Across The Hall

Thursday

Gobble gobble. It's turkey day. The day of giving thanks and binge-eating to show how grateful you are for everything you have. Whatever that is. Although it's usually never specified except for like family & loved ones, or money, or like, freedom or some shit. Just like, things any self-respecting American would be thankful for. Anyway, it's Thanksgiving.

It's Thanksgiving evening and Christen, Tobin, and Becky are nestled around a coffee table in their ever-so-homey, floor lounge. They had tried to find a table they could actually sit in chairs at from one of the lounges downstairs, but most of them have been moved for cleaning during Thanksgiving break so the third floor gang of three decided to just cut their losses and head back up to their own lounge instead. So now, all three young women are seated on the floor of an outdated lounge that smells faintly of dirty socks and musty, old carpeting from the 70s as they try to make the most of their Thanksgiving holiday. The coffee table is covered in an array of 'delectable' dishes such as Becky's homemade pumpkin pie, a bowl of Easy Mac topped with a light corn flake cereal crust, a packet of beef jerky, a bag of stale potato chips from the vending machine in the residence hall basement, and an unopened can of green beans, the likes of which Christen still has no idea how Tobin was able to obtain in such short notice. It is a scrumptious feast indeed.

"Well" Becky sighs as her eyes survey the prepared dishes of starkly varying levels of edibility placed before her, "It's not much, but I guess this will do. Happy Thanksgiving, guys."

"Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Becky" Christen offers with a sincere smile. Yeah, it's not how she imagined she would be spending her Thanksgiving holiday, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If things had gone according to original plan, she'd be surrounded by her unruly relatives by now and Tobin would be elbow deep in all of their prodding, and borderline-interrogative questions. So to Christen, this is a fairly satisfactory alternative. She's having a meal (if you can even call it that) with her friendly RA and her veryfriendly girlfriend. *wink wink*  Having the first person to genuinely be nice to Christen when she first stepped foot on this campus on her left, and the first person she genuinely ran into since she first mis-stepped foot on this campus on her right, Christen can't help but feel like things were supposed to end up this way from the start. In a way, these two women are the two people she's been the most thankful to meet since she started university. She would've included her roommate Kelley on that list, but Kelley was true to her word and left Christen to deal with a basket full of her dirty laundry for the next four days. So as of this moment, Kelley is temporarily suspended from said list.

"Yeah, happy Thanksgiving" Tobin haphazardly replies as she stares regretfully at their spread of food. "I'm still bummed that KFC wasn't even open though. This meal is severely lacking in poultry. Or any kind of real meat for that matter."

"Hey, this beef jerky is real mea..." Christen chimes, trying to lighten the mood but pausing when her eyes land on the main ingredients section of the jerky package's food label. "...I'm sorry, no. I can't even try to salvage this."

"Some Thanksgiving feast this is..." Tobin pouts as she leans down to rest her chin in her hand and continues to stare disappointedly at the empty paper plate in front of her.

"Come on, Tobin" Becky consoles from across the small coffee table, "It's not all that bad. Most of this food is still edible."

"Spoken like a true RA" Tobin chuckles as she sits up taller to look Becky in the eye. "Always trying to spin every situation into something positive. Elevators are broken? 'An excuse to get more exercise!'. Neighbors are talking too loud? 'A chance to learn more about those around you!'. Your room windows won't close all the way? 'A little fresh air does the lungs some good!'. I mean seriously, you RAs always see a silver-lining in everything!"

"It's all a part of the job, I guess" Becky shrugs nonchalantly with an amused grin, "I think at this point I've just gotten used to doing that."

"Oh yeah?" Tobin playfully jests as places her hands on the floor behind her and leans back leisurely, her curiosity piqued by Becky's admission. "And what's the positive spin about being stuck in this dorm and having to work on one of the most anticipated holidays of the year?" Tobin quirks an eyebrow challengingly, as if to say there wouldn't be much to make a situation like this seem that appealing.

"Wait, by 'loud neighbors' did you mean me and Kelley?" Christen mutters to Tobin as the thought just enters her brain as to who Tobin would've been referring to earlier.

"Not always" Tobin shrugs before quickly directing her attention back to their RA.

"So is that a yes?" Christen mumbles, seemingly slightly surprised and caught off guard by her girlfriend's confession. "Wait, when are we ever loud? Kelley and I are usually quite calm." 

"Oh you know, just like every now and then. It's not that important" Tobin vaguely explains, not even bothering to look in Christen's direction. "Anyway, Becky you were saying?" She continues as she awaits Becky's answer. Becky opens her mouth, but before she can speak, Christen's rambling interrupts.

"I mean sure, sometimes Kelley can be a little rowdy, I'll give you that, but it's certainly never that loud. It's like at a level slightly above her usual talking voice at most..." Christen continues, her tone indicating that Tobin's off-hand comment may have offended her a little more than intended.

"Babe, it's fine. I just meant I can hear you guys sometimes. That's it" Tobin quickly dismisses, trying to end this pointless spat right there and then.

"... If anything I would even argue that you and Kling are far noisier than Kelley and I have ever been" Christen counters matter-o-factly, seemly more invested in this particular discussion with her girlfriend than the discussion Tobin is trying to have with Becky. "You practice juggling your soccer ball against your room door whenever you get bored and Kling is constantly blasting rap music and trying to rap along... And she's always off beat!"

"Christen, please, you're overthinking this. I didn't mean anything by that, okay? If you want me to admit that Kling and I are louder, then fine, I do. We're louder. Okay? Can we be finished with this now and go back to our nice conversation with Broon here?" Tobin finally offers up as she turns and faces Christen for the first time since this weird discussion about 'who's the loudest floormate' even started. Tobin offers Christen a soft expression hoping to ease the sudden tension and allow peace to befall the conversation amongst the three once more. After a brief moment of unspoken apologies, Christen nods and agrees to put the irrelevant issue behind them. "Okay, good." Tobin says as she releases a sigh of relief. "But if Kling heard you dissing her rapping just now she might have a word or two about those times when you've been practicing for your speech for your Freshman Intro class. I mean, you don't have to say 'Pause for dramatic effect' after every point you make."

"I do that so I can get my timing right and you know that!" Christen pointedly counters as Tobin, knowingly or not, launches them into round two of their stupid little lovers quarrel.

"Alright, alright. Cool it, you two" Becky interrupts, laughing slightly as she puts up her hands up before things can get anymore heated between the passionate couple of residents. "And here I thought this would be my first Thanksgiving without an argument bursting out at the dinner table" she teases. Both Christen and Tobin put their argument on hold and look at Becky before exchanging a look between themselves. In a moment of silence, they mutually agree to put the trivial matter aside. Or at least, table it for the moment.

"Sorry Becky" Christen offers sheepishly, and a little embarrassed, as she tries her best to explain the situation. "Sometimes we just get a bit caught up in the littlest things. Tobin and I are both a little stubborn at times." Tobin opens her mouth to add something to Christen's statement, but after meeting her girlfriend's eyes once more, she suddenly (and smartly) decides against it.

"It's all good" Broon easily excuses with a chill smile. "It reminded me of my Aunt Linda and Uncle Steven."

"Aw, that's actually kind of cute-"

"May they rest in peace." Becky finishes, catching Christen by surprise and allowing a whole new awkward silence to fill the dirty-sock scented room.

"Oh." Christen thoughtlessly mutters, bringing her previous thought to a full stop. 'May they rest in peace'? Where the hell did that just come from? Should I be alarmed that Tobin and I remind Broon of her deceased relatives? And how did they pass, exactly? ... Should I ask?... No, that's stupid, Christen... But like, what did she mean by making that connection? Hmmm...

She and Tobin exchange equally dumbfounded glances before Becky tears them from their states of shock.

"Anyway" Becky begins again after a moment of reminiscing to herself. "The answer to your question from before is pretty easy, actually."

"What question was that again?" Tobin asks, still kind of reeling from the 'rest in peace' bombshell Broon just dropped out of absolutely nowhere. Seriously, is Becky okay? Should we be concerned? Should I still eat that pie she made?... Oh hell, it's fine. But it's getting kind of cold... When are we actually going to eat the damn thing?...

"The silver-lining of working during Thanksgiving break is the holiday pay. I make time-and-a-half for the next four days. It's a pretty sweet gig" Becky triumphantly explains. Leave it to Becky to be thinking practically while the rest of us are only excited about the prospect of not having to eat dining hall food for a few days. Although, looking at the state of our dinner here, maybe that isn't such a good thing. And of course there's nowhere near campus we can go to eat because it's a freaking holiday and everything is closed. Just our luck, I guess... But seriously, when are we going to eat? I'm starving...

"Well, should we cut the chit-chat and dig-in to our 'dinner'? Tobin asks the group, adding a pair of air-quotes around the word 'dinner.'  Yes! Finally! Tobin gets it. I knew there was a reason why I decided to go out with her.

