Mixed Messages

Christen spent her Tuesday in one of the university libraries, sitting across from her delectable girlfriend who was dressed in those gray thermal leggings that made her mouth water with an oversized sweatshirt that hung from her.  She watched Tobin sip her coffee while concentrating on the textbook in front of her.  It was possibly one of the few times she’d seen her so serious, even counting all of the games she’d seen her play in.  

“How’s it going?” Christen checked in.  Tobin broke her attention to give her a soft smile.  “Good.  You okay over there?”

Truth was, she didn’t really need to study for her last two finals since one was open note and the other would likely be a breeze but the company was enough to keep her there.  “Yep.  Just working on our date night for tomorrow,” she teased, pretending to tap away on her laptop.

It brought a bigger smile to Tobin’s face, lighting it up in anticipation.  “What are we doing?”

“It’s a secret.  Can’t tell.”  She was met with a pout that made Tobin’s eyes go round and wide, staring into her.  “That won’t work,” Christen insisted even though it wasn’t entirely true.  She watched her  stand up and round the table, taking a seat directly next to her before leaning in closely to press a soft kiss to her cheek.  “Will this work?”  Christen melted underneath her touch.  “Nope.”

Tobin looked around the crowded room to see if anyone was focused on them before she leaned back in and aimed for her lips.  The gesture made Christen’s heart skip a beat, going numb from head to toe.  “You’re getting warmer but the deal was that we would have a night together if you studied!  So get back over to the other side of this table before I have to cancel our date.”  She was was completely kidding but part of her was actually afraid she wouldn’t be able to control herself even though they were in the middle of a sea of people.  Tobin stood up and sulked to the other side, slumping back into her chair before giving her a dirty look.  “Happy?”

Christen shot her a smile that reached her eyes, “more than ever.”  

…

She woke up earlier than her alarm on Wednesday, anxious for the day ahead of her.  Tobin lightly snored next to her, unaware that it was morning.  Christen watched her breathe for a few moments while tracing her jaw with her fingertips, careful not to disturb her.  It was best that she got moving before Tobin could question why she was up so early so she carefully moved up and away, out the bedroom door without shutting it.

Downstairs she saw Allie making herself a bagel while reading something on her phone.  She looked up to greet her, eyeing her lack of clothing.  “I guess it IS a good morning,” she teased.  Christen blushed, telling her to quit it.  “Ha ha, very funny.  Final this morning?” she asked, nodding to backpack sitting on the stool in front of her.

“Ugh, yes.  Statistics.”  

Christen winced, “that’s the worst.  You’ll be fine I’m sure.  But can you do me a quick favor?”  

“Sure,” Allie told her.  

“I’m going to close the common door so I can start on something in our kitchen.  If Tobin comes down can you keep her from coming in?  Or at least distract her?”  She intended on making her breakfast in bed, but if she woke up anytime soon it wouldn’t work out.  Still, she could at least put something together without her fingers interfering or random ‘taste tests’.  “No problem, I’ll be here for about another twenty minutes.”

“Perfect, thanks Allie.” Christen called over her shoulder.  In her own kitchen she took out the ingredients to make waffles from scratch, a Tobin favorite, with little side bowls of fruits and chocolate chips to add if she wanted.  It didn’t take her long to whip up the batter and she had it spread in the waffle maker just in time to hear Tobin knocking on the other side of the door.  “Chris?  What are you up to?”  

Ugh, c’mon Allie, I asked you to keep her away!  “Tobin, go back upstairs.  I’ll be there in a few minutes!”  

A whiny voice came through the door again.  “Can’t I just stay down here?”  Like a little kid…  “Fine.  Lay down on the couch for a few minutes and I’ll be right there.”  Christen flipped over the waffle maker, making sure it was even on each side.  On a breakfast tray she put the strawberries, bananas, chocolate chips, syrup, a napkin with utensils and a large glass of orange juice.  Neatly arranging the contents, it would have looked better if she was serving it to someone actually in bed, but this would have to do.

Christen almost dropped the tray trying to unlock and open the door before Tobin rushed to her aid.  “Here let me help!”  Unable to do anything but take the assistance, Christen sulked to herself about the ruined opportunity.   

“Is this for me?”  Tobin’s eyes softened into her own, happy with the gesture.  “And me if you’ll let me have a bite or two,” she told her.

