saskia

You were back in Barcelona briefly just hanging out at Alexia's apartment. Enjoying some sister time in between both of your busy schedules. You'd been in Thailand and the surrounding countries for the past six months, working alongside local conservation teams to study shark populations and help protect endangered species.

Most people assumed your job consisted of diving with sharks all day, no one could understand why you'd want to put yourself in the same spaces as those animals, the ones that people thought could just take your life in an instant.

And a lot of the times your job did have you in the water, surrounded by sharks because no one could ever keep you out of the water. But your job was more than just diving with sharks. It also meant sitting with fishing communities for hours, listening before you ever suggested change.

It meant helping establish marine protected areas, working with governments on conservation legislation and finding ways to protect sharks without taking away the livelihoods of people who depended on the ocean. To you, it was important to work out how people and sharks could co-exist and where education could replace fear and misunderstandings.

After all, sharks are far more than the villains people imagine them to be and they are far more valuable than the quick cash that comes from harvesting just their fins. They are essential to the heath of the ocean, helping keep ecosystems balanced and resilient. Wherever shark populations thrived, the surrounding marine life often did too.

One programme had become particularly close to your heart, instead of fishermen being paid to catch sharks, your team paid them to help find them. Their knowledge of local waters became invaluable to researchers and scientists. The same people who had once relied on the shark trade now guided researchers, divers and tourists instead.

And you got to watch a change, one that you were a huge part of, happen before your eyes. The more time they spent around the sharks, the more questions they asked. The more questions they asked meant the more they learned and the more fiercely they wanted to help protect them.

You had always believed that people were far more likely to care about something once they understood it and now through this programme your belief was being reinforced. And seeing people fall in love with sharks the same way you had when you were small, well it made years of studying, sacrifices and being away from your family for months on end worth it.

But the moment you had the chance to be back in Barcelona, a little break in your project before your team set off on it's next one. The minute you stepped foot off the plane, your older sister had practically kidnapped you. Claiming you spend too long away from her and she missed you too much.

When you were little, your mami used to wonder how well you and Alexia would get along. Seven years wasn't an enormous age gap, but it was enough. Enough that when Alexia was navigating the confusing years of being a teenager, you were still the little girl who insisted on mismatched socks and asked a hundred questions before breakfast.

She was worried the two of you would grow past each other. Just two people who happened to grow up in the same house but outside of it would practically be strangers. But your mami couldn't have been more wrong.

You found common ground quite early on.

You didn't really enjoy playing football. You loved going with your dad and older sister to games and waving your flag around when the ball ended up in the back of the net. Sometimes Alexia would tell you off for cheering whenever the other team put the ball in the net instead of Barcelona.

And Alexia wasn't exactly interested in marine life and its intricacies. She loved the beach, sure, but to know every different species of sea animals and sea grass that lived in the ecosystem of your local beach, that wasn't for her.

Doesn't mean you wouldn't happily stand in goal for hours while Alexia practiced free-kicks in the garden and throwing yourself around to try and save shots you were never going to save. But only because your older sister would let you ramble on and on about what new sea facts you had learnt that week and all the different types of sharks and how to identify them.

Even since you were small you always had a little obsession with sharks in particular. And then when you weren't outside, Alexia would sit cross legged on your bedroom floor making paper mâche and pipe cleaner sharks while she talked you through football tactics on a match she'd put on.

Somewhere between footballs flying over the fence and books about the ocean scattered across the living room, the seven years between you stopped mattering. You had become each other's favourite person to share things with.

Long before Alexia became the footballer the world adored and admired, she was simply your big sister who would spend an afternoon pretending to be fascinated by dorsal fins. And long before you dedicated your life to protecting sharks, you were the little sister who never complained when Alexia asked, 'Just one more shot, por favor, hermanita,'

That's how you had ended up sprawled across Alexia's couch, reading up on a few documents your team had sent through related to your next project. The one you would be going off to in just a few days. You'd barely finished the page in front of you when the front door swung open.

No knock, no hesitation, just, 'Ale?' And a girl with her arms full of shopping bags wandered into the apartment as though she'd lived there all her life.

If you hadn't known your sister as well as you did, you probably would've gotten the wrong idea. Especially with the way Jana walked in with all the confidence of someone who owned the place.

She kicked off her shoes as soon as she stepped foot inside, walking straight into the apartment and calling out for Alexia before even properly looked around. Before she even realised there was a whole other presence in the house.

You knew better, Alexia had spoken about Jana enough over the years that she felt more like another little sister than a teammate. You smiled and laughed softly at the way the girl, who'd just barged in, was slightly off balance with the amount of bags in her hands.

She must've heard your little laugh and looked up, 'Oh-' Jana stopped in her tracks once she realised you were there, half laying on the couch and half pushing yourself upright to greet her.

Her eyes flicked between you and the framed photo of you and Alexia hanging on the wall. There was enough of a resemblance that, paired with the countless photos Alexia had shown the team over the years, recognition settled almost immediately.

Jana's eyebrows lifted and her eyes lit up, 'You're Ale's hermanita!' She came into the living room, dropping the bags onto the coffee table opposite you with a relieved sigh, rolling her shoulders once the weight was gone, 'I've wanted to meet you for ages, Ale never shuts up about you but I was beginning to think maybe you weren't real,'

'Well…here I am. As real as ever, I guess,' You laughed briefly before what Jana had actually said caught up with you. You eyed the girl in front of you suspiciously, 'Wait…should I be worried about what Alexia's been telling you?'

