Chapter 9
A victory on Thursday put the house in a good mood as they all laid low on Saturday night since there was an early home game on Sunday. Tobin and Christen had two people between them on the couch so she couldn’t focus on the movie on the TV. There was candy and Chinese take out scattered on the coffee table, the floor, everywhere.
One by one, the girls turned in for the night, leaving Kelley, Tobin and herself as the remaining three through the end of the second movie. Christen had inched closer to where Tobin was sitting, finding every excuse including reaching for a half-finished pack of Twizzlers to being ‘restless’ in her spot. Now a mere inches from Tobin’s lap, she ached to place her head on it. It was amazing; this person she knew for such a short time had captured all of her attention. When she wasn’t with her, she was thinking about her. For someone she despised at first sight, her intuition told her this was something special.
“Tobin, did you tell Christen about the Clemson trip yet?” Christen looked across the couch to where Kelley was smirking.
“No, but you just did,” Tobin cooly replied. Christen looked between the two who seemed to be having a standoff. “Is someone going to tell me what the Clemson trip is?”
Kelley continued, “We’re gonna road trip Saturday into Sunday to watch the guys team play Sunday afternoon. It’s huge since Clemson is seeded third and we’re seeded tenth. We’ll get a hotel Saturday night and go out.”
“That sounds like fun, you guys will have a great time!” Tobin looked at her sagaciously. “You’re invited too, you know.”
“Oh. Really?” Although she’d been included in mostly everything soccer related that her teammates did, she didn’t want to make assumptions. “Yes, really,” Kelley muttered. “So if you wanna come, it’ll be me, you and Tobin in a room. Ali is bringing Ashlyn, Julie isn’t going so she can visit her boyfriend and Alex and Allie will room together.”
Overnight with Tobin? Could I make it through without screwing it up? “I’m in.”
“Good. Now, I’m going to bed so you two,” Kelley gestured between them, “behave. See you in the morning,” she sang.
It made Christen overheat, turning the apples of her cheeks a pink shade. They both watched Kelley turn off the lights to their side of the house and make her way upstairs. Finally, Tobin broke the silence. “I think it’ll be fun, I’m glad you’re coming.”
“You should be. Having to share a room alone with Kelley? Yikes.” Christen joked.
“That’s not exactly why I’m glad,” Tobin breathed, turning her body inward to completely face Christen. She felt her own breathing becoming rugged. This is it. Make a move or tell her. “To-”
“There’s a great restaurant in Greenville that we’ll pass that is a family friends. They have the best chocolate silk pie you need to try. Their coffee is insane, too. You’re the only one in this house who is addicted to coffee like me.” She had cut Christen off, clearly not saying anything close to what she was about to say.
“Oh.”
Tobin sat up straight. “Sorry, what were you going to say. I cut you off.” Her smile was enough to kill her right now. Christen searched Tobin’s eyes for some indication that she would be open to what she had to say at the moment. “I call the bed closest to the window.”
…………..
They were in sync again. Christen increasingly thought that Tobin did feel the same way she did. It was a cat and mouse game between them, stealing innocent touches behind the backs of their roommates and lowkey flirting when they found excuses to be with each other. When they made dinner Monday night, Tobin offered to help her cut vegetables to put in quesadillas. They were standing right up against each other at the kitchen counter, Tobin’s arm grazing her as she reached across to grab a cutting board. Christen strategically brushed up behind her when she needed to grab a paper towel on the other side of the counter and felt Tobin accept the contact.
She was so excited for their upcoming trip this weekend and started to pack already. She had even offered to drive as a way to say thank you for including her in the trip. Knowing Kelley, she would likely call shot-gun before they even left the front porch, so she decided to get to Tobin before that happened.
“So I’m used to driving on the LA Expressway and I’m assuming this road trip will be a little different. Is it a bad drive?” she asked slicing the peppers into thin slices.
Tobin didn’t look up from where she dicing onions. “We might hit traffic going through Charlotte but other than that it moves pretty good. Nothing like LA highways.”
