NALA SIGHED when she entered in the mall, holding her little sister's hand firmly.

She was her nanny for the day, but it was not the problem. She was used to keep her, but only between the four walls of her apartment. Today, her mother suggested her to go out with the little girl, more specifically, to take her to the closest mall to see Santa Claus. She added that "as a twenty-four-year old, she should prepared herself for when she'll have her own children."

It was not like she was going to magically get pregnant.

"Nana, could you buy me an ice cream?" Inès, her little sister, asked.

"Of course," Nala nodded, not seeing any reasons to say no.

"Thanks, Nana! Mom would have said no."

Nala laughed. She was not really surprised; there was a big year gap between them, but their mother hadn't changed her way to raise her children.

They kept walking together, looking for Santa Claus when suddenly, Inès did exactly what Nala feared: she let go of her hand to run towards something.

She gave up the idea of following her physically and followed her with her eyes instead, frowning when she saw that she wasn't running to see Santa Claus at all...but to see a random guy who was shopping.

She didn't lose any more time and walked to them, catching her little sister's hand.

"Inès, leave the mister alone."

"But Nana, he's Samuel Umtiti! He's my favorite football player!"

"Don't worry, she is not bothering me," the so-called Samuel Umtiti said with a smile. "Do you want to take a pic?" he asked Inès, who nodded vividly before looking at her big sister.

"Nana, can I? Please!"

"Uh...sure," she answered, lost.

She didn't know a thing about football, so this guy was a complete stranger to her. But she knew that her sister had watched the Wold Cup, and she seemed really happy to see that football player.

Samuel bent to be at the little girl's length and Nala took the picture.

"Thank you Samuel Umtiti!" the girl smiled. "I am really happy that you won."

"We should leave the mister alone now to see Santa Claus, mh?" Nala insisted.

"But, Na, I don't wanna see Santa Claus, Samuel Umtiti is better."

"Who's gonna bring you your Christmas present, uh?" she asked.

"I am a Christmas elf."

Inès and Nala both looked at him, shocked. Well, not shocked for the same reason.

"Are you?" Inès whispered with stars in her eyes while Nala was glaring at him quietly.

"I am," he confirmed. "But it's a secret and you can't tell anyone."

The girl nodded.

"Did you hear that, Nana?"

"I heard. And the mister probably has many things to do so we'll let him--"

"He's not a mister. He's an elf. And Mom said that we always have to call people by their names."

"That's true," Samuel smiled before extending his hand to Nala. "I'm Samuel."

"Nala."

"Nala?"

"Nala," he repeated, and he burst out laughing. "Where's Simba?"

She glared at him while he kept laughing. And even if Inès hadn't understood the joke, she was laughing as well.

"Sorry," he shook his head, "I had to."

Nala decided to ignore that last sentence and opened her mouth to invite--force--her sister to go. But the latter was quicker.

"Samuel, are you coming to eat ice cream with us?"

"No, he had other things to do--"

"I don't see why not," Samuel shrugged.

"We are two to agree and one who disagrees," Inès summed up.

"True, and since we are in a democracy, the majority wins."

They started to walk to the ice cream shop, Inès holding Samuel's hand instead of her sister's.

"I'm sorry, I ruined your afternoon with her, is she your sister...?" he tried to guess, and she nodded.

"It's just that you don't have to ruin your afternoon for a little girl," she mumbled, and he smiled.

"I'm not ruining my afternoon for a little girl, I'm spending my afternoon with a supporter and her big sister who doesn't know me yet."

"Yet?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yet," he confirmed before bending to ask Inès which flavor she wanted.    

🎄 tomorrow: a player from Paris Saint-Germain 🎄