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

97.

Spotify (xbarcaxsquad) Playlist (listen in order): https://tinyurl.com/yuzmp2ys

-Neymar POV-

I was happy for Katerina but watching her fit into Oscar's world made me think about how she had fit into mine. The way Oscar's parents treated her made it seem like she was a part of the family. It was a point she and I hadn't gotten to when it came to my family. Rafa loved Katerina, of course, but I thought about the fact she had never formally met my parents, aside from the unfortunate walk of shame run-in on the day of my suspension. My father wasn't exactly her biggest fan after that and definitely not after the complicated negotiations with PSG. I loved Katerina for everything she was but it was hard for my parents and friends back home not to get caught up in the headlines when they'd never met her. Here, however, everyone knew Katerina and everyone loved her. She really was the princess of Santiago and it looked like Oscar was next in line for the throne of his own. Clara's words still loomed over my head like a dark cloud and the longer the night persisted, the more I realized what her advice meant. It had been so easy for me to put my life on hold for Katerina. I hadn't spoken to Rafinha or Alexis since I left Barcelona and had no clue what was going on in Barcelona or back home in Brazil. I hadn't even been able to facetime my son as much as I wanted to because of all the chaos. It felt like my life had been on pause while Katerina's was fast-forwarding by. While our applause finally died down, so did my ability to keep the smile on my face.

Javier must've picked up on my mood because I saw him looking at me when I turned my attention back to the table. "Hey, Neymar, wanna grab a drink?" Javier offered me. He wasn't the type of guy to take no for an answer so I nodded. "Ana, quieres?" he asked her but she shook her head politely and we headed to the bar. The bartender smiled at us and Javier requested something I didn't expect from a person of his status, two ice-cold Coronas. "Salud," he said.

"Wouldn't have pegged you for a beer kind of guy," I chuckled and clinked my bottle with his.

"Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it tastes good and that champagne is living proof," he shrugged with a chuckle and took a swig. I swallowed the cold beer and caught him glancing back at the table where Anada was. She was already looking at us but looked away quickly. "You and Anada seem close. She told me her boyfriend is your best friend and teammate, right?" he asked.

"Rafinha, yeah. They're great together," I nodded. It almost amused me to think about how the roles had reversed. Once upon a time, Katerina and I were the stable couple and now Ana and Raf had us beat by a long shot.

"He treats her well I hope. That girl deserves all the love in the world," he smiled. "Anada's an absolute gem, both of them are," he added.

"Agreed," I said, taking another sip.

"Listen, about earlier, I didn't mean to insinuate you were interested in Clara. I apologize if I offended you. I only meant she can't be trusted. I noticed you two speaking when I arrived and I saw it made Katerina pretty upset. You'll understand I'm just looking out for her," he said sincerely.

"No worries, man, I get it," I nodded. "I know you and Clara had a past and you and Katerina went through a lot together."

He scoffed. "I highly doubt our past is what she chose to occupy your time with," he raised an eyebrow.

"More about Katerina and Oscar's past," I muttered and took another large swig.

"Ah," he nodded thoughtfully. I glanced over at them and was instantly taken back to the night I had been the one standing where Oscar was, at the Vera Foundation gala months before, talking to many of the same Chilean press outlets. "Oof, I get it now," he huffed. I diverted my attention back to him and furrowed my eyebrows at him shaking his head at me. "You and Kat slept together and complicated it," he deduced.