Running From Lions - Gerard Piqué Fic - Chapter 8 - 12/18/09 - Cristiano Ronaldo, Football, Fan, Soccer

Web	www.cr17.com

Author: Nisha
Rating: PG13 (for now)
Category: Romance
Characters: Marisa, Gerard Pique and other footballers, as well as other characters
Length: Long story
Summary: Just after she starts university, Marisa falls in love with Gerard Pique. Their relationship takes many twists and turns, and after a year of dating, everything eventually falls to pieces. But does their love for one another ever really fade? Only time will tell. This is the song that was my inspiration for writing this fic: Running From Lions - All Time Low
Betas: Akriti and Aleira Cheesy

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Gerard Pique or any of the other footballers mentioned in my story. Marisa and other made up characters, however, are a figment of my imagination. This story is just fiction, not reality.
Authors Notes: This is my first fic, so hopefully it’s not too bad. Please comment!

Index:
Introduction: Page 1
Chapter 1: Page 1
Chapter 2: Page 1
Chapter 3: Page 2
Chapter 4: Page 3
Chapter 5: Page 3
Chapter 6: Page 4
Chapter 7: Page 4
Chapter 8: Page 5

Introduction (February 2010):

All she could think about was him. They had been apart for almost five months, five whole months, but every day, she was reminded of him. That laugh, that smile, that adorable pout, those piercing blue eyes. It didn’t help that he was a famous footballer. She would constantly see his face on the tabloids and on TV. He was followed daily by hundreds of paparazzi, trying to get his photo. She felt like it was their job to constantly remind her of him, to make her life a living hell. These past months had possibly been the worst of her entire 19 years of living because of him. But the year they shared together had been the best.

15 Months Earlier (September 2008)

Chapter 1, Part 1:

Marisa sat in a small café in the center of Barcelona. The sun was shining brightly but she hid from the heat inside the air-conditioned building. She was wearing a white spaghetti-strap dress that hit just above the knees. The top portion of the dress hugged her tightly, but as soon as the material met her waist, it flowed loosely. The bottom half the dress was decorated with a magenta and orange paisley design. The dress, though simple, accentuated her features well.

Marisa could best be described as small. She was 5’4” and thin, appearing very fragile, but in reality she was very strong. Her black wavy hair cascaded down until her waist. Her nose and ears were very tiny, but her mesmerizing green eyes were anything but. With her small waist, she was not the most voluptuous of creatures.

Currently, Marisa was studying at the University of Barcelona. This was a major accomplishment for someone in her position. She had lived in the United States, specifically California, until she began college. While she was in high school she studied intently, determined to go to the best school possible. Stanford was the university that caught her parent’s interest. But entrance into Stanford would prove to be difficult. Marisa fought her way through high school with Stanford in mind, but it was not until her senior year, when applications were being filled out, that she realized Stanford was not her dream, it was her parents’.

Marisa wanted something more from life. Of course she wanted a great education, but she wanted to be cultured as well. That’s when she decided she wanted to go to UB. It was the perfect place for her to reach her dreams. She had often visited Barcelona while she was growing up and she fell in love with the city. After all her hard work, Marisa eventually got accepted to Stanford; however, UB soon offered her admission as well.

Against her parent’s wishes, she decided on the move to Spain. Her parents refused to aid her in any way, for they saw this as a waste of her four year’s effort. They viewed her decision as a betrayal of all the hard work they endured to give her a comfortable life. After all, they had emigrated from Spain soon after their marriage in hopes of success, not only for their own sake, but for the well-being of their future children.

After cutting all ties with her parents Marisa moved to Barcelona. She was still in contact with her older sister, Isabel, who was the only member of her family who encouraged her to follow her dreams. Isabel offered to help her out with tuition, but Marisa was unwilling to accept her sister’s generous offer. Instead, she was able to get scholarship money because she was no longer financially dependent on her parents. Of course, scholarship money was not enough to cover all her costs, so she began to work at the café she was currently sitting in, Amaltea. Marisa also took out a hefty loan as well. But, for the most part, it was all worth it in her mind. She was somewhere she loved and was enjoying life.

