Chapter Text
“Hey...” Ashlyn said as she stuck out her hand. “I’m Ashlyn.”
Ali had just finished tying her shoes in preparation to take the field for her first practice with the national team. She had worked her butt off to finally get noticed on the highest level. Paying attention to the flirty girl in front of her was the last thing on her mind.
“Hey.” Ali answered back. She politely shook Ashlyn’s hand and said, “I’m Ali.”
Ashlyn’s half smile revealed a dimple that Ali hadn’t noticed before. She had heard of the UNC goalkeeper from her college days at Penn State and in her efforts to stay informed about the US team that she was hoping to someday be a part of.
Ashlyn stood above her, wearing a tank top that revealed her tan shoulders from days spent on the beach in her hometown.
“Nice to meet you, Ali.” Ashlyn said. She stuck her hand out again, this time as an offer to help the brunette to her feet. Ali accepted it and let Ash pull her up.
“Thanks.” Ali said. She finally became very aware that her hands were shaking. She wondered if it was the pressure and excitement of making the team, or if it had something to do with the blonde in front of her.
The teammates heard a voice call out to Ashlyn. The keeper winked at Ali and said, “Gotta go. Hope needs me.”
Ali watched as Ashlyn jogged toward the rest of the goalkeepers.
Ali was smitten.
...
“Ash, you need to stay away from her.” HAO warned.
Ashlyn didn’t like being told that she couldn’t have something. She replied, “She seems nice enough to me.”
Heather was Ali’s roommate and had a heart to heart talk with her that made her feel that Ashlyn needed to keep a distance from the newest member of the team.
“She’s going through some stuff. You need to back off.” Heather had a feeling that her friend wasn’t convinced, so she added, “For her sake!”
...
HAO’s attempt to keep the women apart only made Ashlyn more interested in Ali.
“You’re practically staring a hole into the back of her head.” Hope whispered.
She was the team’s #1 keeper and Ashlyn was currently the #4. Ashlyn was immediately embarrassed. Hope had caught her staring at Ali.
“The new girl’s hot!” Hope said as Ashlyn’s cheeks burned red.
“Her name’s Ali.” Ashlyn said quietly, with her head hanging low. She didn’t dare lift her eyes up. She wondered how many other people had noticed her crush.
Hope smacked Ash hard on the back and replied, “What are ya hanging out here for? Go talk to her.”
“I’m supposed to stay away from her.” Ash grumbled. She snuck a quick glaring look at HAO and then returned her eyes to the ground.
“Hmm...” Hope hummed in disapproval.
Ash met Hope’s eyes and asked, “What?”
The older goalkeeper shrugged and said, “I didn’t peg you as the type to give up just because someone told you to.”
Ashlyn felt a warmth fill her body as she turned her attention back to Ali. She felt like something big was about to happen. Something that would change her life forever.
...
Ali stretched out on her hotel room bed. Most of the team left in groups to shop, eat, or just spend time outside of the hotel. Ali was thankful for the time alone. So far she felt she had impressed the coaches and trainers. Her bold move to play in Germany right after college had paid off. She gained a wealth of experience and skills from one of the top women’s leagues in the world.
She could practically feel soreness in every muscle in her body. Between the workouts and practices, her body had been pushed to the limit. After changing into sweats and a t-shirt, she was ready to watch tv and zone out for the night.
She groaned when she heard a knock on her door.
After checking to see who it was, she pulled her hair out of the messy bun she had it in, and then opened the door.
“Ashlyn, what are you doing here?” Ali asked. She awkwardly stood in her place and chewed on her lip.
Ashlyn smiled and held out a single yellow rose. “I thought maybe we could go on a friend-date.”
“What’s a friend-date?” Ali asked with a smile. She smelled the flower, trying to hide the growing grin on her face.
Ash nervously cleared her throat and got ready to share the plan that she had come up with. “It’s where I take you to get some coffee...and maybe go for a walk.”
Ali examined her outfit and wished she had chosen to wear something less casual.
Ashlyn read her mind. “I think you look great.” She gave Ali her infamous half smile, revealing her dimpled cheek and added, “We’re athletes. We’re allowed to wear sweats on our down time.”
