LENNOX ▸ RUBEN LOFTUS-CHEEK

THIRTY-SEVEN • INVINCIBLE

It was the fifth day of not seeing Ruben and Lennox was at ballet practice when her phone started madly buzzing. She'd never seen it so adamant to be heard; during a break, she snuck a peak at it and immediately felt her heart drop.

At that moment, she couldn't have cared less that they were fighting, that they hadn't seen each other in nearly a week. She was going to be there for him right now. Lennox gathered all her things and made a hasty exit out of the Royal Opera House in her black tutu, figuring she could change once she got to the hospital; for now, the most important thing was getting there as quickly as possible.

It took her exactly 24 minutes to get to the hospital and in that time, she tried calling Ruben, his mum and all his siblings. She finally got a hold of Isaac, who picked up the phone and immediately started the conversation with, "You gotta breath, Lenny."

She gripped the steering wheel tighter until her fingertips turned a pale while color. "What's going on, Isaac?"

"How close are you to the hospital?" he asked in return.

"Five minutes."

"We'll explain in person. But he is going to be completely fine, Len. You know Rubes. He pushes through everything and comes out on top."

The next five minutes were absolute hell for Lennox. She rushed into the hospital, following Isaac's directions to Ruben's room until she found it, and maybe more importantly, found Lavinia pacing outside it.

Even in her frazzled state, she knew that this was a moment she had to play her big sister role. So Lennox took a deep breath and made her way over to the teenager.

"Hey, Vinni," she softly greeted, allowing the girl to pull her into a tight embrace after glancing at the tears threatening to pour out of her brown eyes. Lavinia slowly started shaking in Lenny's hold and her tears started soaking Lenny's shirt at the shoulder.

"Vinni, love, I need you to breathe for me. Can you try and even out your breathing?" Vinni silently nodded and did as told as Lenny continued. "He's going to be just fine. You know your big brother; he's invincible. He's been injured before and been completely fine after recovering. This is just another one of those times. And I know it's scary now but in time, it'll get easier, just like last time. You remember how it got easier, right?"

Vinni nodded, the words comforting to her. When they pulled away, she let out a small giggle in between her sniffles.

"What?" Lenny asked her.

"Your outfit," Vinni stated, making Lennox realize she was standing in this hospital in her black leotard and tutu.

The two girls laughed it out, the giggles lightening the situation a bit. "Is your brother in there?" Vinni nodded. "I'm going to go in for a minute to see him, okay? Then I'll be right back out."

She slowly walked into Ruben's room after squeezing Vinni close to her once more. The room smelt like hospitals, the scent of rubbing alcohol and formaldehyde in the air. She saw Ruben's legs before she saw him. He was wearing a hospital gown, his bare legs stretching for miles as they sat elongated on the bed. His mum was at his side, beside Isaac who was the first to see Lenny when she entered.

"What are you wearing, then?" he joked, walking closer to her and pulling her into a hug.

"I brought a change of clothes. I left right from practice," she excused, rolling her eyes as Isaac mussed up her hair. She playfully shoved his hands away, making eye-contact with Ruben in the process.

She hadn't seen him for five days. He looked different. Darker. He'd certainly gained a tan training in the sunny Boston heat. He smiled softly at her, glad she was here. And she smiled back at him, forgetting their problems for a moment to instead revel in how much she missed him.

"Hi, love," Ruben's mom stated, interrupting the stare the two shared. Lenny turned to Juliette, allowing the older women to bring her into a hug. "You look silly," she commented to lighten the mood. "And beautiful."

That brought a smile onto Lennox's face. They pulled away and she made her way to Ruben.

"Lenny—" She cut him off by crushing him in a hug.

She didn't say anything, afraid her tears would come spilling out; she didn't want Lavinia to see that.

Instead, she leaned into the feeling of Ruben wrapping his muscular arms around her and rubbing the small of her back with his thumb. Their relationship was complicated right now but he knew she would be there the moment she got the call about him being in the hospital.

"I'm going to be okay," he whispered into her ear. She pulled away, pressing a quick kiss to his lips and wiping away any remnants of tears in her eyes.

"I know," she sniffled. "You just worried me."

He apologized for that but felt his heart completely melt at the fact that she had worried so much about him. He didn't need the confirmation of her love but nevertheless loved when she worried about him because he saw that she cared so, so much.

"Fucking Yanks," she cursed, leaning back and wiping at her eyes. She could feel her hatred for the New England Revolution growing to unfathomable heights. It wasn't often that Lenny hated someone but she was certainly not a fan of this team for injuring Ruben in a friendly game.

"What about Christian?" he asked cheekily, grinning up at her.

Christian Pulisic was an American player who was coming to play at Chelsea next season; Lennox and Ruben had met him when he came to London to sign his contract and the couple absolutely loved hanging out with him. They couldn't wait for summer so that he could come and train and make friends with them!

"Christian doesn't count," Lennox told him, "he's an angel."

And with that, Ruben couldn't disagree.

Lavinia walked back inside when the doctor came, informing the family of Ruben's injury. The scans showed that he had ruptured his Achilles. The doctor stated he'd need surgery, which the family already suspected. As they prepped Ruben for his surgery, Lennox and Lavinia sat by his bed, squeezing together on the bedside one-seater provided to them.

Ruben watched them play games on their phones, exchange gossip and even watch a few episodes of a new Netflix show they'd started together. He watched the love of his life calm down his sister's nerves and thought to himself, I don't deserve her. She's perfect.

He knew they would have to have a conversation sooner or later about their fight, but for now, he enjoyed watching his favorite girls spend some quality time together.