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leilakisakabiri · 1 year ago

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Once You Know (Pedri)

Summary: The three times Pedri tried to confess his feelings for you, and the one time he succeeded.

A/N: Had to post for Pedri's birthday (three days late oops)! Happy 21st to him. Requests are open.

Word count: 3.6k+

Masterlist

The first time he felt an urge to tell you how beautiful you looked he nearly gave himself whiplash turning to do a double take. It was his 21st birthday party and he had gone all out. Hosting a private party on a famous rooftop club in Barcelona. You had just moved to Barcelona the month before - entering your final year of university and having an internship in the city.

He was ecstatic to have you there. You two had been friends since you were nearly eight, your families being friends due to owning restaurants on the same strip. While you were close growing up, as Pedri moved away and you started university the two of you had slowly drifted, seeing each other every couple of months as opposed to weekly. However, now that you had moved to the same city as Pedri, he had taken the opportunity to invite you to his party, hoping to see you again.

You arrived a little later than everyone else, having to rush straight from work. You quickly changed in the bathroom, putting on a sundress and trying to fix your makeup as best as you could. You were extremely nervous. You hadn't seen Pedri in over three months and had also never been to such a high-class event. You had never visited him before moving to Barcelona and you were anxious about the thought of meeting his friends who also happened to be world-class athletes and had more money than probably your whole hometown combined.

As soon as you entered the club you spotted Pedri leaning against the railing talking with another player. Torres, you realized.

Seeing as you didn't know anyone else here you headed straight for them.

You came to stand next to Torres facing Pedri, "Hey. Happy Birthday!"

You saw Pedri spare you a glance as his lips lifted in a smile, "Hey. Thanks."

He turned back to his conversation and you stood awkwardly with your present unsure how to give it to him seeing as the conversation ended.

You opened your mouth to speak up when you saw his head snap back to you, eyes growing wide as he realized who you were, "Holy shit Y/n! I'm sorry I didn't even recognize you."

He pulled you into a hug, warm hands pressing against the small of your back.

You giggled against him as you gave him his present, "For you."

His hand went to grab yours as he squeezed, "Thank you."

You gave him a smile, unsure what you were feeling. Seeing again him, felt like the universe was finally falling back into place. Like you were exactly where you were supposed to be.

"This is my friend Fernane." He introduced you to the other player.

You smiled, giving him a wave, "Nice to meet you."

The boy waved back at you, a grin on his face, "Sorry didn't catch your name."

"Y/n."

"Well Y/n, do you wanna go grab a drink while Pedri greets everyone else?"

You laughed in agreement, following behind him to the bar.

Pedri watched you go, his heart beating a little too fast for his liking, and the urge to tell you to stay with him stronger than ever. The feeling kept growing, continuing to creep into his mind, until all he could do was think about you, about how much you reminded him of home, about how safe you made him feel, how content.

Maybe he did see you as more than a friend. But then again - the two of you had known each other since you were kids, and maybe he was just getting emotional at the thought of someone from home being so close to him now. Like a piece of the islands and his childhood had finally come back to him.

However, the way your dress wrapped around your figure as the wind flowed past you, and the way your perfume lingered in the air even after you walked away, was beginning to make him dizzy.

He thought there might be something there, but even if there was he wasn't sure how to approach it, or even if he ever would. You two worked best as friends.

So, therefore he couldn't be sure. Definitely not. He concluded that the liquor was getting to his head.

He didn't know how to feel. Actually, fuck it. He did know how he felt. He just didn't know what to do with the information.

He had never been in a situation like this before. Sure, he had liked girls in the past before, but they were people he had met without any intention of being friends. But with you it was different, you were friends first, and for so long. He couldn't quite pinpoint when he started to think of you as more of a friend, but he knew that the night of his birthday hadn't been the first time, but simply the time he finally realized it.

He had chickened out that night. Unsure of how to talk to you. Unsure if you were even single. The two of you hadn't talked for a while and he didn't know anything about your situation other than that you moved for work.