"Wait, shouldn't we go around the table and say what we're thankful for?" Broon interjects as Christen picks up the spork she saved from that one time Kelley brought her back some food after a night out. It was some sort of pasta dish, and Kelley had stumbled back into the room at around three in the mourning, by which time Christen was already asleep. At that time Christen appreciated drunk Kelley's thoughtfulness, however her inebriated roommate forgot to put the delivered pasta dish in the refrigerator that night, so the next morning the uneaten meal went straight into the trash. All that was left to show for it was a little utensil packet containing a small napkin and this spork. Christen never thought she'd find any use for it until now, which given the circumstances, she fairly happy she saved it.

"You're right, I completely forgot about that" Tobin agrees, setting her own plastic fork back on the table for the time being. Dammit Tobin. I thought we we're about to eat. Not that I'm really craving anything on this table, but Broon's pie looks pretty good... "You go first, Becky. Tell us what you're thankful for. It is tradition, after all."

"Hmmm..." Becky ponders as she clasps her hands together and her eyes drift to the ceiling briefly. "I'd say I'm grateful for my job as an RA, you know, most of the time. My cats also, because they're adorable. And then the thing I'm most grateful for would hands down be anytime Arsenal wins a match, because damn it's hard being an Arsenal fan sometimes." Both Tobin and Christen let out a chuckle at their RA's answer. Broon may be many things, but if one thing's for sure, it's that she's always keeping the floor residents on their toes. "Alright, that's it for me. Now Christen, how about you share something." My turn already? Gosh, on the spot it's hard for me to remember. What am I actually grateful for? What am I not? What do I even like??

"Uh, I guess I'm just grateful that I'm here and not at a table with my crazy family right now" Christen shrugs, drawing on the first thought to pop in her mind. Tobin is the first to laugh at Christen's off-hand comment, seemingly amused by her girlfriend's answer. Maybe since the last couple of weeks of experiencing her girlfriend's deep insight about her family Tobin has come to appreciate the sincerity of what Christen just said. Becky offers Christen an entertained smile before glancing over to Tobin and gesturing that it's now her turn to speak.

"Well, I'd say I'm grateful for a lot of things in my life" Tobin sighs with a warm grin, he eyes cast down to the floor as she reflects on her thoughts. "But for the sake of keeping things short, I'll say that I'm thankful for my family, my faith, soccer, and..." Tobin's eyes drift back to her left and fall on a certain brown-haired girl. "...Christen, most definitely." Tobin's smile widens as she reaches her left hand over and places it on top of Christen's. Christen returns the smile, her faces suddenly feeling a blush creeping on. You know what, forget about what I thought earlier. THIS is the reason why I decided to date Tobin. She always knows how to make me feel special and how to shower me in affection when I least expect it. She really knows how to make me feel good. I appreciate her so much, even if she just made me look bad for not mentioning her in what I'm thankful for. I should remedy that right away.

"I'm thankful for you, too" Christen earnestly returns as she flips her hand over and gives Tobin's hand a squeeze. Tobin grins and nods appreciatively. The two look at each other sweetly for a moment before the sound of Becky sipping her water from her paper cup alerts the two that they aren't the only people in the room at the moment. Tobin and Christen laugh before glancing back to Becky and picking up their plastic cutlery.

"Alright, enough of that" Tobin declares, humoredly directing her attention back to the table of food in front of her and away from the entire snack to her left. "Let's eat!"

Okay, I'll just clean up this conclusion paragraph and then proof read once more- no, twice more, then I'll submit this.

Christen sits at her desk, hunched over her laptop as she adds the finishing touches to a big paper her Psych professor assigned a month ago. It's worth 20% of her final course grade, so she's been pouring over this for the past few weeks, chipping away at it little-by-little. It's on the topic of Group Think and how the behavior of a group can affect the behavior of the individual. Her professor told the class that for this assignment, each person would need to find a real life case study to observe and report on from in-person experiments. And for Christen's test group, the only logical test subjects were the members of the women's soccer team. Because for one, it seemed convenient, and also they're really the only 'group' of people she regularly hangs out with anyway. Her findings were more interesting than she had anticipated, but the most amusing ones were when someone would start saying a word or phrase, and eventually the whole group would un-ironically begin using the words more frequently. Like, for example, ever since Kelley started saying 'yeet!' every time she threw something away, most of the group has continued to do so as well. Christen's pretty sure she's never heard that word used more in everyday life as she has in the last few weeks. And then there was that time Tobin started doing the surfer solute whenever she would leave a room, so now at random times of the day the teammates will do that too. Although, Christen thinks that one's more of a way to make fun of Tobin than an actual adaptation of personal behavior. Nevertheless, the results of the experiments have been fairly entertaining overall.

"To sum up," Christen thinks aloud as she reconfigures the conclusion of her essay, "Through my experiments, I have found that the behavior of the group does affect the behavior of the individual on an unconscious level." She continues to refer back to the main topics and examples of her body paragraphs and offers up a brief reflection of her findings and conclusions before she finally decides that her paper is satisfactory enough to turn in.

"Really Becky? A Blue shell? That's how you're gonna play this?" Christen hears Tobin's voice echo from down the hallway of the third floor.

After their surprisingly digestible Thanksgiving meal, Tobin and Becky decided to play Mario Cart together. Originally, Christen stuck around to hangout, but after an argument broke out between the two other women about who would get to play as the Toad character, Christen decided to excuse herself to her own room to finish up her paper that was due at midnight tomorrow. The paper is an urgent matter on its own, however, being stuck between two highly competitive Mario Cart enthusiasts was another strong motivator for Christen to get back to work. And as far as her personal safety was concerned, it was the right call to make.

"Stop drifting into me! You're doing that on purpose!"  The RA's voice follows not long after.

"What's the matter? Mad that you're getting schooled, Broon?"

"What are you talking about? I'm ahead of you by two places now!"

"Oh yeah? Well suck on this banana!... Wait, no, that sounded bad. Ugh,  just... just forget I said that... I'm... I'm sorry, that was weird... I'm still gonna beat you though."

Christen can't help but chuckle after hearing that colorful exchange. Sometimes her girlfriend's competitiveness comes out in the most amusing ways, and its gotten a lot stronger the longer Tobin has gone without getting to play soccer. However, as amusing as it is, both she and Tobin will be a lot happier when she's back on the pitch again. That's one of the places where Tobin shines the most, and Christen loves to be there to see it.

Christen, staying true to her word, re-reads her essay back to herself a few more times before finally saving the document and opening up her college's online submission website. She finds the correct dropbox and uploads her paper to the pre-submission section of the page. She takes a deep breath as her mouse hovers over the blue 'Submit' button.

"And..." Christen hesitantly announces to herself, "...submit!" She swiftly clicks the blue button and as the confirmation message pops up in front of her, she feels a weight lift from her shoulders. She takes a moment to finally sit up and stretch out her back before she feels an unexpected weight return to her shoulders. Only this time, it feels more on a physical level. What the?... Why does it feel like someone's hands are?...

"Hi there" A voice suddenly whispers into Christen's ear. "Whatcha doing?"

"AH!" Christen exclaims as she whirls around in her seat to find out the identity of the disembodied voice.

"Whoa there, I didn't mean to scare you! I thought you heard me walk in."

"Tobin!" Christen complains while feverishly batting at the woman's arm, her heart rate elevated and pounding in her chest, "You just scared the crap out of me!" Christen places a hand over her heart as she turns away from her girlfriend and she feels it begin to settle back to its normal cadence.

"I'm sorry" Tobin giggles as she leans down and wraps her arms around Christen's shoulders from behind. She lowers her head down so that she and Christen are cheek-to-cheek. "You're a lot jumpier than I thought you'd be." She continues, the vibration of her voice causing a ticklish sensation on the right side of Christen's face.

"I was just surprised" Christen corrects as she turns her head to get a better look at Tobin's face. The midfielder is smiling sweetly, and Christen immediately forgives her for almost causing her to go into cardiac arrest. "So what brings you here? Are you and Becky done playing video games? Did you guys get into a fight? Am I going to have to go apologize on your behalf?" Christen teases, causing Tobin's smile to widen.

"We didn't fight... Well, not really, so that won't be necessary" Tobin laughs as she shakes her head, amused by Christen's array of questions. "But we did decide to call it quits for the night. It's getting kind of late anyway and I'm kinda hungry again."

"Are you sure?" Christen quips, "Because it sure sounded like you two were exchanging some fighting words." Tobin chuckles again with a slight smirk. "Wait a second, what do you mean it's late? It's only..." she trails off as her eyes drift down to the time at the lower right of her computer screen. "Holy shit, it's eleven thirty?" Christen's eyes widen as the shock hits her.

"Yep" Tobin sighs as she allows her arms to fall from around Christen and she stands up tall again. "Time flies when you're having fun. And writing papers, in your case. But you're a nerd, so you probably find that fun too."

"Only sometimes" Christen jests before closing out her browser window and shutting down her computer all together. After pushing the screen down towards the keys and closing the laptop decisively, she turns back around in her chair to face Tobin once more. "So wait, you said you're hungry? We just ate dinner like a couple hours ago."

