Trudging back to the hotel room shared with Ria, Erin's figure was draped in the pair of black pants from the previous night, and a workout shirt that Alexia had graciously given her.
The garments hugged her slender figure, her tiredness palpable in her movements as she rubbed her tired eyes, attempting to banish the remnants of sleep.
Thanks to a certain midfielder, the night had been one of sleeplessness.
As she crossed the threshold into their lodging, a muggy, stagnant ambiance enveloped her, the room shrouded in darkness.
"What on earth...?", the therapist mutters to herself, a vexed undertone accompanying her words as she navigated through the dim expanse.
Irritation mounted when she tugged open the curtains, allowing a soft stream of light to filter in and brighten the room.
Her gaze roamed a surprisingly chaotic scenery, that left her utterly incredulous.
Sprawled across the bed was a figure with limbs splayed in every conceivable direction. Disheveled brunette hair framed a face buried deep into the very pillow that had once belonged to the therapist.
A surge of disbelief washed over her.
"Oh. my. stars", Erin gasps, her lips parting in astonishment, her jaw mimicking the floor's terrain as realization dawned.
The aftermath of the head coach's expensive pantsuit and personal effects was strewn about like the aftermath of a storm.
The blazer adorned the chair by the desk, the pants lay crumpled on the floor by the bed, and a blouse hung by the window.
Among the scattered remnants, black lingerie nestled on the nightstand beside Ria's limp arm, which dangled over the edge of the mattress, while the coach herself was almost entirely exposed, the thin veil of a white comforter barely shielding her modesty.
"Ahem", Erin clears her throat, hands firmly propped up on her hips as she positioned herself at the foot of the bed, her visage a blend of wry amusement and annoyance.
Yet, there was no response from Ria.
The blonde could only marvel at her friend, who seemed ensnared by an exceedingly deep slumber, egregious fatigue, or an astonishing bout of inebriation. None of these explanations squared with the Ria Erin knew, especially the last one.
Ria Thomas had never been one to overindulge in alcohol.
Refusing to accept the coach''s unresponsiveness, Erin lowered herself beside her friend, perching on the edge of the bed.
In a bracing move, she leaned over the tousled crown of disheveld, dark brown hair, inhaling a deep breath, before delivering her message with a stern voice, "Ria Thomas, you're late for the meeting!"
This had the desired effect, as forest green eyes flew open in shock, her body twisting onto her back in a rapid motion.
"Good heavens", Ria gasps, her verdant eyes wide with weariness and bewilderment, darting around the room in a quest to orient herself - to discern in whose bed she currently resided. Eventually, they settled on the ceiling, a subconscious effort to escape the unexpected scenario that had unveiled itself to her, "What time is it?"
Erin's delicate lips curl into a knowing smirk, amusement dancing in her eyes.
"It's half past three", she quips, a hint of gentle mockery infused within her as she jumped to her feet, making her way towards the bathroom, amusement evident in her every step.
As the blonde's slender figure receded behind the bathroom door, Ria's gaze gravitated towards her phone perched on the nightstand, its battery precariously low.
She rolled her eyes at the predicament, a disgruntled murmur escaping her lips as her fingers raked through her mid-length strands of brown hue.
"It's half past ten, idiot", she mutters, exhaling a sigh of relief as she tosses the phone beside her.
Amusement lingering in her voice, the therapist couldn't resist teasing, her voice echoing from inside the bathroom, "Now what happened to you calling me Sweetie?"
"I decided it doesn't fit the situation", Ria retorts, the reality of the situation sinking in as she recalls the events of the night before.
The events she had either repressed because they were not allowed to happen, or had been forgotten due to the influence of alcohol.
Probably both.
Erin, now dressed in a bathrobe and ready for shower, strolled out of the bathroom, sitting down on the edge of the bed, a playful smile tugging at her delicate lips, "And what exactly is the situation?"
Ria's cheeks flushed, a tinge of pink suffusing her complexion as she instinctively clutched the comforter to shield herself, her embarrassment laid bare.
The mere mention of the situation seemed to bring everything back to her in a rush.
"I couldn't control myself, Erin", she confesses, a note of panic tinging her raspy voice as she buries her flushed visage within her palms, struggling to reconcile herself with the undeniable reality of the prior night's events.
Raising an eyebrow, Erin's eyes narrow in playful curiosity. She had a pretty good inkling of what had transpired, yet hearing it confirmed had a different kind of impact.
"Again?!", Erin exclaimed, a blend of shock and jest coloring her usually calm voice.
Ria's flush deepened, a barely perceptible nod signifying her affirmation.
Her voice scarcely rose above a whisper, as if divulging a profound secret, "Yes... it happened again"
The therapist's delicate lips twitched into a grin, her amusement unfazed by the revelation.
"I couldn't control myself, Erin", the blonde mimicks in a playful tone, earning herself an embarrassed glare from the head coach.
If looks could kill, she probably would have just died.
"This is not the moment to make fun of me", Ria mumbles, her hands shielding her face as if to shield herself from the memory's intensity.
Erin's grin widened, her tone soothing, "Exactly. This is the moment I ponder whether a gorgeous brunette in an elegant dress possesses the power to obliterate your self-control?"
Ria groans, dropping her hands and buries her face in the pillow, "Can we just... forget this happened?"
These words would never be true and Ria was smart enough to know that herself.
If it had been so easy to forget this irresistible woman after all that had happened, then last night would have passed differently.
After everything that had happened in the past two years, last night should have gone differently, and the head coach wouldn't have woken up this morning in a stuffy cougar cage, completely naked, exhauted from last nights activites.
If Ria had managed to control herself, she would be neither tired nor hungover, but professional and working as she was used to.
But she couldn't help it.
She couldn't help herself.
She couldn't control herself whenever it was about her.
"I can forget what happened", Erin muses, a soft chuckle carrying in her words as she rose from the bed, strolling closer to the bathroom, her voice wafting back to Ria with a teasing undercurrent, "But the question remains... can you?"
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☕️ i'll be back after a break ☕️
YOU ARE READING
control - Alexia Putellas
Fanfictioncontrol. there are many ways to describe that word. being in control over your emotions and your body is discipline. being in control over others is authority. control is the maintenance of a façade that no one would break so easily. that depends. �...
