.six. 

Leaving a new note for her the next day at practice was easier, with the help of Mats and Marco. Though at the same time, they drew some attention to themselves. When Erik was done changing into his training uniform, he slipped a new note into his pocket. The other present he had for her was a giant stuffed teddy bear and he needed to return to the car for it. 

Walking up behind Erik, Mats let a hand fall heavily on his team mate's shoulder, "So what's the plan today?"

"I am not including you in my plans today or ever." Erik replied.

"That's mean." Mats jutted out his bottom lip and feigned being offended.

"Maybe we should tell everyone," Marco's voice got louder as he continued speaking. On his lips formed an amused smile. "who little Erik is in love with!" In the locker room, all the chattering and laughing seemed to go quiet at Marco's words. They knew Erik was very secretive when it came to his private life, and it wasn't that he didn't want to talk to anyone about it, he just prefered to separate his professional career from the things he normally did with his family and close friends. They were two different worlds and he wished to keep them separate. The silence lasted almost a full minute before the players continued with their conversations.

The ocean blue eyes of Erik Durm narrowed into thin slits as they looked at his two friends. Grabbing the keys to his car, he rolled his eyes and quietly headed for the exit, signaling for his friends to follow. When he really thought about it, he thought Mats and Marco could help him make sure the coast was clear.

The three footballers walked out onto the parking lot and soon were able to find Erik's car. He unlocked it with a click of a button and opened the back passenger door. Inside was a five foot teddy bear with golden fur. It wore a big red bow around its neck with her name sewn across in neat cursive. He had wanted to get her one with a BVB jersey that had his name on the back, but he knew he would make himself too obvious.

He dragged it out of the car and closed the door, locking it before they could head back into the training facility.

Mats' eyes widened at the sight of the stuffed animal. "You really go all-out on her presents. What did you get me for christmas last year? A gift card to the Adidas store. I already get discounts there because of die mannschaft. And," He added, "You only gave me fifty euros. But you bought her Teuton chocolates."

"The most expensive chocolates in Deutschland." Marco pointed out.

"I can see who is most important in your life, Erik." Mats feigned being offended.

"Arabella deserves only the best. And you're not Arabella. You're lucky you even got a gift card, all you gave me were a pack of fruit of the loom undies and socks." Erik responded with a shrug, he could almost feel a blush tinting his cheeks.

Shrugging his shoulders innocently, Mats said, "Sorry for concerning myself over your personal needs. For all we knew, you had just run out of clean undies until I saved the day."

Steering the conversation back to Arabella when he thought it was beginning to turn awkward, Marco joked, "If she deserves only the best, then why are you trying to date her?"

Mats let out a laugh. Smiling, Erik countered, "Its funny you would say that because there are two welmeisters here and you aren't one of them."

"Because I was injured!" Marco whined, "Besides, you never left the bench, my friend. If anything, you got that medal for benchwarming! I bet you sat there so long, it'll be warm until Brazil hosts another world cup." The blonde haired footballer smiled when he saw Erik had no come backs.

"Well I still went, and I have a gold medal, and tons of great memories." Erik said as he reached the entrance. Mats opened the door for him and the younger footballer stepped inside with a giante stuffed bear blocking his view. He couldn't see where he was going. "Marco, Mats, will you walk in front of me and tell me where I'm going?" The previous teasing forgotten, it was time to get serious and get to the designated training area without being noticed.

After sneaking around for a couple of minutes, they finally made it out onto the field. Mats and Marco checked that no one else was out there and Erik hurried to the bench. He placed the large bear on one of the seats at the cold metal bleachers and placed his note right next to it.

They raced back to the locker room and left when the rest of the team was ready. All eyes fell upon the golden furred bear on the bleachers, but no one suspected Erik or the other two who had left the locker area before the rest of them. Few of them had seen them leave anyway. 

Arabella walked out soon after with her school bag slung over her shoulder. Cradled in between her arms was her sketch book. Erik noticed there was something different about it. There were bright colors and pictures on the cover, she had decorated it. As she got closer, he noticed there was a picture on the cover of the two of them. He was a fifteen year old boy who dreamed of becoming a professional footballer and a ten year old girl with a bob cut and a big smile on her face. Her mother had taken the picture on an ocassion when she visited the training ground.

What would her parents think of him now, if they knew he was enamored with their daughter?

She offered a small wave of a greeting and a small smile tugged at her thin lips. Her eyes watched him for a moment before dropping to the grass below her. She was the only one who had not yet noticed the present that awaited her attention.

Arabella reached her usual spot on the bench and a gasp escaped her lips at the sight before her. She was so surprised that her art book fell to the grass below her and she had to pick it up. She noticed the folded note next and she picked it up in her small hands. She unfolded it curiously and read the words of love written out for her, a wide smile flashed onto her face. More than the presents, she enjoyed reading his poems. He made every aspect of her sound beautiful, even the parts of her she didn't like. And it made her feel beautiful.

"What are you smiling about?" Her happy thoughts were interrupted by the serious voice of her father. Ever since her parents' separation, she noticed how much more strict and unhappy he'd become. 

Stuffing the note into her pocket quickly, she lied, "Nothing." But there was no way she could hide the stuffed animal, and it was that which her father asked about next.

"And that?" He gestured to the bear on the bleachers behind her.

"Hm." He looked at her with a stern look before turning towards his players.

Her father wanted none of them to bother her. The players were gathered in the middle of the field, awaiting instructions to begin their training for the day. But Jürgen Klopp had other things in mind. "Which one of you is sending my daughter presents?"

No one spoke up.

Erik stood in between Mats and Marco who both turned to look at him, but Jürgen didn't notice this. He was busy staring down at players at the front of the group, trying to get them to confess. "I will not tolerate this on the training grounds. This is a professional environment, not your personal life. Whatever you want to do romantically, seek a personal relationship, or whatever it is you are trying to do, this is not the place. Do it outside. But not with my daughter. She is only a little girl and if I find out one of you is after her..." He began a warning, "I will respond as a father and not as a team manager."

Erik gulped nervously.

"Okay," A smile made way onto his face. He was certain no one would dare to chase after his daughter after that speech. "Let's begin with training. Four laps around the field, come on, boys." He clapped his hands together.

The team nodded and took off for their first run of the day.

-

i know this one's really long. but i just didn't want to cut it short. so i hope you all like the update. no long author's not today cause i'm busy watching futbol. haha. okay, have an amazing night. i love you.

-clary xx