Chapter 21

Aurora

The training session had been flawless. On the ball, I felt invincible; every pass was a statement, every sprint a declaration of my place on this team. But the moment the whistle blew, the adrenaline evaporated, leaving behind a cold, sharp anxiety.

I was heading toward the medical room to grab some ice for my ankle when a shadow blocked the doorway.

“Hell of a session, kid,” Jenni said. She was leaning against the frame, her posture relaxed, but her eyes were doing that same analytical scan I’d seen all morning. “You’ve got a bit of the devil in your feet. I like it.”

“Thanks,” I replied shortly, trying to move past her. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk, especially not with her. I didn’t hate Jenni—I didn’t even know her—but every time I looked at her, I saw a decade of Alexia’s life that I wasn’t part of. I saw the person who knew Alexia’s secrets before I even knew her name.

“You’re in a hurry,” Jenni noted, not moving an inch. “Relax. I don’t bite. Unless you give me a reason to.”

I stopped and looked her dead in the eye. I was shorter than her, and definitely younger, but I refused to let her see me blink. “I have a recovery routine, Jenni. And with all due respect, you aren’t my Captain. I don’t take my schedule from guests.”

Jenni’s eyebrows shot up. A slow, amused smile spread across her face. “Oof. Spicy. Mapi mentioned you had teeth.” She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click. The air suddenly felt very small. “Let’s drop the act, Aurora. We both know why I’m looking at you, and it’s not just because of your vertical passing.”

My heart hammered against my ribs, but I kept my face like stone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Please,” Jenni scoffed gently, taking a seat on a treatment table. “I’ve known Alexia Putellas since we were teenagers. I know the way she breathes when she’s stressed, and I know the way she looks when she’s trying to hide a fire. Right now, she’s practically burning alive every time you walk by.”

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, but I stood my ground. “If you have questions about Alexia, ask her. I’m just here to play football.”

“Are you?” Jenni leaned forward, her expression turning from playful to piercingly serious. “Because playing for Barça is one thing. Playing with Alexia’s heart is another. She’s been through enough. She’s built a fortress to keep herself together, and if you’re just a summer fling or a ‘distraction,’ you should leave now. Before the storm hits.”

The implication stung. She thought I was a phase. She thought I didn’t understand the weight of the woman I was falling for.

“I’m not a distraction,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. I took a step toward her, my shyness replaced by a fierce, protective pride. “And I’m not some kid who’s starstruck. I see her. Not ‘The Queen,’ not the trophies. I see Ale. And unlike the people who treat her like a monument, I actually let her be a person. So, if you’re here to mark your territory or give me a ‘big sister’ talk, save your breath. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m definitely not taking orders from someone who lives in Mexico.”

The silence in the room was heavy. I expected Jenni to be angry, to snap back with the authority of a veteran.

Instead, she laughed. It was a soft, genuine sound.

“Damn,” Jenni murmured, shaking her head. “You really are exactly what she needs. You’re the only one brave enough to talk back to the ghosts.” She stood up and walked toward me, stopping just a few inches away. “I’m not marking territory, Aurora. I just needed to know if you were strong enough to hold her hand when the world tries to pull it away. Because it will.”

She reached out and patted my shoulder—not a condescending gesture, but a silent acknowledgement.

“Don’t be so tense,” Jenni whispered as she headed for the door. “I’m on your side. Just… keep making her laugh. I haven’t heard that sound in a long time.”

She opened the door and stepped out, leaving me standing alone in the sterile white room, my hands still trembling. I realized then that my dislike for Jenni wasn’t because of who she was—it was because she was a reminder of how much of Alexia I still didn’t know.

But as I grabbed the ice pack, I felt a strange sense of victory. I had faced the legend, and I hadn’t broken.

Now, I just had to face the Captain.

Jenni

I stood in the hallway outside the medical room, the soft click of the door echoing in the suddenly quiet space. A slow smile spread across my face, stretching into a full-blown grin.

“Damn, Alexia,” I murmured to myself. “You really know how to pick ’em.”

Mapi had given me the heads-up. She’s feisty, Jen. Even tought she is shy at first. And she talks back to Ale. Don’t underestimate her. But even Mapi’s warning hadn’t fully prepared me for the sheer force of the Italian’s quiet fire.

I had gone in expecting a shy, star-struck rookie. Someone who would stammer and blush, maybe admit to a crush on the Captain. What I got was a young woman who looked me straight in the eye and essentially told me to mind my own business. And she’d done it with a passion that felt oddly familiar.

“I’m not a distraction,” Aurora had said, her voice low and dangerous. “And I’m not some kid who’s starstruck. I see her. Not ‘The Queen,’ not the trophies. I see Ale. And unlike the people who treat her like a monument, I actually let her be a person. So, if you’re here to mark your territory or give me a ‘big sister’ talk, save your breath. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m definitely not taking orders from someone who lives in Mexico.”

That last line, about Mexico, had almost made me burst out laughing. It was a perfect, petty little jab that only a truly confident person would dare to throw. Aurora De Luca wasn’t just a talented player; she was a force of nature. And she wasn’t intimidated by my history with Alexia, or by my status as a “legend.” She was staking her claim, clear and unapologetic.

I leaned against the wall, pulling out my phone to text Mapi:

Mapi 😎

11:21 am

She’s good, Mapi. Better than you said. She just told me she doesnt take orders from someone who lives in Mexico 😂

Told you. Don’t mess with the Italians. What do you think?

I think Alexia might actually survive this.
The kid sees her. Not the Ballon d’Or.
That’s rare.
And she’s not afraid to fight for it.

Told you so 😉

I chuckled, putting my phone away. My initial apprehension had completely vanished, replaced by a deep sense of relief. Alexia deserved this. She deserved someone who saw beyond the accolades and demanded to see the woman underneath. Someone who wasn’t afraid to challenge her, even if it meant risking the wrath of the Queen.

I started walking toward the showers, my mind already drifting to Alexia. She was probably tearing herself apart right now, wondering what I had said to Aurora, if I had somehow messed things up. The way she had been so rigid, so professional on the pitch today, while her eyes constantly searched for Aurora – it was almost painful to watch.

I knew Alexia. I knew she’d be battling her own demons, trying to protect Aurora by pushing her away, a classic Alexia move. But now, after talking to the Italian firecracker, I wasn’t worried about Aurora. She could handle Alexia’s walls. She might even be the one to finally knock them down.

My job wasn’t to protect Aurora from Alexia. My job was to make sure Alexia knew she had someone in her corner, someone who understood the chaos that came with loving a teammate.

And maybe, just maybe, I could nudge Alexia to stop being such a monumental idiot.

I decided my next move. A talk with Ale. Because if anyone understood the complexities of a Barca love story, it was me.