Page 66 of Love and Other Goals

“Well, we’ll have to find a way to all be together sometime soon so you’re not in the doghouse too long,” he says to Luis with an equally mischievous smile. “Coach set an early curfew for us tonight to make sure we’re well-rested for the final tomorrow. But we can hang out in the hotel lobby for a little bit until then.”

Luis is staying at the same hotel as the team, and I feel like he deserves some solo time with Mateo after not seeing him since the summer.

I call for an Uber while they slip into Spanish again, then tell them my plan to head back to my hotel.

“Are you sure, Lana? You can come over to our hotel until curfew,” Mateo offers.

“No, you two should go spend some time catching up, and I’m going to go to sleep early,” I say, squeezing Mateo’s hand. “But I’ll see you tomorrow at the match.”

Mateo waits with me until my Uber arrives, making sure the license plate matches the info on my app. He wraps his arms around me one more time, whispering “thank you” in my ear before opening the door for me.

The next morning, I wake up to a text from an unknown number.

Unknown

Buenos dias Lana. It is Luis. Mateo sent me your phone number. Would you like to meet for a late breakfast before the match? There is a nice café near the complex.

I smile to myself and check the time. It’s 9:15, but the match doesn’t start until 1:00, so we have plenty of time.

Buenos dias! That sounds amazing. Tell me the name of the café and I can meet you there at 10.

I quickly shower and freshen up my hair with dry shampoo, carefully applying makeup and putting Mateo’s jersey back on over a long-sleeve shirt.

I check my bag in at the front desk to retrieve later tonight before I leave town. My Uber drops me off at the café right at 10:00, and Luis is already there, engaged in lively conversation with the waitress. As I approach the table, he stands up to give me a welcoming hug, then introduces me to our waitress. “Linda, this is Lana, the one I told you about who has captured my son’s heart.”

I feel the blush warming my cheeks as Linda loudly “Awwwwws” in response. Sliding into the seat across the table, I ask for coffee with cream. A cup of black coffee already sits in front of Luis, and he fills me in on Linda’s suggested favorites from the menu.

She sets a mug of coffee and a small pitcher of cream in front of me, pausing to take our orders. Luis and I fall into easy conversation as he asks me more about my family. I’m singing Mateo’s praises about how he connected with Dean when our food arrives. Luis asks to bless our meal, so we pause to pray and then dive back into our conversation (and delicious food).

“I’m not surprised that Mateo made that connection with your brother,” Luis says as I take a bite of my biscuits and gravy. “He has always had this way with people, of seeing through to their hearts, seeing who they are and loving them.” I nod in agreement, because that’s completely accurate to what I’ve seen in Mateo. “My older son, Miguel, he has always been more closed off. Still responsible and hardworking, but he keeps much more inside than Mateo does.”

We continue talking about their family, my law school dreams, my childhood in El Paso, flowing easily from one topic to the next over endless cups of coffee. Linda comes over to interrupt us with our check, “Y’all better get on over to the stadium if you’re going to the game. It’s after twelve already.” Surprised at how the time has flown by, I start to pull out my wallet, but Linda holds up a hand to stop me. “Honey, the first thing he told me was that he was taking the check, so save yourself the effort.”

I thank Luis for the unexpected kindness, then excuse myself to the restroom before we leave. As we walk out of the café down the street to the sports complex together, Luis says, “Lana, I have an idea, if you will indulge me.”

“Of course! What is it?”

“I was thinking, my wife and daughter are so anxious to meet you, and we do not have a Christmas present for Mateo yet. You are already the best gift he has received this year. So I want to make you the Christmas gift for our family. Can I buy a plane ticket so you can come visit us in Michigan before Christmas to surprise Mateo?”

I blink back tears before answering. “Oh my goodness, that is so kind and generous of you. I would love to come and visit, but you certainly don’t need to pay for my ticket.”

“Ah no, mija, I insist. You have made my son so happy these months. And it would mean so much to my wife to meet you for herself. It will honor me to fly you to Michigan,” he says with a hand on his chest. “Plus, I don’t think I will ever have to buy Mateo another gift again if I bring his heart to see his family,” he says with a wink.

“Well, when you put it that way, how could I refuse?” I say, smiling warmly.

Luis looks infinitely pleased at our plan as we find seats in the bleachers. We arrive early so we can sit in the front row, and when Mateo sees us, he motions to his coach and comes jogging over. The bleachers are elevated above the field, but Luis leans down to give Mateo a clap on the back over the edge, wishing him luck.

Mateo turns to me, his deep brown eyes reflecting the afternoon sun and his dimple beckoning me. My heart melts all over again with the intense, open affection in his face as he smiles at me. I lean over the wall of the bleachers to wrap my arms around his neck, squeezing tightly. My hair falls like a curtain around us, and his fingers trace the letters of his last name against my back. I kiss him on the cheek and whisper, “Good luck!” in his ear. When I pull back, he tucks my hair behind my ear with a small smile before running back out to join the team on the sidelines.

The nervous energy from the team fills the stadium. I know how much it would mean to Mateo and all the guys to be repeat champions. Townsend is favored to win, but the opposing team only had one loss during the regular season. It won’t be an easy victory.

Both teams play like they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Each team puts together multiple good shots on goal, but heading into halftime, it’s still 0-0. My watch keeps alerting me that my stress level is high and I should take some deep breaths, so I shove it in my pocket.

My anxious energy is reflected in Luis as well. We spend halftime dissecting the play so far, assessing what changes our team will need to make in order to get an advantage. “I think Mateo is going to have to play up farther if we’re going to get more pressure on the goal,” Luis says, and I agree.

As the second half begins, sure enough, Mateo is playing up closer offensively. He gets a good pass over to Andrès, but the opponents’ defender blocks Andrès from getting an open shot, and their goalkeeper sends the ball back down the field.

Thankfully, Chris makes an amazing defensive steal and ricochets the ball off an opponent out of bounds. Our players are able to reset, and Shawn sends a perfect throw-in straight to Jamar, who passes to Andrès in the box. Luis and I clutch each other as we anticipate Andrès’ shot on goal, but instead, he makes the extra pass to Mateo in the middle. I hold my breath as Mateo scissor-kicks the ball in the air, sending it sailing past the keeper.

---