Fever Dream ~ Neymar Jr

Chapter 75

2018

See her come down, through the clouds

I feel like a fool

I reached Valentine's party a little before midnight. She had already arrived, so I wasn't there for the surprise or for singing happy birthday as she blew the candles, but maybe it was better, since I was a lousy company after all that happened today.

It wasn't just everything with 3P, it was also, and maybe even more so, the discussion with Neymar before Riberi called. And all the things he knew... And there was only one way he'd know them.

I walked up to David, who was snuggled on a couch with Clara in his arms. They looked so cute together and so happy, as they laughed at something David said, that I decided it could wait till later...

"Liv!" Clara said when she saw me. "Come here." I sat across from them.

"Are you still thinking about 3P? I'm sure whatever happened, there is a simple explanation." David said. "Maybe Coto made a mistake when he set the parameters."

"I don't know David, maybe. But it seems unlikely. He knows how to use it. And I saw with my own eyes, as it produced the wrong predictions." I said.

"Put it out of your mind. There is nothing to be done now, and we won't know for a few days." David said.

"Exactly. And it's a party. We need to have some fun." Clara added. "Unless, there is more than 3P that is troubling you." She said, looking at Saad who was chatting to a leggy blonde across the room.

"No." I said, following her eyes. "He has my blessing to get on with whoever he wants." I said. "But... I wanted to talk to you, when you can." I told David. He and Clara looked at each other. "It's no rush." I added. Clara disentangled herself from his arms and got up.

"I'll let you guys talk."

"I'm sorry about that." I told David.

"It's okay. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Something Neymar said today."

"Of course, it's about Neymar."

I ain't got nothing left to give

Nothing to lose

"He knew about what happened after we broke up two years ago. He knew that you sent me money to change my flight, he knew about the online jobs I did for cash and what his mom told me that night."

David sighed. "I told him."

"Why?"

"Because he needed to know, Liv. He needed to know all of that to understand fully, why you behaved the way you did. I should have done this sooner. And you need to know some things too."

"What things?"

"Before the party that night, his mom spoke to him. Now she didn't say any of the things she told you, instead she told him she liked you very much. She thought you were a great girl. But she was afraid you didn't love her son, not like he loved you."

"That is a lie!" I exclaimed. "Why would she—"

"Because she knew that you wouldn't go to Neymar and tell him what she told you. She realized, ever since you overheard her in Brazil and you didn't tell Neymar, that you were never going to tell him that she wasn't nice to you, because you didn't want to hurt him. And she used that. Because when she told you that night that you were after his money, you didn't tell Neymar, instead you pulled away from him. And Neymar saw you pull away—"