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Ona fumbled with her phone, hitting the screen a few times to silence the alarm until the room quieted again. She lay face up and motionless, with her eyes still closed, in a hotel room in Iceland. Breathing heavily and blinking slowly, she gradually became aware of her surroundings. The morning sunlight peeked through the curtains, illuminating the room with a glistening twinkle, the unfamiliar scent of the detergent used to wash the sheets flooded her senses and she felt a rare sense of relaxation in her muscles that indicated there were no football commitments coming up. The ease was suddenly broken as a thought popped up in her mind.
Happy birthday to me, I guess.
She sat up unhurriedly, letting her birthday begin. The phone buzzed on the nightstand, where she had abandoned it after tussling with it to turn off the alarm. She glanced at the device, but made no move to pick it up, giving herself a few more seconds of peace before dealing with the countless notifications lighting the screen.
Finally, she reached for the phone. Ona ignored most of the notifications, focusing on answering her mother's over-affectionate text wishing her an amazing day, as if they weren't going to see each other that same night. Then she opened Lucy’s message thread. The rest of the people could wait.
Lucy’s text contained a simple happy birthday wish and too many red heart emojis, which made Ona’s lips curve upwards. She sent back the same red heart emoji before her eyes moved to the next message bubble. Even though they had already discussed it during a call, Lucy’s apology for not being able to be there for her birthday made an aching hollowness settle beneath Ona’s ribs. The younger right back skimmed it, already knowing that Lucy needed to sort some things with Narla and the FA before being able to fly to Spain. How easy it was, the lightness of the chest to transform into a crushing weight.
Football always came first. It was a decision that Ona had taken lightly at the beginning of her career, when she was still a teenager; but the years had turned it into a challenge. She didn’t regret that choice, she was tremendously proud of how far she had come by sticking to it. Still, some days its significance was a bit unmanageable. It wasn’t easy to miss meaningful celebrations, family gatherings or loved one’s milestones. However, lately she had found out that the worst of it was the pain hidden beneath the most simple little details, like waking up alone in a hotel room on her birthday. Even so, she wouldn’t change a thing if it meant she could continue playing the sport she loved most and keep lifting trophies and collecting medals.
Leastwise, this summer yielded endless marvellous opportunities to enjoy, for the first time in years, more than just a few days of vacation. Ona couldn't wait to spend countless hours with her family and with Lucy, not having to worry about training or matches or tournaments. She had planned to make up for lost time, both the two seasons already missed with Lucy, and the ones she would inevitably lose with her parents when she moved back to England.
With the pleasant thought of spending time with her loved ones flooding her core, Ona found the strength to roll out of bed. She washed her face, brushed her hair and threw on the Spanish national team tracksuit. Heading to the lift to go down to the dining room for breakfast, she checked her phone one more time and saw a new message from her brother.
Joan was teasing her, calling her old for being 27 and then offering to pick her up from the airport because he had arranged a beach day just for the two of them. Typical sibling behaviour.
Spending her birthday doing absolutely nothing on the beach with Joan was Ona’s favourite birthday ritual, and one she hadn’t been able to fulfill since she turned 20. It had begun when they were teenagers as a minor act of rebellion against their parents, escaping to the sea without adult supervision. Back then, her birthday was the perfect excuse to unofficially kick off summer, even if they still had another week of school.
His text explained the entire itinerary: Joan would pick her up at the airport, drive to her place so she could drop off her luggage and give her time to toss a bikini and a pajama into an overnight bag. Afterwards, they would spend the afternoon on Vilassar’s beach, before finally going to their parents’ house for dinner and a sleepover, just like when they were kids.
The excitement he manifested was contagious and plastered a grin on Ona’s face. She also was eager to spend her birthday with her family. Only Lucy would be missing. It gave the impression that having all her favourite people in the same place was impossible.
Well, not completely inconceivable because Lucy was flying to Barcelona first thing the following morning. Ona felt impatient to have Lucy in her arms again. A quick kiss in a random stadium hallway (after playing against each other with their national teams the previous week and before rushing to their respective buses) was insignificant compared with sharing the same space for weeks, what they expected from this summer.
As the lift descended, Ona wished she could travel back 365 days in time. Her last birthday had been amazing. Nothing compared to waking up in a very expensive hotel room, in Lucy’s arms, while the soft Mediterranean breeze that came in from the open window caressed her naked skin. Every minute of having Lucy close was a gift from the universe, a lesson that Ona had learnt the hard way and fairly quickly over the last two years.
The lift dinged and the doors slided open. Ona walked without haste toward the dining room, where her Spanish teammates were waiting for her with lit candles and lots of signs of affection. She tried not to look too mortified while they sang happy birthday to her and she allowed to be hugged by all of them, sincerely thanking her teammates for the small gathering.
Later, in the airport, while the Spanish staff solved a problem with the luggage, Ona found a few minutes to actually have a phone conversation with Lucy. A brief call in a public space was far from what she hoped, but, once again, it was what it took to be a professional athlete. Half of the Spanish national team was boarding a plane heading towards Barcelona, and Ona said goodbye to her teammates who contrarily were flying to Madrid. The moment she reached her seat in the plane, she put on music and closed her eyes.
