4. Arianna
FOUR
ARIANNA
" A lright, cara mia," I smiled down at my phone where an image of my grinning daughter met me. "Mamma will be home tomorrow, okay? Now pass Nonna the phone."
She had chocolate all over her mouth, and my mother and I needed to have a word. Whenever I wasn't home, Giulia refused to eat anything that wasn't sweet, and most of the time my mamma fell into her trap. While I wasn't restrictive of her diet, she couldn't survive only on sweets, even if I wasn't away for long.
Giulia's smile widened, and she licked her top lip as she jumped from the couch and ran to find her grandmother.
"Giuli," I started, raising a brow at the phone.
"Yes?"
"Did you eat ice cream?" I tried to ask suspiciously, as if I didn't already know the answer by looking at her face. Plus, her ginger hair was entirely smeared with it. I didn't know how she managed it, but Giulia simply couldn't eat without staining her clothes, face, and hair.
My four-year-old daughter giggled. "Yes."
I heard my mother sigh in the background before she took the phone from Giulia. She looked down at her. "I thought this was a secret between us?"
"No secrets from Mamma," Giulia said, and I found myself smiling proudly. My mother pretended to poke her tiny butt playfully, and Giulia rushed away. "Ti amo, Mamma," she shouted at me before she disappeared from view.
My heart bloomed at that. She had started saying “I love you” three years ago, yet I couldn’t get used to it. Giulia was my biggest achievement, and if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been here today. Without her, I would've most likely fed my ongoing ache with drugs or alcohol, but Giulia was my entire world. I didn't know what pain or sadness felt like when I was around my daughter.
"Did she eat anything today? Except for the ice cream, of course," I laughed, and my mother nodded her head.
"Yes, she ate some eggs in the morning with pancetta."
My mom threaded a hand through her white hair, the wrinkles on her face growing more prominent every year. She’d had a tough life. Even if she wasn't old, the hard work over the last few years had caused her to slowly fade away.
"She's ridiculously energetic today. She made me run—" she paused, walking further towards something. "Giulia!" my mother shouted. "Giulia, get away from there!" Her speed increased as she looked down at me. "I have to go, Giulia is playing swimming with her toys in the toilet," she told me before closing the call.
I laughed, shaking my head. When I was home, Giulia usually knew that she could play the game in the sink or the small pool we had bought for her, but I had a feeling she believed rebellion would get me home faster.
I placed my phone in my bag and walked further down the street, the warm air enveloping me. I was going to drink a beer, then throw myself in bed and wait for my flight in the morning.
My heart sang at the idea of having Giulia in my arms again. Since she had been born, we'd been inseparable. My daughter was everything I had after ...
No.
Don't go there.
I drew in a harsh breath, hurrying into the first bar my eyes landed on. Great. Now I really needed a beer. Or two.
I refused to acknowledge anything around me as I walked inside and through the crowd. On my left there were tables and chairs everywhere, but that wasn't my destination. I was heading straight to the bar on my right to get tipsy and call it a night.
"Here's your tequila shot," the bartender said as he slid a small glass across the wood to another patron. I refrained from showing my surprise. This seemed like the kind of place where people only drank beer.
I took a place on one of the stools, setting my elbows on the counter. After a few minutes, the bartender moved his attention to me. "Wie kann ich dir helfen?"
"God knows what you said there, but I'll have a beer. Whatever you have," I smiled.
"My question was 'how can I help you' so I guess you got it right," the brown-haired guy joked. "One beer coming right up.” He threw me one of those charming smiles men have, accompanied by happy, light-blue eyes that looked friendly.
"Thank you." My limbs screamed for the solace of a bed as I waited for my drink. Today had really worn me down, especially with the buzzing pain in my knees. It still hadn't calmed down, so I was stuck holding a palm over them for comfort.
Gah . Josh's freezing spray would have come in handy right now.
I slipped a strand of hair behind my ear and thanked the guy as he handed me the beer. I took a sip, groaning as the bitter liquid raced down my throat. My eyes immediately watered, and I gave him what I hoped was a pleased smile.
“Oh, this is good,” I told him, tipping the bottle toward him.
"The first one is on the house," he shouted at me over the chatter before returning to those waiting.
I opened my mouth to tell him I wasn’t going to stay long enough to make his free drink worth it, but before I could, a shadow fell over me. All the hairs on my body stood in anticipation as I sucked in a breath at the sudden warmth rippling through me.
