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Sara is new to the team, but she’s no newbie. She’s experienced and older and damn, can she play. She’s sweet and funny and she speaks English. She’s from Sweden. They’re coming off a season full of winning, after taking the German Cup, the Bundesliga Championship, and the Champions League Championship. Sara will only make them better. She’s a left back, and a hell of a left back. Ali learns from her. She attacks like few outside backs she’s seen. She knows she needs to play like her, if she’s going to make the US National Team anytime soon. After being capped in 2008 and making the Olympic alternates, she hasn’t been called up so far in 2009. She hopes working with Sara can help her get to the level the new coach, Pia, is looking for out of them.
She’s much less harsh than most of the German players. They communicate mostly in German, both of them a bit flimsy at it. She learns a lot from Sara. Sara compliments her a lot and helps her with her play. They become friends extremely quickly. Everyone calls Ali “Kriegs” and Sara “Thunis”, but they are Sara and Ali to each other. They both end up crashing with Nadine and Ariane for a while in between apartments, and Ali enjoys the opportunity to speak English with someone. She makes her teach her some Swedish, insisting she wants to learn. They spend nights with Nadine and Ariane on the couch of the apartment, drinking beer and watching soccer. They push each other on the field and they start to push each other off of it. They question each other, why they’re there, what they want, how they plan to get there. They adore each other. Sara may be five years older than her, but they’re the best of friends.
Sara’s straight. Ali can only assume as much. She talks about guys from Sweden and guys from college and she kisses men in bars they go to together. One day, Ali wakes up and trudges into the kitchen for her morning coffee, in just her underwear and a tee shirt, only to see some random guy sitting at the counter. She just rolls her eyes as he starts apologizing, grabs her coffee and heads back to her room.
“Nice boy toy,” Ali teases on their way to practice later. Sara blushes. That’s the funny thing, about Nadine and Ariane both being gay. Any time there’s a guy around, there’s no question as to whom he was with.
“Sorry,” she replies. “I assumed he would leave before this morning.”
They’ve always been very touchy. Ali is one of those people who just kind of goes along with any sort of physical contact the other person initiates. Sara likes to initiate physical contact. They walk around the pitch with an arm around each other’s waists all the time. They hang out at the apartment together a lot, and sometimes that includes cuddling up on the couch together or falling asleep together. Nadine calls them the Sleeping Beauties, since she sees them sleeping on the couch so often. Usually Sara’s head on Ali’s shoulder, Ali awkwardly pushed against the arm of the couch, Sara with her legs curled under her, leaning against Ali. They argue over how to cook schnitzel and end up making a mess of the kitchen. Nadine laughs when she walks in, and reminds them of where the cleaning supplies are.
They go to bars together sometimes. Sometimes Ali goes out with the lady lovers of the team, and they go to gay bars. Other nights, Ali goes out with Sar, and maybe a few others. Sometimes it’s just the two of them. They have more fun that way anyway. They’re pretty much boy magnets, two cute girls laughing and hanging out while they drink beer. They dance together, dance with random guys, and make out with them on the dance floor. Usually they go home alone. Practice in the morning, and all.
“How was the straight bar?” Ariane asks the next morning, and Ali laughs. She smiles when she things of a night out with her Swedish German best friend.
“Fun.”
The first time they kiss, they’re both drunk off their ass. They get back after a late night celebrating a big win, and put on a movie for while they “sober up.” Sar leans her head on Ali’s shoulder, but drunk Ali isn’t having it.
“Why can’t I lean on your shoulder,” Ali whines. “It’s always my shoulder.”
“Because you’re cozy. And I’m a bottom.”
“I’m sure you’d be cozy too. And sometimes, I want to be a bottom too.”
“Ugh, fine.”
They try to maneuver so that Sara is against the couch and Ali can lean on her, but they end up with Ali pushed against the couch and Sara on top of her, laughing. Sara leans down and kisses her, and they laugh as their lips move together. It’s playful, and drunk, and a little sloppy. They fall asleep like that, not too much later, Sara’s head on Ali’s chest.
“Morning, sleeping beauties. Recovery today,” Nadine says as she walks in the living room, seeing them snuggled up on the couch. Ali blushes as memories of the night before fill her mind. Nadine makes coffee, and Ari brings a few cups over for them, knowing how hungover they are.
