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Dina’s always been talkative, borderline flirty, with all of the people she meets. In her experience, striking a conversation with a stranger is a thrill, and more often than not, it pays off- she makes somebody’s day better, she (sometimes) gains a friend, and she learns more about all different types of people.
It was how she met Jesse, and- though the whole ‘dating’ thing didn’t pan out- he was her best friend in the whole world.
So, when she arrived to her music appreciation class, flustered and frustrated that she had to take the class in the first place (she already knew how to appreciate music; she didn’t want to do it for a grade), and saw that there were few seats left, she took the one next to a freckled brunette in a green jacket.
“Hi, is this seat taken?”
The girl glanced up, then back down at her notebook, which was already littered with sentence upon sentence. The class had only started a few minutes ago. “No.”
Dina sat and unpacked her laptop, content on just jotting down potential test material into a google document. “Are you a freshman? I don’t think I’ve seen you around.”
“Transfer,” the girl says. Dina reads the clearly labeled, unopened notebook under her right elbow. Ellie Williams.
“Well, you’ll love this class. Professor Johnson is great.” And she lets the rest of the class go on rather silently, focusing on the professor’s words because- all things considered- this ‘blow off class’ was going to be one of Dina’s most challenging. But perhaps if Ellie was there, getting to know her would make the experience much more bearable.
“Good morning, Jess- a banana muffin for today, please. Oh, and a smoothie, something sweet and light- I don’t want to feel sick at practice.”
“You got it, four thirteen.”
Dina handed Jess a five dollar bill and gave her a wink. “For your service.”
“Oh, now I’ll blend your smoothie with an extra special ingredient.” She leaned in. “My love.”
Dina laughed and turned on a heel to let her get to it. The shop was not always busy in the early mornings, but it was particularly popular that day. Dina frowned as she looked around- college students sat around the lobby with laptops or books, bags next to them, taking up space. One person at a table, everybody else too awkward to sit next to them.
She hated that.
“Hey, D- come get it while it’s hot.”
“Thanks, Jess, see you later.” She grabbed her items and smiled as she saw a familiar head of hair, tucked into a half ponytail. She approached and stepped up so Ellie could see her coming. She was in a booth made for two, a guitar next to her, a laptop on the table. “Hi, is this seat taken?”
Ellie glanced up, shocked, and pulled out one earbud. “I guess not.”
“Great.” Dina settled in next to her and read the other woman’s coffee order- black. “I couldn’t drink the straight stuff- too bitter.” She sighed and dug into her muffin. “I’m Dina, by the way. We’re in Johnson’s music appreciation together.”
“Right.” Ellie offered a forced smile but didn’t move to put her earbud back in. That was a start.
“You play guitar?” Ellie nodded. “That’s great. My friend Jesse has a band; if you’re interested, he’s actually looking for a guitarist.” Dina watched Ellie pale about two shades and backtracked. “But he’s pretty lame; you look too good for him. Up to you.”
She’s about halfway through her muffin when her phone buzzes; practice has been moved up fifteen minutes to allow time for game prep. She cursed quietly, poked the last of her bite into her mouth, and pushed the plate to Ellie. “Here, a present- half of the best banana nut muffin on campus. See you in class, Ellie!”
She chugs the smoothie on her way to the practice facility and knows that she will regret it on the field.
She does.
“Good morning.”
The classroom was a bit emptier than the previous week- two or three people had shifted schedules, no doubt. Still, Dina chose to sit by Ellie, and this time, she didn’t ask. It was a small victory that Ellie didn’t seem to mind, only nodding to her.
“Test today,” Dina spoke, hissing. “Did you study at all? I feel like it’s a pretty easy module to start the semester, but it’ll get harder.”
“I think so,” Ellie agreed, focusing on the front of the room as the professor walked to his podium and instructed them all to grab their laptops. She dug into her bag and pulled out the device. She waited a moment, then two, then cursed.
Dina noticed but didn’t say anything. The test was just about to begin. Ellie didn’t say anything about her situation to anybody, only continuously pressing the power button despite the empty battery signal. The timer began. Ellie was sweating.
Dina dug into her bag and pulled out the tangled cord, pressing it to Ellie’s thigh and thanking the powers above that they had the same type of charging ports on their laptops. Ellie grabbed it, looked at Dina, then- without a word- scooted to the wall to plug it in.
Way to go, Dina.
