Chapter 26

Alexia

Mapi and Ingrid’s apartment was a chaotic symphony of laughter, clinking glasses, and the smell of roasting garlic. It felt like the entire squad was packed into the living room—Pina was arguing with Bruna about a TikTok trend, Ona and Laia were standing near the drinks, and the rest were scattered across every available surface.

I stood by the kitchen island, my fingers drumming nervously against a glass of water. Beside me, Aurora was unusually quiet, her shoulder barely brushing mine. She looked stunning, but I could see the slight tremor in her hands.

“You okay?” I whispered, leaning in so only she could hear.

“Ask me again in ten minutes,” she murmured back, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

Mapi, ever the ringleader, suddenly stood up on a chair, whistling loudly through her fingers. “Alright, listen up, you bunch of legends! The food is almost ready, but before we eat, the Captain has something to say that doesn’t involve tactical drills or the ‘Standard’.”

The room fell silent. Every eye turned toward me. Jenni was leaning against the wall with a knowing, proud smirk. Ingrid stood by the oven, watching with a supportive nod. But it was Pina I noticed most—she was looking between Aurora and me with a confused, squinted expression.

I took a breath. This was it. No more math.

“Usually,” I started, my voice steadying as I looked around the room at the women who were my family, “I tell you that our private lives stay outside the gates of the Ciutat Esportiva. I tell you that the team comes first, and everything else is a distraction.”

I paused, reaching out to take Aurora’s hand. I didn’t just hold it; I interlaced our fingers, bringing our joined hands up so everyone could see.

“But I was wrong. Because the best version of me—the version that can lead this team to everything we want—is the version that is happy. And Aurora makes me happy.”

A collective gasp rippled through the room. Pina’s jaw literally dropped, her eyes darting to Aurora.

“We’re together,” I said, looking directly at my teammates. “I love her. And while we’ll keep the ‘professional’ distance for the cameras and the fans to protect what we have, I’m done pretending in front of you. You’re my family. And I wanted you to know the truth.”

For three seconds, you could have heard a pin drop. Then, the room exploded.

“I KNEW IT!” Pina screamed, leaping off the sofa and charging toward Aurora. “I knew the ‘shouting’ on the pitch was fake! Aurora De Luca, you absolute traitor, how could you not tell me?!”

“She had no time!” Mapi yelled from her chair, laughing as the rest of the team swarmed us.

I felt hands on my shoulders, felt Ona and Laia offering claps of approval, and saw Jenni raising her glass to me from across the room. But the only thing that mattered was the weight of Aurora’s hand in mine and the way she was finally beaming, the “Italian steel” replaced by pure, radiant relief.

“Was that the ‘New Standard’?” Aurora teased, leaning into me as the chaos resumed around us.

“No,” I smiled, kissing her temple in front of everyone. “That was just the truth.”

Alexia

The tension didn’t just break; it evaporated into a cloud of laughter and loud Spanish banter. As the team swarmed us, I felt a hand on my arm. It was Jenni. She didn’t say anything at first, just gave my hand a firm squeeze and a wink that said, I told you so. “Finally, Putellas,” she murmured over the noise. “You look like you’ve stopped holding your breath.”

Across the room, Aurora was currently being interrogated by a very hyperactive Pina.

“Every detail, Ora! I want to know every detail!” Pina was practically vibrating, her hands waving around. “The beach? The kitchen? When did the ‘robot’ actually turn into a human? I thought you two were going to kill each other during the rondo yesterday!”

Aurora laughed, looking over at me for help, but I just raised my glass. I was going to let her handle this one. I turned back to see Mapi and Ingrid watching the scene with identical smirks.

“You realize,” Mapi said, leaning against the counter, “that now that we know, I am never going to let you live this down. Every time you give Aurora a tactical instruction, I’m going to make kissy faces from the back of the line.”

“If you do that, Maria, I’ll make sure you’re on water girl duty for a month,” I threatened, though there was no heat in it.

“Worth it,” Mapi shot back.

Ingrid stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Alexia. Really. It’s good to see this side of you.”

As the night went on, the apartment filled with the smell of Ingrid’s cooking and the easy warmth of a team that had no more secrets from one another. I watched Aurora sitting between Pina and Patri, her face glowing. She looked like she belonged here—not just as the brilliant midfielder we’d signed, but as a part of the soul of this club.

At one point, I found myself alone with Aurora on the balcony, the cool night air a welcome relief from the heat of the kitchen.

“You did it,” she whispered, leaning her back against the railing.

“We did it,” I corrected, stepping into her space and resting my hands on the metal on either side of her. “How does it feel? Being the ‘traitor’ who didn’t tell her BFF?”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “Pina is already planning our wedding and deciding who gets to be the flower girl. I think she might have already picked out a kit for Lessi.”

“She’s efficient,” I chuckled.

“Elena is going to love this when I tell her,” Aurora added, her expression softening. “She was so worried about the ‘storm.’ I don’t think she realized the storm was exactly what we needed to clear the air.”

I leaned in, kissing her softly. It was different now. There was no fear of a teammate walking out or someone catching a glimpse of something they shouldn’t see. We were home.

“Tomorrow,” I said against her lips, “we go back to work. We still have a Champions League to win.”

Aurora smirked, her fingers trailing over the collar of my shirt. “Oh, I know, Capitana. I expect you to be twice as hard on me tomorrow. Just to keep up appearances.”

“Don’t give me ideas, De Luca.”