“So, was that your first gay makeout?” Ali teases later that day. They’re alone in the bathroom, Ali putting on her makeup while Sara does her hair.
“Yeah. And it wasn’t bad!”
“Thank you, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Girls are soft.”
“Very much so.”
“It was fun. I was drunk but it was fun.”
“I’m glad.”
It’s that casual. They’re back to their normal selves. Nothing changes. They joke about it. If anything, they’re closer. The second time it happens, they’re at a bar. Some guy is hitting on Ali, and she’s clearly uncomfortable. She tries to make eye contact with Sara from across the bar, to try to get her to come bail her out of this painful conversation. The guy keeps asking for her number or a dance and making her feel bad for saying no.
“I have a girlfriend,” Ali lies. “She’s over there getting drinks. The blonde.” His eyebrow raises, and he watches as Sara makes her way over, holding two drinks.
“Well, why didn’t you say that earlier. She’s hot.” Ali cringes.
“Hey,” Sar says as she approaches, putting their drinks down and casually looping an arm around Ali’s shoulders.
“This is Sara, the girlfriend I was telling you about,” Ali says, hoping Sara will go along with it. She sees her blonde friend smile.
“Nice to meet you,” Sara says. He shakes her hand awkwardly, just watching them together.
“Want to get out of here?” Sara asks her. Ali nods. Sara leans over to kiss her, holding her cheek gently. They aren’t drunk, but it’s not a real kiss. It’s a fake, for show kiss. But it’s nice anyway. Ali melts into it, and smiles.
“Lets go.”
He follows them outside, which is downright weird. They call Nadine, and ask her to come pick them up. It’s only a ten minute walk, but they’re afraid this guy will follow them home. He stands there, at the far corner, probably only a hundred feet from them while they wait. They hold hands.
“This is freaking me out,” Ali whispers. Sara cups her cheek and kisses her lips softly.
“It’s fine,” Sara asserts, locking eyes with Ali. Ali nods. She can keep up appearances for a few minutes.
Nadine shows up a few minutes later, and Ali and Sara climb in the back seat together.
“You guys okay?” She asks, worried.
“Yeah, that guy wouldn’t leave us alone, didn’t want him to follow us back,” Ali explains.
“Hey, Ali, you sure you’re alright?” Sara asks when they get back to the flat, placing a hand on her forearm.
“He wouldn’t have actually followed us home, right?” Ali asks, walking towards her room. Sara follows her, and takes a seat on her bed.
“You were smart to tell him I was your girlfriend.”
“Looked like he took it more like a challenge than anything else.” Sara laughs, and cuddles up with Ali in her bed.
“I hate hugs,” Ali reminds her.
“This isn’t a hug.”
“Your arms are around me, it’s a hug.”
“Well, you love me. And my hugs.”
“According to what he saw, you really love me,” Ali teases. Sara swats her arm playfully.
“You’re a good kisser.”
“Thanks,” Ali replies, a cheeky edge to her voice. “That’s what they all say.”
“Oh, you know it, don’t you?”
“I’m a catch, if you hadn’t already noticed,” Ali deadpans. Sara laughs, stroking her cheek.
“You’re cute, American Ali.”
Ali kisses her, because why not. It’s soft and gentle. They just lay there together, kissing. They smile and giggle into it, because neither of them can do anything without smiling and laughing. The Germans always made fun of them for that. “Why are the Sleeping Beauties always smiling?” They were both those kind of people, the kind that enjoyed life very fully and were always in good spirits. Of course that would translate to kissing as well. Sara pushes her onto her back, and it gets more passionate. Ali’s hands begin to travel up her back, and she pulls away, out of breath.
“Hey, Sar. I’m fine if you want to experiment or whatever. Just. Lets be clear.”
“I just want to experiment. As long as it won’t make things awkward.”
Ali laughs. “Nothing could make things awkward.”
They kiss until Sara is making small noises against her, guiding her hand up her shirt. Ali feels like she’s a teenager all over again. It isn’t the best makeout of Ali’s life, but it’s not bad, at all, really. It’s quite nice. They kiss until they’re both exhausted, and then Sara cuddles into Ali’s side and they fall asleep in her bed. They trudge into the kitchen for coffee the next morning, while Nadine is showering and Ari is still asleep.
