anlaal

The alarm cuts through his dreams. Lamine wakes up and opens his eyes, arm over his forehead, bare-chested, half the blanket already on the floor. He sits up on the bed for a few minutes, trying to shake off sleep, then gets up, and the rest of the blanket falls to the floor.

He was only wearing his underwear; his shorts were tossed beside the bed. He pulled them over with his right foot, tossed them up, caught them, and put them on. He passed by the mirror in his room before heading to the bathroom, studying his appearance for a moment — there was a new pimple near his chin. He sighed. Why today.

He took a quick shower. His hair had grown a little longer, and his blond streaks had faded. He used regular shampoo to wash his hair instead of color-protecting shampoo, since that bottle had already run out.

He came out with a towel around his waist, or even lower than that — his habit of lowering his pants can't fade. The weather was cold. He went straight to the closet and pulled out underwear, long black pants, a t-shirt, and a black jacket.

When he finished dressing, he combed his wet hair back and secured it with a black baseball cap, then pulled the jacket's hood up over it. And he left the house.

He drove to a café half an hour from his house, went in, and sat at a corner table — the chair against the wall, with the table in front of him and another chair across from it. He sat there without ordering anything. Anyone paying attention would notice he was waiting for someone; his leg bounced continuously, almost audibly, as he watched the café door, tracking everyone who walked in.

His lips parted involuntarily when he saw you come in. You were wearing your usual clothes, a hint of worry in your eyes. You looked left and right until you spotted him. You hesitated a little, glancing at the people around you, then approached, saying loud enough for him to hear: "What do you think you're doing?!"

He couldn't stop himself from feeling happy at the sound of your voice, though his features leaned toward neutral. "Sit down."

---

You sat down tensely in the seat across from him, after pulling the chair a little further away from him first.

"Lamine." You said as you studied his eyes — eyes you hadn't seen in a while. "What are you planning by doing this? Why did you send me that thing?!"

"The car? I thought you'd like it." He said, placing his hands on his thighs, then pulled the menu off the table and looked it over for a moment. "What do you want me to order for you?"

"I don't want anything, and I don't want your car, and I don't want to stay here long."

"It's your car. It's a gift." The way he spoke almost stunned you — you weren't sure this was the same person who'd cried over your breakup a month ago. But it didn't matter now; whatever he was planning, you had to put a stop to it now.

"I don't want gifts. I'm not your girlfriend anymore. You have no right to give me gifts."

"Is that how it is?" He straightened up and leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table.

You said, "That's how it is, so send someone to come get it." He sat there mulling over your words; it seemed like he was about to say something specific, then changed his mind. "You can trash it. I have no one to send to you."

"Lamine, please." You said with feigned helplessness. "Stop whatever it is you're doing now."

His relaxed face frowned slightly. He took the cap off his head and ran his fingers through his hair a little — enough for anyone paying attention in the café to realize Lamine Yamal was there, and enough to show his hair had grown a bit longer. "Is this really all you have to say to me after a month since we last saw each other?"

You went quiet; your hands on your thighs weren't enough to steady you to answer without emotion. "What do you want me to say, Lamine." Your voice cracked audibly on his name.

He put the cap back on. He didn't answer for a few seconds, then said, "You have a week to come back to me. And if you don't, I promise the gifts won't be the simplest part of all this."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Yes." His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw your body pull back a little. He said, "What have you been doing without me this past month?"

"You mean what have *you* been doing this past month? Because there's no excuse for your behavior, Lamine — ever. What happened?"

He looked away as if trying to recall certain scenes, then looked back at you. "Do you really want to know?"

His serious tone made you swallow. What exactly had happened during your time apart — he hadn't spoken to you at all since the day you broke up, until the night before, when you found an extremely expensive car in front of your house, a bouquet of flowers on top of it, and a card with a place and time written on it.

You knew it was Lamine — how could you not — since he was the only one you'd told about your dream car.

"We're done, Lamine. I won't come back to you, and you won't come back to me. You'll take this car, and we'll act like nothing happened." You glanced at him briefly. "Isn't that why you came in disguise today?"

He answered quickly: "No." Then he seemed to hesitate over his answer. "I'm doing this for you."

The café was quiet, and there weren't many people inside. When you looked at him, he made you feel like you were the only one there — he hadn't glanced at anyone passing by since you'd walked in.

