It's Always Been You

Chapter 38

July 2022 - London, England

"This year's European Championship winners: Sweden!" The loudspeaker voice boomed as I lifted the trophy, champagne being poured all over us, and the cheers and shouts of happiness from the team nearly bursting my ears.

I was finding it difficult to comprehend the fact that we actually won. Having gotten so used to losing with the national team, it was a different feeling than usual, although I definitely wasn't complaining.

After the initial end of tournament routine, we were allowed time to go around the stadium to thank the fans and see our family and friends who had come to watch. I noticed the Spanish players looking extremely disappointed as they watched us celebrate, and I sympathised with them, knowing what it felt like to come second.

I looked around for my family, but couldn't find them at first.

"Hey!" Frido then said, coming up to me and pointing me over to where they were sitting over at the other side of the stadium. We decided to take a slow walk over to where they were, greeting a couple fans along the way.

"It's always funny to see all of the relationships among women's football, most I didn't even know about!" Frido observed laughing, as we watched multiple players from Spain and Sweden engage with their partners, who had come to support them, with some having just finished their own campaigns with their own national teams after getting knocked out of the competition.

"Did you know they were a thing?" I asked pointing at Nathalie embracing her new Italian girlfriend, Aurora Galli, where she was showing off her winners' medal and laughing with her own group of supporters, dark haired and dark eyed Italians I assumed where Aurora's family, along with the light haired and light eyed Swedes. "So I guess that's the mystery girl."

"You knew about that?" Frido asked, sounding surprised, "I always thought she had a boyfriend, but I guess Everton changed her." She shrugged her shoulders and wiggled her eyebrows, making me burst out in laughter. Nathalie had moved to Everton at the start of the season, which was where we assumed they got together, with Aurora having also moved to England from the Italian club Juventus.

"That's an interesting development as well." I said again, directing Frido's gaze over to Spanish defender Mapi León and her Barcelona teammate Ingrid Engen, with Ingrid consoling the tearful Mapi. "I always thought that Mapi was still dating Alexandra Varco, you know, the English player."

"No, they broke up ages ago once she left Barcelona for Arsenal. I think she's with a Chelsea player, but I'm not so sure." Frido responded seriously, as if it was worldly known.

"Chelsea, really? I always heard rumours she was with Leah Williamson." I said, thinking about what I had been told. To be honest, because women's football was such a small, close knit community, you often knew there were couples, or at least could kind of tell, but no one usually outwardly spoke about it unless they were your teammates.

"I'm pretty sure they're just best friends. Leah's with the other Arsenal one, you know the popular Dutch player, van Alstine I think." Frido corrected, having quite a lot of knowledge on the lesbian drama of womens football.

"Well I guess it's just the Arsenal dating ground." I replied, giggling even more. "You know that we sound like middle aged mothers discussing their teenage daughter's gossip, right?"

"Stop that, you're making me feel old." Frido groaned, before waving goodbye as she went to greet her family and I went to greet mine.

You could say that I was extremely surprised when I saw a certain brunette sitting amongst the  light blonde of my Scandinavian family, instantly spotting Julie looking back guiltily at me. I quickly made my way over, not sure whether I was excited to see her.

"Hey," Daan said, as the test of my family left as soon as I approached, excusing themselves and saying that they were going to 'say hi to Stina', who was sitting with her partner and family a couple of rows away. I knew however that this was a plot, and I found it a little amusing, repeatedly getting flashbacks to Ellie, Damaris and Cat's efforts to get Daan and I together all those months ago.

"What are you doing here?" I said, my tone sounding a little more suspicious than I had intended. "Sorry. I mean, it's nice to see you."

"Well, I came to support you." She answered simply, rocking back on forth on her feet.

"I see your off your crutches?" I replied, almost questioningly, after I had looked her up and down, "I do love the jersey." She was wearing a Sweden jersey with Dahlberg printed on the back, the one we had worn back in 2019 for the World Cup.

"Thanks, your sister lent it to me. It's not the one you promised, but good enough." She joked, referring to our conversation we had a while ago about the Olympic jerseys.

"Good enough?" I said, pretending to be annoyed. "I never got the Dutch one that you promised me, so, I wouldn't complain."

"No, no, no, it's absolutely amazing. What a one of kind design!" She teased, making me laugh.

"Shut up." I responded, shaking my head, but grinning. "We just won the Euros so..."

"And congratulations. I for one am extremely proud of you. The jersey though, I actually have it here, just in case we wouldn't see each other again until after the break, at preseason or whatever." She replied sheepishly, pulling out a bright orange jersey from her bag. "Match-worn and all, it's from when we played against Japan."

"Wow," I replied sarcastically, although I felt a little warmth travel up my body, secretly extremely happy that she had given me such a treasured possession. "Now I have to step my game up, give you the sweaty one I wore in the final."

"Please do, whenever I come watch Sweden play I need to be as decorated in yellow as I can be."

Impulsively, I asked, "So, speaking of preseason. What are you doing after this?"

"Absolutely nothing." She said back, smiling, "Some slow rehabilitation but most of the recovery starts when I go back to Lyon."

"If you don't have anything better to do, do you want to come with me home to Sweden?" I suggested, realising what I had said after the words had left my mouth. "You seem comfortable enough with my family already..." My sentence trailing off, noticing Daan's expressionless face. "Or not. Only if you want to."

"No you silly, of course I'll come. If it's not too much of a hassle though." She said, cracking a smile and putting her arms around me. "I've missed you."