“I’m straight,” Sara tells her, sipping from her mug. Ali smiles.
“I know. How’s the experiment going?”
“Would you be into experimenting with me sometime? I’m not looking for anything. Just an experiment.”
“Is that not what we’re doing?” Ali asks, pouring a bit of milk into her coffee before taking a sip and sitting down across from Sara.
“No, I mean. Like, actually experiment.”
“You want to have sex?”
“If you do.”
Ali laughs, and takes another sip of coffee. “I don’t see why not. It seems like we’ll be able to handle platonic sex easily enough. It’ll be like, a lesson in how to have good sex.”
“Oh, so straight girls don’t have good sex?”
“You’ll see.”
Sara laughs, and then Ari walks out of her room, yawning and a mess, mumbling a half-hearted “good morning.”
“What did you mean by that?” Sara asks. They’re both out of breath after sprints, and Ali is confused.
“By what?”
“What you said this morning. About good sex.” Ali laughs, because they’re in the middle of practice, running sprints, and Sara is talking about sex.
“I’ve had good sex with guys, I’m not trying to insinuate that all guys are bad and all girls are good, but girls tend to be more attentive and gentle, and I like that. It’s more about the all around experience, and less about the penis in the vagina.”
Sara drinks from a water bottle and then passes it to Ali. Then they’re back to shooting drills.
They don’t mention it for a few more days, until they’re slightly tipsy at a bar celebrating a win against Bayern Munich. They dance together like they always do, grinding playfully and attracting the attention of all the men around. They eventually ditch and walk home when Sara announces that she’s tired. Ali knows she’s not tired, that this is her way of saying she wants to cash in on the experiment. Ali tells Nadine they’re leaving, and loops an arm around Sara’s waist as they walk back to their flat. They grab a water bottle from the kitchen when they get back, and then head towards Sara’s room. Her bed is bigger, anyway. They take off their shoes and awkwardly maneuver onto the bed, laughing as they make eye contact.
“This is going to make me sound really stupid,” Sara starts. Ali laughs.
“Judgment free zone.”
“How do girls have sex?” Ali bites her lip to try to contain her laughter, but can’t. It’s far from the first time she’s been asked that question, but it’s definitely the first time she’s been asked it by someone who wants to have sex with her. “Is scissoring, like, a thing?” Ali can’t at all contain her laughter this time, and Sara glares at her as she tries to get herself under control.
“From my experience, in most scenarios, not at all a thing.”
“So, then?”
“Fingers, tongues. Get creative.”
“I’ve never really liked it when a guy uses his tongue on me. And fingers don’t, like, get me off.”
“I can pretty much guarantee you that I’m better with my mouth than any guy you’ve been with. Guys just care about getting their penis in your vagina. And, get this idea: tongue and fingers, simultaneously.”
Sara considers this, and laughs once. “I’m excited.”
Ali leans over to kiss Sara, and pulls her into her lap. She feels like she’ll be more comfortable this way. Sara straddles her hips, and smiles into the kiss. Ali smiles back, and then slides her tongue into her friend’s mouth as they resume their kiss. She strokes her cheek gently, and moves a hand to her hip to hold her close. They kiss for a few minutes, deep and slow, until there are small sounds coming from both of their mouths. Ali’s hand dips under Sara’s shirt, up her back, caressing her skin softly. She breaks the kiss, moving her lips across Sara’s jaw and down her neck. Sara makes soft noises above her, gasping quietly. She weaves a hand through Ali’s hair, holding her mouth to her skin. Ali teases the sensitive skin of her neck, leaving open-mouthed kisses down the column of her throat and stopping to nibble her pulse point. Ali toys with the fabric of her shirt with one hand and runs a finger across her defined abs with the other. She is going to draw this out. She is going to show Sara just how good a girl can be.
Sara reached for the fabric of her own shirt, and pulled it over her head before getting off of Ali’s lap. She reaches behind her back to unsnap her bra, and lets it fall in between them.
“Now come show me what it’s like to be fucked by a girl.”
