control - Alexia Putellas

37.

time to mix things up a bit. 🌪️🌪️🌪️

"Doesn't it feel weird to drive on this side? It must be so weird... it's... wrong", Alexia shrugs, clutching the steering wheel tightly after she'd agreed to Erin's suggestion of trying out New Zealand left-hand traffic for the rest of the way.

The reason she had agreed was a mystery.

Perhaps it had to do with the fact that she had no control over her mind whenever Erin was involved.

They'd stopped at this small, cozy coffee shop in the rural town of Martinborough on road 53 on the way back, and swapped seats after.

Quite a challenge for the experienced driver.

"Well, it's the same back home in England. I don't know it any other way. When you gave me a ride in Spain, it felt weird, too", the blonde shrugs, her feet on the armature as she happily sips from her cup of hot coffee, "Besides, you're doing just fine. I'm curious to see how it goes when we get back to Wellington"

This had the brunette's eyes dilate.

Alexia didn't answer, her hazel eyes focused on the road, hard to see the street at all, the midfielders vision blurred by the dark clouds and the dusk.

It had become somewhat quieter inside the rented camper, but the silence was by no means a weird one, rather a comfortable, peaceful silence.

The therapist had taken control over the music now that she was in the passenger seat, and Alexia listened intently to the sounds of the partially foreign music genres.

The comfortable pillow was tucked behind Erin's head, and she was looking through the dozens of photos and videos taken throughout their one-day road trip when Alexia breaks the silence.

"Bonita?", her soft voice snapped the therapist out of her thoughts.

"Hm", the blonde hums, looking up from her phone and turns her head, twinkling eyes fixed on the stunningly beautiful brunette behind the steering wheel.

"I'm scared of what happens when this tournament is over", the captain confesses, her voice shy, afraid to broach this topic.

But they had to talk about it at some point.

"Let's not worry about that for now", Erin replies serenely, a soft smile lingering on her delicate lips as she reaches over, placing her cold hand on Alexia's thigh, her thumb brushing over the fabric of the captain's sweatpants.

The midfielder nods, accepting the blonde's answer at first, but quickly realizes that Erins words didn't satisfy her.

"What happens if we are eliminated in the round of 16? You'll return to England, and I'll return to Spain... and... and then?", the captain wonders further, her voice even quieter, even more uncertain now.

It wasn't easy to bring up the concerns that hadn't left her mind for days.

Luckily, Erin couldn't see the flush on her cheeks. But Alexia couldn't control it, for it wasn't the easiest thing for her to talk about her feelings.

"Love, I... we have to focus on the tournament. You shouldn't worry about what's going to happen if we're eliminated. You should think about what is to be achieved", Erin replies in a calm voice, but the therapist was aware that the two time Ballon D'Or winner wouldn't be satisfied with this answer either.

With her lips pressed into a flat line, the captain nods, accepting Erin's point, but wondering if she should leave it at that or not.

For now, maybe.