Chapter 48
ILIAS
All Your’n – Tyler Childers
“Why are you here and not in Brazil?” Sofia finally asked.
The initial shock had passed, replaced now by a more inquisitive look. Her hands on her hips, her gaze sharp. She looked like a goddess with the Mediterranean Sea behind her, powerful and commanding, and Ilias was perfectly fine with being destroyed by her wrath.
“I dropped the USL.”
She blinked a few times, then turned to Alejandra. “You too?”
“Nah, I’m not that stupid.”
Ilias scowled.
Then, Alejandra continued. “I already have a spot in the Final Five—math-wise—so it made sense to come and stay with all of you before Cloudbreak.” She waved Sofia off, trying to sound breezy, but the tenderness in her voice betrayed her real feelings.
It wasn’t lost on him how hard this was for her too.
Sofia turned back to him. Her questioning brown eyes softened. “Please tell me you didn’t leave because of—” she motioned vaguely around them, unable to say it aloud.
Ilias stepped closer. “I left to be close to you. In a moment that’s hard for you.”
“Why?” she asked quietly, her head tilting.
“It was a no-brainer, habiba. You come before anything.”
Her chin trembled again. Without another word, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. He didn’t hesitate to pull her in tighter, pressing her close, breathing in the warm, familiar scent of her hair, reminding her he was there, that he wasn’t leaving.
“Can I be introduced to another Olympic gold medalist, then?” her father’s voice called out in Spanish with a very thick Italian accent.
Sofia sniffled and pulled back, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. A wide, sheepish smile spread across her face.
“Papà, this is Ilias, my boyfriend. Ilias, this is my Papà, Antonio.”
Antonio stepped forward, his hand extended, smile wide. A smile that was so Sofia it caught Ilias off guard.
“Piacere di conoscerla, Antonio.” He tried his best introducing himself in Italian. He had been rehearsing that sentence for the entire drive down. By the positively surprised look in both Antonio and Sofia, he may have nailed it.
Antonio replied something in Italian, fast enough to test his true knowledge. By his befuddled face, Ilias revealed himself.
“I tried to learn something in Italian. I’ll get better,” he smiled, apologetic.
“Don’t worry. The trick to learn a new language is not to be ashamed of making mistakes. Thirty years I supposedly speak Spanish, and I’m still not sure where to use por and para.”
“Papà, Ilias speaks around five languages. He could definitely learn Italian way faster than you learned Spanish,” Sofia joked. Then, she turned to him, “Did you learn Italian while I was gone?”
“I tried–”
“The simp here has been studying since you two met months ago,” Alejandra chimed in, patting Ilias’ shoulder. “My guy here? He’s over the moon about you.”
Sofia blushed slightly, but Ilias didn’t waver under the subtle scrutiny. Everything Alejandra said was true.
Then Sofia’s mother, Maria, who had opened the door earlier, appeared behind him, one of the twins on her hip. “Pues, welcome to the family, Ilias. Thank you for coming here.”
“Are you sure you weren’t going to make the Final Five?” Antonio asked, one brow raised, his tone half-curious, half-challenging. He sounded worried, like a parent with his kid. Somehow, that worry warmed his heart.
“Yep,” Carlos jumped in, popping the ‘p’ for emphasis, destroying the moment. “The guy here doesn’t know how to do math and still thought he had a shot.”
Ilias flipped him off, then caught himself and quickly turned it into a fluttering fairy wave, eyes darting to the two little girls nearby who looked at him with wide eyes. That obviously sent Alejandra and Carlos into a fit of laughter. Sofia scoffed, but her smile lingered.
“Don’t worry about what those kids see,” Antonio said, deadpan. “Their mother acts like a lawyer but grew up like a sailor.”
“Hey!” Gabriella, who he had met through video calls, scoffed from the side, shifting another twin higher on her hip. “Ignore them. Nice to meet you in real life, Ilias. I’m Gabriella.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said with a smile, wiggling his fingers in a small wave toward the other twin, who looked so much like Sofia it was almost comical. Same dark curls, same serious little eyebrows.
Gabriella, on the other hand, was all sunshine, short blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
The contrast made it easy to guess the family genetics without asking.
Where Sofia clearly took after her Spanish side, Gabriella carried Antonio’s features.
Kind blue eyes set in skin weathered gently by the sun.
It reminded him of his own father, in a way that tugged unexpectedly at something in his chest.
“That’s true, hija,” Maria shrugged, unbothered.
“We were about to go down to the beach,” Antonio said. “Do you all want to come?”
They nodded enthusiastically.
“Where are you all sleeping?” Sofia wondered.
“I already planned everything,” Gabriella answered, casually. “I set up the basement with three beds. Alejandra can sleep with me, because I have the feeling Ilias will be sleeping with you.”
Sofia grinned. “Best sister ever.”
“Then, vamos, let’s all get ready,” José thundered, his voice echoing.
Sofia reached for Ilias’ hand and pulled him toward the house, guiding him through the doorway into the warm, sea-washed home.
He couldn’t believe someone had grown up here and left.
But as he glanced out the kitchen window at the sheet-flat sea, he got it.
No waves. For him, that would be hell. But for her, it had been home.
As soon as the door closed, Sofia spun and pushed him against it, her lips crashing onto his, hands cupping his face like she was anchoring herself to him. The kiss was fierce. Hungry, raw, and full of need. Need to believe he was there. Need to feel him. To feel anything but pain.
He slid his hands down, grabbed her ass, pressed their hips together. His palms roamed every inch of her back, up her sides, craving more. When they finally pulled apart, breathless, their foreheads met.
“Thanks for coming,” she whispered, eyes closed. “You didn’t have to.”
“I did.”
“But your career, the sponsors,” she murmured.
“I don’t care. If I wasn’t here with you right now, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.”
She gave him a small, wobbly smile. “What did Jamie say? Did she answer you? She just sent me an email saying that she was taking everything to the board.”
“Besides calling me selfish and saying I don’t understand the business complications?” He sighed. “Nothing.”
Sofia nodded, and he studied her face. Her eyes were tired, red around the rims.
“How much have you cried since you got here?”
“Too much. I think I’m about to dry up,” she tried to joke. “But I’m soaking up the family time while it lasts. I haven’t come to terms with losing him… but talking to him? It makes it easier and harder all at once.”
“You’re here with him. And I’m here with you. That’s all that matters.”
Sofia stared up at him, her eyes glistening with emotion. “Ilias…”
“Yes, habiba.”
“I think I love you.”
His smirk was soft, full of warmth. “I think I love you too, Sofia.”
And just like that, it paid off—the travels, the anxiety, the uncertainty. Being there with her was what he needed to do, where he was meant to be.