"I have training, so I have to go." He finally stood, pulling your chair away with one hand as he moved to leave — he clearly wasn't willing to wait for you to stand up.

You stood up quickly and grabbed his arm. "We still need to talk!"

He took hold of your shoulder and hand and removed them gently. "We'll meet again soon." Then he left.

---

You locked your car and got out, keys in hand, parking it beside the new car, which you'd also had to park since it was blocking the way.

Driving it had been something else entirely — you couldn't deny that — but you couldn't accept it, and certainly not from Lamine. Still, you didn't know what to do with it. Should you take it to his place? Too risky — you were sure going to Lamine might confirm something, both in him and in you.

Your unspoken confession to your friend a few days ago still lingered in your mind, since it was the first time you'd admitted this to anyone besides yourself.

"I miss him. I really do miss him."

"But he deserves someone better. Someone better than me."

You shook the words from your head — why did he have to show up now, exactly when you were at your weakest.

You went inside, changed your clothes, threw yourself onto the bed exhausted, and fell asleep before you realized it.

---

"Morning again," you murmured tiredly. Today was your day off, but you had to go out shopping. Flashes of last night's memories flickered in your mind, tightening your chest.

You put on regular clothes and drove to the nearby supermarket — one that only locals from the neighborhood used, so the parking lot was always empty, which you'd always loved.

You started shopping, and after ten minutes, you could feel someone following you. When you reached the frozen foods aisle and left your cart briefly to check the shelves, someone's cart bumped into yours from behind.

"Oh, excuse me."

A very familiar voice. You turned around, and there he was, just as you expected — Lamine Yamal. He wore a hoodie similar to yesterday's, black, hood up. You were certain running into him here was no coincidence at all.

"What are you doing here?!"

"What? Can't celebrities go shopping?"

"You know what I mean."

"I remembered I'd come to this supermarket with you before, and I just wanted to come back."

"On my day off? Which you know perfectly well is when I shop."

He laughed. "It's just a coincidence." He said it in a way even he didn't believe.

You grabbed the frozen food, put it in your cart, and started pushing forward, determined to ignore him completely — just as he'd said, a mere coincidence.

But he moved his cart and started following you too.

"Why are you following me?" You said suspiciously, glancing back at him.

"Me? I think we just want to buy the same things." He said indifferently, steering his cart past you.

You said, "I'm still waiting for you to take the car, you know."

"I told you, trash it, do whatever you want with it."

"What exactly are you planning, seriously."

---

When you got to checkout, you remembered you'd forgotten the flour, so you asked the cashier to wait a moment, shot a glance at Lamine who was still behind you, and went back.

When you returned, Lamine was gone. You put the flour on the belt and went to pay, only to find the cashier waiting for you with a smile. "Your boyfriend already paid."

You stormed out to the parking lot, bags in hand, looking for his car, but it wasn't there. "That childish idiot, honestly."

---

You'd hoped everything would stop at those two incidents, but Lamine suddenly became an inseparable part of your weekly routine. There was at least one or two days a week where Lamine would show up in your day — even though you two were broken up! You'd see him at the gym, when leaving work, and during your leisure time out at cafés and restaurants.

And you weren't foolish — you knew he was following you, though you didn't know exactly what to do about it. Reporting Lamine was truly the last thing you wanted, since his athletic career was literally everything to you, and you didn't want to destroy it.

So when you came home one more exhausting evening after running into Lamine "by coincidence" at the salon next to your house, all you wanted to do was go to bed and sleep.

You went inside, changed your clothes, and threw yourself onto the bed exhausted. You scrolled through your phone, and there it was — the messaging app with a red icon showing the number 1.

You didn't know why your heart started racing, but you knew you weren't someone who usually got messages. You opened the app, and your conversation with him — which had sat at the bottom for a month — rose to the top of the list, with a new message.

Lamine.

You opened it, and it was an invitation — an invitation to a big event you used to attend with him. With a message from Lamine written below it.

"You have to come to this, just with me, and I'll stop everything I'm doing."

You bit your nails. What was this strange offer? What was he planning? You gripped your phone anxiously, running through every possibility, but nothing logical came to mind at all.

That was because the logical Lamine no longer existed — you could no longer predict his actions at all.

---

You picked up the comb and started brushing your hair back, looked in the mirror, then parted it left and right, grabbed a clip off the table and gathered your hair, then let it back down.

