Epilogue
Christen leafed through her notes one last time before it was time to call Tobin. She had missed her last night, too engulfed in her flashcards to realize their tiny window of opportunity had passed. It was hard to keep up with her ever-changing time zone schedule but they made it work somehow.
Tobin was in London, completing in some friendlies before the team would head to the World Cup in France next month. She had been over there for about weeks now and was expected home in less than 48 hours where they would see each other for the first time in about three weeks. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for them to be separated that long and yet, it still wasn’t easy. Christen could help but think back to their conversations from two years ago that could have closed the gap on their distance.
“No, Christen. You are not waiting to see where I’m drafted and then applying. Apply where you want and I’ll figure out how to make it work,” Tobin insisted, her eyes pleading with her. Christen didn’t want to hear it. She knew that in the relationship, she was the one who had some flexibility and would could choose what school she attended. It was true that Tobin would spend most of her time on the road anyway, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t sync up their home base.
“It’s not a big deal to wait to see where you’re drafted. It only rules out a few places,” she insisted. “I have a 3.96 GPA and that internship really helps; I can go almost anywhere I want.”
Tobin leaned back against the sofa and glanced at the papers strewn all over the coffee table. “Then go where you want, Chris. Don’t base your decision on me. If you could honestly choose any school, where would go - don’t think about me or the location of it or anything, just what program would be best for you.”
She had thought about this every night, so she knew her top three programs. Telling Tobin was difficult because although one was near an NWSL team, the draft order just didn’t match Tobin’s chances of landing there. “Well,” she hesitated, “I really liked University of Penn, University of Michigan and UCLA.”
“And are you going to apply to all three?” Tobin quizzed, her voice giving off a little edge as though she was a mother patronizing a small child. Her eyes darted away from the lighter brunette. “U of M’s admission deadline is before the draft.”
“Doesn’t matter,” was the reply she got. “Apply. I’ll apply for you if you don’t do it yourself. You’re going where you want to go and I’ll figure out the rest.”
“But Tobin,” she whined, “you’re probably going to end up in either Boston, New Jersey or here. I can apply at UNC, Yale, all the NYC schools. We’ll be so close!”
Tobin was clearly frustrated and over the arguing that was occurring. “Look, apply to a hundred schools, I don’t care. Just please pick one that is best for you. I could get traded or hurt or something and then where would we be? I’ll know by the end of the month where I’ll be playing and you probably don’t have to make any decision till what, March? April? We have time, babe.”
It was level-headed she had to admit, even though applying to a hundred schools would be so costly. She carefully narrowed her list to eight, hopeful at least two would accept her so she could feel like she had somewhat of a choice.
…….
“Hi babe!” Tobin’s toothy white grin filled her laptop screen. “Move back,” she laughed. “I can only see your nose and your teeth.”
Tobin’s full face came into few a second later. “What else did you want to see,” she wiggled her eyebrows and bit her bottom lip seductively. “Not a chance.” Christen couldn’t help but keep her own smile plastered on her tanned face. “I miss you, how was your day?”
The two exchanged their daily summary, patiently listening to the other. After almost four years together, they’d brought out a different side of each other and introduced things into their lives they’d never thought would occupy their interests. For Christen, it was soccer - she understood soccer much more than the average fan and even had her own teams, her own favorite players to root for. For Tobin, it was the world of books and writing. Christen didn’t just like to read and write for school, but to channel her energy and thoughts elsewhere. The two would spend quiet time in coffee shops or lazy mornings in bed journaling together, happy to just co-exist.
“Are you ready for your finals? You only have two actual exams, right?” Christen nodded. “Yep, I already completed my projects and all my clinical hours so I’m good to go.”
“So hot.”
Christen pursed her lips in confusion, “excuse me?”
Tobin giggled, “I said, so hot. I think the sexiest thing about you is how smart you are. I’m so proud of you and so thankful I get to come to your graduation. Can you believe the timing matched up?”
“Actually, no I’m not surprised. Things always have a way of working out for us.”
……
“Open them! Open them! Tobin squealed while clapping excitedly on the front porch. Her proximity made Christen feel a little claustrophobic but she was just going to have overcome it at the moment. Her acceptance letters (okay and so far two rejections) were trickling in. It was kind of a relief, but U of M had rejected her and that was a far, far distance from Portland where Tobin was drafted.