It was a weird concept for you, meeting people Alexia has been friends with for years, for the first time and they know more about you than you are aware of. Sometimes you forget that you still exist in people's minds even when you are far away. Forgetting that you don't actually have to be present to be remembered and talked about, apparently.

'Ehhh…' Jana gave you a sly smile, 'Mostly no,' She laughed, dropping down onto the chair opposite you as though she'd forgotten she'd only been in the apartment for less than five minutes.

Alexia not reacting to Jana in the slightest to being in the apartment, as if it was so normal to her, you smiled to yourself since it just solidified what you already suspected. That your older sister had quietly collected another younger sister.

One leg tucked underneath her while she reached for the bottle of water that had been sitting on the coffee table, 'She does talk about you all the time, though. Probably because you're usually somewhere ridiculous,'

You gasped, pressing a hand dramatically to your chest, 'Ridiculous is a little harsh, no?'

'Sí, vale,' Jana waved a hand dismissively, rolling her eyes playfully, 'Maybe Ale doesn't use that word exactly, but really…' She started counting on her fingers, 'One minute we are hearing about you in Thailand, then South Africa, then Australia…' Her eyes narrowed suspiciously the more she was remembering the times Alexia would bring up your travels for your job, 'At one point I think you were literally in the middle of the ocean,'

A laugh escaped you as you leaned back against the cushions, your laptop and documents abandoned to the side, 'Those are all very real and likely places for me to be. And not nearly as insane as you're making them sound,'

'Mmm,' Jana took a sip of water, clearly unconvinced by you, 'My system is simple…I judge it by whether I've ever played football there,' The girl opposite you shrugged her shoulders as if that was the most sound logic ever said out loud.

All you could do was just smile and shake your head, briefly pinching the bridge of your nose at the logic Jana had just so seriously presented to you, 'I'd like to see you play a match in the middle of the ocean,'

Jana laughed so suddenly that she nearly choked on the water she had been sipping, 'Could you imagine? Lo siento, kick-off delayed because shark…' She paused for a dramatic effect, '…Ball stolen…' She lifted the water bottle to her mouth like it was a microphone, as if she was commentating, '…Referee has temporarily suspended play while sea animals refuse to return the match ball…'

'First of all, the shark would have every right to be there and to have that ball. They're just sea puppies,' Your shoulders shook from the laughter you hadn't fully let out yet, while you pointed towards her and raised your eyebrows.

Jana looked back at you and then the two of you completely lost your composure, your laughter filled the apartment. Neither of you able to get another sentence out before dissolving into another fit of giggles at the ridiculous image of a football pitch somehow floating in the middle of the ocean while a shark proudly swam away with the match ball.

Your non-stop laughter the only thing holding you back from dropping in what shark would've been the one to steal the ball, maybe a Tiger shark trying to eat the ball since they try to eat anything and everything or maybe a lemon shark who's overly friendly and jealous that the ball is getting more attention from people than it was.

You'd known Jana for all of ten minutes, yet talking to her felt as though you'd simply picked up a conversation that had started years ago. It was strangely effortless. There were no awkward pauses, no searching for something to say next. Every joke turned into another and every story into a dozen more.

You were both so absorbed in your own little conversation, in your own little bubble you'd created the minute Jana stepped foot in the living room. So much that neither of you noticed when Alexia appeared in the doorway.

Alexia had been in the kitchen when she heard Jana's voice. She was trying to put together dinner for the two of you, 'Please don't poison me,' You said dramatically when she had pulled herself away from the couch and movie she was watching before to head towards the kitchen.

She just rolled her eyes at your statement but with the cursing you could hear ever since she had been in there, you knew you'd end up ordering in instead. Maybe it would be a far safer option than whatever Alexia would try to serve you.

'Madre mía, Jana, what's all this?' Alexia's eyes widened when she saw all the bags that were now spread across her coffee table in the living room. Jana's eyes lit up while she basically jumped up from the chair to show off everything she'd bought earlier in the day.

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A few days later you found yourself sitting in the airport, Alexia had reluctantly let you go again having dropped you off before she had to start training again. You promised her you would be back soon, just so she wouldn't complain too much and you would actually make your flight on time.

An exaggeration since you always got to the airport far too early for your flights but you'd rather be early and sit around then have to board a plane that you almost missed while being far too stressed.

You were sipping on a matcha balanced in one hand while a book occupied the other. You had to read a lot for work, normally research papers, conservation reports, legislation and scientific journals. So you always tried to make the time to read something unrelated to your work, you'd seen your older sister get lost to football where she lost herself a little.

So you tried to not let the same thing happen to you, wanting to keep a reminder that there were other worlds that existed outside of your own. And maybe it helped keep your heart open and full of hope that maybe one day you would experience the stuff you read in your books.

For now you'd let yourself become overly attached to the characters and worlds that lived hidden between the pages and the words other people had written. Even if sometimes it never helped the ache that constantly lived inside your heart. The ache to be understood in the way the characters you read about were understood.

Your phone buzzing against your leg brought you back to reality. The noise of the airport that you'd managed to tune out came settling back into your ears, almost too loud. You carefully placed your drink on the floor beside your seat and balanced the open book on your thigh in a way so you wouldn't lose your spot before pulling your phone from your pocket.

