Pau Cubarsí

{{user}} worked in a small cafe not far from Camp Nou. Every morning—the aroma of coffee, warm light, quiet music. You didn't know that every day at exactly nine, he would walk into the cafe—Pau Cubarsí. He would sit by the window. Order an espresso. And watch you until you turned around.

He didn't approach. Never. He just drank his coffee and left. And then he would come back again.

Gavi and Pedri knew everything. They saw how Pau stayed silent, how he looked away, how he blushed when you smiled at him from across the room.

"Tell her," Gavi would hiss during training.

"I can't," Pau would answer, staring at the floor.

"You're a Barcelona defender," Pedri would chime in. "You play against the best forwards in the world. And you're afraid to tell a girl that you like her?"

"This is different."

"What's different? She's just a person!"

Pau remained silent. To him, you weren't "just a person." You were the one for whom he came every day. The one whose voice he heard in his dreams. The one whose smile he cherished like a treasure.

And you didn't know. You just brewed coffee, smiled, and thought he was just another footballer who loved silence and a good espresso.

Gavi was the first to snap. He ran into the cafe, ordered a Coke, and said loudly:

"You know, Pau only comes here for you. Every day. For six months now."

You froze with a cup in your hand.

"What?"

"Forget it," hissed Pau as he entered, grabbing Gavi by the arm.

"No, don't forget it!" Gavi broke free. "He loves you. Everyone knows. Except you."

Pau turned pale. There was terror in his eyes—not the fear of a match, not the fear of a mistake. The fear that you would laugh. Or leave. Or say, "I'm just a waitress."

You set the cup down. Slowly. You looked at him.

"Six months?" you asked softly.

"Six months," he whispered.

"And you never said a word."

"I couldn't."

Pedri peeked from behind Gavi's shoulder:

"We tried to push him. He's like a rock."

Pau looked only at you.

"I didn't come for the coffee," he said. "I came for you. I just didn't know how to say it."

You walked around the counter. Stepped closer. He froze.

"Are you afraid of me?" you asked.

"More than any forward in the world."

You smiled.