Katie and Azure walked back to the locker room, empty at this time of the day. Azure leaned against a random locker while Katie faced her, her arms crossed around her chest.
"What do you want?" Azure asked again, making sure her tone showed all her annoyance and desire to leave.
Katie hesitated for a moment, her gaze searching Azure's face for any sign of openness or receptiveness. She knew she was treading on thin ice, knew that Azure's trust was not easily earned nor freely given.
"You called me. Yesterday night." Katie said, her voice soft yet resolute as she met Azure's gaze head-on.
Azure blemished at the Irish woman's words. She had hoped Katie would have forgotten about that. Or ignored it altogether.
"No. I didn't." Azure replied, her voice barely above a whisper as she averted her gaze, unable to meet Katie's piercing stare. She knew she was lying, knew that Katie deserved better than her half-hearted attempts at avoidance.
Katie's expression softened, her eyes filled with a mixture of disappointment and concern as she reached out a tentative hand towards Azure's shoulder. "Azure, it's okay," she said, her voice gentle yet firm. "You don't have to pretend with me. I'm here for you, whether you want me to be or not."
Azure immediately flinched at Katie's touch. "Don't fucking touch me." She snapped, her voice sharp with a mixture of fear and anger as she recoiled from Katie's outstretched hand.
Katie's hand dropped back to her side, her expression one of hurt and resignation as she took a step back, giving Azure the space she so clearly desired.
"You don't have to push me away, Azure," Katie said, her voice barely above a whisper as she met Azure's gaze with unwavering determination. "I'm not going anywhere, no matter how hard you try to shut me out."
Azure's jaw clenched at Katie's words, her frustration boiling over as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. She didn't want Katie's pity, didn't want her sympathy or her understanding. She just wanted to be left alone, to deal with her demons in her own way and on her own terms.
"Leave me alone, Katie," Azure muttered, her voice tinged with resignation as she turned away from her teammate.
Out of instinct, or maybe out of complete craziness, Katie grabbed Azure's wrist to keep her from leaving. She realized her mistake too late, when Azure suddenly froze at the unexpected touch, her muscles tensing beneath Katie's grasp. For a moment, neither of them moved, the air between them thick with unspoken tension as they stood locked in a silent standoff.
Katie's heart pounded in her chest as she held Azure's wrist, her grip gentle yet firm as she refused to let Azure slip away. She could feel the tremors coursing through Azure's body, the fear and uncertainty radiating from her in palpable waves.
Azure turned around, her gaze switching from Katie's hand on her wrist to Katie's face. "Let go. Right now." Azure demanded, her voice low and dangerous as she met Katie's gaze with a steely glare.
Katie hesitated for a moment, torn between respecting Azure's boundaries and her own instinct to offer comfort and support. But as she looked into Azure's eyes, she saw the pain and vulnerability lurking beneath the surface, the silent plea for someone to break through the walls she had erected around her heart.
With a resigned sigh, Katie released her grip on Azure's wrist, her hand falling back to her side as she took a step back, giving Azure the space she so clearly desired. She knew she had overstepped her bounds, had pushed Azure too far in her eagerness to help.
"I'm sorry, Azure," Katie said, her voice tinged with regret as she met Azure's gaze with a mixture of apology and understanding. "I didn't mean to... I just wanted to-"