Unknown: sooo…sharks

Unknown: am I right?

Your face scrunched up in confusion, just staring at the screen for a good few minutes before typing a reply back.

You: …who is this?

Unknown: WOW

The response was almost immediate like the other person was just sitting on the other end with your chat open waiting for your response.

Unknown: we've known each other for at least…three days

Unknown: thought we had something special </3

You couldn't help but laugh, covering your mouth when an old lady near you gave you a weird look. The confusion left you instantly and you just knew it was Jana. How she got your number?

You: Jana…

You: how'd you get my number?

Well Alexia claimed she had no part in it but when you pressed her further you found out that maybe she left her phone unlocked on the table at training when she was pulled away from her lunch briefly

Jana: …

Jana: however you think I got your number…well you are probably correct

Maybe the girls at the table, Jana and co, decided to take random photos for their capi to come back to later but maybe during that time you'd messaged your older sister. And Jana…well she's Jana and no one could be mad at her for what she does. Alexia basically gives her a free pass half the time without realising it.

But since then you and Jana barely went a day where you didn't send each other something stupid. Something Jana would laugh at and show Alexia, especially if she wanted to rub it in when Alexia was complaining about how she hadn't heard from you in a few days and then you'd text Jana in that moment.

So when Jana made a comment about how all you did was just react to a meme she sent you instead of making a comment or sending one back. Paired with your mami sending Alexia a quick message to say you had just randomly shown up at the house you grew up in when you weren't planning on coming back to Barcelona for another few months.

Alexia knew something wasn't right and her older sister instincts told her she needed to come check in on you. She knocked softly on your bedroom door, it was open just a bit, enough that she could see you laying on your bed aimlessly watching something on your ipad, 'Hermanita?'

You didn't look up, you hardly acknowledged your older sister's presence. Alexia glanced around the room briefly. It hadn't changed much since you were little, it had obviously changed as you grew but the fundamentals had always stayed the same. It had always stayed you.

It went from a blue coloured room filled with ocean themed toys, cartoon drawings of sharks and other sea animals that you made her help you stick up on your walls. As you grew it morphed into the shape of a teenage girls bedroom.

The blue walls just slightly darker, bed sheets that matched everything else in the room and weren't brightly coloured of your favourite animated characters from the shows you watched.

You had your vanity where you kept all your make up and skin care but you also had your shelves filled with books about the ocean, little figurines of sharks and some more advanced crafts that were still heavily ocean related.

It was still you and you were sat in the middle of it all, Alexia's eyes softened even more, you looked incredibly small right now. With the same pout on your lips you had whenever Alba would annoy you and you'd go running to Alexia.

Though this time it wasn't from something stupid Alba had said to you or just simply stolen one of your toys hiding it from you. It wasn't something Alexia could just easily fix and that settled a little uneasy in her stomach.

Your breaths were slow, the crease in the corners of your eyes told Alexia you were thinking too much, that your head probably hurt. She would be right and you would hate how easily she could read you. Though at least someone loved you enough to see you in ways you just wish someone who wasn't related to you would see you.

It was just another failed connection, you thought you meant more to someone than you actually did. The worst part was that you actually convinced yourself to believe that maybe she thought you were someone special.

False hope through endless flirting, touches that seemingly meant more to you than they did to her. Everything she said, in the end there is always a catch, there's always something or someone that comes along.

Something that makes all your insecurities flare up and ignites the part of your brain you try so hard to keep quiet. Why do you keep loving as hard and as deeply as you do? It wasn't your fault but it sure felt like your fault with every failed connection.

There was always an ex that came back into the life of a girl you were getting close to, or it was that the girl just loved all the attention, kindness and affection you would give out. Taking everything and giving just enough back to make you believe for a second that maybe this one will be different.

Just for her to actually find someone that truly makes her heart skip a beat, and you would internalise that. But you'd always try to play the supportive friend role until eventually you'd both stop talking to each other.

Somehow it was easier to continuously hurt yourself by listening to the girl you like talk about someone else then to let go of someone who had become a part of your daily life.

Deep down all your fears were still there, the ones that hide in the darkest parts of the night, the ones you can normally forget with enough distractions. When you get hurt all over again it feels like severed nerves, the pain from that is far too loud and too big to ignore, or to cover up with distractions.

You sighed, eyes glancing down towards your blanket where your hand is absentmindedly picking at the little pieces of fluff that's piled up over years of constant use, it was your favourite one.

Alexia settled on the bed next to you, her arm sliding behind your shoulders, resting on top of the pillows you were laying against, 'Hermanita, are you okay?' Alexia inwardly cursed herself, it was a stupid question because you clearly weren't but what else was she supposed to say?

The minute her arm wrapped around you, hand resting against your shoulder, her fingers tracing slow circles on the top of your arm, your body started to relax. Your shoulders still tense but Alexia could feel them starting to loosen, to relax a little.

Your jaw stayed tight enough that it wasn't about to let your head stop hurting anytime soon. You dropped you head onto Alexia's shoulders, closing your eyes when you started to feel them sting.

You stayed quiet for so long that Alexia thought you weren't going to answer. She wouldn't push and would stay next to you, being a comforting presence, for as long as you needed. The movie continued playing, neither of you were paying any attention to it.

