I paced my room for what felt like hours. I lived through that day, over and over and over again in my head. I would pinch myself every twenty minutes just to remind myself that it wasn't a dream. It was real. It was all real.
Ona texted me, after she had arrived home.
Ona: thank you for today. I had fun.
Eva: me too
Ona: so...
Eva: so...
Ona: Are we thinking that this could happen again or...?
I chuckled softly to myself as I read the message.
Eva: I mean, maybe ;)
Ona: well, I will take that as a yes
I held my phone close to my heart, letting myself feel a slight bit of joy. Letting myself feel, for once, happy.
We trained hard over the next few days, preparing for the game against Everton in the League Cup. While Ona, with United, was preparing for their upcoming League Cup match against Durham.
I would talk to her regularly, but due to our hectic schedules, I hadn't seen her since that day. Since the weekend. Since the reservoir.
The night before my game against Everton, she messaged me.
Ona: Want a surprise?
Eva: Hmm, what is the surprise?
Ona: well if I tell you it won't be a surprise.
Eva: Well, I don't care too much for surprises anyway
Ona: I may or may not be coming to your game tomorrow.
Eva: Really??
Ona: Got myself a free night.
Eva: Really??
Ona: Yes really... you happy about that?
Eva: Yess!
Ona: Good, I'm glad. Find me after your finished :)
I smiled at my phone, being even more excited for our match tomorrow as it would mean I would see Ona again.
The game against Everton was not our best piece of work. Although Caroline got us ahead in the 8th minute, Everton pulled one back in the 10th minute. Lauren scored soon later, and I even got one myself - my first goal for City which was exciting. Hayley also scored, and Ellen in the 89th minute. So, although we didn't play our best in terms of keeping a clean sheet, we still came away with a 5-1 victory.
After the match, I stood beside Hayley and Alanna, as we walked around the pitch, clapping to our fans. Although, what I was also doing was trying to find Ona. I knew she would be here, it is only a question of where.
When I got to the other side, taking pictures with fans, and signing merchandise, I saw her. She was smiling at me, but hiding herself close to the back of the stand. I caught her eyes, and she caught my own. I continued around, signing everything, and soon the stadium started to clear out.
Ona came close to the front as it had, and I went over to her.
"Enjoyed yourself?" I asked her.
"I did, thank you," she responded. "It's always nice to check out the competition."
"Well, I hope you had fun."
"I did. I especially liked that goal by the Norwegian girl. What's her name again?" Ona laughed as she said this, and I nudged her slightly, leaving my arm resting against hers.
"Her name is Eva, and she could beat you any day of the week," I then replied, smiling at her.
"We'll have to see about that, won't we?" Ona retorted, looking at me, with bright eyes and a cheeky grin.
"I think we might," I responded.
After a few minutes, I looked over to see all the girls had already gone back inside.
"I better go," I then said. "But, wait for me. Okay?" Ona nodded, as I ran across the pitch, to go underneath. I caught up to Hayley, who looked at me with suspicious eyes.
"Now, are you going to tell me or should I ask?"
"Tell you what?"
"Why you are flirting with Ona Batlle?" Hayley asked.
"What?" I then said, trying to sound naive.
"Come on, Ev. Don't be dumb."
"We're just friends."
"Just friends?" Hayley retorted. "I don't think so."
"Well, at the moment at least."
"You like her!"
"I mean..."
"YOU LIKE ONA BATLLE?!"
"HAYLEY! Shut it."
"My little Ev is growing up," Hayley said, smiling.
"Yeah, well, nothing is 'going on' just yet."
"Do you want it to?"
"Maybe. I'm not sure." But I knew what I wanted. I was just scared to say it aloud. Scared that once I did, everything would fall apart.
"Well, I'm happy for you," Hayley then said. "Even if you won't tell me what is really going on."
When we got back into the changing room, I quickly showered, and got into fresh clothes, ready to meet Ona outside. I was too flustered to get out quick enough to meet up with Ona, that I forgot to count my boots, and laces. But, that didn't matter. I had to go meet someone. Someone I wanted to meet.
When I got outside, I saw her standing there, her shadow presenting on the road as she leant against a light.
I walked up to her, placing a finger on her shoulder.
"Hey," I said, as she turned around.
"Well, hello," she returned.
"Want to get something to eat?" Ona nodded her head, and we walked off together.
After finding that every single place in Manchester seemed to be either closed or full, we went back to my apartment.
