One Night in Santiago/Football Under Flashing Lights (Neymar Jr. Fan Fiction)

93.*

Playlist (listen in order): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/62IImx4yttJd5cQfqrXu3V?si=30d5ac215b7647b2

-Katerina POV-

I lay in my bed wide awake even though it was after midnight and I was definitely tired. Dinner was more than filling and for dessert, Oscar and I had secretly brought home a chocolate cake from Anada's favorite bakery. She would've easily eaten the whole thing on her own if it weren't for Neymar and Oscar being as quick with a fork as she was. Dinner had been a good time and when we were done, we watched Anada's favorite movie. Anada forced Oscar to spend the night since she was having a good time and he made the couch his home for the night. It was a good distraction for all of us and I was glad to see Neymar and Oscar laughing together and Rafaella getting to know the real Oscar that Anada and I grew up with. I was glad that at least those birthday traditions weren't lost in the madness of everything else.

I turned on my left side.

Ah, the madness of everything else. Everything was out in the open, well, almost everything. The important thing was that we were all safe under one roof and had one common goal: take down Damon and anyone else making threats against us. We'd crossed a name off of that list earlier tonight and it was relieving. Having my estate back made me feel almost normal, though I wouldn't officially have access to it for another few days. Damon hadn't made a move to communicate with me and it was safe to say he was squirming under Clara's outburst at his party. Clara was still a wildcard but it was safe to say we'd find out for sure very soon. I knew neither one of them was going to miss the Opazo gala. Drs. Roberto and Eliana Opazo held the gala annually to celebrate the foundation's achievements and raise money for much-needed medical research. As a result, A-list donors took over the guest list. It was also the only night of the year that the Opazo's allowed press around them, making the entrance carpet the most published one of the year. I thought about the last one I'd been to, two years ago, when I had attended with Damon. Oscar hadn't been there since he was away at medical school. I cringed at the memory. This year would certainly be different.

I turned back on my right side.

It wasn't any of that that was keeping me up right now and I wasn't necessarily willing to accept what actually was. I grabbed my phone and sighed at the time. 1:13 in the morning. I looked at Neymar's name in my contact and thought about how it would look if I texted him right now. I made a split decision to text Oscar instead. 'Are you awake?' I sent before I gave myself time to reconsider.

'Yeah, my sleep schedule is jacked because of overnight hospital shifts but why are you?' his response said.

'My sleep schedule is just jacked period lol,' I wrote back.

His typing bubble came up and disappeared. A minute or so later, my bedroom door opened and he poked his head in. I propped myself up in my bed and he took a seat on top of my duvet beside me. "Are you scared to sleep by yourself?" he asked.

"A little," I admitted. It wasn't too long ago that I closed my eyes and woke up in a place I didn't recognize.

He nodded. "Do you want to sleep with you?" he asked. The question caught me off guard. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Rina," he said after he saw my face when I didn't answer him.

I rolled my eyes but nodded. "You don't have to sleep on the floor this time," I assured him with a chuckle. He was relieved to hear it and shifted into a laying position on top of the duvet, respectfully separating us. I pulled the duvet on me and laid my head against my soft pillow. "Can you tell me about some boring doctory stuff? My mind is just racing and I need something to distract myself," I asked in a whisper.

"One, it's not boring and two, close your eyes," he replied. I breathed a chuckle but obeyed. He yawned softly. "Okay so the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell-"