'It happened again,' Your voice cut through the silence that filled the room when the movie finished playing, 'Nothing bad happened. Not really. Just something else came along,' Your voice sounded just as small as you looked to your older sister.

'I suddenly just…I wasn't enough anymore or what she wanted,' Your breath was shaky, it felt like reliving it all over again. The slow realisation that she wasn't choosing you, that you were like a filler to entertain her and keep her occupied until she found someone real. You always felt a little stupid.

'You don't know that,' Alexia tried, her arm tightened around you, keeping you close to her as if she could absorb the pain and make you forget this even happened.

'Ale,' You sounded so defeated that it made her heart ache, 'It's okay, she didn't do anything wrong,' You weren't angry or upset at someone for choosing what their heart wants, how could you be angry at that?

You'd also never regret giving out love, it was part of who you were and everyone deserved to have some sunshine in their life. Maybe you just needed to make your own, but right now the sky felt like it was just an onyx night with no light in sight.

Alexia hated the way you would talk about yourself sometimes. Like you weren't worthy of receiving the love you give out. Like you'd just accepted you didn't deserve anything good and that was just an unchangeable truth, 'You aren't replaceable, you know that right?'

Alexia lifted your head gently so you were looking at her, you tried to smile but the longer your sister looked at you, the harder it was to keep pushing down the tears. Eventually they broke free.

Your head dropped forward onto her shoulder, quiet sobs wrecked your body. Alexia just held you, 'It just keeps happening,' Your voice muffled against the fabric of her shirt, her hand rubbing your back gently.

When your tears died down you leaned back a little, wiping the back of you hand against your eyes, trying to get rid of the evidence of your own emotions overflowing, 'I just want someone that wakes up and chooses me,' You choked out, 'Not because I'm just there and convenient or because I'm overly kind and outwardly show my affection for people. But just because it's me,'

You blinked away some more tears, trying to keep them at bay for the most part, a few slipped down your cheeks. Alexia wiped them away, 'You aren't asking for too much, that's the bare minimum and how you deserve to be treated,'

'It's okay, Ale,' You gave your best smile but your eyes held the exhaustion from years of this cycle repeating, 'Maybe…maybe I'm just not made to be loved in that way,'

Alexia looked at you as if you were speaking to her in another language all of a sudden. As if you had grown an extra head or completely lost your mind. Maybe you were speaking a different language to her now and maybe the hurt along the way made your mind change shape from what it used to be, 'Hermanita…'

'I have you,' You quickly cut in, reaching out to squeeze her hand, 'I have mami, I have Alba and all of my friends. I have my work that I love. I have the ocean,' A tiny smile tugged at your lips, 'I have sunsets and books and music and all the little things that make life beautiful,'

Your eyes drifted away from Alexia's, towards where your ipad had been abandoned, the credits of the movie still playing through, 'I'll be okay,'

Alexia felt tears sting her own eyes and she shook her head slightly. You really looked like you believed what you were saying, or at least trying to. Convincing yourself that if romantic love never found you, then maybe you could make peace with that.

Maybe if you expected nothing, that nothing could hurt you anymore. Alexia reached up, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear, 'Just because the wrong people couldn't love you the way you deserve, that doesn't mean you weren't made to be loved at all,'

Her voice broke slightly, it was rare to see your older sister lose her composure like this, when she did you knew you'd put a little crack in her heart. You looked away, 'I think, maybe I was just made to love. To give love to life in a way others forget how to,'

Alexia cupped your face, making you look back at her, 'No,' It was gentle but firm, she was desperate for you to listen to her, 'You were made to be loved just as deeply as you love everyone else,'

You really wanted to believe her, more than anything. You just had forgotten how to believe that.

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The sound of a key rattled in the front door of Patri's apartment. Though it didn't alarm the three girls that currently decided to occupy her apartment while she went out for the night. Jana, Vicky and Salma all eagerly waiting to hear how Patri's date went.

And not wanting to wait until training the next day, apparently ten hours was too long to wait, so they made themselves at home and waited. Too bad if the date had gone well and Patri decided to bring her back home for the night.

Luckily for the three, they didn't have to explain their presence to a random girl they'd just met and for Patri that she didn't have to explain she had some teammates who were friends with slight boundary issues.

Patri muttered under her breath when she noticed the light coming from the living room, the music softly filling her apartment and the rustling of someone, probably Jana, raiding her kitchen for some snacks, 'What are you all doing here?'

'I take it that it didn't go well then,' Jana poked her head out from around the pantry door, coming back with crisps in her arms.

'Sure, help yourself,' Patri rolled her eyes, dropping onto the couch beside Salma, pinching the bridge of her nose. She breathed deeply, 'What if it did go well?'

'If it did then you wouldn't be acting as if we just let your birds go free,' Vicky commented, legs through over the side of the chair she was lounging in, the remote to the tv sitting on her stomach before she reached to turn it off.

Sitting up a little to give her friend some attention, the three of them were still very curious to hear the details on how the night went, 'So…' Salma gently nudged Patri's shoulder and she was very aware of the three sets of eyes on her.

Patri leaned her head back, staring up at the ceiling, 'It was…' She stopped before letting out a frustrated groan, 'I don't know,'

'You don't know?' Jana questioned, her hand rustling in the bag of crisps she'd open, staring at Patri like this was some kind of crappy reality tv show she was watching, 'It was either good or it wasn't,' She shrugged like it was that easy.

