WOSO Imagines

Mixed Signals (Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic)

The sun beats down on me through the open curtains and I groan, rolling over to find an empty space. Confused, I push myself up, begrudgingly throwing off the covers. Having been in this apartment many times, I make my way to the kitchen with my eyes half-open, looking for the woman I fell asleep tangled with.

She's leaning against the counter with her back to me, a cup of coffee set beside her, still steaming.

"Good morning, Ana," I greet, voice still heavy with sleep.

"Bon dia, Toni. Sleep well?" she says. (Good day/morning)

"I always do with you. Come back to bed, darling." I slip my arms around her waist, leaving a trail of kisses across her shoulder blades and neck. "I don't like waking up without you."

She hums. "I didn't want to wake you, you looked so peaceful."

"I can think of some nice ways you could've woken me up," I grin.

"Oh, really?" She finally turns around, maneuvering herself so I'm trapped between her and the counter.

"Maybe something with your tongue."

"Like this?" She closes the gap between us, capturing my lips with hers.

I tangle my fingers in her hair as she deepens it, pressing into me, her tongue slipping into my mouth. "Ana," I moan, as she moves to kiss down my jawline. She starts to suck on my neck, and it takes me a minute to realize the consequences of her actions. I push her away slightly, earning a huff from the tall Croatian woman. "I don't want a hickey. Imagine the teasing."

She pouts. "Fair enough."

I take her face in my hands, pulling her in for another kiss, biting her bottom lip lightly before pulling away. "I should go. I need to get a shower in before training."

"Okay. See you at training."

Part of me is disappointed by her answer, even though I'm the one who suggested I should leave. I want her to ask me to stay, to suggest we go to training together. She's so affectionate with me and treats me like we're something more than teammates or friends with benefits but doesn't seem to want more. I go along with it because I want her in my life, and I can't figure out how to quit her.

I get to training late, the traffic from Ana's to mine busier than normal for a Tuesday morning. I quickly change and join my teammates on the pitch, the Swiss international being the first to notice me.

"Toni needs a watch!" she shouts. "Naughty girl, running late."

I roll my eyes at her teasing, suppressing the blush that threatens to out me when she calls me that. I jump right into training, keeping my distance from her and sticking close to Keira. It's fairly easy considering they've separated us by position.

"Is everything alright, Toni?" she asks as we take a hydration break.

"Yeah, why?"

"Ana keeps looking at you and it seems like you're avoiding her. Did you have a fight?"

I sigh, sparing a glance at the group of defenders across the pitch. "I'm just...re-evaluating things." Keira is the only one who knows about our sneaking around, having caught us during her and Lucy's welcome party.

"What do ya mean? I thought you were having fun."

"That's all we're having. I want more, Kei. I'm tired of the meaningless sex, as great as it is. I want her and I want her to want me, and I want people to know about us."

"We're not stupid, I'm pretty sure the whole team thinks something's going on. Do you remember our last game, when that Sevilla girl took you out and didn't get carded?"