Carli asks for everybody's attention, as she kind of nervously stands there, setting her jaw and mind in the right mood.
Tomorrow is our last game together, and the late lights of Geneva, Switzerland, are trying to make us forget that.
The co-captain nods her head.
"I don' have much to say, except that I am proud of how far we've come as an unit, as a team." Her voice becomes quite emotional when she says : "I love y'all. Cheers to us."
"To us" we all say in total union.
Right after that toast, we all go back to our rooms, knowing that tomorrow will be important. Beyond important.
__________________________
Lucy lets my head rely on her chest, and my arm and legs being wrapped around her. She kisses the top of my head, holding me close. Of course she knows : she knows I need her to hold me like that in order to relax.
She's the only one having this power.
The starting eleven has been presented to us this evening, as Nick Cushing looks very proud of us and also confident in our chances : Paris is a good side, but so are we. As expected - and it's not like we had any choice anyway - Kelsey will earn her first start and full-90 minutes in goals. Playing in the defensive side with her are Lucy has right back, Amel as left-back, and the two central midfielders being SH and Shelina. As far as the midfield is concerned, Nick took no chances : the usual quartet - Carli, Jill, Maro and Jade - will count on their amazing chemistry to disturb PSG's own midfield, that appears to be less united. And in the attack, Lieke gets the nods instead of Izzy this time, and I will start alongside her.
This is our strongest formation, I know that. What I also appear to know is that the whole United States will be watching. The whole European women's soccer fans as well. My teammates count on me : I have to make something happen.
"Relax, babe" Lucy whispers, kissing the top of my head again. "You will do great, I know that."
"How'd you know ?" I ask, confused.
She smirks.
"Because I know what my lady is capable of" she only says, as if it resolved everything.
Once I get on top of her, I caress her jaw.
When I lean in, I capture her lips with mine, moving them softly. I know we can't risk being tired for tomorrow, so no sex tonight. Trying not to turn ourselves on, I pull away, and keep my eyes closed.
Lucy wraps her strong arm around my waist, holding me close, as I lie down completely. Her lips are on my neck when she whispers :
"I love you, babe, and I can't wait to win the Champions League with you."
I smile big.
"Me too."
*
17:34
H-2
The busy streets of Geneva are causing trouble in our course. While some of my teammates - most of them, actually - are listening to their game-day music or something, I am just looking outside the window.
The streets by the lake are beautiful, and the view is even prettier. So I take my phone out, and take a few shots.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I put one on my Instagram story, while Shelina's head heavily relies on my shoulder. I look at the brunette, who fell asleep - maybe that's her way to cope with stress ? - before realizing Kelsey is about to take a picture of her. So I give her a thumbs up and my best 'game face', and that makes the goalie smirk.
The picture is priceless.
Once we get to the stadium - that has 30'000 seats and 27 VIP rooms - we immediately spot the big line in front of the main entrance already. Thirty minutes until the people can get into the stadium, and that makes me beginning to stress out. Shelina, who has woken up already, exchange a look with me.
The locker rooms are very beautiful, and very well-attributed : the organization made sure our jerseys were ready, as well as some food supplies and some sort of drinks, mainly water or energy drinks. There is a good but tensed atmosphere at the moment, and the whole team falls into silence.
The adrenaline is settling in.
After the warm-ups under the attentive watch of the PSG Ultras - a special group of supporter supporting both the men's and women's team of the capital - even though they are pretty much centered on chanting during their team's warm up. Surprisingly enough, a lot of Man City supporters are here as well.
When we go back to the locker room, Nick Cushing does his usual speech, followed by Carli and SH. But honestly, I don't listen much. I feel Bass tensing up next to me, as Shelina's body is shaking out of excitement. I take a deep breath.
Once we're out there, holding children's hands until we're in line, God Saves the Queen and La Marseillaises, the two national anthems, resonate in the whole stadium, before the official UEFA chant is played as well. Lucy, who is standing right next to me, in the end of the line, grabs my hand, making sure nobody can notice anything.
We exchange a long look, as she says :
"It's okay."
I nod, too stressed out to say anything.
Once the anthem is over, we start shaking the other team's hands, and I recognize a few familiar faces such as Laure Boulleau or Eve Perisset, pretty famous soccer players. I crack smiles, but really my focus is on the game.
When the whistle is blown, nobody expected that kind of start...
