21. Arianna
TWENTY-ONE
ARIANNA
“ A re you okay?” I asked Xavier an hour later, as we walked through the very same park where we’d had our first date. Giulia was playing in the sand with some other children, but my attention was fixed on him after he’d flinched in pain when I’d touched his left shoulder.
He glanced at it, jaw twitching. “Yeah. Just a scratch.”
I knew where he had gotten it from. Xavier had defended the goal by sliding on the artificial grass, and blocking the ball from an opponent. The move was so smooth that it had left the crowd speechless before they’d cheered excitedly.
They might’ve lost today, but I rarely encountered a team that ran on the field as one. They were destined for great wins, and anyone could see that. I just hoped their country was as proud of them as I was.
“Talk to me?” I tried to prod when he seemed lost inside his head.
Xavier’s palm found my cheek and stroked it with his thumb. I leaned into his touch, smiling at the comfort. I had no idea how we’d gotten here, but I hoped there was no turning back from this.
“It’s just that …” he started, blinking a few times before continuing. “My phone’s been buzzing in my pocket constantly, and I’m honestly too much of a coward to pick it up.”
I frowned. “Why? Do you think whoever is calling is going to lash out at you for losing?” When he didn’t answer, I placed a hand on his chest. “Xavier, you did your best out there, I know you did. And whoever is dumb enough to not see that doesn’t deserve to even have your number, let alone call you.”
He nodded, then a smile grew on his face. “I can’t believe you are actually here.”
A blush spread across my cheeks at the intense stare he was giving me. It was almost like he peeled my skin back layer by layer, and surprisingly, I didn’t mind it at all.
I sucked in a deep breath, but my next words were interrupted when a group of boys approached us. I looked behind Xavier, and then stepped aside. They couldn’t have been more than thirteen years old each.
“Could we take a picture with you?” one of them bravely asked, while the other three fidgeted in their place.
Xavier turned around and put his media mask on, offering the kids a smile. I knew it was the worst time for him to take photos with his fans, yet he didn’t say no.
They asked me to use their phone and photograph them. “Say cheese!” I laughed as the guys said the words in unison. I took a couple of photos to make sure they had one worthy of posting.
“What are your names?” Xavier asked them.
“Andre.”
“Manno.”
“Vincent.”
The bold kid grabbed his phone back from me before answering. He looked up at Xavier as if he was some kind of deity. “I’m Xavier, and it’s my dream to be just like you when I grow up,” the little guy said with so much confidence, I could almost picture him following in my Xavier’s steps.
Xavier’s attitude immediately changed after hearing those words. His eyes softened, and the tension in his back eased, then he looked at the group of boys and placed a palm on the brave kid’s shoulder.
“Come on, look at you. You’ll be way better than me.” He winked at the boy, then asked the others what they’d like to be when they grew up. Through the entire conversation, I threw an occasional glance back toward Giulia, making sure she was still behind us.
I smiled at how easy it was for him to be around them, even though he’d just experienced the defeat of his life. He laughed with them, took some more pictures, and as the group was just leaving, one of them looked at Xavier.
“You are a champ!” The boy raised his fists in the air, shouting with excitement.
I couldn’t help but grin.
“See?” I whispered. “They don’t love you any less.”
He nodded. “I really hope that kid follows his dreams,” Xavier started, before fully facing me and squinting my way. “If we have a boy, wouldn’t it be a great idea to name him Xavier Jr.?”
I laughed, smacking his arm playfully. “No, thank you.”
Xavier pouted. “Why?”
“What do you mean why ? It’s going to be enough to carry his father’s last name, imagine what it would be like to have your full name.”
“What about my middle name?”
“Do you have a middle name?” I asked, my eyes widening. I’d had no idea.
He nodded, and almost seemed disappointed by whatever he was about to say. “Yeah, it’s Alejandro. My uncle didn’t want to risk his chance of continuing his legacy, so he had my parents give me the name, and gave it to Isaac as well.”
“Wow,” I breathed out. “I actually had no idea.”
“Yup.”
“That’s so selfish of your uncle, but at least he’s changed a bit, right?”
Xavier shrugged. “Not really. He’s better at training our team, yes, but he pushes my limits to train Isaac. He’s worth it, though.”
“Mamma,” Giulia called out to me, and I looked back to where she was sitting on her butt in the pit of sand.
I waited for her to say something, but she just kept quiet and looked at me. When she was little, we had agreed that when she wanted to go home, or didn’t want to stay near a certain person anymore, all she had to do was call to me.
Giulia wasn’t antisocial by any means, but I had noticed she preferred to spend time with the adults instead of kids of her age. Other than her neighbor Matteo, who was six, she didn’t like many kids.
I helped her up, and smiled at the other mother. “Have a great day.”
Once we had put some distance between us and the sand pit, I looked down at her. “Why did you want to leave?”
She shrugged. “Got bored.”
Xavier stopped in his tracks, and got on his knees to look at her. “What do you want to do?”
Giulia giggled. It was her favorite question. “Ice cream.” I nudged her with my elbow, and she cleared her throat. “Please.”
She then looked to me for approval, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Then we’ll get some ice cream,” Xavier announced. He took her tiny hand in his, and the sight made my heart grow in my chest.
I had just quit my job, and SBU had lost the championship, yet the grins on our faces didn’t let that show for a second. We looked like a happy family enjoying a sunny day.
I liked the sound of that.
As I looked at Xavier, I realized the emptiness in my heart was no longer there.