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"Is it really necessary?"
Neymar frowned, still focused on the road.
"What do you mean, of course it is! Do you know what day it is?"
"Yep, Saturday."
"The 16th! Christmas is in nine days, Cassie, nine!"
"It's no big deal," she shrugged, and he looked offended.
"Christmas is in nine days and your apartment looks like we are in the middle of any other month but December! What happened to the Christmas spirit?"
"My office is decorated. We have a big Christmas tree at the entrance and—"
"The training center is decorated as well but that's not a reason. You need the Christmas spirit everywhere with you."
She shook her head with a smile.
"I thought your apartment was that decorated because of your son. I didn't know the father was in love with Christmas as well."
"I really like Christmas," he nodded, "Christmas Eve is definitely my favorite day of the year. Before my birthday. Before the Champions League finale."
"I never really celebrated Christmas Eve. I just spend Christmas with my aunt."
"Well, there is a first for everything, It is going to be the best Christmas Eve you've ever spend. Mark my words."
"Confident much?" she raised an eyebrow, and Neymar laughed.
He has such a cute laugh, she thought before insulting herself for thinking that. C'mon Cassie, focus, you have to pretend to be in love with him, not to fall literally in love with him.
"And now, we are going to have the best shopping of your entire life."
She laughed, shaking her head.
"Whatever you say."
_
"Look at this cute thing!"
"You don't even know what it is."
"Yeah, that's why I said 'thing'. Plus, you don't know what it is either."
Cassie frowned.
"I think it's a candlestick."
"Amazing, we should totally buy one."
"I don't even have candles, Neymar."
"We can buy candles as well."
She crossed her arms.
"No we can't because I won't use them and unfortunately I'm not rich enough to buy things that I don't use."
"It's okay, I'm paying for everything," he shrugged as if it was absolutely normal, and she laughed.
"No, you're not."
"Remember what I said when you accepted to be my girlfriend for a week? That I'll pay you back. It's part of it. I'm paying for everything and I'm not asking for your opinion."
Cassie sighed.
"You really don't have to do that. I'll pretend to be your girlfriend for free."
"That's absolutely unfair because you have nothing to win doing that."
I do. I'm spending time with my hot neighbor.
"I don't want you to spend your money on useless things like that."
"Are you calling the Christmas decoration 'useless things'?" he asked, offended.
She smiled.
"Sorry. I don't want you to spend your money on...Christmas decoration because...you just don't have to. I can pay for it, really. I just have those things for the Christmas tree, it's gonna be like, what, 30€?"
"Okay, let's make a deal. You can pay for that, but I'll pay for the Christmas tree."
Cassie sighed before thinking about it. Either he was paying for everything or just for the tree. She didn't need to think twice about it.
"Fine. Deal."
Neymar smiled.
"Amazing. Do you need something else?"
"Nope. We can go to the checkout."
_
Neymar had the biggest Christmas tree on his apartment. Cassie knew it because she saw it with her own eyes, but she didn't expect less from a rich football player with a five-ish years old son.
However, she didn't want the same one in her apartment.
"This one is too high, Neymar," she said when he stopped in front of a giant Christmas tree.
"Are you kidding me?" he scoffed. "He's like, two meters."
"Exactly. Two meters is too much. I'm fucking 1m61, Neymar."
"I love the way you pronounce my name. It's so French."
She raised an eyebrow.
"That's probably because I am French," she said, and he rolled his eyes.
"It was a compliment."
"Thank you, Neymar," she shook her head. "But I still don't want that tree."
"Fine," he gave up, "stubborn."
"What did you just call me?" she crossed her arms.
"Stubborn. Because that's what you are."
"Do you know what you are? A forceur."
"What does that mean? I heard it a lot in the locker room but I still don't understand what it means."
"I don't think there is a translation in any other language. It's just...Un forceur. Someone who never give up, insist and insist all the time."
"I guess that it's supposed to be pejorative, but that's not how I see it," he smiled. "I like being a forceur. At least, I'm not the stubborn one."
"I like this one," Cassie stopped walking to look closely at a shorter Christmas tree, and Neymar sighed: he didn't. Time to fight again.
_
"You have to wear that."
"What if I don't want to?"
"It's just a Christmas hat. Why do you keep arguing with me?"
"I don't," Cassie shook her head. "I just...nevermind. Give me the hat."
Neymar smiled and gave her a Santa Claus hat, exactly the same one that he was wearing. They were back in Cassie's apartment and to decorate it, he needed Cassie to be in the Christmas spirit, which was harder that he thought.
"You don't really like, Christmas, do you?" Neymar finally asked once they were both focused on decorating the tree.
"I told you, I usually don't celebrate it. I'm not used to all those decorations and stuff. But I guess that I don't have any other choice than getting used to it."
Neymar smiled.
"Look at you not being stubborn, that's a first."
"I can't say likewise. You're still a forceur."
He shook his head with a smile, and she stopped decorating the tree to look at him.
