The next few days passed expeditiously, punctuated by intense training and very little time for ourselves.
Leah and I found no time to be just the two of us. It made me grumpy and she didn't seem that happy about it either. But we both understood. Liverpool was a pretty big team, and we needed to focus on the game that was happening on Saturday.
Coach Jonas emphasized the importance of the upcoming match against Liverpool, urging us to channel our energy into the training sessions. They were ten points behind us, but they had surprised us and the other teams before. They had won against us in October, and had beaten Man U in the FA Cup.
The training sessions were rigorous, with each drill and exercise meticulously designed to fine-tune our strategies and iron out any weaknesses.
Only on Friday, Leah had managed to catch my arm and pull me back into the storage room we had kissed in a few days earlier.
The sudden pull had me surprised, until I realized it was Leah. A smile then instantly invaded my lips. Leah turned around, meeting my gaze.
"Take me to dinner first," I joked, and she rolled her eyes, gently hitting my shoulder.
"Shut up."She replied. "I miss spending time with you," Leah admitted, her voice a soft whisper against the confined space.
"I miss it too," I confessed, the sentiment resonating deeply. The demands of the upcoming match had consumed our days, leaving little room for the quiet moments that had begun to define our connection.
Leah stepped closer, her fingers gently intertwining with mine. "After the game on Saturday, let's do something. Just us," she suggested, her gaze filled with hope that I would say yes.
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. "I'd like that," I said, reciprocating the longing I had found in her eyes.
Leah stepped even closer, my back hitting a shelf filled with cones and boxes.
"Can I kiss you?"
The air in the storage room seemed to crackle with anticipation as Leah's request hung in the space between us. Her eyes held a vulnerability, a genuine desire for a connection.
A subtle nod from me was all it took for Leah to close the distance, her lips meeting mine in a gentle, lingering kiss. The familiarity of her touch made the longing feeling I had in me for the past few days completely disappear. It was all worth it in the end.
We spent a few minutes like this, kissing and whispering our affection for each other. I asked her if I was good at kissing. She giggled, then told me I was pretty okay.
We shared one last kiss, Leah pouting slightly at the idea that we wouldn't be able to do this again for some time.
"We can always be roommates, at the hotel in Liverpool." She had told me.
"I'm not sure it's a good idea, "The allure of spending more time with Leah was undeniable, yet the practicalities of maintaining focus and discipline nagged at the edges of my thoughts. And it also meant more rumors, more people asking us if we were just friends. More smirks from Beth and Katie.
Leah sighed, a mix of understanding and disappointment coloring her expression. "You're right," she mumbled, not too happy about having to agree with me.
We then left the little storage room, one at a time. Leah first, then a minute or so later, I did.
We didn't see each other again that day. We only caught a glimpse of each other again the next day, on the bus to get to Liverpool.
I had arrived a few minutes early, and Leah had been right on time. I was already sitting and on my phone when she climbed in. She sat next to me. I immediately smiled, though I tried to hide it.
She offered me a plain good morning, as the bus was filled with girls who enjoyed eavesdropping a little too much.
Emily and Lotte sat in front of us, the only thing separating us four being the table of the bus.
Leah took my hand in hers from under the table. It sent shivers down my spine. I tried to play it off, still squeezing her hand in mine gently, showing her I enjoyed the physical contact.
The bus ride to Liverpool, a three-hour drive, suddenly didn't seem so long.
As the landscape passed by in a blur, the subtle connection between Leah and me grew stronger. Emily and Lotte chatted animatedly, seemingly oblivious to the quiet exchange transpiring in front of them.
Leah's thumb traced gentle patterns on my hand, a silent conversation that spoke volumes. We could have been talking, at least about the game. But the silence felt so good. Occasional glances and exchanged smiles were enough.
When the bus finally rolled to a stop in Liverpool, Leah reluctantly let go of my hand. I instantly felt cold without her touch.
Leah was the only thing that had managed to distract me from football in twenty years.
Liverpool's atmosphere enveloped us as we stepped off the bus, the cityscape alive with anticipation for the upcoming match. The familiar routine of pre-game preparations took over, and Leah and I navigated through the bustling energy of the stadium.
As we entered the locker room, the focus shifted entirely to the game ahead. Coach Jonas laid out the strategic plan, emphasizing the significance of securing a win against Liverpool. The intensity in the air was palpable, each player immersed in the collective goal of victory. I was in the starting eleven. It surprised me, but I was very excited about it.
"Now, before we go into warm-up, I would like for everyone to wish Valentina a happy birthday. She is new to the club, but she made friends with everyone very easily, she's a very good player. So, happy birthday, Valentina." Coach Jonas said, and I blemished a little at his words. I knew people would eventually know it was my birthday. I'm pretty sure the club had posted about it on Instagram already. Didn't make it any better, I still hated my birthday.
The combination of surprise and embarrassment colored my cheeks, but the genuine warmth in the voices of my teammates as they wished me a happy birthday made the moment more endearing.
Leah, sitting beside me, offered a cheeky grin, whispering, "Happy birthday, California," before every one of the girls individually took me in their arms.
