estaré millor demà - part one
★ you move to Sarrià to heal from a break up, not expecting that the woman you just met, will be your potential sister in law and will lead you towards her sister Alexia’s heart.
★ inspired in The Tyets and Marlena’s song: estaré millor demà
The V7 bus stopped at the last stop, Sarrià, and you exited with your life contained in two bags. Clumsily, you tried to walk towards the building where the apartment you just rented was.
To your surprise, a woman around your age approached you and offered to help.
Her name was Alba, she said when she was introducing herself, and you couldn't help but wonder how some people could be so extroverted.
Alba had been nothing but polite and welcoming. She helped you accommodate in what was going to be your new home for some time.
Weeks passed by, and you kept hanging out with Alba. She reminded you of some friends from your city, and even if you were having a great time in Barcelona, a bittersweet sensation used to creep in from time to time.
You missed home, but returning meant facing situations that didn't bring any joy in your life, and you were tired of experiencing them.
Alba had shown you some places in Barcelona that only people who were born or had been living there for some time knew about, while tourists were too distracted by the main touristic locations.
She had asked you about the possibility of inviting her sister Alexia, and you agreed, saying it was okay and that her sister seemed nice.
Your new friend would always laugh when you talked about Alexia. Alba was an astute woman, and while knowing about your passion for football and your admiration for Alexia, she knew that the redness in your cheeks meant something else, and so, the teasing began.
"I showed her a picture of you, of us, when we went to the local library and it was closed, so we couldn't return one of the books you had borrowed, so you were banned for one day from borrowing any books. She said you looked cute with that pouty face."
"Oh, so now your sister thinks I'm someone who likes to not give books back to their owner."
"She thinks you like books enough to steal some time from their owners."
Alba couldn't help but enjoy the way a shy smile appeared on your face. You hadn't really talked about any current or previous partners, but you had told her that you were a lesbian, and you might have even mentioned that her sister was a delight to watch... while playing football.
But again, Alba knew, and you knew that she knew, and that could only mean one thing: the possibility of having you as a sister-in-law.
Alexia kept thinking about the girl from the picture that her sister had shown her. Alba had explained the whole situation: how both of you had run so fast that you thought you were going to pass out; how the book almost fell off your arms, mind you, on a summer rainy day, how upset you got when you saw the sign that said "CLOSED," how Alba felt endearing because not being able to borrow a book for one day felt like the apocalypse was near.
"She's such a bookworm. Always reading. I've seen her read multiple books a day, and she never loses track of the different storylines!" Alba had told her sister.
Alexia couldn't ignore how charming you seemed. She saw nothing really extravagant in your look, just the plain simplicity of your beauty, and she wondered if you looked always like this, or if you liked to experiment with different styles.
She kept thinking about you all day long, even during the first match of the season.
The vivid image of you sitting in the stands that her imagination had created didn't look bad. Actually, it made her feel joy, something she thought she wouldn't feel in a long time.
She felt ridiculous, but thinking about you was distracting, in a good way.
There was no point in going back to Olga, even less to Jenni, and a silly crush wasn't really harmful. Was it?
Alexia thought about the possibility of inviting Alba to the next match at Johan's, but how could she talk about the possibility of Alba inviting a friend, and that friend had to be you, without sounding too desperate?
Moreover, was a football match the best option to meet a woman who seemed shy and looked like she always ran away from crowds?
When Alexia got subbed off, she kept wondering about any other options until she came up with what looked like the final option: the library.
She felt like a creepy person, but confessing her stupid crush to her little sister wasn't really appealing, at least not for now.
The next day, she went to the library, with high hopes of meeting you, as if you were stuck in a romance movie and the plot was following its course.
She exited the building with no luck and waited two more days.
Tuesday, 5 PM. Training had been done early in the morning, and Alexia had the entire afternoon free.
She entered the building and went to the second floor, where the study section and the library for adults were.
She glanced over the place discreetly, but you were nowhere to be found.
Almost on the verge of giving up, she wandered through the bookshelves, looking for a book that she could enjoy, and it was there when, through the space of a bookshelf, your eyes met.
You quickly turned your face, feeling as if her hazel eyes had struck into yours and had taken over them.
Alba had told you that Alexia lived in your same neighborhood, but not close to your apartment, so you weren't really expecting her to be here, even if this place was the only library in your neighborhood.
You breathed and tried to play it cool. Alexia was Alba's sister, and you didn't want to give a bad impression of yourself, even if you had almost run away from her.
With the help of your senses, you knew Alexia hadn't moved, so you walked to where she was and introduced yourself, starting by telling her your name.
