"“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord."
Jeremiah 17:7
-1.4 Part 1- Trapped in an Elevator
This chapter is subject to being edited cause I'm still iffy about the end!
John's gaze was menacing, yet oddly enough, it didn't phase me as much as it was intended to. It was just the fact that so much at once was going on. The voices of Lucas, Denilson, Zeze, and whoever else melted far off. My back was against the wall, and my hands felt around the walls behind me.
"Senhora," Denilson greeted suggestively as he stopped to give me a curt nod, "looking as beautiful as ever." He winked, and I scrunched up my face in disgust. John gave him a pleasant look before dismissing them with a wave.
Lucas looked at me up and down while biting his lips, making me sneer in more disgust. John waited for them to be far away enough before he resumed speaking.
"You didn't expect this, did you?" His hands folded behind his back, and I turned up my nose in refusal to answer him. "That's not going to work. I won't take your silence." He stepped towards me, making me tense up visibly. My heart was thumping rapidly within me.
"I thought Barça put you away." My tone was harsh, and my facial expression was stern.
"Nothing's changed, I see. Still riding on that entitlement of being known only as Neymar's bitter ex girlfriend."
Ouch.
Ouch, that one actually stung.
"Nobody's entitled, nobody's bitter, now answer my question Algoro!" I started towards him, he didn't front, leaving us face to face. "What's it this time?" I laughed bitterly.
"Alana, I was hoping to get along." I looked down to see a hand extended out, his brittle one. My eyes trailed back up to his feigned look of innocence look on his face. "I won't tell anybody this time." I bit my lip, not believing his words for one minute.
John wasn't done with me after breaking up with Neymar, for two months he tried to make my life miserable, until I finally had it with him. Not caring whether or not he was going to expose my secret, dressing up as Andrew, I told Lucho that John was harassing me, then Lucho told who told Bartomeu, who arranged a meeting with the board, who fired Algoro after him working with Barça for more than 20 years.
John was furious, but furious wasn't the best way to describe it. It was unexplainable, his fury. He went and told Lucho everything, starting with the day I conceived the idea to come to Barcelona, hoping that Luis Enrique would expose me dressing up as Andrew to the press. Andrew then told Lucho about the stalking John had done, and instantly John backed down.
I had managed to block out every single thought of him, every semblance of that horrid pea coat, and every word until now.
"Well, if you don't want to shake my hand now, you'll certainly be shaking it tomorrow." John said proudly.
"Why would that be, huh? Stalking me, again?!" My finger trembled as I struggled to hold it up to his face.
"Oh Alana," he shook his head, "well, since we both work for the national team; I'd thought it be best to get along now."
My eyes shot open, and my breath hitched in my throat.
John...works...for...the national team now?!
"Since when?!" I gasped, putting my hands over my gaping mouth. All he replied was a dry chuckle, and he motioned his hands in a way that resembled a balance. "First it was Zico cheating, now it's you!" John smiled with amusement.
"That, I had nothing to do with."
"I know that!" I threw my hands out.
"Maybe I'm here for other things too Ms. Andrade...maybe things concerning you...maybe not." He adjusted his glasses, smirking to one side.
"Maybe you're going to tell me right now, or I'll make sure to--"
"Oh Alana...wouldn't it be better for you to just fade away like you were supposed to." John sighed, almost--empathetically. "You certainly have more than enough money and enough friends." His finger tapped his chin as he started walking backwards. "Or do you?" And with that, he had begun his walk down the corridor.
I slapped my hands on my forehead, and slumped onto the thinly carpeted floor, wiping away more tears than I thought were possible. My arms embraced my knees as I rested my head on them. My fingers ran wildy through my hair as I tried to think of why he was here, knowing good and well John was up to something.
A sigh escaped my lips, groaning as I stood to my feet. My hands were damp with remnants of my tears, I wiped them on my jeans as I made my way to the elevator.
I had to get away, I couldn't deal with all of this. That was my problem, though, I could never deal with things head on. That was me, always having to escape somewhere whenever things went wrong.
As I reached the elevator, I went to click on the button, but a tan finger pressed it before I could.
"Oh, sorry." I mumbled, resting my head on the panel.
"It's okay." A raspy voice answered, and my head instantly snapped to the direction of the voice, and I sighed, turning away. "Woah, hey, what's wrong?" He asked urgently, placing his hands on my shoulders, turning me around. I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering why in the world Neymar Junior had his hands on my shoulders.
