Chapter 31 He had to give himself a chance…
After training, the players walked arm in arm toward the locker room.
On the first day after the holiday, no one was keen on extra training. Instead, they went out in small groups to have dinner or go to nightclubs to have some fun.
Kaka invited Fino to his home.
After the holiday, his wife Caroline came to Milan from Brazil with him, and Kaka wanted to introduce Caroline to Fino.
“Carol has completed her university studies and will be settling in Milan. We will finally no longer be separated by the ends of the earth. She is very interested in the fashion industry and plans to continue her studies in fashion in Milan.”
Kaka looked happy. He was a family man, and since arriving in Europe, he and Caroline had spent little time together.
Fino hesitated. He hadn't fully adjusted his mood yet, and he didn't want to neglect Caroline because of his bad mood.
"How about in a few days? I think Caroline also needs time to adjust to life in Milan."
Kaka nodded, but before he could speak, Inzaghi stepped between him and Fino.
Inzaghi put his arm around Fino's shoulder and jokingly turned to ask him, "Why aren't you going? Pretty boy, you don't want to go on a date with me, do you?"
Ronaldo burst out laughing when he heard this: "Kid, want to come with me to a nightclub to broaden your horizons? Pato is a year younger than you, you're way behind the times."
Fino replied lazily, "Ronnie, Pato is a year younger than me, so don't call me a kid anymore."
Then, he casually pulled away from Inzaghi's arm, his eyes scanning the grass in front of him, and said in a nonchalant tone, "And you, Pippo, I'm just your teammate, not your boyfriend, so I can't date you. So, stop indiscriminately radiating your charm. If you used all that charm on girls, your number of ex-girlfriends would definitely surpass Vieri's."
Fino's words elicited a burst of laughter. Gattuso and Ambrosini even gave Fino a thumbs up, and Pirlo came over and patted Fino on the shoulder with satisfaction.
No one expected that Fino could be so funny with a blank expression, and the effect was fantastic, leaving the flamboyant Inzaghi speechless.
Only Inzaghi and Fino themselves know how serious they really are.
It was only then that Inzaghi realized where the problem lay.
On the day of the Christmas dinner, he made a fool of himself.
Fino doesn't fall for the "playing hard to get" approach. He needs to be firmly chosen. If he doesn't get enough security in the relationship, he won't persist or force things; he'll let go directly.
It seems I need to change my strategy; perhaps I should be more direct, Inzaghi thought to himself.
Shortly after Fino arrived home, the doorbell rang.
He looked out through the peephole and saw Inzaghi.
Regardless of Inzaghi's intentions, Fino didn't really care. He just wanted to get as far away from Inzaghi as possible, ideally until Inzaghi completely disappeared from his mind.
Fino didn't open the door, and the two remained silent through it.
Inzaghi understood why Fino refused to open the door, and it was precisely because he understood that he was determined to wait. No matter what, there had to be a result today.
He knew very well that if he left now, the connection between him and Fino would be completely severed, and they would never have a chance again.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes... Time passed second by second, and Inzaghi neither rang the doorbell again, nor did he leave.
Fino sighed and opened the door.
Inzaghi was holding a bouquet of flowers, still white tulips.
This was the third time Fino had received flowers from Inzaghi. The first two times, he didn't understand them, assuming that Inzaghi, who had romance in his bones, had bought them casually. But this time, he preferred not to understand them.
He took the flowers from Inzaghi, led Inzaghi in, and they sat down silently on the sofa together.
As the host, Fino thought he should perhaps say something, but he really didn't know what to say.
So all we can do is remain silent.
It was Inzaghi who spoke first; he chose to lay his cards on the table directly.
"You can actually sense my feelings, and you have feelings for me too, right?"
Inzaghi's words struck Fino like a thunderclap, and his eyes began to sting again.
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened his mouth with difficulty: "Pippo, you have a girlfriend, you shouldn't be telling me these things."
“You mean Sara Tomasi? We did date a few times, but it was just dating, not a relationship, and it’s over,” Inzaghi said softly.
Fino shook her head: "That's your problem, it has nothing to do with me."
Inzaghi leaned closer to Fino, stared into his eyes, and said confidently, "You're jealous and sad, just like you were at the Christmas dinner."
Fino stepped back a little to the other side, feeling as if his secret had been exposed and made public, which was extremely embarrassing.
Another surge of anger rose in another corner of his heart. It turned out that Inzaghi knew everything, or rather, he was the one directing everything.
But the anger quickly dissipated; oh well, it was pointless anyway.
“That’s not important. What’s important is that some things should end here.” His voice was a little hoarse.
