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The sun had set hours ago, but Alex felt no tiredness as she laid in bed staring at the woman before her. Her flight leaves in a few hours, and she knows she needs sleep. The pair knew what they were getting themselves into when they started this. Sandy, Utah is 2,313 miles and a two hour time difference from Orlando. This was the last night of National Team camp; all of the players would be flying back to join their clubs tomorrow. The two veterans know it will be a while before they saw each other again, but they didn’t talk about it.
Alex knows when the sun rises, she will have to pack up and catch a flight back to Orlando which is the last thing she wants to do. So she stays awake, holding the Utah defender as the latter sleeps, exhausted from the match. Kelley shifts closer to Alex in her sleep, wrapping her hands tighter around Alex’s waist.
The striker looks down at the defender, taking in all of her features. The freckles scattered across her face, the slight smile playing across her lips as she burrows deeper against Alex, the softness of her skin. Alex gently traces the mark she had left on Kelley’s collarbone earlier. At the time, she had sworn it had been an accident but they both knew she wanted to mark Kelley as her own until they met again.
The sky has started to lighten and Alex glances out the window. She doesn’t look at the alarm clock, not wanting to know how fast time was slipping away from them. Sighing slightly, she prays to whatever existential being may be above and asks that everything just slows down, if even only for a moment. There is absolutely no part of her that wants to leave Kelley behind in Utah. If she had it her way, she would still be in Portland and her and Tobin would travel to see Kelley and Christen and vice versa. But life isn’t fair, Alex has learned. It rarely takes what you want into consideration, instead throwing you for a loop to see where you may end up.
As the stars begin to fade and the sun slowly begins to peek over the horizon, Alex recalls the conversation the two of them had before beginning their relationship.
--
“I can’t, Kel. It would be too hard and totally unfair to both of us.”
“Too hard? Really Lex? I watched you date long-distance for years!”
“Yeah, and how has it worked out for me so far, huh?”
“Alex, please. I know you want it just as much as I do.”
“Kelley-”
“I know you’re scared, Al, but we’ll never know if we never try.”
“...Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
--
Alex remembers the way Kelley kissed her after that, soft and slow as if she was afraid she’d scare the younger woman away. Alex also remembers the hickey Kelley had left on the underside of her jaw, something she hadn’t noticed until she had shown up to training the next day and the kids immediately interrogated both of them, with Sonny leading the questions. She wishes camp could last longer, that the two of them didn’t have to return to reality, where they lived nearly 3,000 miles apart. She wishes for the night to never end because she’d never have to leave.
But Alex knows that’s not how this works. So she risks a glance at the clock, noting that she has 45 minutes until she needs to leave for the airport. This means she has roughly 30 minutes until Kelley wakes up to make them coffee and drive her to the airport. So she decides to take advantage of every last minute she has with Kelley. She studies the sleeping woman’s face and body, taking in every nook and cranny, making note of every scar and tan line. She memorizes the look on Kelley’s face as the older woman slowly wakes and makes eye contact with her. She takes note of the way Kelley’s hazel eyes reflect the sun that is starting to bleed in through the curtains. She notices the tired half-smile that graces Kelley’s lips and she tries to wake her mind up and take in the younger woman.
“Hi,” Kelley greets her with a tired voice, tightening her arms around Alex briefly before detangling their legs. As she stretches and rises from bed to begin making coffee, Alex watches her. The hotel’s coffee isn’t exactly Alex’s favorite and it is far too early to be having to leave for a flight she doesn’t want to make, but when Kelley turns to her and gives her a soft smile, Alex comes to a conclusion.
For someone like Kelley, the distance is worth it.
-
The next time they’re in this situation, it’s the final round of Victory Tour matches. They’re in Chicago, sitting in a bathroom, recording a podcast with USWNT legend Julie Foudy. Kelley mentions that her roommate this time around is Emily Sonnett, though she has spent very little time in her own room, usually ending up with Alex in her room instead. The NWSL season is drawing to a close soon, and neither of their teams made the playoffs, but they still don’t have a lot of spare time to see each other. Kelley has plans to visit her family in Georgia while Alex will still be in LA rehabbing her knee before the National Team reunites in early November for another pair of friendlies to wrap up the whirlwind of a year they’ve had.
It’s their final night together until who knows when and neither of them wants to sleep. They’d rather be complete zombies and sleep on the plane rides home than miss a second with each other. So they stay up all night, drinking coffee and eating foods Dawn would kill them for eating right now. And they couldn’t be happier. They’re in their own world, cuddled up underneath the sheets of Alex’s bed, both not thinking about what the morning will bring.
“What are your thoughts on me maybe coming to LA for a week or two after the season wraps?”
Alex looks at Kelley, more than a little surprised. She knew Kelley had plans to return home after Utah’s final game and the two hadn’t discussed seeing each other after the season ended.
“I’d love it, but I thought you wanted to go home to Georgia?”
“As much as I love losing sleep to spend every last moment together before we’re separated, I’d rather spend time with you outside of the season. And we could actually sleep next to each other.” Kelley looks hopeful and Alex can’t say no, not that she wanted to anyway.
So she agrees. And before they know it, two weeks turns into two months which turns into Kelley and Alex living together all offseason and having their own drawers at each others’ apartments.
So Alex doesn’t regret losing sleep to spend more time with Kelley. She’d do it again in a heartbeat. The distance during the season doesn’t get easier, but they find their routine. And sure enough, whether the Royals are in Orlando or the Pride comes to Sandy, it’s a guarantee the two of them won’t be sleeping, for one reason or another.