Chapter Text
As Pia looked around André’s expensive kitchen, and sighed. She took a sip of her coffee and then sighed once again. She’s been doing a lot of sighing lately which was uncalled for when her life was full of blessings. She was sitting in her boyfriend’s apartment - no, correction, their apartment. She moved in a week ago; she couldn’t refuse not with her boyfriend’s persistency. His plan of action was to just make her spend so much time at his place it really wasn’t convenient for her anymore to live a good 40 minute commute away; coupled with daily reminders why living together was much better than living apart.
But now that she was in his presence all day long, she couldn’t keep the guilt away anymore. The guilt that has been slowly eating at her and was close to consuming her because André was perfect. He’s everything she thought he would be and more. Loving, sweet, romantic, caring, thoughtful, but also funny, witty and smart.
He was perfect, their relationship was perfect. #RelationshipGoals as some had started commenting on their posts on his IG page and yet she wasn’t completely happy. She couldn’t be because everything was a lie .
His love. Their relationship. Everything was an illusion fruit of a love potion.
She jumped in her seat as her phone rang and Ander’s smiling face took over the screen.
“Hey,” she answered the phone.
“Ciao mia bellissima,” Pia could just hear the smile in his voice; the guilt ate another piece of her. “I just got to Milanello and I already miss you.” He confessed with a bashful laugh.
Pia gave a small smile. Yes, the guilt was eating at her but she was also highly enjoying the attention and ‘love’ André was showering on her. “I miss you too,” she replied.
“I’ll come straight home after practice. Would you like to go out or should we have a nice night in?” He asked. They had barely said goodbye not even an hour ago and he was already planning what to do when they met up again.
“We’ll just wing it when you come home.”
“ Home. I love hearing that from your lips.” He said. “I’d love to hear some other things pass through your lips.” He gave a playful growl and Pia’s dirty mind immediately replayed the scenes from last night.
“André!” She covered her face in embarrassment. “I’ll talk to you later. Have a good day at training! Love you!” She said
“I love you too meu amor, or rather, Amore Mio .” he said the last part in an exaggerated Italian accent followed by his gleeful laughter.
Pia ended the call and dropped her head on the table, a resonating thud echoing in the kitchen. This was what she had to deal with day in and day out. She had to deal with the guilt but also with the happiness that their relationship brought. She couldn’t remember a time she loved anymore more than André or was so well loved by her partner. She knew all her feelings for him were true, but she also knew that his feelings for her were not.
She was in this horrible juxtaposition where she had everything she ever wanted, and was as happy as she could be in terms of her love life and yet, she was also miserable because she forced him to love her. If she didn’t meddle, would he have met someone more suited for him? Someone whom he could really love? Would she have found someone who would have loved her of his own accord?
Pia sighed.
Pia and André have been long time friends. Well, maybe friends was saying a lot. They moved in the same circle of friends. Pia has had a crush on André since she could remember. André, on the other hand, could always barely recall Pia. They were introduced a couple of times since André always thought she was new whenever they met at parties. To Pia, André had always been her ultimate crush, but nothing ever happened between them, not for lack of trying from Pia’s part but André never gave her the time of day. There was always a new cousin of a friend, or, as his football career grew, more aspiring models, bloggers or breakout celebrities trying to catch his eye. They succeeded most of the time.
When Pia moved to Milan for a translating job at a Portuguese company, she thought this was the way for her to move on from her crush. Out of sight, out of mind...and hopefully out of heart. However, months later, André was back in her life as he signed with the city’s club - A.C. Milan. Technically, he wasn’t back in her life as they hadn’t met up once he moved to Milan, but he was back in sight, which meant back in mind, and therefore back in her heart.
It wasn’t until his mother learned that she was in town that he was then actually back in her life. His mother asked her if she could help André get to know the city, the language, and adapt to the new life. She reluctantly agreed, afraid of what her emotions would be when she met him again. She was right to be reluctant because once she laid his eyes on him, her body came alive. Her cheeks immediately took color, her tongue felt too big in her mouth, rendering it impossible for her to talk and her palms got sweaty.
André on the other hand was unbothered by her presence. He was cordial, thanking her for agreeing to help but was otherwise unperturbed by her presence.
They met every so often, and talked whenever André had a question but nothing romantic was going on. Pia knew that André wasn’t looking at her since he was out many nights partying with whomever came to visit him or getting to know some of his teammates. She knew from their common friends that André was spending nights with some Italian ladies.
One day, just as she was about to take the steps into the metro, she felt watched. She stopped to see an old lady in a makeshift booth smiling toothily at her.
“I’ve been waiting for you. Come.” The old lady motioned for Pia to come to her. Pia would have normally just ignored the lady and continued her way but there was something enticing about the old lady that she couldn’t take her eyes away from her. Without a word from Pia, the old lady was able to immediately tell the young Portuguese woman what was bothering her - a boy. Pia rolled her eyes and looked skeptically at the old lady, about to call her a charlatan; but Pia was shut up when the old lady was able to retell Pia’s history with André; even guessing the said boy’s name. “He sounds like an André to me. This boy giving you problems must be an André.” The old lady foretold how André and Pia’s life would never converge leading to Pia settling for a man far inferior to her and André never really finding true love or true happiness.
Nevertheless, things could change if Pia took the love potion she was offering.
By that time Pia was more believing of the old lady’s powers but thought that a love potion just sounds like a scam. She shook her head and left only to be followed by the old lady’s promise. “You’ll regret it when tomorrow the internet will be a buzz about the brunette with your André.”
True enough, her words rang true and Pia was back for the potion.
Pia hesitated only for a second, before dropping the content in André’s drink when she joined him and his friends (after stalking him and forcing herself into the group) for a night out.
That night, André surprised his friends by sticking with Pia all night, and on the next day André wouldn’t let Pia leave the bed they shared without a promise for her to meet him that night for a date.
That date turned into two, and then three, and then they were constantly in each other’s presence. It didn’t take long for them to officially call each other boyfriend and girlfriend, stunning André’s friends at how fast-paced André was moving in their relationship. That wasn’t the only change in him. He was overly affectionate and sharing of their relationship, continually posting pictures of them or her; and Public Displays of Affections weren’t an issue, even though André had always been very private in his relationships.
This was consistent for a couple of months before the couple was over their honeymoon phase. André stopped posting as many pictures and stories of them; they didn’t go out as much; but they still spent a lot of time together and Pia moved into his house.
Pia was happy, and ignored the voices telling her it was all false, that it was all a joke until she couldn’t anymore.
Pia threw the rest of her coffee in the sink and marched out of the house. She loved André, and that meant doing what was best for him, and for his happiness, even at the cost of her own’s. Damn her pride, her love, and her happiness. She was going to get him an antidote and put an end to this farce. He was going to get back his life, and she would fade back into the sidelines of his as it was supposed to be. He deserved real love and happiness; and deep down, Pia thought that she too should look for that rather than cling to a fantasy she concocted.