"I'm fine." My lip quivered, and I shrugged off his warm hands. Neymar eyed me quizzically before I nodded again. "Yep, I'm fine." I attempted to assure myself as well. I pivoted on my heel, wiping a tear that threatened to slip.
That's what I always liked about Neymar, he always seemed to care, even if he didn't get along with somebody. I sucked in a sharp breath, risking a glance at him, he folded his lips in, keeping eye on his white shoes. My curious look turned somber, as the elevator dinged, snapping me to my senses. As we stepped in, I prayed to God, asking Him to keep us both safe.
I ventured to the farthest corner of the tight elevator, its chipping paint and half carpeted floors made me reaosnably uncomfortable. My eyes fluttered closed as I leaned my head against the wall, feeling awfully defeated.
The elevator began its descent to the lobby, and I found the words to say.
"So you knew all this time about Jr, and you never said a word?" My sudden speaking caught him off guard, and he jumped, trying to find his words. "Well, I guess...that birds of the same feather flock together, huh?" I whipped my head around to narrow my eyes at him, and he narrowed his too.
"If I remember correctly, Alana; you and I both had secrets too." Neymar waved his finger at me, and the cortozone levels inside of me snapped in two.
"Ugh! This isn't about me!" I lashed out at him, my shout obviously causing him to be taken a back. "For one thing; what I did pales in comparison to what Zico is doin-" The elevator stopped on the 5th floor with a ding, causing me to stop yelling abruptly. Neymar appeared relieved for my tirade to have stopped.
The elevator doors opened, revealing Lucas Moura, who was too busy texting somebody to be bothered to look up. I cleared my throat, and he finally realized that we were waiting for him. Once he saw me, he began to smirk, "Glad to have found you here right now, senhora. Dunga requested that you see him right now." He actually looked and sounded sincere. My eyebrow rose, and I turned to Neymar, who was just as bewildered as I was. Lucas extended his hand out for me to take, I was reluctantly about to take it before Neymar spoke.
"I don't think that's necessary, Lucas." Neymar said in a low voice. I scrunched up my face.
Why does he care so much?
"I'm fine, pai. Thanks." I said with an eye roll, making Lucas stifle an oncoming laugh. Just as I'm about to take Lucas' hand, another pulls me back. My head snapped to look at Neymar, who was shaking his head no. "What are you doing?" I barked.
Lucas pulled me forward, and then Neymar subtly yanked me backwards.
"Dunga needs to see her, Neymar." Lucas let me go, bidding me to go with him, and my eyes traveled to see that my hand was still in Ney's. I felt my cheeks heating up.
"Know what? I think you're lying." Neymar sassily replied, putting his hands on hips, leaning forward with a suspicious look about him.
I nearly threw my hands up. What was going on? Why were they so hasty to get me to go with either of them? Now what I really couldn't comprehend was Neymar being so protective all of a sudden, he's never cared this much in a really...really long time.
"Why should I listen to any of you?" I looked from Neymar to Lucas.
"Dunga, really needs to see you--" Lucas was interrupted as we both saw Neymar squinting at the buttons on the wall of the elevator.
"Door close, door close..." he was whispering, as he pressed all kinds of buttons. The elevator doors finally began to close as I realized what he had just done. A groan escaped my mouth as I was just about ready to snap and kick him as hard as I was able to.
"I'm my own girl, I can make my own decisions!" I screamed at him. This was me taking out all of my anger on him, nevertheless; his actions still drove me up the wall. "Dunga needed to see me, Neymar! Your boss...my boss!"
"Wow! You're so naïve, Alana!" Neymar responded, hitting his head with the back of his hand.
"Where's the 'door open' button?" I asked in vain, because the elevator was already in motion. I pressed something, and then another thing, until I felt the floor rumble under my feet. My hands clutched to a railing to help me regain my balance as I shrieked.
Neymar fell, the dramatic being he was.
Once the floor stopped rumbling, I reluctantly let go of the railing, no longer hearing the hum of the elevator struggling to work. Neymar and I stared at one another in horror as I thought of the scenario.
"Did you...um--stop the elevator?" He asked calmly as I nearly choked on nothing except air. I moved my hair out of the way of my ears, and listened for a sound of a motor...any sound.
Nothing.
"Uh...yeah...I think I stopped it..." No doubt that the fear I was supposed to feel would come in a few seconds. I slid onto the floor, clutching my knees to my chest, feeling awfully...awful. I appeared calm, except inside; I was hyperventilating, feeling the bad kind of butterflies in my belly--the fearful kind.