Ali bites her lip, turned on by Sara’s forwardness. Sara lays back on the bed, and Ali hovers over her, moving her mouth to her breasts. She takes one in her hand, caressing it softly, and takes the other nipple into her mouth. She treats her nipple to a gentle sucking, and Sara moves her hand to Ali’s hair once again.
“That feels really good,” she says with a gasp, arching her back into Ali’s mouth. Ali smiles around her nipple, and moves to the other one, switching hands to gently squeeze her now free breast as she sucks the other nipple. She rolls her tongue over it and then bites gently before soothing it with her tongue and lips before letting it go with a pop.
“Ali,” she breathes out, her voice low, as she tugs her hair gently. Ali moves up to kiss her on the mouth once more, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth and making Sara moan. Sara tugs on the bottom of Ali’s thin tee shirt, and Ali pulls away for a moment to take it off, tossing it across the room. Sara reaches around to unclasp Ali’s bra, and it falls into her lap. The blonde places her hand on Ali’s breast, and she cups it gently, before pinching her nipple.
“You’re beautiful, Ali,” she tells her, and Ali smiles as Sara runs her palm down her abs, and finally reaches her Penn State tattoo. “This is kinda hot.”
“Thanks. That’s my college mascot and football number,” Ali explains. She shivers slightly when Sara runs her fingers over the tattoo.
“You have a great ass,” Sarah adds, reaching around Ali, who is straddling her lap, to cup her ass over her jeans. Ali laughs.
“You too,” Ali replies, leaning down to press her bare chest to her friend’s. She kisses under her jaw and over towards her ear. “Let me show you.”
Ali moves back to her chest, teasing her nipples gently before biting down a bit harder, which causes Sara to arch her chest into her mouth.
“You like it a little rough?” Ali asks, before giving the other nipple the same treatment, biting before soothing her nipple with her tongue pressed against it.
“I told you. I’m a bottom. You can be a little rough with me,” Sara replies, a bit breathless as she tries to rub her thighs together, searching for friction through her jeans. Ali trails her mouth down Sara’s abs, and across to her hipbones, before pulling back to unbutton her jeans.
“You sure?” Ali double checks, and Sara just nods, her eyes closed. “Hey, open your eyes. Look at me.”
Ali puts a hand on her own breast, and tugs her nipple gently a few times as she unzips Sara’s jeans. Sara lifts her hips and they both push them down over her butt and Ali pulls them off, tossing them aside.
“Yours too.” Sara requests, reaching for Ali’s jeans. Ali stands, and turns around to pull them off, leaving Sara to be mesmerized by her backside. Sara sits up, and moves to grab Ali’s hips as Ali pulls her jeans over her feet, and Ali laughs when Sara wraps her arms around her waist and kisses her muscular back.
“How... long have you been... with girls for?” Sara asks, trailing her lips up Ali’s neck.
“A few years,” Ali replies. “I dated a girl my senior year of college for a couple of months, and I’ve slept with a couple of others that I wasn’t in a relationship with,” Ali explains. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Trust me, I believe you,” Sara replies, trailing her lips to behind Ali’s ear, the place that away makes Ali wet.
“Okay, okay, it’s time to focus on you,” Ali whispers, feeling arousal haze her mind a bit.
“Does that turn you on?” Sara asks, sucking on the sensitive skin. Ali moans quietly, so quietly Sara barely hears it. Ali closes her eyes for a moment, and Sara trails her hand up to gently squeeze Ali’s breast. Ali surprises her when she flips around and pushes Sara back on the bed a bit roughly, climbing back onto her, and taking her lips in her own. They make out, tongues, teeth, and lips everywhere, but simultaneously neat and composed enough to be sexy. Ali pulls away, and moves between Sara’s legs, pushing them apart. She trails her lips up her damp inner thighs, before finally pressing her tongue against her clit through the thin fabric of her thong.
“Ali,” she moans out. “Please.”
Ali tugs her thong off, tossing it aside, before moving back between her legs, and beginning by relieving some of the pressure on her clit.
