"Something calm, do you promise? I'm exhausted."

Irene opened the door to her apartment, twisting the keys with force.

"I promise. Something calm." The lights were off. Irene entered with a couple of shopping bags. Some snacks and junk food to indulge in while watching classic movies that were special to us, like 'The Devil Wears Prada' or 'The Princess Diaries'. "Can you turn on the light, please?"

I nodded, although she couldn't see me as she maneuvered through the familiar furniture to reach the kitchen. I searched for the light switch near the door, gently feeling the wall until I found it and turned it on.

"Surprise!"

Three figures emerged from behind the couch, startling me. Miguel, Celia, and Raquel approached me with joy and excitement.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart."

Raquel held my face and planted a loud kiss on my cheek. Then I was embraced by Miguel and Celia. I couldn't help but notice their attire—seductive, shimmering, and dark. I looked at them skeptically.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

Irene returned to the living room after putting away the snacks, carrying a cardboard box that she placed on the coffee table.

"We're going out to party. And you're coming too," she warned, wagging her finger. "So you better eat something."

She pointed at the pizza box, revealing a whole pizza saved just for me inside. I grabbed a slice without hesitation.

"And what about you guys?"

"We've already eaten," Celia replied.

I looked at each of them for a few seconds, weighing the consequences of outright refusal. I nodded calmly, finishing my first slice and moving on to the second.

I wasn't known for being the life of the party. Night outings usually felt like a chore to me. Choosing an outfit, suffering through high heels, having drinks spilled on me, dealing with tangled hair, and returning home reeking of cologne, sweat, and tobacco.

Truly, I seemed to have no other option if I didn't want to create problems with these people. I resigned myself and faced it the best way I could. Perhaps it could be a good night.

"Wait." I looked at my attire—just a simple shirt and dress pants. It hadn't been my most elegant day at work, to be honest. "You all are dressed like that, and I'm... stuck with this?"

Miguel grabbed a bag from behind the couch.

"Don't worry," he said, handing me the bag. "We've got it covered."

Inside the bag, I found a little white dress that hugged my body perfectly and a matching pair of shoes in my size. I thanked them profusely for the gift, and it was clear that I had no other option.

A taxi arrived to pick us up a few minutes later. I had barely finished a couple more slices of pizza before my friends pushed me down the stairs. They sang and laughed in the car, and the taxi driver simply chuckled without taking much part in the story.

Barcelona distorted on both sides of my peripheral vision. The streetlights, bars, and pubs illuminated our skin with various colors. My friends held onto each other, promising the best night of their lives. Inside, I felt a sense that this could be a great night, a day we would remember for a long time.

We arrived in about twenty minutes. It was our trusted nightclub—big enough to dance comfortably and meet new people, yet small enough not to worry if one of us disappeared into the crowd to get a drink.

The taxi pulled up to the side of the road, and Miguel, who was sitting in the front seat, paid the fare. Irene pulled out the tickets for all of us from her pocket, and the bouncer let us in without much trouble.

The music was loud, and my body longed to move, urging me to approach the dance floor. I looked for my friends to join me. However, contrary to their initial optimism about the night, they were looking around the venue, and Irene was completely absorbed in her cellphone.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked, adjusting my voice volume to the situation.

"Nothing," Miguel replied without even looking in my direction.

"It's been a while since we all went out together," I said with a smile, hoping for a knowing look from my friends, but all I received was silence. I frowned, annoyed. "Hey, can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Over there!" Irene's shout, pointing to one of the VIP booths in the club, interrupted me completely, leaving me bewildered.

They hurriedly made their way through the crowd, elbowing their way, and I was forced to put aside my annoyance so as not to get lost in the process. We weaved through the crowd until we reached a small barrier and a stern-looking woman.

"Okay, we have to wait here for a minute," Irene explained.

"Can someone tell me what's happening?" I asked, wearing an even worse expression than the security guard.

A few seconds later, before anyone had a chance to answer, Patri emerged from behind a curtain and approached the barrier with a huge smile.

"Mía!" She hugged me. "Happy birthday." The security woman removed the barrier after a word from the football player. "We've all come to celebrate. You've finally given us an excuse to stay out until dawn," she laughed.

All the Barcelona players were there, and now I also considered them, to some extent, my coworkers. I felt incredibly moved by the idea. They had come here to celebrate me, to have a good time with me. We were a great group, in an exclusive room with an intriguing aura. I was growing more confident in the night.

However, a fleeting thought halted the fantasies my brain was forming around this night. If they were all here, she would be here too.

Mapi León and Engen were the first to approach from the small circle that had formed around me, pulling me out of my reverie. They complimented my new dress, and Mapi highlighted how it hugged my body, earning her an elbow from the brunette, who understood her comment perfectly despite being in Spanish.

