Let Go

I slowly blinked my eyes as sunlight streamed into my rooms from the open curtains, instantly warming my drowsy figure. I laid still for a few moments before rolling over and checking my phone, discovering it was nearly eleven o’ clock. I figured it was time to get out of bed and stood up, letting out a yawn as I stretched lethargically.

I checked my appearance in the mirror, running a brush through my hair in an attempt to straighten out the tangled mess. Once I was pleased with my reflection I followed the sound of voices that were drifting upstairs, letting them lead me into the kitchen. I found Margarite, Iker, and Sergio, if I remember correctly, sitting around the breakfast bar chatting away. I sat in the open seat next to Iker, resting my chin in my hands, silently wondering why everyone had went quite.

“What’s wrong?” I questioned.

“Nothing, I’m just surprised to see you actually moving this early in the morning. It usually took me dragging you out of bed to get you to go to class.” Margarite answered.

“I’m not incapable of waking up early, I just prefer to sleep in ninety-nine percent of the time. I quite enjoy staying up all night and sleeping all day, thank you very much.”

“You and Sergio are just alike. You can never pass up the chance to sleep late.”

I rolled my eyes, peeking over Iker to see Sergio mimicking my actions.

“I would have come to pick you up last night but I pretty much passed out before eleven.” Iker spoke up.

“It’s not my fault I couldn’t wake you up. You sleep like a rock and whenever I do wake you up I either get yelled at or pushed off the bed.” Margarite exclaimed.

“If I hadn’t had to clean my house all day yesterday I wouldn’t have been so tired in the first place.”

“You wouldn’t have had to clean if you could actually pick up after yourself.”

Sometimes I think these two bicker just to hear themselves talk but it was still amusing to watch their arguments. They may yell at each other a lot but I wish I had a brother like Iker almost everyday. Both him and Margarite are the closet thing to siblings I’ve ever had and I knew one of them was always there to give me a helping hand.

“Out of the kindness of my heart, I let my baby sister move in and this is how she repays me. I felt like a slave in my own house, I was cleaning and she was off with Cristiano.“ Iker whispered.

“I’d kick her out if I was you.“ I joked.

“In case the two of you were wondering, I can hear you perfectly fine.”

Iker and I laughed at Margarite’s scold but her face completely changed when the sound of the doorbell ringing filled the house. She took off towards the door before any of us could even consider getting up, leaving me to wonder just who was at the door.

“Could she run any quicker?”

“Probably. She never answers the door unless it’s Cristiano.”

“Cristiano Ronaldo. She never shut up about him. All I hear about is how amazing and utterly gorgeous he is.”

“Ronaldo can be cocky sometimes but for the first time I actually approve of the guy Margarite’s dating.”

Margarite walked into the room, giggling like crazy while wrapped in the arms of this Cristiano fellow. I had to admit, he wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes and I could see how in love they from one simple look. Cristiano took a seat across from Iker and I, carefully pulling Margarite down into his lap.

“Cristiano, this is Gabriella, my best friend in whole, wide world. Gab, this is Cristiano, the best boyfriend in the whole, wide world.”

“It’s nice to finally meet the best friend she’s always mentioning.” Cristiano spoke.

“And it’s nice to meet the boyfriend she’s always talking about.” I smiled.

“I can understand why she’s always talking about you though. Some of the stories I’ve heard are quite entertaining”

I blushed at his words, not even wanting to think about the stories Margarite had likely told him. I was known for being clumsy and frequently finding someway to embarrass myself so I could only imagine what he had heard.

“I can always trust Margarite to embarrass me.”

“Iker put in his fair share of stories too.”

I turned to look at Iker, who lowered his head and looked away, realizing he had been caught. I could always count on Margarite to recount a time when I did something even mildly embarrassing but I never imagined Iker joining in with her.

“Iker, is there something you have to tell me?”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“Please, I can tell you’re lying.” I scoffed.

“So I might have let the story about you falling into the pool slip.” he confessed.

I didn’t even get to reply before he had slipped off his stool and was hightailing it upstairs. I chased after him, even though I knew it would be nearly impossible for me to catch him. I hit the top of the stairs just as Iker’s bedroom door slammed shut, the lock clicking into place just as I slid to a stop outside of it.

“I’ll get my revenge Casillas.”

I trudged back downstairs, entering the kitchen with a frown on my face, earning laughs from Sergio, Cristiano, and Margarite.

“Now that you’re done harassing my brother, we’re just going to hang out here for the day. I think we’re all going to head out to the pool so you can go get changed whenever.”

“I’ll go change and be down in a few.”

When I walked back into my bedroom, I replied to a few texts from my best friend Tori, back in Los Angeles, telling her I had safely made it to Madrid and would call her as soon as I got a few minutes. I dug through my suitcase, pulling out one of the many bikinis I had tucked into it two days ago. I decided to unpack later, since I would be staying her for about a month and there was no need to keep pulling stuff out of my suitcase.