Well, kinda.
She was taken number one overall, to no one’s surprise, by Boston. Christen was okay with that since she had applied to Brown, Boston University and MIT. She’d been rejected by MIT, accepted to Brown and was currently holding Boston University’s envelope in her hands.
And then it all changed.
Portland wanted Tobin, badly. The midfielder would be able to fill a creative spark and role on their team they desperately needed. If they had her, they felt the puzzle would be complete for a few years to come so they proposed a trade with Boston, sending their own first round draftee with their second and third round picks for the next year’s draft in exchange for only Tobin.
Boston took the bait and Tobin became in Oregonian.
“Calm down! Ok, which one should I open first? University of Washington, UCLA or Boston U?”
Tobin was frazzled, “I don’t care,” she shook her hands. “Just open one!”
Her fingernails tore through the thick, which envelope of Boston U. “Dear Ms. Press, yada yada yada...we are PLEASED to inform you…!” Tobin latched on and hugged her tightly. “Another one to add to the pile!”
Christen leaned her head against Tobin’s, grateful to have someone to share her excitement with. “Ok, let’s look at the other two babe.” Secretly, it was the UCLA one she was worried about. It was a crazy tough program to get into and if she had been rejected from MIT, there was a slim chance she’d get in. So she looked at University of Washington’s first and once she realized she was accepted there, it was her best choice. “That’s not far from Portland at all!”
Tobin was encouraging. “It’s not,” she soothed. “But let’s see what the others say, too.”
The moment of truth was too big for her, so she handed the envelope to Tobin. “You do it, I can’t. It’s a little smaller than the usual acceptance letter so probably a rejection.” She was scolded with a scowl, “stop. You don’t know that.”
She carefully opened it, pulling out the letter. Her brown eyes read through the lines quickly, not saying anything. The suspense killed Christen; “Come on, what’s it say?”
Tobin folded the envelope up and handed it back to her. “Ok,” she said calmly, “it’s not a rejection. Something about a wait list?” Christen read the letter herself very carefully, trying to make sense of it. Her face dropped when she put it all together. “Mine as well count it as a rejection.”
“Why?” Tobin asked. “It says they’ll let you know sometime in March.”
“Yeah, and by then I’ll have to commit to somewhere else. I can’t just tell other schools ‘oh wait until I hear back from UCLA’. That’s not how it all works.”
A hand rubbed her back gently and warmly, bringing comfort to her. “I’m sorry, Chris, I know you really liked UCLA. But you have a few other options that seem really great and you still have to hear from…?”
“UNC, Rutgers, UPenn. Oh and I submitted that last minute one to San Diego State as a kinda safety net.” Tobin led her inside the house, the same one they’d met in. The only thing that changed the last two years was the location of everyone’s rooms and an addition of Ashlyn, who Ali finally agreed to let move in. They had a nice little arrangement, Tobin’s room for sleeping and Christen’s room for...sleeping.
Soon though, everyone would be scattered around the country in different places. Ali, Alex, Kelley and JJ were drafted, too so she felt a little better that no matter where she ended up, someone would be in close proximity. Ashlyn decided to take a break from soccer and head home to Florida to do some work for a non-profit before she would attempt to tryout for a team the year after if her heart found it’s way back the game and Allie was going to stay in UNC for at least a half a year while her boyfriend finished his degree.
“Let’s say you get accepted to all three of those schools, what’s it looking like? What do you want to do?” She sat down and propped her legs up across Tobin’s, who clutched on to her thigh waiting for a response. “I think” she slowly started, “it’s between either staying here and University of Washington.” Her gaze traveled up to where Tobin was studying her as she talked. “Can I ask why?”
She took a deep breath in and gave the most honest answer she could. “I’m not going to be with you and I get tha but at least here is somewhere I’m familiar with, that has ties to you and all our friends. I would be comfortable. And Washington is the closest in distance to you. I hate rain, but I’ll learn to deal.”
Tobin didn’t argue with her and for that she was grateful. Each day that passed them by was one day closer to testing their long-distance relationship out.