“This is so hot,” Sara whispers, as she watches Ali eat her out from between her legs. Ali smiles against her, before sucking gently on her clit. She then gave her clit a break, sucking on her lips and running her tongue to her entrance, teasing her and feeling the moisture coat her face and mouth. Sara grabs her hair, a bit roughly, and the feeling goes straight to Ali’s core as Sara tugs her closer to her clit. Ali humors her, moving back to the bud, licking patterns over it and then sucking it gently. Sara moans above her, quietly at first, and progressively louder as Ali teases her longer with her tongue.
Finally, Ali brings one hand up to her breast, teasing her nipple and tugging on it gently, and then sucks a finger from her other hand into her own mouth before sliding it into her entrance. Sara gasps, partially at the tug on her nipple, and partially at the finger Ali slips into her. She teases her gently with one finger, using her tongue to play with her clit, until finally sliding a second in and starting to stroke her harder. Ali finds her most sensitive spots, pushing deep into her and thrusting hard, in sharp contrast with her gentle moves of her tongue. Sara pants under her, making incoherent sounds as her body shakes and she approaches her climax.
“Ali, Ali,” she starts. “I’m... close.”
Ali just smiles, and continues to push into her hard with two fingers, before sucking her clit into her mouth. With a particularly hard tug on her nipple, Sara’s orgasm takes over, and Ali lets up a bit as her friend shakes in pleasure. When Sara finally comes down, Ali removes her fingers, sucking one into her mouth and offering the other to her friend. Sara takes Ali’s finger into her mouth, and Ali is suddenly reminded of her own need.
“I don’t mean to sound gay, but,” Sara starts, and Ali laughs, laying down next to her friend. “That was amazing.”
“Anything you say while in bed with a naked girl is going to make you sound gay,” Ali reminds her, and Sara laughs.
“You weren’t kidding,” Sara admits. “I definitely didn’t think I would cum.”
“You underestimate me,” Ali sighs, teasingly exasperated. Sara rolls her eyes. “So, are you going to help me out, or do I have to take care of this myself?”
For the first time all evening, Sara looks nervous.
“You don’t have to. Of course. I can take care of myself, and you can stay or you can go.”
“Can you... start? And then... I’ll see? I just. Want to make sure you get off,” Sara says. She looks shy, and it’s a new look for her, so Ali leans over and kisses her cheek, before shrugging off her boy shorts.
“Why don’t you work up here,” Ali starts, gesturing to her chest. “And I’ll work down here.”
Ali opens her knees, and Sara takes a nipple in between her fingers while she watches Ali slide her hand in between her legs. Ali teases her clit for a moment, before giving in to her desire, and sliding two fingers into herself. Sara plays with Ali’s nipples for a few minutes, before becoming distracted by watching Ali finger herself.
“That’s... really hot,” Sara remarks, and Ali pauses for a moment.
“Are you going to help or?” Ali sasses, and Sara laughs. “If you’ve ever fingered yourself, you already know what you’re doing.”
Sara just blushes, and Ali sighs, pulling her fingers out of herself and wiping them on her inner thighs.
“Oh god. Please tell me you’ve fingered yourself before,” Ali starts. She’s sweating, her forehead and her chest glistening, and Sara distracts herself by wiping her sweat off of her forehead before kissing it. “Sara, stop stalling. Do you not... pleasure yourself?”
“Not really?” Sara admits, questioningly almost. “I’ve always been. Awkward with that. Usually, if I need to get laid that badly, I’ll take someone home.”
“Do you not own a vibrator or anything?”
“A vibrator?” Sara asks, and Ali groans, sitting up. “Where are you going?”
“To get mine. So you’ll know what I’m talking about,” Ali replies, picking up a random sweatshirt she sees sitting on the floor in her friend’s room and tossing it on over her head. It’s just long enough to cover her butt, so she considers it safe to walk down the hall in. She goes through her drawer until she finds the small toy in the back, and then she grabs it and carries it back to the other room, where Sara is simply sitting on the edge of the bed.
“This is a vibrator,” Ali explains, placing it in her friend’s hand.
“Okay. We don’t... I’ve never heard it called that. I also don’t have one.”