Inzaghi noticed Fino's embarrassment, but he showed no intention of backing down.
"Why does it have to end here? I love you, and you have feelings for me too. Why not follow your heart?"
Inzaghi stared intently at Fino, his eyes filled with tender expectation.
Hearing these words, which sounded almost like a confession, Fino felt her heart pounding again.
He remained silent for a long time, then finally shook his head and sighed, "Pippo, you are a very charming person. No one can escape your attraction, including me. I admit that I am indeed attracted to you, but I am very clear-headed. We are from two different worlds, and it will not end well."
“That’s not how it is…” Inzaghi tried to argue.
“Wait a minute, let me finish,” Fino interrupted Inzaghi. “You believe in living for the moment, but I’m all about a long-term commitment. I don’t mean to criticize you; you have your own views on love and lifestyle, which I respect and understand. But seriousness and commitment in a relationship are very important to me. So, perhaps pretending nothing ever happened is the best option for us. We still have to play on the same team, don’t we?”
Inzaghi gave a helpless look and shook his head, saying, "I admit that my past romantic experiences have been too numerous. I'm fickle, promiscuous, and make people feel insecure. But I swear, I've never been so infatuated with anyone as I am with you. I have a feeling that my destined one is right in front of me. Perhaps we are the one for each other, so why should we miss each other?"
Inzaghi's words were too inflammatory. Even though Fino knew that Inzaghi might have used this rhetoric on many people, his already self-deceptive conviction still wavered.
At this point, Inzaghi added fuel to the fire, saying with a bitter smile in a hurt and heartbroken tone, "You sentenced me to death in your heart before anything even happened. That's not fair to me. Fino, give me a chance, and I will prove my seriousness and dedication to you."
Fino hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded resignedly.
"If you haven't changed your mind by the summer break, perhaps, perhaps we can give it a try."
He could no longer bring himself to refuse.
His pride wouldn't allow him to get involved in other people's relationships, but if Inzaghi was single... even if it was destined to be futile, he would accept it...
Seeing Fino nod, Inzaghi finally smiled with satisfaction. He took Fino's hand and said gently, "I look forward to that day."
“Pippo,” Fino said in a low voice, closing his eyes, “if you change your mind, please tell me the truth, and don’t let me see it in the tabloids.”
Inzaghi pulled Fino's hand to his lips and kissed it gently: "That day will never come."
Fino twitched the corner of his mouth. He didn't have much confidence in Inzaghi, but he had to give himself a chance, either to get what he wanted or to give up completely.
Inzaghi knew he needed to give Fino some time to process his emotions, so he got up to say goodbye. But as Fino saw him to the door, he suddenly wanted to get something in return.
"Have you ever been in a relationship?" Inzaghi put his hands on Fino's waist. He actually knew the answer, but he needed this topic to start the conversation.
They were very close, and Inzaghi's beautiful and alluring face was magnified in front of Fino.
Fino stared blankly, shaking his head in a daze.
Inzaghi chuckled softly, stroked Fino's face with his right hand, and said gently, "He's still a child, I'll be gentle with you."
"Have you ever kissed someone?" He gently wiped Fino's lips with his thumb.
At this point, Fino's brain was completely blank, and it took him a long time to regain his senses.
He thought about it honestly and realized that it must have happened. After the match against Juventus, the person involved was Buffon, and Inzaghi was also present.
But that was just an accident, does it count?
He answered Inzaghi with a hint of uncertainty: "With Buffon?"
Inzaghi cursed Buffon with the utmost malice in his heart, but showed no sign of it on his face.
"That wasn't a kiss, it was just an accidental brush against our lips." Inzaghi pressed his forehead against Fino's, coaxing him softly, "I'll teach you what a real kiss is like, okay?"
Fino nodded mechanically; his mind was completely blank, and he was simply reacting reflexively.
The next second after he nodded, Inzaghi grabbed his chin with one hand.
Inzaghi's lips pressed down on mine, like a storm.
Fino gradually felt difficulty breathing; he was about to drown in the raging waves.
Fino felt dizzy. Even though Inzaghi had his other arm around his waist, he was still unsteady. He tried to grab Inzaghi's shirt to steady himself, but even his fingertips started to give way, and the fabric slipped easily from his hands.
Suddenly, he felt support behind him; Inzaghi had pushed him against the door. He braced himself against the door with one hand, bracing himself against the even fiercer storm...
After the kiss ended, Fino leaned against the door, panting heavily.
Inzaghi smiled contentedly, then gave Fino a comforting kiss on the cheek before saying goodbye.
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