protocol | antoine griezmann ✓

To the first but not the last | One Shot

HAPPIER - ED SHEERAN

«But I guess you look happier, you do
My friends told me one day I'd feel it too
I could try to smile to hide the truth
I know I was happier with you.»    

-----

We, uh, we saw her. Last week. We think she's now engaged.

He couldn't stop thinking about it, even when he knew he shouldn't. The thing about it was...he really needed to stop thinking about what his teammates told him. He had no right to put that amount of attention into something that was supposed to be over for him. He wished he could blame his teammates for bringing it back, but it'd be stupid.

Engaged. Ring around her finger. Of course. It's not like life would stop for her just because whatever they used to have ended abruptly.

His hands reached for his phone and he did exactly what Fernando had told him not to do; he googled her name. He felt pathetic because really, he was a grown ass man and they weren't in high school. She had every right to move on with whoever she wanted to move on with just like him. There was just something inside of him that kept him from accepting it.

There were a few articles about her parents because of course, some information about H&R and then...his name, every-fucking-where. The news were from the time they broke up, their pictures crossed out as if to make clear that they were done. However, he didn't find what he was looking for.

Not a single thing about Alexandra Westorn being engaged. Her parents were quite famous, their divorce was everywhere in America, so why wouldn't her engagement be there with those news?

Now he did exactly what he told himself he wouldn't do; he was going to ask about it.

He called Saul, because out of everyone, he was the closest to her and also the one who brought the ring into the conversation when they were telling him she was in Madrid.

"Hey wh⸺"

"I googled about it and there are no news about it." Antoine interrupted him before he could even say hello.

"What?" Saul sounded genuinely confuse. Although they weren't in the same place, Antoine bet his teammate was frowning. "Can you like, I don't know, be more specific here?"

"Alexandra." He clarified, and he didn't miss Saul releasing a breath on the other side. "Look I know, shit I do, I shouldn't be asking about her and believe me this Saul, I tried really hard to keep myself from caring but it's Alexandra we are talking about, not some random girl. It's Alex."

It's Alex. Saul rolled his eyes at his tone. "You googled her name?" Antoine hummed. "Are you still in love with her?"

"No." His answer came quicker than both expected. He loved her, because that kind of love remains forever but he wasn't in love with her anymore. "I just⸺fuck, I know it sounds stupid, but you can't expect me to hear that Alexandra is engaged and act like it's normal. You know her."

"We said we thought she was engaged. We saw the ring and it looked like an engagement ring, but she never confirmed anything." Antoine recalled their conversation and sure Saul was right. They never explicitly told him she was engaged. "Maybe she isn't and that's just a ring. She loves those things, you know her."

Antoine tried to put two and two together and he indeed knew her, a lot. Alexandra Westorn would never wear something that could give away the slightest proof of an attachment if she didn't have it.