STARGIRL, alexia putellas

17. ladies and... ladies

The memorial trip was no less than an unsurpassed amount of tears, with nosy aunts asking prying questions about my love life (or in their opinion, lack thereof). As if my father's passing was the ideal conversation starter. Oh, and let's not forget the late-night card games with my cousins, where I had the brilliant idea of teaching them a bit of poker. Spoiler alert: I lost most of the games, and my cousins now think I'm a terrible teacher and a sore loser.

Then there were the mandatory beach trips with my sister and cousins. And if you think those were peaceful outings, you'd be wrong. My little cousin managed to get stuck inside a rockpool, and let's just say, it ended with a meltdown of epic proportions.

And then there were the family gatherings, where everyone had a bit too much to drink, and I was bombarded with long chats from family friends who claimed to have known me since I was three. Now, call me sceptical, but I don't remember meeting these folks even once in my life. Apparently, I was the "little sweetheart" who used to steal buñuelos from the kitchen and hide them under the dining table. And now, they were offering unsolicited advice on life and love. It was enough to make me consider hiding not only the buñuelos under the table again, but also myself.

Throughout all of this, I had been texting Alexia a lot, updating her every so often on how the trip was going -  carefully omitting the parts that made my father's side of the family sound like a bunch of deluded morons (which they absolutely were). I didn't want to burden her with the absurdity of it all, but her support and witty responses kept me grounded during those tumultuous days.

 When I got back, she and I spent nearly all of our free time together: we went on dates; ran errands together; went on dog walks with her furry companion, Nala; we stayed at each other's houses for days on end, much to the chagrin of my sister who was getting increasingly tired of our constant presence. We even trained together, much to the surprise of my teammates - all except Ingrid of course, but no one really mentioned it. To them, the tension and resentment was gone (long gone) and that was all that really mattered. 

One evening, the two of us found ourselves wandering along the fountains at Montjuic. Buskers were playing "Moon River," which I instantly took as a sign that something monumental was about to happen - Breakfast at Tiffany's is my favourite film, after all. The city lights sparkled, and as we strolled hand in hand, Alexia suddenly stopped and turned to me. Her enigmatic eyes glistened in the soft light, and a small smile played on her lips. "Isabela," she began, her voice filled with a sense of warmth and sincerity, "I've been thinking about us. And I have something to ask."

I gazed at her, my breath hitched and my eyes filled with anticipation. Not really sure whether I was either about to break into smiles or tears.

She took a deep breath, her fingers gently reaching for mine. "Isabela, I want to be with you, not just as a casual thing. I want to be your girlfriend."

The words hung in the air, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. The fountains sparkled in the moonlight, the music filled the night, and I was left breathless by her confession.

A rush of emotions overwhelmed me, and I couldn't help but smile. "Alexia, I... I would love that."

It was like a scene straight from a romantic movie, and I half-expected a sudden downpour of rain or a chorus of angels to appear in the background. But it was just us, standing under the moonlight, our hearts laid bare. Alexia's smile widened, and she pulled me close, sealing our newfound commitment with a sweet kiss.

-

Nervous wasn't even the word for it. I was absolutely nerve-wracked. This evening, Alexia had invited the team to hers for drinks... and also for the big reveal that we were in a committed relationship and basically had been 'seeing each other' for the last two months. Time to have the defibrillator on stand-by.