I'm officially the biggest Ruben & Sophia shipper 🩵
🎶 (I Just) Died In Your Arms — Cutting Crew 🎶
Ruben POV
Ruben
Can you believe Bernardo?!
Blud lets his wife carry the heavier suitcase and then wants to switch just because he saw a camera 🤦🏽♂️
Soph 👸🏼
Your emoji is quite tan for a Manchester sun
Ruben
Oi don't get sassy
Soph 👸🏼
You know me 😋
Ruben
Any sightings of your douchebag ex?
Soph 👸🏼
Nope 💪🏼 I'm hiding on the maternity ward, he hates babies, he would never come here
Ruben
That's not how it should be...
Soph 👸🏼
Gtg, moving into hostile territory (the OR) for a hysterectomy 🫡
Ruben
Please text when you're back
Soph 👸🏼
Only if I get a fancy pic of you in a tux
Ruben
No thirst trap today?
Soph 👸🏼
🤡=you
We all arrived in Paris and were given some time off that afternoon, and even though Bernardo had offered that I could third-wheel with Ines and him, I declined and set out to find something that I could bring back for Soph. She hadn't asked me to, but still. I had already tried to find something in Leipzig for her, but I didn't know what that city was famous for, so I let it be before I could embarrass myself with any gift. So I went to Laduree and bought a box of macarons that I hoped she liked, before moving on to the Galeries Lafayette to let myself get inspired.
"Do you want to try one of our custom perfumes, Monsieur?" a saleswoman immediately besieged me and I was about to give a rude answer, but caught myself just in time.
"Actually, yes" I replied. Maybe Sophia could like a French perfume. She always smelled great. "I'd like to buy something for my sister" I added, so that she knew it was for a girl and not for me. And in case she recognised me, she couldn't sell a story.
"Very well, we've got a selection here, but you can also create your own custom one if you wish" the woman told me.
"Yeah, I'll... do my own one" I replied and scratched my head. Who was this lovesick Ruben? And I wasn't even together with this girl, for Heaven's sake!
"Great, here are our different scents, tell me which ones you would like to have together" she told me and I raised an eyebrow at her, I had no idea what the hell I was doing.
But she was very patient and explained to me that perfumes consisted of base, middle and top notes and we went on to choose some together until we finally got the perfect one together.
"Does your sister have a name?" she asked, knowing damn well that no guy made this much of an effort for a sister.
"Um... Sophia" I mumbled.
"Should we name this after her?" she asked as she put a label on the flask, and I quickly nodded. I wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible before a camera spotted me buying perfume bottles and would go crazy over who this was for.
After paying and leaving, I saw that it was time to get back to the hotel, but I passed by Cartier while doing so. And had to stop, because I knew exactly what I wanted to get for Sophia. Not for now, but hopefully someday.
Ruben
How did we do? Out of 10?
Soph 👸🏼
Bernardo 10/10
Guy next to him looks like a waiter
Ruben
Fuck off, I'm going to talk to Speed now
The ceremony was boring as always, and I had to get on stage for being the 30th best footballer on the list. Out of 30 footballers. Embarrassing. I couldn't wait to get out of there and when I finally was in our team's minivan with Ines, Bernardo, Rodri and his girlfriend Laura, I let out an annoyed breath.
"Aww, look. Little Ruben is sad that his girl didn't say yes to coming with him tonight" Ines teased me and pinched my cheek.
"Fuck off, she had to work tonight. You know, doing something meaningful and saving lives, instead of going to stupid galas that change no one's life" I huffed back annoyedly. I really would have wished she would have come, with her it could have actually been fun.
But while speaking, I hadn't noticed that Bernardo had slipped my phone out of my pocket and I only noticed when I heard the beep of starting a FaceTime call and saw the name "Soph 👸🏼" on the screen.
"Aww even with the princess!" Laura gushed and I sent her a death glare, while trying to fight the phone out off Bernardo's hands.
"Hiii- oh, Bernardo" Soph started out cheerily, but cut herself off when she didn't see the caller ID's face.
"Hello Sophia! I just wanted to show you the face of the guy ranked 30th in the Ballon d'Or!" he exclaimed excitedly and turned the camera to me, who wasn't amused at all. Ines, Rodri and Laura were snickering in the back like teenagers.
"Ohhh that's great! Congrats Ruben!" she exclaimed and I raised my eyebrows because she didn't seem to sound sarcastic.
"You do know that there's only 30 people ranked?" I asked her but she shrugged.
"Wait a minute, I know that logo on your scrubs! You work at the Infirmary too?" Laura exclaimed and leaned closer.
"Yeah, St Mary's, you... work here?" Soph asked back surprisedly. She probably thought all footballers' girlfriends were models or influencers. Well, technically 99% are, but still.
"Yes! I'm in General! Oh my gosh, we totally should do lunch together soon!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, that would be cool!" Soph replied, a bit more shy probably, but looking so cute with her scrubs and cap.
"How's your shift?" I asked her.
"Halloween is always crazy. We had a guy bitten by a 'zombie' and said 'zombie' with two bullet holes over his heart in the ER. Turns out zombie man had situs inversus" she told me proudly and I raised my eyebrows, not knowing what she was talking about.
"No way! I've wanted to see that since med school! Why the hell am I here in Paris and not there?" Laura whined behind me and Rodri shot her an amused look.
"What is sit... you know, what you just said?" I asked, genuinely interested in what she was so excited about.
"It's when your organs inside are mirrored, that's why he was stable after the shot wounds and I... couldn't find a heartbeat at first. I swear that for a split second I really thought he was a zombie" she chuckled. "Downside was, I had to page neuro" she sighed.
"Fuck, did he show up?" I asked concernedly.
"Wait a minute, aren't you Davis' ex?" Laura asked and I tilted the camera, so that Soph couldn't see the cut throat signs I was throwing at Laura.
"Yeah, please don't remind me" she groaned,
before I heard some beeping from her side.
"Ooop, gotta go. Have fun tonight! You guys going out?" she asked as she stood up and started walking quickly.
"Yes" everyone answered.
"No" I answered.
"He's coming. Alright, now you do something that matters and we go getting drunk, bye Sophia, it was nice meeting you!" Rodri shouted and pressed the red button for me.
"I'm not going out, I'm tired" I snapped at my friends that had surely embarrassed me in front of my crush again. Fuck, it was like being a teenager all over again.
"Surely not, and we'll make sure to get a nice picture of you without that bow tie and some buttons open. You've got to show her that you're not waiting around forever. No girl likes a puppy guy drooling too much" Ines explained.
"But I would wait around forever. That ex of hers... He was a real... he hit her and she needs to heal and get over that first before thinking about other guys. And besides, she doesn't look like the girl who would date a footballer, she's too clever for that" I mumbled.
"I did too" Laura replied and shrugged.
"Ouch!" Rodri joked and we all laughed, even me.
"You told me yourself, you won't make a move and even if I don't agree, I guess it's valid given her situation. But then, you just have to get her to make a move" Bernardo said and I rolled my eyes, but knew, that I was going out with them now. Everything was better than dreaming alone in bed about someone I would never have.