He hoped there was no one else. He really hoped. But then again maybe you already being taken would make it easier for him to move on.

He wasn't sure why his feelings for you came on so strong. One day it was just an inkling in the back of his mind, and the next he could see you everywhere and in everything. He would be listening to a song in the car and one lyric would randomly remind him of you, or he would be training and his mind would start to wander, wondering what you were doing right now, if you were on lunch break or busy studying.

He thought there was something seriously wrong with him.

Because why was he thinking about you so much? Why did he keep hoping you were watching his games, even though you had never asked to come to one before?

His fingers hovered over the button as he debated pressing send. In any normal situation, it wouldn't have been an issue, just one friend asking another to come to their game, but now that felt how he did, the task became that much more daunting.

"God damn it Pedri just send it!" Torres leaned over the boy's shoulder, annoyance plastered across his face.

"I'm nervous. What if she says no?"

He gave him a blank expression, "Then she says no. Big deal. But seriously she's your friend, it's not weird, just send it."

Pedri bit his lip, still unsure, "Fine."

Your phone screen lit up as you got a text. Stretching you reached out to grab it expecting it to be your manager sending you details about the file you were working on but you were surprised to see a text from Pedri instead.

"Hey, hope your first few weeks in Barca have been good! Barcelona's playing this weekend and I have two extra tickets if you want to come and bring a friend."

You smiled at the unexpected gesture. You had always wanted to go to a Barcelona game but felt weird asking Pedri if you could come.

"I would love to! Are you sure though? I can buy tickets if you need to give them to someone else."

Your phone buzzed immediately.

"No one else needed them, so they're all yours."

Lies. His brother had wanted to come to the game this weekend but he had told him no, not wanting to overwhelm you with his family in case you did say yes.

You agreed to take them and texted your friend, one of the biggest Barca supporters you knew, and asked them to go with you.

Your phone quickly became overrun with messages as they texted back asking a million questions about how you got family tickets and who you knew.

The day of the game arrived and you were abuzz with excitement. You contemplated what to wear, should you just go for a casual look or should you wear a jersey? And if you did wear a jersey should it be a blank one or Pedris? Would it be weird if you wore his?

You guys were friends, but he had also never offered you his jersey.

You opted for a regular fit, choosing to just wear a Barca scarf that your friend lent you.

Arriving at the stadium, you immediately texted Pedri in awe of how big it was, and how many people there were.

“Just got here. This place is massive. Excited to see you play!”

Your friend tugged you to your seats, making you take a hundred pictures of him in the stands.

“Oh my god Y/n I can’t believe we’re actually here. I haven’t been to a game since I was like seven, and I’ve never sat in the family section before. I feel famous.”

You laughed next to him, “I know. Mean either - it’s a little overwhelming.”

He sighed next to you, “So are you finally going to tell me who you know on the team? Is it Lewandowski or something? Or Gavi?”

You shook your head no, “Pedri actually.”

His mouth dropped open, “No way.” He smacked your arm, “How come you never told me? And how come you never invited me to a game before?”

You shrugged, “I dunno we’re friends but he’s never invited me before. This is my first game too.”

His eyes twinkled, “Dude he totally likes you.”

“No way. We’ve known each other for years.”

“Ok, but he didn’t invite you till now.”

“I just moved to Barcelona. He’s trying to be friendly.” You defended.

He squinted his eyes, “Mhm ok. Does he know I’m here?”

You nodded.

“Ok but does he know you brought a guy?”

You frowned, “He said I could bring a friend. You’re my friend.”

His smile widened, “Right but he doesn’t know that.” He pointed out.

“You’re making this weird.” You whined.

He held up his hands in surrender, “Fine but if he thinks we’re dating it’s your fault.”

The game started after that and the both of you became immersed in watching, shouting along with the rest of the fans. Besides yourself, you felt your mind wander back to your conversation with your friend, your heart skipping a beat when you thought about Pedri and the possibility of more.

You scolded yourself immediately, he was your friend, and that was it.