After changing and grabbing a towel, I skipped downstairs and headed out to the pool. I sat down in the empty seat between Margie and Sergio, not noticing the eyes that ran up and down my barely covered body. I grabbed my tanning lotion and coated my legs and arms in the glittering substance before realizing the one spot on my body that needed the most sun, I couldn’t reach. I was ready to just given up when a voice from my right spoke up.

“Do you want me to get your back?”

I turned my head and found Sergio looking at me with a shy smile on his face. I couldn’t help but get distracted for a few seconds, my eyes taking in the wondrous sight before me. My mind wandering off to thinking what those abs would feel like beneath my finger tips. I finally snapped out of my daze, hoping I hadn’t been caught, and nodded my head ‘yes’ in reply.

“Por favor.”

Our fingers barely brushed as I handed him the lotion, but I felt sparks shoot through my hand in the few seconds they lingered together. I quickly retracted my hand as a blush tinted my cheeks and turned my back to Sergio. I looked up as I heard the bottle open and locked eyes with Margarite who was smiling at me as she peered over the top of her sunglasses.

My focus on Margarite was completely broken when Sergio’s hands made contact with my back, beginning to rub the hot substance into my skin. I had expected his hands to be rough and callous taking his job into consideration, but found them to be soft and gentle as they glided over my skin. I kept myself from letting out a soft moan as he worked the lotion into my shoulders.

“All done.”

“Gracias.” I replied taking back the lotion.

I settled back into the chair and let the hot Madrid sun warm my body as Margarite and Cristiano drifted off into their own conversation.

“You must like it here in Madrid. Margarite told me you’ve been here a couple of times.” Sergio said.

“It’s sort of a second home to me now. I’ve spent so much time here and if it wasn’t for my house and job in LA I’d probably just pack up all of my things and move.”

“Margarite’s definitely happy you’re here. She manages to bring you up in almost every conversation.”

“I’m the same way, I guess we can get a little crazy when we’re together. Iker didn’t believe some of the stories he’d heard until he saw us together.” I laughed.

I looked away from Sergio when the back door opened and Iker stepped out in his swim trunks. I couldn’t help but to size him up as I had down with Sergio minutes before. My eyes ran down his chiseled chest stopping at the small trail of hair that dipped below the top of his trunks. I’m not going to argue that there aren’t plenty of attractive men in Los Angeles but there was just something about a Spaniard that got my blood boiling. The natural tans, the dark hair, and the language attracted me to no end and I could only imagine the sort of trouble I could get myself into here.

“I’ll be back momentarily.”

I caught Sergio shaking his head out of the corner of my eye as I stood up and tip-toed towards Iker.
“I’d watch my back if I was you.” Margarite warned her brother.

Iker didn’t even get a chance to question her because my hands had already made contact with his back and he was quickly sent hurtling into the pool. Cristiano and Sergio burst into laughter but Margarite just saw this as a regular occurrence. Iker and I had a habit of messing around with each other whenever we were together and almost never acted our age.

“That was totally unnecessary.” Iker said after surfacing.

“I promised revenge Casillas.”

I made a move to turn around but before I could I went flying straight into the pool landing a few feet away from Iker.

“I definitely owe you for that one Sergio.” Iker laughed.

“And here I was thinking we had something special.” I pouted, pushing the hair out of my face.

“I couldn’t pass up the chance.” he smiled.

“Could you at least help me out?”

He succumbed to my continuous pouting and held out his hands for me to grab. I acted quickly and braced my feet on the edge of the pool, putting all of my weight into it and pulling him straight over me and into the water.

“I can’t believe you fell for that Sergio.” Margarite laughed.

“I’m a sucker for a beautiful woman, it can have its downfalls.”

A blush crept into my cheeks once again for what seemed like the hundredth time, feeling his eyes settle on me. We locked eyes and got the feeling that he could see straight through me, reading my darkest secrets and decoding my feelings.

“I’m bored. Let’s play a game or do something.” Margarite said.

“We can play Marco Polo.” I suggested.

“Yes!”

“You two do realize that’s a game for five year olds right?” Cristiano questioned.

“We don’t exactly act our age.” Margarite replied.

Within minutes we were all attempting to hide, though the water made that kind of impossible. Sergio had been deemed Marco and was counting to fifteen on the other end of the pool. I wedged myself into the corner as far away from Sergio as possible and did my best to stay as silent and as still as possible.

“Marco?”

“Polo.”

I’ll admit, I cheated by responding as quietly as possible hoping everyone else wouldn’t notice my reply. My plan failed and I soon found myself swimming to the other side of the pool as Sergio chased after me. I squealed when his hands gripped my bare sides and pulled me back into his toned body. This action earned a gasp from me as I felt every inch of his perfectly sculpted chest press against my skin, his fingers dancing along my sides.

“You can let go of her now Ramos.” Iker yelled.

“Right.” Sergio mumbled.