First dates normally are, but this wasn't just any first date. For Patri it was another first date that wouldn't be progressing to a second and it was beginning to frustrate her just a little, 'It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good either,'

'You are being extremely unhelpful here,' Vicky laughed, reaching over to steal a handful of crisps from Jana.

Patri rolled her eyes, 'I'm sorry I didn't realise my love life was about to be debated on tonight,' That earned a collective laughter from the three that decided to invade her apartment. She let out a long breath, 'I mean she was lovely, funny, easy to talk to,'

'Well that seems promising,' Salma smiled and Jana nodded her head in agreement.

But Patri just shook her head. In theory the girl she went out with tonight, she was beautiful, funny, attractive and just all over would tick the boxes of any person. There was just a feeling Patri didn't get, one she hasn't felt properly in a while now.

'There was just no spark, no excitement, I didn't really feel much towards her,' Patri shrugged, 'I didn't want the dinner to last longer then it needed to. I thought that if I never heard from her again…then I would be completely fine,'

Heat creeped up her neck at the admission, feeling a little ashamed she thought this way just after a spending a few hours with another person.

'There's not always a spark like that on a first date, that's why second and third dates exist,' Patri appreciated Salma trying to be a voice of reason, maybe she should give girls a second or third chance. Patri just didn't want to waste her time if she didn't feel like there was that connection she was looking for.

Patri let out a slow breath and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her legs, holding her head in her hands. Suddenly the air in the apartment shifted. The girls teasing had died down and now they were genuinely concerned for their friend.

Vicky grabbed a bottle of water that was sitting next to her, nudging Patri's leg to give her the water, not really having an idea on what to do or say now. Patri grabbed the water, slowly twisting it in her hand before eventually taking a sip.

The coldness of the water slid through her body making her feel the exact path it took. It felt almost like an ice bath but on the inside of her instead.

It wasn't really a similar comparison but she was so warm from overthinking and the frustration that coursed through her nervous system that the cold water was a nice intrusion. Trying to settle her body, to ground her a little more.

'I don't know,' Patri eventually broke the silence that had surrounded the room, 'Sex is fun and all…'

She was cut off by an amused huff under Jana's breath and finally looking around the room at the three she saw their eyebrows raised and a tug at their lips, 'What?' Patri groaned, rolling her eyes.

'Nothing, nothing,' Jana smiled, speaking for the three of them, amusement not lost in her voice, 'Continue,'

Patri shook her head, 'Sex is fun and all,' She repeated, this time not being interrupted, 'I just…I want to feel that need to know someone,'

She paused, trying to search for the right words to say, 'To feel that want to know all the little details that make them who they are. All the things that might seem boring but it's not just because it's them. Where you can't wait to ask another question because each answer just leaves you wanting to know more,'

Patri's voice became distant, almost absent as she continued talking. Jana's smile faded, her hand stilled slightly in the bag of crisps she was still eating from.

She saw the look in Patri's eyes and it felt like she was transported back a few years ago. Patri had only ever felt like that exactly once in her life towards someone in a romantic way and Jana had been there to see that version of her friend.

Patri finding a connection with someone so deep it consumed her. Jana watched Patri fall completely in love with another person and when it ended…well it was like someone had taken the light from inside Patri.

Patri never really spoke about it much afterwards, maybe a handful of times but she never went that deep into it with anyone. Instead she threw herself into football, into nights out and casual hookups that were easy because they ended before anyone expected anything more.

She never admitted that she was really comparing everyone to a feeling, a connection, she'd only experienced once. As if meeting people constantly meant that she would eventually feel that way about someone again.

Patri just didn't know what to do if she never felt that way again, and slowly after every failed date she thought it was never going to happen.

Jana's mind was turning, Patri's words kept echoing around the apartment but she wasn't really listening to her friend anymore. Instead she was back on the doorstep of your childhood home a few nights earlier after she had enough of you vaguely replying to her.

She stood there on the doorstep, holding two grocery bags while repeatedly pressing the doorbell. She had ice cream, chocolate, cookies, enough comforting snacks to feed an entire football team and then some.

You'd opened the door looking exhausted, hair still damp from a shower, wearing one of Alexia's old barça hoodies, 'You bought out the entire mercadona,' Your eyebrow raised in amusement.

'You were being weird,' Jana stated as if that was all she needed to say to explain why she just showed up at your front doorstep, holding bags of food at almost nine at night.

'I was not,' You weakly protested which was short lived when the shorter girl in front of you raised her eyebrows and looked at you unamused.

You simply rolled your eyes, stepping aside to let her in and then emotionally letting her in. Telling her everything you'd told Alexia just a few days earlier.

Jana had really listened to you but she didn't realise just how much of what you had said had really stuck with her, not until she was in Patri's apartment now listening to her basically saying some version of the same thing.

And maybe it wasn't the way your words matched, it was the tones and meaning underneath it all. The way you both talked about connections and romantic interest…the corner of her mouth lifted, but she shoved some more crisps into her mouth before any of the other girls could notice the idea hiding behind it.

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Jana had a plan. Maybe it wasn't the most detailed plan and maybe if she was being truly honest, it was barely a plan at all. More of an idea that was stitched together by coincidence, hope and a dangerous amount of confidence she held whenever other people's love lives were involved.