“Oh good, I’m kind of a nervous driver when there’s a ton of traffic,” she lied. Christen had seen it all; it was part of being a Californian driver. Tobin wiped her brow with the back of her hand before continuing cutting. “Do you want me to drive instead?”
“Oh, no. I’ll drive. But maybe just sit up front to help me navigate? It’ll help.” She watched Tobin fight the smile forming across her face.
“Yeah, sure. You be the one tell Kelley she has to sit in the back and it’s a deal.”
….
9:02 am. They were supposed to leave by 8:30. Christen’s car was packed and ready to go but Allie’s was still waiting on Alex who was taking her time to primp and close the overstuffed suitcase she prepare.
“Alex,” Tobin roared. “Let’s go. You’re spending over four hours in the car and you’ll just want to redo your makeup once we get there anyway. C’mon!” Christen giggled at Tobin’s impatience, knowing it probably pissed her off that she had to get up earlier than needed. Ali and Ashlyn had made a coffee run and were sipping on theirs on the couch, legs flung over each other. “Why don’t you guys just go ahead. You can check in and stuff.”
It was better than sitting and waiting, so they took her up on their suggestion. Everything was in place and off they went. Kelley was surprisingly a really good sport about sitting in back, not one complaint was heard. “I like your car,” Tobin told her. “But mine would have been a little more spacious.” Tobin’s Audi SUV was nice; she’d been in it a few times when she offered to drive them to class on rainy mornings.
“Yeah but now we’re all squeezed a little closer,” Kelley spoke. Eyeing her in the rearview mirror, she saw her wink. What was that?
Christen glanced in Tobin’s direction to see if she was bothered by Kelley’s remark, but she didn’t notice any reaction. They all remained relatively quiet for the first hour, still trying to wake up. Right as they were about to pull up to the toll both, Christen panicked. “How do I do this? What do I give them?”
“Relax,” Tobin assured her. “It’s a flat toll. I have bills and some change for us.” She pulled up slowly to the attendant as Tobin handed her a ten dollar bill.
“Five dollars, please.” Christen handed over the money, her left arm out the window and her right resting on the center console. While waiting for change, she felt something hover over her resting hand. She didn’t dare look over, having a pretty strong guess as to what it was. After thanking the attendant, she had two choices: she could place the bill in her lap and drive with her left hand or remove the one underneath of Tobin’s.
She chose the first option. It was an awkward transition but totally worth it. Out of the corner of her eye, Christen could see Tobin wasn’t as affected as her; looking out of the opposite window like it was nothing. Her, on the other hand, had to remind herself to breathe every few seconds as her heart raced. A quick look in the mirror told her Kelley was oblivious to what was going on, concentrating on her phone.
It felt nice.
Eventually, Tobin removed it to answer the buzzing coming from her cell phone and Christen cursed whoever was on the other end.
“Yo, what’s up Al?”
Damn you, Alex. Or Allie. Or Ali?
“Ok, we’ll probably stop in Greenville and then we’ll get there at the same time. Ok. Yep. See ya.” Tobin hung up and let them know the just of her conversation. “They left about half hour after us but we can’t really check in until 2 anyway. Wanna stop for that coffee and pie when we get to Greenville then we can all get there around the same time?”
“I DO!” Kelley yelled from the backseat.
“I wasn’t asking you but okay,” Tobin joked. Christen simpered, letting her know she remembered their conversation and was happy to go. “Yeah?” Tobin followed up. All she could do was nod. Her concentration was on her right hand, still in place on the console. She was praying Tobin would find it again but after a few minutes she decided to retreat. I should probably use it to drive anyway.
An hour and a half later, the trio were sitting at a small table devouring a piece of chocolate silk pie and oversized cup of coffee each. “You were right, this is SO good,” Christen mumbled between bites, barely tasting it before she swallowed it down.
“Good is an understatement,” Kelley agreed. She licked her fork bare before pushing her empty plate in front of her. “So what’s the plan tonight? We going out?” Tobin confirmed the plans with a single nod. Christen had packed a few outfits to go out but wasn’t sure what kind of scene she was in for. She figured she’d just piggyback off of whatever Ali had since she trusted her taste the most.
