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"Hey Tobin?" Alex shuffled nervously from her place at the kitchen table.
"There's something important I want to tell you."
The older girl sat down in the chair beside her, and watched Alex intently.
"My mom used to tell me that you can tell a lot about a person from the way they handle three things - a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas lights. She had heard it from a friend who had heard it from someone else who had found it on a quotes page of a relationship website somewhere in the depths of the internet before the days of Pinterest." Alex giggled nervously and looked up at Tobin to make sure the girl was still listening.
Tobin nodded in silent encouragement, and placed a hand on top of Alex's, sharing her strength with the younger girl.
"We've been dating for a while now, and we've been best friends even longer. I knew so much about you already, so it wasn't until this past week that I realized what my mother had meant."
————
Alex watched in disbelief as Tobin talked to the airport staff.
There was no panicking, there were no over dramatic movements, and there were no hysterics as there surely would have been if it was her own luggage that had gotten lost. No waving of the hands, no raising of the voices, no freaking out. Tobin didn't burst into tears when the airport staff told her it may take until the next day to locate her luggage.
She calmly, politely, spoke to the staff, accepted their apology, and thanked them for their time.
"That was impressive." Alex searched Tobin's face for annoyance when the older girl finally rejoined her, but found no trace of it.
"What, losing my luggage?"
"No!" Alex giggled, and started pulling her own luggage as the girls finally made their way towards the airport exit to find Alex's parents. "Not losing your cool about losing your luggage."
"Well...it's just clothes and gifts. It's all replaceable. The important items are all in my backpack They'll find my suitcase. For now, I can just wear your clothes." Tobin smiled widely, safe in the knowledge that the most important thing to her was standing right in front of her.
Laughter racked the younger player's body and Alex's luggage clattered to the floor as the handle slipped through her hand. "I guess that works then."
Joining in with her girlfriend's laughter, Tobin bent down to pick up the suitcase. Ignoring Alex's protests that she was strong enough to carry her own luggage, the midfielder kept a tight hold on it as they navigated the crowds of holiday travelers to the exit of the airport.
"ALEX! ALEX! LOOK GUYS IT'S ALEX MORGAN!"
Tobin smiled and handed Alex a pen she had kept in her pocket, having already known this would happen. The midfielder backed away quickly, leaving Alex to sign autographs and take selfies with the young fans, while she went to look for her girlfriend's parents.
"Hi Pam, hi Mike."
"Hi Tobin, we're so glad you're spending the holidays with us!" Alex's mom embraced Tobin into a tight hug, excited to have the two girls for Christmas since they had spent last Christmas with Tobin's family.
"It's good to see you again." Alex's dad hugged Tobin briefly, smiling happily.
"Alex is coming, some fans found her." Tobin explained before either parent could ask where their daughter had disappeared to.
The trio chattered contentedly about the Californian sunshine and the girls' flight, while they waited for the youngest to appear. Tobin's smile never left her face as she exchanged conversation with her girlfriend's parents.
"There she is!" Michael barely had time to finish his sentence before his youngest daughter had launched herself into his arms, their close bond evident to all those around.
In a flurry of smiles and hugs, the four adults made their way to the Morgan's car, and it wasn't until Michael reached out to grab Alex's suitcase from Tobin that he realized there was only one suitcase. "Sharing suitcases already, huh?" The man laughed as he ruffled his daughter's head gently, closing the trunk of the car.
"Actually, that one's just mine, Tobin's was lost. But it's okay, she can borrow my clothes until they find it and bring it to her." The forward grinned at the older girl as they both climbed into the backseat.
Both Morgan parents' jaws dropped and Pam turned around to stare at her youngest daughter.
Starting the car, Michael looked at the girls through the rear view mirror asking, "Did you sort it all out already or do you need my help?"
Tobin nodded gratefully, explaining,
"They'll call me when they find it and then arrange delivery depending on where I am by that time."
Michael nodded, put the car into drive and started the short drive to their family home. His wife, however, remained turned around in her seat looking at her daughter curiously. "What is this, the calm before the storm? Or did the storm already pass?"
When Alex started laughing too hard to answer, Tobin took over for her. "She actually didn't freak out about it Pam."
"Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?"
Alex shrugged, "I guess there's more important things than lost luggage." A smile ghosted her lips as she winked to her mom.
