Chapter 42 - 40 - The Place He Lost

Chapter 42: Chapter 40 - The Place He Lost

Rafael remembered seeing several messages about the trip, although he had not opened the conversation properly at the time. He had been preparing for the PSG semifinal, and afterward his attention had moved almost entirely toward the first team.

He looked toward Hugo.

"So you’ve already filled the last place?"

"Yeah. We needed four people for the booking."

Rafael sat back and glanced at the cards in his hand.

He had not even asked the first-team staff whether they would release him for the days his friends intended to travel. He was still being assessed, and there was no reason to assume the club would allow him to miss several days of preseason.

Even if Hugo had kept a place available, Rafael would have needed to clear the trip with Metz before confirming that he could go.

But he had not asked.

And now the others were going without him.

"Everything’s booked, then?" Rafael asked.

"Yeah, mate," Hugo answered. "Rooms, transport, all of it."

Rafael nodded and returned his attention to the table.

Lucas watched him for a moment.

"We asked you, Rafa. You kept saying you’d check."

"I know. I didn’t know what the club was doing with me."

"Then you could’ve told us not to count you in."

Rafael looked up.

"I wasn’t saying I couldn’t come."

"You weren’t saying you could either."

Hugo set his cards down.

"Look, I spent ages getting everyone to confirm. We couldn’t book anything while we were waiting for your answer, so when you still didn’t know, we asked someone else."

Rafael glanced toward Lucas, who was watching him without saying anything.

For a moment, he wanted to point out that the first-team assessment was more important than a few days away. Missing training now could cost him a place he had spent weeks trying to earn.

But neither Lucas nor Hugo had asked him to miss training.

They had asked him to give them an answer before making their arrangements.

"I should’ve told you not to wait," Rafael said.

Hugo nodded, although he did not immediately return to his cards.

"Yeah. You should’ve."

Rafael looked down at the table.

He understood the decision. He had spent enough years playing professionally to know what happened when somebody kept leaving plans unfinished, and he had been on both sides of those conversations before.

Understanding it did not make the thought of three of his friends travelling without him any more pleasant.

"You could’ve told me when the place was gone," he said.

Hugo looked at him.

"I put it in the group."

Rafael was about to answer before remembering how little attention he had given that conversation.

He picked up his drink instead.

Nobody spoke for several seconds, and Hugo eventually reached for the cards.

"Anyone still playing?"

Maxime put his hand on the table. "I am. I’ve been waiting for you lot to finish talking."

Lucas glanced toward Rafael.

"You all right?"

"Yeah. Deal me in."

Hugo shuffled the cards, and they started another round.

Rafael remained quieter than he had been earlier, occasionally missing a card because his attention had drifted back to the trip. He had missed plenty of invitations during his first career, sometimes because of football and sometimes because he had simply been too tired to go anywhere after training.

Eventually, people had stopped asking.

He remembered that part well enough, and when Maxime called his name again, he forced himself to pay attention.

"Rafa, you’re up."

"Sorry, whose turn was it before me?"

"Mine," Lucas said.

Rafael played a card, and Lucas immediately objected.

"You can’t put that there."

"Why not?"

"Because we’re playing a different game now."

Rafael looked at the cards in his hand and realised he had been following the rules from the previous round.

"Could’ve told me."

"We did," Hugo said, although his expression had softened.

Maxime laughed while Rafael put the card back and reached for another.

This time he followed the game properly, even when Lucas started complaining that Maxime had changed the rules again.

The evening had grown cooler by the time they stopped playing.

Several of the other students had already left, and the four boys moved their chairs closer together while Maxime finished the last of the food.

Lucas was talking about what he wanted to do during the trip when Hugo asked Maxime whether he had packed anything for his uncle’s place.

Rafael looked over.

"You’re going to work with him?"

"Yeah, after we get back."

"I thought you were just helping out for a few days."

"Most of the month. We’re getting back from the trip first, then I’m heading to his place a little later."

"You’re staying there?"

"Yeah. Might come back for a weekend if he isn’t too busy, but I’ll probably be there until near the end of the break."

Maxime checked something on his phone before continuing.

"He’s paying me properly this time, so I’m not complaining."

Lucas laughed. "He paid you last time."

"Not enough."

"You spent most of it on food."

"That’s because you kept eating mine."

Maxime reached for another biscuit while Lucas tried to argue that he had paid for most of their lunches the previous summer.

Rafael listened before asking what Maxime would be doing at his uncle’s business.

"Helping with deliveries mostly, I think. He said he’ll show me how to handle some of the orders too."

"You looking forward to it?"

"Yeah. I want to save a bit before school starts again."

Hugo started putting the cards back into their box.

"We should do something before Max goes. Wednesday or Thursday?"