When they landed at Barcelona’s terminal, Joan was already waiting for her, bouncing on his feet. “Happy birthday, hermanita!” He shouted as soon as his eyes landed on Ona.
She welcomed the pampering, the hugs and caresses from a very enthusiastic Joan; although a part of her heart yearned for Lucy’s cuddling too. Despite this, she didn't want to be ungrateful; she'd already enjoyed a birthday with her girlfriend the previous year.
Joan grabbed her bag and guided Ona towards his car, talking nonstop about the restaurant he had made a reservation on. The one with the best paella in Catalunya (after his, of course). Inside the car, he turned, his gaze examining the footballer. Joan had noticed that she didn’t seem to be fully focused on him and he knew why.
“You don’t have to pretend.”
Joan’s words took Ona by surprise, her face snapped to look at him. “What?”
“You don’t have to pretend, not with me.” Joan repeated in a gentle intonation, the one usually reserved to soothe children during a tantrum or to approach a scared animal. “You’re allowed to not feel completely happy. To be tired from playing. To not know how to relax. To want to be here and at the same time to be in London with Lucy.”
“Joan…” A deep sigh escaped her parted lips, as her eyes filled with tears.
“No, Oni. You don’t need to explain.” He reached to grab her hand. “We’re spending the afternoon together, just the two of us, so you can have time for yourself. Feel whatever you need to feel, the joy and the pain. But please, do me a favor. Let go of the burden of expectations. Today you can just be you. It’s your opportunity to slow down because I’ll be taking care of everything.”
The lump that had formed in her throat prevented her from answering, so she just nodded as the tears threatened to spill from her eyes. That was the biggest perk of having a brother. He knew everything about her because he was the only person who had spent and would be the entirety of her life by her side. Joan was the only human being who knew how to make her angry in the simplest way possible, and sometimes, Ona wanted to kill him for it. But over and over he was the only one ready to catch her when the rest of the world hadn’t even realised she had fallen.
The whole afternoon, as he promised, Joan took care of everything so Ona could let herself relax. They fooled around on the sand warmed by the unforgiving Spanish sun and splashed at each other with the salty water like they did when they were kids. Only when both phones were blowing up with calls from their mom, who was convinced they would stay overnight on the beach, the pair finally collected their towels and shoes and headed home.
Their parents were waiting for Ona at the doorway with open arms, and showered her with love as soon as she got out of the car. The dinner was more than perfect, the table full of her favourite dishes prepared by her favourite cooks. When it was over, Ona was ordered to wait in the living room while her parents and Joan cleared the table. As long as she was at home, especially on her birthday, she wasn't allowed to provide any assistance with household chores.
She relaxed on the sofa, and not long after, her father was sitting in one of the armchairs. He wasn't a man of many words, which he demonstrated by occupying the seat in silence. By contrast, he was a person who showed affection through actions, whether it was setting up a shelf, fixing the bathroom tap or driving her to the airport at 4 in the morning.
Joan came after, settling on the other armchair. If Ona hadn't been so lost in her own thoughts, she would have noticed the unusual wince plastered on the edge of her brother’s lips. But it was her mother's entrance through the living room door that made Ona’s gaze rise from the coffee table. She was carrying a wrapped box the size of a shoe box between her hands.
A small smile was beginning to appear on Ona's face, when suddenly Joan bolted off the armchair. “Shit! I forgot my present at home.”
He walked to the door, Ona’s eyes following his frame as if he had lost his mind.
“Joan, wait!” He paused and turned slowly. Ona contemplated the strange situation for a moment before continuing. “It doesn’t matter, you can give it to me at another time.”
“No! I’m sorry!” He really seemed agitated. “I’ll drive to my home and bring it.”
Ona was too tired to discern that her parents hadn't intervened to tell Joan that his idea was stupid. It made no sense for him to take the car to go to his house, which was 40 minutes away, and come back just for a gift.
“It’s fine.” He shrugged before darting out of the door. “I’ll be back before you realise.”
Ona wanted to bang her head against the wall. Her alarm would be going off at 6.30 the next morning because she was picking up Lucy from the airport, and the last thing she wanted was to stay up late, waiting for her brother to return from his senseless nighttime excursion. The sound of the front door opening and closing echoed down the hallway and Ona melted back against the sofa, resigned to the fact that her brother wasn’t always the smartest person in the room.
Her mom installed herself on the sofa next to Ona, carefully placing the wrapped box on the coffee table and embracing her. Ona cuddled against her, finding comfort in the arms that had raised her. Meanwhile her dad had reached for the remote and turned on the TV. With the sound of a movie playing in the background and the peacefulness that only family can confer, Ona’s eyelids closed, though she was still dimly conscious of the world around her.
The movie was about to end when the front door creaked open again. None of the three moved from their spots, sprawled around the living room. Joan entered, seemingly dragging something that suspiciously sounded like the wheels of a suitcase. A vague sense of confusion brushed against Ona’s mind, but her brain was too foggy to actually process it. She snuggled up to her mom’s side, drowsily blinking and her eyes shining with exhaustion.
