Lotte and Lessi Russo

Chapter 6

As the late hour approached, the team bid their farewells with a chorus of "Goodbye," "See you soon, Less," and "It was great meeting you." Lotte meanwhile found herself lost in a dreamlike state, still humming Coldplay's "Yellow" and savoring the taste of chicken biryani lingering on her tongue - and before she knew it, she was the last one standing at the doorstep of Alessia's house as her teammates were already on their ways back home.

Just as Lotte was about to turn and head home too, Alessia gently reached out, holding her back. Even though Lotte didn't want to, she immediately felt a warm sensation spread through her body as she turned to face Alessia, her own eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.

"I know that not everything has been as simple and nice as our times at the Indian restaurant or winning karaoke," Alessia began, her gaze locked with Lotte's. "But I remember the other moments too, the ones where we were there for each other, through thick and thin. I want you to know that."Alessia's voice was soft but filled with depth, as she spoke words that carried the weight of their shared history, brining out a bunch of different feelings in Lotte.

Alessia's words immediately brought her back to the training ground of her college in North Carolina, or rather, to the hard ground where Lotte landed after an unfortunate foul from a teammate. She remembered how she immediately grabbed her leg in pain and rolled back and forth on the grass. Lotte knew right away that something was terribly wrong with her leg in that moment.

"Lotte!" she suddenly heard a voice call out from the other side of the training ground. A voice that Lotte would recognize among hundreds by now. Alessia came rushing over in her light blue Tar Heels training kit. Even though she had been engaged in a different training exercise with the group of forwards, it seemed that nothing mattered to her more than running over to Lotte at that moment.

Even as Lotte writhed in pain on the ground, the moment Alessia knelt down and placed her hand on her shoulder, she felt a small measure of solace. "Everything will be alright, Lotte. Shhh, calm down," Alessia whispered softly. Lotte was certain that the other woman's  touch might actually have the power to heal wounds like this, but as their coach and a team of medics arrived seconds later, ushering Alessia aside, she realized that perhaps that wasn't all she needed.

"Can you stand up?" asked one of the medics, but as Lotte attempted to do so with a pained expression, they quickly abandoned the idea. "I need some support. I should be able to limp on one leg, but I need someone to lean on," Lotte mumbled, and before she knew it, Alessia had her arm around her shoulder. "Lean on me, come on, put your arm around me, I've got you!"  In fact this moment was actually far from pleasant, but Lotte couldn't help but cherish Alessia's last words - even though she would have preferred to hear them in a different context. Perhaps during quiet evenings together, cuddling in bed, or while cozying up to watch movies in the common room or something romantic like that.

Before Lotte could sink further into these thoughts, Alessia swiftly pulled her up with a jerk and her arm around her shoulder. Lotte quickly wrapped her arm around the other woman's lower back, and despite the immensely painful leg, the proximity to Alessia didn't go unnoticed. She knew Alessia was strong, but she hadn't expected her to lift her up like that. Although, as Alessia's hand grasped her shoulder, Lotte could feel the muscles beneath, reminding her of the other woman's strength that she found indeed incredibly attractive to be honest.

"Is this okay, Lotte? Can we take you to the medical center like this? You just need to get to the golf cart over there!" Alessia asked softly, turning her face towards Lotte. Sweat adorned her forehead, but her blue eyes sparkled with concern, causing her nose with its cute little freckles to scrunch up. Well, if her leg won't be the death of her, it'll be this beautiful face for sure.