"You can hardly call that a dinner" Tobin scoffs, reaching down and picking up a rubber band ball that was sitting on Christen's desk. "Plus, hours are like decades in athlete years" Tobin adds as she begins tossing the ball around in her hands. "I'm hungry like, all the time, it's the curse of the athletic metabolism."

"Okay, Nike spokesperson"  Christen teases as she stands up and leans against her desk to stretch her back and legs out some more. "What should we do about that though? It's a holiday, there's nothing open."

"Well, as Broon and I were playing Mario Cart I remembered that there's a 24-hour convenience store not that far from here. I checked online and it's still open today. I thought we could walk over there together and pick up a few snacks." Tobin explains as she now tosses the ball against a wall and catches it as it rebounds back to her. Christen ponders the thought in her head a little bit before replying.

"Like how far are we talking?" Christen hesitantly returns, her voice sounding a little worrisome. "And are you sure we should be out walking at this hour? Is it safe?"

"Like... a mile, tops" Tobin elaborates, although sparingly as she bounces the ball off the wall a few more times. "And yeah it's safe" She continues as a sly smirk creeps on her face, her eyes still focused on the rubber band ball ricocheting back from the wall. "People only get mugged over there like every now and again." Christen rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms over her chest. Most of the time she enjoys Tobin's jokes, but personal safety in no joking matter. Especially for two young women in this day and age. Staying alert and being aware of your surroundings is more paramount than ever. "Chris, it's fine" Tobin reassures, deciding to drop the joke after picking up on Christen's genuine concern. "I've walked down to that area of town so many times, it's very safe. I promise. And you'll have me by your side. I won't let anything happen, okay? I'm sorry for joking about it."

"It's okay" Christen sighs as she nods her head and uncrosses her arms. "I know you were just goofing around. I trust you."

"Good" Tobin warmly returns as she faces Christen and focuses her attention on the girl in front of her once more. "So do you wanna go over there now?" Christen smiles as she notices how soft Tobin's eyes look right now. Her expression resembles one of a child asking their parent if they can pick up some McDonald's on their way home. It's really damn cute.

"Okay" Christen pleasantly concedes, "We can go now."

"Sweet" Tobin excitedly returns as she tosses the rubber band ball to Christen, causing her to instinctively catch it in a split-second reaction. "I'll go get my shoes!" Tobin exclaims before racing out of the room and across the hall to her own. Apparently she was even more thrilled about the prospect of getting food than she led on. Christen shakes her head and laughs to herself as she places the ball back on her desk.

What is it with that girl and not wearing shoes?

What is it with this girl and not wearing jackets?

After Tobin emerged from her room, shoes on and stomach running on empty, she whisked Christen out of the hallway and soon from the building as Christen hardly had enough time to grab her keys and slip on a light jacket. Which, she might add, she is thankful for right about now as the chilly November evening air streams against her face. Tobin, on the other hand, is wearing nothing more than a long-sleeve shirt and a pair of sweats. She's reassured Christen multiple times that she's not even the slightest bit cold, claiming that 'It's nothing compared to a Jersey winter', but Christen can see the porcupine-like goose bumps forming on her girlfriend's skin as the two make their way to the 24-hour store.

"Here Tobin, at least give me your hand" Christen bargains, offering out her empty right hand to be held by the midfielder. Tobin glances down at Christen's extended arm and easily complies. As Tobin's palm makes contact with Christen's, Christen guides the pair's interlocked fingers into the deep, warm pocket of her wind-proof coat. Christen glances back over to her girlfriend's face as Tobin wordlessly shakes her head and smiles. Christen can tell that she's appreciative of the gesture, but still too proud to admit that she might be a bit colder than she had anticipated before making her hasty retreat from their living quarters.

As the two continue walking on, Christen glances around the street ahead of them. It would seem that the further they get from campus, the less welcoming their surroundings become. Most of the restaurants, fast food chains, and various other business that are usually bustling at this time sit dark and empty. Even though Christen's been on this street many times before, the sudden absence of people and liveliness makes the environment feel unfamiliar and hardly recognizable. Occasionally a few cars will pass by, which initially is a comfort to Christen as it reminds her of how things usually are in this part of town, but as Tobin leads the two down a few side streets and residential areas, the passing of a car begins to send chills down her spine. She really doesn't like to be in poorly light and low-traffic areas at this hour of the night. Sensing her girlfriend's uneasiness, Tobin gives Christen's hand a squeeze. Christen glances up from the ground and is met with a warm smile.

"I told you not to worry, Chris" Tobin reminds with a chuckle, "But if it makes you feel any better, how about we do this?" Tobin pulls her hand out of Christen's pocket and walks around Christen so now she's walking at Christen's left side instead of her right, and also standing between her girlfriend and the road. Tobin slings her right arm over Christen's shoulders and pulls her closer to the Midfielder's body. "There, feel safer now?" Tobin lowly mutters as she leans her lips closer to Christen's ear. Christen shutters a little as Tobin's breath tickles her neck.

"Safer isn't really the word I would use" Christen chuckles as she meets Tobin's eyes again, "But I will admit this is a bit cozier that a moment ago."

"Well you know me" Tobin grins with a sly smirk as she gestures her free arm up and down her body, drawing attention to her attire, "I am always dependable for making things cozy." A small laugh escapes Christen as it dawns on her that the word 'cozy' is definitely an appropriate description of her girlfriend's sense of style. "But hey, if you still don't feel safe" Tobin continues, interrupting Christen from her thoughts, "I do still have a bum ankle. So if anyone tries to jump us tonight, you can always just knock me down and make a break for it. It would probably work because you are pretty fast and I'm, you know, me, and no one can resist going after me. You would easily get away." Tobin wears cheeky expression as Christen scoffs at Tobin's playful words.

"I don't know" Christen teasingly adds on, "I'm pretty sure there are quite a few people who wouldn't go after you. I mean, especially when I'm the other option in this scenario." Christen's comment causes Tobin's eyebrows to raises as she seems a bit surprised by that response. However, just a moment later Tobin's eyes are scanning up and down Christen's face as a new provocative thought seems to be forming in her mind.

"Well, you went after me, didn't you?" Tobin mumbles into Christen's ear once more, her tone as flirty it was the day they met. Christen shivers again, but this time it's not because of the cold night air or her girlfriend's ticklish breath.

"I suppose I see your point" Christen finally allows after waiting a beat to respond. Tobin smiles victoriously before leaning in and placing a quick peck on Christen's cheek. Christen returns the smile but allows it fade as a more serious, yet still playful expression appears on her face. "Your plan has one major flaw though" Christen points out, causing Tobin's eyebrows to raise once more. Tobin nods for Christen to elaborate. "I would never leave you behind" she says sweetly. Without a word, Tobin swings her left arm across Christen so that she's hugging the girl from her side. Tobin rapid-fire plants a few kisses on her girlfriend's cheek before finally allowing her left arm to fall back to her side as the two continue walking. "I mean..." Christen pipes up, carefully considering her words and blushing a little after Tobin's sudden barrage of affection, "I probably wouldn't leave you behind. I'm like, 99.8 % sure."

"Wow, that 0.2 % really does not worry me in the slightest" Tobin sarcastically quips as Christen grins mischievously from the soccer player's side. This time Christen leans over and places a soft kiss to Tobin's cheek to reassure the midfielder. Although, one look at Tobin's face tells Christen that everything is forgiven.

"Yeah well" Christen nonchalantly breathes out, "That 0.2 % is like only in the event that Cassie is the mugger in this situation. Because even though I have beaten her once, it's like they say in sports, it's hard to defeat the same opponent back-to-back. And let's face it, that bitch is crazy." Christen's joke causes Tobin to let out a laugh so loud that it echoes throughout the desolate neighborhood around them. Christen hadn't expected that kind of boisterous reaction from Tobin, but she does mentally pat herself on the back for making the girl laugh so hard.

"She's legit been my stalker since the beginning of freshman year" Tobin confides as she begins to calm down from her fit of laughter. Tears form at the corners of her eyes and Christen can't tell if it's from laughing so hard or if her mention of Cassie really did trigger something in Tobin. She's hoping it's the former. "Hey maybe I'm actually the one who needs protecting" Tobin kids, wiping away the moisture from her eyes.

"Maybe you are" Christen lightheartedly agrees as she snakes her left arm around Tobin's lower back and allows her hand to rest on Tobin's hip. The two smile and chuckle together as the walk along, now very much enjoying their late-night stroll.

They are nearly at the 24-hour convenience store before another car comes rushing by and the silhouette of a man pops its head out of the passenger-side window.

"Nice arm candy, Tobin!" The unknown male voice calls out as the vehicle grows more distant down the road. Much to Christen's surprise, Tobin smiles and offers the identity-less man a thumbs up before the figure tucks its head back into the car. The car disappears as it turns a corner a few blocks ahead and Christen turns to Tobin questioningly.

"Do you know that cat-caller?" Christen asks, curious as to what her girlfriend's relationship is to the mysterious stranger who accosted them in the dead of night.

"Yeah, that was just Paul" Tobin shrugs as they approach the front doors of the brightly light store. "You remember Paul? Paul's cool."

