Reunion - Mapi Leon x Reader

Chapter 6 - Detective Work

I spent most of the night in a half asleep state, feeling unusually lonely in the apartment I’ve lived in by myself for many years, that one thing Lottie said playing on my mind.

“Maybe you didn’t look hard enough.”

I know she’s right, but I did try. Surely, I would know if she played for Wave. I’m not exactly an expert on the NWSL (Liga F and Champions League are a bit more relevant to me), but I would know if there was a Carlota Aguila playing in it

The first thing I do when my alarm goes off is open up my computer and google San Diego Wave. Clicking on the website link, then the roster page, I scroll through the images. And then I find her. Hair pulled back into a high ponytail, smiling at the camera. There is no caption or comment, just a photo of her grinning face, pearly whites reflecting in the San Diego sun.

My confusion and curiosity only peaks at my newfound discovery, and I try again at googling "Carlota Aguila, San Diego Wave."  Only to receive the same answer.
There's nothing that links with this search. Please try rephrasing and checking the spellings.
I groan, frustrated at the never-ending cycle of questions with no answers. I want to see Lottie, ask her what's going on, and get some clarification, but I clench my fists and prepare myself for training.

Hair pulled back into a bun, training kit on, and my mind entirely elsewhere, I walk into the training grounds. We begin to warm up. I’ve done this so many times that I can get by on autopilot. At one point, Aitana looks over at me with a questioning look, so perhaps I’m not doing quite as good of a job of hiding my absentmindedness as I originally thought.

As the day progresses, I think everyone can tell my mind is in other places today. My shots are off, and my passes miss the recipient. One pass is so wide that it ends up in the goal, a surprised Cata looking rather impressed at my mistake. However, I keep on tripping over my own feet and stumbling at simple tackles from my teammates. For the 5th time, Alexia gave me a pitying look and offered me a hand to help me up.

“I wasn’t going to ask where you actually were yesterday, but it’s getting to the point where I feel like I need to know.” She frowns, shaking her head at me.
"It's not a super secret, Ale. I just prefer my private life to stay private." I argue back and cross my arms over my chest as my captain knocks the ball away as it's kicked at us.
"Even to your best friend?"
“Look, I’m just having an off day. Recovering from being sick, you know?”
“I’ll get it out of you eventually.”
“Knowing you, you probably will.” I admit this to her, and she smiles that confident self-assured smile of hers before we run back over to join in with the rest of the girls.

The rest of the training goes by with me barely keeping up, but I try to make an effort to focus. At least I don’t end up on the ground again. At the end of training, I lay on the pitch watching the other girls' boots leave. I see a pair of pink ones I know so well approach me, and my friend lies down next to me.

“Okay, this better not be drama over some girl, or else you’re on your own. I learnt my lesson about getting involved in your dating life last time.”
“It’s not.” I laugh before asking her. “How’s your NWSL player knowledge? Specifically, the San Diego Wave?”
“Depends on if they players have played at national level. If they have, I'll know who they are.”
I pull out my phone and find the picture of Lots again. I show it to Alexia.
“That’s Peyton Mo(✨️)ore.”
“Peyton Moore?” I say this outloud to myself, but of course Alexia replies.
“Yeah. The last time we played the States was a while ago, but I remember her. She was quite young then.” Alexia thinks for a moment. “Actually, she’s the one you kept looking over to. I thought you had a crush on her or something.”
I’m starting to remember this now. There was something about that girl that drew my eyes towards her, but then again her hair was dyed purple at the time, and well if you have purple hair it’s going to catch people's attention whether they know you or not.

“Thanks Ale. I need to go.” I say this and are out of the grounds before she can call after me. My studs hit the concrete, but I don’t care. I grab my backpack, sling it over my shoulders, and run towards Lots Hotel, which is surprisingly not far from the Barça training grounds. And that’s how I end up outside Lottie’s hotel room, out of breath, and wearing a grass stained kit and boots that are a little worse for wear. I knock on the door, not knowing if she’s even here. She pulls the door open slowly, and a smile springs to her face when she sees my appearance.

“Hey Peyton Moore.” I smirk at her. I’m expecting her to look shocked, but she smirks back at me.
“You’re a better detective than I thought.”
“You’re better at hiding than I thought.”
“I suppose I owe you an explanation. We’re getting food this time. It’s too late for coffee.”
“Could I possibly get changed first?” I ask. She pulls me into the room.
“Did you come here straight from training? You wanted to see me that badly?”
“I was feeling proud of the fact I’d finally tracked down who you were.” I explain to her, but then add more sincerely. “I did really want to see you again, though.”
“I was hoping you’d show up today. I need to rant to someone about my sister's wedding prep.”
“Okay, in a minute.” Then I disappear into the bathroom to get changed.

(Happy now, does1tmatt3r? I got your chapter out. It's not my fault I fell asleep 🙄. Don't forget to leave a comment!! Love ya<3)
(The ✨️ are an inside joke.)