... our team's DNA
Unexpectedly, a cute adorable force out of nowhere was pulling my pants which helped draw my senses back and made me lose the tenseness entirely throughout my body.
I looked down to see this precious little human looking up at me straight in the eyes. Those innocent brown pupils made my knees weak. I looked at the little stranger girl as my body melted like an idiot while my mind couldn't think of anything besides her little cute grip on my pants.
Out of my own control, my lips spontaneously smiled to her.
- Hello, little thing.
I don't know why I felt so happy but I was.
The little girl smiled at me with her pink cheeks and plum lips. I've honestly never seen a kid this beautiful.
I knelt down on one knee to pick her up.
- Are you Heather? – I softly asked.
The little girl nodded as her cute voice raised up:
- I see you everyday.
My eyes shot opened because of what she said, but realized she was only a kid and could say anything out of that innocent mind so I just let it pass and brightly smiled.
- Really? – I gave her a response to not be rude.
She nodded very determinedly which was really cute.
- Sorry. – someone whispered that to me apologetically and scooped her out of my arms suddenly.
- Sorry everyone, I'm late! – her voice filled up the whole house as she said hi to everyone else, and my heart really really needed a rest at that moment.
This was just too much for it to handle.
- Oh my God it's Christen! Honey, Christen's here! – Sky cried like a baby, shouting for Megan and rushed to run into Chris's arms.
She hugged Sky back and tightened her embrace around her.
- Hi, Sky. How are you doing? – she gently asked, there was guilt in her voice.
Her voice hasn't changed one bit. The way she hugged with the hands intertwined each other and placed on the person back hasn't changed either.
She's back... for Ali's 45th birthday.
Finally.
- Honey, are you going to let Pressi go? – Megan crackled as she tried to pull Sky out of Chris without hurting her wife.
- No! Never! – she shook her head against Chris's shoulder while sobbing.
- Aw Sky. It's ok. I'm here. It's ok. – Chris rubbed Sky's back to comfort her.
- Will you disappear again if I let you go this time? – Sky asked.
The vulnerability in her voice just broke everyone's heart who was witnessing this moment.
Chris shook her head and faintly smiled:
- No. I'll never leave again. I promise.
Just with a little lie, Skylar immediately bought it and broke her embrace.
Skylar is just so naïve. Of course, she's gonna leave. Her family is in Paris, her life is in Paris. Why the hell should she stay?
- Megan, get me a knife. – Sky demanded all of a sudden.
- Honey. - Megan hugged her wife into her.
- Bitch, I swear to God, if I don't have your contact number by the end of today or can't call you tomorrow, I'm gonna stab you for real.
Christen laughed as she didn't know what to respond to that. She rubbed Sky's shoulder and promised the world to her.
A few minutes after Chris arrived, Syd, her kids, Kelley, and her Kelley's wife Kameryn were there too.
After everyone cried for her appearance, after all the hugging and kissing, after all the "I miss yous" and "I love yous" while I was just sitting their holding the kid named Heather for all of them to do all that shit. But really, this kid is so fucking cute. How can I get one for myself?
She stared at me the whole time just like her eyes found something really interesting to look at, so I smiled to her and asked:
- Why are you looking at me for so long?
- Because Mommy also looks at you for so long everyday. – her innocent voice sent my forehead a lot of wrinkles.
- Huh? – I asked.
But she only smiled at me and said nothing else.
- How old are you, Heather? – I asked.
- I'm... - she raised four fingers, then changed it to two and said, - three.
I had to laugh. That's so cute!
- How old are you? – she asked.
I chuckled at her question and replied:
- I'm forty-one.
She opened her little mouth and big round eyes in surprise, which cracked me up.
- Do you know what forty-one is? – I asked.
She nodded strongly and went:
- Is old.
Her unexpected answer made me choke. This kid is so funny.
I nodded:
- Yep. I'm old.
I pretended to cough and arched my back a little bit while holding her in my arms to act like an elderly, which made her little hands hold on to me tighter and made her laugh so hard like someone constantly tickled her. The laugh was so cute, so therapeutic. It actually relaxed so many parts of me that my therapist couldn't do. The sound of her laughter was like music to the ear. Christen raised her really well, I'm so glad.
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Heather and Syd's kids were taken care of by Kai and Hermie in the backyard. Trust me, the two of them are much more capable of babysitting than a bunch of us adults combined. And also, they had their own table with a bunch of food out there to leave us adults alone so we could freely talk and be our wild selves without fearing they might find out how horrible their parents and aunts could be.
- Ali did this every year. – I pointed our name tags being put next to each other.
Chris smiled.
