We just finished playing a match against Wolfsburg, which we won by a narrow margin, and right now we are greeting our rivals, congratulating them on the great game they played.
-Man, that girl can't stop looking at you- says Leila pointing lightly at one of the Wolfsburg players. If I'm not mistaken I think her name is Ingrid or something like that, the truth is that she played like a bitch throughout the game, I was very impressed by her dominance, and the truth is that I wouldn't mind playing with her at some point in our careers.
- I'm sure it's just you Leila- I say, downplaying it.
- Come on, let's go with the others.
We get together with the rest of our teammates and we hug each other as we comment on the game.
-Mapi- starts Alexia- is it me or is she not keeping an eye on you.
-You too? Leila just told me the same thing a moment ago.
-I'm just saying that she's very cute, and she seems nice despite playing with the Germans, says Ale, covering her mouth with her hand just in case the cameras catch it.
We both laugh and, a little after the Germans go to the locker room, we do the same.
-Shit, I left my jacket outside, I say to my teammates as I turn around to go back to the field.I soon find the garment lying between the seats on the bench, so I pick it up and go back to the locker room with it, but just as I'm entering the tunnel I bump into someone, apparently taller than me.
-Sorry, says a voice that is totally unfamiliar to me.
-It's okay,- I answer in Spanish, even though I know that, whoever it is, they won't understand me. When I look up I find the player who, according to Leila and Alexia, kept looking at me after the game.
-Good game - I say with my limited knowledge of English, my goodness, I have to catch up with this language.
- Thank you, you were awesome today - she tells me, but the truth is that I only understand thank you.
She must have noticed because she takes her phone out of her pocket, and after typing something on it, she turns it towards me, letting me see the translator with the following phrase:"You've been amazing today." Wow, that must have been what she said to me a few seconds ago, I thank her smiling while I get lost in her blue eyes, they remind me of the sea on the beaches of Barcelona.
-I'm Ingrid by the way- she says smiling back.
-Mapi- I say when I understand that she has introduced herself.
Then she types something on her phone again and then turns it towards me again, letting me see the screen, again on the translator."Hey, maybe it sounds strange to you but... can I have your Instagram?" I'm dying of tenderness when I lift my head from the screen and see her all blushing. Oh, really, this girl is adorable. I nod at her question, and she immediately hands me her phone with the Instagram search engine open. I type in my username, hit follow, and hand her back her phone. We say goodbye quickly when a blonde girl from her team calls her and, as I watch her walk down the tunnel, I can't help but think that she looks like a princess, she has that elegance in her walk that only royalty seems to have, and that's with her kit and boots covered in mud.
After coming out of my reverie, I walk back to the locker room, where my teammates are almost all changed.
-Was it so hard to find your jacket? It took you like fifteen minutes and there's not even a hundred meters from here to the field- says Leila as I start to take off my clothes to get into the shower.
-I ran into someone I was coming back from- I answer her question as I get into the shower.
-Oh, who did you run into? It wouldn't be one of the Germans, would it?
-I'm not going to tell you, because then you'll make up stories in your own head- I shout over the sound of the shower. When I get out of the shower I find Leila waiting for me.
-You ran into that brunette who kept staring at you- says Leila accusingly while I hold the towel against my chest.
-Where did you get that from?
- You just blushed, you just confirmed to me that she was the one who entertained you- she says very happily while I start to get dressed. Leila starts to laugh to herself as if she had just been told the best joke in the world. Honestly, I understand her less every day.
-Oh, my meli has fallen for one of the Germans.
-Who has fallen for who? - asks Ale approaching us.
-Here is the lioness, who has fallen for one of the rivals- answers Leila laughing.
-Yeah. What are you making up, here nobody has fallen for anyone, we just talked.
-And how did you talk if you don't know any English?
-And I highly doubt she speaks Spanish- says Alexia as coherent as ever.
-She has put the translator on her smart phone- I say while I finish putting on my shoes to gather all my things in my backpack.
We all leave the locker room and get on the bus that takes us directly to the hotel where we will spend the night, to catch the flight to Barcelona tomorrow. This time I have to share a room with Alexia, luckily she is like my sister so we don't have any kind of problem or embarrassment about sleeping in the same room.
-Hey, do you want to put on a movie? - asks Ale, who apparently isn't very sleepy yet, she must still be on the adrenaline rush from the game.
-Sure, put on whatever you want while I go to the bathroom.
When I'm about to leave the bathroom Alexia speaks again.
-Mapi! Notifications keep ringing.I go back into the room, and I grab the phone that I had left on the bed.
-Look how exaggerated you are, girl, I only have three notifications - I say laughing.
-Okay, but now you've left the bathroom, come on, let's watch the movie. I shake my head as I sit up in bed, leaning against the headboard to avoid falling asleep while we watch the movie. I unlock my phone and find three notifications from Instagram."ingrid _engen has started following you"
"Helloo!!""How are you?"When I see the messages from the brunette I smile like a fool, I don't know why but I'm excited to hear from her. In the end Alexia falls asleep in the first twenty minutes of the movie, and I spend most of the night talking to the Norwegian, and yes, it turns out she's not German but Norwegian."Good night princess, rest" I don't realize the nickname I used until it's too late, I've already sent the message."Princess??" "I'll tell you another day" "I'll take you at your word, rest, tomorrow we'll continue talking. Good night"I'm going to sleep happier than a clam. I don't know why, if I haven't known Ingrid for even a day, but I feel like this conversation isn't going to stay here, something tells me that destiny has a trick in store for us.
