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( LOLLYGAGGING IN GERMANY. )
September 2023 Herzogenaurach, Germany
A week had passed since Taliah and Alessia had really spoken.
Alessia, being the 'too kind for her own good' soul that she was, texted Taliah the day after the cafe incident, checking in to make sure she was okay.
She hadn't gone into too much detail, just stating that it was a family issue but that everything was okay and there wasn't any need for her to worry about it.
Taliah was unsure if she should be excited for training today. Of course, it would be good to see Alessia again, but over a week had passed with radio silence on both sides, but the younger forward knew it was mostly her fault and that she had to be the one to reach out.
For a few days, she had considered the idea, but decided against it, knowing Alessia was still getting settled in London.
As she sat in the changing room with her teammates as they changed into their training kits, she couldn't help but let her mind drift a bit.
She still loved Less. Taliah knew that. If it wasn't obvious from the way she regularly checked up on her Instagram, curious as to what the woman was getting up to, then it was obvious from the way her heart would race and palms would clam up at the slightest bit of attention from Alessia.
The Arsenal team had flown to the Adidas Headquarters in Germany for some pre-season training, and while Taliah and Alessia were civil with each other to make things easier for everyone else, it was most definitely awkward between the two of them.
She may have zoned out a little as she watched one of the new signings, Laia, introduce herself as it was her first time training with the team after her World Cup win — but her mind was too preoccupied with Alessia who sat a few feet away from her, which seemed to be a reoccurring theme since their last meeting.
Alessia had always been a thought running through Taliah's mind, but now that they would be around each other almost every day, there was no escape.
The way she held herself was completely different from how it was in college. Obviously, people can change over the course of three years— But Taliah admired the way Alessia had.
Gone was the stereotypical mean blonde you'd see in every American high-school movie, now replaced by a somewhat humble one.
Instead of cocky Captain Less, it was just comfortable, confident but also shy, Less.
Alessia had gotten herself quite the reputation amongst the soccer girls back at UNC, making it known that she was their captain for a reason and pushing them to their limits in practice. It was clear that she wanted to be the best and make sure her team was the best, but it didn't go over well with some of the other girls.