"I can cook," I said to her.
"You can cook?" she asked.
"Most Norwegians can," I responded. "It's like it's embedded into us from a young age."
"Okay," Ona said, as she walked inside the apartment.
Since the weekend, I tried my best to make my apartment feel somewhat organised. I unboxed all the boxes, taking out the cutlery and putting together the furniture. My bed frame arrived, and so too did my couch, tv and dining room chairs.
"Wow, it's nice," Ona said, as she walked inside.
"Yeah, well. All the stuff is new or just arrived." I went straight into the kitchen, looking in my fridge for the ingredients I had. I saw Ona walking around the living room, looking at the book shelf I had set up. I realised, very quickly, in that moment, that I had a photo of Nora up there, with no hair, and no sooner had I realised that, did Ona ask me about it.
"Was she sick?" Nora asked.
"Yeah," I responded. "Leukaemia."
"That must've been hard as a kid," Ona responded.
"Yeah, it was."
"Is she better now?" Ona asked this with such innocence that I felt bad for lying, but somehow, I couldn't get the words out. I couldn't formulate the truth as I wanted so badly for what I was about to say to be the truth.
"In remission, for 8 years," I responded.
"That's great," Ona answered, putting the photo frame back down on the cabinet.
I grabbed some salmon I had in the freezer, brought the potatoes out from the pantry, and got some veggies too.
"You're getting a Norwegian classic," I said to Ona, as I placed a plate in front of her, 30 minutes later once all the cooking was complete. "Potatoes, fish and vegetables."
"Looks great," Ona answered, "thank you." She smiled at me, as she said this, before digging into her food.
After we had finished, I went over to the sink, trying to motivate myself to wash up. I don't mind washing the plates, but I often can't dry them. I don't like the feeling of the wash towel against the china. It hurts my head.
"You wash, I dry?" Ona said, as she came up behind me.
"Sure," I responded. I washed the plates, passed them to Ona, and she put them away, in the cupboard where I showed her, making the experience a lot nicer for my head and resulting in a quicker time to clean up.
Once I had made us both a coffee, we went over to the couch that was newly unpackaged, and sat down. We chatted for what felt like forever, and soon Ona asked me a question I knew how I wanted to answer.
"I like you," Ona said, vulnerably, and out of the blue. "I'm not entirely sure how that came about, but I can't sit here and not say that. It's like you're a magnet, and you keep pulling me closer and closer to you. It's as if I can't stay away. And, I don't want to push anything, or be annoying or anything, but, would you ever feel the same?" Would I ever feel the same? Of course I would, because I already did.
"Ona, I-"
"No, don't say anything," Ona then said, reaching out for my hand, and facing towards me. "Just let me live without knowing for a moment until my world may come crashing down." I laughed slightly.
"Don't be dramatic."
"Don't?"
"No, don't. I like you too, you idiot," I said to her, placing my hand on her cheek. I leant closer to her, placing my forehead on hers. Nothing about this felt unnatural. It didn't feel weird, and my head wasn't repulsed by any of this. It all felt right.
"I want to kiss you," Ona said, between heavy breaths.
"You do?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"I do too."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
She leant in, and no sooner had I said those words, than her lips were softly pressed on mine. As soon as I felt it happen, my heart felt itself slowly pulling another piece back together. I felt my head slowly stop spinning, and my brain was mending itself. She fixed me. She completed me. She made me feel alive in a world that often made me feel dead.
The kiss was soft, and intimate, and everything I needed it to be before we broke apart.
"Woah," I said to her, smiling.
"Yeah, woah," she replied back, chuckling softly.
I held her hand in my own, my legs touching hers, for a little while longer, before she had to go home and get a good night's rest before she travelled to Durham the next day.
After saying goodbye to Ona, I went back inside, scrolling my phone. Soon, a photo of me and Ona talking, post game, appeared on my feed.
Wosoworld: now, what do we have here? The one and only ona battle at a City game? A fan captured her and Eva talking after the match. Could something be going on there? Or are they just friends? From what we know, they've never played with each other, and the only time they've ever played against each other was last week when City took on United... could this be real? I guess time will only tell!
I laughed slightly as I read the caption, knowing damn well that no one would be able to understand how Ona and I came to be... if that's even how to say it. No one would understand that we were connected. That we worked. That we were more than just two people, but rather, we were two people bound together by a brief moment that changed both our perceptions on everything, including love. Including life.