- We thought you wouldn't show up so we just left it like that every year as a joke. But Ali really had high hope that you would come one day, and she's... right. – my voice got smaller and smaller as I said.
I tried everything to avoid to look into her eyes.
Why did I avoid? Because I knew I would be lost in them forever. It's not so good to want to die in a married woman's eyes once again after half of a decade, you know.
- How's life, Tobin Heath? – she asked.
I smiled, then shrugged.
Suck as fuck, Christen Press.
- Ok. I'm eating well, sleeping well, working well, everything is the way it's supposed to be.
- That's good to hear. – she replied.
- How 'bout you? – I tried to make it sound like I wasn't curious at all and only asked in return because of politeness.
... but in fact, it's the only thing that I have always cared about.
- I'm a mother, Tobin Heath. I can't even poop without someone looking at me. – she laughed after the sentence.
It's good to see that smile again, it's good to hear that happy sound again. Everything felt so good around here which made me feel like she's never left.
- We don't have peach juice cans here, do we? – I heard Melvin just lowly asked Alyssa since they were just seated next to me.
Christen suddenly cracked a smile which made me smile after her, but confusingly.
- Melvin hasn't changed one bit. Even the peach juice thing. – Chris explained why she smiled earlier.
I looked over at the Naehers then nodded.
- Yeh.
- Do we have peach juice in a can? It's for Melvin. – Alyssa asked loudly so Ali and Ash at the top of the table could hear.
- Shit. I totally forgot. – Ash said apologetically.
- It's ok, I'll run to the convenient store to pick up a few. – Lyz waved her hand to show that she didn't mind at all.
- Baby, you don't need to. – Mellie pulled her back down when she was about to stand up.
Alyssa sweetly smiled, then leaned forward to place a kiss on Mellie's lips.
- Wait for me, I'll be right back.
- Has Mellie always been spoiled like this? – Chris asked.
- Uh. – I nodded, let out a small laugh.
- That's annoyingly cute. – Chris cracked a smile too.
And you, Christen Press are frustratingly cute.
Just when Alyssa left the door, Skylar started to act like she was going to vomit but nothing came out yet.
- Baby, you alright? – Pinoe stood up so fast that the chair fell backward and made a huge sound that urged all of us to cringe.
She's always like that, whenever there's something happens to Sky. Even the tiniest thing is still enough for Pinoe to lose her shit as long as it relates to Sky.
- Fuck, she's pregnant. – Syd bravely gave her opinion.
Pinoe looked over to Syd, her face showed no interest in what Syd said whatsoever.
- I don't have a fucking penis to do such thing, Mrs. Dwyer.
I chocked because of what she said, then spontaneously looked over to Christen who was trying so hard to not laugh that her face turned red, however, we gave up quickly and freed our lungs by laughing uncontrollably with others at the table.
- I smell something in the food. – Sky coughed slightly with a little bit of tears coming out of her eyes since she almost threw up a few times.
Pinoe punched her own forehead, then asked Ash:
- What is it?
- Lamb rosemary garlic pie. – Ash said proudly since she was the one who ordered these pies from her favorite restaurant in Beverly Hills.
- Skylar can't eat that. – Pinoe sighed, then removed the dish out of Sky's vision.
- Ashlyn Harris Krieger, how many years have you been knowing Sky? She can't eat lamb, hello! – Pinoe was about to start a fist fight, jokingly of course.
- Sorry, I totally forgot. Jesus, you ok, Sky? – the guilt hit Ash instantly as she finally remembered.
- I never cook eggplant for your wife, why do you cook lamb for mine?! – Pinoe got a hand full grip on Ash's shirt dramatically, which made us all giggle, including Skylar Rapinoe.
- Sorry, Skylar. I'll get you something else. – Ali offered while giggling hard.
- It's fine. Forget 'bout it. – Sky waved her hand to pass the offer.
- I'll choke you, bitch! – Pinoe threatened.
- I said sorry! – Ash raised the middle finger up after successfully pressing Pinoe to sit back down on her chair.
- Stop! – Skylar practically coughed out the word while punching Pinoe's arm.
- Did I miss all the fun these five years? – Chris asked all of a sudden, which made my throat shut like someone just hit it really hard.
I immediately turned my head to look at the woman who slid away, then I gradually made up my mind to find something to tell her.
- No, you didn't. – I shook my head.
I swallowed my nervous saliva and continued:
- As a matter of fact, I can tell you everything. Just ask me anything you want, I'll tell you all that my memory can hold in all these years.
Chris smiled.
- Thanks, Tobin.
- You're... welcome. – I sneakily took a deep breath since that smile just took my breaths away.
