Chapter 17
Ali’s POV:
We were in Vancouver. It’s been six weeks since I got out of the hospital. I was cleared to play and was back in the starting eleven. It was the final day of the World Cup. We had downed Colombia, China and Germany. Only Japan stood in our way. We were in the locker room, getting ready to take the field. The team had started to file out. Ashlyn and I were the last ones in the locker room. I smiled as I watched her adjust her ponytail and then put on her gloves.
“Hi”, she said as she turned to faced me.
“Hi”, I breathed back. We stared at each other for a moment, and then she took my hands in hers. She pulled me close to her, and we touched our foreheads together and then closed our eyes.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Ready”, she said back. “Ready?” she asked back.
“Ready”, I said back. “I’m with you”, I said.
“I’m with you”, she said back. “I’ve got your back”, she said.
“I’ve got your back”, I said back. I could feel her breath on my lips, so close and right there. We stayed touching foreheads for a few more seconds, and then we opened our eyes and smiled at each other. She let go of my left hand, took her right index finger and touched it lightly to my nose, and I giggled slightly. Then, she let go of my right hand, cupped my cheeks and planted a kiss right on my lips. I was stunned for a moment, since I had been the one leading the charge in terms of shouting our relationship to the world, but I recovered quickly and got lost in the moment. I wrapped my arms around her neck and closed my eyes, and I felt her arms go around my waist and pull me tight. I’d always loved the part of our little pre-game ritual where we embrace, but now that we are together, this was so much…I don’t know…better. It’s like, everything we do together felt better. I felt like so much has changed for me in the last month. Since I had opened my arms to the truth and was no longer afraid to deny it, I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. I wanted everyone to share that feeling, and the feeling of unbridled joy that I finally knew, of what it felt like to be unburdened and to be with the one you love. I wanted everyone to know what that felt like, and I wanted everyone to know that I felt like that because I was with her. I stayed pressed against her, lost in the kiss, and then I heard someone clear her throat. We broke the kiss and I looked to my left and saw Pinoe standing in the doorway.
“Uh, guys – isn’t it a little too early to be celebrating?” Ashlyn and I both stared at her. Apparently neither one of us knew what to say. Pinoe stared at us for a moment longer and then said, “Well, uh…we haven’t won yet, so…uh….” She trailed off. Ashlyn and I continued to stare at her, still embracing each other. Then Pinoe smiled slightly, raised her eyebrows and gestured towards the door. Ashlyn and I looked at each other, then smiled slightly, and then turned towards Pinoe. Pinoe smiled back a knowing smile and then said, “C’mon you guys – let’s do this.” We walked past her, and as we did, she said in an exaggerated whisper, “You know – the sex will be better if we win.” Then she nodded her head to drive home her point, and I slugged her playfully in the arm.
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Ashlyn’s POV
The whistle blew, and I jumped for joy and pumped my fist in the air. A roar like a freight train filled the stadium. I couldn’t believe it. We had just won the biggest tournament in the world. I did a couple 360s with my hands in the air and then ran up to hug my teammates. Carli, Pinoe, Abby, Whitney, Alex – I embraced them individually and in groups. I released Alex, and then turned around to and saw my princess standing there. I walked towards her, and as I went to embrace her she jumped up into my arms. I caught her and spun her around. She was laughing with joy and delight, and in that moment, right there, the barriers broke. Maybe it was winning the World Cup. Maybe it was seeing my princess brimming with unbridled happiness. Maybe it was remembering what she had said to me about us seizing the moment before either one of us takes an errant header to the skull. I set her down on her feet and wrapped her up in my arms. I looked straight at her, and she stared back at me, her beautiful brown eyes taking in all of me. Then I pulled her tight and slammed her lips against mine. I felt her arms go around my neck as she returned the kiss. Perhaps it was just the moment, but I actually thought I heard the crowd roar louder, even while at the same time, despite the noise and commotion, I lost myself in the feeling of kissing the woman I loved.
“Uh…guys…”Somewhere my brain registered Pinoe’s voice. We broke off our kiss to see Pinoe and a bunch of our team around us. Some were staring at us in disbelief, but some were looking at us like they knew all along that we belonged together. The press were around us as well. Pinoe looked at us for another moment, then broke into a sly smile. “It’s about fucking time”, she said. We all laughed together, and then we brought her in for a hug.
“Guys - we just won the World Cup!” Carli exclaimed as she came up to us. “Can I get in on this love fest too?” We laughed and brought her in too.
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Ali’s POV:
My eyes fluttered open. At first I didn’t remember where I was, and then I remembered. High ceilings. Nice walls. And the arms of the woman I love wrapped around me. I closed my eyes and smiled as I thought about the day and night before – winning the world cup, celebrating with the team, post-party late-night bite to eat with Ashlyn, Pinoe, Whitney and Carli, and then coming back to the hotel with Ashlyn, making love and then falling asleep in her arms. Which is how I had just woke up, on my side, nestled in her arms, my head nuzzled into her neck. I kissed her neck softly and then got up. I’m not a big drinker, but we had done some serious drinking last night, and I was feeling pretty hung over. I went to the rest room to grab a cup of water, and as I passed the door to our room I saw a newspaper come through the bottom of the door. I picked it up, unfolded it, and my jaw dropped slightly.
On the cover was a story about the World Cup. The headline read, “World Cup Love”, and below that headline was a shot of Ashlyn and me, lips locked, arms around each other, with the rest of the team celebrating around us. I stared at it for a few seconds and then started laughing.
“Baby”, Ashlyn mumbled. I looked over and saw her stirring. I walked back to the bed and climbed back in.
“Hi stud”, I said.
“Hi princess”, she mumbled back. She looked at me with sleepy eyes, and I put my lips to hers and kissed her. Then she smiled and closed her eyes. “What were you laughing at?” she asked me.
I stared at her for a moment, beautiful, striking, sleepy. Then I smiled and kissed her sleepy lips. She sighed lightly and fell back to sleep. “Nothing, babe”, I said, and smiled. She’d find out soon enough. This may be the last good sleep she gets before the tabloids get a hold of us. I laughed at that thought to myself and then got back in bed, nestled into my stud and closed my eyes.