"I don't know what to do." The dim lighting in the room flattered your tight black dress — was it too much? But you didn't own anything else — just this and another summer dress, neither fitting for such a big event.

Your mind kept throwing reminders at you to stop everything you were doing and go to bed, but Lamine had told you he'd stop whatever he was doing if you came.

Still — wasn't it strange for an ex-girlfriend with no connection to the event except her ex-boyfriend to show up? What would you even do there.

You sighed and checked the clock — eight already, and you were already late. You took one last look in the mirror — alright, you looked fine — and resolved to go now.

You went down to the garage where your car and the gifted car were parked, looked at it for a moment, then at your worn-out old car.

Damn it — showing up to such a big event in this car would definitely be embarrassing. Before, Lamine had always been the one to come pick you up, but now you'd be going by yourself... but also, if you drove the new car, that would be the strongest confirmation to Lamine that you'd accepted it.

Had he done that on purpose? Had he bought you the car so you'd end up using it?

"Fine, Lamine. If you want to play a game, I won't refuse."

You grabbed the car keys hanging by the garage and started the car, and once again, driving it really was something else.

The driving was a bit unfamiliar — it had so much modern technology — but after a while on the road, you got used to it a little.

When you finally arrived at the venue, you drove in through the entrance, which was decorated with a red carpet. You gradually slowed down as you reached the entrance, where many people stood, and beside the car, a valet. You got out, and he asked for the key, which you handed over.

You let your eyes sweep the place — celebrities, actors, athletes, and more. You recognized several people you already knew, and in a small gathering off to the left, close to you, you saw him.

Lamine Yamal, wearing a jet-black suit, handing out pearly smiles to the people around him. He kept cutting conversations short every so often, scanning the entrance, until his eyes landed on you. He smiled, and everyone around him turned to look at whoever he'd smiled at.

You froze, and saw him murmur something to the person he'd been talking to, then head your way. Now you felt everyone's stares burning into you. You tried to feign composure, put on a smile like his — you were certain someone was photographing the two of you right now, ready to put you on the front page of tomorrow's news.

"You came." He said quietly, as if he didn't want anyone but you to hear those words.

"I came..." you repeated, as if the sentence itself would wake you up to your situation now. You saw him extend his hand to you, asking you to take it. And you did — you had to play along with his game today. He led you into the event, where there were many more people, cameras, and reporters.

A reporter approached you both, flanked by two men carrying cameras on their shoulders. "Lamine Yamal, a moment of your time, please?"

Lamine nodded with a smile, which the reporter returned with an equally big smile. "How are you feeling today? We haven't seen you since your last match a week ago! Great look, by the way."

Lamine laughed at the compliment and simply answered, "I'm happy to be at the event today, and thank you for the kind words."

"We see the well-known young lady here? Why are you two together today?! Everyone thought you'd broken up!"

Lamine put his hand on your back and pulled you closer to him. "We never broke up."

The blood froze in your veins. You felt time stop completely. You heard the reporter asking more questions and Lamine answering, but you weren't sure at all what they were talking about — your mouth open, wanting to say something, but nothing coming out.

He'd tricked you.

Lamine had tricked you.

His hand steadied your body when you started to lean slightly, glancing at you before the reporter directed a question your way.

"How did you feel about the false information spreading about your relationship with Lamine Yamal, while you were simply traveling?"

"Huh?"

Lamine took back a bit of the space the reporter had occupied and said to him, "As you can see, she's a little tired — she just got back from traveling."

"Oh! Sorry about that, and thank you so much for your time!"

Lamine led you, walking behind him without resistance, to one of the private lounges, and before he could tell you to sit, you shoved him by the chest.

"What do you think you're doing?!" You said, trembling — your voice had finally come out. Lamine, standing in front of you, was barely affected by the push, only pushed back a little. "It was for the best."

"You tricked me! Lamine, I can't believe this!" The feeling churning in your chest was disgusting, hurting deeply — you never expected Lamine to do something like this.

"Love? Calm down, okay? Just sit down now and catch your breath."

You sat, not to obey him, but because you felt you might faint if you didn't. You held your head in both hands, strands of hair falling across your forehead.

"Lamine, you — I never expected you to betray me like this."

He seemed to accept your words completely, though his face showed no sign of happiness. "I know. I did something bad."