"Wait" Christen continues as she searches the recesses of her mind for any kind of memory with a random dude named Paul. "You mean that guy from the tattoo parlor from the night we had to go rescue my drunk roommate? Who even is that guy? And how do you know him?" But before Christen can get a single answer to any of her questions, Tobin has already opened the door to the store and scurried off as soon as her eyes landed on the snack section.

"Hey, check it out, Chris!" Tobin gleefully exclaims, "They have my favorite organic gummy worms here! I couldn't find these anywhere outside of Jersey!"

As Tobin continues to excitedly bounce around through the aisles, Christen shakes her head knowing that any conversation they were having earlier has fallen to the wayside in lieu of the store's large snack selection. Before she knows it, Christen has forgotten the name 'Paul' all together and has become vastly more interested in which flavor of potato chip she will be purchasing.

"Cold! Cold! Cold! Cold! Cold!" Tobin hurriedly mutters out as Christen opens the door to their shared residence hall floor. Tobin rushes ahead and bee-lines in the direction of her room as she carefully totes a large blue raspberry Icy in one hand and a grocery bag of snacks in the other. Christen follows after, carrying her own two bags full of snacks, however with noticeably less speed than her girlfriend. The hallway lights slowly flicker back on as the two venture down the quiet, empty corridor. Huh, I guess I never noticed that these lights are motion activated. But I suppose how would I? There's usually a constant flow of people on this floor, no matter what time it is. Hey, now that nearly everyone is gone maybe I'll get some quality sleep for a change. Christen grins to herself at the thought.

As Christen approaches room 304, she notices that there's no light coming from under Becky's door. She has a bag of cool ranch doritos in one of her grocery bags with Becky's name written all over it. But since there's no light or noise coming from Becky's room, she's assuming that their trusty RA has already gone to bed. Which, as Christen can imagine, her RA probably needs all the rest she can get. Especially after dealing with her floor residents for the past few months. So Christen decides her and Tobin's surprise treat will have to wait to be delivered until tomorrow. Or, at least a few hours, given that it's now after 1:00 am.

When Christen finally reaches her own room, she places her groceries on the the ground and digs around in her pocket for her room key. Soon enough she pulls out her lanyard and mindlessly directs the end of it towards the doorknob. However, as she feels around the key ring for her key, she finds the small metal circle empty. Slightly alarmed, Christen finally glances down to the lanyard in her hand and carefully inspects the area of the key ring where her room key is supposed to be. As panic begins mounting in her body, she cautiously flips over her student ID tag on her lanyard, hoping desperately that the key just got tucked away under it. But when there is no key in sight, her stomach begins to turn.

Oh no, oh no, oh no... Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. I cannot have lost my room key. Not now of all times! What if someone finds it and comes to my room to try to steal my stuff? What if I'm locked out for the entire Thanksgiving break? What if I have to pay a major fine to get my lock replaced? 

Christen's thoughts begin to spiral as she thinks back to Becky's start of the semester floor meeting and how she stressed how imperative it is to NOT lose your room key.

As Christen starts a frantic search around the hallway for her lost room key, Tobin finally emerges from her room wearing a pull-over hoody and noticeably thicker sweatpants.

"Wow Chris, I really thought my hand was gonna fall off there!" Tobin chuckles as she holds up the bright red hand that she was carrying her frozen syrupy drink in. "I really should've listened to you when you told me to put a coffee sleeve around the cup. But I just thought that since the plastic of the cup was so thick I wouldn't have to..." Tobin trails off as she takes notice of her girlfriend hunched over and gliding over the hallway floor like a vacuum cleaner on ice. "What are you doing?" After a moment of no response and Christen's head swiveling in various directions, Tobin kneels down to the floor so that she's eye-level with the wild-eyed, panic-ridden Californian. "Did you lose something or are you just prospecting for hidden treasure?" she teases with a grin.

"My key" Christen defeatedly mutters out, "I think I lost my room key." As Tobin's eyes connect with Christen's saddened gaze, her demeanor becomes a lot more serious.

"Oh" Tobin sheepishly returns, herself starting to empathize with her girlfriend's unfortunate predicament. "Well then, um, do you want me to help you look for it? I could run outside if you want and retrace our steps. Or I could call the convenience store and ask if they might have found it. Or -"

"No, it's okay" Christen sighs as she stands tall once more and resigns herself to the situation. "It's already so late, so I doubt you'd even be able to see it outside. And I know I definitely had it when I went to pay at the store, so I doubt it's there."

"What about asking one of the building workers or Broon if they have a spare key? I'm sure somebody here can help you out" Tobin offers up, trying to keep things light and optimistic. Although, Christen just runs a hand through her hair and releases a heavy sigh once more.

"There's no one at the front desk right now because of their holiday hours, and I don't really want to go ask Becky. I'm pretty sure she's already asleep and I think we've bothered her enough for one night" Christen simply replies in a discouraged tone, apparently already having gone through all of the options in her mind.

"Well then in that case..." Tobin continues, an idea forming in her brain that perhaps had not occurred in Christen's "Why don't you stay with me tonight?" Christen glances away from the floor and over to Tobin with a bit of surprise on her face.

"Wait, really?" Christen questions, though her spirits seemingly more upbeat than they were a few minutes prior.

"Yes, really" Tobin chuckles matter-o-factly. "We were going to hang out for a while tonight anyway. And it's not like this is our first ever sleepover" Tobin points out, seemingly entertained by Christen's reaction. "Come on, Chris, you're my girlfriend. It's not like I would leave you to sleep out in the hallway all night." Christen smiles at Tobin's warm reassurance. But as Christen is all too used to at this point in their relationship, the sweet moment doesn't last for too long before Tobin thinks of something cheeky to say. "Especially since Mike the maintenance guy usually does his vacuuming around 6:00 am. I wouldn't want you to be in the man's way."

"Okay, that's enough of the smart-assed comments" Christen giggles as Tobin gestures for Christen to come inside her room. Christen smiles and grabs her bags of (mostly Tobin's) snacks as she accepts the offer and ventures into her girlfriend's tiny abode. "I guess I was just a little caught off-guard because I've never slept in your room before. We mostly just hangout in mine" she comments as she walks over to Tobin's desk and places the snacks on top of it.

"What are you talking about?" Tobin returns, slightly confused as she closes the dorm room door. "You've napped in here with me so many times. That futon practically has your butt imprinted on it."

"No, that's not what I meant" Christen chuckles as she turns to face Tobin once again. "I mean like, I've never spent the night in your room before. I kinda got the feeling that you didn't want me to or something."

"Really?" Tobin interjects, shock evident over her entire face as she leans against a post of her loft to regain some stability. "I gotta admit I am a bit surprised to hear that. Did I give you vibes that I didn't want you to be in here that much?" Tobin's face contorts in a way that hints that the idea that she's ever done anything to make Christen feel unwelcome makes her feel really bad. Certainly that is not something she ever intended to do. Christen is quick to sense the emotional shift in her girlfriend and quickly moves to rebuttal.

"No, no, nothing like that" Christen immediately corrects. "I was just wondering along the lines of if you were one of those people who don't like others in their personal space, like in their bed or their favorite chair. If anything, I just thought you were a little particular. Not that there's anything wrong with that if you are. It's just that even though we're pretty close, there are still things that I'm trying to figure out about you." Tobin nods her head as she listens carefully to Christen's words. After Christen has finished speaking, Tobin begins to look relieved. 

"Oh, okay good" Tobin sighs with a light smirk. "For a second there I thought I made you feel uncomfortable in like, a bad way. I'm glad that's not the case." Tobin's grin grows wider as she pushes off of the loft post and walks towards Christen. "But just so you know, I wouldn't consider myself overly particular. If anything, I would say Kling is and that's the reason why we spend most of our time in your room. You know how much that girl cares about her sleep, we wouldn't want to do anything to anger the beast." Christen chuckles to herself, knowing all too well how cranky Kling can get when someone interferes with her quality Zzzs. "Well, Kling's one reason. I think the other deciding factor of where we tend to sleep is also due to the fact that my bed is lofted and yours is not. That definitely changes the game." Tobin smiles and Christen smiles back.

"I can agree with you there" Christen contends, "It really is a pain in the ass to climb up a latter just to go to bed at night. I should know, I used to share a bunk bed with Channing when we were kids."

"See! Exactly my point" Tobin concludes as she stops and stands a foot or so in front of Christen, grinning and staring directly into her eyes. "I'm glad we could clear this whole misunderstanding up. The last thing I want is for you to feel like I don't want to spend as much time as I possibly can with you." Christen returns a grin of her own. A strong, warm sensation begins radiating from her chest. Tobin's sweet words are quite possibly making her heart melt.

"That's how I feel, too" Christen sincerely admits without a second thought. Tobin's smile reaches her eyes.

"Good, we're on the same page then." Christen nods and Tobin takes another step forward, leaving only inches between the two. "Just for the record though" Tobin murmurs as she leans closer and places a gentle hand on Christen's shoulder, "There are a few things that I'm still trying to figure out about you too." That's it. Heart officially melted.