“It’s good if you’re not comfortable touching yourself,” Ali explains. She lays down on the bed, and shrugs the sweatshirt off, tossing it back on the floor. Ali turns it on, just letting it sit on her thigh as she opens her legs to show Sara. She’s wet, really wet at this point, as she still hasn’t gotten off, but this tonight isn’t about her. She slides a finger through her folds, and then slowly moves the pink toy between her legs, letting it rest gently on her clit. Ali throws her head back, and rubs it along her clit for a moment before moving to instead slide it into her. She fucks herself with it, quickly spiraling and trying not to moan too loudly and risk waking Nadine or Ari.
“So it just vibrates inside you?” Sara clarifies, and Ali chuckles once.
“Yeah,” Ali mumbles, playing with her own nipple.
“Can I.... I want to help,” Sara admits quietly. Ali laughs once, pulling the vibrator out of herself and plopping it next to her on the bed.
“I’ll talk you through it,” Ali starts, out of breath and wiping sweat from her face. “Here, lay on your side.”
Sara follows Ali’s directions, and Ali leans in to kiss her. They make out for a few minutes, Ali a bit sloppy with her arousal, and Sara becoming more turned on. Ali takes one of her hands in her own, bringing it down between her own legs before releasing it. Sara gently runs her finger between Ali’s folds and rubs her clit once. Ali moans into her mouth with the contact. Sara slips one finger into her, and then two. Ali drops her head back onto the mattress, breaking the kiss and moaning quietly. Sara moves her fingers slowly, and Ali bucks her hips into her.
“Faster, please,” Ali begs. “Harder.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Sara mumbles, and Ali would laugh if she weren’t so turned on.
“You won’t,” Ali replies. “I’ll tell you if you’re hurting me.”
Sara starts to move her fingers deeper, faster, harder. She reaches over to hold Ali’s hips down with her free hand, Ali bucking up against her as she palms her own breasts and pinches her nipples. Ali has her eyes closed, focusing on the way Sara hits her g spot with every forth thrust and bumps her clit with every other. She barely registers Sara moving around until she feels her mouth on her inner thigh.
“Sar?” Ali asks, panting as she opens her eyes to see her friend in between her legs.
“I love these thighs,” Sara admits, pulling out her fingers to rub up and down Ali’s thighs and kiss them gently. She bites down gently, and Ali moans quietly, a bit surprised at her roughness.
“I want to make you cum,” Sara tells her, looking up at her innocently from between her legs. “Can I try with my mouth?”
“Do what you were doing with your fingers,” Ali mumbles, still a bit fuzzy in her arousal and surprised by Sara’s sudden willingness. “And play around with your tongue.”
Sara takes direction surprisingly well, building a fast rhythm with her fingers and hesitantly running her tongue along Ali’s clit.
“Fuck, yes, like that,” Ali directs, tugging hard on her own nipple as she finally approaches her orgasm. She takes her free hand, placing it gently on Sara’s head, softly holding her mouth against her clit.
Sara doesn’t even realize Ali is cumming, too caught up in trying to do a good job and figure out if she actually likes the act of eating a girl out. She continues to suck and lick her clit once Ali is coming down, until Ali pushes her out of the way, too sensitive to handle anything else and too out of it to vocalize it.
“Sorry,” Ali mumbles.
“I’m sorry,” Sara replies, laughing once. “I didn’t realize.”
“You did well,” Ali says, sitting up. It wasn’t the best orgasm of her life, but for a girl who had no idea what she was doing, she was impressed she made her cum.
“Thanks,” Sara replies, blushing a bit. “I learned a lot.”
“Should we shower or sleep?” Ali asks. She’s exhausted, but could use a shower as well.
“Sleep,” Sara replies with a yawn. “We can shower in the morning.”
Ali tosses Sara’s sweatshirt over her head and Sara puts on a long tee shirt and a pair of underwear. They curl up in Sara’s bed, and Ali pushes Sara’s arm a bit, as it was resting uncomfortably on her ribs.
“Sorry,” Sara mumbles, shifting so that her head is on Ali’s left breast. Ali chuckles once.
“You’re good,” she replies.