“Now enough about me for today, have you packed for camp yet? Second one this year, you’re not a rookie anymore,” Christen smiled.
…….
Tobin’s match was being streamed online and she wanted to make sure she caught at least the second half of it. It was a gorgeous day outside, typical for the Spring, so she settled into a comfortable spot on the grassy knoll outside of her lecture hall and opened her laptop. She could hear the cheers through the tiny buds in her ears while looking for Tobin on the field. It wasn’t hard to spot her; baby hairs flying out of her long ponytail and her signature lazy jog. The score was 2-0 United States over Norway, five minutes into the second half.
She played great. Tobin didn’t score but that wasn’t out of the ordinary. She was a force to be reckoned with up and down the flanks, dribbling through unsuspecting midfielders and defenders. Christen was so proud of her; her commitment to the game had led her to a life most could only dream of. Sometimes it was a little weird to see her in commercials on in print around town but nothing changed, Tobin was still her Tobin.
By the time she was almost home, her phone buzzed in her cupholder. Careful to only check it once she was off the main road, she saw it was her girlfriend.
Tobin: Win three games, check. All packed, check. Time to fly to see my girl.
Christen: Waiting not so patiently for you
Tobin: Be there soon. I love you.
Christen: Have a safe flight, babe.
Tobin had insisted on taking the first flight after the game which meant scrambling, but if anyone could do it, it was her. She had no fear about the consequences of missing a flight or leaving something behind. Still, it would be awhile til she was there so all Christen could do was occupy her time with more studying for her last exam and make some late lunch. It was relatively quiet so she spread out on the floor once she changed into sweats, including one of Tobin’s hoodies she snagged from her apartment in Portland (it smelled like her and was so soft) double checking all of the information she had.
It must have been too much and a glitch in her brain put her to sleep for hours and hours. She woke up at 9 pm snuggled on the couch with a blanket and a pillow, a soft glow of light coming from the kitchen. It would probably help to get a few more hours of studying in before having to take the early exam and then get Tobin from the airport, but she couldn’t help it. Her bed was calling.
By 7 a.m. she was showered, rehearsing information to herself in the mirror while double checking her appearance. There was no way she wasn’t going to dress herself up after three weeks apart from Tobin. No matter how long they went without each other, she still got nervous butterflies for their reunion.
Her exam was difficult, no doubt, but once it was over she felt like a free woman. Graduation was tomorrow and everyone would be there to support her. She even had her job lined up and apartments that Tobin had checked out with her both online and once in person. Everything was perfect.
……
“So this is Portland, huh” Christen looked out of the big windows in Tobin’s new apartment which had a nice view since she was on one of the top floors that overlooked the city. “This is Portland,” Tobin repeated, nodding in agreement. Christen had come to help her move in over Spring Break since Tobin had left in mid-March for preseason like a lot of their roommates. She took distance learning classes so she could finish up her degree by the end of summer and still play soccer both at the club and national levels. Christen had taken the early separation hard, aching to be on the new journey along with her and exploring the city she was going to call home. To ease her mind, Tobin purchased two tickets for her already: this one for Spring Break and a one-way the week after graduation for as long as she wanted to be there over the summer.
“Wanna go out and get something to eat? I can show you a few of my favorite places?” Tobin suggested while circling her waist with her skinny hands. “Yes, please, I’m starving,” she admitted.
They found a booth in a cozy Farm to Table spot Tobin had raved about. She and Alex had ended up in Portland together and they spent a lot of time together grabbing dinner and lunch in all the places she recommended. “Is it what you imagined?” Tobin asked, hiding her mouth from view while chewing on her wrap. Christen had to admit it wasn’t; it was a lot nicer and seemed full of energy than the imagine she held in her head. “I like it, I think it suits you perfectly.”
Tobin agreed, “I like it, too. It’s got a lot of artsy stuff and good food. Weather’s a little cold but that’s whatever. We can go skiing in the winter.”
Christen looked at her girlfriend, seemingly happy in her new environment. “And the summer?”
Her face twisted up before making the joke, “You can’t ski in the summer, Chris.”