"Why? Why did you do it?"

"Because we have to get back together, love. This is for the best."

"That's not your call to make, Lamine!" You shouted, shocked at his boldness, standing up again and moving toward him angrily, gripping his shirt collar and pulling it. "You ruined everything I worked for."

You could feel the exact moment Lamine stopped pretending. He grabbed the hand on his collar and pulled you closer. "Ruined what — your stupid attempt to protect me?"

He cornered you, in words and body. You pulled your hand back defensively and said, "My attempt to protect you? What are you talking about!"

"You know what? I put up with a lot, and I tried not to be angry with you after the way you deceived me. No — actually, I wanted to be everywhere you went until you'd accept me again and change your mind."

"What are you saying." The words came out of you stammering.

He sighed. "I know the real reason you broke up with me."

Your voice trembled. "My real reason? What do you mean! I told you — I hated the life I was living with you, Lamine. That's the truth, nothing else!"

"Liar."

You yanked your hand hard, painfully, to pull it free from his. "What do you know, Lamine."

"I didn't want to bring this up until I was sure you wouldn't run from me, but you're already being difficult, aren't you."

"Talk."

"We were in the same place before, and you didn't see me."

"What."

"I was there, at the little neighborhood restaurant. And I saw you with your friend..." Your heart started racing — this couldn't be real. Had Lamine really been there and you hadn't noticed? On the day your friend had invited you out to lift your sad mood, a few days before Lamine's gift arrived.

"I missed you so much, so I booked the table next to yours, and decided to just stay and see you a little. It was pure coincidence — I was out alone, and on nights like that, I always went out alone in disguise, since the restaurant wasn't big."

You stood there listening to him recount how he'd been there with you without your knowledge. The feeling of shock and confusion was joined now by a new feeling — embarrassment, because Lamine must have already known everything.

"I heard everything — about how you left me because you think my future is better with someone else, how you lied to me, and how you missed me terribly." He continued, "A few days later, I decided to send you the car."

Your hand, which had been resisting, stopped now, and you let it drop, and his dropped with it. You looked down, silent, embarrassed, tense.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew, from the start."

"I knew that wasn't enough to bring you back." He pressed your fingers. "I had to trap you with me before that."

He sighed and put his hands over his face. "You don't know how I felt when I learned the truth. I was devastated — part of me happy that you hadn't left me over the fame, and part of me sad that you didn't care about what I might think, and that you'd tricked me like that."

"Lamine..."

"So I tricked you back, just as you tricked me."

He raised your hand to his mouth and kissed it. "Please forgive me."

The kiss sent a shiver from your hand through the rest of your body. The tension that had gripped you the first minute you entered the room eased completely. Lamine had known everything from the start, and had only been trying to trap you into a corner to hold onto you — and he'd succeeded. Now everyone thought you were still together, and he hadn't done it without reason — he'd lied to you just as you'd lied to him when you asked for the breakup.

Somehow, that made you happy, because Lamine hadn't changed at all — he hadn't done all these things without a reason. His sudden change had driven you crazy, since you'd thought it was without cause.

A ghost of a smile appeared on your face, and you pulled back the hand he'd kissed. "Congratulations — you found out and told the story just how you wanted. But don't think I've truly changed my mind, Lamine."

"We should have started from here. We were supposed to still be together, and I wouldn't have had to pull some sneaky trick to get you back. But you decided to twist all this and lie to me instead."

"Because I know you wouldn't accept it."

"Because it doesn't make sense."

"Lamine, you're at the peak of your career right now. The right thing for you to do is focus on yourself! But no — even after we broke up, you're still wasting energy trying to get me back instead!"

"Can't you see that I have a say in this relationship too, just like you do? I don't need your advice and lecturing — I already know what I need to do."

"I love you! I really love you so much, that's the truth. But I don't want you to waste your future on me."

"Your opinion doesn't matter anymore, and I won't beg you like last time to come back to me — because now, you're already mine."

"Lamine."

Your conversation was cut off then by someone gently opening the door. "Lamine? Finally found you." It was just one of Lamine's friends, gavi. "They're looking for you — you've got several interviews already waiting."

"I'm coming." Lamine smiled at him, took your hand, and pulled you back out to the event again, and you knew there was no way to escape him now.

