After the Match

* The Day Before the Match *

"Eden, what's with your friend, Fernando?" Rosalina finally asked.

They were at the practice fields and Fernando had been staring at her throughout the whole time.

"What do you mean?" Eden asked with a chuckle, oblivious to anything but them.

Rosalina just waited until Eden finally looked at his teammate.

"Oh." He replied then as he started to juggle the soccer ball that he had been playing with.

"So?" Rosalina asked again after a moment of silence.

Eden caught the ball in his hands and looked up at her then.

"I don't know. But he has a wife and kids, so stay away from him, okay?" Eden replied.

Rosalina didn't say anything, but looked at Fernando one last time to see him staring at her still.

* Back at the Hotel *

"So, how was practice?" Isabella asked, reading a magazine.

"Fine." Rosalina replied with a sigh, putting her stuff down on the counter.

"Did you meet any boys?" Isabella asked then, flipping through her magazine.

"Yeah, I met the whole team, but none of them really stood out to me. Except there was this one guy- oh, never mind." Rosalina started to say.

"Oooh, tell me." Isabella replied, putting down her magazine and sitting up on the bed.

"Well, his name's Fernando and he's kind of...unavailable." Rosalina replied.

"Unavailable..., as in dating another girl?" Isabella asked with an eyebrow raised.

Rosalina gave her a hesitant look as she replied, "Unavailable, as in married with two kids?"

"Nina, you can't be serious." Isabella replied as she got up from the bed.

"No, you're right. That'd be totally unethical and wrong, right?" Rosalina asked with a pleading expression.

"Well, duh. Not to mention, you would be a home wrecker." Isabella replied sternly.

"I know, it's so wrong. I'll just have to find another guy." Rosalina replied.

* The Match *

"That guy has been staring at us ever since the team came out of the tunnel." Isabella said to Rosalina.

They were up in the sky box and the guy staring at them was Fernando.

"Yeah." Rosalina said with a sigh.

"Wait, don't tell me... That's Fernando?" Isabella said with disbelief.

"Yep." Rosalina said, inspecting her nails.

"And he's been staring at you all this time?" Isabella said with even more disbelief.

"Yep." Rosalina replied again, still inspecting her nails.

"Well, could you give him some attention, so he'll stop staring over here?" Isabella replied.

"Nope." Rosalina replied, grabbing her cell phone.

"And why not?" Isabella replied, looking at Rosalina.

"Because someone told me it would be wrong and I'd be a home wrecker." Rosalina replied, texting someone on her phone.

"Okay, I don't care anymore. Just do something to get him to stop staring over here." Isabella replied with annoyance.

"You got it." Rosalina replied, sending the text message.

She looked up then with a big smile and gave Fernando a flirtatious wave. He gave her a secretive smile back before focusing on the pre-match rituals.

"I didn't mean for you to be so flirtatious." Isabella replied gloomily.

"Well, you wanted me to do something to get him to stop staring over here, didn't you?" Rosalina replied, going back to her phone.

"Rose, you know this is wrong, don't you?" Isabella asked seriously, looking at Rosalina full on then.

"Mhmm." Rosalina replied, still not paying her friend any attention.

"Then why do you keep doing it?" Isabella asked with frustration.

Rosalina put her phone down then and replied, "Because, Isabella. I've dated how many guys? And still haven't found the right one? So why should I let another girl stop me from finding the one for me? Huh?"

"Um, I don't know, maybe, because...it's totally wrong!" Isabella exclaimed at her friend.

Rosalina went back to her phone and replied, "Whatever, Isabella. I don't care anymore. Either he's the one and I'm not backing down. Or who knows, maybe he's another loser like all the others and I'm just wasting my time. Either way, I'm going to find out."

Isabella muttered curses under her breath as she laid her chin on her arms.

* After the Match *

Isabella and Rosalina were at the after party with the Chelsea team at the nightclub Equinox.

"So when are you going to talk to Fernando?" Isabella asked with a slur and drink in her hand.

"I thought you didn't approve." Rosalina said, leaning against the bar with a small smile on her face.

"I still don't, but now I'm thinking what the hell. Do what you want, Rosalina." Isabella replied.

"Glad you see it my way." Rosalina replied.

"Yeah, so are you going to go talk to him or not?" Isabella asked.

"You'll see." Rosalina replied as she got up from the bar.

She strutted her way towards the empire lounge where the whole futbol team was watching her approach them, but her eyes were only on Fernando. The music flowed through her and she started to dance on him, making all of the watcher's eyes widen in shock. She grabbed his hand in the process and led him to the dance floor to dance with her. They moved together as if they were one and for once in her life, Rosalina felt happy. There were no awkward moments and both of them were having a great time. Once the club started to close, Rosalina led Fernando out again with an ecstatic laugh. They ended up at a lighted up bridge with a river underneath it.

Fernando let out a chuckle and said, "What about your friend?"

Rosalina leaned against the railing and let out a sigh.

"What about her?" She asked.

"Won't she need a ride home?" He replied.

"Honey, she's a model. She'll be fine." Rosalina replied with a roll of her eyes.

Fernando looked nervous as he kept a five foot distance between her. Rosalina gave him a flirtatious smile and grabbed his biceps, pulling him towards her to the railing. She could feel the muscles beneath his shirt and a slight blush came on her face.

"You, on the other hand, look like you need to relax." She said, as she set him next to her on the railing.

He let out another chuckle and said, "Maybe."

Rosalina gave him a weird look, he was acting so different from every other guy she met.

"Have you never been in a situation like this before?" Rosalina asked then.

"Ah, my wife and I had dated for eight years before we got married. So it has been a long time, since I have done anything like this." He replied seriously.

"Ah." Rosalina said in understanding, turning to look out towards the river.

Fernando decided to turn around as well.

"My wife and I, we have not been getting along as well as usual. She does not like the limelight. And she always worries about me. She complains and complains, over and over again. She wants me to retire. But she just doesn't get it. It's my passion in life, I can't just quit, not yet." He confessed then.

"And the kids?" Rosalina carefully asked as she looked out at the horizon.

Fernando chuckled and replied, "Oh, they're wonderful. They're the loves of my life. Little Nora is getting so big and Leo is just the apple of my eye. They're perfect and I love them. But I'm not sure it's enough to keep me and Olalla together.... Things are just getting so...tough."

Rosalina let out a sigh and replied, "Well, you can't just quit when the going gets tough."

"I know. I know that, but she just seems so distant from me. It's like she's turned into someone I don't even know over this whole thing. I'm just not sure what to do about it all." He said, still looking into the horizon.

Rosalina let out another sigh and said, "Fernando, I've learned over time that being famous is a tricky thing for people. Some people let it take over and destroy their lives. Some people keep doing what they love and don't let it affect who they are inside. And some people just can't handle it."

Fernando's head had dropped down, while listening. But he brought it up once she was done and she saw a tear slide down his cheek.

"It's just hard, because she was the love of my life. I thought everything would be perfect. But now it's turned into this. And I don't know how to get out of it." He replied, turning back around.

"Well, for now, that's your choice and I hope you make the right one. Good luck, Fernando." Rosalina said before leaving him alone.

Fernando turned back around to lean on the railing and study the horizon.

"Oh, and good game today!" She added, turning around and waving goodbye with a smile on her face.

He chuckled and gave her a smile back before waving goodbye to her. She turned back around then and kept walking on with a smile on her face.