Shyly, Christen put her head down to pretend to find a good piece of chicken in her salad. “I mean what can we do this summer? Do you think I’ll find something I like to keep me occupied when you’re busy?” Tobin wiped her hands and corner of her mouth with a napkin. “ Did you decide how long you wanted to stay?” Her tone was cautious, understanding that Christen was allowed to make her own agenda and had things going on in her life, too.
She bravely picked her head up and looked those calming brown eyes straight on. “I want to stay all summer until I start school….if you’ll let me.”
Tobin shot up, almost spilling her water in the process. She leaned across the table and took her face between her hands, a little too tightly. “YES!” She planted a series of pecks right on Christen’s mouth before sitting back down, an ear to ear smile on her face. It left Christen a little stunned to say the least, but she was pleased with the reaction.
“We’ll have to talk about the specifics, like when you have away games or are on international duty, but I think I want to be here with you,” she told her. Tobin waved her off, “we’ll figure it out. It’s an off year in the cycle so there might only be a friendly or two in July and we can see what the final schedule for the NWSL looks like. If I’m away for a long stretch you can either come with me or visit someone else, you know?”
Nothing had been going according to their plan back in January, but to Christen, she wouldn’t have changed a thing.
……
She had parked far away and would pay a ridiculous amount just to spend maybe a half an hour total waiting for Tobin inside the airport, but it was worth it. The first time she saw her again wouldn’t be in a sea of strangers waiting at a curb or when she slid into her passenger seat. It was a more than special occasion for them and she was going to do it right.
Her heart pounded against her chest as she weaved in and out of suitcases being pulled across the floor. At any moment she expected to see a tired, but beautiful brunette pop out and she would explode.
She felt her before she saw her. A pair of thin arms knocked the air out of her lungs and her nose detected a soft vanilla smell behind her. “Tobin!” A face dug into her back while she fought the grasp in order to turn around and hug her properly. Finally, she was able to get her away and she kissed Tobin so desperately, tears forming in the corners of her eyes out of pure joy.
“I missed you,” she whispered when they came up for air.
“I missed you too,” she heard. “Let’s get out of here, I’m exhausted and want to kiss you some more.”
CHristen wasn’t tired at all. In fact she was bouncing off the walls in excitement, but she was also understanding that Tobin had been on a long flight after playing a series of games that was physically demanding. “Follow me, then,” she commanded while refusing to relinquish her grasp on Tobin’s hand. “Wait,” she stopped. “Don’t we need your bags?”
Tobin shook her head, “I had them shipped back to Portland. I have everything I need in my carryon and I can just wear some of your stuff if I need it.”
“Such a smart little world traveler, I have” Christen teased.
The car doors were shut all of four seconds before Christen was straddling Tobin in the passenger seat, going to work on her exposed neck and jawline. There weren’t any objections coming from underneath of her so she took it as a sign to be daring, slipping her hand underneath the cotton t-shirt. “Hmmm,” she groaned. “No bra, just a tank top.” It was safe to say that Tobin’s small chest didn’t really need one, but the long flight probably discouraged her from putting one on. Christen massaged her chest lightly, circular patterns swapping back and forth.
“Chris, I love you and I love this,” Tobin moaned, “but can we do it in a bed where I can fall asleep right after?”
Her lips stopped moving and she fell against the warm body. “If you insist…” She awkwardly climbed back over the center console and readjusted herself to start the car. Tobin looked over at her, leaning against the headrest. “I do love you, you know.”
“I know,” Christen told her, every fiber of being knowing it was true. “Let’s get you home, sleepy.”
…….
“No.”
Christen was exhausted. She didn’t feel like arguing anymore tonight but also didn’t want to give in to Tobin’s demand. “I don’t understand why you would be mad about this? I thought you’d be happy that I’d be close to you?” Her voice was stretched thin at this point, unable to muster the strength to raise it.
Tobin rolled over on her back, mirroring her own position in her bed. “I think you want to go to UCLA, live at home with your parents and be in the program you want. University of Washington is a great option but it’s playing it safe and it’s mostly for me, not you.”
“If I don’t get into UCLA, what happens then?” she challenged, but knew that her acceptance to both San Diego State and Rutgers would still be on the table. “Then you pick one of the other schools or beg University of Washington reconsider. There’s only like a week of overlap.” She hovered back over Christen’s conflicted face, pools of gray staring upward at her.