The four were greeted by Alex's two older sisters before they had even stopped the car, and the tale of Alex remaining calm in the face of the lost luggage crisis was told all over again. Both girls were as surprised as their mother had been, and teased their younger sister mercilessly while she and Tobin made their way upstairs to her old childhood bedroom.
Finally alone, Alex hugged Tobin tightly, "Thank you for keeping me calm when my mind is a whirlwind."
"ALEX! CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS TIME. NOW. WE HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH FOR YOU TWO TO GET HERE, WE ARE NOT WAITING ANY LONGER!"
"You're welcome, Al." Placing a kiss on the younger girl's head, Tobin grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the doorway. "Come on, let's not keep them waiting."
While the rest of the house had already been adorned with Christmas decorations, the tree was still bare. The Morgan's living room looked like a Christmas store that a herd of toddlers had stampeded through, with ornaments and bubble wrap everywhere. Tradition in the Morgan family was that after Michael set up the tree everyone put the tree decorations up together, with each person doing the same tasks each year. On the first Christmas she had been allowed to help set up the decorations, Alex had begged and begged for her task to be the tree lights. Her sisters had, knowingly, relinquished that task to her without any arguments, and had spent all of the consequent Christmases laughing at Alex fighting a losing battle against the lights every single year. To this day, Alex still regretted that choice.
"It's not- ugh- why can't- UGH- just come ON- this is stupid- UUUGH."
"Alex why don't you just-"
"NO!" Four voices cut off Tobin's attempt at helping the youngest Morgan. Four people who, having spent year after year of witness the same scene currently happening in the living room, had given up helping Alex untangle the Christmas lights, because as Alex's oldest sister explained, "When it comes to the Christmas lights, she refuses all forms of help. I think she actually likes arguing with them."
"I. Do not. Need. Help." Determination etched into her face, Alex pulled at two strands as hard as she could, falling over backwards when they came apart suddenly.
Tobin rushed to her side, suppressing laughter and making sure her clumsy girlfriend was okay. Once certain that no injuries had occurred, the older girl reached for the lights. "Alex, just let me he-"
"NO. I can DO THIS." Alex pulled the lights out of Tobin's hand harshly, and set them on to her lap to begin the untangling process again.
Sighing, the older of the two stood up and wondered out loud, "So... how long does this usually go on for?"
"A lifetime."
"Until almost next Christmas."
"Too long."
"Until she gets injured, that's usually when she gives up."
Alex ignored them all, and continued to pull in every which way. Seeing her distress, Tobin sat down silently beside her, and started finding one end of the lights. Though Tobin noticed her girlfriend's raised eyebrows, she decided to continue helping anyone.
Once she had found the end, Tobin unravelled it slowly and patiently from the chaotic mass of lights that Alex had created. Alex watched, wordlessly, trying to understand Tobin's process.
The four oldest Morgans continued to place ornaments onto the tree, taking turns at sneaking quiet glances at the young couple.
When Alex reached forwards to grab the other end, Pam nudged Mike. Her husband returned the nudge when Alex begun to unravel the lights from her end, the same way Tobin had been doing on the other side.
"She finally figured it out."
"I heard that!" Alex responded without even looking up. It took her and Tobin less than a half hour - a record breaking time by all accounts in the Morgan household - to unravel the lights completely and place them onto the tree.
"I'm so proud of you." Tobin placed a soft kiss on Alex's cheek, smiling widely when the younger girl blushed profusely.
With the Christmas tree lights debacle over, the Morgans and Tobin headed outside for a walk before starting to make Christmas Eve dinner. Laughter and conversation flowed easily between all six people, interrupted only by a knock at the door from airport staff delivering Tobin's missing suitcase.
The midfielder happily took her suitcase upstairs, and returned with gifts to put underneath the tree for the Morgans to open the next morning, ignoring their many "oh you shouldn't have"s.
Christmas day passed just as happily. The morning was spent inside, around the beautifully lit tree, with each one of them enjoying the joy spread by giving gifts to each other and by opening thoughtfully selected gifts from each other. After a delicious lunch prepared by Pam, the soccer players headed outside for a one on one game that Mike watched enthusiastically, as the rest of the family cleared up. Dinner was a peaceful affair, with stories and happiness shared between the six of them.
The happiness lasted until early on the morning of the 26th, when Alex and Tobin found themselves having to pack to return to Portland for NSWL training.
