The clock on the wall read 11:30 p.m., and Alessia stood at the doorway of their living room, arms crossed with an amused, yet tired expression on her face was looking at Kyra was sitting cross-legged on the couch, totally immersed in a game on her PS5. Next to her, Charli Grant, her best friend and fellow The Matildas player, was equally focused, both of them wearing headsets, barely noticing Alessia's presence.
"Ky, babe," Alessia called out, her voice a mixture of affection and warning. "You know we've got an early workout tomorrow at eight, right? Which means we need to be up by seven."
Kyra, her eyes glued to the screen, mumbled back, "Yeah, yeah, I know, I'll be there."
"You're sure?" Alessia asked, stepping closer, her eyes narrowing. "Because it's getting late and I don't want to drag you out of bed when you've only had two hours of sleep."
Charli, without taking her eyes off the game, chuckled. "C'mon, Less, let her have this. You know Kyra's gonna be fine."
Alessia gave Charli a playful glare. "Yeah, but Charli, you don't have a workout in the morning. Kyra does."
Kyra finally glanced over at Alessia, grinning. "I'll be fine. Just one more round with Charli and I'll come to bed. Promise."
Alessia sighed, stepping behind the couch and leaning down to kiss the top of Kyra's head. "Alright, but don't stay up too late, okay? I mean it, babe."
Kyra smiled, tilting her head up to Alessia for a quick kiss. "Go to bed without me, love. I'll join you soon."
"Soon," Alessia repeated, narrowing her eyes in skepticism. She reached over and dramatically tried to take the joystick out of Kyra's hands, causing Kyra to fumble with it for a second.
"Oi!" Kyra exclaimed with a laugh, holding onto the controller. "Let me finish! I'm nearly done!"
Alessia kissed her once more, lingering this time, as if she could convince Kyra with affection. "Don't stay up late."
Kyra waved her off, turning back to the screen. "I won't, I won't."
With that, Alessia rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath before heading to bed. As she closed the bedroom door, she whispered loud enough for Kyra to hear, "Don't say I didn't warn you!"
___
It was 4 a.m. when Kyra finally hit the pause button on her controller. Her eyes were bleary, and she let out a long, exaggerated moan that echoed through the house. Charli burst out laughing next to her, clearly amused at the sound of Kyra's misery.
"What time is it?" Kyra asked, already dreading the answer.
"Four," Charli replied, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Congrats, you've got less than three hours of sleep ahead of you."
Kyra let out another groan, this one deeper and more pitiful. "Alessia's gonna kill me."
Charli smirked, leaning back against the couch. "If she catches you like this again, she might hide your PS5 for the rest of your life."
Kyra turned to Charli with wide, horrified eyes. "She wouldn't dare."
Charli laughed harder. "You better hope not. But honestly, Kyra, good luck in the morning. I'm gonna head out before Alessia catches us and bans me from visiting."
Kyra weakly waved as Charli left, dragging her tired body to the bedroom. As she opened the door, she was met with the peaceful sight of Alessia fast asleep, her arm draped over the empty side of the bed. Guilt gnawed at her as she crawled into bed, careful not to wake her fiancée. The clock blinked at her: 4:07 a.m. She buried her face into the pillow, mentally preparing herself for the early alarm.
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