Taglist: @agirlallalonee @sandycane @random34674

"Is my hair alright, baby?" Lamine says, fixing his hair in the reflection of the car window. His blonde streaks, freshly dyed again recently, gleamed.

"It's fine, Lamine." you said, eyes on your phone.

"Just fine? You know I care a lot about how my hair looks — unlike you." He looked at you, teasing.

"What do you mean?" you said in an annoyed tone.

You had your hair up in a messy bun and were wearing a Barcelona t-shirt — you hadn't bothered much with getting dressed up today since it was hot out.

"Take that back." you threatened, setting your phone aside.

"No." he said with a mischievous smile.

The car stopped, announcing your arrival, and he got out before you could respond.

You followed him, arms crossed over your chest, thinking about how to get back at him.

---

"That's just Lamine, he's joking." Javi said, laughing.

You were now sitting with Pedri and Balde on the grass, while Lamine and the rest of the team trained.

"I know." you said.

"But I want to get back at him."

"What about ignoring him all day?" Balde said suddenly.

Pedri laughed. "And giving your attention to us instead."

You smiled wide at the brilliant idea. "Balde! Pedri! You guys genius!"

The four of you exchanged excited, laughing glances, and the prank began. You agreed that any move, goal, or joke from Lamine would be met with total indifference, and you'd redirect that energy to shower the other players with praise instead.

Javi, Pedri, and Balde went back to training, and half an hour later, the coach blew the whistle for a break and the end of the first part of practice. The players headed to the benches for water, with Lamine leading the way, wiping sweat from his brow, his eyes automatically searching for you, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.

"Did you see my goal?" Lamine said, walking up to you, expecting praise as usual.

You looked straight through him, as if he were made of air, then turned your gaze to javi behind him.

"Javi! You were absolutely amazing!" you said, walking toward javi.

Javi smiled and winked at Balde beside him. "Thanks, I'm glad someone appreciates my effort on the field."

Lamine froze in place, water bottle in hand. Had you just... ignored him?

A few minutes later, he tried again, walking over to the bench where you were sitting, and sat down beside you.

"It's hot today, isn't it?" he said, adjusting his shirt collar and looking at you.

But you stayed silent, then got up and went to sit with the guys in front of you.

He sat there, stunned, watching you go laugh at a joke Pedri made, your hand on his shoulder as you patted it proudly.

A strange feeling tightened in his chest.

The second part of training began. He missed several easy passes and failed a shot he usually made without issue. Everyone noticed that He was looking at a certain place all the time.

When training ended, he ran straight to you, determined to find out what was wrong now. And how you didn't even take a single look at him as he trained

"What did I do?" he said, his voice full of worry.

"Why are you ignoring me?"

When you still didn't answer and tried to stand and leave, he stepped closer and grabbed your hand.

"Answer me."

He had you cornered, and you felt that avoiding it now would ruin the whole thing, so you answered with a big smile: "Ignoring you? You must be imagining things, Lamine."

Relief washed over his chest at hearing your voice again.

"Imagining things? I'm sure you've avoided me several times by now."

From a distance, the guys noticed your situation and Lamine's inescapable trap around you. They quickly conferred with each other and decided to call you over.

You caught the guys calling you, and internally cheered "yes!" at being rescued.

"The guys are calling me, I have to go." You gently pushed past Lamine and turned, and he watched you head toward them.

Lamine's eyes stayed fixed on your back as you walked away from him with quick steps, heading toward the trio standing near the hallway leading to the locker rooms. His expression was a mix of complete disbelief and jealousy that had clearly begun to burn in his eyes.

"Okay, what exactly is going on here?" Lamine muttered irritably, narrowing his eyes, tracking your every move.

When you reached the guys, Pedri greeted you with a wide grin and whispered in a low voice: "You did great — if you'd seen his face when you walked past him, he looked like someone who'd missed a penalty in a cup final."

You laughed lightly and said: "He cornered me and interrogated me, I almost gave it away."

The guys turned together, pretending to talk to you about something "very important," while Balde waved his hand enthusiastically and pointed at his phone as if they were planning something, completely ignoring the burning glares Lamine was shooting at them from a distance.

Javi, who loved this charged atmosphere, deliberately raised his voice a little so Lamine could hear: "So, will you join us for lunch after we shower? We're picking the restaurant today!"

"Of course! As long as I'm with the team's real stars today, I won't refuse your invitation," you answered, loud enough to reach Lamine's ears.

