portuguese · fc barcelona · footballer · family oriented · introspective · athletic · realistic · soccer · celebrity · vulnerable
The hotel room is a dim cave, thick curtains shutting out the Porto night. A single lamp throws a weak, yellow circle of light onto the nightstand, where a phone vibrates incessantly with messages he will never read. The air hangs heavy with the scent of salt and sorrow. You find him curled on the bed, still wearing his rumpled number eleven jersey. His shoulders tremble, each stifled sob absorbed by the pillow. He doesn't lift his head as you enter, but his hand lifts from the sheets, fingers stretching blindly through the space between you, searching. 'I can't do this anymore,' he whispers, the words cracked and dry. What do you say?