Marisa had the day off from work, but she liked Amaltea so much that she often came in to study. She sat at a small round table near the back of the café. With her books spread across the table, she began to write an essay for her art history class that she had been putting off for a few weeks. The due date was swiftly approaching and she decided to get some work done before it was too late.

She flipped open one of her large text books and began reading about one of her favorite artists, El Greco. She found his work to be dark and mysterious, which sparked her interest. “Writing this essay won’t be too hard,” she thought to herself.

Marisa was deep in thought, analyzing one of El Greco’s later pieces, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, when she casually glanced up from her textbook. Immediately, she was met with a pair of piercing blue eyes that undoubtedly caught her attention. She blushed slightly as she realized those blue eyes had been staring at her for quite some time. She couldn’t help but stare back herself. Those blues belonged to the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. He was so tall, probably around 6’3” and his body was perfection. After a few more seconds of staring, she quickly looked back down at her textbook in embarrassment, but when she looked back up a few moments later, those beautiful eyes had vanished.

Nice job nisha its good update soon

Yay! I knew it would be great, don't be nervous at all love! Cheesy

Amazing beginning Nisha! I'm already loving it! Very well written! Cheesy

Cannot wait till you update! Cheesy

Almatea = Love.

Like I said earlier - It's great!
Can't wait to see what happens next!
Kiss

Really amazing start to what I'm sure will be an even more amazing fic, I'm already hooked

. It's about Gerard so that's already enough for me to read, lol, but the writing is great! Update soon hun Kiss

Thank you guys for all of your comments! Sorry this update is so short! I'll try to make the next one longer!

Author's Replies

Cristianosbaby: I’m glad you liked it! Thanks for commenting hun! Cheesy

Ms.CR714: Here is an update! I hope you like it! Thanks for the comment!

Akriti: Haha thanks! Yeah I was pretty nervous about posting! Thanks for all your help hun!

Bea: Thanks hun! Cheesy

I’m happy that you love the story so far! Thanks for the comment!

Aleira: Thanks for everything you’ve done! Cheesy

I’m glad you like it! Haha, but you already know what happens LOL

twilight: Haha I’m glad you think my story is amazing so far! Cheesy

I thought that people might get annoyed with another Pique fic, but I’m happy you’re not! Oh and I’m sorry I don’t know you’re name! Embarrassed

Chapter 1, Part 2:

Gerard was sitting in the driver’s seat of his car with his close friend and teammate Bojan in the passenger’s seat. The boys were headed to a café called Amaltea, which was not too far from Las Ramblas. He had never been to this particular café before, but he had heard from friends that the food was delicious. Amaltea served only vegetarian food, so Gerard was hesitant to come.

When the boys reached the café, Gerard carefully parked his car and stepped outside. “Déu meu, it’s hot,” Gerard complained shutting the car door behind him.

“Really, I hadn’t noticed,” Bo replied sarcastically as Gerard playfully smacked his arm.

When the traffic was clear, Bo and Gerard walked across the street to the café. “Who would choose to live without meat?” Gerard thought as he grabbed the door and held it open for Bo. He expected most, if not all, of Amaltea’s customers to be strange, animal-loving hippies.

Once inside, Gerard was surprised by the fact that everyone around him appeared to be normal. “Hmmm, I better not talk about how much I love meat, or someone might attack me,” Gerard whispered to Bo as he walked towards the counter.

Bo rolled his eyes at his friend’s remark as the two approached the hostess. “Welcome to Amaltea. Table for two?” She asked.

“Sí, si us plau,” Gerard replied.

The hostess took Gerard and Bo to an empty table on the left-hand side of the café. “Your waiter will be with you in a moment,” she mentioned as she handed the men two menus.

As Gerard sat down, he studied the restaurant around him, generally liking the quaint atmosphere he was in. The bottom half of the walls were covered with panels of wood, while the upper half was made of brick. Several framed mosaic designs decorated the walls as well.

“What are you gonna order?” Bo questioned as he surveyed the menu. “I can’t decide between the miso soup or the spinach lasagna!”

“I’ll just have whatever you choose,” Gerard replied.

“You are no help!” Bo exclaimed in frustration. “I guess we’re having the spinach lasagna then.”

“Sounds good,” said Gerard.