At the end of class, Ellie pressed the charger into Dina’s hands and race-walked from the room. She wouldn’t get away that fast. “Hey! Hey, wow, you’re fast.” Dina chuckled and slowed her pace from a jog to a walk. “You’re lucky I’m a soccer player; it’ll take more than that to lose me.” She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Unless, of course, I’m really pissing you off and you just want me gone. I can be…relentless, I’ve been told.”
Ellie just shook her head and adjusted her hold on the guitar on her back.
“Are you going back to your dorm?”
She shook her head. “The practice rooms.”
“Wait, are you kidding?” Dina stopped her with a hand on her elbow. “That’s all the way across campus. It’s hot, and you’re lugging around a guitar. Let me drive you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know. It’s called offering, you know? Being nice, generous, trying to make friends.” Ellie seemed confused at that but didn’t object, instead accepting Dina’s help to slide the case into the backseat of her Civic. “I just cleaned; it’s not normally so…flowery.”
“It’s nice, though.” Ellie reached up and grabbed the Little Tree hanging from the rear view mirror, turning it towards her and reading it. She’d have to remember that one. Dina put the car in gear and pulled off towards the performing arts building. “Thank you.”
“Yeah, of course; it’s actually on my way to my apartment. This could be an everyday thing; I just go home and work on homework after Johnson’s class.”
“I- uhm…”
“If you want, of course; no pressure. Up to you.”
“I mean, if you’re offering…sure.”
“It’s a deal, then. No more running off after class.” Dina smiled to show that she was joking. “So you’re a transfer, then; where from?”
“A small college in Jackson.”
“Wyoming? Holy shit, small world syndrome. That’s my hometown. Jesse’s too- you know, I think you two would really get along.” Ellie nodded and Dina felt pressured to continue the conversation. Of course, she didn’t mind. She was great at that. “You’re a music performance major? When did you start playing?”
“I was thirteen when I started.”
“So what made you leave Jackson? The beauty of Colorado? Just a big fan of the mascot?”
Ellie rubbed her neck awkwardly. “Yeah, I mean, something like that…w-what do you do?”
“I’m a communications major focusing on journalism and photography…I play soccer, and- well, it’s hard to make it to the national league, so I figured that working field-side would be a good enough compromise.” Dina pulled up to the front door and stopped the car. “Here you are. I’ll see you around, Ellie.”
“Y-yeah, thanks, Dina.”
“Of course! Bye.” Dina watched her walk inside, smiled, then pulled off towards home, thinking of the way her green eyes shone when the sun hit them through the windshield. She wanted to get to know more about her.
The next time that Dina ran into Ellie was almost a literal run-in. “JJ, no!” She pulled back on her dog’s collar and rushed to apologize and pick up her groceries at the same time. “Sorry, I…oh, Ellie, hi.”
“Hi, Dina,” Ellie responded, stooping down and lifting the plastic bags from the ground. She handed them over, and JJ stood there, wagging his tail at Ellie. “Cute dog.”
“Thank you, he’s actually my parents, but they’re out of town on vacation, so, now he’s my responsibility…Don’t tell my apartment manager.” Ellie nodded and smiled, rubbing the dog’s head. “So where are you headed right now? I was sad thinking I’d have to wait a whole week to see you again.”
Dina pretended not to notice the blush crawling up on Ellie’s features at that. “I was just going to do some homework.”
“Well, do you want to study together at my apartment? My roommates are gone. Snacks, TV, bathroom, and study buddy included.” Dear god, Dina, who even says ‘study buddy’ in a serious manner? “Up to you.”
“Uhm, I mean…sure, maybe for an hour or so.” Ellie reached out and grabbed the grocery bags from Dina, following her down the sidewalk. The weather that day was beautiful, but still, Ellie was wearing a light flannel that covered her arms. Dina wondered why she did that. The only thing stopping her from asking was the knowledge that Ellie was about as skittish as a cockroach and would run from her if she made one wrong step.
Slow and steady. Slow and steady.
“I thought you said you had an apartment.”
Dina chuckled, closing the front door behind them both and situating JJ into his kennel. “I mean, I rent it with a bunch of the other girls on the soccer team. It’s a three bedroom house, and we’ve got five girls living here, plus their friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, what have you. It’s a…busy place, usually.”
“Must be rare to have a moment alone.”
“It’s more bearable than I’m making it sound; I promise. I really like these girls.” Dina led Ellie to her bedroom and gestured to the room. “The desk or the bed is yours, whichever you’re more comfortable with.”
