Tryouts Pt 1.
The days leading up to tryouts revealed to Alex a new side of Tobin. She was a lot more calculated, precise, and intense as her big day neared. Tobin followed an exact system each day:
Wake up
Go for a run or maybe to the gym
Breakfast
Get ready for work
Lunch
Get ready for Practice
Practice
Dinner
Sleep
Just the slightest abnormality in Tobin’s schedule would kill her mood for the whole day, something Alex learnt the day Tobin accidentally woke up seven minutes late. Alex did her best to ignore the way Tobin huffed when they got stuck in a line of traffic on their way to work that day. She tried to see past the way Tobin moodily carried around the bird feed all day, and the rough lines that were stitched into her face all day, she really did.
Her breaking point though was when Tobin had dropped her favorite mug while angrily handling the dishes looking for a bowl to have her pre practice meal in.
Alex looked on with distaste as Tobin cleaned up her mess, uttering a few choice words.
“Living room, now” Alex commanded.
Tobin sat in the sectional, looking rather dejected as she fixed her gaze on the floor.
“What’s going on with you?” Alex asked, fixing herself next to Tobin.
“Nothing.” Tobin said dismissively.
“Bullshit Tobin, I know it has something to do with tryouts.”
Tobin sighed, reclining in the sofa so that her eyes were now chasing the ceiling fan. “Yeah.” She admitted looking at Alex, who gave her a sympathetic look.
“Is it because you woke up late?” Alex asked.
Tobin chuckled, “You noticed?”
“I know more about what you do than you think.” Alex said proudly, patting Tobin’s thigh.”
“I’m just, - what if I mess up? What if I’m not good enough?” She asked, moving her eyes back to the ceiling.
“Fuck them if they don’t think so, I’ve seen you bust your ass out there for the past few weeks trying to get ready for this thing. Whatever you do out there, it’s definitely your best, and if your best’s not enough, there will always be other tryouts. I believe in you though, and I know, you can definitely kickass at this thing.”
Tobin’s face softened immediately, and she closed her eyes, looking slightly less tense than before.
“How did you do that?” Tobin asks softly, a small smile gracing her face.
“What?”
“You totally just made me feel better about like everything that’s been on my chest for the past few days.” Tobin says, allowing her eyes to open and meet Alex’s where she sits a few inches away.
“I just have a way with words.” Alex blushes, returning a bashful smile in Tobin’s direction. “You’re sure there’s nothing else bothering you?” Alex asks, blue eyes searching Tobin’s for any sign of distress.
“I might be a bit sore but, other than that no.”
A playful look brushes over Alex’s face, “If you make the team, maybe even if you don’t, I’ll give you a massage.”
**
The orange hues of the sunrise woke Tobin up on what was perhaps the most important day of her life, (so far at least). She turned her head to her right, expecting to see Alex still immersed in her dreams. Instead she was met with messy sheets, a clear sign that Alex was already up and about.
Tobin was surprisingly calm as she entered the bathroom, brushing her teeth and examining herself in the mirror. The last time she had played competitive soccer, she was younger, although time had been kind to her in some regards, she sometimes wished she was younger again. She longed for the days when the most important thing in her life was how well she performed in a soccer game, now the important things in her life ranged from, how much food should shelly the tortoise eat, to how much pounds of feed should the pigs get to Alex.
It was strange, how in the span of two months Alex could become so important to her. Tobin had grown attached to the woman who had shown her a chance to feel young again. Tobin couldn’t waste this opportunity, if not for herself, she would do it for Alex. Alex who encouraged her to pursue her passion once more. Alex who made Tobin feel like she was young again. The Alex who made her feel loved.
Stopping her musings, Tobin exists the bathroom and makes her way downstairs to find Alex.
“Hey.” She says quietly, obviously still tired from the night before. Alex wasn’t much of an early riser, but she wanted to do something nice for Tobin on her big day.
“I made you oatmeal.” She says from her seat at the kitchen island.
“Thanks.”
Tobin eats silently as Alex sips whatever it is she decided to fill her cup with early this morning.
“Thank you.” Tobin says, breaking the silence. “For everything, it really means a lot to me that you’re pushing me to do things like this.” Tobin finishes, placing a hand over Alex’s.
Alex is about to respond, when Tobin’s phone vibrates. Tobin places her spoon down and grabs her phone.
Christen: Hey Tobin, just checking if you wanted to do lunch later on today?
Tobin’s stomach dropped, she had placed Christen on the back burner in the midst of her preparation for today, the last thing she needed was a distraction like this to throw off her game; Here it was though and along with it came feelings of anxiety, not about soccer, but about Christen.
“You okay?” Alex questions, squeezing Tobin’s hand to get her attention. Tobin’s breathing is steadily increasing as she thinks back to the time when Christen made her choose between her and soccer.
“Tobin.” Alex says, grabbing her phone and reading the message.
Alex sets Tobin’s phone down, and gets up from her seat to grab a hold of Tobin’s shoulder. She figured the panic stemmed from Christen not exactly agreeing with Tobin’s soccer habits in the past.
“Look at me.” Alex commands, bending on one knee so she is eye level with Tobin. “This is your day. Your fucking day. You’re gonna go out there, and you’re gonna impress the fuck out of all those people, you hear me? Forget about her, just for this day, this is about you, and you only.” Alex’s eyes are like nothing Tobin has ever seen before, they’re stern, but they’re filled with something, they’re filled with belief.
“You believe in me?” Tobin asks, sounding unusually small.
“You bet your fucking ass I do.” Alex says, smiling. Tobin can’t help but smile back, she pulls Alex towards her, connecting their lips, and it just might be the best kiss Tobin has ever had. It tastes like coffee and oatmeal, but most importantly, it tasted like love and a new beginning.
“I hope that was okay.” Tobin says once they break apart.
“It was perfect.” Alex breathes.