One in a Million

Tuesdays schedule seemed pretty tight for Atletico's Madrid player Antoine Griezmann. Beside numerous press interviews and training he also would finally meet his new press agent who would be responsible for all his social media accounts. In the beginning he managed everything alone but by time and his raising popularity the time got less, plus he had now a family to take care of as well. So he followed his friend, Fernando Torres, advice and got himself a PA.

“How much do you even know about your personal assistant?” Gameiro said while he sat on the bench in the changing room.

He had no problem in hiding his doubts towards the personal assistant idea. Of course he knew that they were all busy with their lives but hiring a professional person for this was a little too much for his taste.

“Not much actually” he sighed in despair “I only know she's from France and arrived yesterday. That's all what her brother told me. So when I asked about a photo to only see how she looked like I always got the answer 'You'll see'.”

Slowly Griezmann regret his decision as well. Should he really meet her or just miss the appointment and find any lame excuse later for Joel, Lacey's brother. Not that this idea hasn't crossed his mind yet but he usually was someone who kept his promise. By now this girl hadn't signed any contract yet, so he still could change his mind when he saw her.

“I would think about that. I mean what's the problem in showing someone a photo? Whether she's ugly or it's no girl at all. I don't know, man. I would really think this through before you make any decision about that. Up to you” Gameiro stood up from the bend, patted the shoulder of his friend before he made his way outside.

Training had started 10 minutes ago already but Antoine didn't want to make any move outside. His mind was filled with questions and doubts but all led to one question, what would happen if this person was actually a stalker? By now he never made any experiences in fans getting too close to him but he hadn't even checked this girl's CV. Everything he did was trusting Joel's words that she was one of the best student of the year. He knew him since many years and he had never done anything that made him doubt about their friendship but today it felt quite different. Should he give him a call and act like a chicken or should he meet her in an hour at the entrance of the stadium?

“Are you hiding?” he heard a familiar voice by a Spaniard coming closer.

“Hey Nando” he tried to put on a smile.

“It's still the same girl from yesterday, right?” he started to tease him and poked him in the ribs.

“No” he shook his head “She was just nice, but long forgotten really. No I think about this girl meeting in an hour. I've told you about my appointment right?” he looked at his friend since he wasn't sure who he had informed about it. “As I've said I'm going to meet her today and I'm not sure if I actually should do it. Something tells me that it's not a good idea” he moaned and buried his face in his hands again.

“Don't be so nervous. You're now even worse before your baby girl was born.”

“I'm not nervous” he babbled in his hands.

“No, you just act like one. What's the worst thing that can happen? Whether it's a teenager who fancied you for a long time or I don't know, an old man who hadn't got a shower for weeks?” he encouraged him, or at least he tried it.

At least it helped that his friend put down his hands again and his blue eyes met his own.

“If this goes wrong I'll blame you” he stood up and pointed with his right index finger at his friend Fernando.

His doubts were still there and they wouldn't disappear until the minute he would see her, but he also didn't want to call out by the trainer for coming too late to the training because he had a chit-chat. The first knock-out rounds of the Champions League got closer and they would meet one of the hardest opponents Juventus Turin.

~*~

“Where's she?” Griezmann mumbled, always keeping an eye on his mobile. “I'll never trust Joel again, never” he snarled and took his sports bag to get back to his car.

The next appointments already waited and he couldn't waste his time to wait another 30 minutes for a girl to arrive who probably would never come anyway. So he was about to leave before he heard a female voice screaming his name. Angrily he turned around and recognized the face from the first second.

“What are you doing here? Are you now stalking me?” he tried to joke, even when his face spoke a different language right now.

“No” she gasped “It's probably me you waited for, I'm really sorry and I actually wanted to apologize for that, but I know it wouldn't help anyway.”

Again, as soon as Lacey got nervous she babbled without even making real sense.

“You're the one who applied as personal assistant? It's you, Mrs. Lacey Bernard?” his voice changed his sound and right now it fitted quite better to his facial expression.

“Yes. I actually wanted to tell you yesterday but it would have made a really bad start and the night was really horrible, but it's another story that you shouldn't actually hear.”

“No really tell me about it” he got louder and stopped caring that there might be people who were able to hear their conversation.

“I really don't want to tell you because it's yesterdays news and the main point is that I actually came here.”

Lacey felt that she wasn't welcome any more and the guy who made the impression of a really caring man disappeared. She understood that he was angry about her tardiness but he had no right to bawl at her.

“You just waste my time right now. There are people waiting for me and if I miss anything it could change quite more as you think right now. But I'm not sure if you're so business orientated as you make the impression. Maybe you have the same character as your father.”

“One more chance” she begged and forced herself to keep looking at his face as running away again, as she usually did in those moments in the past.

“Okay. One more chance, so follow me. We're already too late” he bared his teeth and showed her the way to the underground carpark.

Lacey remained quiet and kept herself always one step behind him. She knew she had to make up her behaviour and had to start finally in being punctual but sleeping on the street wasn't something she was used to. No one was prepared to be on the streets in a foreign country for a whole night.
So since she had left the hotel she walked around the city for a long while before she found some rest on a bench in the park. Not the real classy way but she couldn't stand to be in this hotel and close to this creepy person called Ashley.