Lucas looked toward Maxime.

"You free?"

"Wednesday’s better. I’ve got a few things to sort out before the trip."

Hugo glanced toward Rafael before looking back at the cards.

Rafael took out his phone and opened the weekly programme the club had sent him.

Wednesday afternoon was free after his recovery work, and nothing on the current programme required him to remain at Frescaty.

"Wednesday works for me. I can meet you after lunch."

Lucas looked toward the others. "Might be the last chance we get before the trip."

Hugo nodded. "I’ve got family coming over Thursday, and Max is helping his uncle on Friday. We’re not going to get everyone together again before we leave."

Maxime looked toward Rafael. "And I’ll be away for weeks after we get back, so Wednesday’s good for me."

"All right," Hugo said. "We can figure out where."

"I’ll sort it," Rafael offered.

Lucas looked over. "Sort what?"

"Where we’re meeting. I’ll send everyone the details."

Hugo stopped putting the cards away.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. You’ve organised enough already."

Hugo studied him for a moment.

"All right, but let us know tomorrow morning. I don’t want to get to Wednesday and still be looking for somewhere."

"That’s fine."

Rafael looked toward Maxime.

"What do you want to do before you leave? Food again, or something else?"

Maxime considered it while finishing his drink.

"Food’s fine. Somewhere we can sit for a bit. I’m not bothered."

"Any preference?"

"Not somewhere expensive. I want to keep what my uncle pays me this time."

Rafael nodded. "I’ll find somewhere reasonable."

Hugo finished putting the cards away, and they returned to talking about the trip.

For the rest of the evening, Rafael asked Maxime about the work he would be doing and listened while Lucas described the places he wanted to visit. Hugo complained that Lucas had already sent him several accommodation photographs despite having contributed almost nothing to the booking itself.

Rafael joined the conversation, and nobody returned to the earlier argument.

When they finally began leaving, Lucas walked beside Rafael toward the road while Hugo and Maxime headed in the opposite direction.

"You’re getting home all right?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah. What about you?"

"My dad’s picking me up in a bit."

They continued toward the road while Lucas checked whether his father had sent a message.

"Wednesday, then?"

"Wednesday. I’ll send you the place tomorrow."

"All right, mate. See you."

"See you."

Rafael watched him head toward the other side of the square before continuing toward home.

On the journey back, Rafael opened the group conversation and began reading through the messages he had missed.

The trip had appeared weeks earlier as a loose idea. Lucas had suggested a few places, Hugo had compared the costs, and Maxime had asked whether they could avoid travelling too close to the date he would leave for his uncle’s.

Rafael found one of Lucas’s earlier messages.

Rafa, can we count you in or not?

His own reply was directly beneath it.

Not sure yet. Depends on training.

Several days later, Hugo had sent the accommodation details and asked everyone to confirm before he completed the booking.

Rafael had answered that he would check.

He remembered writing it, and he had intended to ask the first-team staff whether he could be released for the trip, but his attention had moved to the next training session. Then came his senior friendly against Mondorf, followed by another week of assessment and the match against Differdange.

He had never asked.

Farther down, Hugo had sent another message asking for a definite answer before completing the booking.

Rafael had not replied.

Lucas had eventually suggested asking another classmate, and the boy had accepted after they confirmed the arrangements with him.

Rafael scrolled past the transport details and accommodation confirmation until he reached the final list of names.

The other boy’s name was there, while his own was absent.

He closed the conversation without opening the booking details again.

His phone vibrated while he was putting it away.

Hugo had sent a message to the group.

Wednesday works for everyone. Rafa’s sorting the place.

Maxime replied that he would be free after lunch, while Lucas asked whether they should bring the cards again.

Rafael opened his programme and checked Wednesday’s arrangements once more before answering.

I’ll find somewhere tomorrow morning and send the location. Wednesday after lunch works.

He added the gathering to his calendar and set a reminder to make the arrangements before leaving for training.

A private message from Maxime arrived while he was putting his phone away.

Lucas said you’re sorting Wednesday. Send me the place when you’ve got it, yeah?

Will do. I’ll send it tomorrow.

Maxime replied almost immediately.

Good. Haven’t seen much of you lately, mate. Be nice to have everyone together before we go.

Rafael read the message before opening his map of Metz.

He found a modest place near the town centre where all four of them could meet, checked its opening hours and saved the location to send the following morning.

His phone vibrated again.

Another message from Maxime.

Actually, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. Remind me Wednesday when we’re all together.

Rafael looked at the message for a moment.

About what?

Maxime’s reply came while Rafael was still looking at the screen.

Nothing bad. Just want to talk to you before I go.

Rafael started typing another question, then stopped.

He would see Maxime on Wednesday.

This time, he intended to be there when his friend wanted to talk.