But to execute her plan she needed to get past her one obstacle. Your older sister. Jana knew Alexia well enough to know that after everything you have been through, she wasn't about to happily let someone play cupid with her little sister's heart.

Jana could be convincing and persuasive when she needed to be and if she wanted the slightest chance of anything working out, well then she needed Alexia to be on her side.

'Hola Ale,' Jana sung out as she placed her plate down next to Alexia's before occupying the seat next to her before Alexia had any chance to object.

Alexia looked up from her phone she'd been briefly scrolling through while taking bites from her food, 'What do you want?' Her voice was flat, but not harsh, just the way it was whenever she knew Jana was coming to disturb her peace.

Jana clutched a hand dramatically to her chest, 'Oh you wound me capi,' But the smile on her face betrayed her mock dramatics.

Alexia shook her head, 'Jana I've known you for years,' Her attention shifted back to her food, but now placing her phone face down to the side, giving Jana her full attention.

Jana rolled her eyes but continued on. She look up and around the room making sure Patri was still preoccupied tables away and wouldn't be able to hear. Honestly she didn't want any of the others to hear just in case they end up spoiling the plan.

'So, you're youngest sister is coming to the champions league final, no?'

'Sí, but you would know that already,' Alexia narrowed her eyes suspiciously, 'Or you could ask her yourself?'

Jana nodded, deciding to ignore the way Alexia is now looking at her and the tone of her voice, 'You know what just occurred to me?' Jana's voice raised an octave, pretending she is just putting pieces of a puzzle together, 'Patri has never met her, how odd is that?'

'Madre mía,' Alexia mumbled under her breath, pinching the bridge of her nose, 'Jana, no,' Jana smiled, anticipating this response from Alexia

Too bad for Alexia, Jana was persistent and she had a habit of eventually getting what she wanted, especially from her beloved capi who, despite every protest, always had a soft spot for the younger girl.

Jana had discarded her plate to the side, resting her arm on the table, leaning her head on her hand and inching slightly closer to Alexia as if closing the distance a little would strengthen her argument, 'Come on, Ale, you haven't even hear me out fully,'

Alexia breathed deeply, looking down at her food, pushing it around the plate a little bit, 'I'm already not liking what I'm hearing,'

Jana rolled her eyes dramatically, though the grin tugging at her lips never disappeared, even if she was trying to not show it too much, 'All I'm saying is what's the harm if they meet?'

The amusement faded from Alexia's face almost instantly. She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest, her expression settling into something much more serious, 'Jana you know better than anyone what she's been through recently,'

Jana's smile softened slightly, but then her determination to win and progress her plan took over. She lifted both hands in surrender.

'Vale, sí,' She conceded, 'So we just don't tell them,' Jana shrugged as though the solution was painfully obvious, 'We let them meet naturally and if something happens then…' She paused, giving Alexia an overly optimistic thumbs up and smile, 'And if nothing does, they go on with their lives and that one interaction doesn't change anything,'

Alexia sighed, looking over to where Patri was laughing at something Cata said before making her own comments that cause the rest of the table to laugh. She bit her lip, you've met some of her teammates and maybe it's not weird if she gets you to meet one more.

It's really a completely normal thing, Alexia just doesn't like what Jana is trying to do. But it's not like they are setting you and Patri up on a blind date. It's just meeting your older sisters teammate after a champions league final. Nothing really out of the usual.

It's more odd how many years Alexia and Patri have been playing together and you have never met Patri before. Jana smiled to herself, she knows that look, the one where Alexia gives in to her.

Alexia shook her head, it might be something she regrets , 'Sí, vale…'

════════════════════════

Barcelona won the champions league final, but was there really any doubt they would? Watching from the stands until you were able to go down on the pitch and the minute you did Alexia was making her way over to you.

'Ale! You did it! I'm so proud!' You yelled excitedly, wrapping your arms around your older sister.

Both of you were matching smiles that were almost comically wide. You loved watching Alexia play and even more than that you loved watching her win.

There was something different about seeing her after a season had come to an end. The pressure she'd carried for months seemed to disappear the moment the final whistle blew. She looked lighter, more free, like every expectation place upon her had finally melted away.

Barcelona had achieved everything they'd set out to accomplish, winning every trophy available to them. Seeing your older sister this carefree never got old.

Laughing, Alexia bent down before effortlessly lifting you up off the ground, spinning you around in a circle. You squealed, gripping onto her shoulders as the stadium around you blurred together, only laughing harder when she finally set you back down on the ground.

Even then, Alexia refused to let go of you completely, keeping one arm securely around your shoulders while others stopped to congratulate her.

'Hermanita, you are my good luck charm,' Alexia smiled at you, taking off her medal and putting it around your neck. You touched the medal looking at it and how it already had some dents in it.

Alexia kept her hands on your shoulders, smiling so wide like she always did when she put her medal around your neck. Overwhelmed with emotions she wrapped her arms around you again pulling you in close. Way too close that you almost couldn't breathe, but today was her day so you let her have it.

Barcelona have won the champions league four times now and those were the only four you were able to attend. The other times they lost. After the second time they won, your older sister declared you her good luck charm.

You felt bad when they had lost in Lisbon last season, you were supposed to be there but your flight got cancelled and you couldn't get another one sorted in time. Watching on your phone from a random bar in Thailand wasn't really the same as being in the stadium with everyone.