Tobin sat the tray down on the coffee table and pulled on Christen’s wrists, leaving them stiff at her sides.  “Is this our date?  Because I love it, thank you.”  She felt warm lips hover over her own, searching for a kiss.  A quick peck was given before she pulled away, laughing to herself.  “No, this is not our ‘date’.  I just wanted you to have a good start to your day but you wouldn’t stay in bed,’ she told Tobin while elbowing her.  The honey-brown eyes softened, possibly filling slightly with moisture.  “You did this just because?”

Christen was a little concerned with Tobin’s demeanor, seeing a tear start to slip from the bottom of her eye lid.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.  I’m - It’s just so sweet of you.”  Her body relaxed against the other girl’s while she pulled her in to nuzzle her neck.  “Well I’m not done for the day.  Be ready for tonight.”  Tobin’s excited expression returned briefly before she pulled her down to devour the growing-cold breakfast.  “I think I’ll keep you,” she said between bites, not even looking up.

“Good,” Christen said.  “Because there’s no way I’m getting rid of you.”

…

Tobin’s POV

She ran her fingers through her messy brown hair, untangling the knots formed from her slumber and tight bun she had it in.  It was too cold outside to walk out with wet hairt and she taken so long to eat breakfast and curl up on the couch with Christen that she didn’t have time to do anything special with it.  Ashlyn was in her Linguistics course and waited for her patiently in the common room, having slept over at Ali’s the night before.  She’d had a front row seat to her and Christen’s goodbye this morning, a brief then deeper kiss that might have spiraled out of control if it weren’t for her presence.

“So how’s that going?” Ashlyn asked her, sensing everything seemed to be good between them as they walked out the door.

Tobin fiddled with her hat, pulling it lower onto her ears.  “It’s great.”  Ashlyn wasn’t happy with the lack of detail, “that’s all I’m gonna get?”  She shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what else to say without gushing over Christen.  “We’re all good, she makes me really happy.”  

“That’s all the counts.”  The pair walked leisurely to their lecture hall, dreading what the next hour and a half would be.  Once settled into her chair, Tobin realized she wasn’t that nervous for the exam and despite the outcome, she’d already chalk this day up to be a good one.  Ashlyn finished before her, giving her a small wave on her way out but she wasn’t convinced that it was a good thing.  The questions weren’t as difficult as she anticipated and the open-ended prompts were something she had studied her tail off for.  Overall, she calculated at least a B.  

Once she was home, her clock told her she had two hours until she had to be ready for the big ‘date’.  Christen still wouldn’t give any hints or tell her what they were doing, so all she could do was trust her judgment and fill her time taking a nap and getting ready.  If she knew anything about Christen, she would plan something that would require her to put on something other lounging clothes and a ponytail.  She loved her reaction when they were in South Carolina and she had worn that dress with her hair and makeup done.  Tonight, she decided, she’d go for the same look.

She sat on her bedroom floor in front of a floor length mirror, fingers warm from the radiating heat of the curling wand that was deep in her bathroom drawer.  Her hair was already naturally wavy if she let it air dry after her shower but tonight she wanted it perfect.  Lightly applying makeup that made her eyes pop, she couldn’t help but silently thank Alex for nagging all these years, forcing her to put some effort into herself every once in a while.  “You’re hot, Tobin, you just have to let people see it,” she would say.

She thought she looked good, but needed an outfit.  Wanting to make sure it was just right, she texted Kelley to meet her in her bedroom.

Tobin: Come to my room. I need help

Kelley: Isn’t that Christen’s job ;)

Tobin: Get over here

Kelley rapped on the door, pretending to cover her eyes as she opened it.  “I hope you have clothes on.”

Tobin shook her head, “Stop.  Get in here.”  

“Hey, just saying.  Seems you’ve been having a hard time keeping them on the past few days.”  SHe felt herself redden in embarrassment.  “That’s what you think.”

Snickering, Kelley confirmed the fact.  “My room is under Christen’s and you do know the common room is just down these steps.  I know what goes on.  Nice, by the way.”  She held out of her hand for a high five which there was no way she was going to return.  “Gross, that’s your friend.”

“Yeah but she’s my good looking friend you managed to land.  Nice work and don’t screw it up.”  

