A/N: Have a good week! Hope it goes better then mine.
The celebrations continued on in the locker room, but most of the girls hurried up to get home as quick as possible so we could go out all together and let loose after a spectacular win against a rival.
Alexia and I got home an hour later after she had to literally drag me away from Mapi and Leila with whom I was annoying Melanie with. The older Spaniard thanked her lucky star, when Alexia finally made me leave and Mapi and Leila were left alone.
We got ready and once Ona arrived, we were already out the door. Most of our friends were waiting at the entrance of the restaurant where we had made our reservations.
Dinner went by without a hitch. Everyone fell into light conversations quite fast and was laughing and joking around. It was the perfect send off for a short international break once again. The last one of the year.
After dinner, we all decided to stop by a local bar not too far from the restaurant we had dinner at. Alexia had invited her friends and they were gonna meet us there.
"Ellie!" Miriam yelled out when she entered the bar and spotted me, leaning against a wall, conversing with Mapi and Leila.
The girl rushed over and without a warning she pulled me into a tight embrace. For a split second I didn't know what was happening so my arms stayed open instead of wrapping them around her, but that only lasted a second before I returned the hug.
"Hey there, good to see you too." I chuckled, wrapping my arms around her. Carla, Nerea and Marc followed right after the Spaniard, except for Gabriella. The girl kept her distance, but I didn't mind that. It wasn't like our first interaction went so smoothly.
"I was starting to think that Ale was keeping you from us." Carla laughed and wiggled her eyebrows at my girlfriend, who simply scoffed.
"Believe me, I've tried." Ale rolled her eyes. My eyes immediately snapped at her, mimicking her eye roll while the others bursted out laughing. All except Gabriella of course. God verbit her smiling that involves me.
"So just to make sure we actually see you again. How about we get coffee on Thursday?" Nerea asked hopeful but sadly I had to get a raincheck.
"I can't, I leave for camp in two days." I sadly said and felt Alexia tense up beside me.
Since the last camp she has been acting weird about it, always tensing up, looking worried when camp was mentioned. It was like she didn't want to let me go and honestly I was dreading the moment I had to leave her behind, scared for the nightmares to return.
"Again?" Carla asked, confused. "You just got back?" Miriam finished for the brunette.
"Sadly. We usually have camp at the beginning of September and then one at the beginning of October again. This is the last one of the year." I explained to Alexia's friends.
"How about we get coffee once I'm back?" The girls and Marc seemed to like that idea and instantly agreed.
Ale followed along the conversation with a smile on her face. She loved that I was getting along with her friends so well, thanking whatever God there was for it.
"Less talking, more dancing!" Leila suddenly jumped over, grabbing my shoulders. The older girl started to push me towards the dancefloor leaving me no choice but to follow her while laughing and shaking my head at her.
Alexia followed me with her eyes and still had that lovesick smile on her face. Most of her friends were spread out by now. Only Miriam was still next to her, watching her friend.
"You're so in love with that girl." She smirked and wiggled her eyebrows. For a moment she thought that Ale would deny such accusation but to her surprise she didn't.
"I am." Ale hummed. Miriam squinted her eyes, trying to spot any insecurities but she didn't find any.
"I'm happy for you." Miriam smiled.
A few drinks and dance battles later, I found myself at the bar. Still laughing at something Mapi did earlier, I ordered the next round of drinks for my two partners in crime. While waiting I glanced around the bar and enjoyed the good vibe and the cozy chaos around me until my eye fell on Ale.
She was seated in a corner with her friends. Gabriella was sitting next to her and the friend that for some reason didn't like me was all over her. The worst of all was that Ale didn't seem to mind it either.
"Chica! What's taking you so long?!" Mapi yelled in my ear and practically jumped on my back. I needed to properly hold on to the bar, so I wouldn't fall.
Vicky, who had joined me at the bar right before Mapi came over, slightly jumped from the sudden outburst of the blond. Of course where there was Mapi, there was Leila.
"Let's do shots!" The dark haired girl skipped over and threw her arms around both mine and Mapi's shoulder.
"No! You will do no such thing! I already know what happens after and you, young lady, leave for camp in two days." Vicky scolded me and the other two. She had a point though, but Leila didn't care.
"That's the idea!" She lifted her hands off our shoulders a bit. "We need to properly say goodbye." Leila smirked at Vicky.
"No!" Was all she said with a stern look upon her face. "Don't you dare." She pointed at each of us, grabbed her drink and walked away.
