One day I'll have it all. // Williamson

Car shopping

Car shopping with Leah and Lotte turned out to be more entertaining than I had anticipated. As we strolled through the dealership, Lotte excitedly pointed out various cars, sharing her opinions on each model. Her expert vocabulary extended from 'sick colour' to 'big ass wheels'. Nothing too helpful, but really fun to watch.

It wasn't like I needed a real expert anyway, I wanted a car that worked and that was it.

I really enjoyed the two women's company. Lotte was like a power cell of her own, talking and talking and talking again. I really liked that about her. She seemed passionate about every subject she could come across.

Leah was calmer, but still silly when she wanted to, especially when it meant making fun of her teammate. It was a great duo.

As we walked through the showroom, Lotte spotted a flashy muscle car, her eyes widening with excitement. "Oi, Val, check this out! Imagine cruising through London in this beast!" she exclaimed, practically dragging me towards the sleek Mustang GT.

I took a look at the car and raised an eyebrow at Lotte. "You think I'm rich?"

Lotte raised an eyebrow at me in return. "Are you? I don't know your paycheck, mate." She said, and I realized it was true. I knew Leah had a pretty good salary, judging by her Audi A5. I had no idea about everyone else's situation. And they had no idea about mine.

"I'm a 19-year-old bench warmer. I'm not paid enough to buy a Mustang."

At my words, both women accompanying me gasped dramatically. Leah put her hands on my shoulders and shook my body, while Lotte pretended she was fainting in the background.

"Who told you you were a bench warmer?! I want names."

I chuckled at their exaggerated reactions, rolling my eyes and trying my best not to bury my gaze in Leah's mesmerizing blue orbs. "Come on, guys. I'm just getting started in a team that has like three, maybe four of the greatest strikers in the world. I'm not delusional, I'm a bench warmer."

Lotte walked to us, a determined though exaggerated look on her face, she pointed a finger at me, planting it on my cheek as if it would make her point more valuable. "No one at Arsenal is a bench warmer. If you start on the bench, It's because you haven't proven your worth yet. Do it and you'll never sit your American ass on the bench in the first half ever again."

Leah was definitely trying her best to keep a serious face while listening to Lotte's words. "Yeah. What she said." She added, and Lotte was the one bursting out laughing. "Oh come on, Lotte! You've ruined it!" Leah said, shoving Lotte's shoulder.

Lotte continued to laugh, unapologetic for her dramatic performance. "Sorry, sorry! I tried. Jesus." She said, sighing, wiping out the tears that had escaped her eyes, a goofy smile on her face. "But seriously, Val, believe in yourself. You're here for a reason, and I bet you'll be scoring goals in no time."

I chuckled softly, then nodded, scratching my neck. "Thanks, Lotte. But yeah. Still can't afford a Mustang."

Leah grinned, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Well, we'll find you a decent car within budget. No need to go all out just yet. Lotte here's just dreaming big."

Lotte shrugged, still recovering from her laughter. "Can't blame a girl for dreaming, right?"

An hour later, I was walking out of the dealership with the keys to a black 2018 Ford Focus ST in my hand. It wasn't all that fancy, but it was practical, and I had fallen in love with its look the moment I saw it.

I had signed the papers and one of the employees had pulled it to the parking lot. We walked to it and I tried on the remote control, unlocking it while we were still a few feet away.

"Shotgun!" Lotte immediately yelled, running to the car.

I chuckled at Lotte's enthusiasm, and Leah rolled her eyes playfully. "Can't believe you're the youngest one of the two." She said, and I giggled at her words. "Alright, drive the child back to her car? She left it at Colney."

I chuckled at her words and nodded, and soon enough, Leah got back to her car while I drove Lotte back to hers. The car felt nice between my hands, though it still felt extremely weird to be on the left side of the road.

As we cruised through the London streets, Lotte couldn't contain her excitement about the car. She fiddled with the radio, turned the volume up, then down, then up again, and even adjusted the side mirrors. She only stopped after a few minutes and started looking at me, with, clearly, a question on her mind.

"I have a question. It's a tad personal though." She said, and I chuckled, rolling my eyes.

"Ask the question," I said, and she giggled, tapping her hands against her thighs excitedly. Lotte grinned mischievously.

"Tell me about your love life. How many exes you got?"

I tensed at the question, looking at Lotte, then looking back at the road, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"None."

Lotte's eyes widened in surprise. "None? Seriously?"

I nodded, keeping my gaze on the road. "Yeah, none."

"Bullshit. With that face of yours? Nah, mate. You're shitting me." She said, crossing her arms. "How many crushes you had, then?"

I let out a nervous laugh at her question. "Football's my one true love," I said, and she groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Oh come on! You're not seriously believing that?" She asked, and I shrugged.

I considered myself an asexual, but somehow Charlotte had gotten into my brain the past few days, making chaos out of my normally organized thoughts.

Lotte leaned back in her seat, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Interesting. I guess tonight's gonna be fun, then." She said, and I frowned at her words.

"Tonight? What's tonight?" I asked, and she blemished, looking at me.

"Shit. Blew it." She muttered. "No-nothing. I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't say nothing about tonight. Who talked to you about tonight?"

"You literally just talked about it," I said.

"Leah's finna murder me." She said, then pretended to look by the window. "Oh yay, we're here! See you later, mate. Cheers." She said so quickly I barely deciphered her words, and then she escaped the car as soon as I had stopped it.

"What the..."