Tobin ran a hand through the top of her hair as a habit but stopped immediately when she remembered she had just curled it. “That’s why you’re here.  I need you to help pick something out for me for tonight.  I don’t know where we’re going and what to wear.”  

Kelley looked intrigued, excited even to be of assistance.  “It’s too cold for anything short but I don’t think jeans are the best option,” she tapped her finger against her lips.  “Do you have any tops you really like?  I can try to match them with something I have?”  She ran her hand down the line of dressy shirts she saved for rare occasions in the closet.  “I like these two,” Tobin told her, which she seemed to have no qualms about.

“Ok the black one is good, but I’m thinking the white is better.  Pair it with those pants and ankle boots and it’s a winner.”  She thought it looked good enough to her and walked over to the small jewelry box her sister had gotten her a few Christmases ago.  There were only a few items in it, but a bunch of gold bangles and small earrings would dress her up a bit more.  “These good, too?”

Her friend nodded before sitting down on the edge of the bed.  “You’re putting a lot of thought into your outfit tonight,” she teased.  Nonchalantly putting the jewelry on and avoiding eye contact, Tobin agreed.  “Christen puts in a lot of effort all the time so I just want to do the same.”  

Kelley hummed in acknowledgment.  “Yeah, she always looks good.”

She shot her a warning glance, “you’re checkin’ out my girlfriend an awful lot.  But no, I mean she puts effort into everything we do.  Like how she came to California and she’s always cooking for me and now planning tonight.  I really need to up my game.”  

“You don’t need ‘game’, Tobin.  She knows with soccer life is hectic and now you’ll have more free time to do stuff together.”  It made her feel guilty, thinking back to earlier in the morning when Christen had made her breakfast.  It was a simple gesture that sent her into emotional overdrive.  She didn’t like to compare relationships because it wasn’t what it was about but never had someone shown her that level of care or kindness.  There wasn’t a time that she could recall where something so small had meant so much to her and it made her feel bad that she hadn’t done anything like that for Christen.

Except that night.  The infamous, disastrous, horrible night.

Seeing the expression on her face gave her thoughts away to Kelley.  “I think Christen is also trying to make it up to you.  You know, because of what happened that night.”

She hoped it wasn’t true, because in all honesty, she wasn’t the only one at fault for the lack of communication.  In fact, Tobin rarely thought about it these days.  It was one of those times she hoped they’d look back on long from now and just laugh, realizing it was a blip on their radar and insignificant to who they were.  “She never had to make anything up to me but if she is, she achieved that goal a long time ago.”

“Then tell her that.  Whatever you guys do, just make sure she knows how much you appreciate the night she planned.  I know Christen and she needs feedback on this kinda stuff.”

Nodding in acknowledgment, Tobin started to shue her friend out of the room so she could get dressed, but not without another thank you.  “Really, Kel, thanks for helping.”

“No problem, just do me a favor and sleep in your room tonight.  I have a final tomorrow morning and I don’t wanna be up all night, ya know,” she joked by winking at her.  “I can’t make any promises,” Tobin told her holding her hands in the air innocently.  

…..

Christen ran through her mental checklist in her head, making sure she had everything ready to go before ‘picking Tobin up’.  She’d chosen a maroon high neck dress with a long sweater draped over top, tights for cold legs and boots.  It was probably a little too dressy, but she intended on taking the outfit off by the end of the night anyway.

She walked down the steps to the common room, hoping she was early enough to be able to greet Tobin as she came down the steps.  Luckily, she made it just in the nick of time, beating her out a mere 10 or 15 seconds.  Tobin emerged from behind the wall looking drop-dead gorgeous.  She could tell she’d primped just for the night, casting a warmness over her heart.  “You clean up nicely,” she murmured into her hair, wrapping her arms tightly over her slender body. “Are you ready?”  Tobin pulled back, twirling her.  “You don’t look half bad yourself.”  They ran each their hands up and down the length of each other’s bodies, taking in the scents and sights that were intoxicating.

“You two make me sick,” Kelley said from her hiding spot on the couch.  She was wrapped in blankets, no television or noise giving her away.

Christen leaned her forehead into Tobin’s, not able to control her laughter at their friend.  “Sorry, Kel.  We’re leaving now.”  She ushered Tobin towards her side of the house so she could grab her car keys and coat.  “I can drive,” Tobin offered while pulling on her own jacket.   