Ali sniffed her rose and decided that yellow might be her new favorite color. She returned Ashlyn’s smile and replied, “True. But I’m gonna change anyway.” She grabbed Ash by the arm and pulled her into her room and said, “Just give me two seconds.”
Ali took longer than two seconds...
But Ashlyn didn’t mind waiting.
...
“So....Ali Krieger...” Ashlyn handed Ali the coffee she had just ordered for her and asked, “...tell me about yourself.”
“Like...what do you wanna know?” Ali asked. She was starting to feel self-conscious. Ashlyn had a certain charm that she wasn’t used to.
“What’s your middle name?”
“Blaire.” Ali answered. Maybe Ashlyn’s choice of conversation wasn’t so intimidating after all.
“When did you start playing soccer?” Ash followed up.
Ali smiled and said, “You mean, football?”
“Yeah, I guess I do. Don’t mind me. I’m American.” Ash joked, as if Ali wasn’t as patriotic as her because of how she referred to their sport.
Ali laughed and answered, “Well, the rest of the world can’t be wrong.” She joked, “Maybe you should come to Germany with me and see what real football is all about.”
The mood of the evening had changed. There was a connection between the women that was flirty and exciting. For a moment, Ali got lost in the spark that had been lit between the two. Once she had caught her breath she answered Ashlyn.
“I was four.”
Ash had experienced the same feeling that Ali had. However, she was a little slower to recover.
“Uh, what?” Ash asked. She forgot that she had asked Ali a question.
“I started playing soccer when I was four. My dad coached me for most of my childhood years.”
“Oh...yeah.” Ash replied, as she was reminded about what she had asked.
Ashlyn was desperate to find out more about the beautiful woman in front of her.
“Are you really close with your dad?” Ash asked.
Ali took a deep breath and slowly released it. She would have come up with an easier answer, if it was anyone else. But something inside her really wanted to open up to Ashlyn.
She answered, “Yeah. Sorta. We were really close until my parents split up. Then we had a couple of hard years. When I left for college we got closer. Now we’re pretty close, but it wasn’t always that way.”
“What caused the distance between you?” Ash asked.
Ali sighed. Things were about to get really serious.
“You sure you want to hear all of this?” Ali asked. Until this point, things had been fun and easy. She didn’t want to ruin their friend-date.
“Absolutely sure.” Ash answered. “We’re friends, remember?”
Ali wore a slight smile as she thought about the effort Ashlyn had put into making her feel like she had a real friend at camp. “Alright...” Ali said. “You asked for it.”
Ali told Ashlyn about her struggle with her sexuality in high school and college, and how that only added to the guilt she felt for her parents’ divorce. She always felt that she had somehow been the cause of her mom and dad ending their marriage. Her soccer career had been the family’s priority for years, especially for her father. She carried her guilt for the divorce, and then for her brother’s addiction issues for a long time. Ali revealed that she sometimes still felt guilty.
“It’s not your fault.” Ash said without any hint of doubt in her voice. “You can’t blame yourself for that stuff.”
“Easier said than done.” Ali replied. “Maybe if my parents weren’t always focused on me, and if my dad didn’t travel so much for my teams and tournaments...maybe they never would have spilt up. It was a lot of extra pressure on them.” There was a shake in her voice when she added, “They’re marriage fell apart as the distance grew between them....Our entire family fell apart, actually.”
Ashlyn didn’t know what to say. There really wasn’t anything she could say. She settled for, “I’m sorry, Ali.”
“It’s not your fault.” Ali said and wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m sorry.” She apologized for getting emotional in front of her. “I don’t want to spoil our time together.”
“You haven’t spoiled anything.” Ash encouraged.
“Let’s talk about you now.” Ali said as she dabbed her eyes with a napkin Ashlyn had offered her.
“Ok...” Ash replied. “I guess you’ve earned it.” She took a sip of coffee and shared. “When I was a kid, my parents split up too. They both had their own issues. My Grandparents practically raised me. I worked my butt off to get a scholarship at UNC because there was no other way I could afford to go to college on my own. I tore my ACL in college and then my first practice back after a painfully long recovery, I tore it again.”
Ali’s eyes grew big as Ash shared her story. She was so open. It was as if she didn’t have a second thought about opening up to her.