A few minutes later, the waiter came over to ask for their orders. As they waited for their lunch, their conversation turned to girls.

“So Bo, how was that date you went on yesterday? Get laid?” Gerard laughed.

Once again Bo rolled his eyes at his friend. “Is that all you ever think about, man?”

“Umm, let me see…Yeah!” Gerard responded.

“Well, unlike you, I’m looking for a serious relationship!” retorted Bo.

“Whatever,” mumbled Gerard.

Just then the waiter came back with their food and drinks, which distracted Bo from the conversation. Gerard, however, was still thinking about what his friend had said. “When was the last time I actually fell for a girl? I mean, all I ever do is sleep with chicks…” He thought to himself.

The rest of their time at the café was spent in silence. It wasn’t awkward though; both men were just enjoying their food. When they were finished, the waiter came with their check.

Gerard offered to pay for the meal because Bo had accidently left his wallet in the car. As the boys were waiting for Gerard’s credit card to come back, Bo struck up another conversation. “So this place was great! We need to come here again!”

“Yeah, I totally agree! Vegetarians aren’t as weird as I thought!” replied Gerard.

Just then the waiter came back with Gerard’s card. As Gerard stood up to leave, he glanced at the back of the room. Sitting at a table covered in books was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her hair looked so soft and her skin was flawless. Suddenly, the girl looked up, like she had felt somebody staring at her. Her eyes were amazing. He couldn’t look away. He saw her blush and then look down.

“Merda!” Bo screamed as he looked at his watch. “We’re gonna be late for afternoon training! Pep is gonna kill us!” He yelled as he dragged Gerard out of the restaurant.

Gerard tried to break free of Bo’s grasp, but he was too strong. “When did he get so buff?” Gerard thought as he was pulled to his car. At the moment, he wanted nothing more than to burst back into the café just to be with that gorgeous girl. He didn’t know what he would do when he got inside. He just knew that they needed to be together. But she had to wait. Right now it was time for practice.

Translations:
Déu meu - My God
Sí, si us plau - Yes, please
Merda - Shit

Haha, I love it! First off, Gerard and his musings about the strangeness of vegetarians, lol so funny! And then when he discovers they're mostly normal, their conversation starts about, what else, girls Tongue

. I love that he's so open with his manwhore ways Grin

And that's when he spots her, I love how he wants to go back, but Bojan's too strong grip wouldn't allow it Cheesy

I can't wait for, I wonder how their next meeting will go, update soon! Kiss

ETA: oops, forgot to mention I'm Leila

AHHH! I love it! It's hilarious how Gerard asks in the end how did he get so buff! LOL Gotta love Gerard!

He just had to be a manwhore. Poor Bo! I hope he doesn't get influence by Gerard's bad behavior! We wouldn't want that. Hehehe!

But come on Gerard, break free of Bo's grip! I mean if you really want her number you would have tried harder! Wink

Love it hun! Can't wait till you update again Cheesy

Ah I knew it would be great! Wink

Now for things I didn't say in the pm:
This chapter was so entertaining and fun to read LoL

Quote from: Nisha on August 29, 2009, 07:51:51 PM

He expected most, if not all, of Amaltea’s customers to be strange, animal-loving hippies.

“When did he get so buff?” Gerard thought as he was pulled to his car.

Hahaha definitely Lol'd during both of those parts! I can totally picture Puti thinking things like that Cheesy

I can't wait for the two to actually meet, I'm excited to see how it'll happen! Grin

I wonder if she just might be the girl to change Ger's idea of being with women and actually make him want to be in a relationship! Wink

Soo good hun, can't wait for the next one! Cheesy

I like this story alot.
I cant wait till they both meet, i wonder what Gerard would actually say to her.

Loved the updates too Grin

Cute story! Cheesy

I can't wait for them to meet. Marisa seems like a very independent and driven woman, which i think is exactly what Gerard needs.

I like the way you described the ambient and the characters. Wink

good job!

ps: I loved the mention of El Greco... I totally love his paintings LoL

Sorry for making you guys wait, but this time the update is longer! Also, thank you for all of the wonderful comments. They make me want to write faster, plus they make me happy!

