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Ashlyn rocked back and forth in her bed on Christmas Eve, trying to calm herself into Ali's rhythmic breathing to no avail. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. 2:25. 'Great,' Ashlyn thought, 'The most important day of my life and I'll be half asleep.' The goalkeeper quietly peeled the sheet off of herself and tiptoed downstairs to their living room, in the corner of which stood a chic pine tree. She smiled at the K on it, and proceeded to the stockings on the fireplace mantle. Ashlyn carefully reached down into Ali's stocking, past the gel pens and extra mascaras, and grasped the thing she was most nervous for: a black velvet box. She pulled the ring out of the box once it was in her hand and twirled it in her hand for a few seconds, letting the moonlight bounce off of each crystal. Placing the ring back into he box, and the box at the bottom of the stocking, Ashlyn headed back upstairs to try and sleep off her nerves.
"Babe, wake up. Ashlyn. Ash. Baby. Ashlyn. Ashlyn Michelle Harris I swear to God if y-"
"I'm up, I'm up!!" Ashlyn croaked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes to adjust them to the bright Florida sun. "Merry Christmas, Alex." She leaned over and pecked her girlfriend quickly on the lips; Ali hated morning breath. "Did you sleep well?" she asks, slipping her UNC hoodie on and getting out of bed.
"To be honest, not really. I was SO nervous!! Its our first Christmas together! But more excited than anything else." Ali confessed, following suit and beginning her descent of the wooden steps with Ashlyn.
"I hope I don't disappoint,"Ash joked ever so chivalrously.
Ali scoffed, "Oh please, everyone knows you give the best gifts. I'm the one who needs to apologize."
"But baby all I want for Christmas is you!" Ashlyn grinned at her corny reference.
Rolling her eyes, Ali poured herself a mug of coffee and handed Ash another. "Dork," she muttered. "Can we open presents now?"
At the prospect of giving Ali her gift, Ashlyn's heart began to pound. "Yeah, sure. But can we start with the under the tree gifts first and do stockings last? I know its silly but I have a really good gift I want to give you first," Ash suggested. 'Not exactly,' she grinned, but kept her lips sealed. This was going to be the best Christmas ever, if all went according to her plan.
--An hour and many 'eeeeks' later--
Ashlyn reluctantly pulled her lips apart from the Orlando defenders'. "Your turn for stockings!"
Ali smiled with her classic toothy grin and began to take out her bottles upon bottles of mascara. "Oh my God, you're the best. Thank you!!"
With a hesitant smile, Ash swallowed her nerves and said, "Of course. Whatever keeps princess happy." Next was chocolate, and more chocolate, and then some gel pens ("You know how type A you are Alex") until finally the only thing left was a small box. "
"Babe, whats this?" Ali had a confused expression on her face, and she slowly took the black velvet box out when it began to set in. "Ashlyn?"
A wave of bliss had overcome the apprehensive keeper. She knew deep down inside that the answer was always yes, and began her long-awaited speech. "Ali, I know this is long overdue, but I need to tell you some things. All good, I promise," she took a deep breath, and got down on one knee while holding Ali's unoccupied hand. "When I met you in 2010, I knew. I never believed in love at first sight, soulmates, none of that. But then I looked across the hotel lobby and I just got this feeling. You love me, Alex, in ways I didn't think I deserved to be cared for. You cherish me, support me, and push me to be a better person. You took a broken skateboard girl and you stitched her back together with your bare hands. For that I owe you a million thanks. But I figured being the princess that you are, a million sparkles on a diamond ring might suffice. I want all of you, every little bit from your shiny hair to your always painted toes. I want your good days and bad, your strengths and weaknesses. I want you, Alexandra Blaire, and if you'll let me, I want to call you my wife. So, Ali, will you marry me?"
Ali took her shaky hand from Ashlyn's and wiped at her soaked cheeks. 'This woman is perfect,' Ali thought, 'She is everything.' She closed her eyes and made a note never to forget this moment, the one they would tell their kids about someday-
"Ali?" Ashlyn stood up. "Yeah?" "You haven't answered me." Ashlyn began to go through the list of things she might have done wrong, when her thought were interrupted by a pair of lips pressing hard against her own. Ash unraveled into the kiss, fighting for dominance and running a tongue across Ali's lower lip to ask for entrance, at which Ali pulled away.
"Yes."