The Football Player And His Ballerina

Car Talk

Rob POV

I thought it would be another boring gala. However, I was surprised, those guys, the footballers, are crazy. It had been a long time since I laughed so much.

I was at the bar ordering a drink and talking to Liam and some random lady who approached us when the show started.

In the afternoon, Sophie said the performance was going to be really funny and sweet, adding Lara would love it. Sophie's work is amazing and I´m so proud of her.

Speaking of Lara...

I looked around the room to see if I could find her. I saw her sitting in her seat, with Sophie and that guy photo next to her. I remember the funny situation. Not the photo, but his demeanor! The lady had a beautiful body, he was mesmerized and then embarrassed as we caught him. Lucky guy, i think to myself remembering the perfect body i saw. But i was a lucky guy too...

Ivan's voice surprised me. I didn't know he would host the event. I rolled my eyes. I'm not really his fan. He is great in what he does, but there is something in him that annoys me or scares me, something is off in him.

I know that Lara holds him in high regard and they have been spending time together. There's something about him that makes me not trust him. Sophie says I'm jealous of him. Of course, it's not that. I know that no man or woman can come between me and Lara. I just wish he doesn't do something he would regret.

The children's videos are on display and i was touched by their genuine and innocent words. They talk as if our life is a dream. And it is, but our life has nightmares too, sacrifices and pain. But they are so innocent and only can see the glamour, the achievements we made, and only the other good stuff. I wished life was so easy as they see it, as a take a sip and smile.

When a little ballerina girl starts talking, her words move me, and my stomach tightens. I try to get away from the people around discreetly and try to head toward where Lara is. I know the girl's words touched Lara too, their stories are similar... i sign, remembering all...

Lara, like the little girl in the video, started ballet classes to forget the pain of losing her father, not for heaven as in the little girl's story, but because of other circumstances, I don't even want to think about. She always wanted to dance, but dance was her escape from reality.

Like that little girl, Lara had longed for her mother's happiness through the years. And because of that, I quickened my pace to get closer to her. I knew she could see herself in that tiny body without teeth.

When i approached her, I placed my hand on her shoulder, pressing it lightly, letting her know that i was next to her, not only in body but in emotion. I sigh and feel her hand land on mine. This is hard, for her and for me, we suffered a lot. Sometimes the guilt engulfs me. I really try to dismiss it, however, it's so hard... i breathe hard, trying to calm my thoughts.

When all the videos ended and Volkov said his goodbyes, Lara stood up and gave me a hug. I pressed her small body against mine, sighed, and gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead. How I wish I could erase half of our past... I´m so grateful for her love.

She left my embrace and she sweetly smiled, gazing at my green eyes.

I think it's time to say goodbye and go home. I texted Sophie, as she dismissed herself with a wide smile and a wink before, asking her if our presence would be necessary or if we could dismiss us too. Sophie quickly answered me saying we could go.

"Do you want to go home?", I asked my angel, whispering in her ear.

She looks me in the eyes and nods her head slightly.

On the trip home. Lara told me about her night, her conversation with Kyle. I also take the opportunity to tell her how I had fun with Liam and his comments. I informed her that we exchanged phone numbers and that we agreed to go out next week.

She looked surprised.

"What?" I ask, not taking my eyes off the road.

"Nothing! I think you do well to make friends outside of the ballet world", she replies, "Just don't forget you're committed! If you do something wrong, I'll never forgive you!" , she let me know, changing the music that is playing.

"Lara, please!" I laugh, rolling my eyes. She is so silly sometimes.

"I didn't know Volkov had come back from Paris. I thought he'd stay there longer.", I say trying to find out if they've been talking lately.

"Yes, he arrived this afternoon. He stopped by the dressing rooms earlier." She confesses, singing the song she hears.

"Oh, I thought you guys had stopped talking..." I reply, still thinking about her answer and with some concern, which I try to hide, obviously. The last thing i want now is a fight.

"No... I mean, at first yes, but then...". I interrumpt her.

"ok, ok, I'd rather not know," I say with a sigh. Ivan, entered the Kingdom at the same time as Lara and they quickly got closer, because they had some joint work. But about 4 months ago, he was invited to go to Paris. I was glad, but I never told her. Volkov is a more serious person than most people I know, he rarely talks to his colleagues. He was very different with Lara, like some personality disorder. How can someone change to another person so quickly? And the worst is that he seemed to have a knack for capturing her attention. There is something in the way he treated her, that didn't make me feel comfortable, I tried to alert Lara several times, but she always evaded the conversation and I, of course, had to trust her judgement, after all she is an adult.