Although you couldn’t deny that he looked good down on the pitch, cheeks adorned with a pink hue and sweat trailing down his neck from running on the field.

Your friend left to go to the bathroom near the end of the game, Barcelona was at a stalemate with the opposite team, neither being able to break the other’s defensive line.

Finally, in the 84th minute, you saw Pedri make a break for it. He ran past the defenders, skillfully side-stepping one and doing a few tricks you remember him learning back when he still played for your school team. He saw the opening the same time you did and without another thought, he kicked. The ball landed in the back of the net with a thud.

Screams. All around you. Everyone was chanting Pedri’s name, and the boy in question was running towards the fan section, his hands already up in his signature pose.

He was embraced by his teammates, a proud smile on his face. Finally, they left him, beginning to walk back to their starting positions as he followed. Suddenly though he turned back around, his eyes going up to the family section, arm going up to point at you.

You bit your lip trying and failing to hide a smile. You had no idea why he was pointing at you but you would be lying if you said you there wasn’t a warm fuzzy feeling in your tummy because of it.

You saw his grin widen as yours spread across your face.

He was running on a high.

Nothing was going to stop him now. He had scored a goal and then partially dedicated it to you. And you had smiled. At him.

He felt like he was on top of the world. He had never understood it when other players had told him how important it was to them when their partners were able to come and watch them. The only thing Pedri had to compare it to was his family, and while he was always happy when his family could come, there was an unmatched feeling when he looked up and saw you in the stands, knowing that you had taken the time of out of your day to come and support him, and not because you had to, but because you wanted to. It made him play better, wanting to impress you, wanting to hear how good he was from your lips.

He had texted you to meet him outside the locker room minutes ago and you told him you were on the way.

He was going to do it. He had to do it.

He wasn’t even sure himself why he was so adamant about telling you now, but everything felt perfect like it was now or never.

He heard you before he saw you, talking with someone. He followed your voice, his eagerness, and excitement on full display. You hung up the phone as soon as you made eye contact with him, your smile mirroring his as you closed the distance between the two of you. You hugged him tight as he lifted you, his joy rubbing off on you.

“You did amazing. You should be so proud.” You beamed, fingers squeezing his shoulders as he put you down.

He was smiling in a way that was starting to make you breathless.

“Are you though?” He asked, eyes never leaving yours.

“Am I what?”

“Proud. Of me?”

You wanted to laugh at the absurd question, of course, you were proud of him, who wouldn't be? But the way he was looking at you, eyes shining with sincerity, like he really needed to know, made you sober up and want to give him an honest answer.

“Of course. I’m always proud of you.” You exhaled, not being able to look away from his annoyingly pretty eyes.

There was a beat of silence before Pedri began to speak a determined look on his face,

“Y/n I have to tell-” Pedri’s voice got drowned out by another familiar one.

“Y/n why did you just leave me? I barely-” Your friend's voice trailed off when he saw what he had just walked in on.

“Oh hey, guys.” He greeted awkwardly.

Your hand slipped off of Pedri’s shoulders and the action did not go unnoticed by the boy, “Oh Pedri this is Ian. Ian this is Pedri, the one from my hometown.”

Ouch.

There was that feeling in his heart again, just like when he had first seen you again for his birthday, but now instead of making his insides feel warm it was tearing them apart.

Was that all he was to you? Some kid you just knew from your hometown? And who was this guy anyway? Had he just given you a free date night?

So many questions and you just kept staring at him like you were expecting him to do something. But do what? Pretend to play nice when all he wanted to do was wallow in his misery. He was going to be sick.

“Hey. Sorry, I forgot I have to do something right after this. I gotta go.” His voice sounded cold even to his own ears and he forced himself to act nonchalant.

“Oh, do you want us to wait for you?”

“No, I already have plans with someone else.”

“Oh…ok.” Your voice trailed off, not knowing how to respond to that and honestly feeling a little stupid for thinking he would want to do something with you after.