“I don’t think I’ll get in, it’s too competitive. I’m shocked I was even wait-listed.”
Tobin put her hand overtop of her stomach that was doing little flips. “Take a chance, Christen. You did it once by coming here to UNC and look how great that turned out? Best case scenario you get to go back home and be surrounded by people you love and you’re a short flight from Portland. I’ll spend time in LA with the national team so we can go back and forth.”
She raised her perfectly shaped eyebrow at her girlfriend. “You’re forgetting the worst case scenario. I’m in New Jersey, on the opposite side of the country.”
“Where you and I both have family that will support you and you’re not far from two NWSL teams that I’ll have away games at. You’re not going to be on a deserted island, babe.”
Tobin had a point. There wasn’t a terrible outcome from each of her options. It was just nerve wracking to give up something that seemed so practical for something that was a shot in the dark. The same hand on her stomach traveled north to stroke her hair behind her ear. “I want you try, for me.”
Letting out a sigh, she gave a single nod. “Ok, but if something gets screwed up and I don’t get in anywhere, I’m moving to Portland and following you everywhere you go.” Tobin leapt onto her knee before swinging one leg over her in a straddle. “Oooh,” she yelped, “I like that idea even better.”
…….
Christen waited at the intersection for cars to pass before she could turn off the busy street into her own quiet development. Tobin was already sleeping, mouth hanging open wide. She looked flimsy, moving at every jerk of the car and up and down when going over speed bumps. Angelic was actually the word Christen was trying to find in her head as she turned off the car out front of her house. Carefully, she opened and closed her own door and walked over to the passenger side.
“Tobin? We’re home, babe.” Long eyelashes fluttered open to see them at the same level before shutting again. “Can you carry me? My legs are dead.” Christen laughed, “I wish I could but you forget that I don’t work out like you. Come on, I’ll help you as much as I can.” Tobin was slow to undo her seatbelt and put her feet on the pavement. True to her word, Christen lifted and supported her upwards, careful not to hit her head on the car. “We’ll get your bag later,” she promised.
The door was unlocked already and faintly in the background were voices talking without regard to their presence. Christen looked her girlfriend up and down; the poor thing was on the brink of dehydration and exhaustion, this she was sure of. Straight to bed should be their route but there was no way of doing that without passing the voices.
Silently, they walked through the foyer to the living room, where they were spotted.
“Tobin! Welcome back!” Her mom called out from the kitchen island, making her dad spin in his seat to see two of his favorite girls. “There’s our star!”
She did her best, bless her heart, putting on a smile and thanking them for having her again. Tobin had spent so much time in the Press house the past few years she could probably consider it a second residence, but it still didn’t stop her from being polite. “Mom, Dad, Tobin needs to sleep. We’re going to go upstairs but I’ll be back down in a few to help you with dinner.” Tobin was a step ahead of her, already backing out of the room.
Her lifeless body fell onto the bed like a tall tree being cut from the forest. Christen peeled her socks and sneakers from her feet and rolled her over to smother her body in blankets. “You sleep, baby. Sleep as long as you want.”
Tobin reached for her before she could leave her bedroom. “Lay with me for just one minute.”
She obliged and spread out over top of the covers. “I have a surprise for you,” she said, barely audible.
Christen thought about the bag they left in the car. “I didn’t bring your luggage in, remember?” Tobin’s face remained unchanged. “ ‘snot in there”. She didn’t want to press Tobin right now for details but she was the world’s best gift-giver and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t intrigued.
“Well when you get up, you can show me, okay?” Her voice was at a whisper, close enough to spread warm breathe on Tobin’s cheek. She left a kiss on her head and started to lift off the bed.
“Tomorrow. I can show you tomorrow.”
………
“That was incredible,” Christen breathed, laying like a starfish on her bed, completely undressed. Tobin’s nose traced up the inside of her thigh. “Come here so I can kiss you.” Her girlfriend complied as they basked in the afterglow of another pleasant wake-up. “This is the best summer, ever.”