“No, this is my date.  Besides, you don’t know where we’re going.”  Tobin snapped her fingers and scowled, “I thought I had ya.”  

“Put this on.”  She held out a silky black sleeping mask she’d borrowed from Ali earlier, hoping it would add suspense and surprise to the evening.  “A blindfold? You sure this isn’t for the end of the night?” Christen scowled, pointing to her eyes.  “Remind me to keep this for later,” Tobin smirked causing Christen to playfully shove her in the ribs.  “Just put it on and then take my hand.  I don’t want you to have any sense of direction.  

She had to help Tobin settle into the car after walking like a baby deer across the lawn.  To throw her off, she took the long way around town, turning up and down side streets and sitting at stop signs much longer than she had to.  To make sure the surprise wasn’t ruined, she had someone from the restaurant waiting for them so she could park  and Tobin could wear the mask into the restaurant without drawing too many looks.  It took a lot of convincing, but she did have a way with words that helped her make her case.  

“Ok, I’m going to help you out of the car and do NOT take that mask off.  There’s someone who’s going to stand with you for a minute or two and then walk you inside,” Christen instructed.

She could see Tobin becoming anxious under the blindfold.  “Do I know this person?”  

“No.  It’ll be okay, only a minute or two I promise.”  Christen pulled her by the hands out of the car, warning her to watch the curb and take a step up onto the sidewalk.  She confirmed with the younger man, probably a college student at UNC himself, that he was waiting for the them.  “Ok, stay here Tobin.  Give me a minute or two.”  Christen nodded to the guy, giving him a thumbs up and mouthing 2 minutes. Before she could get back in the car, Tobin called for her.  “Wait.  Come back.”  She did as she was asked and grasped at Tobin’s hands reaching out for her.  

“Thank you.”  

She wasn’t sure what she was being thanked for, so she asked, “why, babe?”

“Just thank you for doing all this and caring enough to do something special for me. And us.  It means a lot to me.”  The movement of Tobin’s glossy lips made her weak, but her words made it worse.  “You’re welcome babe, I love you.”  She laid a light kiss on top of Tobin’s hair, not wanting to smudge her own lipstick or stain her check.  Letting go, she got back in her running car and found a spot right away, hastily parking before jogging lightly inside to the table.  She sat down, primping her hair and opening the menu when Tobin appeared about 75 feet in front of her by the hostess stand.  Giving the staff a nod, she saw them tell her to take her blind, which she fumbled with.

When it clicked in her head where they were, she grinned so wide Christen thought it might spill off her face.  She strutted over to the table, taking the seat across from her.  “You picked here?”

“We’re going to have a do-over.”

………

They laughed in unison throughout dinner, clearly overdressed for the restaurant that Tobin had told her to meet at that night months ago, but it didn’t matter because as far as they were concerned, no one else was around.  Tobin picked off of Christen’s plate and Christen grazed her legs against Tobin’s while they talked about everything under the sun.  Giggling with a full stomach herself, she warned Tobin to save a little room.  “We have stop number two in a little bit, so don’t fill up!”  

“I bet I can guess where that is,” she replied, knowing exactly what was in store.  “You wanna go now?  I’ll get the check.”

Christen’s face dropped, shaking her head. “No, I told you this is my date! I’m paying.”  Tobin reached out to grab her hands.  “Chris, I love that you brought me here and you wanted a redo, but I should have told you long ago that it wasn’t necessary.  Every single day I’m happy to just be with you; that’s enough for me. I haven’t given that night another thought.”  

She felt the tears forming in her eyes, not out of sadness but joy.  “Really?”  

“Yes.” Tobin brought her hand to her warm lips and kissed it.  “But if you want to get the check here, I’ll drive and pick up the tab at the next place.”  It was a good enough compromise for her and the fact that Tobin was insistent on being apart of the evening as more than just passive participant made her happy.   “Deal.”

She signed the check and allowed Tobin to help her put on her coat, a lingering kiss between them before finding the chilly night air. In the driver’s seat of her car, she loved the way she looked and felt their partnership was growing more comfortable by the day.  Leaning across the center console, she sprinkled kisses along Tobin’s neck, making her whimper at the touch.  “We won’t get to our second spot if you keep doing that.”

