The plaza at lunchtime is a bright and lively scene. Drenched in sunlight and drowned in conversation, the people of this part of the city settle to eat some food, drink, and gossip as much as they can before they go back to work.

Luckily for us, we don't have an afternoon training session today, and it is the perfect time for Clàudia and I to go on a date. Later on, there is a parade through the city. I doubt we will be talking much then.

We stroll towards our usual restaurant, the same one we went to the night I arrived, hand-in-hand, the rhythmic sound of our footsteps adding to the bustling noise. There is a lot for us to catch up on, really. I have not fully divulged everything from my dinner with Alexia's family three days ago – though I am intending to make good on my promise to Alexia and keep her feelings for Fleur a secret.

"I'm sorry," Clàudia apologises, stopping suddenly, releasing my hand though it does not feel quite right to do so. The place is only metres away, and there is a wall behind us that we have kissed against before. "I'm sorry that I knew and didn't say anything."

That night, when Eli said what she did, I figured it was not surprising for her, gauging that by her lack of shock. "I was slightly annoyed at you," I start, and her face falls. "I don't know how to feel about any of this. I don't know if you telling me or her telling me would have made a difference, but part of me can't help but wonder what would have happened if Eli hadn't said anything. Would you have told me? Or would you have kept it a secret?"

She frowns. "I only realised a few days before the match."

"Days?" I question. "My entire universe has been flipped on its head, and you knew it was going to happen for days?"

"I shouldn't have been the one to tell you."

"You agreed to help me find my father," I remind her, my tone tinged with disappointment and something akin to betrayal.

She sighs softly. "I know, Talia, I know. It was by accident that I found out. I wasn't actively seeking the information, nor was I looking behind your back." There is no way Clàudia could stumble upon the information, though. She would have had to have delved into something or other. You don't just... guess these kinds of things. "I would never do that."

"It seems like you did," I retort sharply, my gaze holding hers with a mixture of accusation and hurt. The words hang in the air, and the light breeze of Barcelona does nothing to carry away the unspoken frustration within them.

Her eyes widen with the realisation that I am serious, and, as if to calm the situation, she places her hands on my hips. The touch is annoyingly grounding, and I'd like to be able to shrug her off but I find it impossible. "I'm sorry," she repeats. "I'm sorry, amor." The apology lingers in the air for a moment before she leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek, a gesture attempting to bridge the gap widening between us.

I melt into the feeling, eyes closing as the warmth from her lips blossoms on my skin. "I'll forgive you," I whisper, not needing to be any louder because of our proximity. "Not now, but later."

"That's all I need," she replies. I nod. She steps back, and I let the breeze brush along my nose, waking me up from the bliss I slip into whenever she is near me. The distance brings a broader view of our surroundings. I squint as a familiar Pomeranian approaches us.

"Is that–?" But Clàudia has surged forwards again, pushing me against the wall, kissing me once more but with a much greater intensity. Unsurprisingly, I open my mouth and allow her insistent tongue in, my arms wrapping around her neck.

As her kiss deepens, the movement of the wind halts, and the world pauses. The feeling is electrifying. To be able to hold this much power, this much emotion, in my hands is something I have never had before. The sensation is thrilling, and the magnetic pull between us erases the tension building just moments ago. Her lips move against mine, and I can feel the sincerity of her apology through the kiss. For such a public place, this moment feels so private.

Finally breaking the kiss, Clàudia looks into my eyes with a mixture of relief and surprise, as though she has been caught out by what she has just done. I wipe my lips with the back of my palm, rubbing off the faint taste of her cherry lip balm. "Fleur and Alexia couldn't see us," she explains, though I am certain there were other options. "Ale really likes her, you know."

I don't tell her that I do, not wanting to break my promise, but I grin at the sight of them together. "Do you think it was a date?" I ask.

She thinks about it for a moment and shrugs, something cheekier glinting in the blue of her irises. "Oh no," she says with a smirk. "Is that them again? Want another kiss?"

I don't really have time to answer, because I'm pushed against the wall again. We only make it into the restaurant when she remembers that we have to go to the parade later on, and that there will be no food on the buses (Cata asked, Cata was told an answer she didn't want to hear).

━━━━━━━

The parade is interesting, to say the least.

Fleur looks like she is awfully deep in thought, and part of me hopes that she is so pensive about her increasingly obvious feelings for her arch enemy. We sit in the middle of the bus, pressed together closely so that our dancing teammates do not find us in their way. Clàudia has long given up trying to coax me into the celebration with the same enthusiasm she is putting in, and Fleur decides to ask about our relationship as if she had not just witnessed her press a quick kiss to the corner of my mouth only moments ago. I suppose she is in her own world.

"We're not together," I lie to her, finding it a little bit too easy. I'm practising for when Mamá visits me – if Eli is successful in persuading me to persuade her. Plus, I don't want to start drama in a new family with my own relationship. I know that they've got to be somewhat okay with it, considering both Alexia and Alba date girls, but it is terrifying either way. What if none of them like me? What if they choose to see past it for Alexia and Alba because they love them? They won't love me. That's not how it works.

Despite what I tell Fleur, at the end of the parade, I leave with Patri and Clàudia. We're not really hiding our relationship, but I think most of our teammates are too preoccupied with Fleur and Alexia's drama to have noticed. Or they just don't care, which I quite like the idea of.