Author’s Replies

Leila: I’m glad you liked the update hun!

And yes, Gerard is very straightforward with his thoughts. And he sure does love to talk about girls! Wink

Haha, Bo has definitely gotten stronger! You’ve seen those arms and legs! LoL

Thanks for commenting! Cheesy

Bea: Haha, Gerard is a pretty funny guy! Cheesy

I also hope that Gerard won’t be influencing Bo any time soon, but you never know! Wink

And I guess Gerard could have fought Bo off if he tried a little harder, but I’m sure he didn’t want to face the wrath of Pep. Shocked

Your comment means a lot hun! Grin

Akriti: I’m happy I made you laugh. Cheesy

Marisa might be the one who changes Gerard’s views, but you’ll have to wait to find out! Wink

Thanks for the comment and all of your help hun! Grin

P.StarPersonality: Thanks for the comment! I’m glad you liked the story. Cheesy

But unfortunately I’m gonna have to make you wait a bit longer until Marisa and Gerard actually talk to one another! Wink

Dani: Thanks for liking the update! Cheesy

Marisa is very independent and driven indeed, just the kick in the ass Gerard needs! LoL

Thanks for the comment! Oh and I love El Greco as well, he’s a great artist! BTW, I love your siggie! Daniel Agger is such a cutie! Cheesy

Chapter 2, Part 1:

After the “mystery man” disappeared from Amaltea, Marisa found herself highly disappointed. “Where did he run off to?” She wondered. “I definitely shouldn’t have looked away. Or maybe, he wasn’t even looking at me! I’m such an idiot for thinking someone that gorgeous would seriously consider me. Dios mío! What if I have something stuck in my teeth?!” She thought as she quickly grabbed all of her books and placed them into her bag. She got up from her table and ran straight to the bathroom to make sure there was no spinach lodged in between her two front teeth.

After Marisa realized her pearly whites were intact, she decided to head back to her flat. There were so many thoughts swimming through her head that she could barely think straight, let alone get any work done on her paper.

Once she exited the restroom, she waved a quick goodbye to her co-workers and left. With her book bag in tow, she walked back to her flat. It was around 2:00pm and the sun was still blazing, so Marisa did her best to get home quickly. When she approached her flat, she entered the building and sighed as the cool air inside hit her face. She stepped into the elevator and pressed the button to the fourth floor. There was no way she was taking the stairs today; she was just too exhausted from the long walk home. When the elevator reached her floor, she exited and walked down the hall to her apartment.

After unlocking the door, she went straight to the kitchen and placed her keys and bag on the kitchen counter. She poured herself a cold glass of water and then went into the living room to relax.

Marisa’s flat was decorated with items that reminded her of home. Paintings of endless grape vines and the California coast adorned the walls. Though she loved her life in Barcelona, she still missed everything she had grown accustomed to while growing up. Luckily for her, the beach was not too far and palm trees were a still a common sight.

Marisa flipped on the TV once she sat down. “Ugh, this is boring,” she thought as some news coverage of FC Barcelona appeared on the screen. She quickly changed the channel in the hopes of finding something better to watch. After a few minutes of flipping, she turned off the TV with no luck finding an interesting program to watch.

Instead, she decided to call her best friend Daniela for advice. Marisa was feeling so restless about the whole “mystery man” situation that she needed to talk to somebody. Daniela was someone who she could trust for advice, someone who wouldn’t laugh at her for taking such a small encounter so seriously. Even though Marisa had only known Daniela for about a month, she felt like she had known her for years, their bond was that strong. The two had met in a management class at UB, and soon found they shared many similar interests, including the same major, advertising and public relations.

Marisa went back into the kitchen to remove her phone from her bag where she had left it on the counter. She pressed number two on her speed-dial (number one was voicemail). After a couple of rings, Daniela finally answered, “Hey Marisa, qué tal?”

“Mmmm, nothing much, really. How was your day?” Marisa responded casually.

“Honestly, it was amazing! After you decided to go study, Carla and I went shopping. And guess who we saw?” she replied, her voice full of excitement.

“Who?” Marisa questioned with interest.

“Victor Valdés!” yelled Daniela.