Ellie took a ginger seat in Dina’s springy chair and unshouldered her guitar and backpack, sliding her laptop out and onto her lap. Dina kicked off her shoes and spread out on her bed, feet in the air. “Did you already finish the analysis of the classical and baroque pieces?”
“Yeah, but I could help you with it if you need help.”
“I would love that. Don’t get me wrong- I appreciate music, but the material of this class is so infuriating. Why can’t we just appreciate music that sounds good without dissecting it?”
“I guess it’s because…that’s how you analyze trends and patterns in music through history. It’s learning about what people appreciated in music, and how those things repeat and make up our music today. Less about ‘oh I like this’.”
Dina hummed, thinking about it. “That’s…the longest sentence I think I’ve ever heard you say.” Ellie shied away, seemingly embarrassed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that- just…your voice is nice, you know? You’re a tough egg to crack. No offense.”
“You don’t really take a hint. No offense.”
Dina laughed. “There we go, give it to me, Ellie. Let me have it.” She tossed a pillow at her and dodged it when Ellie threw it back. “But aren’t you glad I’m so damn annoying? Now you have a…”
“A friend?”
“I was going to say study buddy. I think ‘a friend’ makes it sound like you don’t have friends.”
“I don’t, really.” The way Ellie said it was so casual, so nonchalant, that Dina wanted to wrap her up in a comforting hug. “But it’s nice.”
“I’m glad, then.” Dina met her eyes and held it for a moment, then broke contact. “Let’s power through that assignment, shall we?”
The assignment hadn’t taken longer than twenty minutes, with Ellie’s help, and before long, Dina had turned on her latest game’s film reel on the television, playing at a low level. The lamp was on, and the sun was beginning to set. Ellie pulled out her guitar and held a pencil between her lips, focusing on transcribing a piece into her notebook.
She’d taken off her flannel, and Dina could see a tattoo spanning her entire right forearm. It was beautiful.
More beautiful than that, though, was the playing. Ellie moved from transcribing the piece to absentmindedly watching the game film and strumming a simple melody. Neither woman said anything when one hour turned to two, then two and a half, and Ellie kicked her socked feet onto the bed.
“What song is that?”
“House of the Rising Sun,” Ellie responded softly, her fingers just barely dancing along the strings. “It’s not perfect yet, but it’s one of my favorites.”
“Can you play it from the start?”
She shuffled awkwardly, but nodded and began strumming, slow at first, then more constant, more confident. Dina was just starting to melt into it when she heard Ellie begin to sing.
[a/n listen to this while reading : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQrIKyBhbJE ]
“There is, a house, in New Orleans…they call the rising sun, it’s been a ruin of many a poor boy, and god, I know, I’m one.”
She continued on to the rest of the song, and the world faded out until all that Dina could see and hear was Ellie. She’d have to re-watch her game footage for analysis later; right now, Ellie fucking Williams was sitting in her bedroom and performing.
She finished after the best few minutes of Dina’s life, and they both let it hang in the air a moment. “Ellie…”
“That was amazing.”
They both jumped at a man’s voice and turned to see Jesse standing in the doorway. “Jesse, why didn’t you text me?”
“You weren’t answering. I can see why; I wouldn’t interrupt a song like that, either.” He approached Ellie, and Dina could see how defensive she was, shooting out of her chair as he stretched his hand. “Hi, I’m Jesse. Do you want to play in a band?”
“Jesus, Jesse, could you come on any stronger?” Dina got in between them, laying hands on his chest and guiding him to the door. “The party doesn’t start for hours; why are you here so early?”
“Because I’m trying to get laid.”
“Lord, just…go wait in the living room, will you? I’ll be down in-”
“I was actually just leaving, so you don’t have to worry about any of that, and-”
“Ellie, please, stay. Jesse, a minute?”
“Uh, yeah, D, sure.” He looked back at Ellie. “Nice meeting you, Ellie.”
Dina closed the door behind him and breathed out a deep breath. “I’m sorry about that. He really is early. There’s this party tonight, and-”
“Don’t let me stop you from getting laid, Dina.”
“Wait, stop, pause- sit, Ellie, please.” She grabbed Ellie’s hand and gently pulled her to the bed. “You think I’m fucking Jesse?” Ellie was quiet. “I mean, not that I haven’t done that before, but we- we are broken up. For good. Mostly on account of the fact that I am now a lesbian. Well…maybe, I don’t like labels, but I also don’t like men. Point is, that was great.”
“Thank you,” Ellie said, barely above a whisper. “But I really should go.”