Nobody is surprised when they walk out of Sara’s room together in the morning. Sara goes to the bathroom to shower first, and Ali grabs a cup of coffee from the kitchen. Ari walks out to join her, and Ali makes her friend a cup.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you and Thunis were shacking up,” Ari says with a laugh, noticing Ali’s lack of pants and the Swedish NT sweatshirt she was rocking. Ali just laughs in response, and asks about Ari’s night, which gets her going on a rant about the cute girl from the bar that she was so close to taking home. Sara walks out of the bathroom about fifteen minutes later wrapped in a green towel. Ali hands her a fresh cup of coffee, and she taps Ali’s ass, just covered in the sweatshirt, playfully as she says thanks.
Nadine isn’t as ignorant as Ariane. In fact, Nadine isn’t ignorant at all. It only takes until later that day, during recovery at the pool, that Nadine says something to Ali.
“She’s straight,” Nadine starts. “I don’t know if you guys are fucking or not, but she’s straight. Please don’t fall for her.”
Ali just laughs. She enjoyed the night before, and she loves Sara to death, but she’s not worried.
“I’m not,” Ali assures her with a chuckle. “Don’t worry. We’re friends.”
“Okay. I’m just looking out for you, Kriegs.”
“I know. Thank you.”
They continue to fool around. Just when they drink, just when the occasion arises. Sara gets slightly better at trying to please Ali, but sometimes Ali isn’t really all that invested in getting off, and they just go to bed after Sara gets off. Nadine side-eyes Ali more than a few times, and even tries to talk to her about it once more.
“Look, I love that you’re looking out for me, but it’s just fun. Trust me.”
“Is it just fun for her too?”
“Yes. She likes to get off and I can get her off. That’s it. Okay? I’m sure that as soon as one of us finds someone, we’ll be back to just friends. We’re already just friends. It’s just sex, okay?”
“So you are having sex,” Nadine comments.
“It’s just sex.”
A few months later, Ali gets called to the USWNT once more. There she meets Ashlyn, the tall blonde goalkeeper who steals her heart right away. Sara can tell, the day Ali gets back from camp. They’re hanging out at the kitchen island, munching on toast and drinking coffee, and Ali is smiling at her phone.
“Who is the person?” Sara asks. Ali looks up expectantly. Nothing had really developed yet with Ashlyn, and she didn’t want to tell anyone about it yet.
“Someone I met at camp,” Ali admits. “Nothing has really happened yet. But I think I like her.”
Sara gets up from her stool and walks around to hug Ali from behind. She kisses the top of Ali’s shoulder once, and whispers that she’s really happy for her. It takes months for things to develop at all with Ashlyn, but from that moment in the kitchen and that soft kiss to her shoulder, Sara never makes a move again, their silent “friends with benefits” contract over.
Once 2011 rolls around, Sara and Ali begin to lose touch. When the US loses to Sweden in the group stage of the World Cup, Sara holds Ali tight afterwards, and congratulates her on a good game. When the United States loses the championship, Sara keeps tabs on her, makes sure she’s okay. When she hears things are on the rocks between Ali and Ashlyn, she tries to help Ali work through it.
It isn’t until 2013, when Ali and Ashlyn come overseas to play for Sara’s club team, Tyreso, during the offseason, that they reconnect. Sara and Ash hit it off right away, and even make a few jokes about Sara and Ali’s history.
“You know, I didn’t think I’d like her as much as I do,” Ash tells Ali one day.
“Why?” Ali replies. “She’s awesome. I told you.”
“I know,” Ash starts, running her finger down Ali’s arm. “But she’s... you know. She’s had sex with you.”
“It wasn’t like that, babe,” Ali insists. “It was for fun. It ended the second I met you.”
“Like... 2010 camp?” Ash asks.
“Yeah,” Ali replies, kissing Ashlyn’s neck gently. “She could tell I was falling for you. The last time we, you know, was the night before I left for that camp.”
After the Tyreso season, they lose contact once more. They text on occasion, but it’s tough. But when they play each other, to a 0-0 draw at the 2015 World Cup, Sara and Ash switch jerseys, as Ali laughs. Ash and Sara whisper something to each other and Ali gets the last hug.
“Love you, Kriegs. I’m so happy for you,” Sara tells her before they part.
“She told me to put a ring on it,” Ash tells Ali, later that night. Ali just laughs.
“Love that girl.”
“She’s so straight,” Ash continues. “Honestly, I can barely believe you guys had sex.”
“You know what they say about spaghetti,” Ali jokes. “Straight until wet.”