There was an awkward silence as Neymar chose to sit cross-legged next to me. Not too close yet no too far. His mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out. I glared at him, which gave him to 'okay' to say whatever was necessary because my day was already going terribly.
"I should've let you go with Lucas, huh?"
"Ya think?"
He picked up his customized iPhone, texting somebody quickly. I took it as a cue to do the same, I scrolled through tens of contacts, deciding on who to call. Definitely not Dunga, though, he probably was ripping up my contract as I scrolled.
Not Andressinha; too big of a mouth--meaning that even though I loved her dearly, she would call everyone to come and help. With Ney here, that wouldn't be good.
Not Andrew, definitely not my twin who got so angry that he threw a glass bottle at the wall, and then proceeded to fall into it (making him uneligable for the IB while he recovered.)
"Stumped?" He asked me, and I hesistantly nodded while resting my head on the rose colored walls. "Maybe you can call your model boyfriend and he'll rescue us." Neymar joked around, but only he found it funny.
"Oh come on, that was distasteful."
"Oh come on," he teased me as he quoted me, "that was awkward." He chuckled, his eyes still glued to his phone. "You're still awkward." He commented, staring at me to see my reaction.
I was very close to slamming his head into the wall, but I restrained myself.
"Is now really the time for that?"
Was it? What with the fact that we were trapped in a freaking elevator that was ever so stuffy. The fact that John was out to make my life miserable accompanied by him working for the national team...was it ever the time?
"There's always time for a little comic relief, Ana." He shook his shoulders playfully, and smile threatened to play on my lips. As angry as I was, having something to smile was key at the moment. "Looks like I'm gonna dwell with your awkwardness for a little while." My eyebrow rose. "No signal." He waved his phone in front of my face, and I sighed.
We were always on the same carrier, therefore I didn't have signal as well.
"Stop calling me awkward." I accepted the fact that we were stuck here for a while, and I crossed my arms behind my head. I opened one eye to peek at him, and he shrugged.
"Well, I like that you're awkward..." he tapped his stubble filled chin, "I like that about ya." A warm feeling suddenly rose in my chest, causing me to shift to rid that feeling. Clearing my throat again, I gave him a small smile. "It makes you...you." He turned his head, and I heard him tapping his cheeks a few times. As if to knock sense into himself.
As I took in the surroundings, of how bad it all was going, I couldn't help but tear up. I turned my head in another direction in order to avoid Neymar from seeing my tears. They fell silently, until I made a sobbing noise.
This goes to show of how bad of a silent crier I was, Andrew and Kat used to make fun of me for the way I cried. They still make fun of me for it.
"Hey, hey...it's not your fault--c'mere." I heard his smooth voice, from my parephrial vision, I saw him hesistate as he spread his arms. There was no point in denying an embrace, a hug was really imperative. He wrapped one arm around me, and I flinched at his touch.
I didn't completely relax into his embrace, keeping in mind that this was my ex and I his. Neymar probably had minded this too, he just let me cry it out as he stared ahead, like he always used to.
"So, what's going on?" Neymar asked me, eyeing me intently. "Besides Zico cheating on your sister...that boyfriend of your's pissed you off?" He shook my shoulder playfully, and I rolled my eyes in the midst of wiping another pathetic tear.
"What? No!" I became defensive. "Why do you keep bringing him up anyway?"
"Cause I wanna know about him, is that wrong?" He put his hand on his chest.
I pondered it in my head, questions of "Why?" and "Does it bother him?" swirled around in my vivid mind. In the corner of my eye, Neymar was texting someone, possibly asking for help. But he didn't seem to eager to jump on this chance, as if he wasn't in a hurry to go.
Neither was I. Only to avoid a possible furious Dunga, and my duties that lie ahead of me. Only if for a little while. Under all of this stress, it felt good to be secluded, even if in an elevator that probably couldn't work correctly for years. Usually I'd feel annoyed with somebody around me in such a tight space, but now I didn't mind, as long as he was being nice to me.
"His name is Shane, and nope; Shane did not piss me off." Not recently, at least.
Neymar perched his hand under his chin, his elbow resting on his knee. Must've been uncomfortable. As an odd silence settled us, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Where did we go wrong, Ana?" His lips were pressed into a grimace, and he quickly fixed his face. My mouth parted in slight shock.