Tobin reacts to Christen's moment of wordless pause as an opportunity to close the space between them. She places a soft, short-lived kiss on Christen's lips before pulling away, and slowly letting her hand fall from Christen's shoulder. It all happened so quickly that Christen hardly registered that she was kissed at all, but the smile on her girlfriend's face confirms her moment of affection. It never fails to amaze Christen just how easily Tobin can turn on the romance when she wants to. They can be joking one minute, and making out the next. It keeps Christen on her toes. Not that she's complaining.

Tobin turns around and soon busies herself by pulling out some of her spare pajamas for Christen to wear for the night. They aren't that different from her regular clothes, but they look extra comfy nonetheless. She even finds some spare toiletries after rifling through Kling's things, stating that Kling's mom always sends her care packages with more than enough essentials as it is, and that she even doubts her roommate will notice. It only takes little protest from Christen about how wrong it is to use someone else's possessions without asking first before Tobin finally convinces Christen that Kling will be cool with it. As Christen takes the toiletries from Tobin, her eyes notice some sort of movement outside the room's window. It almost looks like rain but it seems to be falling a lot slower.

"Oh my god!" Christen exclaims as she drops the items in her arms and rushes over to the window. "Tobin look! It's snowing!"

"What? Already? I thought we had at least another week!" Tobin complains as she joins Christen in front of the window. "Yep, that's snow alright. Dammit." She gripes as her eyes confirm what she did not want to be true.

"Wait, you don't like the snow?" Christen asks, seemingly dumbfounded that anyone could dislike such wonderous work of nature.

"Absolutely not. That stuff is the worst, especially if you want to play soccer. It's just a nuisance." Tobin complains as if the snow is a personal attack on her soccer career.

"Oh, come on! How can you hate such a beautiful sight?" Christen argues as she gawks at the night sky. She smiles to herself and glances over to Tobin as a thought crosses her mind. "You know, some people think the first snow of the season is incredibly romantic. They say if you watch it with someone special, it's a good sign for your relationship."

"Well they don't say that in Jersey" Tobin scoffs, shaking her head as she continues to gaze disgustedly out the window. "Just give it two weeks, Cali girl. You'll be up to your knees in the stuff and you'll feel the same way I do."

"We'll see about that" Christen skeptically chuckles as she watches the tiniest snowflakes blow around in the wind.

"We certainly will" Tobin grins.

Friday

"Attention shoppers: Would the parent or guardian of eight-year-old Billy please report to the costumer service desk located by the food court. We have your son. I repeat: Would the parent or guardian of eight-year-old Billy please report to the customer service desk near the food court. Your son is looking for you. Thank you, that is all. Have a nice day."

"Hey Chris, did you lose your child again?" Tobin sarcastically chuckles as the shopping mall's PA system clicks off and the usual, light jazz music resumes playing throughout the various wings of the multi-leveled building complex.

"Nope, I've got the child I came here with right at my side" Christen playfully quips without missing a single beat. She steals a glance over at Tobin as the midfielder shakes her head humoredly at the quick comeback.

"Who are you calling a child?" Tobin sassily returns as she reaches over and tussles her hand through Christen's hair. "Are you forgetting that I'm still older than you, Freshie?" Christen wastes no time swiping Tobin's hand away from her head and quickly uses her fingers to brush through the tangled mess her girlfriend's suddenly made of her hair.

"You're only older than me by less than a year, I wouldn't qualify that as seniority in this situation" Christen points out, however still preoccupied on getting her bangs to fall back around her face in just the way she likes. "Not to mention, you did ask me for quarters not ten minutes ago when you wanted candy from those coin machines" Christen continues, swooping one last stray strand of hair away from her eyes before directing her attention back to Tobin. "If that isn't something a child would do, then I don't know what is." Tobin raises her eyebrows and clicks her tongue. 

"And to think I shared my Mike n' Ikes with you..." She jokingly mutters, shaking her head once more while trying to contain her grin. Christen rolls her eyes and gives her girlfriend a playful shoulder bump.

"Okay, okay, fine" Christen warmly concedes, a smile of her own growing on her face. "We're both childish. Okay? Is that fair?" Christen glances back to Tobin's eyes, eagerly awaiting an answer. The smug grin Tobin was holding back appears to get the best of her because soon enough it surfaces on her face and she is no-longer able to keep up her faux-pouty act.

"That's fair" Tobin easily agrees, looking over to Christen who offers her a content nod in return.

"Good" Christen smiles back, happy to have jokes aside and have the slightly-more serious side of Tobin back so that they can focus on the task at hand. "Okay, so where did you say you thought the Eternity 22 was?" she asks as her eyes scan the countess store fronts and window displays as she searches for the trendy clothing store.

"Uh, I think I saw a sign a ways back that said it was near the end of this wing somewhere" Tobin replies as the two continue walking among the mall traffic, dodging couples and families that walk against the flow of people as they go.

Together they weave in and out of the footpath, passing up slower movers and avoiding middle lane salespeople who try to real them into their carts full of beauty products or remote-control vehicle toys. The latter almost snags Tobin a few times but she prevails with a little coaxing from Christen. They tote along a few bags of clothes for Christen (since she was still locked out of her room), and a box of shoes for Tobin. Tobin had practically begged Christen to go to the mall this early in the morning because she had heard there would be a special Black Friday release of the new Chicago Bulls Fire J1s by Travis Scott and she was adamant that if they didn't go in time she'd have to wait months to get her hands on a pair. They made it to the Trotter Trunk shoe store at the very last minute, and Tobin nearly had to wrestle a teenage boy for the last remaining pair, but a couple hundred dollars later and Tobin is now the proud owner of some trendy new kicks. And Christen has a pair of clean clothes for the day, so all-in-all it has been a successful shopping trip. Now, the only remaining thing left to do is to buy some last minute Christmas gifts for Christen's family, then they have the whole weekend ahead of them to do as they please.

"Hey Chris, I think I see it" Tobin informs as she points ahead to a brightly-lit store front with bubblegum pop blasting from within its doors and mannequins in the the windows contorted in all sorts of model poses. Yep, definitely Eternity 22.

"Okay, let's make a move to get around this old lady in front of us and then we'll cut across the hall when we make it to that bench up there" Christen strategically lays out as her demeanor shifts to a new level of focus.

"Sounds good" Tobin affirms, herself just as serious as her girlfriend about how they plan to navigate the dense traffic of holiday shoppers. They wait for an opening to form as the man who was walking near the elderly woman veers off into a Warm Issue store. They both exchange a quick glance knowing full well that their window has just opened up. Tobin takes hold of Christen's hand and steps forward to lead the charge. "Okay...Now!"

Tobin and Christen briskly heel-toe it around the old lady and set their sights for the bench not so far ahead. As soon as they make it there, they hang a hard left and approach the flow of traffic running opposite to the direction they were just walking in. They take a brief pause in the middle of the wide hallway and assess the constant stream of people for another opening to get across and into the Eternity 22. As a small gaggle of suburban moms with Karen haircuts pause in the middle of the walkway when one of their toddlers throws a sippy cup out of its stroller, Tobin and Christen find their opportunity. Without a word they both rush perpendicular to the incoming herd of shoppers and hastily duck into the open doorway of the Eternity 22. As they step foot into the store, they exchange a pair of satisfied grins. Black Friday Christmas shoppers are vicious. Both Christen and Tobin consider themselves lucky to have escaped the outside chaos with their lives.

Christen leads the way over to a section of the store with racks of shirts made from thin, sheer fabrics and littered with sequins and rhinestones. Tobin follows along, glancing around somewhat curiously as if she's never set foot in a store like this in her entire life. And maybe she hasn't, given Tobin's fashion sense, Christen wouldn't put that beyond the realm of possibility. As Christen meanders from rack to rack, closely inspecting the design and cut of each of the articles of clothing, Tobin entertains herself by petting the faux fur of a vest displayed on a headless mannequin nearby.

"So, which one of your family members are we shopping for right now?" Tobin questions as she continues mindlessly petting the various textures of any fabrics within an arm's length.

"Would you believe me if I said my mom?" Christen jests from over her shoulder as she neatly re-folds a sweater she was just checking out.

"Ummm..." Tobin considers, tossing the possibility around in her head. "Well, knowing what her personality is like, I guess it isn't that strange if --"

"Tobin, I'm kidding" Christen chuckles as she steals a glance at her gullible counterpart. "We're here for Channing. My mom is much more of a Ralph Lauren kind of woman."

"Really?" Tobin returns looking a bit confused. "I just never really pictured that this-" she briefly pauses as she holds up a sheer crop-top with the words 'rich bitch' on it, "-is her style." Another laugh escapes from Christen as Tobin holds up the crop-top to her own body as she glances into a mirror across the aisle. A look a disgust crosses her face before she quickly discards the shirt on a nearby table.

"It's not" Christen airily corrects as she resumes her search through a rack of denim jackets she has not yet skimmed through. Tobin turns back to Christen appearing even more confused than before.

"Wait... so Channing doesn't like this stuff but you're buying it for her anyway?" Tobin mutters as she places a hand on her chin and her eyebrows scrunch together. "Did you and Channing get into a fight or something? Things aren't exactly adding up here."