Or rather, Alex found herself having to pack, as Tobin had seemingly already done so. With a glance at the weather forecast, and a subsequent eyeroll, Alex put on a pair of leggings and a short sleeve shirt, well adapted to the California sunshine that they were still enjoying, and packed the rest of her belongings.
Several tearful airport goodbyes later, the young soccer pros walked hand in hand towards their gate, stopping to wave goodbye at the Morgans one last time.
Tobin pulled Alex to their row, and let her take the window seat, knowing how much the younger girl loved watching the view change as they traveled. A few moments after take off, Alex's head dropped onto the midfielder's shoulder. Tobin pulled her girlfriend into her and held her tight, knowing just how much Alex hated to leave her family after such a short time with them. They stayed that way until just before take off, when the younger girl woke up abruptly.
"Thank you Tobin."
"For letting you sleep on me? I mean, I know you snore, but it wasn't that bad. You're cute when you sleep." Tobin giggled lightly at reaction on Alex's face.
The younger girl waited until Tobin had finished laughing, before explaining, "No, although that too. Thank you for coming home with me for Christmas. Thank you for being you. I... I..." Alex gulped and turned her head swiftly to look out of the window, stopping herself from saying the words she had been so close to saying. It wasn't the right time yet.
Tobin seemed to understand, for she hugged Alex warmly, and didn't question the matter.
When they landed back in Portland, they were met by all of their luggage - none lost this time - and rain. Lots of rain.
Alex sighed as she unraveled her scarf from her neck and wrapped it around her head and shoulders, wishing she hadn't just rolled her eyes when Tobin had told her to bring a rain jacket with her onto the plane. Though she knew it rained more often than not in Portland, and though the weather forecast on her phone had announced rain, Alex had flat out refused to accept the fact that she would have to leave the warm California sunshine behind.
To her credit, Tobin didn't say 'I told you so', but pulled Alex's rain jacket out of her own backpack and silently handed it to her girlfriend. Alex's stubbornness was endearing to Tobin.
"Thanks, Tobs." Alex looked at the older girl sheepishly.
Once inside, Tobin crashed onto their bed and fell asleep almost instantly. Alex joined her an hour later, having unpacked both of their suitcases, and having put away everything in it's rightful place. That night, Alex fell asleep curled into Tobin with a smile on her face, and her hand tightly wrapped around the pendant necklace that she had received from Tobin for Christmas.
"Coffee. Need coffee."
Tobin smiled, still half-asleep, at the sound of her girlfriend's voice. If you had told the midfielder five years ago that she would one day have a house with a permanent address to fall asleep in every night and a girlfriend to wake up to every morning, she would have looked at you as though you were crazy.
"Oh no, no no no. Why? Why today of all days?"
Tobin's smile faded instantly. The sadness in her girlfriend's voice woke her up, sending any previously warm and happy thoughts far out of her mind. Pushing the covers back. Tobin jumped out of bed and joined Alex downstairs quickly.
"What's wrong?" Tobin wrapped Alex up in a hug, noticing the goosebumps on the younger girl's skin, no doubt thanks to the fact that Alex was wearing only a tank top and shorts.
"It's still raining."
"Alex... honey... we live in Portland." Tobin bit down on her lip to suppress laughter, knowing that bursting out into laughter would not help the situation.
"I know but we just got back from California and it's our only free day before training starts again" Alex shrugged, knowing that there are worse things to have to deal with than rainy days but still not happy about it. "I don't want to spend it inside watching movies, I want to go enjoy the day outside."
"We can still enjoy it, Al."
"How?"
Tobin burst into laughter when she saw Alex's facial expression.
"Come on, I'll show you."
The midfielder grabbed Alex's hand and dragged her upstairs. "Sit." When Alex looked at her in confusion, Tobin repeated the command once more and gently pushed Alex until the younger girl was sitting on their bed, a smile forming on her face. "Okay now wait here."
Tobin disappeared into their walk-in closet, and reappeared minutes later with black rainboots, black leggings, a white raincoat, and -inexplicably- a bright pink sundress. "Here you go, get dressed in these while I get my own clothes on."
"Tobin that's a summer dress." Alex stared incredulously at the older girl, trying to decide if her girlfriend was playing a prank on her.
"Yes it is, thank you Captain Obvious. Get dressed. Or you can continue to freeze in your pajamas." The midfielder smirked as she disappeared into the walk in closet once more.
