Ruben and Carla have grown apart. With Rubens career taking off he leaves Portugal to live the life of his dreams, breaking Carla's heart doing so. Years later, upon his return home, Ruben learns that Carla has moved on, happily engaged to another man, but not any man, Ruben's childhood bully João Mendes.

Enjoy!

The wedding was back on. Or at least Carla's mother thought it was. She even went as far as to book a dress fitting. Carla only went along knowing how happy it made her mother. She could always keep the dress for the right moment. Or better yet, the right man.

Nevertheless, Carla and João agreed to take things slow, without any pressure to rekindle their relationship, and for that Carla was thankful. She was happy to stay with her mother whilst João stayed with his parents. They agreed to meet up for lunch a couple of times a week, which was great, however that one time they ran into Ruben was more than awkward for Carla. He came jogging down the street whilst they were walking hand in hand. Ruben looked to be in full beast mode as he was focused on his workout, ear pods in his ears. Not to mention the sweat dripping from the split ends of his hair. Carla did her best not to stare. Ruben's steps had altered at the sight of them, Carla and João, reunited, holding hands. Carla convinced herself that she only let go out of sheer surprise of seeing Ruben. João, on the other hand, wasn't as convinced.

"Ah, Ruben Dias." He sighed, but by then Ruben had backed off, rushing to cross the street once the roads were clear. "He's never been very articulate, that guy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Carla muttered, her hands now stuffed in her pockets.

"It doesn't matter." João chuckled. "To be honest, I thought your reason for coming back here was to see him."

"Who, Ruben?"

"Yeah. I mean with him being back to train with the national team and all. It made sense that you'd be running back to him."

"To you." Carla frowned. "It made sense to you. I came here to see my mother and you know that, João."

"I know, I know." He said, quick to grab Carla's hand by pulling it out of her pocket. He kissed the back of it. "Let's not fight, okay?"

She nodded, ignoring her rising temper that often came with João's sly comments, especially the ones he'd make about Ruben, long after Carla considered herself over him. "Okay." She said, happy to move on from the conversation.

Another thing Carla found annoying about João was his inability to use his phone for what it was originally intended for. A simple call to cancel their latest lunch plans could have prevented Carla from hitting the road during a full blown rainstorm. Carla discovered João's text message when she got stuck at a stop light.

"Great." She sighed and made the attempt to make a U-turn. It was only possible since it appeared that Carla was the only person stupid enough to be out driving in the rain.

She got as far as to the next intersection, but unfortunately it was flooded with water and mud, making it impossible for her mother's Nissan to come through.

"Fuck!" Carla slapped her hands on the steering wheel. She was stuck.

The winds howled and the rain lashed down, making it difficult for her to see more than a few feet in front of her. Carla got impatient and made the mistake of getting out of her car. She got back in as quickly as she had stepped out. She sat there, shivering and soaked to the bone, with no idea of what to do. Then came a figure approaching through the rain.

"It can't be."

"Mrs Fernandes?"

He knocked on the window.

"Mrs Fernandes are you okay? It's me, Ruben."

"Ruben?"

Carla pulled the car door open to find him soaked from head to toe, looking down at her with wide eyes.

"Carla?"

He had been out jogging despite the storm, recognizing her mother's old car. How couldn't he? She's had it for centuries. Ruben looked like a drowned rat, but Carla was grateful to see him.

"Ruben! Thank goodness you're here!" she exclaimed. "The car broke down and I can't seem to get it started again."

Ruben peered inside the car, his eyes widening as he saw the steam rising from Carla's damp clothes. "What are you doing out here in this mess?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

"I was supposed to meet..." She paused, to which Ruben raised a brow. "It doesn't matter. Help me get the hell out of here."

Ruben nodded, his teeth chattering. "Move."

He made Carla unbuckle her belt and scoot over to the passenger seat. As Ruben took the wheel, Carla couldn't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia. The two of them had many first in her mother's car, which was really her dad's old car. Their first kiss, their first time holding hands. Carla even got as far as giving Ruben his first blow job in this car. Hopefully, a memory only remains between the two of them.

It was strange though, being stranded with him in the middle of a storm. But it was clear that Ruben would always be there for her family no matter what. He would have done the same to her mother as he did to her.

"Thanks for helping me, Ruben," Carla said, her voice softening. "I really appreciate it."

Ruben glanced over at her, his eyes locked on hers. "Are you cold?" he said, his voice low and husky.

"A little. Mostly my hands."

Carla was shocked as Ruben pulled the car over to the side of the road. He had just gotten it going again, away from the puddles.

"Give them to me."

"What?"

"Your hands, give them to me."

Carla did what she was told, putting her hands in Ruben's. He cupped them together and blew into the cradle, the warmth of his breath heating up her skin.

It was the little things. Carla remembers loving Ruben for the little things he did, like never letting her freeze on his watch.

"Is that better?" He asked.

"Much better."

Ruben continued to blow despite it, just to be sure.

"What about you?"

"Me?" Ruben looked up form her hands, a slight shiver in his voice.

"You're gonna catch a cold." She said, quickly reaching for the blankets her that her mother kept in the backseat. Carla made the motion of throwing it over her shoulders along with Ruben's, however she froze mid movement as Ruben tugged at the back of his shirt, pulling it over his head in one swift motion.

"Right." Carla said, as he looked at her expectantly. She let the blanket rest in her lap as she made the motion to remove her own top, however her hands were still a bit numb from the cold.

"Let me."

Heat rose to Carla's face when Ruben offered to help. "Ruben you don't..."

"What?" He chuckled. "It's not like I haven't done it a thousand times before."

It was true. In this very car too. Borrowing Carla's parents' car and letting Ruben take her down to the creek to watch the sundown, was how she spent most of her Fridays as a teenager. But that was a long time ago.

"There." He said, having helped Carla drape the blanket over their shoulders. They now sat elbow to elbow, skin gracing skin. The warmth of Ruben's body made her realize one thing.

"Why were you out jogging in the rain?"

Ruben turned his head, but turned it back to watch the rain run down the window shield. It didn't matter, Carla already knew the answer.

"Ruben, if there's a problem you could always talk to..."

"I thought you wanted nothing to do with me?"

Carla sighed. "I was gonna say a professional."

Ruben nodded. "Of course you were."

"Compulsive exercising is a disorder that you shouldn't feel ashamed about." She said, careful with her words. Not many people knew about Ruben's and his ways, how he thought that he always had to be up and about to be somebody in this world. A reason for Carla's move from England back to Portugal was because Ruben could never seem to get it through his head that with or without football, she loved him nonetheless.

"Could you just pretend?" Ruben sighed.

Carla frowned. "Pretend?"

"Pretend that I'm a stranger. That you don't know anything about me and me you. That sitting in this car half naked isn't something bizarre, considering your family, including your fiance, is probably worried sick, wondering where you are right now and would be fuming to know that you're with me, a man who refuses to go to therapy for his compulsive exercise disorder. A man who would rather fuck around than to find out what's wrong with him. A man that you want nothing to do with. A man that doesn't deserve to have anything to do with you, or your promise. Could you just do that, Carla? Pretend, just this once?"

Carla nodded, her head lowering itself to rest against Ruben's shoulder. She whispered, "I can pretend."

"Good."

It would be like a dream. A dream soon to be forgotten.

"Are you still cold?"

"A little."

"Give me your hands."

Then again, Carla has always been a lucid dreamer.

Part 10  and 11  are already out on my Patreon (Link Below!)

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