Childhood Sweethearts

-Samantha.
"Alright, Sam. That's a wrap!" the photographer smiled at me, shooting me a thumbs up. I nodded and returned his smile, running a hand through my perfectly styled hair. My manager, Ava, ran up to me and handed me my phone.

"Sí, gracias!" she said before ending the call. She slipped her iPhone back in her pocket and cleared her throat, "You've got an interview and a photo shoot with Hola! Magazine next Thursday at 10.45 AM, do not be late, alright?" Ava said in a stern tone.

I nodded, "Okay."

She smiled at me and cracked her knuckles, "Boy, am I tired. By the way, someone called you when you were having the shoot." she sighed. I checked my phone to see three missed calls from Cesc, making my heart race. I thanked Ava before rushing to my dressing room. I quickly called him and set it on loudspeaker as I started changing from the dress I was given and back to the plain white t-shirt and black shorts that I had worn before.

"Hola?" I heard Cesc say.

"You called?" I asked as I put my long hair into a messy bun. "Oh, yeah. I'm all alone at home, do you wanna hang out or something?"

I checked the small day planner that Ava had given me to keep me in track and saw no other appointments on my schedule. "Sure. Why not?"

"The usual?"

"Okay."

"I'll be there in 20 minutes."

The two of us hung up and I sighed, grabbing my tote bag and slipping my sunglasses on. I exited the dressing room and told Ava that I was going to meet my friend and that I'd give her a call later. I made my way to the parking lot and got in the black Range Rover. I sighed and leaned back. My muscles ached from standing in the same position all day and my face itched from all the makeup I was wearing. Photo shoots drained the life out of me and models make it look so easy and fun on magazines, but really it's frustrating having someone bark orders at you.

I started driving out of the parking lot and towards 'the usual'. 'The usual' was where Cesc and I always used to go, it was a small private café with really friendly owners. Cesc and I used to go there at least thrice a week back when we were in high school and sometimes I went there just to remember all the moments Cesc and I had.

-Cesc.
I pulled a simple shirt on glanced at myself in the mirror when the bedroom door opened. I turned to see Daniella walking in the room sporting a hot pink sports bra and shorts. Her hair was in a ponytail and her blue eyes were fixed on me.

"Where are you going?" she asked, walking over to me and moving my shirt up to rest her hands on my lower back. I bit my lip and looked down at my girlfriend, "Meeting a friend."

She quickly took her hands away as if she was burnt and sat down on the bed, crossing her arms. "Don't you remember what day it is?" she snapped. Today wasn't her birthday and it wasn't our anniversary, so what should I be looking out for?

"...No." I whispered, not wanting her to lash out at me. I had met Daniella a year ago, and even though she was married, she decided to leave her husband of almost 12 years and stay with me. Lately, she's been more clingy and sometimes she snaps at me for absolutely no reasons at all.

She rolled her eyes at me and leaned back on the bed, "It's exactly been a year since I first introduced Maria and Joseph to you." I bit my lip and crossed my arms. I know Maria and Joseph were very important to Daniella, but I didn't know why we had to celebrate since Maria and Joseph were literally down the hall and I know Daniella wanted me to stay with her, but I couldn't take any chances when I was still trying to rebuild my friendship with Sam.

"That's nice, Daniella. But I really have to go," I said, grabbing my keys and my wallet as I leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. "You never have time for me anymore." she grumbled, rubbing the spot on her cheek where I kissed her, as if wiping away the kiss. I sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, "Listen, I'm sorry you feel that way, but--"

"Is this the end of us?" she asked.

Maybe she was right, I've been so focused on the Champions League and training that I didn't spend as much time with her as I used to. I moved up to sit beside her and looked into her eyes, "No, of course not, Dani. I love you, okay? And you..." I was cut off when she pulled my shirt and pressed her lips to mine. Before I knew it, my shirt was on the floor and the last thing on my mind was meeting up with Sam.

-Samantha.
"You okay, Sammy?" the owner of the café, Maia, asked me with a small smile. She was a woman in her late fifties and I've known her ever since I was 15, almost 10 years ago. I trusted her and I treated her like my second mother. She owned the café with her husband of 34 years, Edgar. The two of them knew about all the ups and downs Cesc and I went through and I didn't hesitate to tell them anything.

But this time, I shook my head and told her everything was fine. I've been waiting for almost an hour and a half and Cesc hadn't shown up yet. I finished the last sip of my coffee and shook my head in disbelief, standing up and walking towards Edgar who was the cashier for today. He grinned at me and handed me the cheque. I quickly paid and he smiled at me, "Rough day?"

I shrugged, "I'm just really tired, Ed." I said, adding a small smile to show him that I was fine. He nodded and he handed me my change. I thanked him and said goodbye to Maia before heading out of the café when I saw Cesc's car pull up next to mine.

He quickly ran out, his shirt wrinkled, his hair messy and his face looking flushed. "Sam, I'm sorry I'm late! Where are you going?" he asked, his eyes following me to my car.

"Home, Cesc. I waited for an hour and a half. Maybe we can hang out some other time, okay?" I said, not even bothering to shoot him a small smile. His eyes widened and he looked sad for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something but shut it again when he knew that he was at fault here. I looked at him one last time before getting in my car and driving away from Cesc and from the café.

I knew then that maybe Cesc hadn't changed at all.