The Football Player And His Ballerina

Champagne

Lara POV

"This house is magnificent". Sophie is ecstatic looking at all the details and touching. She really is shameless, and impolite.

"Glad you like it! It took me a long time to get it the way I wanted it" Yas tells us, while proudly showing us the rest of the house. "It's beautiful, Yas!"

"Let's have dinner by the pool. As the weather is good, let's enjoy it. Hope you don't mind," she sweetly asks.

"That's great!", Sophie and I replied almost in unison.

We heard a cell phone ring.

Yas answered. "Hi, Kyle (pause). Sure, we'll be waiting for you. Bye", she happily answered him. "Kyle will be here in a few minutes".

Yas went to the bar in their living room and opened one of the compartments. Took out three glasses, and opened a bottle of champagne, which she took from a refrigerator. With elegance, preventing it from sneezing, opened the bottle. She poured the glasses and handed them to each of us.

"Today is a day of joy. You can't refuse" she said shrugging her shoulders, chuckling and winking. "This is my favorite champagne, I hope you like it" and took a sip savoring it.

"Thank you," i said receiving my glass and also tasting it.

"So good". Sophie exclaims, also enjoying the drink.

" Let's go to the pool then. Tolga is waiting for us. "As we walked out the door, Yas stopped, politely letting us through first.

Sophie was the first to pass, and I was next. As soon as I had passed into the garden atrium, I felt something hit me. Something cold and liquid ran down my back. As my surprise came I heard Yas screaming.

"AU!" Yasmine yelled and grabbed her ankle. "I tripped, sorry Lara." She was still clinging to her ankle.

Tolga approached us in concern, looking at his wife's ankle with a worried face.

"Tolga, please help me to the couch," Yas asks, putting her arm around her husband's shoulders, and leaning in.

"Lara, I showed you to my room. Go to my closet, please, take off some clothes and change. You're dripping champagne". Yas told me.

I was kind of lost, not knowing what to do. I accepted her request because I was actually all soaked, I couldn't stay like that.

I was going to ask Sophie to come with me when Yas asked Sophie to help Tolga clean the mess she made when she tripped.

"Lara, you can take a shower if you want. The towels are there. I also have new underwear in the second drawer, in the back of the closet, you can use it. Take off whatever clothes you want", Yas informs with a smile.

It was one of the strangest things I've ever done. Going into a room of a person I barely know and going through their things. A room is a private thing. My underwear was dry. Luckily there was no need to change. But the shorts, top, and bra were soaked. I rinsed my body with water, as Yas suggested, or I was going to smell like champagne. I didn't feel well at all having a shower in someone's house, but I had to do it. When I finished, I facepalmed myself, because I had forgotten the dress I chose, so I would not need a bra, in the closet.

I opened the bathroom door, everything was silent. I had the towel rolled up and my underwear dressed. I approached the dress, and let the towel fall when I grabbed it. Since it had fallen, I took the opportunity and put the dress on quickly to avoid being seen by someone.

After getting dressed, I straightened it, took the towel putting it in place to have it washed. I looked in the mirror, fixed my hair, and put on my sandals which, even unintentionally, matched the white and yellow tones of the summer dress I chose.

When I was leaving the closet. I heard a knock on the bedroom door. Not knowing very well what to answer, since the room is not mine and it could be one of the owners of the house, I ended up opting for "You can come in".

"I was on my way out," I said hurriedly, afraid it might have taken me too long to change. The door was still opening and when the person finally walked in, my heart raced. Kyle.

"Hey Lara, I'm sorry. Yas asked for the first-aid box. Said it's kept in her closet. Can you help me?" Kyle asks, looking bit awkward and nervous. Oh yeah, the kiss came to my memory...

"Kyle, can you please forget what happened yesterday? Erase from memory, pretend it didn't happen? I feel so ashamed" I sigh as I almost beg".

Finally, he looked at me with his blue eyes. His face was almost expressionless if his eyes hadn't conveyed something like sadness... I push my thoughts away, it's certainly not sadness. Maybe I misinterpreted.

"Sure. It's the best. Nothing happened", he says almost in a whisper.

"Thanks, Kyle", I tell him, handing him the first-aid kit I found and picked up in the meantime.

I started to walk to the living room, and I felt his presence, in my tail. And that's when I started to be aware of all the movements I was doing. Something strange that I´ve never felt before. Usually, we walk and don't even think about every detail of our movement. But there I was, trying not to look nervous, trying to walk normally, but it was as if I couldn't.

"Yas, how are you?" I ask in concern when I see her still sitting up.

"I'm fine now. Kyle sorry for the inconvenience but I'm fine after all. You can put down the first aid, I'll pick it up later", Yas informs, as she gets up from the sofa, holding Tolga's hand. We followed the owners of the house to the garden, where we would have dinner, by the pool.

The space was elegantly prepared, with some candles, giving it a relaxed and romantic look.

Kyle and Tolga, both are wearing shorts, polo shirts, and sneakers, matching the relaxed atmosphere that the place conveys. Yas and Sophie are both wearing light and relaxed dresses that enhance their perfect shapes, each in their own way.

The candlelight makes Kyle even more attractive, my mind is mesmerized by him. I tried to push my thoughts away and look elsewhere.

"We can start dinner then," Yas happily informed as she occupied her place next to Tolga.

"Lara, Yas was super excited about dinner. It's not every day she has dinner with a celebrity she admires" Tolga told while smiling and caressing her wife's hand on the table. Wow! One day I would like to have a relationship like that, so beautiful.

