You Loved Me Once

Brushing a hand back through her blonde hair, Alba fixed her eyes on the pitch ahead of her, her eyes watching as the game unfolded ahead of her. It still wasn’t comfortable, Alba had never enjoyed the idea of sitting in the stadium, even less so when she was by herself, but when Lionel had explained that it was his 500th match for Barcelona, she hadn’t been able to find it in herself to turn down his offer of a ticket. It meant a lot to him, celebrating the little milestones, and Alba, who was still immensely grateful for the invitation to spend the holidays with his family, had conceded, opting to watch the match from within the stadium rather than at home.

Watching as Real Betis launched an attack, she shifted a little in her seat before she spotted the little boy who looked up at her, his brown eyes wide.

“Alba?” Shakira’s voice was soft as she stepped into Alba’s eye-line, carefully ushering the little boy up into his seat “You by yourself?” she posed.

“I am” Alba noted “Leo wanted me here but failed to mention I’d be sat alone. What are you doing here?” she posed.

“Gerard likes the boys to be at as many matches as they can be and seeing as we were around, I bought them by. Do you mind if we join you?” the singer posed. She liked Alba, even if she was a little quiet and shy, and she wanted to make her feel welcome. Just one look at Lionel’s face told her that he wanted to keep Alba around for a long time and Shakira wanted to ensure that Alba felt comfortable enough to stay around.

Alba shook her head. “Not at all” she mused “These are your and Gerard’s boys?” she posed, her blue eyes peeking towards the younger boy who rested on his mother’s hip.

Shakira grinned. “That’s Milan” she quipped, gesturing to the little boy who’d taken the seat beside Alba “And this is Sasha” she mused softly.

Alba grinned. “They’re adorable, Shakira” she enthused “They’ve got a lot of you about them” she added.

“Don’t say that in front of Gerard” Shakira teased as she rested back in her seat, settling Sasha in her lap “Leo told him that once and he got a 20 minute rant on how they looked like him” she grinned.

Alba giggled. “I hope you don’t mind me saying, but your boyfriend is an idiot” she quipped.

Shakira laughed. “It’s a little of the reason I love him” she mused “He makes me laugh, even if it isn’t always intentional” she enthused.

Alba nodded in agreement before she flicked her attention towards the pitch, her eyes easily finding Lionel who was weaving his way towards goal only to have his shot blocked. Shakira watched the younger woman for a moment before she smiled. “You adore him, don’t you?” she posed softly.

Alba’s cheeks warmed. “It’s obvious, no?” she fussed.

“In a cute sort of way” Shakira smiled “The two of you, it’s nice to see. Leo’s not been this happy since I’ve known him” she enthused.

Alba shook her head. “I am sure you’re exaggerating” she quipped, watching as Suarez laid a pass on for Lionel which he quickly deposited into the path of Andres Iniesta.

“Not at all” Shakira smiled “He’s been happy, but this is something else, Alba. I don’t know a lot about your past, Gerard doesn’t like to talk about it, but whatever happened, it doesn’t change the fact that you two are…” Shakira’s voice trailed off as the stadium let out a roar, pulling Alba’s attention towards the pitch where Lionel wheeled away from goal, a grin perched on his face as he embraced his teammates.

Alba watched him smile, something which made Shakira shake her head. She didn’t know about their past, Gerard had never mentioned much other than the fact that there was a past to talk of, but she was sure that whatever had happened was irrelevant. For the almost 6 months that Lionel had been seeing Alba, he’d been happier than he’d been since Shakira had met him and she wanted it to stay that way, something it would do if Alba hung around.

~#~
“Congratulations on your goal”

Lionel, who’d been talking happily with Andres and Javier, lifted his head at the sound of Alba’s voice, offering her a wide smile before he excused himself, moving to wrap her up in a tight hug. Alba squeaked at the sudden hug, but held onto him nevertheless, laughing slightly. “It’s been a couple of hours” she fussed as she pulled away from him “You’re acting like you’ve not seen me in days” she added.

Lionel smiled. “I am just glad you’re here” he insisted.

“You asked me to come and so I did” Alba mused gently “You had a good game” she pointed out.

Lionel offered her a slightly modest grin before he leant in, kissing her gently which earned a few hoots and whistles from his teammates who padded past. Alba smiled into the soft kiss before she ducked back, her pale cheeks pink. “You’re awfully affectionate” she quipped, shifting away from him.

Lionel shrugged. “My girlfriend is at my game. A little part of me wants to show you off” he teased as he settled his arms around her waist.

Alba quirked an eyebrow. “Show me off?” she posed.

Lionel offered her another shrug. “Can you blame me?” he teased “You’re a very beautiful woman, Alba, and I want people to know that you’re with me” he enthused softly.

Alba offered him a look before Gerard appeared out of the corner of her eye. “Do you think we can borrow him for a while, Alba?” he posed “We still have post-match and someone’s running late” he added offering Lionel a smirk whilst the argentine rolled his eyes.

Alba shook her head. “I don’t mind at all” she mused “I actually only came down to say goodnight. Shakira’s going to give me a ride home and I figured you’d be staying at yours tonight” she noted with a look towards Lionel. It was rare for them to spend a night apart, but if they did, it tended to coincide with his matches. With an evening kick off, he tended to get back late and didn’t like disturbing Alba who tended to head to work early.

“Probably” Lionel sighed “But I will see you tomorrow for New Year’s Eve, right?” he posed.

Alba nodded. “You’re coming to my work party” she noted with a grin.

Lionel nodded. “Alright” he mused as she stepped towards her “Text me to let me know that you get home OK, alright?” he posed.

“Always. Buenos noches, Leo” she smiled before she pushed herself up on her toes, kissing him briefly.

Lionel held onto her for a moment before he let her step away, allowing him to follow after Gerard who wore a smirk on his face. “She’s already got you wrapped around her finger, hasn’t she?” the defender teased.

Lionel rolled his eyes, offering the defender’s shoulder a shove which made the taller man laugh.

He doubted that Lionel would have wanted it any other way.