“I don’t mind,” she breathed against her skin.  Tobin rested her head downward, awkwardly on top of her own.  “I do.  I was really excited about this part that night.”  Recognizing the way it came out wasn’t flattering, she rushed to clarify, “I mean I wanted to be with you in the place where we’d first met and now we get to again.” Deep down, Christen knew she was just being nice and really was excited at what she had planned, but decided to let it go.  They were having such a good time and most of all Tobin’s earlier words had struck a chord with her.

They walked hand in hand into the cafe, lights dimmed and no one around.  Just as Tobin had arranged earlier, Christen asked the owner to keep it open for them for just a little longer past closing so they could have dessert and coffee.  At a table for two, they shared the chocolate cake with little conversation at first.  Finally, Tobin spoke.  “I’m so happy, Chris.  Are you?”

“Yes.”   She was - really, really was.  “I love everything about being with you.”

Tobin nodded, “and next semester I promise we’ll be able to do more together like go out during the week or take weekend trips if you want.  You’re my priority.”  She swelled with pride and excitement, enthusiastically smiling.  “I can’t wait.”

“Now, before I can’t control myself in public can we please go home? I’m dying to know what’s under that dress.”  Christen felt herself blushing, feeling like even in the dark room she was on display.

Their ride home was quick but furious, Tobin trying to concentrate on the road while Christen’s hands wandered up and down her body, her mouth not far behind.  They slipped up the steps stealthily to Tobin’s room since it was closer than her own. In front of the door, Christen stepped out of Tobin’s fingertips dancing on her waist, detaching their sweet lips that had the remains of chocolate.  “Since this was my date, I should be a lady and bid you goodnight here,” she joked. Tobin wasn’t having it, pulling her back into her reach, mouth dipping into the crook of her neck, biting down quickly to tease her. Christen dropped her own hand to the girl’s backside, squeezing her as close as possible. A hand slipped lower, lower onto her thighs just below the hem of her dress while they moved in sync past the half-opened door.  

Before Tobin could pull the door closed behind them, Christen’s hands moved upwards and caressed her back underneath the sheer black top.

“You still have that blindfold?”

…….

The next night, music pumped through the speakers downstairs, creating a vibration under the girls’ feet while they walked across the living room of the soccer house.  The guys had really outdone themselves, decorating with odd Christmas stuff and lights everywhere.  There was a mixture of dressy outfits and ugly Christmas sweaters, making Christen feel much better about Tobin’s insisting on wearing the reindeer ears with her all black outfit.  She was wearing an ugly sweater herself, which was actually pretty funny and lit up when she pressed a button.  

“I’m going to to grab a drink, you want anything?” Tobin brushed up against her cheek, carefully yelling into her ear.  She held up her water, “I’m not going to drink, but thanks.”  Tobin nodded, letting go of her hand to go find a bar with Alex and Allie in tow, who was texting away and not paying attention.  Left with Ali, she followed her to where Ashlyn was in the basement hanging with a few of their guy friends.  After about a half hour, she hadn’t seen the rest of her roommates reappear, so she decided to go back upstairs.  Immediately she saw them situated at a long table, playing some sort of drinking game she’d never seen.  Tobin was the center of attention, people cheering her on while she chugged her drink with one fist in the air spurring them on.  She slammed down her empty cup and people broke out into loud cries that made her blinding white smile appear.  Christen laughed, unsure she’d ever seen this side of Tobin.

Their eyes met and Tobin motioned for her to come join her.  “Wanna play, baby?”  She could already tell this wasn’t her first drink of the night.  “No, I’ll watch if that’s ok.  You having fun?”  

“I’m just so happy to be done with finals and soccer,” she explained.  “This is the one party a year I can let loose.”  Christen placed her hands on either side of the girl’s neck and rewarded her with a kiss on her cheek.  “Go for it.” Unable to look away, Tobin pulled her in closer and nuzzled the side of her cheek, into her hair.  “Don’t go too far, you look too good and I don’t want anyone else snatching you up.”  

“I’m no one’s but yours.”  Alex nudged Tobin, breaking them out of their little bubble and bringing her back to the game.  Christen decided to go find Julie and see what she was up to, leaving her girlfriend to have a good time.

On her way towards the back of the house in the kitchen, she stopped in her tracks, looking around for an escape route before she was spotted.  Unfortunately, there was no way out.

