"I'm sorry, Ash," Ali said, smiling at her girlfriend. "I couldn't get away from Kyle. He was literally hugging me for three hours!"
Ashlyn laughed. To be honest, she didn't care how long it took for Ali to evacuate to her room, she was just glad she could see her lover's face.
"It's okay, babe," Ashlyn said. Ali giggled through the iPad, brushing a chunk of her dark brown hair back behind her. Ashlyn's heart throbbed a little, wishing she could have pushed Ali's hair back herself. The defender noticed the look on Ashlyn's face.
"Honey, I miss you," she said, her voice fading as the sentence leaked out. Ashlyn smiled weakly, her eyes falling to the floor. She could feel Ali's stare intensify upon her, but didn't look up.
"Ashy, give me a kiss," Ali whispered. Ashlyn looked up and a small laugh twinkled out of her when she saw Ali's pink lips blurred against the screen. Ashlyn did the same, and could swear she felt the warmth of the other girl.
A sharp jab of sunshine poked through Ashlyn's window and she squinted, the view of her girlfriend having gone extremely white. The brightness fading, the keeper sighed in relief as she saw the other woman smiling back at her. It was silly, but every time Ashlyn let the girl out of sight- even over camera- she imagined the defender leaving her in pieces.
Pushing her worries aside, the two chatted until the sun had gone down in Florida and they could barely see each other.
"Babe, wait one minute. I'm going to get my toothbrush," Ali said, standing up and leaving the screen. Ashlyn sat on her bed patiently like a puppy waiting for its treat. Only then did she realize how sore her legs and butt were from sitting in the same position for five plus hours.
She winced, stretching out her quads quickly.
Upon returning, Ali had a light pink toothbrush sticking out of her mouth and was holding a plastic glass filled to the brim with water.
Ashlyn didn't speak as her girlfriend brushed her teeth, quietly watching the woman and thinking about what words to form.
"Your eyes," Ash started, propping herself up on her elbows to get slightly more comfortable.
Ali spit into the glass. Normally, this disgusted Ashlyn, who couldn't imagine why Ali spat her toothpaste into a cup every single day when she, just as easily, could have gotten up to spit in the sink. But, now she didn't care.
"Your eyes are very pretty," Ash continued.
Ali turned a delicate shade of pink. "Thanks, babe. So are yours."
The keeper ignored her. "Your eyes are so pretty. That- that sometimes I think they were always meant to stare into mine.
Ali's shade of pink darkened and she smiled.
"Your eyes... are like the chestnuts that my mother cooks every Christmas."
Ali brushed a piece of her dark brown hair away from her hazel eyes. "Ash."
The keeper shut up.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
-
"Gàosù māmā, wô zhû wán de gōngbâo, qîng - Please tell mom that I finished cooking the gong bao," she murmured into the plastic device pressed against her ear. Giving the chicken an extra shake, Opal leaned over the pan, her glasses instantly steaming making her momentarily blind.
She winced, and her older brother, Li, questioned "Opal?"
The woman made an I'm okay sound, and Li hung up, leaving an eerie sound of silence hanging on the other end. The Chinese girl clicked the phone off and placed it back on its stand, balancing a steaming pan gong bao chicken in one hand. She dumped it into a white colander, and stepped back, letting the pan fill the air with steam as she poured cold water over it.
A knock on the door sounded and Opal groaned, one hand balancing a steaming pot, the other, a steaming colander.
"One minute!" she called, setting both down with another wince and making her way over to the front door. She ran a hand through her long, black hair and looked in the mirror incase she needed to be somewhat presentable.
When the door opened, Opal didn't have time to process who was standing before her because long, muscular arms swooped around her and squeezed her tightly, making the woman choke on her own breath.
"Uhm... hi?" she wheezed, pulling back and closing her eyes.
"Hello Opal. It's nice to see you again."
The woman's eyes sprung open as she recognized the all too familiar voice.
"Jerrmay?"
-
a/n: this chapter's a bit shorter 'cause i just haven't had time to write and i'm sick ):