Foolish one

Chapter 10

The two of us walked to the restaurant. It took twenty minutes, and that wasn't a big sacrifice. It meant that both of us could have something to drink if we wanted to. I probably wouldn't drink alcohol. During the season I wanted to focus on the more important things, and I didn't want to break down my body with alcohol. Or that was what I said this season. A small promise to myself so I could become a better player.

When we got to the restaurant there were already people there. Marta had set this all up and was standing outside, showing us to the table. It seemed like they had booked the entire restaurant. The restaurant wasn't particularly big, but the atmosphere was amazing. There was music playing and soon enough all our other friends had arrived. I was whisked away and got seated in between Aitana and Mapí. "That dress looks amazing on you" Aitana said as soon as I sat down. "Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself Tana" I responded with a smile. Conversation here was way easier than what I had previously experienced. No one asked me about my scars, and no one gave me the dirty looks that I was so used to seeing. "A compliment from Elisa. What did I do to deserve that?" she joked, earning a slap on her arm from me. Instead of acting normal about it she slid down her chair, clutching her arm and screamed at me. The screaming lasted for one second before she couldn't contain her laughter anymore and that was all we could hear.

Mapí had been filming the entire incident and soon enough the video was out on her story. Not that I complained, we were all having fun and the videos were part of saving that experience. After a while the drinks were brought in. It was lemonade for all of us. Happiness filled me when I realized that I could be drinking the alcohol-free option along with everyone else. I hated being the only one at the table who didn't drink.

Soon enough a bunch of appetizers made their way onto the table. Everyone started grabbing the food while I sat waiting. "You should really try some of the patatas bravas. They are absolutely delicious." Mapí said while holding her fork close to my mouth. "Open wide" she said and I couldn't do anything but following her orders. It was such a funny moment. I felt like I was three again and someone tried feeding me some new food.

Aitana couldn't hold back her laughter. And if you have ever heard Aitana's laugh you know how catching it is. Three grown adults dying of laughter with patatas bravas all over the table was enough to earn us some weird looks from the rest of our teammates. Alexia and Ottilia were sat on the other side of the table, deep in conversation about something. When they both saw the mess we had made they rolled their eyes and continued talking. Aitana got it all on film and it looked like we were their children, doing things we shouldn't do and then being caught.

The rest of the dinner was uneventful. Our main course was paella. Marta had wanted Ottilia to eat it. For some reason she hadn't consumed it once during her stay in Barcelona. That changed after tonight, even though it didn't become one of her favourite foods. She complained about the seafood and how she had a mild allergy. Something no one had checked beforehand.

"Why aren't you eating your paella, Isa? You're just moving everything around on the plate." Alexia asked, concerned about my lack of eating. "I'm allergic to shellfish, like shrimps." I answered her calmly, not trying to make a big deal out of it. "We'll order something else" she said while calling over a waitress. "What do you want Isa?" she asked quickly. "Something without shellfish" I answered before going back to my conversation with Mapí and Aitana. "They don't have anything they can cook for you. Is a salad okay? Otherwise, we can go and order at another restaurant." Alexia suddenly said. "A salad is great. Thank you, Ale." I responded, bringing back the smile I loved so dearly to her face.

It took a while before my salad arrived and I could see that they hadn't put in as much effort to it as they did with the paella. It wasn't the biggest deal, I had food in front of me that I actually could eat and for me that was enough.

We all ate and joked around while waiting for dessert. The only person who knew what we would be eating was Marta, and her track record showed that she would no longer be trusted to oversee dinner.

Dessert turned out to be the only time neither of us messed up badly. If we had been drinking along with the meal, I'm sure we wouldn't have gotten the same results. After dessert was finished it took us almost an hour before everyone could leave. We sat there and talked about life and football while joking with each other. "I can't believe you eat so late. Who in their right mind would start dinner at nine?" Ottilia asked, making the whole table burst out laughing. "When do you eat dinner in Sweden?" Alexia responded to her question. "Like at seven or something. Never this late." Ottilia answered. That started a heated debate between everyone about when you should eat your dinner. Everyone except Ottilia agreed that nine was a great time.

Alexia and I walked towards her house. She had promised that we would watch a movie and I would get to choose. Who could turn down that offer? She unlocked the door and while I was struggling with taking off my shoes she disappeared into her bedroom. A minute later she was in the living room but wearing different clothes than earlier. She was in a pair of gray sweatpants and a t-shirt. That looked a lot comfier than the dress I was in. "I put something on the bed for you. We can't have you attending a movie-night in something other than sweats, right?" she said making me smile. She thought about me. And my feelings.

As it turns out the clothes she had picked out for me was one of her old jerseys and a pair of sweatpants. Sporting her name and number I walked into the living room. She was nowhere to be seen, so I just sat down on the sofa. She arrived a minute later, with an overflowing bowl of chips along with candy and a big bottle of lemonade. "You look good in the Spanish colours. Hopefully you get to play with us this year." Alexia said while sitting down, right next to me. "Hopefully I get to do that" I responded.

"Now you get to choose a movie, just scroll through and we'll watch whatever you decide." she said while handing me the remote. I scrolled through everything, but ultimately decided on Harry Potter and the goblet of fire. It was a classic, and one of my favourite movies.

A while into the movie I noticed how I was getting colder and colder. I pulled my knees towards me, and I could feel Alexia staring at me. Not even a minute later she passed me a blanket and put it over the two of us. She pulled me closer and suddenly we were both laying there. My hand was over her stomach and my head was resting on her. Almost every single part of our bodies was touching, and I couldn't help but think about how much I loved this. I loved having found a friend in her.

We fell asleep like that. With her arm around my body and my head on her chest. The rising and falling of her chest made for the perfect place to sleep on. That was one of the first nights since my mom had passed that I didn't have the nightmares. I don't know if it was the new pills I was on, or if it was her presence that kept them away. But in that moment, it didn't matter, because I was there with my newfound friend, and I couldn't be happy.

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Remember to vote and comment loves!!

Oblivious Elisa. But they are very cute. I also want a girlfriend. Make your application in the comments if you are interested.

When is the approporiate time to eat dinner?

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