“When I was younger...and sometimes now...I struggle with depression. I work hard everyday to overcome it.”
“Wow.” Ali sighed. She didn’t mean to say it out loud, but she was caught off guard by Ashlyn’s honesty.
Ashlyn smiled and asked, “Too much, too soon?”
“No.” Ali replied. She reached for Ashlyn’s hand and said, “It was perfect. Thank you.”
The next day, Ali would obsess over her words. She would question every last syllable. She thought she sounded utterly ridiculous...thanking Ashlyn and saying that her words were perfect. She thought for sure Ash had figured out that she was falling for her.
But in the moment, she was completely lost in Ashlyn’s beautiful eyes.
...
After a week of ‘friend-dates,’ Ashlyn decided to take a chance.
“Ali, I know that you live in Germany and I live in New York, but maybe me and you can be more than friends.”
Ali shook her head and answered, “I don’t know, Ash. I think we shouldn’t rush into anything.”
“Yeah, but...” Ashlyn didn’t want to resort to begging, but she also didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to be with Ali. “We have a connection. You can’t deny that. I’m not saying we get married, or anything. I’m just asking you to give me a chance.”
“Ash, I don’t think it would work.” Ali replied.
She watched as all the color left her friend’s face. Ali knew that their relationship wasn’t simply a friendship. She knew that their week together was naturally leading toward something more. She should have stopped it at the beginning, but she couldn’t help herself.
...
Ali returned to Germany, and Ashlyn found her way back to New York. It didn’t take long for Ali to feel like she had made a mistake. There wasn’t a day that went by that she didn’t think of Ashlyn. After only a week together, Ash had become someone important to her.
Just as Ash came up with a plan to get to know her during their last camp together, Ali came up with one too. She decided that she would send Ash a casual message once a week, in order to keep in contact with her in some way. The second part of her plan was to make a move at their next camp together.
Unfortunately for Ali, Ashlyn didn’t get called into the next camp.
...
Ali worried that she had missed her chance. After she returned to national team camp and Ashlyn wasn’t there, she felt like Ash was pulling away from her. As time passed, it took her longer and longer to respond to her messages.
They were finally reunited when the USWNT played a friendly near where Ashlyn played soccer with the New York Flash. She had left a message, asking Ash to meet with her after the game, but the blonde didn’t return her call. Ali went back and forth about her decision to surprise Ashlyn at one of her games while the national team was in town. A few other NT members also attended the game, but Ali preferred to sit alone. She needed answers. The biggest questions she had were for herself.
Why did she care so much about Ashlyn Harris?
And why did it hurt so much when she pulled away from her?
...
“Great job, Ash...” Ali tried to sound excited about the big saves Ashlyn had made, but her nerves were clearly heard.
Ashlyn was covered in grass stains and dirt. She felt the same way Ali did when she first surprised her at her hotel room and invited her on a friend-date. Compared to Ali’s perfect...everything, she felt imperfect.
“What are you doing here, Ali?” Ash asked. She tried to smooth out her hair, but was met with a sweaty mess. She wiped her hands on her shorts and waited for an answer.
“I tried calling you.” Ali answered. “Did you get my messages?”
“Yeah.” Ashlyn answered in guilt.
“Why didn’t you call me back?”
Ashlyn replied, but didn’t really give an answer. “You didn’t say you were coming here.”
“Ashlyn, I’m really trying to understand. Why have you been avoiding me?”
Ash used her foot to dig into the ground anxiously. She looked at everything she could find to look at that wasn’t Ali.
“Ash!” Ali waved her hands in front of her friend’s face and asked, “Why are you avoiding me?”
Ash let out a huff of resignation and answered, “I guess I was embarrassed.”
“Why would you be embarrassed?”
“Because I acted like I was a camp veteran and that I belonged there. I don’t know...”
Ali softened her tone and asked, “Did you think I would think less of you because you weren’t on the national team?”
Ashlyn shrugged and answered, “I don’t know...I know I think less of me.”
“Ashlyn...” Ali’s words were muffled by the tight hug she pulled Ash into. “I don’t think less of you. I never could.”
“I’m all sweaty.” Ash mumbled into Ali’s shoulder.