Frido, the player I felt closest to, followed with a long embrace and an eagerness to have a great time. Then came Bruna, Mariona, Ana María, Sandra, Salma... They all took a moment from their celebration to wish me a happy birthday and show a small gesture of affection. Lucy even brought me a tequila shot that I couldn't refuse, no matter how hard I tried to resist. Aitana broke away from our hug and gave me a small kiss on the cheek as a farewell, leaving my field of vision completely open and focused on the last player, the one I hadn't seen yet, the one who shook up the entire night, the one I didn't know how to escape from.

Alexia made her way toward me with a certain shyness. She didn't hug me or make any gesture. She stood upright about a meter and a half away from me and smiled sincerely.

"Hola," she simply said.

"Hello," I replied.

The tones used by both of us, although displaying shyness and insecurity, were very different.

"Happy birthday."

Behind Alexia, leaning against the bar, I could see my friend Irene, who had paused her attempts to get the bartender's attention amidst all the famous football players, looking at me with a mischievous smile.

"Thank you very much."

"Would you like something to drink?"

"I'm sorry," I practically interrupted, placing a hand on her right shoulder and creating some distance between us, which she noticed. "My friend Irene is calling me over. Let's talk later, okay?"

It seemed like I had responded somewhat compliantly, and I didn't look back at her. I walked decisively toward Irene, who looked at me with confusion and gestured for me not to come any closer, furious.

"Hey, beautiful," I winked, leaning my elbows on the bar.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

I shrugged. I didn't want to talk about it. No, more than that, it was my birthday, and I was NOT going to discuss the matter.

"Let's take a photo!" I exclaimed suddenly, taking out my phone from my pocket.

Irene looked at me strangely, and for a brief second, I could see her furrowed brow on the screen of my phone, just before a couple of players who had heard the proposal joined us in immortalizing the moment without hesitation. I lowered my phone and uploaded the photo to social media.

Alexia didn't join us. She didn't come closer. She knew perfectly well that I would have to talk to her, as the blonde wasn't foolish and understood my gestures perfectly. I had created distance, and Alexia had taken it. Maybe even too much.

I looked at her from a distance. She was talking with Jana in a corner of the VIP area, away from the celebration, taking a sip of a light soda and adjusting her blazer. I found myself observing the fabric's descent down her body, the contrast between the oversized jacket and the snug band top against her abdomen, the glow of her skin under the neon lights and flashes, her hair swaying like a sea wave as she lightly danced and let herself go. I knew she was aware that I was looking at her. And in a way, I liked it.

"Hey!" a familiar tattooed arm grabbed my shoulder, urging me to turn and attend to her, which I did without protest. "I need to ask you something as a psychologist."

"Do you think this is the best place, Mapi?" I laughed wholeheartedly at the surreal situation.

She shrugged and continued.

"How do you see Alexia?"

The question caught me off guard. How do I see her? I swallowed hard. As a friend, right? Maybe I should respond as if she were a colleague. Did she mean if I found her attractive? Why would she want to know that? Did Alexia tell her about what happened in my session the previous week?

"W-what do you mean, how do I see her?" Mapi nodded eagerly, leaving me with the same doubts as before. "I don't understand what you're referring to."

"Is she doing better?"

Internal facepalm.

"Yes, much better," I smiled and answered as best as I could, considering I had no clue for several weeks. "Why do you ask? Don't you see her doing better?"

"It's because of the contract renewal," she said, shrugging. "There have been some pretty... significant offers since Alexia won the Ballon d'Or. Her contract and her value as a player are not the same as with her previous contract, and the club wants to show that they're willing to pay what she's worth and that they care about her, that they want her to stay."

"And is Alexia not going to sign?" I asked, practically terrified.

"She hasn't said anything yet. I think that's why we're worried."

I nodded at Mapi's words and apologized for not being able to help her with her problems. She didn't mind. She left many questions hanging in the air, which I now shared with her. I think she knew that I would take it upon myself to investigate, as much as I would like to ignore it. Mapi was Alexia's confidant, and to some extent, it was very possible that she knew something about my closeness to Alexia or, at least, hers to me.

Finally, the waiter whom Irene had been trying to get attention from for half an hour placed her drink on the table, a rum and coke with a couple of shots. I downed it in one gulp before taking a long sip of the mixed drink. Irene looked at me horrified. She could have easily slapped me that day. I wanted to get drunk. Very drunk. To do crazy things that I wouldn't want to or could remember after tomorrow.

I tried to hug Irene, who, while not refusing my joke, tried to move away from me.

Then I heard a shout amidst all the music, a shout that called my name, and then a tap on my back, a pointing index finger telling me: I'm here, turn around.

And obeying that command, I did just that, facing Marc's sparkling eyes.

"Hello," he simply said.

"Hello."

"Happy birthday."

Irene held my arm delicately, confirming if I was ready for this, if I needed her, if I wanted her to stay away. I nodded calmly in her direction, letting her know she could let go without me falling.

"Thank you very much."

"Do you want something to drink?"

I looked at him intently, trying to figure out if this was a mistake or a necessary change for the better. But this time, I accepted the drink.

And she saw that too.

********

See you on Monday ;)