"My room?" Zarine repeated. "It's really not a very interesting place. Are you sure you wanna see it? Like what's to see about a room?"

The Trio looked at her suspiciously.

"I mean, sure, come see my room," Zarine laughed nervously. Just don't open my cupboard OR stare at my posters OR...

They followed her into her room and looked around like guests generally do (like why, homies, you never saw someone's room before?).

James jumped onto the bed, shoes and all, and stretched, "Ah, man, I was just dying for a bed. I'm so damn tired."

"Sure, why don't you three sit down on my bed?" Zarine smiled.

Cristiano sat down and immediately picked up a book from her desk, "Woah, this is heavy. Is this part of your syllabus?"

"Nah, that's Magnus Chase, just some pleasure reading," she replied. "It's got a really well-written plot."

Gareth was looking at the posters, "You have some really interesting posters, you know."

"Yeah," mumbled Zarine. You haven't seen my Cristale posters yet, Gareth.

"Yeah, I see that you have a really large one of me," James grinned from the bed. "But I"m not judging since I am kind of amazing."

"Oye oye, she has a large number of mine and Cristiano's posters, you know," Gareth pointed out. "She's obviously a huge fan of us rather than yours." He read closely and his ears turned red, "Okay, I had no idea that Cristiano and I hug so much."

Cristiano bounded up to him and together they looked at their posters, "Wow, I did not know we hug so much."

"Don't move, you two," Zarine cried and snapped a picture on her phone. She looked at the picture happily, "You guys are perfect for each other."

Cristiano immediately removed his arm from Gareth's shoulder, "Zariiiinneee."

"What? A girl can dream, right?" she giggled.

James, meanwhile, asked, "So, tell me, Zarry, do umm people ship me and Cristiano?"

Zarine nodded vigorously, "Crismes shippers!"

Gareth was whispering to Cris, "Out of all the girls in the world, you had to fall for the one who wants us in a relationship?"

Cristiano smiled, "She's cute, intelligent and funny. You just wait, Gareth, one day she's going to ship Zariano."

Out of the corner of her eye, Zarine saw Cristiano walking towards his large poster and mentally patting herself for having removed the banner when she saw a small-ish banner of MRS ZARINE RONALDO IN THE HOUSE OLA OLA OLA!

OH NO NO NO SHIIIIT CRISTIANO DO NOT LOOK AT THE LAME ASS BANNER. God, this is so embarrassing. Why does this seem like a slow motion scene? I need to tear it off before he sees it and is disgusted by it like what even Zarine how could you miss that?

Time to be a ninja.

She was sitting on the bed when she had realised the existence of that small banner. She got up slowly and then jumped towards the poster, ripping off the small banner and throwing it under her bed in seconds. And Zarine makes an Olympic record in poster-censoring yayyy!

"Oh, Zarine, something of yours fell down," Gareth kneeled helpfully and pulled out the paper (s) from under the bed.

WHAT THE FRICK FRACK GARETH BEAUTIFUL BALE DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT TAKE OUT THOSE BANNERS. Oh God, help me please, just vanish those banners into thin air. I swear, I'll never make fun of Messi. I'll even compliment Mascherano. Just please...OMG NO DON'T HAND THEM TO CRISTIANO!

Zarine watched in silence as Gareth handed the banners to Cristiano and got up, "Your papers had fallen under the bed." He smiled unknowingly.

Cristiano handed the banners to Zarine and suddenly stopped, "Wait a second, is that CRISTIANO written in bold letters?"

"No, it's Christina Aguilera," Zarine quickly said, lunging forward to snatch the banner out of his hands and throw it or eat it or something, just not let him read it ugh.

Except he read it. Well, he read them, to be honest, both of them and he looked like he was about to snort and proclaim to his friends that HAHA LOOK AT THIS WEIRD OBSESSED GIRL SHE IS SO WEIRD HAHAHA. That's what Zarine thought.

What he did was smile lightly, fold them and hand it to her, "I think it's your College work."

Omg he's amazing. He didn't embarrass me in front of his friends. Gosh, he's goals, boyfriend goals. Why aren't you my boyfriend, Cristiano? Why is this a one-sided love? Why are we just friends?

