Football singularity-Chapter 736: Chater Gift
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[2021-04-19 | Cologne Cable Car | 19:05 CET]
They ate as they walked, occasionally stealing bites from each other’s crêpes. The path widened ahead, opening up to a small plaza where the Cologne Cable Car station was located. The gondolas—sleek, modern metal capsules with glass panels—glided smoothly overhead, ferrying passengers across the Rhine.
"Want to ride it?" Rakim asked, nodding toward the station.
"Are you serious?" May said, her eyes lighting up, they had been here for more than a year and had somehow never ridden the thing. "Yes!"
They finished their crêpes, tossed the wrappers in a nearby bin, and headed to the ticket booth. Rakim bought two tickets, and they joined the short queue. Within a few minutes, they were boarding an empty gondola.
The doors slid shut, and the capsule began its ascent, revealing a breathtaking view. Below them, the Rhine stretched out like a ribbon of liquid silver, reflecting the fading sunlight. It was so mesmerising that one could hardly believe it was the reason for the death of thousands throughout history.
The city of Cologne rose on the opposite bank—the iconic twin spires of the Dom piercing the sky, surrounded by a patchwork of rooftops and streets. Boats drifted lazily on the water, and the distant hum of traffic was just barely audible. May pressed her face against the glass, her breath fogging it slightly. "This is so beautiful."
"Yeah," Rakim agreed, though he was looking at her, not the view.
She turned, catching him staring, and raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Nothing," Rakim said, grinning. "Just thinking."
"Dangerous activity for you," May teased, sitting down on the bench beside him. "How many times until you realise that’s how you ended up in trouble?"
"Good thing I’m made of tough stuff," He laughed, then reached into the inner pocket of his blazer. "Alright, close your eyes."
May blinked. "Why?"
"Just do it," Rakim said, his tone playful but insistent.
May hesitated, then complied, closing her eyes. "If you place something slimy in my hands, I swear—"
"Ahem, that’s actually not a bad idea," he said teasingly, seemingly thinking about that option.
"Rakim Simon Rex, don’t you dare!" She exclaimed the warning clearly despite keeping her eyes closed.
"Calm down, where would I even get something like that now?" he placated as she heard the rustle of fabric. "Plus, I’m not a psychopath who would walk around with something like that."
A large square box, slightly bigger than both her palms, was placed into her open hands "Okay," Rakim said. "Open."
She opened her eyes and looked down at the flat, midnight-blue velvet box with a gold clasp. Her breath caught immediately as she could guess what it was likely to be. "Rakim..."
"Open it," he said softly.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she unclasped the box, suddenly aware not to drop it. Inside, nestled on white satin, was a delicate necklace. A platinum chain held a pendant in the shape of a stylised "lily"—crafted from white gold and encrusted with small diamonds that caught the fading sunlight streaming through the gondola’s glass panels.
But it was the centrepiece that truly stunned her: a single emerald, deep and vivid green, cut in a teardrop shape and set perfectly in the middle. The emerald seemed to glow with an inner light, its colour so rich and pure that it reminded May of summer forests after rain. Small diamond accents framed the emerald on either side, creating a subtle halo effect that made the green stone appear even more radiant.
"Rakim..." May whispered again, her voice barely audible. She looked up at him, her green eyes wide, shimmering with emotion. "This is..."
Your favourite colour," Rakim said softly, sitting beside her properly now. "Emerald. I had it commissioned back in February. Old man Carter couldn’t do it due to COVID, but his nephew took over the job.
"May’s hand came up to cover her mouth, her fingers trembling. "You, no, how much did you spend. If you have the receipts, maybe we can still return them."
"Hahah, calm down." He said, reaching forward to tap her forehead, stopping her wandering thoughts. "One, no, we can’t return it, two, I’ll just have to maximise my performance bonuses or get around to looking at the endorsement contracts Mum keeps sending me. And finally, I don’t want to."
"Wha- You’re unbelievable." She said with an exasperated smile, knowing just how much her partner likes to spend on jewellery. Although he doesn’t buy much, when he does, he doesn’t spare a cent to get what he wants. "Thank you, this is an incredible gift, I love it."
"Yeah?" Rakim said, relief evident in his tone. "Because if you don’t, I can’t really return it, my money guy has already written it off—"
"Shut up. It’s perfect." She hit his arm lightly, laughing through her tears. "Plus, there is no way Mike agreed to let you do this."
"Don’t worry about it," he waved her off. "Turns out it’s quite easy to get someone to do something when you’re their boss."
"Don’t lie, you don’t spend a penny without his say-so." She countered ruthlessly.
"Turn around," Rakim said, not commenting as he took the box from her hands. Carefully removing the necklace from its velvet bed, the chain glinted as it caught the light.
May turned, sweeping her hair over one shoulder to expose the nape of her neck. Rakim leaned in, bringing the necklace around her throat. His fingers brushed against her skin as he gently fastened the clasp. The pendant settled just above her collarbone, the emerald resting perfectly in the hollow of her throat.
She reached up, touching it lightly with her fingertips, then pulled out her phone to check the reflection in the camera app. The necklace looked like it had been made for her—the platinum complementing her fair skin, the emerald matching her eyes almost exactly. It was quite the elegant piece, and the more she looked at it, the more he liked it.
"How do I look?" she asked, turning to face him.
"Like you just walked out of my dreams," Rakim said with a grin. "Or like the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. Probably both."
May’s smile was radiant. She leaned forward, cupping his face in both hands, and kissed him—soft at first, then deeper, her fingers sliding into his hair. Rakim’s hands found her waist, pulling her closer, the gondola swaying gently around them. When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathing a little harder. May rested her forehead against his, her eyes closed, a soft smile playing on her lips.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything. For tonight, for the necklace, for... just being you."
"You deserve it," Rakim said simply. "All of it."
They stayed like that for a moment, foreheads touching, hands intertwined, as the cable car continued its smooth glide across the Rhine. The sun had fully set now, and the city lights of Cologne were beginning to dominate the skyline—thousands of points of golden light against the deepening blue of twilight.
The Dom was illuminated, its Gothic spires glowing like beacons. The Rhine itself had turned a dark, reflective blue, mirroring the lights from the boats and buildings along its banks. It was a picture-perfect moment, right out of the movies. "So you have Bayern tomorrow, huh? Win, and you widen the gap by four with four games to go."
"Yeah, honestly, can’t believe it’s this close with the run we have had this season." He complained, leaning back in his seat, putting an arm around her. "I just want to win the next game and so on, but it will be hard without Flo."
"I figured he’s such a big part of the team this season," she acknowledged before squeezing his hand in support. "Though I believe you’ll do it even if you faced Real Madrid, Barca, and Man United afterwards."
"Hahah, one of those teams is not even a threat, especially with Harry Maguire forgetting who he plays for sometimes."
"Hahha, we don’t say that. ’out loud.’"
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TO BE CONTINUED...
