[ three ]

By the third week since the two had met, they had moved on to texting rather than sending each other messages on instagram. Neymar thought about telling her the truth several times, but every time he tried he ended up cowering out of it. How could he tell her he wasn't the one she was looking at in his pictures?

That Saturday was the team dinner where everyone would take their friends and families.

But he had no one to accompany him. His family had stayed behind in Brazil and the only friends he had in Barcelona were already invited because they were on the team.

He had almost considered not going to the party when Jonathan texted him. 'ready for the party tonight? :D'

'nah, i think i wont go, man.' Neymar responded to the text in Spanish.

'why? :/'

'one: its a family dinner. two: i don't have family to go with me. three: i dont want to be a loner really.'

'well you can hang with me and my brother gio. he's the only family member i have here since he lives close by in valencia.'

'hm...'

'no te hagas del rogar, ney -_-' (translation: don't make me beg, ney.)

'fine, i'll go.'

'great :D Geri says Shakira has some hot cousins he wants us to meet ;D'

'that gerard and his shakira :p hahah.'

'u dont like waka waka? ;D'

'no i do, but he just talks about her all the time. it needs to stop. she gives him too much waka waka. hah.'

'or maybe u need a girl.'

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.

.

He hadn't really been convinced he wanted to go. To him, a nice night consisted of sitting around in his house talking to April with no distractions from his mates. He feared he was slowly turning into a couch potato.

Walking into his bedroom from out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. 

He sat on the edge of his bed and grabbed his phone which was within his reach. Pressing the home button, a smile spread across his lips when he saw he had a text from April.

'anything planned tonight?' She texted, ' i was hoping we could watch a movie together? (:'

'i wish i could, meu amor.' He responded, 'but i told my friend i was going with him to the team dinner. i'll call and say i can't go.'

'no! D: go to your dinner.'

'april i want to talk with you, i see my mates every day. :p'

'i dont want you to leave your friends hanging.'

'if you dont wanna talk you can just say so :/'

'thats not it, lucas ): i just dont want to be the one to disconnect you from your real life. so go to the dinner, for me? :* and if you get bored just text me :D'

'expect a text from me soon then :p'

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It had only been a few minutes after he had finished changing that the doorbell rang. Standing at the door were two tanned skin brothers who resembled each other greatly. One was a boy he knew from practices and games in which they were both on the same team.

The other he knew on a not-so-friendly note because everytime they saw each other was as rivals on an international soccer field. Still, he knew Giovani Dos Santos was a skilled footballer.

Both Dos Santos brothers were of a Brazilian father and a Mexican mother, but had been born in Mexico and considered themselves Mexicans. Both were highly skilled at football, but Giovani, older than Jonathan by a year, had always been better than his brother; winning the world cup for seventeen year old boys in two thousand five, two gold cups of the regional tournament, and Giovani had been on the same team of guys that had humiliated Brazil at the summer olympics.

Everything had been against the Mexicans, the odds condemned them, no one thought they would win. But not for the Brazilians. They had been clear favorites for the entire tournament. Even non-Brazilians upported them. And in the end the Mexican team took the gold while Neymar was left with what he called the shameful silver.

That was one rivalry he'd never forget on the field.

As a person, he didn't really know the guy, so he couldn't hate him.

"So, you've met my brother Gio." Jonathan began with the introductions.

Neymar nodded with a friendly smile. "I've only ever encountered him on the field." Extending his hand for Gio to shake, the half-Brazilian did so with a smile.

"But we can't let a little football grudge get in between us." Gio said, "If all footballers did that, we would all hate each other."

"Okay, lets go." Jonathan urged them. "We'll be late if we don't leave now."

Jonathan pulled him out the door, but he stopped them. "Wait." He said. Bringing the two brothers by his side, he grinned, "Lets take a selfie."

The three boys posed for the photo and smiled. As they made their way towards the car, Neymar didn't waste time in sending April the picture. She had send him many and he thought she woul wonder when he would send her one.

He composed a text with the picture attached. 

'on my way to the dinner party with these two guys ;)'

'oh, no way, you know neymar? :o'

'i play for a small team, but my brother plays for barca b so he knows people :p'

'that's really cool :D if u snap a picture with messi, dont forget to send it :)'

'okay i have to go :*'

'adeus, meu belo principe :*'

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At the reception, he was standing with the two brothers, at times starting up a conversation with Jonathan. But then Jonathan tried to include his brother and there was still a small form of hostility between them that followed them off the field. The conversation would die with every attempt of Jonathan to include his brother, but Neymar thought it was nice that he tried to be the peacekeeper. Not that there was peace to be kept.

Gerard bumped shoulders with Neymar to get his attention. The Brazilian turned towards his friend who held a glass of champaign in hand, a small Colombian singer walked by his side and in her arms was a beautiful baby.

Neymar grinned at the plump child, pinching his cheek gently. "Hola, Milan." He said, though the child was too young to understand words.

The small Colombian woman looked behind Neymar, as if looking for someone, when she saw no one, she asked, "Where is your girlfriend, Neymar? We're all dying to meet her."

Neymar sighed in frustration, his eyes looking to the heavens dramatically. When he brought his gaze back down, the Colombian woman seemed worried, as if she had just said something wrong. "Did Lionel tell you this?"

She shook her head. "Antonella told me." She replied matter-of-factly.

"But who told Antonella?" Gerard asked Shakira in amusement. Antonella was Lionel's girlfriend and the mother of his son Thiago.

"I will kill him." Neymar hissed.

With a chuckle and placing a heavy hand on his Brazilian friend's shoulder, Gerard said, "Relax, Ney. Leo is only proud that our little brother has found love. Here," He handed Neymar his untouched glass of alcohol. "Drink this and calm down."

Neymar chugged the drink in one go. But still, he muttered, "If I see him tonight I'll kill him."

-

yes i know i haven't updated in so long.

next chapter is where the real drama will begin, guys. so stay tuned for that and keep reading.

anyway, thank you so much for your support.

this chap is dedicated to lionel messi, our gossipy woman in this story, but gifted football player in real life. i know he is so upset argentina lost the cup, and he deserved to win it too. both teams did, but someone had to lose.

cheer up messi.

we love you, bae.

ooooh and quick note, cause i didnt really emphasize this, even though i thought i did. but neymar is using jonathan's brother's pictures. which is why he sent april the one with him and the two brothers. just to clear it up so no one will get confused or anything.

thank you all.

i love you.

-clary xx