I walked into the locker room after the game. It was the semi finals match, Thorns v Red Stars. We had lost. I’m pretty sure we’ve never beat the Portland Pricks, so to think tonight would be different was wishful thinking. Another year of not winning a championship. Great. That makes what I did even more stupid.
“You guys tried, alright. Keep your heads up” I heard Rory call. The girls and I shared a similar look. Rory was a good guy, but we were still disappointed with our loss.
I went to go take my ponytail out and winced as my scraped knuckles brushed my hair. I had made the dumb decision to try and slide tackle Amandine fucking Henry. Everyone knows not to fuck with her. Everyone. But I did it anyway. Not only did we lose possession of the ball a few minutes later to that tricky (talented) motherfucker Heath, I had gotten my entire body scratched up and my face kicked with Henry’s cleats ‘on accident’ in the process.
“You should probably get an ice pack or something for your face” Casey says, having noticed my wincing. I was too tired to be a smart ass so I just nodded. I could feel Katie shooting me a sympathetic look and Vanessa offered me a towel to wipe some of the blood. I took it, giving her a silent nod of thanks before starting to get myself together.
I finished changing and talking with my teammates. Most of them were too tired and defeated to talk anyway, so I said goodnight to them, promising Sofia and Michele I would talk with them more in the morning. Walking out of the pit, I stopped to sign some autographs and take pics, because what I really needed was photos of me with my face fucked up on the internet. I sighed, already dreading having to wake up to being tagged in a bunch of pictures of me looking like I had lost a fight, and walked to the parking lot. I was going to car pool with Christen, Julie, Alyssa, and Moe, but, upon hearing Kristie was visiting to watch the game, had come with her instead.
As I walked up to the car to go home with her, I had let her stay in my apartment with me, I tried my best to avoid eye contact. I didn’t need to look at her to know the look she held. One of disapproval and empathy.
We got in the car. Normally I loved driving but I was too exhausted to argue with Kris, so I just let her do it. The ride was silent except for the radio, so I figured I would avoid a lecture. We arrived back in my apartment and Kristie walked over to put her purse on the counter while I immediately started taking off my clothes. Stopping at my bra and boxers, aka, my pajamas, I was about to walk to my room to crash when she stopped me.
“Steph, you can’t just do shit like that. You could have gotten seriously hurt.” She stepped in front of me to silently assess the damage. “Look at me” she ordered and I obliged. I flinched, waiting for the scolding to continue, but it didn’t. Instead, she took my chin in her hand, turning my head this way and that. She took my hand, and then I felt her lips graze my knuckles, then my neck, my bicep, and finally, back up to my bruised cheek.
Her kissing me isn’t a new feeling. Her lips have always found reasons to grace my skin. If I was upset, annoyed, angry, anything really, Kristie was there. Pressing her lips to the top of my head when I’m upset, a peck on my forehead when I’m sad, or a gentle touch to my cheek when I’m angry. Even more so when I’m injured. Her lips seeking out and finding every wound. I never thought much of it, it was just Kristie’s way of comforting me. At least that’s how I used to see it. I don’t know when that simple act, her small touches and kisses, started making my heart race. All I know is when she’s near me I’m hypersensitive to anything and everything to do with her. I stood extremely still with each kiss, fearing that moving even an inch would make me lose control.
She looked up at me, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Hurt anywhere else?” She asked with a soft smile. I thought it over, did I hurt anywhere else? I looked down at my legs, abs, arms. My body was sore, but the pain had mostly subsided.
“Nah, I think I’m good…” I murmured. I felt her hand reach up to hold my chin, this time forcing me to look at her.
“Nowhere else, really?” She smirked as her thumb ran over my bottom lip.
“Uh…” I could feel my face slowly starting to flush.
“Your lip is still bleeding.” She stated simply, locking her eyes with mine. I knew what was next. She waited, as if wanting me to ask for it. I glanced down at her lips than back up a couple times. I swallowed hard, hoping to get rid of the butterflies, before giving my response.
I tried to appear confident but it was a lie. On the surface I acted the tough warrior, always sure of myself, not afraid to get hurt, while Kristie was the princess, ready to heal my wounds. Behind the scenes though it was different. I was shy, easily flustered, especially around her. Kristie, she became confident, almost cocky.
“And you’re going to?” I trailed off, trying my best to stay cool. Trying to put up a facade of suaveness. It wasn’t working.
This seemed to be enough for her though, because her hand slowly slid from my chin down to the back of my neck. Her other hand resting at my side.
“Kiss it better of course.” She paused and smiled at me, before pulling me in with a gentle touch. It was a slow kiss, nothing amazing, but maybe that’s what made it special. It lasted as long as all her other kisses - not long enough. Kristie pulled away, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Better?” Barely above a whisper.
I couldn’t respond. My eyes tracing her lips that had a hint of blood, my blood, on them.
“Steph.” Her smile widened. Fuck my heart was racing. Did she realize what that did to me? Did it mean the same thing to her? Did it mean anything to her?
“Geez, Stephanie McCaffrey overthinking something. Never thought I’d see that.” Kris laughed as she saunters back to lean against the kitchen counter a couple feet from me. She just kept smiling at me like she was waiting for something. I couldn’t stop staring, my mind having long gone into overdrive. There is no way that meant the same thing to her, she was too calm. She held her hands out to me, a silent way to tell me to come over. It took me embarrassingly long to walk over and place my hands in hers. She pulled them down, positioning my hands on her waist before softly cupping my face, careful of my bruises.
“You, are so dense,” A bright smile. “and suck at hiding your feelings.” Before I could think much more, she was kissing me again. This time I kissed back. Kris smiled against my lips and I think if I had my eyes open, I would have seen her rolling her eyes at me. Pulling back slightly she rested her forehead against mine. “Been waiting a while for that.”
“For me to get my lips busted so you’d have to kiss ‘em?” I joked.
“Yup. I decided that if you didn’t fess up, I’d make the first move. You were taking too long. I’ve been looking for an opportunity, and you getting a bloody lip was the perfect excuse. Seriously, I’ve been waiting months.”
“Try waiting years.” I muttered, tugging her close for another kiss. Her left hand found my hair, gently combing her fingers through my matted locks, her right hand still cupping my face. Gentle, even as she held me close.
“This might be even be better than if we had actually won the game” I muttered as I moved away slightly, making it so my lips were centimeters from hers. She pulled away and stared at me for a second.
“That was cheesy as fuck,” she laughed, causing me to blush, something I seemed to be doing a lot of tonight, and pout. I leaned forward, burying my head against her neck.
“Last time I try and be sentimental with you.” I grumble.
“It was lame, but cute. Sorta like you.” She teases, causing me to laugh. “Now come on Canelo wannabe, let’s go to bed”
As we walked to bed, hands interlaced, I couldn’t help but realize how stupid I was for having never made a move before. Everything we did was too close to be 'just friends’. The way we stood in pictures, going out to eat together, spending holidays together, living together. Hell, we went to the actual CITY OF LOVE together. Nothing heterosexual about that. It was nice though. To know we could start dating and our dynamic wouldn’t change at all. Just more making out and sex, which is fine by me.
