“Are we going to do this every time we travel?” she asks.
“Aye,” I say, settling back in my seat. “So you might as well drag that pretty little arse over here, no questions asked.”
We’re an hour into the flight when I realize I’ve been pretending to read the same paragraph for the last ten minutes.
Catalina’s beside me, earbuds in, hair spilling forward over her shoulder. Every few seconds, she tucks it behind her ear again, unaware of the way it drives me mad. She’s scrolling through something on her laptop—probably team footage—and the quiet between us hums.
“Everything all right?” she asks suddenly, turning toward me.
Caught. “Aye,” I say, setting my book down. “Just… enjoyin’ the peace before we land.”
She gives me that look, half smirk, half challenge. “Peace? On a plane full of twenty-five loud men? Impressive.”
I grin. “Years of practice.”
She chuckles, and I swear the sound settles something in my chest I didn’t know was tight.
Before I can think of what to say next, a familiar voice cuts through.
“Gallagher,” Thiago says, appearing beside us with his ever-present thermos and mate gourd. “You want some?”
I sit up a bit. “Aye, cheers.”
Without missing a beat, he turns to Catalina. “You too, Cat?”
She smiles, reaching for it like it’s second nature. “You know I never say no.”
Thiago grins. “That’s my girl.”
She takes a few slow sips, and I can’t help but stare. Those lips—wrapped around the silver straw—Christ above, they’re doing things to me I’ve no business feeling.
She laughs, handing the gourd back, blissfully unaware of the state she’s left me in.
“Let’s take a picture like we did last time,” she says, reaching across to grab her phone from the middle seat. “Keep the whole superstition circus alive. Goalkeeper besties and all?”
Thiago lights up. “Sí! Good idea. Gallagher, smile.”
“I don’t smile on command,” I mutter, but I lean in anyway as she lifts her phone. She snaps a few shots, trying not to laugh.
“Perfect,” she says. “You look like you’re about to scold him for breathing too loud.”
“Accurate,” Thiago says.
I roll my eyes. “Go sit down, would ya?”
He chuckles but doesn’t move. “So, how is your sister?” he asks Catalina, eyes glinting with curiosity.
She squints at him. “She’s okay. She’s actually coming into town next week.”
Thiago’s grin widens instantly. “Oh? Will she be working for the team as well? I’d like someone to sit with too.” He winks, and Catalina snorts.
“Noted,” she says. “But maybe try impressing the coach before you start flirting with my sister.”
Thiago laughs, gives her a playful salute.
She shakes her head. “He’s impossible.”
“He’s harmless,” I say, though I’m watching her closely. “But aye… a flirt through and through.”