We all looked after our captain and then at each other. For a moment it was deadly quiet between the three of us.
"Shots?" I asked expectedly while still looking after our captain.
"Shots." Both of them answered at the same time and the three of us turned to the bar again and I held out 3 fingers for the bartender with a smirk on my lips.
Although I was having a lot of fun with my friends and occasionally Ale would search for me in the crowded room, it didn't sit well with me how touchy Gabriella had been all night with my girlfriend.
She was practically sitting on her lap, constantly touching her arm or knee, the laughing at her jokes, it was getting annoying.
"She's just a friend." Mapi placed her hand on my shoulder and sympathetically looked at me.
"I know." I sighed out, my eyes never once leaving my girlfriend.
"I know what we can do!" Leile suddenly yelled out. Her eyes lit up like Christmas lights and a mischievous smirk was present on her lips.
Alexia finally had left Gabriella's side, presumably to use the restroom but was now standing with Vicky, chatting about a hiking route they both enjoyed. That was our queue to get into action.
Leila went to the bar to get the drinks while Mapi and I would keep the two girls busy. I stood behind Alexia and wrapped my arms around the brunette's waist and slowly pulled her more into me. Ale immediately relaxed in my arms and melted into them.
"Hola, mi amor. Having fun?" I whispered in her ear. A shiver ran down her spine.
"Now that you're here? I am." She softly said. Her hands slowly moved down to grab a hold of mine.
"You seemed pretty cozy with Gabrialla though." I couldn't help but shoot back. It was meant as a joke but I would lie if I said that it didn't bother me.
Alexia's eyebrows shot up in confusion and a smirk made its way on her lips. "Is that jealousy that I hear?" The brunette turned around in my hold.
"I'm not jealous." I tried to defend myself but it was too late, I was already caught.
"You're cute when you're jealous but you should know that she's a friend yes but she means nothing like that." Ale kissed my nose which made it scrunched up but what she said didn't satisfy me.
"Yeah that's what they usually say." I mumbled to myself but of course due to our proximity, she heard me.
"Amor, I'm serious. She's just a friend that I've known for awhile now. It's you that I'll be going home with." She said, more serious this time.
"Can you lovebirds stop, you make me sick." Leila arrived with the tray of drinks. Mapi and Vicky had a smirk on their lips, finding my jealous behavior funny.
"Alright, five martinis." Leila clapped her hands together and looked at her friends.
"But we didn't order anything." Vicky looked confused at the defender but it was Mapi who came to the rescue.
"Come on capitana. Queenie's leaving us again. Let loose, enjoy." Mapi threw her arm around our captain's shoulder, trying to convince her and it worked.
Leila looked at the drinks on her tray carefully, as if she was trying to remember something. Mapi and I both shared a glance at each other and then at the dark haired defender.
Carefully she was handing out the drinks but when Vicky randomly picked one, Leila immediately stopped her.
"No!" I mean I know you don't like your drink too strong so I asked for one that isn't as strong as the one for me, Mapi and Ellie." Leila sheepishly laughed at our captain and I was cursing at her in my head.
"Okay." Vicky said unsure whether or not to trust the situation. Leila handed Vicky the right one and then handed the last one to Ale.
"There you go." Leila handed Ale her drink and smirked until it turned into a confused expression.
"No, wait." She grabbed Ale's drink from her hands and switched the drink with mine. "Sorry." And Leila's sheepish smile was back.
"To an impeccable season" I raised my glass.
"And to you having a good international break." Vicky smirked this time and held up her drink as well.
"Cheers." Was said in unions. The others soon followed Vicky's example and we all held our glasses up and then took a big sip.
The minute the liquid got into my mouth and touched my taste buds, I immediately spit it out. A salty taste taking over any taste in my mouth, causing me to grimace. Right when I spit out my drink, Mapi did the same.
"Oops." Was heard from a dark haired defender, who was looking at us in shock, not expecting that we were the ones spitting out our drink and not the other two, who were even more shocked, not understanding what was happening.
"What the fuck?" Mapi wiped her mouth and glared at Leila.
"You had one job!" I glared at her as well, backing Mapi up. "Get the drinks, put in the salt and get them the drinks." I said pointing at Ale and Vicky.
"That's three really." Leila sheepishly laughed again, trying to defend herself but that only made me glare at her harder.
Vicky and Ale were finally piecing it all together with what was happening right in front of them. They were supposed to be the victim of the harmless prank but because of Leila's error, they both escaped.