After the brief celebration, we transitioned into the pre-match rituals. The buzz of anticipation heightened as we stepped onto the field for warm-up. The chilly air of Liverpool's stadium served as a stark reminder of the task at hand.
There was a pretty good crowd today, and the away corner was filled with Arsenal supporters, having certainly driven for hours to get here and support us. And they sang louder than the rest of the crowd. One of the main reasons why I was in love with Arsenal.
I focused on my warm-up, making sure I was ready for a possible 90-minute match. Leah started on the bench, which was sad. I wished she was with me on the pitch. But I understood. Putting her health in jeopardy wasn't the way to go.
The referee's whistle echoed through the stadium, signaling the start of the match. The intensity of the game unfolded on the pitch, with every girl giving it their all. The first half ended in a draw, with Liverpool attacking a few times, and their defense being a solid block, keeping me and the other attackers from reaching the goal, which made me extremely frustrated.
During a brief break at halftime, Coach Jonas rallied us, emphasizing the need for discipline and strategic adjustments. Leah's words of encouragement during the break were a soothing balm, reminding me that it was okay to fail as long as I tried.
The second half intensified, and the battle for dominance continued. Liverpool's resilience tested our defensive strategies, but each thwarted attempt only fueled our determination. The clock ticked relentlessly, the urgency mounting as the minutes dwindled.
In a pivotal moment, a well-timed pass from Vic found me in a favorable position. I dribbled through my direct opponent, and juggled the ball over Taylor Hind's legs, avoiding her tackle expertly. I quickly controlled the ball, and a few inches away from the box, shot at full strength right into the net, beating the goalkeeper.
It took me a second to realize I had scored, and when I did, I immediately ran to the corner, sliding on my knees and yelling in celebration, Arsenal fans celebrating just as hard in front of me. I stood up again, and Katie jumped on my back, her fist in the air.
Soon enough, most of my teammates were standing beside us, forming a circle and celebrating my goal and the small advance we now had on our opponents.
The roar of the Arsenal supporters reverberated through the stadium while we jogged back to our positions for the game to continue. I looked at the sideline for a second, and caught a glimpse of Leah's smile, which made mine even bigger.
The supporters didn't chant my name for my first goal. But they did for my second, two minutes later. That goal was less impressive, as it was just a tap-in goal after a corner Katie had taken, with the keeper at the other side of the cage. But it took us to 2-nil. That's when I heard the supporters sing:
"OH OH OH,
SHE WAS A GOONER,
NOW SHE'S A GUNNER,
VALE VILLANUEVA,
SHE IS OUR NEW SHOOTER!
VALE, VALE, VALENTINA!
OH OH OH
YEAH YOUR DEFENDERS
THEY BETTER SURRENDER,
VALE VALE VALE, VALENTINA"
I cried a little after that. And a whole lot when the refereed whistled, signaling the end of the match.
Leah was one of the first to reach me, a proud smile lighting up her face. She took me in her arms, in the middle of the pitch. And frankly I didn't care if anyone saw that. I was too happy in her arms. We were soon joined by Katie, who jumped on me again. It seemed like her favorite activity nowadays.
"You owe me dinner, McCabe," I told her, and she laughed, rolling her eyes and climbing off my back.
"Fair enough." She replied, "This one does too," she said, pointing to Beth, who was walking towards us, Viv and Kim by her side.
Beth certainly didn't hear her, but she knew what we were talking about, because she rolled her eyes, and once at our level, she said,
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
"Oi, did you hear her song, Leah? It's better than mine!" Katie said, and I immediately shook my head, laughing.
"Nah. No song is better than yours," I argued, and Leah nodded in agreement.
"Yours's still great though." She said to me, and began singing my song, while I blushed, a mixture of embarrassment and joy flooding my senses.
"Vale! Katie! Interview!" I suddenly heard from the sideline. We both turned around and saw Emily, her arm up, signaling us we were asked for an interview.
Katie and I both walked to the plexiglass wall, and we were both given mics instantly.
The interviewer, a familiar face from previous matches, directed the first question towards Katie. "Katie, incredible performance today. Valentina, your first goals with Arsenal. What was going through your minds during those crucial moments?"
Katie took a playful tone, a grin on her face. "Well, I'm not too happy about her scoring, cause now I owe her dinner." She said, making me and a few people around laugh. Then, she laid her arm around my shoulder, drawing me closer to her. "No, but seriously, I'm really happy, really proud of her. She's an exceptional player, with a lot of talent and potential, and she proved that today on the pitch. It's a pleasure to play with her, and I hope she's gonna... keep scoring a lot rest of the season."
I grinned, acknowledging Katie's words with a nod. The interviewer then turned to me, "Valentina, two incredible goals today. How does it feel to have such a significant impact in a big match like this?"
I took a moment to collect my thoughts. "It feels amazing, honestly. Scoring for Arsenal, for this incredible team, is a dream come true. I owe it to the support of my teammates, especially Leah and Katie, who've been there for me since day one. I've got incredible teammates, and this was a huge team effort. I'm just happy I can help my team win games and get more points in the league."
The interview kept going for a few minutes, and I received the Player of the Match trophy. I didn't quite care about individual trophies, but I still took it gratefully, before walking back inside the locker room with the rest of my team.