'La reina!' You heard an unfamiliar voice before Alexia let go of you and was instantly wrapped up in one of her teammates arms. Patri had a phone in one hand, balloon in the other and a flag wrapped around her shoulders.

You recognised her, you recognise most of Alexia's teammates and some are a bit more memorable than others even if you hadn't met them, 'Patri meet my sister,' Alexia pushed the phone out of her face, redirecting the attention off of herself and onto you instead.

'Ahhh, hola, the infamous one I've never met!' Patri unwrapped her arm from around your sister, stepping closer to where you were, 'Thought I was never going to meet you. Jana and Ale they talk about you all the time,'

You groaned, rolling your eyes playfully, 'Oh no,' You muttered, 'Hopefully all things good,'

'Ehh…' Patri laughed and you couldn't help yourself from smiling, she was clearly messing with you, 'Kidding, kidding, god I don't think Ale is capable of saying anything bad about you,'

Alexia stood off to the side, shaking her head but slowly inching herself away while you and Patri laughed with each other, getting lost in the conversation you were having. Neither of you noticed when Alexia had slipped away entirely.

She was still a little unsure but like Jana said there was no expectations, just two people meeting. Just a teammate meeting her capi's younger sister, completely normal. When Alexia's eyes met Jana's she gave a tight lipped smile while the other girl gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.

You and Patri were absorbed into your own bubble, the noise of the stadium around you slowly being drowned out. Patri shook her head, laughing at something you said and she found herself enjoying the conversation she was having with you.

No part of the conversation felt forced or awkward and she found herself wanting to keep talking to you, to keep listening to everything you had to say. Her hand found the small of your back as she slipped you under the little barrier to the rest of the pitch where no one really was.

It was quieter while the two of you just walked slowly alongside each other, 'How have I never met you before?' Patri stopped, turning to look at you properly again. Her face slightly scrunched in thought, 'I've known Ale for years,'

You laughed, shrugging your shoulders, 'Probably because I travel a lot for work. When I'm in Barcelona, Alexia practically kidnaps me and holds me hostage at her house,' Patri laughed, the way Alexia talked about you that's something she could definitely believe, 'I come to matches but a lot of the times I can't stay around too long,'

Patri nodded along, everything made sense and was slowly falling into place. Alexia had mentioned that you travelled constantly for work, hardly in Barcelona for long periods of time. She'd briefly explained what you did, she was just always so proud of you, but she never went into much detail.

Probably because even Alexia couldn't remember all the details of your job. You and your older sister were on two very different spectrum of intelligence. Alexia being heavily intelligent in reading the game she has spent her entire life playing and you currently working towards completing your phd in your field you've spent so many years involved in.

Your older sister was proud of you for finding your way within such a highly competitive field, being at the top for your level and working with a highly regarded researcher and team, who's value aligned with your own, that decided to take you on while you were still just a student looking to complete your masters while working and doing what you love.

But anyway, even if Alexia could tell people in more detail about your job, Patri would much rather hear it from you. She already liked listening to you talk, the way your voice settled in her ears, she wanted more.

'So,' She asked, tilting her head slightly, 'What do you do for work?'

The change in you was immediate at the question. Your eyes lit up, the corners of your mouth lifting into a smile so genuine it almost rivalled the afternoon sun shining across the pitch. Patri couldn't help but smile back, finding your excitement strangely infectious before you'd even had the chance to answer.

'Oh, I work with sharks,' You said it so casually, Patri's mouth dropped open slightly. You told her you work with sharks as if you just said you had some boring old office job.

Alexia had mentioned all the travelling, she'd mentioned all the different countries you'd been in, that your job involved marine life. Somehow though, she'd neglected to mention that you voluntarily got into the water with the one animal that made most people think twice about dipping a toe into the sea.

Patri genuinely had no idea where to begin. There were so many questions just waiting at the tip of her tongue, her mind working overtime that if she actually spoke it would be a jumbled mess. However, part of her was also impressed by your job and she hardly knew all the details.

She wanted to ask if you'd ever been bitten, if you'd had any close encounters, what kind of sharks you've been around, why you chose sharks, how you decided this was what you wanted to do with your life

So many questions fighting to escape, but nothing came out. You watched the way Patri's mouth opened and closed multiple times without producing any kind of sound. You couldn't help but laugh, the sound light and warm as you shook your head, heavily amused by her reaction.

'I know what you're thinking,' You spoke, still smiling warmly, 'But they really aren't that scary. Quite the opposite actually,''

Patri huffed out a quiet laugh, her eyebrows still pinched together in confusion as she searched your face for any hint that you were joking, 'I feel like only you would say something like that,' She smiled, her head tilting slightly.

There was traces of amusement and disbelief written all over her face, but more than anything she was just curious. She'd never met someone who worked with sharks before, 'I'm still trying to figure out how you made that sound like such a normal job,'

Patri admitted with such a disbelieving laugh, rubbing her hand down her face, trying to still process the new information. You feigned offence, crossing your arms over your chest, though the grin tugging at your lips completely ruined the act, 'It is normal,'

Patri's eyebrows lifted at that, 'For who?'

'Me,' There was no hesitation from you.

She shook her head, a wide smile breaking across her face, '…You're slightly terrifying you know,'

A laugh escaped you, bright and loud that Patri found her smile growing just at hearing it. She hadn't realised how much she was already smiling until she felt her cheeks start to hurt. But she wouldn't change that fact, she was enjoying herself.

