Looks can be deceiving (Mapi León x OC)

Chapter 6 - Antonia

After a quick, refreshing shower, I dried myself off with a towel and glanced at my phone. Fuck. Antonia would be arriving here any time now. I quickly threw my wet towel into my bag, knowing I'd definitely regret that later, and slipped into a short black dress and my favorite sandals. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to blow dry my hair or apply makeup as I was definitely running late now. I quickly threw my gym bag over my shoulder and hurried out the door. As I walked, I glanced at my phone. Hmm weird. Klara hadn't replied yet, even though she'd read the message right away. I shoved my phone back into my pocket. She'd have her reasons and would surely reply later. Or was she still mad at me? I wouldn't blame her, but she could have told me during our conversation today.

My heart was racing when I stepped out of the door and looked around for Antonia. It wasn't long until I spotted her a little further away. Her long, light blond hair and her green summer dress were fluttering synchronously in the wind. She too spotted me now, came up to me with a wide grin and greeted me with a kiss on each cheek. I had to admit that she looked even more beautiful than on her pictures, her eyes shone in a special shade of dark blue and her perfect face was covered in freckles. The dress only hinted at what her body might look like beneath. I tore my gaze away.

"You look beautiful" I winked at her.

Antonia acknowledged it with a bright laugh. "Thank you, guapa" she replied. "Come on, I'll show you my favorite place here in town."

As we were leaving, I suddenly felt someone staring at me from behind. Imaging the worst, I turned around and the worst, in this case Mapi, had just stepped out of the complex, but she wasn't alone. Walking beside her was our Norwegian midfielder Ingrid Engen, who reminded me of a modern-day image of Snow White with her skin being white as snow, her lips red as blood, and her hair dark as ebony.

I watched as Mapi put her arm around Ingrid and wrinkled my nose. This girl really got with everything that just dared to breath close to her. Snow White and Snow Whore had found each other.

Antonia threw me a questioning look. Only now did I realize that she had been talking to me the whole time. Hoping it was a question, I nodded, which she acknowledged with a satisfied smile.

We took the subway to an area I had never been to before, but I knew it was near the sea. Did Antonia want to go to the beach? I didn't mind, because although I had been living here for three weeks by now, I hadn't found time to visit the beach yet. On the way were practicing boring small talk so we wouldn't have to endure an uncomfortable moment of silence, but this changed when we left the subway and turned into a street, at the sight of which I let out a loud wow. The street wasn't very long and the sea loomed hazily at the end, but that wasn't the most beautiful thing about this view, apart from my date of course. Between the houses, which were all colorful, were hanging fairy lights and colorful umbrellas. The ground was not dirty asphalt like the rest of the city, but shimmered pink. There was laughter and music coming from every corner, and for a quick moment I could even hear the sound of the sea.

"Do you like it?" Antonia asked softly, looking at me expectantly.

"It's beautiful. It looks like something out of a picture book."

She smiled triumphantly. "Just wait, we haven't gotten to the best part yet."

We strolled along the street and had almost reached the sea when Antonia stopped in front of a small door.

"We have to enter here" she informed me, holding the door open for me.

Behind there was a steep, wooden staircase. With an uneasy feeling, I followed Antonia up the stairs. My mother would tear my head off if she knew what I was doing here with a stranger. The higher up the stairs we climbed, the louder a lively buzz of voices and soft music could be heard. Antonia pushed open a glass door.

"Voila" she laughed, motioning me to follow her.

I caught sight of a modern bar that reminded me somewhat of an American diner. Most of the tables were occupied, but Antonia walked right through the room and headed for the terrace, from which you could look directly at the sea. We headed to a small table right by the railing.

"It's really beautiful here" I stated. "Do you come here often?"

Antonia lit a cigarette and laughed. "You could say that. My uncle owns the bar. Do you want one?" She held out the pack of cigarettes to me, but I declined.

"Wow, your uncle? This must be your favorite place for first dates then, huh?" I teased her with a grin.

Antonia leaned on her elbows and came closer to me. Her blonde hair fell forward and I just had to bite my lips. Damn. She was just too good looking.

"Yeah, I have a deal with him. Five dates a week are free, after that I have to help out at the restaurant." She winked at me, but then her expression turned into a more serious one. "I don't think my uncle would be too thrilled if I started coming in and out of here with women. He hasn't known that I'm a lesbian for very long, and he's still trying to get used to it. But don't worry, he's not working today." She fake-laughed and slid the menu towards me. "What do you want to drink?"

I rolled my eyes at her terrible attempt to change the subject and put the menu aside again. I then carefully placed my hand on top of hers. Astonished, her piercing blue eyes gazed at me.

"I'm sorry about your uncle. My best friend turned on me too when she found out I liked women." My stomach tightened at the mere thought of Sydney.

Antonia looked at me pityingly. "Wow, that sucks, but she didn't deserve you. How did your parents react?"

Great. Why did this topic have to come up now. At that moment I was saved by a waiter who, without me noticing, had stepped next to our table and was ready to take our order. Antonia whispered something to him. He nodded and disappeared back into the restaurant.

"The last surprise for tonight" she announced.

Luckily for me, she then wanted to know how my training was and told me about her job afterwards. She currently still had a job at a huge hospital in the city but complained about the working hours and announced that she wanted to move to a private clinic just outside the city soon. Just as the conversation turned back to family, the waiter came back our way, balancing a full tray on his hand.

"Et voila. Two piña coladas and some nachos."

My chin dropped and I looked at Antonia. "You ordered my favorite things" I exclaimed happily. "That's why you asked for them a few days ago!"

"Right, Sherlock." She handed me a glass. "Now, cheers!"

We were talking and laughing, eating and drinking for over two hours. When I looked at my watch, it was almost midnight and I had to hurry to get the last subway in my direction. I would have loved to talk to Antonia longer, but that was the price I had to pay for a cheap apartment. Besides, I had training again in a few hours. I really needed to get more sleep and quite frankly a new apartment. I made a mental note to talk to the manager about it as Lucy informed me that she and Keira were living in a lovely apartment appointed to them by the club.

Antonia accompanied me to the subway. "Thank you for a lovely evening" I thanked her.

She pressed a firm kiss to my cheek. "You're welcome. And I hope to see you again soon."

As the subway slowly left the station, she waved after me until she disappeared from my sight. I smiled quietly to myself. Maybe life here wouldn't be that bad after all.

This is Antonia:)