Chapter Text
Christen Press and Tobin Heath owed their happiness to Kelley O’Hara, Ashlyn Harris, a bottle of tequila and a game of truth or dare.
They would never tell them that.
The couple met after Stanford played UNC in Christens freshman year. Tobin was a sophomore and they were heading to a party Kelley was throwing at the house she rented for the year. It was just for some of the players from each team and it was meant to be a fun night.
Tobin literally ran into Christen when she was looking for the bathroom. The forward looked miserable and Tobin immediately forgot about her bladder in an effort to cheer her up. They went outside to get some fresh air and talk a bit.
Christen explained she was a bit overwhelmed with all the stimuli in the house and she just needed to get away. Tobin understood and explained that her teammates were used to her just wandering off to get some space.
Tobin ran inside when her bladder reminded her it was full and Christen laughed as she followed her in. Most of the players had gone home it there was only about 8 players left from both teams combined.
Christen was leaning against the door frame waiting for Tobin. Tobin ran back to her with a smile on her face and a bottle of tequila. The two girls sat with the rest of the partiers and spent the next hour passing the bottle back and forth as they talked. At one stage Christen got up and plopped herself in Tobin’s lap for no apparent reason.
Ashlyn and Kelley watched as their two friends drunkenly flirted with each other. Ashlyn rolled her eyes. “Who wants to play truth or dare?” The other 4 girls who were still paying attention were all for it but Christen and Tobin were in their own little world.
Kelley through a lid and hit Christen on the arm. “What?” She growled.
“Truth or Dare?”
Christen rolled her eyes. “Dare.”
Kelley smirked. Too easy. “I dare you to kiss Tobin.”
Christen just shrugged and turned in the lap of the UNC midfielder. The two girls then proceeded to kiss like there was no one else in the room. Tobin’s hand was on Christens arse and Christen had tangled her hands in Tobin’s hair.
Ashlyn threw water on them after about 30 seconds of making out. Neither girl cared about getting wet, but they were annoyed at the interruption. Christen just stood up and took Tobin by the hand before leading her out of the room and stumbling up the stairs.
The heard a door slam and Kelley and Ashlyn’s eyes went wide in shock. “Ash, what the fuck have we done?”
The two soccer players didn’t surface until well into the afternoon. Their hangovers were gone but they were both doing the walk of shame. Tobin had left a massive hickey on Christens neck while Christen had returned the favour except it was normally a bit less visible. Tobin was wearing a V-neck t-shirt and it was clear to see on her chest.
The two didn’t stray far from each other. Unknown to the others, they hadn’t slept together the night before. They were so drunk that they couldn’t figure out how to undo Christens jeans and had passed out fully clothed. This morning was a different story.
They woke up about 7am and freaked out for a bit. They then started talking and eventually kissed while sober. It moved quickly from there and by 8am they had finished what they had started the night before.
They definitely didn’t waste the morning.
About midday they had a shower together in the en-suite before they sat down and properly talked about what had happened. Neither girl was a one-night stand type of person and they both had felt a connection before alcohol had become involved, as well as after. They knew they lived on opposite sides of the country, but they felt a connection and wanted to try dating. It would be tough, especially in soccer season, but they were determined to try.
They were also adamant no one find out. They would get so much pressure from everyone that the couple was worried the relationship wouldn’t cope. To start with, they were keeping it to themselves.
That afternoon they stayed close together and were quite affectionate. They took the teasing well, refused to say anything about what had happened before the UNC girls had to leave. Christen pulled Tobin aside and they said their own private goodbye and then it was back to reality.
The girls had to travel a lot for soccer and occasionally they were within driving distance from one another. Those nights were long, but they did everything they could to get together as often as possible. Cross country flights would be necessary in the offseason and they knew their time together was limited, so they fought for every second that they could.
They sent emails and text messages, called each other up and skyped. But nothing was the same as being together in person.
The first time Stanford played at UNC after they got together, the couple got shit from the others’ teammates. Ashlyn and Kelley hadn’t kept their mouths shut and everyone knew what had happened within an hour of the last party. Neither girl told their teammates a thing so they both knew whatever was said as on the pitch was untrue.
At the party afterwards it didn’t go unnoticed that the pair were missing. Tobin had whisked Christen away for a proper date which didn’t end until the Stanford player needed to be back at her hotel the following afternoon. Christen refused to answer any questions about where she was. Kelley pulled the collar of her shirt down and just cackled at the hickeys. Christen hit her before she put her headphones on and ignored the older girl and her teammates teasing.
Tobin got a similar response from her team, with Ashlyn and Kling ripping her scarf of and wolf whistling at the marks on her neck at the team dinner that night. She just blushed before she sat down and ignored all the comments.
In the New Year, Tobin was pulled into the national team camps to prep for the Olympics. It was great for her, but she was disappointed that it cut into her time to see Christen. When the camps were in Los Angeles, she made sure that she met up with Christen at every opportunity.
Tobin was in Beijing for the Olympics, but part of her was devastated that she wasn’t with Christen for the Summer. She made great friends with Amy and Lauren, but she spent every moment she could talking to Christen who was back in California training with Stanford.
