Status: I will try to update as often as possible, it will be updated at least weekly.

The Masked Feelings

Chapter 15: Growing Feelings

Before the match Bella and I decided to go to the local café, as we had plenty of time to waste. The café was only a ten minute walk from the stadium and was absolutely adorable. It had an old-fashioned interior, all to the theme of brown. It had different shades of brown on different walls, with a few oil paintings of Spanish festivals. Bella and I walked up to the counter an I was immediately met with the strong refreshing aroma of coffee beans. I decided to order a cappuccino and Bella ordered the special hot chocolate which came with whipped cream and marshmallows. When we collected our drinks Bella chose to sit at the table in the far left which had a small coffee table along with two leather sofas. During conversation, Bella was getting more and more excited about the prospect of watching her dad play live, which was cute to see. I was glad to see that Bella had welcomed Cristiano back with open arms, whereas I was a lot more cautious with my moves. Admittedly, I was beginning to warm to Cris; but there was always going to be tension between us. He ditched Bella and I so that he could disappear for a year with Irina; I'd be insane to let him back into my heart without another thought. but unfortunately Bella wasn't quite aware of what had happened, I just told her that he moved to join a club that was a long way away and so she wouldn't see him much. Part of me knew that he'd come back, he couldn't stay away from his own daughter for too long. But what if Bella hadn't have been born? Would he have still come back? What if he didn't come back to see me, what if it was just for Bella, and he wasn't bothered about me? I was disturbed from my thoughts as Bella asked if she could go and have a look around the other shops and buy some Real Madrid merchandise.

After an hour and a half of shopping I got Bella a Real Madrid jersey, a scarf for the match and a few 'keep calm and support RM' mugs. By the end of our shopping spree Bella's legs had gotten tired and so I had to carry her and our bags throughout the walk to the car which was easier said than done. Unfortunately I was wearing heels which made the job even harder than it already was, I stumbled a couple of times but managed to cover each slip skilfully. After I had put the bags away, I put Bella down from my hip and wrapped the scarf around her. Bella smiled as she looked down at her scarf, wrapping her fingers at the toggles on the ends. I closed the boot to the car and locked it, but when I turned around I noticed how sleepy Bella was turning and I knew that if I didn't let her sleep now then she wouldn't make it through the match. I sighed, picking her up and allowing her to bury her head in the crook of my neck. I felt a kind of comfort as I felt her eyelids fluttering shut against my skin. I made my way through the corridors towards the VIP box like used to do every week. I knew the route like the back of my hand and even with the flashing cameras it still felt as welcoming as it did before he left. Today was a big day for Cristiano; today was his return to football. As I reached the VIP box I smiled as I saw Dolores, I hadn't seen her since Cris left. I felt sorry for her because she did try to keep in contact with me however I couldn't face anyone that reminded me of Cristiano; unfortunately for her. As soon as her eyes made contact with mine she came rushing over to greet me. "Tasha! I can't believe it's you! It's been so long! And look at young Bella, she's grown so much!" Dolores exclaimed, as she en wrapped Bella and I in a warm hug. "I don't know if it's even possible, but I'm sure that you get more and more beautiful each time I see you!"
"Thank you! I'm so sorry about the break of contact I just couldn't face anyone that reminded me of Cristiano and what he did." I explained and Dolores gave me a quizzing look.
"But, here you are, not that I'm trying to be rude; it's great to see you but why would you want to be here when Cris is playing?" Dolores asked sweetly. I checked on Bella through the corner of my eye and she was still in her deep slumber.
"Well Cristiano came back, as you know, and Bella seemed to welcome him back and so I asked Cristiano if he could get us tickets to his next game." I stated and Dolores nodded along sweetly and started enquiring about what had happened in the previous year.

5 minutes before the match began Bella was still blissfully asleep despite the loud chants from all of the fans. I was fully aware that Cristiano could enter the stadium through the tunnel any second around so I had no choice but to wake up Bella. I nudged her should gently and whispered in her ear, "Bella, you need to wake up now. Daddy will come out any second now." As soon as I mentioned 'Daddy' her eyes opened and looked around the stadium intently. Dolores and I both smiled at Bella and Bella furrowed her brows.
"Where's daddy?" She asked, with slight worry in her voice.
"Don't worry, he'll be coming out soon." Dolores encouraged, and Bella's head whipped around to Dolores as she recognised her voice.
"Avó?" Bella asked, her eyes full of excitement.
"Sim, it's avó!" Dolores responded and Bella jumped off of my lap and hopped onto Dolores's, hugging Dolores tightly and Dolores smiled, kissing the top of Bella's head before letting Bella move back onto my lap again. Suddenly all of the lights focused on one spot; the tunnel. Bella and I watched closely as Cristiano made his way out of the tunnel and onto the field. The crowd erupted with cheers and the stadium ignited at the sight before them. Bella clapped her hands together multiple times and had a huge grin plastered on her face. Pride; was the word that best described her expression. Her eyes kindled as she watched her father with pride. The crowd were still screaming as he smiled and turned around on the pitch to look at all of the people. When his eyes landed on Bella's his smile grew and he gave her a small wave before his eyes moved towards the other fans in the stadium.

The first half of the match flew by as Cris came close to scoring twice with excellent saves from the keeper both times. Ramos also had a good chance with a header from a corner however that one hit the cross bar. Casillas wasn't troubled at all in the first half, with only one attempt on target which was an easy save for him. the second half was even better from the first. Cristiano played even better, picking up the ball from the left corner of the box, dribbling forward being marked by a player, however a quick change change of direction made the defender loose his footing and gave Cris a great opportunity to score; which he did. He sent the ball flying high into the top right corner. I stood on my feet and held Bella on my lap and we cheered at the fantastic finish. Cristiano patted his Real Madrid badge on his jersey as his celebration before his team mates surrounded him. After a few seconds they all let him go and went running up to their positions, and as they did so Cristiano let his eyes wonder around in the crowd until they found me. When his eyes met mine he winked at me and I rolled my eyes in return (an old tradition of ours) he smirked at me before running back into his position.

The game ended 3-0, Cristiano got a brace and Modric scored once. Bella was jumping up and down with anticipation from start to finish! After the match ended Dolores and I walked down towards the players lounge together to find Cristiano. The match had drained all of Bella's energy and she was fast asleep on my hip, with her hands wrapped around my neck whilst her head rested on the top of my shoulder. I ordered a glass of water from the bar and Dolores had a glass of wine as we sat down at one of the tables. I adjusted Bella so that she was on my lap while making small talk with Dolores. About 15 minutes later Cristiano came through the doors with a smile on his face. "Hey!" I greeted and he pecked my cheek. It was a small gesture but it felt nice, I had missed kissing him. I'd missed the softness of him lips and how they'd send electricity burning through me and electrifying my veins.
"What did you make of my performance?" Cristiano asked after kissing his mother on both cheeks and sitting next to her.
"Well, it was all right." I replied nonchalantly and Cris raised his eyebrows, not believing my opinion, "Ok, it was pretty impressive!" I agreed and Cristiano smirked.
"So the usual then?" He joked and I smiled at him shaking my head in response.
"Well, whatever it was, Bella seemed to love it!" Dolores stating, pointing towards Bella.
"Really?" Cristiano asked surprised, and I think that he was quite touched by the enthusiasm that Bella showed towards him today.
"Yeah, she loved watching you play, it took out all of her energy!" I exclaimed and we all let out a small laugh at how sleepy Bella was, with small snores escaping her lips every few seconds.
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So the match went well and Tasha met up with Dolores for the first time in over a year! What will happen now that Tasha is growing more and more feelings for Cristiano the more that she sees him?