That was the final straw.

Lamine couldn't take it anymore. He strode forward quickly and widely, crossing the grass angrily until he was right in the middle of your circle. He gently but firmly pushed himself between you and javi, redirecting all attention to himself.

"Okay, that's enough!" Lamine said in a tone mixing frustration and surrender, looking straight at you, his youthful eyes carrying a clear plea. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry about what I said in the car about your hair and your messy bun! You always will look amazing, even if you were bald!"

Pedri and Balde burst out laughing, while javi tried to hold back his laughter, hand over his mouth.

You turned to him, raising an eyebrow defiantly: "Oh, really? You just now remembered the car?"

"I remembered everything!" he said, raising his hands in self-defense, the mischievous smile he'd started the car ride with completely gone, replaced by a childlike, pleading look.

"Please, stop talking to javi and Pedri and balde like that. And YOU can't go to lunch with them and ignore me."

You glanced at the guys, who nodded at you as if to say "mission accomplished."

You couldn't hold back your laughter any longer, breaking into a loud fit of laughing that the guys joined in on, leaving Lamine blinking in confusion for a few seconds before it fully clicked. His eyes widened with shock

"Wait... was this a prank?" he asked, hand on his hip, trying to act annoyed but his expression betrayed him. "All this because I joked about your hair?"

"I planned it with them from the start," you told him, stepping closer, lightly hitting his shoulder even though he was taller than you. "This is so you don't make fun of me again. And now, since you've apologized... you can join us for lunch."

Lamine let out a sigh of relief, ran his hand through his blonde ends with relief, then looked at you, smiling. "God, I really thought you hated me for a sacend"

He stepped closer and pulled you into a deep hug. "Don't do that again."

You patted his back a little — it seemed he'd gotten more than he deserved.

Everyone laughed as they headed toward the locker rooms, describing to Lamine how he'd looked the whole time, while Lamine walked beside you this time, careful not to leave any gap that would let javi or Pedri interfere again.

"Lamine? Didn't I tell you to cover the pot after you take food from it!" You covered the exposed vegetable soup pot you'd made about an hour ago. It was still warm, but you didn't know how long it had been left open like that.

"Sorry, love, I forgot." Lamine said as he chewed his food, sitting in your big living room in front of the TV.

You came over, threw a pillow at him, and sat down. "You're so careless."

Lamine laughed. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"The food will cool down fast, and some flies might get on it — unless you don't mind either of those."

He pulled you closer with his free arm. "What should I do to make up for this mistake, then? Sweetheart?"

You said indifferently, "Nothing, just be more organized."

Lamine smiled as he set the plate on the table, then turned to you, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Just be organized? I thought you'd punish me with washing the dishes for at least a week."

You sighed with mock helplessness, but a smile crept onto your face. "Don't give me ideas."

"I take it back immediately!" Lamine raised his hand in surrender with a soft laugh, then leaned his head on your shoulder again. "I promise I'll be organized, okay?"

"Okay."

You sat like that for several minutes in comfortable silence, watching TV, before Lamine sneezed and broke it.

"Do you have a cold?"

He got up, quickly grabbed some tissues from the table, and came back to his spot. "No, I don't know, it rained this morning and I got a little wet."

You looked at him skeptically. "Come here."

Lamine came closer and you put your hand on his forehead, which was warm.

"You have a fever."

"What? But I'm fine."

You got up to fetch the thermometer from the medicine cabinet. "That's because we caught it early, luckily."

You came back from the room with the thermometer in hand. Lamine was still sitting in his place, watching your movements with eyes you now noticed looked a bit tired.

"Open your mouth."

You put the thermometer under his tongue while he grumbled through his closed mouth. A few seconds of silence passed until the electronic beep of the thermometer interrupted it. You pulled the device out and looked at the screen: 37.9.

"It's elevated."

"Is that bad?"

"Not too high, we can manage it. Luckily we caught it early, and we happen to have soup too — what a coincidence."

"So what do we do now?"

"I'll heat up the soup again, you'll eat it, take your medicine, and rest. I'll tell the captain you might be out tomorrow if you don't wake up feeling better." You added, "Also, in a few hours you'll start feeling exhausted."

Lamine looked at you with a resigned, mocking expression. "Seems like the punishment for not covering the pot came quickly."