The wooden bar vibrated under his hands as he placed one on either side of me. I straightened my spine, but my body refused to turn around and face him.
"So," the rough voice tickled my ear as he lowered his head to less than an inch from me. His breath fell over my neck, and I instinctively raised my palm to rub the spot, shivers running down my spine. "You do know football.” The scent of his aftershave invaded my senses.
I rotated on the stool, still a prisoner between his muscular arms. Xavier Kevalle was standing in front of me with a confident smirk and a shining spark in his beautiful green eyes. I couldn’t help but let my eyes wander over his face, taking him in instead of thinking about what to say.
What were the chances we’d meet two nights in a row in two different bars?
"That's my fault for underestimating you," he continued, a small squint on his face—as if he was trying to read me.
I mentally smacked my chest to stop my heart from beating so fast at the mere sight of him. I had always found men incredibly attractive on the field, especially this man—whose career I may or may not have followed over the years.
I swallowed. “Glad I helped you learn a lesson." I gave him a smile, then took another sip of my drink.
"Can I?" He motioned at the empty stool next to me.
My eyes scanned our surroundings nervously, as though I was doing something wrong. “Yeah,” I said after a moment. We weren’t doing anything wrong. For now.
Xavier didn't hesitate, and sat down next to me. "Can I buy you a drink?”
I bit my bottom lip. It was clear he was hitting on me, and participating in his game meant I was breaking two rules. One—he was a football player, and relationships between players and referees were strictly forbidden. Two—he was nineteen, while I was twenty-five.
Everything about him looking at me like that was just wrong. I ignored my pleading heart, begging me to spend just a few more minutes with him, and put on a smile. "I was just leaving.”
"Oh, come on," he urged, "It's just one drink.”
When I didn’t say anything, Xavier took the opportunity to speak again. “There has to be something I can do to thank you.” He tilted his head to the side, his eyes trying to see through me.
I frowned, not understanding at first. Blame it on the way his presence was affecting me. “What for?”
He sucked in a breath, glancing down at his white shoes. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. It was the first time his permanent confidence had faltered, even if it was for just a moment.
“For not suspending me from the championship.”
“Oh,” I breathed out. I still had no idea what had pushed me to do that. Normally, I didn’t accept any kind of violence on the field, yet for him, I’d made the first exception in my career.
“Let me buy you a drink, fire girl, that’s the least I can do.” His smile returned, and it suddenly brought a good mood over me. It was beyond me how he held that kind of power so easily.
“What you can do from now on is stay out of trouble.” I raised a brow, crossing my arms over my chest as his breath fell over me. “I mean it, Xavier. I might not be able to save you next time.”
His eyes sparkled with something I couldn’t decipher. “But you did this time.”
I swallowed. “Yeah. I did.” Because I couldn’t handle the intensity of his gaze anymore, I grabbed the bottle and took a long swig before placing it back on the counter.
“When I was out there …” he started, “I couldn’t find a way out. I was surrounded.”
My head bobbed in a nod. “I know. It was a hard decision to make. It was either find a way out or lose the ball, nothing in between.”
His lips pursed. “The thing is, when I looked at you, you made me keep going. Suddenly, losing the ball wasn’t even an option. That goal was supposed to be for you because you found me a way out.”
My throat constricted at his confession, though I had somehow picked up on this earlier myself. Hearing him say it out loud was comforting and warming all at once.
I had no idea what to say. I wasn’t even sure if I was supposed to say something. But what I did know was that we’d talked long enough to catch the attention of curious eyes, so I had to head out.
After taking out two euros and leaving them on the counter, I stood up, almost touching noses with Xavier. He dropped the cage around me and took a step back.
“I should go,” I said as I motioned with my thumb toward the exit.
Just as I was about to turn around, Xavier caught my hand. I stiffened at the contact, my skin burning where he touched me. My eyes jumped from his grip to his frowning face.
"Thank you for today," he added.
I swallowed, nodding my head. What else could I say when even I didn't know why I’d given him the easy path out today?
"Goodnight, fire girl," he smiled, his thumb brushing my wrist.
My tongue clicked on the roof of my mouth as I withdrew my hand from his touch. "Goodnight, Xavier."
I turned around, the nickname ringing in my ears. I shook my head with a smile as I stepped out of the bar. Before I left, I turned around—expecting to see him rushing to another girl—but he was standing in the same place I’d left him. His hands were buried in the pockets of his sweatpants, and a huge smile on his lips.
Xavier waved goodbye, and I finally closed the door behind me.