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"We should break up," Fort said. Cubarsí felt a sense of relief in his heart when he heard this. He had known that this day would come, and when it finally arrived, he felt a sense of finality.
Their relationship had been too smooth. A joke-like confession had made them a couple, and their way of getting along after that was not much different from when they were just friends. Sometimes Cubarsí would wonder, are we really a couple?
Cubarsí didn't think so, but when Fort, with his good looks, said seriously that they were, Cubarsí was convinced.
After breaking up with Fort, Cubarsí paid attention to how other couples got along. For example, Gavi would act differently in front of Pedri than in front of others. Although he was still energetic, only Pedri could calm him down when he was angry.
But Cubarsí and Fort still got along like friends, even after the breakup.
"Did you really break up with Fort?" Gavi asked curiously.
"Really," Cubarsí swallowed the banana in his mouth. It was a local specialty that Pedri had brought today, and Cubarsí really liked it.
"Okay," Gavi, though looking puzzled, chose not to ask further under Pedri's disapproving look.
Cubarsí knew why Gavi asked this. Although it had been a week since he and Fort broke up, during training, Fort would still play with him and hug him from behind. Even in interviews, he would say that Cubarsí was his best friend.
"So, did he ever like me?" Cubarsí tossed and turned in bed, bothered by this question.
There's a theory that if two people can still be friends after breaking up, it means they have truly let go, or only one of them has.
"Did I not let go?" Cubarsí frowned, thinking. "No, did Fort not let go? No, no, no. He looks normal, not like someone who's been dumped, and it was him who proposed the breakup." Cubarsí shook his head, dismissing this thought. "So, both of us have let go?" Cubarsí nodded, accepting this theory.
Not at all.
As someone who needs at least 10 hours of sleep a day to maintain good sleep, Cubarsí was having insomnia again. He wasn't sure if it was curiosity, competitiveness, or that tiny bit (Cubarsí guaranteed it was only a tiny bit) of sadness and resentment from being dumped that made him still think about whether Fort had ever liked him in the middle of the night.
To be honest, Cubarsí had thought about this even when they were dating.
But Fort always had that cool demeanor, and Cubarsí felt that his indecisiveness on this matter wasn't cool. Although he really wanted to ask Fort, he gave up for the sake of his image in front of Fort.
"I should have asked back then," Cubarsí patted the pillow he was holding. "If I had, I wouldn't be having insomnia now."
Even though they had broken up and still maintained a good relationship, Cubarsí still didn't want to ruin his image in front of Fort. For some reason, he always wanted to keep a perfect, cool image like Fort's in front of him. It's super uncool to pester your ex about whether they liked you or not. So Cubarsí decided to seek help.
"Are you saying you want me to ask Fort if he ever liked you?" Gavi asked in surprise, pointing at his own nose.
"Yeah." Cubarsí blushed a little. "You and Fort are good friends, right? And you have experience in love." Cubarsí glanced at Pedri sitting nearby, who was staring at them without any attempt to hide it.
"But how am I supposed to bring it up? I can't just go up to Fort and say, 'Hey, bro, I know you just broke up, but for my curiosity, could you tell me if you liked Cuba?'" Gavi laughed at the thought, finding the idea quite unreliable. But seeing Cubarsí nodding seriously across from him, he was shocked. "You really want me to ask like that?"
"Yeah, Gavi, please, Pablo," Cubarsí grabbed Gavi's hand on the table and pleaded. Then he heard Pedri's displeased cough but pretended not to notice.
"Isn't that a bit too direct?" Gavi still hesitated.
"But if Gavi asks, Fort won't think there's anything wrong," Cubarsí said seriously but with a hint of teasing in his tone.
"Alright." Gavi sighed, feeling like he had taken on a very difficult task. "But you two have broken up. Why are you still obsessing over this?"
Cubarsí withdrew his hands from Gavi's and fidgeted with his hair awkwardly. "I'm just curious."
"So, you got together with him without knowing if he liked you?" Gavi frowned.
"Yeah... but he didn't do anything wrong." Cubarsí wasn't defending Fort; it was just that their way of getting together was different from other couples. "We got together because of a joke."
"Guba, you... you" Gavi opened his mouth but was so surprised that he couldn't say anything. Just then, his phone buzzed with a message. Gavi picked it up, read the message, and replied. He said sorry to Cubarsí and left with Pedri first.
It wasn't hard to find a chance to be alone with Fort, especially when Fort had just messaged him to have a chat.
Gavi looked at Fort sitting on the sofa at Pedri's house and felt a headache coming on. He felt like he had become a relationship mediator, for a broken-up couple at that.
Pedri brought two glasses of water and placed them in front of Gavi and Fort, then sat in a chair far away and started browsing his phone, leaving the space for Gavi and Fort.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Gavi took a sip of water and thought about how to start.
