la vie en rose, trent alexander-arnold

xv

i love you

after their date, which had once again gone perfectly, and while neither of them wanted to part with the other, preferring to let the evening go on, trent had invited maisie to his home. unable to refuse, she had found herself taking a tour of his house, trent claiming that he had 'something to show her'. having already set foot in his house many times, the girl wondered what was left to discover.

pressing his fingers on the light switch, the lights awaken the smaller version of a football field in the room and maisie lets her mouth twist into a surprised 'o'. the temperature much warmer than outside, she takes the opportunity to slip her coat off her shoulders before tucking it between her two arms crossed over her stomach. her heels click on the floor as she moves slowly forward, observing her surroundings as trent looks at her with a loving smile.

"what? you don't have a flower shop at home?" arching an eyebrow, he laughs fondly and maisie rolls her eyes.

"excuse me, mister i-am-a-footballer," joking, it's only as she scans her gaze more diligently that she notices the studs set up on the ground as well as the two outfits. a tender smile dancing on her lips, she questions, "you set all this up for me?"

nodding shyly, trent confirms, "of course, i told you i had to teach you. i'm a man of my word," his hand brought to his chest, where his heart is, she laughs as she feels hers melt under his repeated attentions. "ok, here!" the player exclaims as he tosses her some of the more appropriate gear for the sporting activity they were about to embark on.

as soon as she is changed, he begins to explain the major rules of football to her; maisie is now an expert in corners, free kicks, offsides and penalties. once all this theoretical information has been recorded, the boy decides to move on to practice and the bad shots from the florist follow one another under her curses. but to the great pleasure of the boy who watches her get irritated, a laugh on his lips.

"it's not funny! how do you manage to do it the first time and i'm struggling? i'm fed up," an almost capricious pout draws the features of her face and the player shakes his head, laughing at her impatience.

"the key is practice," laying the ball at her feet once again, trent gives her some more directions, ordering the girl to shoot in the top right corner.

a long sigh escapes her pursed lips and she stands ready —even if she has little faith in it. yet, to her surprise, the ball lands perfectly where trent has indicated, caressing the net to perfection.

"trent! i scored!" maisie almost yells as she raises her arms victoriously in the air, and he laughs as he opens his eyes wide, waiting for her to hug him.

immediately throwing herself into his arms, the boy takes a step backwards, wrapping his hands around her waist, and nestles his face in her neck. her brown hair falls over his face, but he couldn't care less. smelling her delicate scent and feeling her body resting against his do him a world of good.

"i scored, can you believe it?" maisie breathes, then pulls away from him so she can look him in the eye better, "you're a great coach, really. if football ever stops working for you, you know what to do," finally breaking away from him, she starts to place the ball back on the penalty spot, a renewed motivation running through her entire body.

trent follows the girl, looking at her with admiration. with her red jersey, her cheeks coloured the same shade by the effort and her hair twirling, she looks like an angel.

"i don't know how you guys do to run ninety minutes, my body could never," maisie has her foot on the ball, ready to shoot again but she turns back to trent one last time to question him, "how many hours do you practice per week to achieve this level of athleticism? thirty hours?" her eyebrows furrow even more as she looks at him, "or maybe forty i don't—"

"i love you," trent breathes out, and when he realizes what he just said, he bites his lips hard.

he's been thinking about telling her for some time, and he finds himself surprised that the three little words came out at this moment. yet, despite his fear of her reaction, he appreciates the weight lifted from his shoulders since his confession. however, when maisie's eyebrows furrow after the boy's words, trent feels a small knot bind in the pit of his stomach.

"you really had to say that to me when i look like this," with both hands, she points at her attire in a falsely irritated tone, regretting the long black dress and high heels she took off an hour earlier.

a smirk appears on trent's lips and he begins to observe her more carefully. in her oversized grey jogging suit, his 66 shirt on her back, her cheeks flushed and her hair in disarray, maisie has never looked better.

"you're perfect," he declares, still smiling, and the girl is forced to let down every barrier. looking into his eyes with a breathtaking smile, trent truly feels like the luckiest man in the world.

"more kisses, less talk," maisie jokes as she takes a few steps towards him.

trent doesn't hesitate, he moves closer and gently presses his lips to hers. the contact causes a wave of emotion to ripple through her, as it always does, and their mingled breaths result in her losing her mind. seconds later, trent's hands begin to roam over her waist before he places them just above the hem of her jogging suit. maisie smirks against his mouth, and they continue to kiss passionately without the slightest desire to pull away.

"okay," trent finally catches his breath and breaks away from her, pushing her towards the goal, "go take the penalty now, top left corner this time."

maisie acquiesce before smiling as she reaches for the ball still on the ground and trent watches her do so, still shaken by what just happened.

with her foot on it, ready to take the shot, she suspends her gesture and turning back to him one last time, declares with a voice full of emotion, "and by the way, i love you too, trent."

— notes.
next chapter is
the epilogue
i'm heartbroken
but tysm for 5k💞