"No, no. Channing and I are fine" Christen easily explains as she pulls an acid-washed jacket with blue rhinestones on it from off the rack. "It's just kind of this system her and I have for gift-giving holidays. Basically, for years my dad would buy clothes for Channing as a present for Christmas, or her birthday, or whatever because he didn't want her to feel like all she had to wear was Tyler and my hand-me-downs. Which, in-it-of-itself is a really sweet gesture, but whenever he bought something for her, it was always so tacky. Channing never liked what dad bought, but she never had the heart to tell him, so whatever clothes he bought for her would just sit in the back of her closet, never worn. So one year, I approached dad and asked him if he wanted my help picking out Chan's present. He agreed, but he never liked what I picked out, so he would just go ahead and buy what he thought Chan would like most. After that, I offered to help again and I picked out some hideous clothing and he loved it. Seriously, ate the stuff up. So now, every year I'll buy ridiculous clothes for Chan, in my dad's place, to give to her as a present, and then after the holidays I'll give her the gift receipt and she gets to cash the clothes in for money. It's perfect because my dad now thinks Chan really enjoys his gifts and Chan gets a little extra cash in her pocket. And I... get 10% commission. It's a win-win for everybody."

"Wow, Babe. Way to take the personal touch out of gift-giving" Tobin teases after hearing her girlfriend's Ocean's Eleven style approach of holiday shopping.

"Oh yeah? What about you?" Christen challenges as she slings the denim jacket over her arm. "How do you add a 'personal touch' to your family members' gifts? I haven't seen you buy a single gift this whole time we've been shopping."

"That's easy" Tobin coolly replies, leaning up against a table Christen is across from. "Every year, I go to this website online and order custom socks with each of my family members' faces on them. Then, on Christmas, I wrap them up in tissue paper and put them in their stockings because, stockings go in stockings. It's your basic sock-ception."

"How is that anymore of a personal touch than what I do?" Christen giggles as Tobin shrugs.

"Didn't you hear me? The socks literally have their faces on them. Can't get anymore personal than that."

"That's actually ridiculous" Christen continues to laugh, taken aback by how simple, yet hilarious Tobin's take on gift-giving is.

"Well then I guess you're not gonna like your Christmas gift this year" Tobin adds with a cheeky smirk. Okay, now I know she's joking. God, where does she even come up with this stuff? I mean, of course she would never actually do that. She's much more sentimental than face-socks... right? Wait, she wouldn't... Or would she?... Come on, Christen. She's teasing you!...I think.

"So is that one the winner?" Tobin asks, gesturing to the jacket draped over Christen's arm and tearing Christen away from her thoughts. Christen glances down at the jacket and then back at Tobin.

"Oh this? Yeah, I think this will work out just fine."

"Great! So we can go now? To be honest, I'm getting kind of mall-ed out" Tobin enthusiastically prompts as she eagerly awaits Christen's response.

"Yep!" Christen agrees in a chipper tone of voice. "We just have to get in line to pay and then we're out of here."

"Cool" Tobin says as she pushes herself away from the table of clothes and the two make their way to the back of the store. They spot the checkout area with the least amount of people waiting ahead of them and join the line. "But just to be clear, we're totally grabbing some mall pretzels before we leave right?"

"Yeah, totally" Christen immediately agrees as if the answer was extremely apparent. "We aren't heathens, Tobin."

"What about nacho cheese?" Tobin curiously inquires as the line inches forward and they take a few more steps in the direction of the cashier. "We're splurging for extra nacho cheese, right?"

"Oh, absolutely" Christen nods curtly.

"Hallelujah."

"I can't believe we missed the desk worker again" Christen huffs as she and Tobin walk towards one of the grassy areas between their block of residence halls. The area just as desolate and abandoned as it had been the night before. Only this time, a thin, fresh layer of snow covers the ground as far as the eye can see. Even though it's hardly past noon, the sun has already managed to melt small patches of the stuff so that a few blades of grass poke out here and there. "Seriously, what kind of a person takes a two hour lunch break?" she continues as the snow crunches under her shoes.

"Well this is technically a holiday break. Since they're short-staffed I'm sure the hours on-duty are a lot more limited" Tobin thinks aloud as she and Christen begin walking into the center of the grassy area.

"Yeah, I figured" Christen allows, although her tone still as discouraged as it had been a moment ago. "I guess I just thought that meant like nighttime hours would be cut back, not the middle of the day." Christen sighs as she once again dwells on the misfortune of being locked out of her room. "I think what bothers me the most is that I'm stuck outside of my room with no way to get inside right now. It's really frustrating and it makes me kind of feel helpless, you know?"

"Oh, I know" Tobin chuckles along as a not-so-distant memory crosses her mind. "That door being closed has caused me my fair share of frustration as well in recent months." Tobin grins fiendishly as Christen gives her a light-hearted side-eye.

"You're never going to let me live down anything, are you?" Christen asks skeptically as her eyes narrow on her girlfriend.

"Absolutely not" Tobin quips with a smirk. "You signed up for this, remember? That means my devilish good-looks and my impeccable memory included." Christen just shakes her head and gives Tobin's shoulder a quick nudge.

"Is that so?" Christen chirps back, a smug expression soon forming on her face as she glances upwards and ponders some thoughts of her own. "In that case, I'm sure there are a few things about you that I could also... hang-on to for a while." This time Tobin is the one narrowing her eyes, although as she stares into Christen's, she instantly knows that there's no bluff. Christen challengingly quirks an eyebrow. A brief moment of silence follows.

"Hey, didn't you say you wanted to build a snowman?" Tobin blurts out, anxious to change the topic at hand and move on to the activity that led them outside in the first place.

"Yeah!" Christen eagerly agrees, her tune immediately changing. "I've never done this before, show me how!" Tobin smiles, probably at the sight of how rapidly her girlfriend's face lit up.

"Okay" Tobin continues, forcing herself to drag her eyes from Christen's illuminating grin and down to the ground. "Uh, so there isn't really a ton of snow here, so that may make things difficult. But, it does seem pretty packy, so that bodes well, I guess..." Tobin explains as she mindlessly chews her bottom lip and inspects the snow further. Christen definitely notices that little detail. Not that it was distracting from what Tobin was saying or anything. No. Definitely not. "...So I don't know, this might be enough to make a snowman, or it might not. Really the only way to know is to try and find out. Alright, you ready to start?"

"Huh?" Christen questions as her gaze snaps from Tobin's lips to her eyes. "Could you... maybe repeat that last part?" Tobin meets Christen's gaze and glares at her suspiciously as she habitually bites her lip once again. Without even noticing, Christen's eyes drift back to the midfielder's lips.

"Were you even listening to any part of what I just said?" Tobin knowingly interrogates as she takes note of the fact the her girlfriend's eyes are no longer concentrated on her own. Upon realizing that she's being baited by the soccer player, Christen's eyes widen and dart back up to Tobin's suspicious glare.

"Yeah! Of course!" Christen unconvincingly blurts out as she tries to find a way out of the hot seat. She knows for a fact that Tobin gets annoyed when she feels like she's not being listened to, and she doesn't want to add to anymore of the things Tobin can hold over her head. "I just... couldn't quite hear the last part. You really do mumble, Tobin. It can be difficult to understand at times." Tobin's glare remains skeptical, but she eventually shrugs and seemingly decides to drop the issue.

"Alright, well, as I was saying before" Tobin begins as she kneels down to the ground and collects a small amount of snow in her hands, "the first thing you need to do is get a handful of snow to start forming the base of the snowman." Christen quickly follows Tobin's example and bends down to the ground to collect some snow of her own. Tobin waits for Christen to catch up before continuing with the 'lesson'.

"Okay, I've got my snow. Now what?" Christen curiously asks, a bit excited to finally make her first ever snowman.

"Now..." Tobin calmly draws out as she begins to crush the snow back-and-forth between her hands, "Just pack the snow together in your hands to form a nice little ball."

"Like this?" Christen checks as she copies Tobin's movements. Tobin peers over to Christen's hands to see a small, dense ball a of snow starting to take shape.

"Yep, just like that" Tobin encourages as she puts the finishing touches on her own ball. She glances over to Christen playfully as she sees the Cali-born girl admiring her own work. Tobin smirks to herself before moving on to the last part of her impromptu workshop. "Okay, now for the final step." Christen immediately glances up, stopping her progress and peering at Tobin curiously.

"What do you mean last step?" she questions despite her lack of personal expertise in the realm of snow. "How can we go from this to a snowman? This is just a snow ba--"

WHAP!

Christen hardly flinches after having been just struck by an exploding ball of snow. She remains still with a dumbstruck expression as Tobin begins to laugh like a little school child. Did she just...?

"Bet you wished you would've listened now, huh Chris?" Tobin giggles, bent over laughing as she takes in the all-too-amusing look on her girlfriend's face. Oh she definitely just did. It's on, Heath.

Christen wastes no more time and winds up before rocketing her snowball directly at Tobin.

WHAP!