"Well, it looks like karma is in fact a bitch." Both women stood there gloating with their hands on either side of their hips.
"Whose fault is that?" Mapi glared and turned to Leila.
"Hey! It's not my fault I needed to order five drinks and remember in which two I put the salt in." Leila sassed back but it did nothing to stop the blond from glaring at her.
"Why is it that something happens, it's always you three that are involved." Ale signed out but Vicky was still smiling.
"Oh, but it's fine." She waved off my girlfriend. This caused us to look at her surprised, even Ale couldn't hide her shocked face.
"What?" We were all confused.
"It's fine. As a punishment, the three of them will clean the locker rooms for a week." Vicky said with a proud smile on her lips.
"What?!" The three of us yelled out at the same time. "Why? It didn't even work?!" I asked our captain, bewildered.
"Well, it serves you right." She smiled, a certain glint in her eyes.
"Ale, what's taking you so long? Oh." Gabriella's look immediately deflated once she saw me in the arms of Alexia.
"What's up?" Alexia turned to Gabriella and gave the girl a gentle smile and Gabriella had to use every fiber of her being to at least put up a smile.
"Nothing, we were just wondering where you were." The girl mumbled out, just loud enough for us to hear.
"I was getting a drink. I'll be right there." Alexia smiled a final time and then turned her attention back to Leila and Mapi bickering with Vicky.
When Vicky walked away, trying to escape the two, they simply followed her, leaving Ale and myself alone. My girlfriend looked down on me while I had a pout on my lips.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She chuckled and soon bumped her nose to mine.
"I don't like the way she is looking at you." I kept on pouting at her but it didn't have the desired effect.
"Ella, she's just a friend." Ale rolled her eyes but softly kissed my lips. "She doesn't like me like that. We're just friends. It's you that I want."
"Mmh." I smiled into the kiss, not being able to stay mad at her.
"Come on. Let's enjoy the night together before I have to miss you again for a week." She lovingly bumped her nose to mine again and made my heart melt.
"Mmh, you win." I kissed her lips one more time and followed right behind her to her friends. Although Gabrialla wasn't so pleased with me sitting next to Alexia, granted I may or may not have been all over Alexia, proving a point, I didn't let it get to me.
Later than expected, somewhere around the very early morning, most of the team was heading home. Alexia's friends had already left, including Gabriella and Alexia and I decided it was time to go home. Tomorrow I will pack for camp and spend some much needed time between Ale and I.
As happy as it made me, that I got to spend time with my girlfriend, it also meant I already had to say goodbye to my best friends and new friends, which I didn't look forward to.
"It was really nice meeting you." Ona mumbled into my shoulder when I pulled the girl in for a hug.
"It was nice meeting you too." I smiled. "Stop by when you're in town, will ya?"
"I will, I promise." She slowly let go of me and thanked me for the shirt again.
"You know you can still come play for Spain." Leila walked over with Mapi , wiggling her eyebrow. Ona took this as her queue to leave and give us some space.
"Nah, thanks I'm good." I laughed at my friend and pulled her in for a hug.
"Please call when things get rough." Leila mumbled into my shoulders, all serious now. "We know what it's like to have a crazy coach."
"I know." I humorlessly chuckled. "I promise." I closed my eyes and prayed to whatever God that was out there, that my suspicions were wrong.
Leila let go of me and took a step back so Mapi could take her place. The blonde looked solemnly at me. She looked worried.
"I don't like you leaving." She mumbled, looking at the ground.
I sighed out. Ever since the last time, Mapi wasn't so eager for me to return and she made that very clear several times. It wasn't like she straight up told me not to go, it was more subtle hints.
"I know. It'll be fine." I hummed, sadly smiling at her.
"You always say that." She looked up to me, sadness and worry was all that was shown on her face.
"I know that you weren't fine the last time you were at camp, no matter how hard you try to convince us. Please promise me you will call." She pleaded with me, looking me right in my eyes.
"I promise." Without another word I pulled her in for a hug. "I promise." I whispered again, in her ear this time.
After a few minutes of hugging, we let go of each other. Ale and Leila had joined us again and the four of us said our final goodbyes.
"Don't do anything stupid when I'm gone." I yelled at Mapi with a smirk, thinking back to the last time I went for camp where Mapi and Leila drove my girlfriend crazy.
"How can I? You're taking all the stupidity with you." Mapi smirked back, proud of her comeback.
I simply shook my head at my friends and together with Ale, we got in our taxi to go home.