Tobin giggled, “it kinda is, isn’t it?” Christen’s family was on the East coast visiting extended family but she had decided to stay behind, claiming she wanted to get things ready for school to start and spend time alone with Tobin.
They’d gone back and forth between LA and Portland, leaving little pieces of themselves in each spot. Like a true Californian now, Tobin left a surfboard and some other stuff in her parents garage while Christen had a drawer and yoga mat stashed in Tobin’s closet. “What do you think, you wanna actually make it to the beach today?” Tobin asked.
Christen was still catching her breath so she only hummed in reply.
“I think we should go out to dinner tonight, too. I like when you cook but I’d like to show you off a little.” She liked the idea of spending their last night alone out together. They’d spent so much time secluded in the house on the property that she forgot what her hometown looked like. “Last night in LA for awhile, anywhere you have in mind?”
Tobin thought deeply, licking and massaging her own lips together. “Doesn’t really matter to me. You choose.”
She picked a steakhouse that overlooked the Pacific. They shared a bottle of red over their dinner, giving them a buzz by the end of the meal. “You look really pretty tonight, Chris. I wish I didn’t have to go tomorrow.”
“Do you think we’ll make it?” Christen asked quietly, hoping it wouldn’t set Tobin off in any type of foul mood. It was an honest question, one they would have to be realistic about.
Instead of being upset or even mad, Tobin answered nonchalantly, “yeah, of course.” There was no hesitation or concern in her answer, indicating she was confident in their situation. She looked up to see green eyes studying her so she continued. “We trust each other, we love and care about each other, we understand each other’s commitments; we will be fine. We’ll take one day at a time, okay babe?”
It was all logical, not a word untrue. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Tobin’s voice was light, the words coming out had never been so meaningful.
She thought it was the end of that conversation, so she started another. “Ready for your three week away game stretch?”
“Ready to start school?”
Both of them wrinkled their noses in disappointment at each other, neither thrilled by the idea of their schedules. Christen giggled and couldn’t help but think that Tobin had never been so right, they would be okay.
….
Christen’s family insisted on a hundred plus pictures with the new grad. Her parents gushed over their celebratory lunch how proud they were of her educational journey and the start to her new career for a grassroots organization based out of LA for women’s causes across the globe. Deep down, she thought her mom was actually a little sad since it meant Christen was going to leave the house. It was time, she thought, to find an apartment where she could try the whole ‘adult’ thing and have some privacy whenever her girlfriend was in town.
The arrangement had been great the past two years and neither Tobin nor her parents seem to be uncomfortable to be sharing space. In fact, Christen thought they liked it better when she was around. But it was the right move to make, she had insisted, narrowing her choice between two spots in Manhattan Beach.
Tobin had been with her on the preliminary search, going through more than a dozen condos and apartments. There was such a big push to buy something from everyone since the interest rates were low and the market was healthy as a buy. Committing that much money scared her and she wasn’t sure what her future with Tobin looked like, so she vetoed (a few very sadly) and stuck to looking at rentals.
“How’s your steak?” she asked Tobin next to her. She looked stunning, looking like a summer goddess in a high neck, flowy white cotton dress with gold sandals and bangles adorning her tiny wrists. Her hair was wavy and parted neatly to the side. “It’s good, how’s your sandwich?”
The two gave each other a taste of their lunches, each agreeing the restaurant had been a good choice. Christen had contained herself from asking all morning once Tobin was up and moving but couldn’t hold it together any longer, “so where’s my surprise?” Tobin looked up quickly in the direction of her parents across the table then back to her. “I can show you around 3:30.”
“Why do I have to wait until a certain time?” she questioned, innocently of course. It wasn’t that she was being bratty; it just seemed like an odd requirement. “Because that’s what time I can get it.” Christen burrowed her eyebrows together, “you don’t have it with you?”
Tobin placed a hand on her leg, over top of the thick white restaurant napkin. “Babe, stop asking questions and eat your lunch. It’s a good surprise, don’t ruin it. And before you freak out, I’m taking your dad with me to get and then you all will meet us there.”
“There?”
“Stop,” her girlfriend pretended to cut her off with her knife. “Not another question or word.”