To both of their surprise, Christen's shot lands directly on Tobin's right shoulder. Ask anyone, especially Christen's roommate Kelley, and they will tell you Christen's never had much of a throwing arm, but luck seems to be on her side at the moment. Or maybe it's karma. Either way, Christen seems pretty damn proud of herself right now. The only true tragedy is that Kelley and Christen's old grade school gym teacher had not been around to witness it. It's a damn shame.

Tobin's eyes seem to light up as she slowly and methodically kneels back towards the ground. As Christen registers what's going on, she quickly follows suit. Instantly the two desperately grab handfuls of snow and assemble them into a few snowballs a piece. Tobin takes the first shot and fires one right for Christen's upper left thigh. Miraculously, Christen is able to jump out of the way in time and dodge the snowy projectile. She doesn't waste a second before she launches on the attack and slings one back at the enemy. Not-so-miraculously, her aim is off by a mile and Tobin doesn't have to move a centimeter to avoid being hit. Soon enough, the war is on and the two women are running around the lightly snow-covered field hurling snowballs at each other left and right. Some shots are landing, some aren't. But all around, each side is finding themselves laughing uncontrollably and enjoying the random snowball fight.

After several moments and a barrage of fire from Tobin, Christen ducks behind a tree for cover. She kneels to the ground and concocts a new round of ammunition before peeking around the tree to locate the enemy. However, after a quick scan of the area, Tobin is nowhere in sight. A sudden feeling of uneasiness washes over Christen. Where in the--

"Gotcha" Tobin whispers directly onto Christen's ear from behind.

"Ah!" Christen jumps as she whirls around and finds Tobin just inches in front of her. Christen drops all of her snowballs in the process and finds herself defenseless. "How did you...?" Christen trails off as her eyes graze over all of the snowballs in Tobin's right arm. Her eyes drift back up to Tobin's, slightly alarmed. Tobin notices Christen's hesitance and offers an inviting smile to try to ease her girlfriend's worries.

"So, do you surrender?" Tobin playfully teases as her bright smirk lights up her entire face. Christen hates that it appears that Tobin has won this little battle, but reasonably there is nothing much else she can do but admit defeat. Live to fight another day, as they say.

"Yes" Christen sighs disappointedly, her competitiveness still getting the better of her, "I wave the white flag." Tobin cracks a victorious grin.

"Good" she breathes out, just before leaning forward and planting her lips on Christen's. Tobin kisses Christen slowly and methodically. Her lips are a welcome warm feeling on Christen's skin after being out in the cold for so long. The longer it lasts, the more Christen forgets about their little war to begin with. It's so enticing that Christen feels a little upset when Tobin is the first one to break away. Tobin leans back but not much space remains between them. They can still feel the sensation of each other's breaths as both of them are a bit winded from several minutes and running around and nonstop laughter. If anything, the kiss stole what little air was left from both of them.

"If you had told me you were going to do that, I would've surrendered a long time ago" Christen flirtatiously allows, causing Tobin to shake her head and chuckle.

"Well in that case..." Tobin grins while biting her lip just as she had done before this whole war, "...You can surrender again if you want to." Christen giggles, not really understanding what Tobin meant by that, but not really caring either. Tobin leans in once again and quickly pecks Christen's lips. It was nice, but not quite what Christen had been expecting. However, this time as Tobin pulls away, she reaches up and smashes a snowball right on top of Christen's head. Christen's mouth opens agape before Tobin scurries off, cackling to herself as she goes.

Now Christen understands what Tobin meant by that.

The war is back on.

After a long and exhaustive snowball fight, the winner of which not actually determined, the two lay in the silhouettes of the snow angels they made on the snow-cover ground. They stare up at the sky and share their philosophical thoughts about the mysteries of the universe and unknown inner-workings of the campus dinning halls. That last part is truly an enigma. There's no way the cookies from the dessert counter can be that perfectly soft and chewy everyday without some divine or extraterrestrial intervention. Completely implausible. 

In a low moment between conversation, Christen's eyes flutter shut as she takes in a deep breath of the chilly fall air and soaks up the moment. She certainly doesn't get air this crisp back home. Nor does she get the same kind of company there neither. She's never fully realized just how magical the changing of the seasons can be when she's used to living in a place that has fairly consistent warm temperatures all year round. Time seems to progress differently. It's kind of refreshing.

"I just can't believe how some people could hate the snow so much" Christen muses as she exhales and stares up into the clear sky.

"The novelty fades after a while" Tobin shrugs from beside her, talking from her own experience. "I can't understand how anyone would complain about living in year-round nice weather. But that's just a matter of perspective for you. 'The grass is always greener on the other side', or however that expression goes."

"Yeah, I guess you're right" Christen sighs as she continues to ponder the thought, though still not completely sold on how anyone wouldn't want to live in a winter-wonderland at least for a small portion of the year. "I think it seems strange to me because ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed about living somewhere that had snow in the winter."

"Oh yeah?" Tobin questions as she rolls over on her side to get a better view of Christen as she speaks. Her expression is warm, as if she's eager to get even more insight to her girlfriend's childhood dreams. "Did you have anywhere in particular in mind?" Christen smiles at the question as she turns her head to meet Tobin's eyes.

"Chicago" she returns with a fondness in her voice. Tobin raises an eyebrow, intrigued by such a confident reply.

"Why Chicago?" Tobin asks, now slightly more engaged in the conversation. Christen smiles to herself before turning her head back towards the sky, beginning to collect her thoughts.

"I don't really know if there's one specific reason, I guess I've just always been drawn to it." Christen explains as her mind wanders off to the Windy City. "There are just so many things about it that I like. The skyline, the fact that it's in the middle of the country, the big city feel, the culture, the vibe... I don't know, I just really like it. Ever since I was little, I always saw myself living there. I used to fantasize about it all the time."

"...And that's why you decided to go to school in the pacific northwest?" Tobin teases after listening to her girlfriend's heartfelt confession. "There are universities in Chicago too, you know." Christen chuckles as Tobin's joke breaks her out of her daydream-like trance.

"I know" she smiles as she shakes her head slightly and lets out a small sigh, "But Chicago is more of my 'someday' place. For when I have more of my life together and my career beginning to take off... And when I can afford the cost-of-living."

"And there's our answer, folks" Tobin giggles as she playfully pokes a finger at Christen's side. Christen smiles and swats her hand away before she turns her body completely on her side towards Tobin.

"What about you?" Christen asks, staring into the midfielder's eyes and turning to conversation back on her.

"What about me?" Tobin lightheartedly returns with a grin.

"What were your dreams when you were little?" Christen asks, genuinely curious as to what a young Tobin would aspire to be as a child. "Besides like, all the soccer stuff, I mean. Like, did you ever dream about what life you would want if the sports route didn't work out?"

"Oh, so you mean like what I would want to do after I've won a few world cups, Olympic gold medals, and retired from a long and fruitful career as one of the greatest professional footballers to ever play the game?" Tobin humoredly quips as she begins to entertain Christen's question. Christen chuckles.

"That's not entirely what I meant, but sure, go on" Christen smiles as she can't help but be amused by Tobin's optimistic sarcasm. Tobin returns the smile but stays silent for a few moments as she seriously begins to think through her reply. After a few more beats pass, her eyes finally drift back to meet Christen's.

"I wanted to be a truck driver" she simply admits. Christen's entire face fills with shock and then a little bit of intrigue. That was certainly not a response she could have anticipated.

"A truck driver? Really?" Christen repeats as she tries to figure out if Tobin is just messing with her again or if she's actually being serious this time. "Not that there's anything wrong with that of course, but I never would have guessed that." Tobin just nods and after a moment Christen knows that her answer was earnest.

"Yeah" Tobin confirms as a small grin starts forming at the corners of her mouth. She seems a bit amused that she's caught Christen so off-guard. "I always envied the fact that they get paid to travel the country. Like, they just get to drive and listen to music while they see a bunch cool places. And the job changes everyday so they're never in same place for very long. It always seemed so chill and free to me. I like the idea of getting to experience new things all the time while also having somewhat of a routine."

"Wow, I guess I've never looked at it that way" Christen admits as she digests Tobin's favorable description of truck driving. As the words soak into her mind, Christen smiles sweetly at Tobin. She really does have a knack for seeing the beauty in even the little things. What I wouldn't give to see the world through her eyes...

"So I guess this means I'm buying you a trucker hat for Christmas" Christen kids as her mind floats back to the present moment. Her comment causes a laugh to escape Tobin.

"Quite the pair we make, huh? 'The Truck Driver and the City Girl'" Tobin jests as she runs a hand across the air like she's reading out a front-page newspaper headline.

"I'm pretty sure I've seen a Hallmark movie with that exact premise" Christen jokingly adds as she plays along.

"I'm pretty sure I've seen at least ten Hallmark movies with that exact premise" Tobin immediately jests as she and Christen share another small laugh.

