Lover II- ML

247. The Positives

Numbness was all Mapi was really feeling once she was back in her hotel room alone; having showered, eaten dinner and changed for bed.

She knew Kaia had their flat filled with teammates all excited to watch them reach another final. And instead they all watched them fall flat on their faces.

"Um..." Mapi sniffles as she untucks her bedsheets, holding her phone to her ear with slow tears falling in the darkness. "I guess I need to ask if you can get a flight for the Friday instead of the Saturday? Would that be possible?"

"Of course." Kaia sighs unintentionally at the heartbreak she can hear. "I'll get flights for your parents sorted too. But baby, stop being so hard on yourself. That game was... ridiculously intense. You ran your heart out for practically the full ninety."

"We were all so drained." Mapi closes her eyes and feels her bottom lip tremble. "We've played so many games in the last two weeks, I feel so weak mentally and physically." She sobs, all the exhaustion and stress catching up to her and hitting her like a brick wall. "I need a break."

"You're going to get one." Kaia assures, her own sadness noticeable even through the phone. "After the bronze medal match, you have two weeks off. You'll get to rest and recover and see our house, you'll get to watch me from the stands with Fabian as I lead the team out... you'll get to eat my dinners every night again."

Mapi wipes her wet cheek, smiling weakly because all of that sounds like a dream to her right now. "You're going to look so good as captain."

"And you," Kaia counters seriously. "You still have a chance at a medal, so stop speaking with so much defeat because it's not over. And I'm so proud of you for what you've already done, no matter what happens you'll be going to sleep next to a very happy woman on Friday night."

"That woman's you, right?" Mapi jokes.

"Better fucking be." Kaia chuckles back, which finally draws a laugh from Mapi. "Want to FaceTime so you can see your son?"

"Is he awake?" Mapi asks, using the sleeve of her shirt to quickly wipe her tears away so she's presentable.

"He is sat in your seat on the sofa like a proper person." Kaia describes in a bit of happy disbelief. "In a cushion support I built for him, but still... he's actually watching The Great British Bake Off with me."

"God, he's going to be your little helper in the kitchen, isn't he?" Mapi rolls her eyes fondly, feeling her phone vibrate with a FaceTime from Kaia. So she accepts and she's met with her beautiful wife, seeing the red rim around those green eyes. "Where is he? Where's my cheeky boy?" She asks playfully as Kaia shuffles over to their son, mainly so Fabian can hear her before he sees her.

And Mapi's met with the most beautiful sight, Fabian already smiling and giggling at the tone of voice, while Kaia is smiling brightly and resting her head on one of those cushions keeping Fabian's little body supported.

This was it, this was what truly mattered.

𑁍

Kaia was back in France on Friday morning with Fabian, Lucy and Emilia. Spain had to face Germany in the bronze medal match which unfortunately is probably their largest test as of yet.

The Spanish squad's energy was depleted, they had just come off a terrible loss that sucker punched them all. But Germany were in a similar state, they lost to USA and were still licking their own wounds.