"Yeah, is my M. Phil. thesis research," she laughed gratefully.

He winked.

James who had been quiet for far too long had been brewing trouble, unknown to Zarine. He had walked up to her cupboard and being the little devil he was, opened it out of curiosity.

THUD THUD THUD!

Zarine jumped at the noise and turned around, dreading the sight. Everything, okay, well nearly everything that she had earlier bundled inside-an assortment of books, clothes, papers, pens, an odd slipper-had fallen right on the curious James.

NOOOO! "Is he okay?" Zarine asked, trying to get a glimpse of James' body underneath her stuff. He wasn't moving.

Gareth and Cristiano stood beside her, utterly speechless.

OHMYGOD I JUST KILLED JAMES RODRIGUEZ. I, Zarine, killed one of my baes because I didn't clean my cupboard properly. He was such a talented player. He was going to become the world' s best midfielder. Like how will Falcao take Colombia all alone to the finals of the next World Cup. I never even got a chance to tell him his face is a work of perfection.

"James, bro, are you okay?" Cristiano knelt beside him.

Sorry, Cris, but he can't answer from where he's gone.

James groaned, "Something hit my head. I'm sure I've got a bump on my beautiful forehead now. What hit me?"

Cristiano picked up a heavy book, "A collection of Byron's Romantic poetry."

Zarine rushed to James, "Oh my God, you're alive. You idiot," she gave him a punch, "you scared the hell out of me. I thought I would never get to tell you that your face is a work of perfection. I seriously thought Cristiano would hand me over to the police and I would be convicted of your murder even though it was absolutely my cupboard's fault."

James patted her hand, "I know my face is a work of perfection."

Gareth commented, "Don't worry about him, Zarine. He's got a thick skull."

Zarine didn't reply. She was busy pushing back all her stuff into the cupboard as quickly as possible.

"Here let me help," Cristiano said, laughing. He started folding the clothes and piling up the books but she grabbed everything and pushed closed the cupboard before anything else could fall out.

James jumped up, a red bra dangling from his ear, "Look here, Garry-Ooh I'm feeling a little dizzy." He clutched at the calendar hanging beside the cupboard for support. Yes, that very calendar that Zarine had borrowed from her parents' room to cover her shirtless Sergio Ramos poster.

The calendar tore away and there stood Sergio Ramos, utterly shirtless, abs gleaming in glory, facing the Trio, the words MARRY ME RAMOS written in bold lettering across the contours of his abs.

NOOO WHAT EVEN NOOOO!

Cristiano turned around, an eyebrow rising in question.

"Ooh, I wonder who put it there," Zarine laughed nervously. Ha ha ha. Shiiiit.

Before any of the Trio could voice their opinions about this new development, Cristiano's phone began to ring. He looked at the contact name and threw his phone at Gareth, "It's Benitez!"

Gareth caught it and looked back, "Damn, why is he calling you?"

"I don't know," Cristiano shrugged in worry. "You answer it!"

"Are you kidding me?" Gareth threw the phone at James. "You pick up!"

"No way," James threw the phone at Zarine. "I'm not supposed to be here. Let Zarry answer it."

Zarine just managed to catch it. Imagine Cristiano's iPhone slipping though her fingers and crashing into a million pieces. Nope, she wouldn't have let that happen.  She frowned, "Why aren't you guys answering your coach?"

Cristiano smiled innocently, "Uh he doesn't know we're here."

"I'm sensing that isn't a good thing?" she asked. "Oh wait, he cut the call."

The Trio collectively sighed, "Phew...saved."

"Umm, I didn't mean to read your message but Toni just messaged?" she made a sympathetic face. "And it's CRIS DO SOMETHING PEREZ IS HERE. HE'S GRILLING BENI @ THE PRACTICE."

She looked up with worry, "Are you guys in trouble? Oh umm, Cristiano? Perez is calling you now..."

[ THERE YOU GO PEEPS. THEY FINALLY WENT IN ZARINE'S ROOM HEHE :D But we have trouble in paradise now! Please tell us your views on the chapter xx

Ps - We are watching Madrid vs Sociedad rn and our boys are slayin!!!

And don't forget to VOTE AND COMMENT LOVIES ]