“Christen, hi.”

Shirley leaned against the kitchen counter straight ahead, drinking out of a solo cup with a few of the soccer guys standing beside her.  All of them appeared to be nervous, caught up on the little love triangle that persisted.  “Hi,” she returned, unwilling to be completely rude.  

“I haven’t seen Tobin around, is she here?” Do I lie and say no so she won’t look for her?  She’ll end up seeing her, probably.  Just keep it short.

“Yep.”  

Her facial expression indicated she knew Christen was playing coy.  “Well, I’ll have to make sure I say hi then.”  Their eyes dueled silently.

On cue, she heard the clacking of Alex’s heels behind them.  “Hey Chri-....oh, hey Shirley.”   Alex looked back and forth between the girls, trying to figure out what she walked in on.  Shirley beat her to answering, “I was just asking if Tobin was here.”  

“I’m heeeeeere,” the familiar voice called, walking down the hallway with a fresh cup of something her hand.  “Oh look who it is,” Tobin purred, obviously sarcastic, looking at Shirley then back to her.  “It’s my girlfriend!”  She drove her body tightly into Christen’s and pushed their lips together, much too hard for her liking.  

She knew what Tobin was doing, continuing the charade they’d started in the bar earlier in the week but suddenly Christen wasn’t in the mood to play along. “I’m gonna go find Julie.”  She started to walk away from the group, but Tobin grabbed her wrist sensing she wasn’t happy.  “I’ll come with you, babe.”  

“Tobin, wait!” Shirley called.  “Can we talk tonight at some point?”

Having enough herself, Christen turned around.  “No, you can’t, Shirley.  I’ve been pretty nice up to this point but I think Tobin has made it pretty clear that there is nothing left between you two.  Please do us a favor and just let it go and let us be.”

Glaring at her from behind her cup, Shirley shook her head. “I told you Christen, three months, that’s all it’ll take.”  

Tobin pushed her forward, “Go.  I’ll handle this.”

Searching her face, Christen came to the conclusion that she trusted Tobin in this moment despite her state of mind.  She left the room, not wanting to her what happened in that conversation.

Ten minutes later, she nervously drummed her fingers against the side of a living room couch when she saw Tobin re-appear.  Her eyes light up and she waved at her.  Tobin smiled, walking over and sitting on her lap.  “You okay?”  

“I’m fine, are you?”

“Yeah, I told her in so many words to fuck off.”

Christen gasped.  “Tobin! Language!”  Her girlfriend cackled and leaned in for another kiss.  “But what did she mean when she said ‘three months’?”  Ugh, I don’t want to talk about this.  Hemming and hawing, she finally spit it out, telling her about their conversation in the bar earlier in the week.  Tobin’s eyes reflected concern, but also drunkenness.  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know, I - we hadn’t …” her voice trailed off.  “Slept together?” Tobin questioned.   “Yes. So I had some thoughts that made me wonder if it could be true.”  Christen’s eyes looked to her hands playing together on top of Tobin’s leg.  “You have nothing to worry about,” Tobin reassured her, lifting her gaze back up.  “Nothing.”

Christen smiled at her, feeling the weight of her body on top of her legs.  “Here, drink this,” Tobin insisted.

“I told you, I’m not drinking tonight!”  Shrugging, Tobin took the cup for herself, downing the liquid in a few big gulps.  “I’m gonna get another and go to the bathroom.  Wanna come?”  

The two settled on getting another beer first, passing Allie who gave Tobin a shot of God knows what first, before going upstairs to the bathroom she’d hid in earlier in the year.  It made her smile to herself, thinking of how far they’d come since that night.  After Tobin re-emerged, she felt herself being pushed up against the wall playfully, pinned under the brunette’s weight.  “Wasn’t this where you saw Alex with Serv and you got jealous?” she whispered, a fire behind her eyes building.

Christen felt a hitch in her breath underneath the gaze, nodding profusely without speaking.  “My girl was looking out for me from day one.”  Tobin brushed her hips against her own, sprinkling kisses along her jaw.  “I should have taken you home instead of Alex that night.”