"You--um, cheated on me with Gabriela and bunch of girls, and I dressed up as Andrew." I cleared my throat for the thousandth time in the elevator. Neymar shook his head with a dry chuckle.
"No, during the relationship." I smiled at the fact that he corrected me without putting me down. "It was onset by something." I racked my brain into an imaginary file of memories that I told myself to forget.
When I got my answer, I relaxed into his side hug. All the tense feelings seemed to seep out of me.
"We stopped talking, Neymar." I flung my hand back and forth, feeling an awful pain. My head automatically turned to him, and he was facing me with an unreadable expression.
It was quiet again, making be bite my lip in an assumption of me saying something wrong.
"Why didn't we? We used to all the time when we were friends, remember?" He asked me, still looking at me with the same expression. I nodded in agreement, suddenly thinking about how we stayed up nights talking, and falling asleep on FaceTime. "And you know that I used to love talking to you." He gaze lingers, and so does mine. I feel a rush of heat going to my chest and to my face. There's something about his face, and the way he was studying mine.
I was the first to break eye contact, keeping my eyes downcast.
There was something about that lingering stare, but I had to push whatever it brought about away.
"Yeah," I forced a chuckle, "and Andrew used to make fun of us cause of that." Neymar faked a laugh too.
"Speaking of him, where's he now? I didn't seem him on the plane or bus ride over."
I tried to stifle a laugh.
"Come on Alana, tell me." And now I was back to 'Alana'.
"He tripped and fell into glass." We both proceeded to burst into an obnoxious laughter, and I suddenly forgot that we were trapped in an elevator, with John and Zico giving me issue.
"Gotta love Andrew."
/Andrew's POV/
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MY BABY
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In the middle of cuddling with the love of my life, Rebekah, I got a call. "Yay! Freedom!" The 1 year old shouted excitedly as she jumped off of the bed. I laughed, taking my iPhone into my hands. In my head I was wondering who would call at 1 in the morning, but then again I was chilling with Rebekah who wouldn't sleep. The ID read 'Liol', I paused my music quickly and answered.
"Leo, what's good?" I asked, scanning my bedroom for my little one.
"I really, really, don't like you right now." He told me in an annoyed voice. I laughed into the receiver, scooping up my daughter into my arms.
"Why's that Leo?"
"You know why!" Leo answered with a laugh. "I'm spying on that model guy for you."
Coincidentally, Argentina was playing in Brasil for the international break, leaving him plenty of time to act out our plan. I was stuck in Spain, although it did feel good to stay home with my daughter while I nursed my cuts. She started to play with the remote, switching the channel to some Spanish reality TV garbage.
"Aye, we're doing this for a good reason." I replied, giving Bekinha a few kisses on her cheek. She pushed my face away, shaking her head no. "Rude." I noticed a shiny black object in her hands, and I took it from her, hoping she wouldn't put it in her mouth.
"Yeah yeah yeah, for Alana and Neymar. But how do you know that I'm going to find out any dirt on this dude?"
"Hey, Rebekah, no going through Tia's stuff." I covered the receiver, inspecting this compass thing. It looked familiar, but I decided against going through Ana's stuff. It was bad enough that I was chilling in her room because she had the better TV, I set the compass thing down. "And don't put it this her suitcase again. Okay?" My daughter nodded, picking the compass into her little hands, even though I said not to. "Leo, I don't know what you're gonna do, or how you're going to do it, just find something on him." I watched as Rebekah began to roll all over the bed, shaking my head, the strange kid.
As much as my dear twin sister wanted to say I was wrong, I knew that I was most definitely right about this guy. He seemed sneaky, always on his tip toes. With his wispy hair, buff body, secrecy and arrogance, all that, mixed into one Mr. Shady Shane.
I didn't like him.
"Andrew, you still doing your part for the plan right?" Lionel's breathy voice asked.
"Yup, I'm gonna hook up with Ana's friend...Tina or something." I inspected my nails, barely looking up until I saw a change in my general scope of things. "Yo, if you see my girl," meaning Elisabeth, "tell her I love her."
"Is that where you're really at right now? Look at what I'm doing for you and you're talking to me about Elisa?" He paused, and I hear the sound of a shrub moving. "Ah!" I squint at my phone, wondering why he was being so loud.
"You good?"
"No, man, I'm not." He sounded annoyed, I was about to ask why, but the sound of heels caught my attention.