"I'm grateful for the invitation. I hope to be able to return the sympathy in the future".

"Tolga, when Lara starts the new season, in the role of Giselle, call us and we'll arrange invitations". Sophie happily invites them, she is very fond of Yas, just like me.

"Kyle, are you coming with us then?" Yas asks. Kyle is very quiet and I could guess why but I tried to look as natural as possible. I feel so guilty.

"Sure", he replied without more words.

"Kyle, did you like the ballet you went to see?", this time it's Sophie making conversation, she must have thought he was too quiet.

"I enjoyed it. I happened to be surprised. I had a different idea". He confesses.

"Lara, how was it to reach the top?" Tolga's curiosity is normal. It's the question I'm most asked.

"I can't say it was difficult, I was very lucky. I worked hard and got it. But I was lucky, I never had any injury, and that helped a lot."

"Yes, football is similar... I understand. "

"I don't have to go on crazy diets, I can eat what I want without worrying about it. Some dancers suffer a lot to maintain their weight."

"Lara really has a lot of luck and easy life as a dancer. Her body is designed to dance. Others have more hardships down the way. However, I think the biggest negative impact was really her private life. She is obsessed with dancing and sometimes forgets to enjoy life more." Sophie told me, leaving me in shock.

This woman has the gift of embarrassing me, seems she takes pleasure in doing it. I smile tightly and tried not to give importance, otherwise, Sophie would make this even more embarrassing.

"We all have to make sacrifices to get where we are" this time was Kyle's voice, who, looking at Sophie intently said.

"You are right, Kyle, all the athletes have to make sacrifices. A dancer trains between 6 to 8 hours a day. Between stretching, classes, rehearsals, and other strengthening activities. And this, if they don't have performances, if they do, they will work more hours. They have to train every day or they start to lose flexibility. A dancer, no matter how famous, doesn't receive even half of what a footballer receives and doesn't even have an elite medical team like the big teams have. A footballer can play better or worse, a dancer always has to be perfect or loses his place", Sophie said.

"Of course, you have other problems and risks, just like all sports have. Whether it's dance or sport, the sacrifices are enormous, as well as dedication and effort", Sophie continues to explain herself. Perhaps she realized that her comparison of ballet to football could provoke discussion.

"What is your biggest difficulty as a dancer?" Yas's soft voice and her smile asked me out of curiosity.

"Pain. Pain is my biggest". I confess admitting for the first time. Maybe this is the first step to getting better emotionally. Admit my great fragility, even if I don't tell them the whole truth.

"Pain?" Sophie looks at me in shock and worry. I have hidden my physical pain from everyone. Yes, I've been having some problems lately and it hasn't been very easy to deal with.

"Yes, pain. At the beginning of the season, the body is in perfect shape, everything goes well. When we get to the middle, the body starts to feel tired. The cramps, the muscle aches, the small injuries. When my body starts to exhaust, the pain starts to increase. It was like that in the season before, and in this one too, but with you footballers, it should happen the same." I try to change the subject, I don't want to go deeper into the topic. Not here and even less not now.

"What strengthening activities do you do?" Tolga asks, in concern but also in curiosity.

"Well, swimming, yoga, running, and sometimes tennis".

"The best way for a dancer to avoid injuries is to work the muscles that dance doesn't work. There is a certain decompensation. Dance demands a lot, but always from the same muscles. By strengthening others, I reduce the probability of getting injured and my body is stronger and more resistant". Tolga nods in acknowledgment and nods slightly, as if in approval.

"Kyle also likes to play tennis, just like Yas and I do. Sophie and you?".

"Sports only in gym or tv", Sophie said while chuckling.

"We have to arrange a game for the four of us. What do you think?", we three nodded.

Dinner continued calmly. Kyle also told how he exercises his body, just like Tolga. Yas and Sophie also exchanged various opinions about decor and I was intervening in both conversations whenever possible.

"Lara, Sophie, I want to show you something. Come with me. Men will stay here talking about men's things." Yas says between laughs and winking at Tolga, who got up and kissed her lightly, before seeing her leave. Kyle managed a small smile and shifted in his chair to make himself more comfortable.

"How beautiful!" I said, still ecstatic.

The album that Yas gave us is her portfolio. It is full of artistic photographs, all in black and white, and most of all were athletes. Among the pages of photos, there were pages from magazine covers, with photos taken by Yas.

One of the photos is of Kyle, semi-naked, with a football and a sheet flying in the front half of his body. His muscles are perfect and without me noticing, my fingers run sweetly over the photo. Sophie hits me with her elbow, calling my attention. Yas doesn't seem to have noticed, to my relief.

"Wow, who took these photos?", Sophie asks without noticing it was Yasmine. Her name was on the cover of the portfolio.

"Me! I am a professional photographer. Do you like it?"

"Perfect!"Sophie doesn't hide her admiration.

"Ah, the models helped" Yas laughs.

"The way you capture their emotions is perfect, Yas, congratulations. I say, hugging her."

"Thank you, my dear! Shall we meet the guys then?” Yas suggests.

“Sure,” Sophie replied and I nodded.

The boys were drinking and chatting happily. We joined the conversation.

After two hours, I realized how late it was.

"Yas, Tolga, thanks for the pleasant evening but I have to go. Tomorrow is photoshoot day, I have to rest" I said, with Sophie agreeing with me.