“Yeah she’s an Instagram model, so I couldn’t say no. You probably don’t know her Y/n, y’know since you’ve lived in Tenerife your whole life and don’t get out much. She’s French actually.”

You felt the cruelty in his words. In just one breath he had taken several digs at you and basically compared you to a famous French model you knew you had no chance of competing with. He was right, you were just some random girl from a small town in Spain trying to fake your way through life in Barcelona. You felt the lump start to form in your throat, but you told yourself he probably hadn’t even meant to mean and you had just taken it the wrong way.

You nodded, refusing to make eye contact with him, “Ok. I guess we’ll leave then.”

“You know the way out.”

You felt Ian scoff beside you but you couldn’t focus on anything except Pedri’s figure as he walked away, your brain not being able to comprehend how it had gone bad so quickly.

He was sure now.

If there was anything he was sure of it was his feelings for you. But now the two of you weren’t even talking and every time he opened his eyes all he could think about was how badly he fucked up things between the two of you.

He wished he could turn back time and take it all back. There had been no one waiting for him, no French model, he had just wanted to get under your skin, hoping he could hurt you to even a fraction of the degree you hurt him. But he regretted it. He regretted it the second it passed his lips, he didn’t know why he did it. It was like he wasn’t even there for the conversation, his mind pleading with him from above, warning him he was making a mistake - but he didn’t listen.

It had been over two weeks since that night and now he was back in the Island ringing in the New Year with his family. Every now and then his mind would slip into thinking about if you were here too, just a five-minute walk away from him, having your own celebration.

It was just an hour before twelve when he decided a night walk was just the thing he needed. He had been absent all day, mind wandering as he kept thinking back to you and he felt bad having his family deal with him in his shit mood. He decided visiting the old football field, which was in the opposite direction from where you lived, would be the best option so that he wouldn’t be tempted to walk past your house.

It seemed fate had other plans for him though because there sitting on the grass, one barely-there street lamp illuminating the silver of your dress, was you, back turned to him.

It seemed even when he was trying to avoid you he couldn’t stay away.

“Y/n.”

You jumped at the sudden noise, looking up to see who was next to you.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, his voice was as smooth as honey and despite yourself, you felt yourself relax at the familiar sound.

“I just missed-” your voice was soft before you remembered how he had made you feel the last time you spoke, “Actually you know what, I don’t owe you an explanation. What are you doing here? Isn’t Tenerife a little small for you? I don’t think any Instagram model would want to come all the way out here.”

You felt him sigh as he sat next to you, you felt his leg brush yours and you instinctively moved away from him.

“Don’t do that.” You could hear the hurt in his voice.

“Why?” Your voice was barely above a whisper.

“It doesn’t make me feel good about myself. I know I messed up.”

“Well, you didn’t make me feel good about myself. Actually, you made me feel like shit. Like you didn’t even care about me at all.” You spoke, finally admitting the truth.

“I’m sorry. I care. I care so much.” He tried to reassure you but you weren’t giving in.

“Then why even say it? Obviously, you can spend time with whoever you want since we’re only friends, but since you invited me to the game I thought-”

“I lied.” He cut you off.

He continued, “There was no other girl. Just you. I lied because I thought it would make me feel better after learning the girl I liked had a boyfriend.”

You sat in silence as you digested his words. Your heart felt like it was about to explode out of your chest, there was never someone else, but you also felt annoyed that he was so quick to jump to conclusions. He could have spared the both of you a lot of heartache if he had just asked.

You played with the grass in front of you, finally turning to look at him as you shook your head, “You’re an idiot.”

You felt his eyes scan your face, “Why?”

“If you would have just asked or stayed for a second longer instead of running off you would have known that Ian is just a friend and not my boyfriend.”

“Are you fucking with me cause this isn’t funny?” It sounded like a warning but his voice was pleading.

“No.”

“So you're single?” He confirmed.

You nodded again.

He gave you a soft smile, “I lied again.”

“What?” Now it was your turn to be confused.

“It’s not just like. I love you.”