---

When you finished heating the soup and calling the pharmacy, you found Lamine had leaned his head back on the couch, eyes completely closed, showing the sudden exhaustion that always comes with fever once the body gives in to illness.

You went over to him, set the bags on the table with the soup nearby. "Lamine? Love."

He seemed half asleep.

He opened his eyes very slowly; his eyes, which had gleamed with mischief moments ago, now looked dull and drowsy, and he looked at you with a faint smile trying to hide his exhaustion.

He sat up on his own, which was a good sign. You handed him the medicine, the soup, and the spoon.

"Won't you feed me?" he said with a playful smile.

"I see you're well enough to try annoying me."

"No, really, I'm starting to feel tired." He waited for your response. "Please?"

You gave in. "Fine."

You moved closer, took the plate in one hand and the spoon in the other, scooped up the first bite, and brought it toward him.

"Hot."

"What?"

"Blow on it, cool it down."

"It's good to eat it hot, it'll warm your insides."

"No, cool it down."

"Seriously, what a child." You blew on the spoon, then brought it to his mouth, and he swallowed it whole. Again, you'd cool it, then feed him.

"I see you're completely fine." You pulled the spoon back to take another scoop. When you fed him this time, he grabbed the hand holding the spoon.

"I really am completely fine," then he laughed loudly.

You yanked your hand back quickly, your eyes widening with shock mixed with annoyance, while he leaned back on the couch laughing his heart out, that mischievous glint back in his shining eyes.

"Were you lying to me?!"

He didn't stop laughing, so you continued, annoyed. "You're such a fraud, and here I was worried about you!" You threw the spoon into the plate angrily and started to stand up, but Lamine was faster — he grabbed your arm, still laughing.

"Wait, wait, don't be mad!" he said, trying to catch his breath. You turned to see his face flushed with both laughter and fever.

"I wasn't entirely acting! I really am tired, I swear!"

"But you took advantage of that and made me feed you!" you said, crossing your arms over your chest, trying to keep your stern expression.

"I admit it, but can you blame me? When else do I get this kind of pampering?" He continued, "Besides, soup from your hands really does heal, and I feel my energy coming back."

You sighed and went back to sit beside him. "I don't know what to do with you, Lamine — you have energy for mischief even while sick. And trust me, you'll regret this once you're asleep."

You picked up the plate and spoon again and moved closer to him.

"What, you're continuing even after finding out I was lying?"

"Didn't you say you wanted pampering?"

Lamine smiled. "Yeah."

---

"Love," Lamine murmured in a hoarse voice, sweat covering his face. A cool cloth placed on his forehead made him relax his eyes a little. The room was warm and dark; you rinsed the cloth again to cool it.

"I'm here, okay? Don't worry, and sleep well." You placed the cloth on his forehead again, brushing a few of his blond locks aside with your fingers.

"I think you should rest from training tomorrow."

Lamine nodded, a faint nod barely visible, following you with his eyes around the room until you sat back down on the bed.

"Love." He raised his hand from under the blanket and placed it over your hand on his forehead.

You hummed in response.

"Thank you for taking care of me."

"Always."

You had been in a relationship with Lamine for a long time. You loved him, and he loved you. You hadn't been in such a healthy relationship in a long time. Lamine had always treated you like part of his family, not just a girlfriend who'd recently entered his life. He was kind, gentle, and loving. Everything really was perfect.

But it didn't last long. Soon you found harassment everywhere. Everyone knew who you were now. Rumors about you appearing online became a regular thing.

Whenever you left the house, you might see a car you'd never noticed before, windows completely tinted, or feel like someone was following you at the supermarket.

You never liked this life — even though you weren't famous yourself, you never really liked the life of celebrities.

You missed your life before you dated Lamine. It had been quiet and comfortable. You only used to talk to your friends, relatives, and your workplace. It was a genuinely routine life.

It wasn't that you didn't love having Lamine in your life — quite the opposite, he was something you truly didn't want to give up.

But every day, it got harder, and you couldn't bear it anymore.

"Lamine." you said to the young man sitting across from you, scrolling on his phone.

"Yes, my love?" he said, lifting his smiling eyes to you.

"Let's break up."

---

Lamine's expression froze for a moment, as if the words hadn't reached his mind yet. He slowly set his phone down on the table, as if trying to buy a few extra seconds before facing what you'd just said.

