Immediately, Sarah sighed and looked at Laura and back at him.
"One condition: Laura and Olivier are there."
It sounded more like a demand, but Sergio didn't want to argue. He just nodded and got the thumbs up from his younger sister, before smiling nervously. "It's a deal." he said. It was a twist in that story, but somehow there may have been some optimism in there.
-
It was later that night in bed when Harry and Sarah laid together. He rolled over and placed his hand on her stomach and kissed her cheek. "I'm proud of you for not being afraid to make a deal." he whispered. She sighed and looked over at him with a tired smile. "I just don't like the idea of being around her." she admitted. He nodded slowly and rubbed her tummy carefully. "I know. I don't like her, and I haven't met her, but I don't want you to stress much now." he reminded her. She nodded slowly and took his hand.
"I'm more afraid of her causing physical harm to me that would hurt the baby more than I could accidentally hurt the baby." she confessed. His arms went around her as he sighed and kissed her head. "I'm not letting her hurt you or the baby."
No matter what..