“I’m kind of excited to go out,” Christen sipped the warm cup of coffee, “I don’t think we’ve all been to the bars together yet.” Their schedules usually meant they were going in different directions, so it would be another first for them.
“Let’s see if O’Hara over here lets us enjoy a night without having to take her home too early,” Tobin teased. “Oh, bite me.” The banter went back and forth for a few minutes before Kelley got up to leave the bathroom. “Leaving means you lose,” Tobin called after her. Christen grinned ear to ear, happy to see someone calling Kelley out. She loved her, she really did, but sometimes she was a lot to handle and needed to know it. Tobin was the perfect person to do it because her personality was so forgiving, so patient.
“You have something on your cheek.” She looked across the table to see Tobin eyeing her. “Oh?”
She watched her sit up and reach across the table, dragging her thumb slowly down the length of her cheek. It made her breathing become heavy, feeling Tobin against her while her eyes reflected affection. Her thumb stroked the length of her jaw towards her chin, pausing before slipping away. Christen’s eyes closed while she tried to regain her strength. When she opened them, Tobin had a look of desire burning within her. But there they were, in the middle of a restaurant in a small town she’d never seen before, Kelley O’Hara about to come back to the table.
Sure enough, Kelley came back and rounded them up for the rest of the ride.
…..
Christen and Kelley agreed to share a bed for the night, which in a way relieved her. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to control herself if she had to spend all night next to Tobin. While she never said anything about that day in her bed, Christen couldn’t be sure that she was completely comfortable with the way she had touched her.
The plan was an early 5:30 dinner at a local restaurant, followed by getting ready back at the hotel to go out by 9. The weather was a bit warmer today so they spent the afternoon kicking the ball around on the fields and touring the campus. At dinner, she was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and long sleeved t-shirt, throwing her hair in a ponytail. Tobin was at the opposite end of the table, so she was able to make it through conversations by actually paying attention to the words that were flowing.
When they got back to their rooms, Tobin hopped in the shower first, claiming she wouldn’t take long and then she’d be out of their way. Christen wrapped herself in a plush ivory towel, beads of water dripping down her back from her jet black hair. She emerged from the steamy bathroom, only to see Kelley doing her makeup on the floor in front of the wall mirror. “Where’d Tobin go?”
“She went to the other room, she said just come over when we’re ready.”
Christen turned on her iPod, a little bummed to miss out on more time with her. Kelley convinced her to wear the pair of dressy black leggings and a tan low cut flowy shirt, paired with black ankle boots. Her hair was pin straight and her makeup was a little dramatic for the bar they were going to, but she wanted to stand out in sea the girls available to Tobin. Kelley waited patiently for her to finish getting ready before she gently joked they would only have one time for one drink before having to leave at midnight.
She decided she looked good enough and pushed down the few final flyaways from the crown of her hair. Linking arms with Kelley, she sipped from her solo cup down the hallway of the hotel to the other room. Music was pumping behind the closed door, indicating they had a head start to the night. When she walked in, her eyes scanned the room. Where’s Tobin? Oh. My. God. She had to do a double take to recognize her without her usual jeans and t-shirt outfit. Her long, tanned legs were crossed and exposed underneath the short hem of a short-sleeved black and gray shift dress. Her hair was wavy, neatly parted and possibly teased a little. Her strong facial features were softened by the glow of a hint of blush on the apples of her cheeks and eye makeup. Bangles hung from her tiny wrists holding a beer over her lap. She was absolutely gorgeous.
Tobin spotted her, not breaking her conversation with Ashlyn and her lips curled up in a smile as she continued talking. Christen tried to busy herself by turning both to her left and right for something to do other than gawking at her.
She was measuring and pouring herself a drink on the makeshift bar when she felt a hand land on the small of her back. “Hey, what are you making?” Tobin asked her. She smells incredible. Christen didn’t think she could control herself in a room of unsuspecting friends so she stepped out of Tobin’s reach and offered her a sip of the drink. “Want some?” She had up-close view of the girl now and it was nothing short of perfection. Tobin accepted and took a long sip of the drink. “Not bad.”