Our game continued and only ceased when the boys began to complain that they were going to die of starvation. Sergio and Iker threatened that if we didn’t feed them and they died we would be responsible for the death of the country’s national heroes. This earned the two of them eye rolls from the three of us but we headed inside to fix lunch just so they would shut up.

Half an hour later all four of us were sitting in the living room eating the croquetas and tomato basil salad Margarite and I had fixed. I talked the guys into watching Top Gear, a show I was surprised they had never seen before. Margarite and I sat across from each other munching on our food while the boys resorted to shoving as much as they could into their mouths at one time.

“If you cook like this I’m going to be spending a lot more time over here.” Sergio said through a mouthful.

“Are you trying to tell me I’m a good cook?”

He nodded with a smile and I shook my head, still not used to seeing the boys eating habits.

“Margie says you spend most of your time here anyways, not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

“I just don’t like being alone so I try to spend as little time as possible at my house. There’s always someone to keep me company here.”

“You could get a pet to keep you company.”

I was kind of clueless as to how I was supposed to reply to that statement so I just said the first thing that came to mind.

“I would say I would get a girlfriend thought I just haven’t made a connection with anyone lately.”

“It can’t be that hard for Sergio Ramos to find a girlfriend.”

“Believe me, it’s a challenge to find a girl who likes me for Sergio, not the person who plays football for a living and has a large bank account.”

“Everyone has a soul mate out there, you just never know when you’ll happen upon them.”

“So you believe in soul mates?”

“No matter how cliché is sounds I do. I think there’s a person out there for everyone. Someone that fits them to a tee and will always be there for them. I can’t help but hope it’s true because I’m just like every other girl in the world. I want the guy who’s going to be my side through it all and who will love me the same even when I wake up looking like a hot mess in the morning.”

“He’s out there waiting.” Sergio said with a smile.

A silence fell upon us after he spoke and I felt a tad bit uncomfortable at the serious turn our conversation had just taken.
“So when’s the team’s first game?”

“We’re playing two friendly games in about a week in California and then a few in Germany. Our first real game is August 29th. Are you planning on staying that long?”

“Yes, though I may just have to convince Margarite we need to go to California.”

“You should, I’ve never been before and it’d be nice to be shown around the city.”

I looked around as Sergio talked and noticed that everyone had left the room in the midst of our conversation.

“Sorry to go completely off topic but I just noticed everyone disappeared.”

“I guess they were done eating.”

“I’ll take our plates back to the kitchen and figure out where everyone went.”

I grabbed both of our plates and walked towards the kitchen hearing two voices whispering behind the door.

“Cristiano they would make such a great couple. I mean did you seem them? For the first time in his life, Sergio’s actually getting to know a girl instead of trying to get in her pants.”

“I’m not disagreeing with you baby but you were just telling me the other day how in love your brother is with Gabriella.”

‘That’s the only downfall. Gab’s the perfect girl for Sergio, she’s down to earth but still knows how to have a good time. I just can’t stand to see Iker get his heart broken.”

“Just don’t force any of the together Margarite. Let fate run its course and in the end she’ll end up with the right person.”

I let silence settle in the room for a few seconds before walking in, acting like I hadn’t heard a single word of their conversation. I could tell they were silently questioning each other if I had heard anything but acted like everything was normal and placed my dishes in the sink.

“So why did everyone leave me and Sergio alone?”

“I just figured since we were done eating we’d give the two of you some time to get to know each other.” Cristiano replied.

“Anyway, I promised you we weren’t going t have a dull moment why you were here so we’re going out tonight. We’re going into the city for dinner and I have no doubt we’ll end up downtown in one of the clubs.”

“When are we leaving?” I questioned.

“We’ll probably leave around six, just be ready sometime around then.”

“Aye, aye captain.” I laughed.

I walked back into the living room and took my previous seat next to Sergio. I ran my hands through my still damp hair in an attempt to keep it from getting tangled.

“Margie said we’re going out to dinner and then a club later.”
“I’m glad she decided to inform us.” Sergio laughed.

“Yeah, she told me to be ready sometime around six.”

“That means I probably should head home to get ready.”

“You mean you’re leaving me here with these crazy people?” I joked.

“You can always come with me and we can meet them there.” he suggested.

“Do I have time to shower and change first?”

“Of course, I’ll just go annoy Iker while you’re gone.”

“Okay, I’ll be back down in a bit.”

I rushed upstairs stopping only when I nearly ran over Margarite when she came out of her room.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” she asked.

“I’m going to shower and change and I’m going to ride with Sergio to his place. We’re just going to meet you downtown.”

She nodded with a smile and I just rolled my eyes before continuing on to my room. As I was in the shower I couldn’t help but think how comfortable I felt around Sergio even though I had known him for a such a short amount of time. I managed to shower and change within thirty minutes, a new record for me. I walked downstairs and as soon as I came to the landing could feel eyes on me. I looked up and met the gaze of Sergio, my mind wondering just what lay in store for me tonight.