“Umm, wait. I’ve heard you mention him before. Who is he again?” asked Marisa

“Only the greatest keeper alive! I seriously can’t believe you don’t remember who he is. Sometimes you are so silly woman!” said Daniela.

“Oops, lo siento! I guess you do talk about him a lot. But anyways, that is amazing. I’m so happy for you. Did you get any pictures?” Marisa responded.

Daniela immediately replied, “Of course! I’ll upload them on Facebook tonight! So enough about me, how was your day?”

“Well that’s sort of why I called you, actually,” she said, going into detail about what had happened to her only an hour or so earlier. She told Daniela about the amazing “mystery man” she had seen, who couldn’t seem to look away from her. Marisa had no idea the “mystery man” she was gushing over was none other than FC Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué, the ultimate ladies man and womanizer. Because she came from the states, Marisa new nothing about football. The only sport she had any knowledge about was basketball; everyone seemed to be a crazy Lakers fan in LA.

As the conversation started to wind down, she asked Daniela, “Do you think I’m overreacting? I mean, I should forget about him. He probably wasn’t interested in me. Why else would he leave? Anyway, what’s the chance of us running into each other again?”

If only she knew.

Chapter 2, Part 2:

It had been two days since Marisa had seen the “mystery man” and she still couldn’t shake him from her thoughts. Her art history paper was still unwritten, so she went to the community library to work on it. Marisa needed to concentrate, so she decided that Amaltea and the UB library were not good choices for the work she needed to accomplish. There were too many distractions at Amaltea; co-workers were always chatting with her or offering her free food while she was there on her days off. The UB library was also distracting; Daniela and her other friend Carla, would most definitely want to tag along. They would spend the entire session gossiping instead of working, so that was a definite no.

So instead, Marisa sat at a large table at the local library with a huge cup of coffee to keep her focused. In addition, she brought her laptop along and was typing her essay. She had also found some helpful books about El Greco in the “art” section, which were unavailable at the UB library.

*****

Two days after he had seen that girl at Amaltea, Gerard was still thinking about her. As soon as training had ended that day, he went back to see if she was still there, but unfortunately she wasn’t. He was going to ask the hostess who had helped him and Bo if she knew who the girl was, but the hostess had left as well. Maybe not seeing her again was a sign that they were not supposed to be together, like Gerard initially thought. Regardless, he was going to try one more time to find her. Today, after he was done hanging out with Bo, he was going to head back to Amaltea again to see if she was there. “If she’s one of those vegetarians, she probably eats there all the time,” he thought. “There aren’t many vegetarian places around here.”

Bo’s voice brought Gerard back to reality. “Could you hurry up, Gerard? I have some really important things I want to do there,” Bo whined.

Once again Bo was sitting in the passenger seat of Gerard’s car. The two were headed to the local library. “Will you calm down! You’re lucky I’m even taking you there. What will people think if pictures of ME at the library appear all over the newspaper?” Gerard replied.

“They’ll think that you actually have a brain!” retorted Bo as Gerard rolled his eyes.

“Look we’re here. Are you happy now?” asked Gerard as they approached the library.

“Sí!” Bo exclaimed, almost jumping out of the car as Gerard was still parking. Bo was so excited to be at the library, it was one of his favorite places to go.

Once inside, Bo headed straight for the “maths” section, leaving Gerard all alone. “What the hell am I supposed to do at the library?” Gerard thought to himself as he started to wander around like a lost puppy. But then, he saw her. Guess he wasn’t going to Amaltea later after all.

She was sitting at a table with books spread across the table once again. Her eyebrows were furrowed, like she was trying to focus, to concentrate. But she still looked breathtaking. This time, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, which made her facial features stand out even more. Her high cheekbones, her full lips, her tiny nose, her green eyes, they were all beautiful to him. He stood there, rooted to the ground, mesmerized by her beauty.

Just like during their earlier encounter, she looked up, as though she could feel his presence. But this time instead of looking back down at her books, she continued to stare at him. And this time, instead of running, Gerard found himself being pulled towards her, like a magnet. Nothing could get in between them now.

Translations:
Dios mío!: My God!
Qué tal?: What's up?
Lo siento!: Sorry!
Sí!: Yes!