I furrowed my brow as soon as the alarm went off. The sun, which had surely been shining directly on my face for hours, had started to annoy me at that very moment. Too much light passed through my eyelids, and my pupils began to protest, making it difficult for me to open my eyes and slap the alarm off.

Then I noticed the sheets were brushing against my skin. Soft, protecting me from the terrible cold that had settled in my room. My heart raced for a second and a half as I realized what happened last night.

I was on the right side of the bed, tangled in the sheets. The last thing I remembered was the blonde on the left side. Perhaps she hadn't woken up with the alarm yet, I hoped not. I turned myself carefully.

I didn't know what to say, what to do, how she would react when she became aware of the decisions she had made the day before. Even though I knew she hadn't been drinking, I couldn't help but think that the brain functions very differently in the morning and at late night.

Slowly, I turned my body to the left with great delicacy. I pushed the sheets aside so they wouldn't wrap me up like a burrito, and then, as I finally turned my head all the way to the left, I saw the other side of the bed completely empty. I sighed. What a waste of time.

What if I had dreamt it all? Everything that had happened seemed surreal to me. I shook my head and sat at the edge of the bed. The sheets slipped off me. Had she left just like that?

I got up and went straight to the wardrobe, picking out some sweatpants and a basic t-shirt comfortable enough to spend a day lounging on the couch, pondering things and questioning my life decisions. I searched for a loose hoodie among the tops and, once I found one, I threw it on the bed before heading to the bathroom.

I washed my face and brushed my teeth, untangled my hair, and approached the mirror to apply some makeup remover cream that would at least make me stop looking like a raccoon. I put it back in the first drawer, then headed back to the bedroom and bumped into Alexia.

Her arms held me, preventing me from colliding with any furniture out of surprise. She looked at me timidly and let go without saying anything. I blinked several times, trying to place her there, in my room, with me.

"I thought you had left," I said, trying not to stammer.

Alexia opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again. She then extended her arms to help me put on the hoodie she had in her hands.

"I'm so sorry," she sincerely apologized. "I was about to go."

"No," I said, grabbing her arm before she left the bathroom. "I'm glad you didn't."

I smiled, and the blonde returned the smile.

"Good thing. I was thinking about how to get rid of the breakfast," she laughed.

"Did you go out to get some food?" I asked as I tied my hair in a high ponytail.

"Yes, just a couple of things. Coffee and some snacks," she downplayed it. "I thought you might be hungry, and I was a bit bored."

"What time did you get up?"

"A few hours ago," I widened my eyes, and she raised an eyebrow. "Mia, it's not normal to set an alarm for one in the afternoon."

"If I hadn't set it, I would have slept well into the afternoon."

I turned off the bathroom light and walked towards the kitchen, making sure the blonde was following me. I liked knowing she was here, that she hadn't left.

There were a couple of bags on the kitchen table, along with two takeaway coffees. Alexia went eagerly around the countertops, opening them up and taking out a couple of chocolate pastries.

"Chocolate pastries?" I inquired.

The football player rolled her eyes.

"It won't hurt for one day."

She took out a couple of plates from the cupboard above the kitchen and placed the pastries on them. She handed me one and then brought me the coffee. I carried both our breakfasts to the coffee table.

"Cutlery?" she asked.

"In the top drawer."

I slumped tiredly onto the cushions of the two-seater sofa. I hadn't slept enough; I rarely did. My body demanded more hours than my work and social life allowed, but if I let myself sleep, I wouldn't be able to get up the next day.

Alexia approached shortly afterward with the cutlery and a couple of makeshift napkins made of kitchen paper. She sat in the single armchair in front of me and pulled it a bit closer to the table.

"Bon appétit," she said before cutting the first piece.

"Bon appétit," I replied, in the middle of the first sip of the much-needed coffee.

The sun gracefully streamed through the large window, warming the exposed skin and making me close my eyes at the sensation. I took another sip of coffee and looked at the blonde, who was devouring the pastry as if promising herself it would be the last for a long time.

"How are you?" she asked, hesitant to talk, to bring up the subject, with a raised eyebrow and narrowed eyes.

"How are you?" I returned.

Alexia smiled half-heartedly.

"I'm not the problem here."

"Oh, really?"

"Not in the slightest."

I smiled playfully.

"And why am I the problem then?"

Alexia observed me carefully for a second, pretending to focus on sipping her coffee. I knew she was analyzing whether it was the right time to joke about the subject, evaluating the possible consequences and solutions for each case. I liked to think I knew her so well that I could read her without her being aware.

"If this had happened at my place, I would probably have woken up alone."

I hid a laugh, as did she, taking a sip of her coffee. She liked to play, and so did I.

"You say that as if I haven't woken up like that before."

"That was a miscalculation of your timings," the blonde shrugged. "If you had woken up at a normal person's time, this wouldn't have happened."

"Alexia, you're not a normal person," I teased, and she raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to tell me which person wakes up without an alarm at ten in the morning after partying until six."

"I woke up at nine," she looked at me, knowing I was holding back a laugh. "And we didn't fall asleep at six either."

"True."

Alexia finished the pastry and reclined against the cushions.

"What do you think about what happened?" she finally asked.

"Are you asking how you did?"

Alexia's eyes widened again, focusing on me, amused, without turning her head in my direction.

"Perhaps. If the reviews are good."

I looked up at the ceiling, pretending to remember, and scratched my chin.

"Hmm... I don't think I can give an evaluation yet."

The blonde shook her head and reclined again.

"What do you think about what happened?" she asked again, more serious but also calmer.

I could see a certain degree of fear in her eyes.

"Why did you say yesterday that you felt anything but calm?"

The football player rolled her eyes.

"You're not going to let me ask a question first, are you?" I shook my head. "I'm afraid you'll panic, regret it, and leave."

"Alexia..."

"I know, I know," she shook her head. "It's just that I think I'm not in the same place as you." I furrowed my brow. The blonde was misunderstanding everything, but I didn't want to stop her. "I don't know what's happening to me with you. Everything is completely different."

"What do you mean?"

"You're going to look at me like I'm crazy."

"Try me."

"I feel like I walked into that pub as if something was calling me. I walked in without looking at anything, without thinking, and the first thing I found was you, right in front of me. I felt the need to be close to you all the time, for you to look at me, to touch you every chance I got, as if it were something magnetic."

I grabbed her face and simply kissed her. Calmly, in the way I felt it, without haste, with all the time I wanted. Alexia let it happen, not rushing or slowing down. Once my lips left hers, I rested my forehead against hers, without opening my eyes, without letting go of her face.

"Since your eyes met mine, my mind hasn't found any rest."

******

I'm  super super mad because of the game today. #VildaOUT for the love of god