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“Fuck, Valentina,” she whispers. “You’re so hot.”

I look into her eyes, seeing the desire, the love. “So are you, Lexa.”

We don’t need words. We know each other’s bodies. We move together, finding a rhythm, and we’re close, so close.

“I’m close,” Lexa says, her voice husky.

“Me too,” I say, moving faster, harder.

The knock on the door makes us both groan and stop.

“Valentina,” Raul says from the other side. “Lexa. You need to get up. We have to go.”

“Coming,” I call back and he walks away.

Lexa looks at me, frustrated. “Fuck him.”

I laugh, kissing her forehead. “He’s right. We have to go.”

She sighs. “I can’t play like this. I’m too…”

“Horny?” I tease her. “Excited?”

She glares at me. “I’m going to make you pay for this later.”

“It’s not my fault a quickie before the big match turned out to be too quick,” I tell her, getting off the bed. I feel the unreleased tension of the orgasm too and it’s annoying as fuck.

“It’s your fault because he’s your brother,” she says, getting up too.

“That doesn’t make sense at all,” I chuckle. “We’ll finish what we started after the match, I promise.”

She bites her lip, then nods. “Okay.”

We get dressed, grab our bags, and head out. Raul is waiting for us in the hotel lobby along with the rest of the team. We’re the last to come down.

“Whoever thought it was a good idea to have those two sharing a room was wrong,” Daisy comments, a knowing grin on her face.

“God, I don’t want any talk about this,” Raul groans. “I beg you to keep any talk or insinuations about anyone’s sister to yourself.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Lexa says, sending a pointed look Raul’s way.

“I’m innocent,” he defends himself. “I didn’t say anything.”

We all laugh, then get on the bus. We stop at Sol y Luna first to pick up some breakfast. It’s a beautiful day, sunny and warm, perfect for football.

Sofia has the bags ready on the counter before we’re through the door. By the kitchen there’s a pale rectangle on the wall where a photograph hung for eleven years, and a nail nobody’s taken out.

We get off the bus, and see the Breakers fans, the media, the security. They cheer for us, wave at us, call our names. We wave back. We feel the love. We’re ready.

We walk to the locker room. Passing through the familiar corridors makes me remember the good times. I played here for years, made friends, rivals, and memories. It feels strange to be back, but it also feels like coming home.

There’s a banana on the bench under the peg with my name taped above it.

Nobody on this team eats a banana before a match except me. I sit down next to it and don’t touch anything for a minute. Lexa stands between me and the rest of the room without being asked.

We change into our uniforms, and gather around Raul.

“For some of you, this is just like any other match,” Raul starts, then looks at me. “But for Valentina, this used to be her home for six years, and I sat in that stand for every one of them. It’s special to play here again. But don’t let that distract you. This is a business trip, and we’re here to get three points. We’re here to win.”