"I can't argue with that" Christen giggles as she rolls back over onto her back and gazes at the sky once more. She takes in the moment for a final time, enjoying the fleeting moments of fall before winter rolls around and the seasons change once again. After a few seconds or wordless silence and mindful appreciation of the environment pass, she pipes up once more. A brand new realization floats to the forefront of her mind. "But I'm pretty sure that we should probably head in soon because I think the snow on the ground isn't as dense as we thought it was and it's starting to melt into my pants." Tobin rolls onto her back and sits up. Christen follows suit and glances back over to Tobin before getting up off the ground.

"And I'm pretty sure that its already soaked through to my under-garments" Tobin sighs somewhat defeatedly as her head slumps forward.

Christen miraculously has the ability to stifle a laugh... But only for a moment.

"Did you seriously just use the word 'undergarments'?" Christen teases as she reaches down towards Tobin and offers her a hand. Tobin Smirks and takes Christen's hand in her own. With only a little bit of effort on Christen's end, she pulls the midfielder up to her feet.

"And what would you have me call them?" Tobin humoredly counters as she bends over and brushes off the stray clumps of half-melted snow that remain on her legs. "'Panties?'... drawers?'... tighty-whities?' " Tobin briskly finishes dusting herself off and stands up tall to look Christen dead in the eyes. "...'Lingerie?"

Christen remains stoic and eyes Tobin from head-to-toe. "You? Wear Lingerie? I highly doubt that" she comments skeptically, undoubtedly calling her girlfriend's bluff. Never on this Earth could I picture Tobin in Lingerie...Well, I mean I could picture it, but like, I mean I don't think that would ever happen...But still, I've never even imagined that anyway...Well, until now...that is...Hmmm...Okay, wait stop Christen. Now is not the time for your mind to be in the gutter.

Taking advantage of Christen's sudden withdrawal from the conversation, Tobin takes a step closer and leans in towards Christen's face and casts her eyes beyond Christen's left shoulder.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she teases before taking a few steps away from Christen and continues further down the sidewalk. Tobin walks backwards, admiring the look on Christen's face for a few strides before smiling to herself and doing an about-face to continue walking normally away from Christen.

Oh damn.

"Chris? Are you gonna stand there all day or are we going to go inside?" Tobin calls over her shoulder from several yards ahead.

Without another thought, Christen breaks out of her trance and jogs up the walkway to catch up to her girlfriend, tabling those thoughts that just ran like frenzy through her mind.

At least... for now.

Between a long morning of chaotic holiday shopping and an eventful afternoon of snow-filled activities, Christen drops herself onto one side of Tobin's futon and allows her heavy limbs to settle. After she and Tobin came back to the room and changed into some of the soccer player's warm, and dry comfortable athleisure wear, Christen felt herself hit a wall. Her energy levels feel almost completely depleted and now she's more grateful than ever that she decided to finish that huge Psych paper last night and not wait until today. The thought of having to pour her heart and soul into another research paper in her current state sounds like a battle for the ages. A battle that she's not-so-confident that she would win. Thankfully though, that and all the other assignments she had for the weekend are all finished so now the only thing on her mind is relaxation...And maybe something to eat. Her stomach has been growling for the past ten minutes.

"Want a snack?" Tobin observes from the opposite side of the room. She finishes pulling a hoodie over her head and wanders over to her dresser. She pulls open the bottom drawer and reveals a few varying packages of snacks and at least three cases of light-blue Gatorade. "Uh, let's see..." she offers as she pokes through the boxes and packages as she takes stock of her secret snack stash. "I have a few different kinds of Cliff Bars or a half a bag of Goldfish Crackers if you want some." Christen just shakes her head. Of course she has an entire drawer of her dresser dedicated to snacks. I mean what else would she put in there? Clothes? Of course not, what a ludicrous idea.

"No thanks, babe" Christen simply declines with a hint of fatigue in her voice. "As appealing as that sounds, I think we should focus on what to eat for dinner at this point." With a slightly confused look, Tobin glances over to Kling's alarm clock and checks the time.

"Dinner? But it's hardly past five-o-clock" Tobin counters, seemingly believing it too early to have the last full meal of the day. Usually only the elderly would indulging in their daily meat and potatoes at this time. Sometimes for a college student, dinner isn't until two-in-the-morning. Sometimes even later, depending on how much alcohol is involved.

"Yeah, I know it's a bit early, but honestly I'm not too sure I'll make it a few more hours" Christen admits as she can feel her eyelids drooping. She really is exhausted. Not used to running around as much as I have today. Damn, I seriously need more cardio.

"You can take a nap if you want" Tobin suggests with a warm smile, "I don't mind entertaining myself for a few hours." Christen smiles back but shakes her head once again. As sweet as that is, she knows she can't go along with Tobin's considerate proposition.

"No, I can't do that" Christen retorts, knowing all too well what the consequences of a mid-evening nap would be. "If I sleep now, I'll throw-off my sleep schedule and I'll be up all night. And then I'll have a hard time getting to sleep tomorrow and I'll be out-of-sorts for the rest of the week until I can get back on-track again." Christen sighs dejectedly thinking about all the havoc those sleepovers in high school with her friends used to do to her precious beauty sleep.

"Alright, well, we could order something" Tobin offers and she grabs her phone from on top of her desk and begins scrolling through it. Without looking up she walks over to the futon and sits right beside Christen. "Are you feeling pizza? It looks like Signore's is open."

"Sure" Christen easily agrees as she scoots closer to Tobin snuggles into to her girlfriend's side. She settles her head on Tobin's left shoulder and allows her eyes to flutter shut. "Pizza sounds great."

"Okay, so what kind do you want?" Tobin asks, her gaze still glued to the phone screen.

"Mmm, just whatever you want. I don't really care" Christen murmurs from Tobin's side. The midfielder grins at the slightly ticklish sensation.

"Okay, one extra cheesey, cheese pizza it is" Tobin declares as she punches in the order.

"Can you ask for some extra marinara sauce on the side too?" Christen chimes with her sleepy tone of voice. "I like to dip the crust in it."

"Okay" Tobin chuckles as she adds her girlfriend's unique request to the order, "Extra marinara on the side. Got it."

"Thank you!" Christen returns with her eyes still closed. Even though she's growing more and more tired with every passing moment, the prospect of warm, delicious food is keeping her at least a little bit alert.

"You're welcome" Tobin pleasantly offers as she places her phone in her lap and readjusts herself so that she and Christen are in a far more comfortable cuddling position. With one arm wrapped around her girlfriend, Tobin reaches with her right arm for the TV remote on the nearby ottoman. "So, you wanna watch a movie or something?" Tobin points the remote towards the small television stationed underneath Kling's loft and powers the TV on. Christen remains silent, the only sign that she's still conscious coming when she tucks her knees even closer towards her stomach.

"Alright, so we have a couple of DVDs around here, or we could try to sneak onto Kling's Netflix account. Although, that might not be an option because she usually signs out when she's not here to watch it with me. I think she has trust issues. That, or she doesn't want me to judge her watch history. Either way, it's kind of weird and I don't know her password, so we'll see." After a few moments go without a reply, Tobin's glances down at Christen, whose breathing has seemed to even out in the past minute. "Chris?" Tobin prods as she uses the arm around Christen to jostle her a little bit. Only enough to get a response. Christen groans and stirs at the sudden movement.

"Yeah, yeah. Kling's weird in many ways, I heard you" Christen confirms as her eyes remain shut. To her defense, she was listening, but she was mostly focusing on how comfortable she was feeling all snuggled into Tobin's side. It's not my fault Tobin's arm is so goddamn comfy!

"Okay, so what do you want to watch, sleepy head?" Tobin chuckles, now having her tired girlfriend's full attention.

"Whatever requires you not moving" Christen tiredly grumbles, still a little annoyed at being shaken out of her state of peace. "I'm really comfortable right now and I don't want that disrupted again."

"Okay, fine I'll decide what to watch" Tobin concedes as she secretly takes pleasure in Christen enjoying being this physically close with her. "But you do realize I'll have to get up once the pizza gets here."

"Noooo, is it too late to cancel the order?" Christen complains as she slings an arm across Tobin, seemingly in an effort to restrain her from ever leaving the futon.

"I'm afraid it says it's already out for delivery" Tobin light-heartedly informs. Christen frowns and allows her arm over Tobin to go limp, falling into the midfielder's lap.

"Goddamn quality customer service" Christen sleepily grumbles.

Not too much longer later, Tobin gets a text alert from the delivery driver and heads downstairs to the lobby to collect it. After she returns to the room, she puts on She's the Man as it was remarkably still in the Xbox console and the two of them were both just anxious to eat. Christen eats about two slices before she succumbs to sleep not too long after. She didn't even make it to the part where Amanda Bynes' character sticks a tampon in her nose in that one scene with Channing Tatum.

But even though Tobin ended up watching the majority of the movie by herself, she couldn't help but think back to the night when she first watched the film with Christen, sitting on this exact futon, and smile at the thought of how different things were and how far they've come since those early days.

Back then, she and Christen were hardly friends and the room was filled with a rambunctious group of soccer players. Now, it was only the two of them, cuddled together and solely enjoying each other's company. No one else was around but the two of them. And no words needed to be spoken.

It was quiet.

Quiet.

But nice.