An hour and several "hurry up"s from Tobin later, the two girls were ready to go. Alex had finally given in and worn what Tobin had picked out for her, whilst the older girl herself was wearing a dark green rain jacket with her World Champions shirt underneath it, jeans, and sneakers.
Tobin turned the key in the lock of her house, pausing briefly in wonder at how much her life had changed since Alex had asked her to be her girlfriend, and spun around to face the younger girl. "Al, what are you doing?"
"We're going out, aren't we?" Alex gave the older girl an indignant look, not understanding.
"Well yeah, but we're not driving." Walking over to the car Tobin extended a hand for her girlfriend to grab onto.
Alex pouted in response and whined, "But it's raiiiiining Tobs."
"I can see that! Now come on, little miss." Grabbing Alex's hand, Tobin pulled the younger girl out of the car and along their driveway, making sure to lock the car door with a click before returning her keys to her pocket. "We're going to jump through puddles."
As Alex raised one eyebrow in disbelief, Tobin pulled her straight through a large puddle. A few shrieks were emitted when the water splashed against Alex, causing her to stop running and take a step backwards, almost making Tobin fall over from the jerk of their intertwined arms.
It was only a second or two later that Tobin was jerked forwards as Alex propelled herself forwards into a series of puddles. Pretty soon, the two were running and skipping through the puddles of Portland's streets.
Darker clouds gathered in overhead, and Alex's smile turned into a nervous frown. The forward bit down on her lip as tears formed in her eyes. Tobin drew her into a hug immediately, wrapping her strong arms around her girlfriend's body, holding her tight. Tobin's heart missed a beat when she felt her girlfriend start to shake, worrying that she had made Alex sick. It wasn't until the younger girl tried to speak that Tobin realized what was happening.
"There's go-gonna b-be a st-st-storm, Tobs."
Alex wasn't shaking with cold, but with fear.
Tobin released Alex from the hug, and the younger girl ducked her head immediately, too ashamed to look Tobin in the eye. Tobin saw this and placed a hand on each of Alex's cheeks, bringing her face up so they were eye to eye again. "What part of that scares you? Tell me what scares you so I can understand."
Shyly, Alex opened up about the one thing she had always been scared of since she was a young child. "The strength of it. Storms are so strong and so big I always feel so little and weak." Tears formed in her eyes as the storm above them rumbled.
"Alex Morgan. You are not weak. You are the strongest person I know. And even though the storm may be bigger and stronger than you, you can overpower it." Tobin wrapped her arms around the younger girl once again, squeezing her tight. She dropped one arm to her back pocket to grab her phone.
"Tobs, it's raining, you're going to get it wet."
"Not if I'm fast." Tobin scrolled through her iTunes until she reached the song she wanted. She raised the volume as far as it would go, hit play, and put the phone back into the pocket she had just pulled it out of.
The opening notes to Good Life by One Republic started to play, and Tobin let go of their hug once more. Grasping Alex's hands in her own, Tobin began to spin them around, dancing.
Tentative at first, Alex kept her eyes trained on the ground, careful to not slip or to step on Tobin. By the time the second verse started playing, Alex gained confidence.
As the storm overhead crashed and poured water onto them, they kept dancing. Both girls were danced with reckless abandon - hands gripped tightly together, heads tipped back, screaming the lyrics into the wind.
Once the storm had subsided, the girls made their way home again; with Alex insisting on splashing through every single puddle she saw, pure joy etched onto her features.
Showered and dried and wrapped in blankets, the girls sat on their living room couch with mugs of hot chocolate in hand.
"Did you have fun today?"
"Yes." Alex's eyes shined with a child-like carefree happiness that made Tobin's heart soar. "I think I actually like rain now."
———
"I didn't realize what she had meant until you showed me. When they lost your luggage, you didn't make a big scene. You accepted it and found a solution. When you saw the tangled lights, you didn't pull in every which way, hoping they would magically untangle themselves and then get frustrated when they inevitably didn't. You calmly and patiently worked at it until they were completely untangled. When I was whining about a rainy day, you didn't whine with me. You turned it into my favorite day of my life so far. When the storm started and I got scared, you didn't tell me I was being childish or oversensitive. You acknowledged my fears, let me feel them, and helped me conquer them. You are a free spirit, but you are also stable. You are carefree and down to earth. You are a reckless optimist in the best way possible. You are the best person I know. And-"
Alex smiled softly at the older girl, as she took a breath to steady her nerves.
"-and I love you, Tobin Heath. I love you."