control - Alexia Putellas

2.27.

as i said, this is the last chapter i've written for this story so far 😔

A couple of days had passed since the fateful picture of Ona and Ria, captured in a passionate kiss during their hike, had landed on the front page of every magazine.

The world outside their private cocoon had changed drastically, and the two of them couldn't escape its relentless grip.

It truly was a nightmare.

For Ria, it was a constant torment. Thoughts of the photograph haunted her every waking moment, invading her mind during training sessions and meetings.

In moments she were to focus on important tasks, her mind kept wandering to the headlines, and the consequences, all the awkward conversations as a result from this.

The head coach struggled to focus on anything else, she struggled to control herself, her concentration shattering by the weight of the world's judgment.

A nightmare.

The eyes of her coworkers at the Real Federación Española de Fútbol seemed to bore into her, their gazes filled with curiosity, judgment, and even pity.

It was a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

Walking down the street felt like a gauntlet of scrutiny.

Her peripheral vision caught glimpses of magazines in small shops, each displaying the incriminating photograph. And each day she walked past them, she was tempted to buy them all, to gather them in a pile and set them ablaze, as if that could erase the pain of exposure.

The start of training camp should've been a time of joy and camaraderie, but the atmosphere was tainted.

The team was back together, each and every single player Ria had wanted to have on her team was there, but the way everyone looked at Ria and Ona was uncomfortable at best.

Even Alexia, the usually composed and controlled captain, couldn't hide her concern.

During a break, as the head coach showed her the screen of her tablet, explaining the next exercises while the midfielder sipped at her bottle of water, Alexia noticed a teammate's lingering stare at Ria.

She frowns, her strong and confident voice directed to this certain teammate, "Shouldn't you be focusing on training?"

The younger player, embarrassed, quickly excused themselves and moved away.

Meanwhile, Erin and Martha stood on the sideline, watching Ria's interactions with the players on the pitch.

The black haired's attention was divided as she occasionally glanced up from her tablet, unable to shake her disbelief.

"I still can't believe they did that", she mutters, her gaze fixed on the head coach.

Erin, arms crossed, didn't miss a beat.

"Let me remind you of your fling with Patri a few months ago", she replies, challenging Martha's judgment as she defended the coach.

Martha momentarily met Erin's gaze with a wry smile, chuckling as her eyes shifted to Ona, the small right back training with a group of four, "Now, that's something completely different"

Erin nods knowingly, "Exactly. You and Patri were a one-time thing. Ria and Ona have been together for years. There's indeed a difference"

And this is how the first day of training camp went on.

While Ria tried to focus on her task and Ona tried to push the concerns about their relationship into the back of her mind, Alexia and Erin tried their bests to convince each and every single person in this team of the fact that this was not a case of abuse, but simply love.