“Ok, drunky, I think it’s time to take YOU home now,” Christen laughed.  Although this was definitely the most intoxicated and forward she’d ever seen Tobin, it was still endearing.  Something about the way Tobin lovingly looked at her, no inhibitions, made her long to reach out and kiss her slowly, deeply.  The only thing stopping her was the pressing need to keep moving in the swarm of people going up and down the steps.  Taking her girlfriend’s hand, she went one step at a time, clutching at the handrailing with her free hand.  She made sure her pace was slow so Tobin didn’t trip over her clumsy feet in the process and once they hit the bottom she circled her hand around her waist to steer her through the crowed.  Tobin leaned into her side, shifting her weight for Christen to handle.  She could smell the mixture of cheap vodka and vanilla, not sure if it was pleasant or not.  

Once outside, Tobin was able to catch her own bearings a bit better but their hands were tightly locked on their walk.  There wasn’t any conversation between them for the first few minutes but Tobin eventually broke the comfortable silence.  “

Christen watched Tobin haphazardly strip off her shirt and shimmy out of her jeans, tripping over her own feet when they reached her ankles.  She could tell she was trying to put on some sore of seductive show, enticing her to stay the night but all it made her do was giggle.  “Looking good, babe.”

A goofy grin filled Tobin’s face while she sauntered closer, pulling Christen in by the hips.  “And you can have all of this if you stay.”  Now she laughed aloud, unable to control her amusement at the situation.  “As much I want to witness you waking up with the killer hangover you’re going to have, I need to be up for my final, remember?”

Tobin pouted at her, sticking her bottom lip out in displeasure.  “That makes me sad.”

“You and me both.  But I’ll see you right after,” she promised.  Tobin’s eyes brightened, “and bring me breakfast in bed again?”

She turned Tobin around and pushed her towards the bed, forcing her to get in under the covers.  The girl took the direction well, complying with the unsubtle hints to go to sleep.  When she was settled, a pair of sweet brown eyes stared up at her.  “Will you?”

Christen was confused for a second, but then clarified “bring you breakfast again?  If you’re lucky and you go to sleep now.”  She leaned down to give her just a quick kiss on the lips, not wanting any chance of her changing her mind.  She turned around to walk out the door and just as her hand was about to flip the light switch off, Tobin softly called out.  “You’ll bring it, I know you will.”

“You sure about that?”

With her eyes tightly closed and even quieter voice, she responded “yeah.  ‘Cause you love me.”

There’s not denying that, Christen thought.

….

It was pretty easy to fall asleep the previous night, knowing Tobin was safely tucked in her bed and she herself was sober as could be.  Her alarm went off right on time and she quickly dressed in some comfortable clothes for the test.  Mainly though, she knew she was going to crawl right back in bed with Tobin afterwards and there was no sense in dressing up for that.  

Before she went upstairs the night before, she made sure there was something for the breakfast in bed Tobin had requested.  She settled on granola and yogurt, some fresh fruit sliced up and coffee.  If Tobin wanted to carb-load, they’d have to wait for lunch because her excitement to be together couldn’t wait past making anything special.

By 9:12, a record of 12 minutes for a final, she she was finished and headed back to the house.  There were only three short answer questions to accompany handing in her project and they were a breeze to answer.  Bounding up the steps, the house was quiet, probably harboring sleeping girls that had been out way past their bedtime.

It only took her a few minutes to arrange the contents of breakfast-in-bed-part-two on a tray and she snuck up the wooden steps to the other side of the house.  Tobin’s door was tightly shut, just how she left it the night before and pressing her ear to it, she heard silence.  She’s probably still passed out which is good.  She had a lot, for her.  Her hand went to open the door, but found it was locked.  Huh, I wonder if she woke up and did that by accident.

Knocking, she softly called “Tobs, it’s me.  Open up!”  

Nothing.

Christen fiddled with the doorknob, trying to show her impatience.  “I have your breakfast,” she sung out.

Finally, the doorknob started to move, unlocking and turning back and forth.  It opened slightly to reveal Tobin’s curtains had been pulled shut, now allowing an ounce of sunlight in.  But the person who had the door opened wasn’t who she expected.  She felt her jaw hit the floor as she saw Shirley standing there, dressed in an oversized shirt and small shorts, not sure whether they were Tobin’s clothes or not.  Her hair was still neatly placed in a long ponytail and she looked at her with a hint of a smirk.

“Oh Christen, you shouldn’t have.”