"What?" he asked in a quiet voice, as if he wished he'd misheard.

"Let's break up. I can't handle this anymore." Your voice was trembling; you tried to avoid looking into his eyes.

He laughed nervously. "What are you saying? Where is this coming from?"

"I'm serious, Lamine. I'm sorry I surprised you. I should have talked to you about this sooner."

"Surprised me? Yes, you've surprised me. Baby, what are you saying? Is this some kind of prank?"

He shifted anxiously in his seat and leaned closer to you.

"No, Lamine, I want to break up. I would never say this just to hurt you."

It took him a few seconds to grasp how serious your words were; he seemed on the verge of collapse, his hands trembling on the arms of the chair. In his whole life — especially now, at its peak — he never expected something like this to happen.

"Why? Why do you want to leave me?" His voice was broken.

You sighed, preparing to say what you'd been hiding from him for a while.

"I don't love this life, Lamine. With you, I don't love how I'm living now. I don't want to keep living like this."

"Do you... not love me?" he said it as though he'd believed it for a few seconds.

"No, I love you." Your voice rose.

"But Lamine, I don't want to live a life I don't love with someone I do love. I don't want cameras following me everywhere. I don't want to open my phone and the first thing I see is pictures of myself in private places. I don't want that. I hate this!"

"Please." The extent of the brokenness in his voice shocked you.

"Reconsider, baby, okay? I promise there are solutions to all of this!"

"No, Lamine. I've thought about this a lot. I can't do this anymore. I don't want to try to make it work."

You stood up from your seat, trying to find the strength to finish what you'd started, even as every cell in your body told you to stop.

He stood up too, faster than you, and came toward you.

"No, I don't accept this. You can't just end everything like this, suddenly."

"It doesn't matter whether you accept it or not!"

He grabbed your arm as he saw you trying to leave.

"Sweetheart, now you're going to sit down and discuss this with me again, okay? Please don't make this harder on me." He looked desperate as he said those words.

"Lamine, it's all over, don't you understand? It's already been over for a while — I was just hiding it from you."

Lamine couldn't hold himself together any longer. Those last words were the final straw. The thought that it had been over for you for a while, that you had been suffering in silence while he thought he was living the best days of his life, shattered every defense he had.

He slowly let go of your arm, as if his strength had suddenly given out. His trembling hands rose to cover his face, and his head bowed as he tried hard to hold back his sobs, but his body began to shake visibly.

His rapid, broken breaths filled the quiet room, before the first shattered sob escaped, carrying the sound of his crying. It was a cry of utter helplessness. His tears fell heavily from between his fingers, dropping to the floor between you, revealing the depth of the shock and pain crushing his heart.

You felt your heart clench, one thing more and you would cry too.

"For a while?" he murmured from behind his hands, his voice completely shaking. "You were suffering alone and I didn't know anything about it."

He lowered his hands to show you his face — his eyes red from tears — and murmured, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

You stood there, lost, unable to leave, and unable to go to him. You wanted to go to him — you wanted it with all your heart — but if you got close to him now, everything you had convinced yourself of would be undone.

You swallowed your tears and clenched his hand until your knuckles turned white.

"Don't apologize, Lamine." Your voice came out hoarse, as you tried to keep your tears from falling. "You didn't do anything wrong. Your success, people loving you, your fame — none of that is your fault."

You continued: "And it's not your fault that I don't love this life. I'm sorry for being selfish, Lamine."

He looked at you through his tears, a glimmer of hope in them. "We can change the way we live! I'll hire more bodyguards, we won't go out in public, I'll have my management deal with the press — just don't leave me, please."

"And do you think I want this life? Lamine, I don't want it, and neither do you, really. I don't want to live locked away just because I love someone."

Silence filled the room, except for the sound of his ragged breathing. It seemed your words had finally struck him — you could see his body sink a little.

He stepped back, leaning against the table. Holding onto you meant destroying you, and letting you go meant destroying himself.

"Is this really your final decision?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes."

You moved toward the door with heavy feet. No one had ever told you that endings were this hard. When you placed your hand on the doorknob, you turned and said, "Remember that I'll always love you, Lamine."

Mynotes: Should I write another part where yearning lamine becomes obsessed and makes the reader come back to him by force? 👀

The last thing you heard as you walked out was him breaking down into heavy sobs again.