'People normally call me insane,' You corrected, pointing towards yourself before gesturing vaguely towards whatever direction you thought the closest ocean might be, 'The sharks are usually the terrifying ones'

You both laughed and smiled so wide. Patri ended up moving closer to you, her hand landing on the top of your arm while she shook her head. You started talking about your job, well mainly you started talking about sharks.

Given the opportunity you would just go on and on, the rambling not stopping, You'd get so lost by your own thoughts you wouldn't recognise if someone was growing bored of you talking.

You started explaining the different species you worked with, how they behaved and how you were able to handle them while in the water. The way environmental changes impact migration patterns and most importantly about the different conservation programs around the world and how they work to protect endangered species populations.

Patri stood beside you, her hand warm against the skin of your arm her thumb had lightly begun tracing patterns against your freckles that littered the skin there. Neither of you really paid much notice to how close you were getting.

And the way you were still in the middle of the pitch surrounded by fans, family and friends and a lot of cameras. Right now those hardly existed. Patri was there listening to you with an attentiveness that encouraged you to keep on taking.

Occasionally she would try to add in her own comments here and there, ask questions but really she only understood about half of what you were saying. She found herself watching you, the way your hands moved as you spoke.

The excitement that brightened your features, a smile growing wider when you started mentioning Great Whites and Whale Sharks. Patri instantly noted them as being your favourites long before you even got to that point.

There was something incredibly endearing about watching someone speak so passionately about the thing they loved most. You weren't trying to impress her, you genuinely just cared a lot.

Patri had only known you for a short amount of time, yet she already found herself wanting to know more. A feeling she hadn't felt in such a longtime she almost forgot what it felt like to be this excited about someone.

She hardly knew you yet she wanted to know more about your work, more about the places you've travelled and just every aspect about your life that she could possibly know. She wanted to learn the way your mind worked and the more she thought about you the more she wanted to know.

It terrified her a little, but it was a thought she would push down until she was back in Barcelona and able to process everything properly. She mostly just hopes that outside of this moment right now, that she will still think of you and want to know you.

That her feelings that are starting to grow right now aren't just because of the adrenaline pumping through her from the champions league win and you being a new face for her to memorise. If she thinks about it hard enough she would remember how many new people she's met over the past year and how she hadn't felt this way about any of them.

Yet here she was right now, fresh from a champions league win, still out on the pitch but instead of celebrating with everyone, she's listening to her capi's little sister talk about sharks and the ocean.

And somehow that seemed better than any kind of celebration she could be having. She was fully absorbed by you. At some point during the conversation, the two of you had started walking again.

Her hand would naturally find the small of your back, resting there and gently guiding you around camera equipment that was taking in the celebrations of the team. Every time her hand touched your back it sent a jolt of electricity up your spine, the way it felt so natural

'Oh,' Patri smiled, her hand coming up to rub at the back of her neck, heat crawling up her neck when she finally noticed how empty the stadium had become, 'Will you be at the celebrations later?'

'If you think Alexia would let me skip that,' You both laughed and Patri let out a relieved sigh, even though you were parting ways now, she would see you again soon.

'I'll see you there then,' Patri, a wave of confidence or the lingering high from winning another champions league, she took your hand in her own. Bringing it up to her lips, pressing a small kiss to the inside of your wrist.

Your breath caught in your throat and you couldn't tear your eyes away from her, 'Are you always this charming and attentive when meeting someone for the first time?'

Patri lowered your hand but didn't let go, she took a step closer and you thought you were going to forget how to breathe. Patri was of course attractive but not only that, even after ninety minutes on a pitch, she still smelled just as good, 'Only for the really special ones,'

Your smile softened, turning almost impossibly shy as you ducked your head, suddenly finding the grass beneath your teeth more interesting. Patri couldn't help but smile to herself. She gave your hand one final, gentle squeeze before reluctantly letting it slip from her own, 'I'll see you soon,'

You stood there watching Patri turn around and disappear into the tunnel. For a moment you stayed even after you couldn't see her anymore but you could still feel the ghost of her fingers wrapped around your hand.

The warmth of her lips against the inside of your wrist lingered ar longer than it probably should have, your skin tingling every time you thought about it.

And every time you replayed the moment in your head, you swore you could still feel the warmth of her breath as she'd leaned in close enough for only you to hear. The smile on your face wasn't leaving any time soon.

Even though everything in your head and your heart was telling you to run. That her charm was just pulling you in for another wave of disappointment. For you to not have any expectations or hopes or to even think of Patri in that way.

But while your head and heart were screaming warning signs, there was the part of you that remembered the way she watched you with that inquisitive smile while you talked about the things you love.

You felt a little embarrassed about how you took her away for so long from her celebrations but then you tried to remind yourself that if Patri didn't want to be there with you, she wouldn't have.

But what if she was just being kind, you are Alexia's sister after all, 'There you are,' As if on queue, your older sister wrapped her arm around your shoulder, pulling you into her side, 'Thought you'd gotten lost somewhere,' There was an amused grin on her face.

From across the pitch, she'd had kept her eye on you and Patri. Mainly on you, her protective older sister instincts kicking in. With a gentle squeeze to your shoulder she started guiding you towards where your mami was waiting.

You let yourself be led away from the pitch. Away from the last almost hour you spent talking with Patri and forgetting the world existed outside the two of you.