"I'm Alba's friend. She has talked a lot about you."
Alexia smiled, and you swore you felt the floor above you moving.
Her eyes were captivating, and the closeness due to the mandatory silence of the place only made it possible to admire them more.
"She has talked about you a lot too. Said you were very nice and really enjoyed reading."
It earned her an almost silent laugh from you, and Alexia felt something awakening inside her.
She knew it was contradictory. Did she really want to take the risk of getting her heart stolen again, or did she really want to take a chance and give you her heart in hopes of being loved by the woman she couldn't stop thinking about?
"She's going to laugh when she finds out that we have met, and especially in this place."
Both of you knew that there was no turning back if Alba found out.
She knew that you had a massive crush on Alexia, and what about her sister running to the library Alba had told her about, when she had never seen her sister so eager about going to libraries? Alexia liked to read, but she enjoyed doing it privately, so she would always buy books and read them at home, where she had created a space for reading and disconnecting from the world.
But both of you, deep down, wanted Alba to know about this meeting; you just wouldn't admit it out loud.
"Do you come here often?" you asked.
"Not really. Alba had told me about the incident, and I got curious... about the library. I mean, I think it has just been open to the public."
Alexia noticed an adorable reddish color that spread throughout the area of your cheeks.
She had mostly liked extroverted women, the ones that would always tease her, and she would have to learn how to tease them back, but there was something about how she pictured you, an introverted and nerdy woman but also strong-minded, that was making her feel more and more attracted to you.
"Are you busy right now? I mean, I see you are because you are here, but I mean if you're free later. Maybe we could... hang out? I'm sure Alba has shown you around, but I can surprise you if you let me..."
Alexia's rambling melted your heart, and somehow, it felt familiar. Alba had talked wonders about her, and not only because she was her sister. Her admiration was beyond that detail. She talked about Alexia as a whole.
Her passion for what she did, her values, her way of seeing life, her integrity. Getting closer to the real Alexia was difficult because she was very careful with her privacy, because most of the time, her private life also meant the people around her, and any potential threat was enough to completely shut down any approach.
"I am. Let me just borrow this book really quick, and I'll be yours all afternoon."
To your surprise, Alexia had taken you to a second-hand stalls avenue where you could find many books — some of them quite antique.
She knew she had made the right choice when she saw the peculiar sparkle that your eyes reflected.
A rush of adrenaline spread throughout your body.
Everywhere you looked, you could see books; of every type, of every size, of every genre and audience. It was like being honored to discover a hidden treasure.
"Not many people know about this place. That's why it's not very crowded. It's special because it's just you and the books, without the busy soundtrack of a city like Barcelona."
Alexia smiled at you and remained silent, as if she wanted you to take the lead and explore by yourself.
She couldn't stop observing every detail of yourself. Your enthusiasm for antique books; the movements you made with your hands, as if you were overwhelmed for a moment because you had many stalls to check out; your nervous giggles...
Alexia found herself imagining this exact situation every week, where you both would go to some random place and you would thrive, while she observed you, caring less about what's happening around her.
She was rushing, it's not a statement that she ignored, but she was happy in her imagination, and for the very first time, she didn't think about Olga at all.
There was no doubt that Alexia was still healing from her last breakup, and the presence of Olga was still around in her mind and heart, but you felt like a fresh breeze of the sea early in the morning, where there's little people around and feels like a reward for having woken up earlier than most people.
When you finished going over every single stall, Alexia had ten books in her hands, while you were carrying five. She had offered to help you carry them so you could have more freedom to check out more books.
"I remember Alba telling me you were a bookworm, but wow... I'm actually impressed. How do you manage to read them all?"
"Well, it depends. If I borrow them from the library, I have to organize my time because I have some trouble giving them back unfinished. I don't like that feeling, but when I buy them, I usually read them when I feel like it. There are some books that I read right after buying them, while there are some others that I read years later after getting them. But I think it also depends on enjoying being by myself, especially here, as I'm still new and I know a few people. Your sister was actually my first friend, and I think I've got another one, a girl I usually see at the library."
"I'd love to be your third friend, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind at all. You're very nice, Ale."
The very first time you called Alexia "Ale," she wanted to immortalize the moment.
She placed the books in the backseat of the car and drove you to your apartment.
"Thank you for this lovely afternoon. I'll surprise you the next time."
Alexia usually struggled with giving up control, but the idea of trusting you and letting herself be surprised by her new crush didn't look too bad.
She was actually curious, an emotion that she didn't experience for a very long time.
