The Princess & the Football Player

Chapter 13

"Is the car ready?" I ask David when he walks into my room.

"Yes, ma'am. But before we leave, there is someone who wishes to talk with you."

"Now? We are about to catch a flight. Who is it?"

"Mr. Rice, ma'am."

"No."

"Ma'am..."

"I've said no, David. I don't want to see him."

"He is very worried about you, Eleanor. He doesn't understand what happened, why you are suddenly avoiding him. He has asked Roberta, but she only tells him that he should speak with you."

"And I don't want to."

"Eleanor" David sighs. "You owe each other an explanation. Talk to him. We won't be leaving until you do."

"What?"

"You heard me" he says, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I... I can't believe this" I laugh. "Ok, fine. Let him in."

"Thank you, ma'am."

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Just five minutes. Count them" I say to David when he walks into the room with Declan.

"Just five" he says, crossing the door behind him.

"He is already counting, Declan. Speak."

"How are you?" he asks with a concerned look.

"Fine."

"Then you aren't pregnant like Twitter says" he says with a shy smile, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Unless I am the new virgin Mary, no, I am not. I just had a panic attack and fainted. It has happened before when I am too stressed or something has upset me."

"Is it because we lost? I am so sorry, Eleanor."

"What? No" I chuckle.

"Then what is it? What happened?"

"You have no idea, do you?"

"No" he shrugs.

"Declan, I saw you with Lilith. I saw the way you hugged her, how you started crying on her shoulder, looking for her comfort."

"That... I can explain."

"I'm all ears" I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

"She threw herself at me, I couldn't escape. And I was so gutted, so sad and angry and..." he says, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair, making me feel things that I should not be feeling when I am mad at him. "We've known each other since we were toddlers, Eleanor. Besides Mason, she probably is the only person outside my family who knows me better than I know myself. And when she hugged me it felt so familiar that... I don't know. It was what I needed in that moment."

"And nothing else happened?"

"Nothing, I promise" Declan says, taking a step forward. "I already told you, Eleanor, she is in the past. I had just lost the most important games of my career so far, and the person I wanted to give me that hug couldn't do it."

"Was Mason busy?"

"Mason? Why... Oh, you are teasing me" he chuckles.

"Maybe" I shrug, biting my lip to stop me from smiling. I'm supposed to be mad at him.

"I wish it had been you, Eleanor. I wanted you to be the one who hugged me, your shoulder the one I cried on, your words the ones on my ear telling me everything was going to be ok. I wanted you and no one else" he says, closing most of the space between us.

"I... I also wish it had been me" I confess, his words completely disarming me.

"Really?" he asks with a teasing smile.

"Idiot" I say, hitting him on the arm and leaving my hand there. "When I walked into the changing room and saw you, all I wanted to do was to hug you. Comfort you. But I couldn't, I wasn't allowed to. I even tried to touch your arm the way I am right now, and David told me off."

"David" he chuckles. "How much time do you think I have left?"

"I don't know. A minute, maybe?"

"Then I better say everything I want to say" Declan says, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Eleanor. I really am. I didn't want to hurt you and I hate myself for doing it. If things were different, I promise you you would have been the first person I would have gone to, your arms the ones I would have looked for to comfort me, helping me go through all the things I was feeling in that moment. Because in case you haven't noticed it yet, I like you. I like you very much."

"I also like you. Very much" I say, finally allowing myself to smile.

"Thank God" he chuckles.

"Thought I didn't like you?" I ask, arching an eyebrow.

"No, it's just... You are a bit intimidating, you know? Even if for me you are just Eleanor, you still are..."

"The future Queen of England."

"Yeah" he sighs. "And to make it even more complicated, I also am who I am."

"Declan Rice, West Ham's captain, England's star" I chuckle.

"Exactly. Look at what the media was publishing about you today after you fainted. If they find out about us..."

"It will be tough, yes."

"But we'll make it through. We will fight for this, for us" he says, closing the little space that was left between us and taking my hands on his. "And we will do it together."

"Together" I reply.

"May I kiss you?"

"You ma..."

"The five minutes are... Sorry" David says from the door. "I'll give you a couple more" he smiles.

"Where were we before we got interrupted? Again?" I say, rolling my eyes.

"Her Royal Highness had allowed me to kiss her" Declan says with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, yes. You may proceed, Mr. Rice" I giggle, that weight I had had on my chest for the past twenty four hours finally disappearing, butterflies taking its place.