During the half hour they spent cooped up in the room, she couldn’t take her eyes off of Tobin’s legs. Sure, she’d seen them in shorts when she played and occasionally around the house but something about them tonight was maddening to her. All she wanted to do was run her fingertips up and down them, seeing if they were as smooth and silky as she imagined.
At the bar they went to they got a circular booth that made them squeeze in tightly against each other.
“You go first, Kel,” Christen told her, knowing that if she went ahead she would miss out on sitting next to Tobin. Her efforts paid off and she found herself sandwiched between Tobin to her left and Ali on the right. There was a small awkward space between the wall and the booth that had a little ledge, so when Tobin raised her arm upward and around to her direction she almost had a heart attack. She’s putting her arm around me for everyone to see. A few seconds went by and she didn’t feel anything so peeked out of the corner of her eye to see where it was. You’re panicking, calm down. Enjoy yourself.
And she did. They ordered a round of shots and drinks and soon enough Alex was beckoning them to the dance floor where a band was playing. A few of the girls went with her, but she decided to hang back with Ashlyn and Tobin for now. Ignoring Ashlyn, she turned to Tobin. “I like your hair like this,” she told her while running her fingers through the soft ends. “It looks so good.”
Tobin was glowing when she thanked her. “I don’t usually make the effort to get dressed up but I figured everyone else was so why not.” The sexual tension was mounting between them; she could feel it. It didn’t help she was buzzed and was very aware of her hand that had “slipped” onto the top of Tobin’s bare thigh.
“I’m going out there, you two wanna come?” Ashlyn called across the table. Christen shrugged her shoulders in Tobin’s direction and grabbed her hand. The dance floor was crowded, probably not the best place to bring your drink, but they fought their way to where their group of friends was standing. They all danced together for a while, swaying back and forth and singing the lyrics overtop of the band’s singer. After an hour she felt overheated and a bit claustrophobic. Pulling on Tobin’s hand she leaned in, “I need some air. Come with me.”
Tobin handed her drink off to Ali and followed her out of the crowed, two of her fingers latched to hers to keep from separating. The place was now filled with people wall to wall and the only escape was outside. Christen looked both directions before turning right around the bar into a small, but lit alley between buildings.
“Phew. Much better,” she laughed. She leaned against the brick of the building in a dramatic fashion, watching Tobin stand in front of her. The smile remained on her face as they looked at each other in silence for a few moments. She held out of her hand meekly, seeing if Tobin would accept it. When she did, Christen slowly pulled her in a little closer towards her body.
“Hi,” she breathed. Tobin reached out and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. “Hi.”
It felt like eternity that they stood there like that, studying each other’s faces illuminated by the streetlights. Her breath became slightly labored as she worked up the courage to lean forward, searching for Tobin’s lips. Tobin bent her head, gliding past her and whispering into her ear. “ I want to kiss, you. I really do. But the first time I do will not be in a gross alley with someone throwing up ten feet away from us.” She pulled back and Christen looked over. Sure enough there was a guy huddled against the brick that she hadn’t even noticed before, heaving away.
It left her a little disappointed but also appreciative that Tobin was thoughtful enough to know how much it would mean to her. She gave a little laugh as Tobin tugged on her hand. “Come on, let’s just bite the bullet and go back in. It’s colder than I thought it would be.”
They walked slowly back inside, finding their friends back on the dance floor. The rest of their short time out was spent flirting, Tobin spinning Christen around to the music and Christen leaning a little too heavily against Tobin’s side. She wished on the way back to the hotel that they’d have a few moments to themselves but resigned to the fact it just wasn’t in the cards.
She settled in the shared bed, facing Tobin opposite of her, after scrubbing off their makeup next to one another in silence in the bathroom. Tobin was already lightly snoring, a buzzing sound coming from her throat. Tomorrow, she thought. Tomorrow I will kiss her.