Joan appeared on the door of the living room, drawing Ona's gaze. He wasn’t holding anything.
“Where is the present that couldn't wait, Joan?” Ona couldn't prevent a touch of irritability from creeping into her voice. She tried to relieve the tension her words had created with her next comment. “Spending the afternoon with you has already been enough.”
A smug expression formed on Joan’s face. “Don’t be a wimp!”
He stepped aside and Ona‘s world stopped spinning. Lucy was standing in the dimness of her childhood hallway, wearing cozy grey sweatpants and a white shirt. Ona jumped from the sofa where she was perched under her mom’s arm and darted across the room, throwing herself at Lucy’s awaiting embrace. The second the English woman hugged her tightly against her body, Ona began sobbing with her face hidden on Lucy’s crook of the neck.
“Moltes felicitats, babe.”
“You’re here!” Ona managed to vocalise while she caught her breath and with her lips leaving soft kisses to Lucy’s neck.
“Of course I’m here.” Lucy didn’t let go of Ona, who was clinging to her, even though she could feel everyone’s gazes on them. “I wasn’t going to miss your birthday.”
After a few more minutes, Ona stepped back and stared at Lucy to certify that she was indeed in Vilassar. Reluctantly, the younger woman moved away so Lucy could properly greet her parents. The movie continued playing, forgotten, while Lucy kissed both of Ona’s mom’s cheeks.
The drowsiness Ona had been feeling evaporated, the young woman now buzzing with joy. “Joan, this is the best present ever!”
“No, no.” He shook his head, his mouth wide with excitement. “Lucy isn’t my present.”
Under everyone's watchful eyes and out of nowhere, he produced a paper bag. Ona, who had curled up under Lucy’s arm, extended her arm to accept the gift. Inside there was a stuffed lion wearing a tiny Spanish red shirt with O. Battle on the back.
“This is so cute.” A beam of warmth spread through Ona, her cheeks pinking.
“It’s me.” The surprised gasp coming from almost everyone in the room compelled him to continue his explanation. “I mean, obviously it’s not me. But he will cheer for you next season, when I can’t be there.”
Ona slipped away from Lucy’s hold to hug Joan. He hadn't missed a single one of the matches that Ona had played in Barcelona, changing shifts and rescheduling plans with his friends to be there for her. She was going to miss him next season in England, he always was shouting the loudest encouragement from the stands.
“Second best present ever.”
“Second?” Joan replied cheekily.
“Evidentment.” Ona shrugged. “La Lucy és la primera.”
That pulled out a chuckle from the English woman, who had been following the exchange in Catalan and understanding it incredibly well, so she decided to give it a try. “Evidentment, Joan.” Their father's nod of approval filled Lucy's heart with pride.
The cosy atmosphere gradually calmed Ona, and a yawn escaped her lips not long after. Sensing the fatigue, their mom ushered them towards the rooms. Ona couldn't have been happier that her birthday was going to end like this.
She watched as Lucy washed her face from her spot, tucked up in her bed. However, her night routine was taking longer than Ona liked.
“Come on, Luce.” She whined, her eyes glowing with anticipation. “You’re taking forever.”
“You're the one who hogged the sink brushing your teeth!” Lucy replied, turning to look, still inside the bathroom, at her girlfriend as she unhurriedly applyed moisturizer to her hands.
For Ona, it passed an eternity, which meant two minutes in reality, but finally the bathroom light went dark and the door clicked shut. Instead of climbing directly into bed like Ona was desperately wishing she would, Lucy drifted toward the corner where she had left her suitcase on the floor.
“Seriously?” Ona grumbled again with an adorable pout.
When Lucy approached the bed after rummaging through her things, Ona’s mouth fell open. The older woman was holding a small velvet box in her hands and had an expression of absolute delight on her face. Ona sat up, resting her bare back on the headboard.
“I hope you're not going to propose to me right now.” Her voice wobbled more than Ona cared to admit. To her relief, her girlfriend shook her head. “Good, because I want to be wearing something more than just my panties when you do it.”
A carefree chuckle emerged from Lucy’s mouth. “Take it.” She passed the little packet to a very fidgety Ona.
When Ona lifted the cover, light caught the metal, casting a bright flicker across the room. A golden pendant, the same shade as her smiling-face necklace, rested against the black velvet. Only this one was shaped like a tiny heart, engraved with O+L.
Ona placed the box delicately on the nightstand and then pulled Lucy in, making her stumble and fall on top of her. “I love you.” She murmured against her lips, kissing her over and over. “I love you so much.”
Lucy moved them so they would be laying in a more comfortable position, a huge smile adorning her features. “You like it?”
“Of course!” Ona declared, giggling like a lunatic and with tears prickling in the corner of her eyes.
She couldn't believe how her day had transformed completely. From waking up alone in a hotel bedroom in Iceland to going to bed in her childhood house with the love of her life in her arms after having spent the afternoon with her brother. A content sensation extended from Ona’s core to her limbs. Turning 27 couldn't have started better.