She sulked through the next few minutes before realizing her inability to be patient could spoil the mood. When it was 2:30, Tobin and her dad excused themselves and headed out of the restaurant. Her mom was in on the secret, she knew from the way she avoided direct eye contact and conversation.
“Three o’clock, time to go!” her mom abruptly interrupted everyone’s chatter around the table. “Dad paid the bill so we are ready.”
Christen had never felt so much anxiety around something like this before. She hated that everyone else seemed to have a clue about what was going on while she was in the dark. There were no inklings, no guesses as to what Tobin had up her sleeve this time, but it had to be good if her dad was on board.
Her mom pulled up to a small office building in Hermosa Beach about twenty minutes later, putting her car in park. Christen started to reach for the handle of the passenger door when she was stopped. “No,” her mom cried. “Wait until they come out.” She couldn’t help but think this was all a little weird and couldn’t make out what the different business were that were housed here.
A few minutes later, all smiles, Tobin and her dad emerged. “Now can I go?” Her mom unlocked the door and she got out of the car, eager for information. Before she could even think of opening her mouth her dad had her wrapped up in his arms, telling her how proud and happy he was for her. She couldn’t find the words to thank him when he stepped past her and got into her empty seat. The car pulled out onto the road, leaving her baffled. “They just left us!”
Tobin took her hand. “I have your car, remember?”
Christen shook her head, remembering. “Oh, yeah. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
“Let’s walk.”
She allowed Tobin to lead her down the sidewalk, sunlight catching and warming their bare arms. “So you want the surprise now?” Christen rolled her eyes, “you’re torturing me, spill it!”
Tobin kept walking, “I was going to ask you but then figured out that I didn’t really need to. I know we’re both really committed to this relationship and I think the last two years has shown us that we can have it all, both together and apart. But it’s so much better when we’re together, Chris, don’t you think?”
She couldn’t argue that.
“So I did some thinking and I love when you’re in Portland with me. You’ve made that apartment into a home for us and I appreciate the way you embraced my situation and made it yours, too.” She couldn’t figure out the point of this, but let her continue.
“I wanted to do the same for you. I wanted to make your life here part of mine and I wanted to create something that’s ours.”
Christen looked thoughtfully at her, “I think that’s great, Tobin.”
“So I bought us a house.”
She was in shock. Words were stuck somewhere in her throat, unable to find her tongue and lips to articulate. Tobin stopped and gently pulled her to face one another. “I know you really liked a few of those condos we saw but thought it was too much. I want you to have it, I mean I want us to have it together. It can be our place in LA.
“You...you bought it? How?” the words weren’t easily rolling off her tongue.
Tobin smirked, “I make a pretty decent living for a woman in her twenties. Plus your dad helped.” Christen couldn’t believe what her ears were hearing. “Look, I took care of the down payment between some of my own money and your dad wanted to give you a graduation present. I promise the monthly payment is very manageable and you’re going to love the one I picked.” She started rambling, possibly out of nervousness while they continued walking again. “It’s not huge, just a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom condo with a patio that faces out towards the ocean. It’s with a bunch of other condos so there’s like a huge common area with a firepit and stuff, so we’ll have neighbors but they all seem nice. You won’t have a long commute to work, I made sure to map it.”
Tears had quickly started streaming down her cheeks.
“Are you mad?” Tobin asked at the lack of verbal response. Was she mad? Not a chance. “Tobin, I’m speechless. I can’t believe you went through all the trouble for me.”
Her girlfriend sighed and smiled in relief. “It wasn’t trouble at all. I’ve had a lot of fun keeping this to myself. Well and your dad. I think I’ve seen your parents on Skype more than you in the past three months. They were a huge help.”
Christen reminded herself to hug them and profusely thank them as much as she could when she saw them.
“Can we go see it? Christen squeezed her hand a little harder. Tobin stopped them, jerking her to look across the street. “Sure, it’s right there.” A big, beautiful white building that sprawled the length of the block stared back them. “Ours is up on the third floor,” Tobin pointed while hugging her side tightly.
“Ours…” Christen repeated softly.
Before they started to cross the street to their new LA home, Tobin turned to ask her, “So, is this when you finally tell me I was right about taking a chance on UCLA?”
…….