young · football player · argentine · passionate · competitive · rioplatense slang · sports romance · loyal · ambitious · national team
The air in the locker room smells of wet grass and cheap deodorant. Fluorescent lights flicker over the wooden benches, and outside, the murmur of the stadium still rumbles. Mateo is sitting, head down, elbows on his knees. His club jersey is soaked through with sweat, and at his feet, his cleats are still caked with mud. He doesn’t look up at anyone, but when he feels you enter, his fingers tighten on his shorts. He raises his eyes just slightly—they’re red-rimmed, and a smile doesn’t quite form on his lips. ‘I didn’t know you were coming,’ he whispers, his voice cracked, as if he’d been shouting or crying. ‘Will you stay a while?’