It's Our Secret

Chapter 6 - Space

"Are you okay?" I said, as I walked through my apartment door and saw Leah sitting on the couch, her arms wrapped around her legs. She looked up and saw me, her face red and speckled with fresh tears.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she replied to me, wiping the remainder of her tears off her face.

"What happened?" I asked, going over to her, and sitting beside her.

"Jordan," she replied, honestly.

"What happened?" I asked again, more seriously.

"We're just not working." She looked at me, her big eyes catching mine. She looked so broken, so fragile. Not the Leah I used to know. I put my arms around her, embracing her in a tight hug. She nuzzled her face into my shoulder, letting me comfort her.

"It's okay," I said, stroking her hair, and whispering into her ear. "It's okay." We stayed like that for a while, me holding her, comforting her. It felt natural. It felt good. It felt like everything that had happened, had happened for a reason. For a purpose.

After a while, I turned the tv on, to watch the game that was currently being played in the WSL. They were lower ranked teams, but she needed the distraction. She needed something to take her mind off everything that had just happened.

"What do you want for tea?" I said into her ear, as we lay together on the couch. She had her head resting on my lap and legs stretched out.

"Anything. Do you want to get pasta?" She asked. She knows that I love to eat pasta after games as it is good for energy. Pasta was a food that used to scare me. I could never eat it, and always ended up finding ways to get rid of it. But now, I have realised how important foods with carbs, such as pasta, are, being a professional athlete.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan."

I soon ordered the pasta, and we sat together, on the couch.

"Good?" I asked her, referencing the pasta that was resting on her lap.

"So good."

"How was playing against Hayley?" Leah asked me. I felt as if so many people asked me that, today, and it was getting annoying. But when Leah asks it, it's not annoying. It's caring and considerate.

"Yeah, it was fine. She was fine. We talked and everything."

"Was that expected?"

"Not at all. I thought she would ignore me."

"Why?" Leah asked, confused.

"Because of everything that happened. You know why." I looked away, and focused back on my pasta.

"Yeah, I guess, but it was over a year ago." Leah had a point. It had been nearly one and a half years since we broke up. Since Hayley and I ended.

"Yeah, but those things never stop burning."

"Never stop burning," Leah repeated.

"Are you going to tell me what happened? What happened today?" I asked her, as we washed up our plates.

"We're on a break."

"Do you need to stay here for a little while?" I asked, sincerely. She looked at me, with hope in her eyes.

"That would be great. Thank you." I put the plates down and went over to her, and put my arms around her, trying to comfort her.

"I'm always going to be here for you, I promise." She looked at me, smiled. Our eyes caught, and somehow and for some reason, I felt a deeper connection with Leah than I had ever felt with anyone in my entire life, besides Keira.

"Ett, thank you." She turned away, and went back to putting the dishes away.

We watched tv and chatted on the couch for a few hours before it was time to go to bed. I heard her phone buzz, and when she looked at it, her eyes slightly fluttered.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her.

"It was Jordan." My heart sank, I didn't want Leah to go. I wanted her to stay.

"Are you going back?"

"No, I need my space. From her and everything."

"Yeah, okay."

I set up the guest bedroom for her, and we said goodnight, as we needed to get prepared for our separate training the next day. As I got into bed, I felt uneasy. Unsettled. Leah was in the room next door, and my stomach filled with anxiety. I'm not too sure why. Going to bed anxious is never something I want to do.

I tried to fall asleep, but I couldn't get my heart to settle. It kept beating fast, faster than it ever had before. When I checked my watch, it was 2.08am. I sat up, and drank some water out of my cup. Why couldn't I get my brain to settle? As I was about to close my eyes, and try to fall asleep again, I heard a creak at my door.

"Ett," she whispered, trying to see if I was awake.

"Yeah?" I said back to her. She closed the door behind her, and came over to my bed.

"I can't sleep," she said.

"Come here." I pulled her down, and she lay in the bed with me. I wrapped my arms around her, trying to comfort her and myself. Our feet were tangled with each other's as my arm curved around her waist. She felt like comfort. She felt like home.

I fell asleep very quickly after Leah came in, and when it was time to wake up and my alarm went off, I didn't want to leave. I woke up with her head on my shoulder and arm around my stomach. She was still asleep. She looked so peaceful that I didn't want to disturb her. I didn't want to wake her. But I had to. We both had training.

"Leah," I whispered into her ear, "we have to get up." She grudged and didn't move her arm off me.

"I don't want to," she said, "I'm comfortable."

I started to laugh, as I tried to get her off me, but she would budge.

"Lee, I have training. You have training!"

"But I don't want to."

"Why?"

"Cause I'll have to see her." Her. Jordan.

"Well, when you see her, just think about the fact you can come over after training and we can do whatever you like," I said, trying to bribe her.

"Anything?"

"Anything." She smiled, and let me go. I quickly had to get changed, and rush off to training, as I was going to be late.

"Leah!" I called out, before I was about to go, "there is a key in the pot, and don't forget to turn the lights off."

"Okay!" she replied back.

I closed the front door and rushed to my car, trying to make it in time for my early training.