Page 28 of Penalty Kick

The buzz of his phone in his pocket startled him. Without thinking, he pulled it out, glancing down at the screen, his face lighting up when he saw her name.

Talia: Yes

Yes? What was she saying yes to? His phone buzzed again, the answer to his question popping up.

Talia: I’d love to go to the carnival with you

A smile tugged at his lips, her beautiful face filling his mind. For the first time since he’d left her at the elevator the other night, his heart felt light, making the worry and heaviness of his thoughts melt away. Maybe he had gotten a lot of things wrong, especially lately, but Talia made him want to get this right. He’d known from the start that winning her over was going to be about more than just charm and him being some hotshot footballer. But the more he got to know her the more he knew that he needed to be better. To show her the guy that was underneath all this.

Dash: Then it is a date. I am looking forward to seeing how Carnival is done here. Although, I must admit that I am confused as to why it is in July

Talia: Because you don’t celebrate the 4th of July in October? Lol

Furrowing his brow, Dash reread her message a couple of times. He started to turn to Liam, stopping himself. Liam wasn’t from this country either, so how was he going to make sense of this?

Dash: What does tomorrow have to do with Carnival?

Talia: Because that’s when it’s normally held? Or so Felicity tells me. It was only moved this year because the team had an away game

“Padre, you are Católico, sí?” Dash asked, still staring at his phone.

“What gave it away? The Irish part or the one of five boys?” he quipped.

“When is la cuaresma?”

“La what?”

“La cuaresma. The forty days before Pascua de Resurrección,” Dash answered, wishing he knew the words in English. Not that he had a whole lot of room to talk—he hadn’t been to church in…well, he couldn’t even remember. At this point, he was lucky to remember the names of the days at all.

“Resurrection Sunday is called Easter here. So la cuar…” Liam tailed off, looking a little sheepish at his lack of proper pronunciation. “Lent. We call it Lent. And it’s in the spring. Same as it is everywhere. Why?”

Dash turned back to his phone.

Dash: May I ask what one does at Carnival in America?

Talia: ummm, I’ve never been to the Southland Holdings one, but I think it’s a pretty standard carnival. Fried food, midway games, some rides, a Ferris wheel…

Dash: That is not what I was expecting…

Talia: I’m a little afraid to ask lol

Dash laughed, reading her text in Talia’s voice. The sweet sound made his heart squeeze, wishing she were here with them.

Dash: Carnival is a major event in Buenos Aires. Parades, costumes, etc.

Talia: OHHHHHHHH! Car-nee-val!

Talia: This is not that. The American version of that is called Fat Tuesday. This event is like, a fun fair

Dash: Why is your Tuesday fat?

Talia: I do not actually know lol

Dash: Now I am not only intrigued, but looking forward to your Carnival even more ;)

Talia: Why?

“Yeah, why?” Liam asked, his voice so close to Dash it startled him.