“So you're from the Bernard family” he said when they had finally reached his black Maserati GranTurismo. “Don't you guys have a family business to follow?”

“We've had one until my dad made a few bad deals with the wrong people. So we had to gave up everything we once possessed. These clothes and a few more are the only ones that I still have from our collection.”

“Though when we met yesterday you didn't make the impression of being a spoiled barbie girl like Paris Hilton maybe” his voice was calmer.

“Because I'm not like those. Yes we had millions and yes I had far more as any other girl can imagine but it doesn't mean that I know what work means. Do you really think I just had to pay my teachers for good grades?” she brushed her hair from the face, trying now to focus more what happened in front of her.

She saw the mass of people who had waited to cast a glance at their idols. Lacey knew about their popularity but never that it would take it this far, so much that people would even stop them in their cars to get an autograph or a picture.

“No I never thought that and listen Lacey” he draw a deep breath “I need to apologize for my behaviour earlier. I shouldn't have bawled at you like this. It's just I have to keep this schedule if I want to get far. Of course my job is to play on the pitch every week, but if you lose one deal you lose everything.”

“It's all good” she knew she lied “But I'll work on my weakness.”

For one moment it all seemed good again as he smiled at her like he did yesterday. She felt good that she now got a second chance and that situation was less complicated as she first imaged it.

“You really better do. Your brother speaks highly of you and so I'm expecting just the best. I'm not lying but it'll be hard for you to keep up.”

“I won't disappoint you” she winked but noticed a lot of flash lights on her right side to the same time.

It happened so fast that she couldn't cover her face from all the people, whether they were just fans or some paparazzi, that took a photo of them being in a car. She better tried not to think what they might use for their next headline. Lacey knew that he was happily married and became father one year ago and so it wasn't her intention in destroying a relationship by some media who started any stupid gossip.

“But now I have to ask again” Antoine started the conversation after they passed all those waiting people “what happened yesterday? I mean what did you mean earlier when you said that your night was horrible.”

She rolled with her eyes and hoped he wouldn't have started that conversation again, but he seemed so eager to know.

“I made a really bad decision in booking the wrong hotel and so since Madrid was booked out I spent my night on the bench. That's it” she made it sound like it was nothing and that she would repeat the situation every night.

“Then you better sleep today at my place. I'll see what I can do to get yourself your own apartment. I just hope you don't mind to sleep on the couch. My brother is currently visiting me and he's using the guest room.”

“You really don't have to do that. I'll look for myself.”

“I insist that you'll come with me tonight. Don't try to argue with me. You're going to lose anyway.”

In some ways Antoine reminded her of her brother. He always tried to play her out by his own rules as well and it seemed that she just found out another characteristic move – he could be really stubborn when he actually wanted to. Sweet that he seemed to care so much for the people around him but she shouldn't read too much into his actions. At the end she worked for him and it would be only a business connection.

“If you really want me to, but only if I don't bring you any trouble.”

“Why should you bring any trouble? What are you referring to now?” he still tried to keep the eye contact while he drove so fast as he could.

“You're married after all and I don't know what I would think if my husband comes home with a lady by his side.”

“She's informed about this” he looked at her and noticed that she didn't buy him anything he said right now. “Okay, Lacey, she knows enough, but don't worry about this please. It's my business and I'm handling it as I want to.”

She answered that with a node and tried to end this topic for now. He was right that she shouldn't interfere in his private business and it was already quite an honour that he invited her over to his place for one night.

~*~

“Oh finally he's coming” Chloé tipped with her shoes on the wooden floor as she saw her husband coming in with the lady she just saw on the photos. “Oh you're even bringing her with you. That's some real class.”

“I wanted to have called you first but for some reason you had your phone turned off. This is Lacey Bernard, the girl that got recommended by Joel.”

In some way he already saw this discussion coming. As Lacey he had the people gathered around his car taking photos out of every possible angle and so you only had to count one and one together to find out what would happen with all these photos.

“I'm not into hearing anything right now. I just want her out. I really don't to have her here with us. Have you ever thought about your daughter? How do you want to explain it to her?”

Lacey felt pretty uncomfortable standing at the door and already knowing she wouldn't end up sleeping here. That's one of those situations she tried to avoid and now she got pulled right in the middle of it.

“How I would explain this to her? Well I could say who she is – she's helping me and that's it. I don't know what you've heard but our girl wouldn't make a drama out of this. That's what I know.”

Compared to Chloé, who got louder by every word she said, he remained quiet and tried to calm the situation before her daughter would wake up again.

“Don't make yourself look so innocent. You know we've had this topic already and it was just about time that it would happen again.”

“Babe, please” he sighed out loud “You really overreact right now. Like the situation years ago this is just harmless as well. It's the people who write too much about it. And she was in the car since we were on the way to my next appointment. And whatever you say now, she'll sleep here tonight.”

“Okay then you wouldn't mind if I go to Tracey for tonight. I really don't like to interfere into your private business meeting” she grabbed the jacket and pushed Theo aside who arrived in time as well.

“Where're you going?” he called for her but she already disappeared. “Okay someone please update me right now.”