“I don’t care. I’ve waited too long to talk to you.”
Ashlyn took a step back and asked, “Can you wait a little longer?”
...
Ali waited a little longer. Ashlyn requested that Ali wait long enough for her to take a shower and change into something more presentable. Ashlyn brought Ali back to her apartment and cooked dinner for the two of them.
“I’m sorry that I haven’t been as available as I should’ve been.” Ash apologized.
Ali held back a laugh and asked, “Is that a nicer way of saying you’re sorry for ignoring me?”
“Yeah.” Ash answered. “Sorry.”
“You weren’t the only one who was disappointed in your absence on the national team.” Ali said. Her voice lowered, causing Ashlyn to have to lean in to hear her. “I was hoping to ask you out on a real date the next time I saw you.”
“Oh...” Ash replied. She took a few calming breaths and said, “This is the next time you saw me.”
Ali laughed at Ash’s realization and added, “As a matter of fact, it is. So...” Ali reached for Ashlyn’s hand and asked, “You ready to go on a date with me?”
“Technically, we’re kinda already on a date.” Ash replied. “I made you dinner. We’re holding hands.” Ashlyn smirked and added, “I can open a bottle of wine, if you want.”
“This is not a date.” Ali argued. “You can’t trick me into going on a date with you.”
“I didn’t trick you.”
Ali further explained, “You didn’t tell me we were on a date. It can’t be a date unless both people attending are aware of the intentions of the evening.”
“Who made up that rule?”
“Ashlyn, you can’t be serious.”
Ash narrowed her eyes suspiciously and said, “You want first date credit.”
“I don’t even know what that means.”
“You want everyone to know that you’re the one who initiated this.” Ashlyn further explained. “You know that we’re gonna tell this story over and over again and you want to be able to take the credit.”
“Well, I did surprise you at your game. I’m the one who didn’t give up. I think it’s fair to say that I’m the reason we’re together right now.”
Ashlyn argued, “All that’s fair to say is that you’re a borderline stalker.”
“We’re about to get into our first fight. Do you want to steal credit for that too?” Ali joked and threw her napkin at Ashlyn.
Both women flirtatiously argued back and forth all night.
When it came time for Ashlyn to take Ali back to the hotel the team was staying at, she pulled up to the front entrance.
“You sure you don’t want to come in and say hello to everyone?” Ali asked. Her left hand rested on Ashlyn’s thigh.
Ashlyn answered, “Nah. I wouldn’t know what to say.”
“Just say, hello.” Ali replied. She squeezed Ashlyn’s leg for encouragement. “I don’t want to say goodbye yet.”
Ashlyn smiled, revealing Ali’s favorite dimples and said, “I really would rather not say goodbye to you either, but you’ve got a curfew and I’ve gotta go.”
Ash cut off Ali’s attempt to argue with a kiss.
It took a horn honking from a car behind them to bring them out of their romantic moment. Ashlyn placed one more quick kiss on Ali’s lips before the two finally parted ways.
Ashlyn received a text in the middle of the night from Ali.
“I know why you kissed me.”
Ashlyn groggily typed, “Because you’re hot.”
A second text came from Ali before Ash could send her reply.
“You wanted to be able to take credit for our first kiss! You’re such a jerk!”
Ashlyn laughed and added to her original message before sending it. “You caught me. I’m a jerk, but I also did it because you’re hot. So, next time dial down the hotness or deal with the consequences.”
Ali quietly giggled before typing, “I know you’re trying to be funny, but all I can think about is how this is the fastest you’ve every responded to one of my messages. I hope we can stay in touch.”
Ali had completely changed the tone of the conversation. Ash took a few minutes to reply, because she wanted her words to be right. Ali had a mini freak out during that time and wondered if she had scared Ash off. She sighed in relief when her phone received Ashlyn’s message.
“I’m sorry. I promise I won’t let you down. I really like you. I want this to work.”
Ali smiled and typed one final message before going to sleep, “I really want this to work too. You’re different than anyone I have ever dated. I have to get to bed, but I want you to know that I really think you’re amazing. Goodnight.”
Ashlyn felt butterflies in her stomach when she read Ali’s text.
“Goodnight, Ali. I’ll call you tomorrow.”