Hold Me Close

let me see you sweat

"Nee!" Esmee covers her eyes with a groan I'm sure the whole of Barcelona hears. Her hand remains a shield between her and us until she is certain I have disengaged from Alexia. I stack three bowls on the space on the worktop where she had previously been sitting to pretend we have only been preparing breakfast. "We talked about this."

"You have no reason to come into the kitchen," I reply indignantly, handing her a spoon to tell her she is serving herself today. "You were also asleep."

"I said it was a bad idea," Alexia adds, and, with the way she smiles when Esmee huffs in triumph, I doubt she is on my side.

After a second of basking in her glory, Esmee must begin to question why we have a guest in the first place. Though forcefully accustomed to the presence of her captain, Esmee does not seem convinced about this morning's appearance, knowing that it has not followed a night as we cycled through the Harry Potter movies together. "Why are you here, Alexia?" she asks, eyebrows raised as she scoops yoghurt into a bowl, using a foot to pry open the cupboard where the granola is kept. "Missed each other?"

"No," I scoff, blushing nonetheless. Alexia looks up at me from her embarrassed position hovering near the oven, and the scepticism I find on her face when I glance at her is far too telling. "No, Esmee." I ignore whatever my unwanted lodger mutters under her breath. "Ale's taking you to training because I'm going with the crew to get some footage, and, because she is being so nice and putting up with you, I invited her for breakfast."

She shrugs. "Do you lack so much creativity that the only things on the menu are yoghurt and each other's mouths?" She whines when I kick her in the backside.

"I'm not operating a five-star hotel, you know."

"Duidelijk, hoewel het soms voelt alsof dit een Airbnb is in het rosse district."

Alexia doesn't understand Dutch, but her nose scrunches up in confusion upon seeing how Esmee's little comment has made me freeze. I remember that I am dressed and ready to leave, which softens the blow somewhat. "You are so annoying and I don't want anything to do with this conversation anymore."

Who cares if I let Alexia and Esmee hold a 'which one of us is more socially awkward' competition. Not me, that's for sure.

Olivia and the crew run through the schedule once more, just as they park their van up in the carpark of the training ground. It is far from meticulous, but it does contain a basic list of the footage from training. I remind them all that the cameras are not to zoom in on any interaction Alexia and I have, even if Jaimie has instructed otherwise.

"Will it be hard?" Olivia asks, pinching the bridge of her nose as if I have already brought on a migraine. Apparently, I have a talent for causing them.

"We're professionals," I reassure her calmly, climbing out of the vehicle and readying myself to hurry off into the changing rooms. The girls know we're filming today, and so I have cut out my time with them away from our bosses so I can avoid their insufferable teasing. Ale said they have been recycling the same jokes from when she had her documentary filmed (though hers was far less invasive, as I take great care to remind her).

"Sure, Fleur." I roll my eyes. "I'm going to chat to your manager quickly, along with the club's photographers and social media staff. I don't want the documentary to be leaked because we've been caught in the background of some action-shot."

I nod, "yes, ma'am."

"Brush your hair, fix your eyebrows, and try not to stay by Alexia the whole time if you don't want us to film you together."