"What are you guys watching?" Patri asks us once she has come out of the shower, refreshed and full of energy. I look up from my comfortable position, lifting my head from Clàudia's chest with a frown. "Is that Paquita Salas? Pina, you know I love that show!" She bounds over, inserting herself between us.

Patri grabs the remote from Clàudia's hand and turns the volume up. I lean over her to whisper in my girlfriend's ear; "I'm going to shower. Your bedroom, ten minutes?"

"You're staying over?" Patri groans, which is a little bit offensive.

I am pushed back down onto the sofa by a firm hand. "Yes, she's staying over."

"Why?"

"Marta wanted our apartment to herself." I click my tongue. "Patri, you'd like Marta, you know." I wouldn't say that they are cut from the same cloth, but, now that we have established that walking her birds is not a suitable distraction, I've got to start presenting other options to her. Who knows. Maybe Marta likes girls.

"Nah, you two are enough to put anyone off the idea of a relationship." She frowns, but it is the kind that precedes interesting gossip. "Pina, speaking of relationships... Mapi and Alexia have made up about her little betrayal, and I overheard a very intriguing snippet of their conversation. Something about a certain Dutch midfielder."

I note the use of 'betrayal'. It spikes my heart rate ever so slightly, and Clàudia seems to pick up on it. "Playing in the World Cup isn't a betrayal," she says determinedly, as though defending me against some kind of silent attack. Patri must realise her error, because she glances at me briefly before apologising. "And you'll never guess what we saw earlier!"

━━━━━━━

Among the things I have neglected to tell my girlfriend, today's lunch is one of them.

I don't leave Clàudia's until all three of us get in the car to drive to the training centre, with Patri (the most trusted behind the wheel) stopping at my building so that I can grab my bag.

Upon entering my apartment, I wave to Marta as I walk past where she is sitting on the sofa. "Hey," I greet, keeping it brief so that we aren't late. "I'll be back later, and, uh, whoever's in your bed, make sure they're gone by then."

She shoots me a sly grin. "No promises, but I'll see what I can do once she wakes up."

Huh. I guess she does like girls.

I roll my eyes playfully, bag in hand and door open. "Well, whatever happens, not on the sofa, alright?" With that, I step out into the corridor, ignoring her protest that I have already broken that rule.

"Talia, can you tell your girlfriend that we're not going to be late?" huffs Patri the minute I slide into the backseat once more. A grumble from the front seat does make Patri put her foot on it, though, and we have time to spare when we pull up in the carpark of the Joan Gamper.

The session today proves to be as intense as expected, but it is not long enough for me to start cursing Jonatan under my breath. Running around and perfecting the basics – from which our session today has been constructed – provides a little bit of familiarity to a strange few days. The building nervousness surrounding the lunch that approaches me like a thief in the dark is stunted by the distraction of football, though Alexia asking what time I'd like to get there for is enough to completely remind me of how terrifying it is going to be to meet nearly all of the Seguras.

"Go back with Mapi now, because I've got a session with the midfield," is what she ends our conversation with. It carries such a maternal firmness to it that I don't argue, instead seeking out the defender and pointing to her car and then myself. Mapi looks at her friend briefly, and it is clearly a silent follow up of a previous chat. Alexia seems to brush it off, choosing to follow Fleur as the blonde swans past us, her high ponytail swishing in her wake. My ever-so-intimidating captain tags along at her heels before gathering the courage to prod her shoulder and strike up a conversation.

"Useless, isn't she?" Mapi sighs as we trudge our way to the carpark. "Well, I guess there is nothing we can do about it," she continues. "They're as bad as each other. I think it's only them who don't realise staring at your teammates eventually progresses past professionalism."

"Where's Ingrid?" I ask when I notice her girlfriend's absence.

"She's gone for a coffee with Frido," Mapi answers as we get into the car. "You and Pina aren't the most professional though, are you?"

I frown, confused. "We're teammates." She looks uncomfortably expectant and I may become a little defensive. "Mapi, we're teammates when we're here. If we're girlfriends outside of our jobs, what's it to you?"

"Chica, I'm also dating a teammate," she says with a chuckle. "It's cute. You and her make a nice couple. Average age of, what? Thirteen?"

"I'm twenty-one." Twenty-two in December.

Mapi drives out of the grounds, avoiding the fans with skill so that she can continue to gossip without having to be interrupted by a request for a picture. "You're a little baby. You were born in this century! Imagine that."

"You're ancient," I retort, finding the reverse just as odd.

"Hey, I'm very young and athletic, I'll have you know. I've got a solid decade in me yet." She takes her hands off the steering wheel and flexes her biceps, though I squawk that she really should put them back on if we want to live to see another day. "Put some of your so-called 'current' music on then, if you're so with it." She nods to her car's entertainment system, and we spend the remainder of the journey giggling about the happenings of training.

When Alexia comes to collect me, three hours later, she arrives with a grin and a little blush dusting her cheeks. "Were you talking to Fleur?" I ask, though she shakes her head. "Hm. You seem awfully chipper."

"I'm excited for you. For us." She is earnest. Her tone is genuine. "This is a really big deal in our family. I can't wait for them to meet you." 

notes: 

sorry i've been swamped with work and my head's been empty w how to approach this

i'm hoping to finish this fic by christmas -- thought i'd let u know x

thanks for reading!!!