Home Sweet Home
By noon, Christen had successfully stuffed all her clothes back into her suitcase, and she and Tobin were in a cab, on their way to the airport. Christen, knowing that Tobin rarely ever stayed at her small apartment in Portland, had invited her to come stay in Palos Verdes at her parent's house. Tobin had gladly accepted, not wanting to have to part with the girl just yet. Plus, she didn't want to go back to her apartment, especially now that Alex had moved to Orlando.
Once arriving at the airport and checking their bags, the girls had some time to kill before their flight. Tobin found it increasingly hard to keep her hands off Christen. She could get over how good the Cali girl looked at all times. Like seriously, they were at an airport, but Christen looked like she was ready for a frickin photoshoot. They found a secluded hate and spent the next hour and a half talking. (Well mostly, it was Christen talking about her dogs while Tobin half listened. She was kind of busy admiring how beautiful her girlfriend was.)
A couple hours later, they were in Christen's car, cruising down the highway. Tobin had never been to Christen's parent's house before, so when they pulled into the driveway, Tobin was shocked. She knew that the girl had had somewhat of a charmed California life growing up, but wow. The house literally looked like something out of a movie, with a sprawling green lawn, a beautiful stone patio, and a poll in the back. Not to mention that it was five minutes away from the beach. I could get used to this, Tobin thought. As the girls got out and approached her double oak doors, Tobin heard barking from the other side. Tyler opened the door, and Tobin heard Christen squeal. She bent down, opening her arms and piling her dogs in for a hug. She laughed as they jumped all over her and licked her face. Tobin just stood watching the scene, hoping that she could one day make her girlfriend as happy as her dogs made her (but Tobin knew that that would take a long time). Finally, Christen stood up and hugged Tyler. Tobin followed suit, making a comment about how beautiful their home was. The national team families spent a good deal of time together, so Tobin felt quite comfortable a round Christen's sisters and the rest of her family.
"Are mom and dad home?" Christen asked Tyler as they dragged their suitcases inside the house.
"No, they went to go pick Channing up from Standford. They should be back soon. In the meantime, I want to hear all about you two," Tyler said, sitting down at the kitchen table.
Christen loved her sister, but she hadn't really gotten the chance to talk to her much since telling her family about her and Tobin. Christen sat down and eagerly launched into the story of how their relationship started. Tobin sat and listened for the most part, adding small comments here and there. Half an hour later, Christen's parents arrived home with her younger sister. Christen got up and hugged her sister before her parents pulled her into a bear hug. Tobin also got up from the table and walked over to the family.
"Hello, Mr. Press, Mrs. Press," she said in an attempt to be chivalrous. Christen's dad just laughed, pulling Tobin into a tight hug.
"Call me Cody." He said in a deep voice.
"And I'm Stacy." Said Christen's mom, also embracing the girl.
Christen watched the scene with a silly grin on her face. She absolutely adored her family, and she loved that they loved Tobin ALMOST as much as she did.
"Have you guys had a chance to unpack yet?" Christen's mother asked.
"Not yet. Tyler and I were just catching up."
"Oh, well let me help you carry your stuff to your room." Stacy grabbed Tobin's suitcase before she could protest and started up the staircase behind Christen. She continued up to the third floor and turned down the hallway. Christen entered her childhood bedroom, taking in the smell that always made her feel so safe. Christen's mother entered the room after her daughter and dropped Tobin's suitcase next to the door.
Tobin, not wanting to make any assumptions, asked cautiously, "Um, where will I be sleeping?"
Stacy turned to her with a laugh. "Oh, honey, our daughter is 27 years old. We aren't under the impression that she doesn't sleep in the same bed as her girlfriend."
Tobin breathed out a sigh of relief as Press snickered behind her mother. She couldn't believe how hard Tobin was trying.
"Well, I'll leave you two to freshen up. We have dinner reservations at 8 if that's alright with you."
"Sounds perfect, Mom," Christen said, giving her mom a quick hug while at the same time, ushering her out the door. Once the door was finally closed, Christen turned around to look at Tobin. "Welcome to my room," she said with a sheepish look. She was suddenly aware of the soccer trophies from when the was thirteen, the spice girls poster hanging on her wall, and the pink flowery bed spread. But Tobin didn't care. In fact, she thought it was adorable. She crossed the room and pulled Christen into a kiss. They made their way over to Christen's queen sized bed, where Tobin pushed her down. Things quickly started to heat up as Tobin moved from Christen's lips to her neck. Christen was content to let Tobin continue her actions until she felt Tobin bite her neck. "Tobs," she breathed out, putting her hands on the other girls shoulders and lightly pushing her away. "Please tell me you did not just give me a hickey." Christen got up and peered into the mirror over her dresser. Sure enough, a large purple bruise was already starting to form on the side of her neck. Christen groaned and turned back to Tobin.
"What?" She said innocently.
"You do realize that we have to go to dinner with my family in less than an hour?!" Christen said, eyes-wide. Tobin just shrugged her shoulders and motioned for Christen to join her on the bed again. "No," Christen said, waving her finger. "You know that we won't be able to stop."
"And what's the problem with that?" Tobin asked innocently.
"The problem," Christen replied, poking Tobin in the chest, " is that we have dinner with my family in less than an hour."
"I can be quick," Tobin replied with a devilish grin.
But still Christen refused. She had to figure out a way to try and cover the purple mark on her neck. Christen spent the next thirty minutes applying concealer to the spot in hopes that she could hide it from her family. She styled her hair in a way that would cover the mark from most angles. At quarter to 8, she and Tobin went downstairs to find the Press family ready to go.
Dinner was going fine until Christen got her food. She enjoyed spending time with her family, and this was the first time in a while that they had all been together. They laughed and shared stories of their lives during the past couple months. Finally, their food arrived. Christen had ordered some kind of gourmet soup, and she couldn't wait to dig in. She leaned down to put a spoonful in her mouth, and when she sat back, her hair fell behind her shoulder. The light caught the mark on her neck. Channing was the first to notice, and she let out a gasp before schooling her reaction. Tyler looked between her two sisters before realizing what Channing was staring at. Christen tried to cover it up again but the damage was already done. Thankfully, her family decided not to mention it, but Christen knew that wouldn't be the last she heard of the incident. She could tell by the absolutely evil grin that spread across Tyler's face. Christen spent the rest of the dinner in relative silence, just waiting for the bomb to drop. But it didn't.
Finally, the family arrived back home and Christen and Tobin made their way up to her room. Both were completely exhausted from the day of travel. While Tobin was in the shower, Christen sat on her bed, reading a book. She didn't hear anyone enter the room until the door closed and she was faced with her two sisters. Christen groaned inwardly, knowing what was coming.
"Hey Chris," Tyler said, sitting in the edge of the bed. Christen had her hair up in a messy bun, so the hickey was easily visible. "That's a nasty bruise ya got there. What happened? Did you get hit with a ball?"
"More like a Tobin," Channing added, and both girls laughed. They didn't really have anything else to say to Christen, they just wanted to make it known that they knew about the hickey and weren't going to let their sister live it down.
Christen just sighed. She was used to her sisters' antics. She loved them to death, but sometimes they could be total brats. But then again, what are sisters if they didn't annoy you once in a while. "Good night," Christen said pointedly, trying to hint that they should leave.
Tyler slapped her leg before getting up from the bed. "Night sis! Be safe!" She said with a wink.
"Remember to use protection," Channing joked, earning her a high five from the oldest Press sister. The two walked out of the room, laughing at themselves. Christen just rolled her eyes. It was good to be home.