Her eyes soften and she pulls me in for another hug. “Thank you for being here. Thank you for everything.”
“It was all you, campionessa.” I note her girls and their families waiting for her. “Go! Go celebrate with your girls.” I kiss her cheek.
“I’ll see you early at the airport?” she confirms.
“Four a.m.” We’re flying to Tuscany for a whirlwind fifty-two hours to finalize some items for June’s camp.
“Okay.” She squeezes my hand. “See you soon, Luca.”
I watch her walk into the warm, waiting embraces of her girls. They swarm her, hugging and laughing and cheering. The moment is so innocent, it reminds me of the feelings that flood me after two weeks spent at the summer camp.
Carla’s coaching prowess, fútbol skills, and overall personality are such a wonderful addition to my camp. I’m thrilled and relived that she agreed to help me.
Glancing at my watch, I sigh. I need to go home, unpack, repack, shower, and sleep for a few hours. On the way to my car, I catch sight of Sergio, scowling off to the side. Recalling the need to deal with him, I make a mental note to ask Álvaro for some insight.
Then, I say goodbye to Ale, Marlowe, and Abuela, and drive home. But sleep doesn’t come. Even though I need to rest to gear up for the weekend, I can’t turn my mind off.
Will Carla and I take a step forward in our relationship this weekend? More than anything, I’d like to make our relationship official. To know that we’re both interested in commitment and monogamy and creating a future together. To have some reassurance that Carla is thinking of me with the same seriousness that I attribute to a relationship with her.
Will she like Tuscany? My home in Italy?
Does she still want to make a play for the national team?
Does she want me as a permanent fixture in her future the way I desperately want her in mine?
Sighing, I swing my legs to the side of my bed, pull on some joggers and sneakers, and grab my jacket, helmet, and keys. Then, I take a long, winding motorcycle ride down the coast.
I breathe in the fresh air, savor the feel of the cool wind against my cheeks, and relax as my mind slowly clears.
Whatever happens this weekend, one thing is certain: I’m going to make sure Carla knows exactly how I feel. I’m done holding back; I’m finished second-guessing myself. The way I feel for her is more than I’ve ever felt for any woman—including the one I proposed marriage to. While Chiara and I were complacent, having spent so many years together, she didn’t twist me up the way Carla does.
I never craved her with the same intensity I yearn for Carla.
I never thought about her day or her future goals with the same consideration I spend wondering about Carla’s.
This weekend, I’m taking a leap of faith, letting down my guard, and opening myself up to true possibility.
“Did you sleep at all?” she asks, concern in her eyes, as I drop into the seat beside her at the boarding gate.
“I look that bad?”
She snorts, reaching out to brush my hair out of my eyes. “Just…tired.”
“I was too keyed up to sleep. You?”
She shakes her head. “I crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow. When my alarm went off, I couldn’t believe it was already time to drag myself from bed.”
“Stay out late partying?” I joke.
“Oh, yeah. We lined up those ice cream floats.”
I chuckle. “I bet the girls were ecstatic.”
“Very much so. Our next game is next week. I’m really proud of them.”
“I’m really proud of you.”
Her eyes soften and she smiles.