“Ellie.” Ellie stopped at the doorway, then turned around. “Can you…teach me guitar?” It wasn’t what she’d planned on saying in the slightest. Dina hated instruments; she was always too clumsy and uncoordinated to make it sound pretty. She really wanted to ask if she could kiss the woman in front of her.
“Okay.”
But she supposed that it was a start.
Dina walked her to the door and realized with dismay that the sun had fallen below the horizon, and that they were at least a half mile from the freshman dorm. “Ellie, let me drive you home.”
“N-no, I’m alright. Have fun at the party.”
Ellie was gone before she could even complain. She turned on a heel and slammed the door, glaring at an innocent-looking Jesse, who was munching on her cup of ramen. “I should slap that out of your hand, but it’d be a waste of cup ramen.”
“Who was that?”
“I want to get laid?” she quoted him. “Really, Jesse? God, you’re such a dude.”
“You didn’t let me finish! I was going to say that I want to get laid at the party tonight so I need your help doing my hair. I didn’t mean to- to do anything. I just heard her playing, and- I know you don’t know a lot about guitar, but she’s good. Really good. I want her to play in my band.”
“You don’t even know her.”
“Okay, then tell me about her. What’ll it take for her to-”
“The answer’s no, Jesse. For now, the answer is no. And the truth is, I don’t know anything about her, either, and that’s what I was trying to do before you- ugh! Jesse, just…ugh.”
“Hey, do you…do you like her? Romantically?”
“I’m not talking to you about this over a cup ramen.” Jesse dropped the empty cup into the trash and held up his hands as if to say ‘there’. “I don’t know. She’s quiet and pretty and wicked smart and passionate about music, but she’s as skittish as a kicked puppy, and I just want to like- to open her up and make her want to be around me.”
Jesse had the decency to look sympathetic. “You have a crush, D. The first one since we broke up, as far as I know…It’s natural to freak out.”
“I’m not freaking out. I’m a catch.”
“You are,” Jesse agreed. “But you’ve also never dated a woman, so…because I love you as your platonic ex-boyfriend who is way more experienced in hooking amazing girls, I’ll offer you my services.”
“Don’t say ‘services’; it sounds like you want to fuck me again.”
“Wingman services. Get your mind out of the gutter.” He smiled and extended his hand. “Do you accept?”
Dina carefully accepted his hand. “I don’t know if I like where this is going.”
“You’ll like it once you’re there. Give me your phone.” He began typing away and smiled before hitting a button and giving it back. “You’re going to that party tonight, and Ellie’s invited.”
Dina had knocked on the door three times already. She was beginning to get worried that she had the wrong dorm. Frustrated, she checked the text message and saw that she was in the right place afterall. “Fuck it, I’ll call.”
She could hear a phone ringing from within the room. So, she was home. But she didn’t pick it up. And she knew somebody was at her door…this was strange. “Ellie? Hey, it’s Dina, are you in there?” No response. “Are you…okay?” Something clattered from within.
She tried the doorknob. Unlocked. “Hey, I’m coming in, okay? I’m worried. Just…cover up if you need to.”
She shouldered it open and was immediately hit with a faint smell of puke and the sound of ragged breathing. On the floor, a trash can of puke. A trembling form was pressed into the corner on a mattress; Dina’s heart broke.
“Oh, Ellie.” She approached slowly and cleared her throat to let Ellie know she was there. “Hey, it’s just you and me now; the door is locked.” What was she supposed to do? She gently pulled the blanket down from Ellie’s face; it must’ve been hard to breathe under there.
She was sweaty and trembling all over, breaths coming out so harshly that they had to hurt. “Hey, look at me.” She sat criss-cross on the bed across from Ellie and put a hand on her shoulder, careful to watch for any signs of discomfort. “It’s okay; you’re in your dorm room. It’s me, Dina. You need to breathe. Breathe.”
“I- I can’t,” Ellie ground out. She grabbed on tightly to Dina’s arm, and it hurt, but Dina didn’t pull away. She remembered reading about it somewhere- grounding techniques. Some people with anxiety needed to hold something to feel alright again.
“I’m going to pull you closer to me, okay?” She maneuvered Ellie almost onto her lap, leaning back so that she could listen to the beating of Dina’s heart and her slow, controlled breaths. “Alright, there you go. Focus on how I feel, how my heart sounds. Breathe. Let the tension go, okay? I’ll stay here as long as you need.”