"I think Pau doesn't like me," Fort said, rubbing the water glass in front of him with his fingers, his voice low.
"What? " Gavi choked. Pedri quickly came over to pat his back. Gavi turned his head and gave Pedri a grateful look. After the coughing stopped, he said, "Why do you think he doesn't like you?" Oh my god, why did I agree to this?
"When I said we were breaking up, he just agreed without saying anything." Fort looked up at Gavi and Pedri, who was leaning beside him, adding more evidence. "And at that time, he only agreed to be with me because he thought it was a joke," Fort said in a dejected tone.
"Joke? What joke?" This was the second time Gavi had heard this word today, and the first time was from Cubarsí.
"This is a long story," Fort sighed, lost in thought.
"So, you two got together because when you were watching a movie, you thought the conflicts between the main characters were too childish, and then Cuba said, 'We'll get along better than them,' and you were together?" Gavi tried to summarize. His eyes were wide open, and his eyebrows were dancing. "You didn't even have a real confession," Gavi pouted. Pedri beside him comfortingly patted Gavi's hand.
"Yes, I also think it was too hasty. I've thought about confessing again, but—"
"Wait," Gavi felt he had heard something significant. "You," Gavi swallowed hard, "do you like Cuba?"
"Yes," Fort lowered his head again, his tone depressed. "But I messed it up."
"Then why did you break up?" Gavi was completely confused.
"Because he doesn't like me. I was thinking that if we separated, it might be better for both of us."
"So you never told Cuba that you liked him?"
"I thought about it, but I never found the right opportunity."
"Have you thought about telling him now?" Pedri, who had been silent until now, asked.
"That's why I'm here today. I want to chase Pau again. I think you guys might have some experience, so..."
Pedri understood Fort's meaning. He and Gavi had gone from mutual affection to Gavi's one-sided estrangement due to a misunderstanding. He knew that his teammates had noticed these changes.
"So, what do you want to do?" Gavi seemed to have figured something out. "Fort, have you ever thought that if Cuba didn't like you, would he have stayed with you for so long just because of a joke?" Gavi trusted his intuition. Although Cubarsí had told him it was just out of curiosity, was it really just curiosity?
Before Fort could answer, Gavi gave his advice. "I think you should tell Cuba that you like him. You got together because of that joke, but the fundamental reason was that you liked him. Fort, you need to make it clear. If you don't, you'll miss out on a lot." Gavi seemed to have thought of something and his tone was very serious. Pedri kissed Gavi's hair and affirmed, "Yes, Fort."
"I'll go now," Fort jumped up from the sofa. Ever since he heard Gavi say that Cubarsí might like him, he couldn't wait to see Pau.
***
Cubarsí heard someone knocking at the door. He put down his pen and got up to open it. Then he saw Fort, who was panting, with beads of sweat sliding down his forehead. Fort didn't look cool at all now, even a bit disheveled, but still so handsome.
"Fort?"
"Pau, can I come in first?" Fort looked behind Cubarsí.
"Sure."
Cubarsí placed a bottle of water in front of Fort. "What's wrong? Why are you so tired? Has something urgent happened?"
But he didn't get an answer from Fort, or perhaps he did.
"Pau, I like you. I love you." Fort held Cubarsí's hand. "I'm sorry. I've never told you before. I've been looking for a chance to confess. I'm sorry, Pau. Can you give me a chance to chase you?" Fort's tone was serious, his eyes brimming with love.
"What?" Cubarsí's face and ears turned red. "Why are you confessing all of a sudden?"
"Because someone told me that if I didn't make it clear, I would miss a lot. Pau, I don't want to lose you." Fort held Cubarsí's hand tighter.
Then he received a kiss from Pau.
***
"So, you went to see Gavi and Pedri?"
"Yes."
"Actually, I also went to see Gavi and asked him to help me ask you a question," Cubarsí said a little embarrassed.
"What question?"
"To ask if you like me."
"I do, Pau. I like you. We have such good chemistry. We both chose the same person," Fort smiled. "But you could have just asked me directly, Pau," Fort ruffled Cubarsí's hair.
"Because that's not cool," Cubarsí retorted softly. "I wanted you to think I'm as cool as you."
"But, Pau," Fort looked into the boy's green eyes seriously, "I like you just because you are you. I would like you even if you weren't cool. Besides, you're both cool and cute." Then, his tone excited, he asked in return, "Do you really think I'm cool, Pau?"
"It's true," Cubarsí admitted, even though he was blushing.
"I knew you would like me," Fort grinned foolishly. Even though he didn't look cool at all now, Cubarsí still thought he was so likable. Of course, he liked Fort. That's why he kept struggling with that question and why he went to Gavi for help.
"I love you, Fort."