Tobin Heath! Get yourself together! She's fucking married, you dumbass!
- Ok, let me tell y'all something. So yesterday, I went to the club to visit the girls, a young man hit on me. He is one of the girls' brother. – Ali excitingly retold the story and Ash's face didn't show she's impressed by it.
- No shit! – Kelley shouted.
- Yup. – Ali stated the story was 100% real.
- How old is he? 25? – Crystal wanted to dig some more info.
- Around that. – Ali was so proud, it cracked me up.
- Is he good-looking? – Kelley's bisexual ass asked with excitement in her voice, which earned the sharpest side-eye from Kameryn.
- Babe. I'm not even dead. – Kam's jealous reaction was hilariously spine-shivering.
- It's optional. You don't need to answer it. – Mrs Kelley immediately splash cold water into the fire that she just caused.
- Of course, he is. Are you kidding me? – Ali's proud moment made all of us happy as hell excluding Ash.
Ash smirked disdainfully:
- Listen to this brat. She thinks she's fucking perfect.
- Am I not? – Ali lowered her voice a bit, which was just enough amount to make Ashlyn pee in her pants.
- Sweetie, what are you talking about? Perfect is just not enough to describe the whole awesomeness of yours. – she started to give Ali some shoulder massages.
Looking at Christen keeping silence but laughing her ass off that her face has turned red since God know when, my heart felt happy as hell that it wanted to dance out of my chest.
- I think it's in our team's DNA. They're such a slave for their wife.
- Will you be like this too... if you have a wife?
I felt attacked by the question. My throat instantly got stuck and I also didn't know what to respond.
Chris laughed at my speechless moment as she asked another question:
- Are you dating anyone?
Should I lie that I am?
Or should I not?
Cos out of all the people who know me, I don't want pity from her most.
I don't wanna look pathetic in front of her. I don't want her to know that my love for her has not changed one bit and it even increases as time goes.
- Let's not talk about me. Let's talk about you.
As soon as I said that, I could see Christen's whole body stiffened up, however, it disappeared really quickly or I might be wrong.
- Is your husband here? He should have come over to say hi.
It aches so bad when I talk about her husband. I just hate the word "husband" so much, and that's the only reason why I'm gay.
- No, he's not here.
There's just something in her voice that she didn't want anyone to figure it out, I wondered what it was.
- So how long are you gonna stay here?
I just didn't want our conversation to stop, so my mind worked constantly to find things to ask her.
- Uhmmm... a couple of months.
- Wow, can he handle a few months apart from you and Heather? That'd be really tough. – I let out an awkward laugh.
Immediately there was something popped up in my mind from a bunch of memories that I just got back after trying to bury them for a long time, so I instantly added:
- I mean he used to do long distant relationship with you back when you still played, so of course he can, right? What am I talkin about? – I laughed again.
It was so dry and forced but I just gotta cover the silence in between our small talks.
- We've been separated for a year so that would help him get used to it by now.
- Huh?
What the fuck did I just hear?
- We actually finalized our divorce four months ago. – her voice was very casual about this.
Her body seemed more relaxed after revealing the divorce, she even cracked a faint smile. And I don't think Chris was hiding anything or faking her feelings to cover her pain though, because that's just not Chris and the Christen Press I know can't lie.
- But... why?
That was all I had because I just didn't know how to react. The woman I've prayed for all the best for her and her marriage was now divorced. So God didn't hear my prayers?
But what the fuck? "Why"???!!! Really, Tobin? Really? That's all you could come up with? Asking someone why they divorced when it's none of your business?! Tobin, get a life.
- Because I have had a secret affair with someone else.
My eyes almost popped out of the sockets.
WHAT?!
- In my mind. – she added.
In her mind?
Wait.
What?
Does she mean... me?
I was... the mistress?
Wait.
Chris.
Hold on.
I licked my dry lips, then seated myself to face Crystal who was sitting opposite of me after removing my eyes off of Christen. I needed a minute for myself.
I closed my eyes for one second just because what my mind just thought of was unbelievable.
- So the name Heath... Heather is...
- It would be too obvious if I named her Tobin, right? – she laughed to make it less awkward.
Her dry laugh was like a sharp knife stabbed through my heart.
After realizing I indirectly ruined a relationship, a family, and a child's childhood, I kept my mouth shut and only lowered my head to eat whatever on my plate. I know I shouldn't make things out to be so weird like that because it just made her feel bad and she never deserved to feel like it's her fault because it's not, but I couldn't help myself to behave that way. I don't know what was wrong with me, but there's one thing I know: I just wanted to disappear.
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