She was really flying blind; what Ellie needed in the moment was a mystery to her. The closest she’d seen to Ellie’s attack was the moment she’d forgotten her charger for the test, and even that wasn’t near as bad as this.
“Hey,” Dina tried once Ellie seemed to be following her breathing a little. “Was this about the party?” Her breath hitched and Dina stroked her hair; the last thing she wanted was for her to spiral again. “Yeah, Jesse really wanted to see us both there, but I think that he deserves to be stood up for interrupting our jam session earlier.”
Ellie shook her head and pulled away, obviously still shaken. “You should…go be with him.”
“I don’t wanna be with him; I want to be here.”
Ellie shook her head again, harder. “No. I want you to go.”
“Okay.” That was a clear boundary. Dina stood and waited by the door for a moment. “But I don’t want to party anymore. And…if you’ll allow it, I’d love to sit and watch a movie with you instead.” She smiled. “Up to you.”
Ellie breathed deeply again, hands ringing through her hair. “I shouldn’t have even agreed to go. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it. I just wanted…”
Dina took a step forward. “What, Ellie?”
“You’re really nice. I enjoy spending time with you, and I thought that…a party wouldn’t be bad if you were there, but it reeks like alcohol, and there’s so many people. It’s so loud.”
“I know, I’m with you there.” Dina leaned against the deks. “But you don’t have to agree to things you’re uncomfortable with just because you want to spend time with me. There are so many other things to do besides the party.”
Ellie looked up hesitantly. “You seriously want to hang out with me? Here?”
“If that’s what you want, yes.”
“Can I…take a shower first?”
“Absolutely. Want me to wait in the lobby for a couple minutes?”
“No, just- uhm, wherever you want, and…” She rifled through her closet and grabbed a pair of pajama pants and a crewneck sweatshirt. “If you don’t want to hang out in skinny jeans and a crop top. Up to you.”
While Ellie was in her private bathroom (damn, a single room and her own bathroom? When did college dorms get so nice?), Dina bagged up the vomit and deposited it in the communal trash can down the hall. She also redid the bedsheets and spread out the duvet across the top of it.
The room was furnished with a low bed, a desk, a keyboard, a tv, and a dresser, plus three different guitar cases smushed into the corner. Ellie had strung fairy lights along the top of the wall and plastered the wall with posters off (supposedly) her favorite musicians. One framed picture atop her dresser was of her and an older-looking man. The picture reel beside it, Ellie as a teenager and one of her friends. Cute.
“Thank you for that.”
Dina turned around and smiled; Ellie’s hair was damn, and her face was clean. She dressed in gray sweatpants and a plain pink tee- the dark kind of pink that wasn’t offensive to look at. She pulled it off.
“Of course. I really like your decorations. And it’s a lot cleaner in here than in my room, with the absence of soccer balls and cleats and random sweaty shirts.”
“Yeah, you should really get better cleaning habits,” Ellie teased, crawling into the bed and patting the spot beside her. “I gave you my shortest pants, and they’re still too long for you.”
“I’m compact and designed to be more aerodynamic,” Dina responded smoothly, crawling next to her. “Seriously, though, I feel bad for pressuring you into something I thought you might be uncomfortable with…Jesse sent that text, though, if it makes you feel any better.”
“Why did he have your phone?”
Dina swallowed thickly. “He was trying to be my wingman.”
Ellie guffawed and rubbed her face. “Tell him that he did a bad job. But like, not from me. From you.”
“I promise you, I’ll let him have it tomorrow morning when he’s hungover. You’re doing alright?”
Ellie nodded. “Parties…are hard. We should watch Sinister instead.”
“A horror movie?” Dina sighed. “God, you’re really lucky I like you because horror movies scare the shit out of me, and-”
“You like me?”
Dina blinked. Ellie stared at her. Dina stared back. “Yeah? Uhm, I mean, like…I just- platonically, or- uh, not. It’s up to you.”
Ellie leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips, then pulled back and curled into Dina’s side, queuing up the movie. “Not.” She pressed play, and Dina tightened her hold around the girl at her side, rubbing small circles on her bicep and playing with Ellie’s callused fingers with her other hand.
She didn’t know if she wanted to murder Jesse or hug him.
Ellie fell asleep about twenty minutes into the movie, leaving Dina to be terrified in absolute silence as to not wake the woman sleeping with her face pressed against her ribcage. It would’ve been cute if Dina’s phone didn’t start ringing at the climax of a jumpscare.
She answered it in a heartbeat. Ellie was still sleeping.
