Birthday Girl
If someone were to ask Ana Sasic how'd she spend her ideal twenty-fourth birthday, she'd say something along the lines of "a small affair at home in Munich with her closest friends, a karaoke machine and her fridge stocked full of her favorite beer."
When it comes to her actual twenty-fourth birthday she's in ninety degree weather at a beach house in Southern California. Surrounded by a mix of the American, Canadian, English and German national teams; all of whom are drunk and singing along to the radio with a few playing mini pick up soccer games.
The old Ana Sasic would've steadfastly objected to spending her special day with anybody outside of her friends and family, most of whom she'd grown up with. But now as an adult, Ana found herself having friends from all over the world she wanted to celebrate with.
Luckily for Ana, dating Kaitlan Werry had it's perks and one of those perks was being able to use the resources of KAO's best friends. One of those resources being the brilliant party planning mind of Vanessa Dwyer, and access to the beach house of Chloe O'Hara-Solo and Hallie Harris-Krieger.
It took a mention of "birthday" and "Kait will pay for booze" for Hallie and Chloe to spread the word throughout the SheBelieves tournament teams that the day after the championship game was played, all the teams were invited to celebrate the legendary German forward's birthday and crash at Double Trouble's vacation home.
There wasn't an athlete who would dream of missing another epic Los Angeles beach bash. Because if there's one thing that the entire international soccer community agreed upon, was that the Americans knew how to throw a party. Most of the girls on the national teams had played on youth teams and had fond memories of late night dance parties with the Americans on days off.
Ana took a swig of whatever concoction Chloe O'Hara-Solo had thrust into her hand, insisting that "the birthday girl gets to be the sloppiest." She liked Chloe, they were rivals on the pitch but off the field she and the rest of their "Tribe of Five" (a stupid name for a friend group but she'd never tell the five, they'd kill her) got along very well. Especially now that she was involved with their oldest member.
Involved, Ana chuckled to herself realizing that she sounded just like her mother. But she and Kaitlan were so much more than involved even if the both of them weren't ready to say to the G-word. Ana scanned over the beach, looking for the familiar swish of a red ponytail. The forward's eyes swept over the buzzing congregation of international soccer players.
Chelsea McLeod and Harper Ohai were hard at work grilling chicken and burgers in the outdoor kitchen. Natalie Mittag and Katie Mueller were teaching Vanessa Dwyer and Bailey Bronze a German drinking game, the English midfielders were engaged in a high stakes beer pong game against the Canadian mids, Chloe was playing bartender with all of the international keepers and the rest of the athletes were dancing and mingling among themselves in the hot Los Angeles heat.
"She's upstairs trying to find her wetsuit"
Ana whipped her head around towards the voice. She was met with the sliding glass door to see Hallie and Kellan, also in wetsuits, coming from inside.
"Sasic" Kellan nodded to the German, hustling down the porch steps and sprinting to her board where it rested against the rack.
Ana playfully nudged the American forward with her shoulder "Heath."
"That's Morgan-Heath to you" Kellan laughed behind her as she grabbed her surfboard and headed towards the crystal blue waves. "Hal, I'll meet you out there. Love you!"
Hal nodded and waved her girlfriend on, watching the muscular forward jog down the beach and down to the water. Ana studied her friend, chuckling at how love struck Hallie was whenever Kellan was around.
"The return of Hallie Heart-Eyes"
Hallie and Kellan were probably the most married couple she knew. Sasic admired the both of them, their absolute professionalism whenever they wore the crest of their club or country and their love for each other off the pitch. Ana also knew that Kaitlan used her two best friends as a standard for her own relationships, a standard Sasic was willing to surpass.
The midfielder rolled her eyes and gently pushed Sasic towards the house.
"I'm going to kill Kaitlan for telling you that, go get your girl. She's scrounging in my room which is upstairs and the second door on the left."
Ana nods and squeezed Hallie's arm in appreciation before heading into the house.
The beach home, used whenever the Tribe has an extended period of time off, was decorated in various photos of the girls growing up. Ana had only been here one other time when she was invited on, what she now realizes was a test those devious brats, a week long "detox" after the World Cup.
Following Hal's directions, Ana took her time going up the stairs to look at the photos that lined the staircase.
Her eyes scanned over frames with little girls in matching Becky Sauerbrunn t-shirts, teenagers in aviators on a beach in Florida, college students in their jerseys clutching each other tightly. She could feel the love these girls had for each other and she knew it was special.
Ana made it to Hallie's bedroom door and could Kaitlan's frustrated muttering coming from within.
"I just don't get why Hallie has to have the suits in her room. It's probably so Kellan is forced to go into her room naked. Or because Chloe loses everything she touches and V doesn't surf but I do god damn it"
Staying as quiet as she could, Ana slipped in Hallie's bedroom. She looked around the room, it was like a Pottery Barn showroom in real life. Out of the corner of her eye, poking out of a wicker laundry basket of clean clothes was the sleeve of a black wetsuit with a familiar set of yellow embroidered initials.
KAO was absolutely oblivious to Ana's presence. So Ana pulled the wetsuit from underneath the pile of laundry and held it up in her left hand.
"Looking for something?"
Kaitlan, who had been on all fours scrounging around in the closet, jerked her head up and hit the doorknob.
"Jesus Christ Ana"
The striker smirked "Huh haven't heard you say that quietly before"
The American's face dropped so quickly in shock that the older girl couldn't help but laugh as she crossed the hardwood floor and helped Kaitlan up.
KAO gave Ana a lopsided grin and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Ana's eyes automatically closed as soon as Kait's lips brushed against her face, the simple contact made her knees buckle. Sasic could never explain it but Kaitlan Werry had her weak spot.
"Oh there it was" KAO grabbed her wetsuit and Ana's hand in the process "c'mon let's go! We have waves to shred!"
"Liebe" Ana tugged on her girlfriend's hand prompting Kaitlan to halt "I don't think you thanked me properly. It is my birthday after all"
"Oops" the redhead blushed and pulled Ana to her.
Blue eyes looked into green for a moment, allowing themselves a moment of quiet among the chaos of their teams. Kaitlan closed the gap between them, kissing Ana fully with all of the gratitude she could muster.
Ana eagerly accepted the kiss, allowing herself to deepen the kiss by gliding her tongue along Kaitlan's lower lip which always tasted like mint chapstick. KAO involuntarily moaned at the contact, dropping her wetsuit onto the ground so she could grip the loops of the forward's denim shorts to pull her as close as she possibly could.
Just as a freckled hand lightly scratched at the top of Ana's hipbone, the German broke away and raised an eyebrow at a now flustered Kaitlan Werry.
"Thank you" Kait whispered against alcohol stained lips.
"You can give me my real present later." Ana nodded and excitedly rushed out the door, leaving an amused Kaitlan to chase after her like it had always been and Kaitlan hoped it would never stop.