"Mama!" Rebekah screamed happily, and I saw Melody standing in the doorway, clad in an outfit from her clothing line. "I missed you." Mel swooped up my little girl, giving her a kiss on her cheek, and over to give me one.
I forgot that Leo was on the line, all I heard was constant whining.
"I'll call you back Leo." I whispered to him, hearing his protests. "How was it Melly?" She was staying at work extra late, tryna think up new designs with her advisor.
Mel gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I smiled lazily.
I really do miss her sometimes.
"Oh...crap!" I heard Leo yell, and then something else that I couldn't decipher. All I knew is that he was really shocked, by the way he was talking. I didn't care, but I had to ask anyway while Mel started asking Bekinha questions.
"Ayi Lionel, what is it now?"
"Nothing man..."
I sighed, promising to call him back in a little while, knowing that my girlfriend would be calling soon. My eyes landed on Mel, and I half smiled.
"Before you go, Amero; what do you think they're doing now?" I think he meant Ana and Ney.
"Probably as far away from each other as possible." I shrugged.
/Alana's POV/
10 or so minutes later, I still found myself listening to him talk about nothing. The awkward air kind of cleared, allowing us to make fun of ourselves and each other for our faults and short comings. Neymar called Thiago, David, Dani and Marcelo to help free us from this moving box, but to be as discreet about it as possible.
I covered my face with my hands as Neymar told me of the time that I--uh--how do I put it...threw up on him. Way back when, before el clásico, and I instantly thought of when I provoked him while dressed up as Andrew when he was telling the story on the plane to Madrid. Even though I laughed my heart out, I still felt the embarassment. As if it radiated out of me into the elevator but bounced back into me cause it was so small in there.
"Well what about the time when you put me in that room while Caro was there, and she found me thinking that I was you?" Now I look back on that and laugh, but Neymar's lips draw into a thin line as he hides away in embarassment. As his arm is still lazily hung around my body, I can feel him vibrate with stifled laughter. Suddenly, I feel the anger leaving me because I can see that he's clearly enjoying the back and forth between us. Then a rush of quiet hangs over us as a gnawing feeling grows in me.
Knock it off Ana.
"That was immature of me..." Neymar muttered, his hand going once over his face. I find myself studying his features, but he catches me. Not looking away this time, I tap my fingers on the floor.
"We were immature." His mouth parts as I say that because I'm not one to swallow my pride. Ever.
"But we're both growing up now..." He shifts his weight, looking straight into my eyes. I get brave and hold contact with him. An intrigued look about him springs up on his face.
"Yeah..." As if in a staring contest, we continue to gaze at each other. "You got Val, and I have Shane..." My heart begins to beat harder than it should, so hard that I feel it in my throat. I can feel the elevator moving, but we pay no mind.
Neymar begins to breathe a little heavier, and heavier as he seems to be moving towards my face. My heart is thumping in my chest and that's all I hear. My eyes begin to automatically flutter closed and now my breathing starts to get heavier. I force my eyes to open but I still don't budge.
This all seemed to be going in slow motion until the elevator came to a smooth stop, dinging to signal our arrival to the floor we were on before. We both paused, and the elevator doors opened. Neymar pulled back as fast as he could, but still ultra close to me.
My eyes flicker to the open doors in front of us, seeing a shocked Thiago, a confused David, and a smirking Dani being snuck at least 20 euros by a gaping Marcelo. My face had the deer-in-the-headlights look all over it. My breath gets caught in my throat at the sight of another...
A beet red Vala with the most confused yet angry expression I've ever seen on her.
And possibly the most guilt ridden face on me.
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Just wanna take the moment to thank God for 50000 reads on Double Trouble!
Thanks so much to all who have been with me since then and until now, I thank God for you all!
God is amazing!
God's willing we get 1000s more?
:)
the elevator...
and ana and ney
ummmmmm....
*internally screams*
and add vala to the mix!
what do you think is gonna happen?
I wanna know what you guys think!
this chappy was extremely tiring and interesting for met to write and went under several revisions and I hope it's just as good for you all!
sorry that I kind of update here and there, I'm really busy with school and other things so I apologize!
oh and the loss to real made me sad but wooooo by God's Grace: Barcelona made it 39 games unbeaten! That's something to cheer about!
God is Love!
All the Love!
Jesus Loves you all!
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¡Que Dios te bendiga!
Deus te abençoe!
Que Dieu te benisse!
God bless you all!
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dominique