You Loved Me Once

“You really watch all of these things?” Eva posed as she flopped down onto the couch beside Alba, stealing a piece of food out of the takeaway box which Alba held in her hands. It had been a good few days, since she had touched down, Alba had spent time with a lot of people who she’d not seen a lot of whilst she checked on the wedding plans and she was pleased that she had made the call to fly to Rosario, even if she did miss Lionel, it had been the right decision to spend a little time in her home town.

“Not all of them” Alba mused, popping another piece of food into her mouth “But I like to have them on. I might not love the game, but Leo does and I love hearing him talk about his game, something which is helped if I know what he’s going on about” she enthused.

Eva rolled her eyes playfully before she nudged Alba in the ribs. “You know you’re too into him, right?” she teased.

Alba scoffed. “Says the already married woman” she countered.

Eva shook her head. “I am nowhere near as bad as you are when it comes to my husband. You and Leo, you’ve been inseparable since I’ve known you. You introduced me to Oscar” she pointed out.

Alba shook her head. “We’ve never been that bad” she noted.

Eva snorted. “Do you know what my first memory is of you two as a couple?” she mused.

“Do I want to know?” Alba posed, popping another piece of food into her mouth as she kept an eye on the screen, watching as Lionel darted into the box onto to squirrel his shot wide.

“It’s nothing bad” Eva quipped “It must have been a couple of months after the two of you got together. You’d both tried so hard to keep it secret, neither one of you wanted the big ‘I told you so’ moment from your families or me and the rest of your friends, but I remember walking into your room one night. Leo was back in Barcelona, he had been for a while, and everyone had assumed that the two of you had gone back to not talking a lot during the reason, but you were sat up on your bed, smiling away to yourself as you talked to him on the phone. You looked so in love” she grinned gently.

“You never told me that” Alba mumbled, pushing her hair behind her ear.

Eva shrugged. “You were clearly trying to keep it a secret” she noted “And I didn’t want to be the one to ruin it. I just remember the way you grinned when you talked to him. I was a little jealous that I didn’t have that” she enthused.

Alba shook her head. “I was 16 and my boyfriend lived in a different country. There was really nothing to be envious of” she insisted, a soft hint of pink on her cheeks. It had never been a forte of hers, taking compliments had always made her feel a little awkward, but she was touched by Eva’s words. A little part of her liked that she had something that someone could find themselves envious of.

“I can’t believe the two of you lasted as long as you did” Eva quipped, sipping happily at her glass of water.

Alba tilted her head. “You can’t?” she posed.

“The guy spent most of the year in Spain” Eva pointed out “And when he did come back, he spent a lot of his time surrounded by family and friends, leaving very little time for his secret girlfriend for the first year that you were together. I know you, Alba, you’re not the most patient” she quipped.

“It wasn’t exactly a picnic” Alba confirmed with a small nod “But I was kind of in love with him” she mused with a shy grin.

Eva snorted. “Kind of?” she teased.

“Stupidly” Alba corrected with a soft blush on her cheeks.

“Damn right” Eva grinned “I remember your first valentine’s day. Red roses and a surprise trip to Barcelona, who knew Leo could be a romantic?” she teased.

Alba rolled her eyes. “Do you have anything nice to say about my relationship?” she teased with a warm smile. It was something she had missed, with her home in Barcelona, it was rare that she and Eva had the chance to get together and spend their time gossiping like they had when they were younger, but Alba was having a good time. As much as she loved spending time with Lionel and Isabella, she had missed spending time with her best friend.

“I’m happy for you” Eva smiled warmly “I mean, you two certainly took your time with it, and let’s not even mention the whole five year break thing, but this is good for you. He’s the right one for you, Alba, and I doubt I could be any happier for you” she insisted softly.

Alba shook her head. “Gracias, Eva” she murmured.

Eva offered her a warm smile before the sound of cheers emanated away from the TV screen, causing both women to turn, smiling a little at the sight of Lionel who sped away from goal, his infectious quirked smile on his face. Alba watched him, a small smile on her face, something which made Eva shake her head. “You really love him, don’t you?” she teased, nudging Alba’s side.

Alba scoffed and poked out her tongue, something which made Eva squeak. “Rude” she scoffed playfully.

Alba giggled. “You know you love me really” she grinned.

“Sadly, I don’t have many options for best friends” Eva countered “If I did, I would have found a new one” she added with a smirk.

Alba shook her head, a giggle falling out of her mouth before she tossed her arms around Eva. “You know I am number 1” she grinned.

Eva rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around Alba, hugging her tightly. She knew there was still a little while to go, almost a month separated Lionel and Alba from the day of their wedding, but she was excited for the two of them. She had known them for a long time, since their childhood, and she doubted she had come across two people better suited to one another. Lionel and Alba were meant for one another and Eva had no doubt about it.