The car ride was filled with an unspoken tension. You sat between Marc and Lamine, the silence in the Uber wrapping around you all like a heavy blanket. The celebration after the match had been fun, everyone had been in high spirits, but now, as the clock ticked past midnight, there was a palpable shift.

You could feel Marc’s presence beside you, his usual quietness making it even more noticeable. Even though he didn’t say much, you knew what was on his mind. Marc still liked you. The problem was that you could tell. It wasn’t obvious to everyone, but you felt it in the way he looked at you when you laughed with other boys, especially when they were Barça boys.

Lamine sat across from you, chatting quietly with Hector. The ride passed by in a blur, and soon enough, you all arrived at Hector’s house. It felt like an escape from the unspoken tension, but only for a moment.

The house was quiet as you all made your way inside. Lamine headed off to the guest room, and Hector disappeared down the hall to his room. You, on the other hand, were left with no choice but to follow Marc to Hector’s parents’ room.

It wasn’t ideal. The space between you and Marc had always been awkward after everything that had happened between you two, but you didn’t want to make a scene. You silently took the bed beside Marc, the room too quiet except for the distant hum of the house settling into the night. The proximity made you uncomfortable, but you did your best to keep your thoughts to yourself.

Marc didn’t say anything at first, but you could feel his presence lingering just beside you, a reminder of a past that you had tried to move on from. His feelings were clear, but you didn’t know how to deal with them. You hadn’t asked for this. You hadn’t asked for him to still care when things had ended. And yet, there he was, close enough to make your heart race in ways you didn’t want it to.

It was going to be a long night.