Looks can be deceiving (Mapi León x OC)

Chapter 23 - the day after

A/N: I'm sorry for the shorter chapter, but I'm on holidays  : (  However, the next one is almost ready!

The following afternoon I nervously stepped into our changing room after just having discussed my living situation with one of our managers, who eventually promised to find me a closer apartment as soon as possible. I couldn't wait to finally be closer to not only the city, but more importantly the training facilities and therefore my friends. 

However, I hadn't spoken to Mapi ever since she dropped me off at my current apartment yesterday afternoon, after it happened. I was nervous about how she was going to act towards me as it was always a roller coaster ride with her, with lows following the highs.

After a quick look around, I figured out that she apparently hadn't arrived yet, and made my way to my locker, Alexia sitting right next to it, lost in her own thoughts.

"Hola capitana" I chuckled, opening my locker to put my bag inside.

"W-w-what?" The Barcelona captain just looked at me startled, brushing a strand of her brown hair out of her face. 

"I said hi" I laughed, slightly confused by her reaction. "Are you okay?"

"Me? Yes, yes. Of course, I am." She simply stated as she got up, throwing me a little smile. "See you on the pitch."

As I watched her walk away, I noticed that Jenni hadn't arrived yet, leaving me wondering if Alexia's weird behavior had something to do with her. I made a mental note to ask her about it later, when I suddenly felt a gaze on my back, instantly knowing whose eyes were resting on me. Sure enough, Mapi had just entered the changing room, shooting a shy smile into my direction when she saw me looking at her.

How cute.

Shortly after, I silently joined Alexia doing some warmup stretches on the pitch, being absolutely torn between asking her what was up and letting her have some space. In the end, my curiosity overtook.

"Is everything okay with Jenni and you?" I wondered after we had just done a little sprint.

Alexia threw me an annoyed look, walking back to the start line. "Does it look like we're okay?"

I knew it.

"No, not really" I admitted. "What happened?"

The brown-haired midfielder let out a deep sigh, searching her surroundings in the process, when suddenly Jenni stepped onto the pitch as well, her piercing eyes instantly finding Alexia and me. 

"I can't really talk about it now" She shrugged. "Maybe later."

We got ready to do another short sprint, before joining our teammates and trainers on the side of the field to learn about today's practice.

Before I knew, it was already over and after a short, refreshing shower I exhaustedly sat down on the bench in front of my locker, pulling my phone out of my bag and checking my new messages.

[7/10/2024 14:23:41] Klara <3: Ich weiss nicht, ob du es gesehen hast, aber wir spielen in zwei Wochen gegen euch. Können wir danach bitte reden? ("I don't know if you've already seen it, but we're playing against you in two weeks. Can we please talk afterwards?")

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the screen, annoyed by her persistence. The fact that we'd be playing against Bayern Munich in the Champion's league group stage was already enough to make me go insane, I definitely didn't need more distractions. There would be another international break coming up in a little over a month and therefore our talk could wait until then. Not that I was looking forward to it, but I wouldn't be able to avoid her at camp anyway, so might just get it over with.

Sighing, I put my phone aside to quickly slip into a pink crop top and black sweatpants as I wouldn't have any plans later unless you count my one-hour long journey home.

After a short look around, I realized that Alexia had already left, so I hastily stepped outside of the changing room in hopes I would be able to catch up to her.

As I walked through the long, dark hallway, I spotted a silhouette on the other end that resembled Alexia, so I wanted to call out to her when I felt a firm grip on my wrist.

"Where do you think you're going, princesa?"

I spined around, looking straight into Mapi's beautiful, brown eyes. "I-I was just going to talk to Alexia" I stuttered, unable to concentrate on anything but her in that moment.

"Don't you think that can wait? You haven't talked to me all day" She jokingly complained with a little smirk, her eyes shooting sparks into mine.

A quick glance over her shoulder told me that we were currently the only two people in the hallway, allowing me to connect my hand with her neck while using my body to push her against the cold stone wall.

"I'll gladly change that" I grinned, studying her surprised face as she had probably not expected me to react like that.

She wasn't the first one.

Most people were surprised when they learned I liked to be the one in charge.

My fingers wandered from her neck to her cheek while hers slowly found her way to my waist, pulling me closer.

I crashed my lips on hers, hungry for the feeling I had experienced yesterday, when I suddenly heard footsteps coming closer.

Both Mapi and I turned our heads into the direction of the sounds as I pulled away from her, my jaw dropping when I saw who had just witnessed our kiss.

"Oops" Mapi chuckled in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

"I-I'm so s-sorry you had to see this" I stuttered an apology to the dark-haired midfielder whose bright green eyes were staring at us, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Ingrid just shook her head in disbelief and hastily walked away without saying a word, slamming the door of the hallway as she did so.

"Well, that was awkward" I sighed, suddenly being reminded why you shouldn't get involved with your teammates.

"Totally worth it, though" Mapi replied as we started walking, not wanting to take another risk today. "However, you still haven't talked to me."

"Okay, next time I'll just talk to you if that's what you prefer" I laughed, opening the door.

"Can I give you a ride home?" The blonde defender offered.

I nodded thankfully when I saw Alexia standing in the parking lot. "What is she still doing here?" I wondered.

In that moment, a small grey car pulled up right in front of her, the tinted windows only allowing a small look at the driver.

Nevertheless, the captain opened the door and hastily got in as if she didn't want anyone to see her entering the car, the vehicle speeding away as soon as the door was shut.

"That was weird."

Next to me, Mapi's jaw had dropped at the sight of the car. "She's got to me kidding me."