Foolish one

Chapter 26

"Come on Isa" Mapí said loudly while pulling me through the airport. I was still groggy from the flight and the sleep I had gotten on it. "Don't be so loud Mapí" I complained jokingly. This caused both Patri and Alexia to burst out in loud laughter as they were walking right behind us. The walk continued through the entire airport and into baggage claim. When we got there, we had to wait for several minutes until our bags arrived.

I pulled my bag behind me and complained to Alexia about how heavy it was. "How about I take it for you then Isa?" she offered, earning a big smile from me, and the heavy bag that I was pulling. "Thank you, Ale," I said. My smile never faded, and I almost skipped through the rest of the airport and into the rental car. As usual Alexia drove, I complained that I would get motion sick and got to sit in the front. However, I allowed Mapí to connect her phone, it would be way less complaining then.

It was a long drive from the airport to the house we had rented. The house was almost in the middle of nowhere, it was a twenty-minute walk to the closest small time. We had to stop on the way to buy some groceries. Alexia and I did that while Mapí and Patri bought the alcohol they had been talking about for ages. We met up outside the car after an hour. Everyone had big bags filled to the brim, they had bought almost as much alcohol as we had bought food. We would all probably never be sober during this vacation.

The house was big, consisting of five bedrooms and four bathrooms. However, we were not only five people, we were seven. There were three people I recognized from the national team and after a quick introduction it was clear that they were called Jenni, Irene, and Virginia. After going over everything they decided that Irene and Mapí would share a room and I would share one with Alexia. She was the one who insisted on that, and I kind of got why. My nightmares got better when I slept in the same room as someone. They were almost gone now, or they were gone when I slept together with her. When I slept alone I occasionally got them.

It was only one bed in the room. That was something I hadn't considered yet. It wasn't like I had not slept in the same bed as her, I had done that several times, but it was the fact that we would be sharing the bed for a week.

"Which side of the bed do you want?" she asked, and I felt comfortable. The feelings that had been spinning through my head mere seconds ago were gone, and instead I was excited once again. "Or I probably didn't need to ask, since you always want the side closest to the door" she continued. "It is less cold there" I answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I still don't get how you are always cold when sleeping, is it poor blood circulation?" Alexia asked. "I have no idea" was my answer.

We unpacked our bags in silence. The closest was soon filled with the mess that was our clothes. We had both packed to many clothes, and it showed when we had to get them all into the tiny closet. Alexia had also packed a lot of shoes, and they were all neatly organized by our bedroom door.

Everyone had gathered in the living room, and we were eating a meal that Virginia had cooked. Alexia had informed them all about my shellfish allergy and forced everyone to keep shellfish out of the house. She was a kind soul, always doing what was best for others. I loved that part of her, the soft part that only her friends got to see. It was the part I preferred, and that part was way better than the merciless part she showed when she was on the pitch. She was called "La Reina" for a reason, and she made sure everyone knew why.

After our quick lunch we headed out to the pool. There were several lounge chairs, and I placed my towel down on one of them before laying down. I was wearing one of the bikinis that I had packed, and over that I had a thin cardigan. The cardigan was covering all my scars, and even though people knew I had them I was still a bit nervous about showing them.

However, Alexia quickly took care of that, forcing the cardigan off my shoulders and leading me towards the pool. A few minutes later we were all involved in a grand chicken fight. I was on Alexia's shoulders, while Mapí was on Patri's. We fought for several rounds, and I managed to win a majority of them. The other three soon joined in, with Virginia on Irene's shoulders. I won over them a few times and me and Alexia were crowned champions. The price for our victory were a big bottle of Champagne that we all shared. 

After our hours by the pool, we all showered before heading out for dinner. Seven girls living in one house cause us all to take a lot of time. Especially when we shared four bathrooms. Me and Alexia got ready together, we only had one mirror in our room, and it was in the bathroom, so it made sense for us to do it. I carefully applied everything, going for a neutral look and after thirty minutes I was happy with it. Now I had to do my hair and change into a better outfit and not the underwear I was standing in.

Luckily, Alexia was done with her makeup and hair way before me, and she braided my hair while I was talking excitedly about our dinner. I could hear her slightly laughing at my excitement. "Don't laugh Ale" I scolded her. That only caused her to laugh louder and soon enough the both of us were laughing. It was quite a sight. Two girls in the bathroom, in just their underwear and one of them had one and a half braids in her hair was sitting facing the wall. 

Later we resurfaced from our room, wearing clothes and fully ready for the dinner. Only Patri, Irene and Virginia were sitting there. The other two girls were still in their rooms, getting ready. At the table there were several different bottles of alcohol. I poured myself a small glass of wine and then I was forced to pour a bigger one for Alexia. We talked loudly while waiting for Mapí and Jenni. It took them some time but soon enough we started walking to the restaurant in the small town close to us.

The walk there was long, way longer than I would have expected. We all had decided to go to this small Greek restaurant and the food there was lovely. There were different platters and skewers as well as some other traditional food. Everyone shared with each other, and we left the restaurant full and slightly tipsy from all the alcohol we had ordered.

After that we had to walk home. All the restaurants and bars were closing for the night, and it was quite late. We all wanted to stay out for longer and instead of going home directly we walked down onto one of the beaches. The water was cold, but it felt amazing against our bare skin. 

"I don't want to walk any further" I complained while sitting down on the beach. We had gone far from where we needed, and the twenty-minute walk was now longer than forty minutes. "Jump up then" Alexia said and gestured towards her back. I happily obliged. 

Her hair smelt like saltwater and aloe vera. I could smell her perfume and the familiar scents, and her rhythmic walk sent me into sleep faster than I would like to admit. I remembered nothing from the rest of the night, but somehow, I woke up right next to Alexia. I looked down and saw that I was no longer wearing yesterday's dress. Instead, I was wearing a big t-shirt and it smelled like Alexia. My makeup was removed and the only thing that was the same as yesterday was the braids in my hair. 

Alexia was still asleep. One of her hands were resting on my waist and when I tried to get up, she pulled me closer. Now I was stuck right next to her. Every part of my body was touching hers and I felt her breaths escaping against my neck. I wanted it to be like this forever. I wanted to be with her forever, and if the only way I could be there for her was to be her friend, then I would do that.

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I miss being out of the country. Here in Sweden it is cold and full of snow, I need some sun.

Yesterday I worked 8 hours in a very noisy environment, so I am tired. Tomorrow it is Christmas and I'm very excited to spend time with my family. I have become such a cheesy person, no longer caring about what I get as long as I get to spend time with friends and family. 

A double update to celebrate my birthday!!

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