Her fellow New Kids guessed the younger girl was dating someone in secret. Her behaviour was not subtle, and she was always on her phone. They made sure they covered for her if Tobin was missing from the room or running late, but they didn’t push her. Tobin would clam up immediately. Amy and Lauren could see how special this person was to Tobin.
She was the first person the midfielder called after the medal ceremony.
(Tobin admitted she was dating someone when they got back to the hotel. She was so happy and settled that she wanted Amy and Lauren to know. They supported her fully and couldn’t wait to meet the woman Tobin raved about.)
The next school year was the same as the first. They spent as much time as they could travelling to see the other when they could. The match Stanford and UNC played in California was full of innuendo and teasing for the couple. Neither reacted and just hugged tigthly at the end of the game before moving on.
Neither girl was at the party afterwards. Tobin had gone to dinner with Christen and her family. They all got along really well and could see how much the girls loved each other. Cody actually said “welcome to the family” at the end of the dinner. Christen was embarrassed but pleased, she knew that the two of them were in it for the long haul.
Their teammates grilled them separately about where they were. Tobin said she had crashed out after the game and Christen explained she was at dinner with her parents. No one realised that they were together for both of those things.
The return match at UNC was during a tough time for Tobin. She was struggling in one of her English classes and didn’t know what to do. They spent the entire night after the game trying to get Tobin to understand the course content in her dorm room while their teammates partied. It was a long and emotional night but by the end of it, Tobin had begun to understand it and Christen got a glimpse into the way her girlfriends brain worked.
Christen knew her girlfriend saw the world differently. Tobin was a whiz at mathematics, talented artist and amazing footballer. She loved to read on long trips and knew everything about Harry Potter. This was one of the first times Tobin had ever shown someone she was struggling and let them in. Christen appreciated the trust her girlfriend showed her to do just that.
The couple crashed out after a long night of studying and when Ashlyn tried to sneak in quietly after the party and saw them snuggled up together, she did her best not to squeal. She took a photo of them and ran back out to find Kelley. The defender’s reaction was the same as Ashlyn’s. However, both women knew that they wouldn’t tell anyone or say a word to Christen and Tobin. Tobin and Christen would come out when they were ready.
They weren’t ready yet.
Tobin and Christen made it through the year and Christen asked if Tobin would like to stay with her for as much of the summer as she could. Tobin loved her parents, but she knew she had to take this chance on the forward at Stanford. They were very gracious, only asking that Tobin introduce them as soon as she was able to.
That first summer together was the first time the two could be together for more than a day at a time. They relished the time they spent basically living together at Christens house and the domesticity of it. They had been together for almost 2 years and were talking about getting married in the future. They were serious and in it for the long haul.
Christens parents had essentially given the couple their blessing. Tobin had blushed and cried when they said they didn’t think anyone would ever be good enough for their daughter until they met her. Christens parents were amazing and her sisters became like family to her as well.
Tobin did have to go to camp for the national team in California that summer and she was looking forward to seeing Amy and Lauren. The three girls were really close and were the only two soccer players who knew that Tobin was seeing someone (that they were aware of). Amy and Lauren had heard only great things about Christen and the four of them went out to dinner towards the end of the camp.
Amy and Lauren liked to think they knew Tobin pretty well. They walked out of the dinner with Christen and Tobin blown away. The two were amazing together and Christen complemented Tobin in the best ways. She brought the best out of the sometimes-shy midfielder and they had never seen her so happy. They may have only been together for less than two years, but Amy and Lauren could tell that Christen would be around for a long time. And they were very happy with that.
Tobin’s senior year and Christens junior year brought the reality of their future to the forefront. After the soccer season at college was finished, Tobin was drafted to the Atlanta team and had to finish her education online. Unfortunately, she injured her ankle and missed most of the season. She spent her time until college was over for the year maligning her luck, annoyed she wasn’t able to rehab in Los Angeles until the end of the season and complaining about how itchy her cast was. Christen flew out to Atlanta to stay with Tobin for that Summer and the midfielder perked up when she was around. Christen got to meet the midfielder’s family and they all got on really well. Tobin’s parents loved that Christen both encouraged Tobin to be herself, but also knew how to reign her back in when necessary. They were the perfect match in the eyes of the Heaths.
When Christen went back to Stanford, Tobin followed in October. The season was finished with Atlanta and she didn’t have much to do except rehab and train, which she could do anywhere. Christen was renting an apartment near the school and the pair lived alone together for the first time. They both loved it and knew that there was no place they’d rather be.
Tobin and Christen weren’t public with their relationship. Hell, most people didn’t even know they were friends. Their teammates and friends from Stanford and UNC would randomly bring their past up at parties but they never thought that anything had happened past Christens freshman year. They just thought the two had hooked up a couple of times and that was it.
The pair had discussed telling their friends that they were together for the four years they had been dating but had ultimately decided against it. The long distance was hard, and they knew their friends would give them so much crap for it. Their families knew and supported them and so did Amy and Lauren, which was enough for now.
They also knew the wrong person finding out could be detrimental, and that the more people who knew, the more likely the secret would get out.
Both Christen and Tobin knew being out could affect their careers, so they didn’t say anything. It hurt, but that was their reality and it was shit.