“What?”
“Hey, you didn’t show up at the party. Everything alright?”
“Fine,” Dina whispered. “I just decided to hang out with Ellie instead.”
“Sounds good, then…are you two- uhm, together?”
“I don’t know. I want to be. She’s…it’s…complicated. But I’m fine. Thank you for the invite; I’ll make it up to you at your next one, okay?”
“Don’t feel like you have to make it up to me, D. Just do what makes you happy.” He sighed. “Now that I’m done being sentimental and you’re not dead, I’m going to get drunk. Have a good night.”
“You, too. Don’t drive.”
“You got it. Bye.”
“Bye.”
She turned the phone completely off and set it quietly on the nightstand, moving lower under the covers and twirling a strand of Ellie’s hair around her fingers. The tattoo on her arm, the freckles across the bridge of her nose, the scar on her eyebrow. How beautiful it was to be there with her in the moonlight.
“You’re kind of dangerous, Williams,” Dina whispered, planting a kiss to her hand, as it was the only part she could reach without disturbing her.
She muted the movie and let Ellie’s even breaths be her lullaby, falling asleep as soon as her eyelids came together.
It becomes a tradition for them before long, heading to Dina’s room after Johnson’s class to work on homework and attempt to learn guitar. Ellie did a fantastic job at teaching, especially for somebody who caught on to just about everything musical as naturally as a baby took to breathing.
Dina struggled. She tried, valiantly, and failed, spectacularly. Mostly, though, she just liked to be with Ellie. It didn’t matter that she was musically challenged.
After weeks of this tradition, plus their movie nights at Ellie’s and brunch dates with their favorite waitress Jess, Dina convinced Ellie to come to the soccer facility and practice with her while they recited facts for their upcoming final.
“The first thing I want you to do is just…kick it.” Dina dropped the ball at Ellie’s feet. “To me, preferably.”
Ellie laughed, and Dina smile. It was so carefree, so different from the terse nods and one-word answers she’d gotten when they met for the first time. In public, Ellie reverted to that girl again, but when it was just the two of them on a field together, nothing else mattered.
Ellie struck the ball awkwardly with her toe but succeeded in making a pass. “There you go! I’m going to tell my coach that we’ve got a new striker. Ellie Williams, number ten, starting for yoooourrrr ECU Big Horns!”
“Shut up,” Ellie responds, stopping Dina’s pass and bouncing it back to her. “This is easy, though. You kick a ball and get tuition paid for? Sign me up.”
“Alright, don’t get cocky on me now.” Dina drove the ball harder at Ellie’s legs and smiled when the other looked up in amazement. It had gone right through her legs. “That’s a nutmeg. And it’s just about the most mortifying thing that can happen to you on a pitch, save for scoring an own-goal.”
“Noted.”
Ellie retrieved the ball and began dribbling towards Dina. “Come on, don’t be scared, Big Horn. Play defense or get rocked.”
“If that’s how you want to do this, we will.” Dina was just about to get into a defensive stance when Ellie kicked the ball past her. She turned to chase it but was blindsided by a force that hit her side and knocked her off balance.
She landed on the soft grass with Ellie on top of her.
“Ellie,” she sputtered. “What was that?”
“A tackle.” Ellie had heard Dina talk about tackles when she watched her game film; she knew they were an essential part of playing defense. “I think I won.”
“I think you just got ejected.” Ellie leaned in and pressed a kiss to Dina’s lips. “Wow, Ell, so bold of you to want to make out in the middle of a public soccer field.”
“One, we are next to the equipment shed on the practice field, and two, who says that I want to make out with you?” Dina hooked an eyebrow at her and her resolve crumbled. “I mean, I do, but like, don’t assume it.”
Dina laughed and pushed Ellie off of her, pulling her to her feet and looping her arms around her waist, humming and swaying gently. Leaves had vacated the trees, and the grass was brittle, signaling the incoming winter. Dina and Ellie were bundled up, but their noses were red.
They kissed again, and Dina dropped her head onto the taller woman’s shoulder. “I love you.”
Ellie stood still in place. “What?”
Dina smiled and held her cold face in her hands. “I love you, Ellie. So much.”
Ellie broke into a smile and picked Dina up, spinning in fast circles before placing her back onto her own two feet. “Dina loves me,” she breathed out. “Out of all the girls in the world, Dina loves me.”
Dina laughed and pushed her away, folding her arms. “And?”
“And I love Dina. So. So much.”