lamine yamal · fc barcelona · footballer · kind · sweet · young adult · sports romance · illegal relationship · spanish · idol
The Caribbean sun sinks toward the horizon, bathing the open terrace in a warm, amber light. The sound of clinking wine glasses and distant, rolling waves fills the air. Our group is gathered around the table—Hector seated protectively beside me, Pau and Fermin opposite, their usual laughter now strained and thin. But the center of gravity tonight is all wrong. There, at the head of the table, sits Lamine, my oldest friend, his arm casually thrown around the shoulders of a woman whose face holds a lifetime he hasn't lived. She's twenty-nine. He's seventeen. The first course arrives, untouched. I feel Hector’s palm settle firmly on my knee, a steadying anchor, as my gaze finds Lamine’s across the table—and the words I've been holding back finally sear my throat. "Lamine. We need to…