When we were talking I didn't say half the things I wanted to
Leah
‘Who are you staring at?’ Leah hears the question being directed at her from Keira across the table.
‘Huh?’ she replies, ‘I’m not staring.’
‘Oh ok yeah you are just generally looking over at that table with the deepest frown I have ever seen and you’ve not looked away for..’ she looks at her watch, ‘17 minutes.’
‘I’m not staring at anyone,’ Leah protests, ‘I’m just tired.’
‘Yeah sure that's what it is.’ Keira replied sarcastically. ‘Given the change in atmosphere the last few days I assume the staring is towards our stargirl yes?’
‘I’m not staring.’ Leah says again this time with more force.
‘Lee, I've known you for a decade. I know what your ‘I've got a crush but I can’t tell anyone because I'm too proud’ face looks like.’ Keira retorts.
Leah sighs.
‘I don’t know what to do, Kei’ Leah finally relents. ‘We had a moment… well at least I thought it was a moment but now I've thought about it so much that i don’t even know anymore.’
Leah tells her best friend about the night of the ice and the massage and putting Alessia's hair behind her ear and their lingering stares.
‘But now I think she is ignoring me and we haven’t even said a word to each other in days. I’ll be ok if she doesn’t like me too but i just miss her as a friend you know.’
Keira takes a moment to take in everything she has heard.
‘You are useless Lee.’ Keira replies.
‘Wow! Way to kick a girl when she’s down, Kei!’
‘Look, I can't tell you if she likes you back because I honestly don’t know. But I can tell you one thing for certain,’ Keira is talking very matter of factly now. ‘You won’t find out either unless you talk to her.’
‘But how can I talk to her if she keeps avoiding me? Plus we all leave in an hour anyway!’ Leah pleads.
‘Georgia knows her well right? They’ve been sharing a room? Ask her for Less’s number and then use it!’
It's not the worst plan Leah's ever heard.
***
‘Hey G, wait up’ Leah shouts across the dining room as she jogs to catch up with Georgia.
‘Hiya Lee, what's up with you?’ Georgia replies smiling.
‘Not a lot,’ the girls walk out the dining hall and towards the lift. As the lift doors close behind them Leah turns to her friend, ‘I need a favour.’
‘Sounds serious… What can I do for you?’
‘Could you.. um… givemealessiasnumber?’ The words all come out together before Leah can talk herself out of asking.
‘Pardon?’ Georgia says smirking.
‘You heard me.’ Leah replies with a small frown.
‘Yes but I just want to make sure.’ Georgia is looking way too pleased with herself now. ‘What would you be wanting with our stargirls phone number may i ask?’
‘We had just been talking earlier in the week during training about tactics and I thought if I had her number we could continue the conversation after camp.’ Leah is impressed with her own lie.
‘Bullshit’
Guess the lie wasn’t as good as she thought.
‘Does this have anything to do with the other night where Less only left to get ice but didn’t come back for 30 minutes and looked all flustered when she did?’
‘No comment.’
‘Ha,’ Georgia laughed, ‘that’s exactly what Less said when I asked her that night.’
Leah could feel her face going red.
‘So will you give me her number or not?’
‘Under one condition,’ Georgia has finally stopped laughing but instead is giving Leah the biggest grin, ‘when you both finally get your acts together, I'm a bridesmaid at the wedding.’
Georgia giggles at her own joke while she gets her phone out to send Leah the number.
Leah is trying really hard to not hit her friend.
***
A week later
Leah (9:15) Hey, hope you don’t mind but I asked Georgia for your number 🙂 I had hoped to catch you before you left camp but you slipped away before I had a chance. I hope you enjoyed your first camp and just wanted to say we should keep in touch… even if you are playing for the wrong shade of red 😀
Leah (9:17) Its Leah btw
Alessia (10:32) Hi Leah. The comment about my kit colour was enough for me to know it was you so there was no need to clarify!
Alessia (10.33) Sorry I left without saying bye, the other Manchester girls were already in the car and I didn't want them to be waiting for me any longer than necessary!
Alessia (10:34) I had the best time at camp - I'm just gonna have to keep my fingers crossed for the next 3 months that I'll get called up for the next one!
Leah (10:34) You will.
Alessia (10:35) You sound confident in that.
Leah (10:35) I am.
Leah (10:35) You are the stargirl for a reason 😉
Alessia (10:36) Ha ha you are very funny.
Leah (10:37) I’ve been told that before
Alessia (10:37) You’ve been told a lot of things before.
Leah leans back against her locker in the Arsenal dressing room. Unsure how to respond. Alessia is hard to read through texts. Is she flirting? Is she making a joke? Is she trying to give a hint that Leah's stepped too far?
Leah’s overthinking it. Beth notices.
‘Lee if you frown any harder your face will get stuck like that’
Leah looks up and relaxes her forehead.
‘What's got you so distressed?’ Beth continues.
‘Nothing.’ Lead replies bluntly.
‘Well that's a load of crap,’ Beth continues, ‘well whenever you wanna talk about it you just let me know but in the meantime you gotta come out for practice yeah? Man United game is next week.’
Shit. She had forgotten they play Manchester United next. She’d see Alessia in person again for the first time since camp.
Leah (10:41) Guess you’ll find out when we play you next week xx
She locks her phone and puts it away before Alessia can reply and goes out to practice.
A message comes in while she’s training.
Alessia (11:31) I guess we will xx