I couldn’t help the pang of hurt that went through me.Was she just giving up on me?
“Seattle and Vancouver aren’t too far apart,” I said tentatively.
“A hundred and fifty miles,” she said.“Plus a border crossing.I hate going back and forth through customs.”
I felt like I was going to cry, which was weird because I never cried.Had I totally misjudged this situation?I thought Yvonne and I were on the same page.That we’d leave here and figure out some way to be together.A long distance relationship.A trade.Something.
Then again, we’d been here two weeks.We’d lived a lifetime in those two weeks for sure, but why would we upend our lives for what amounted to a vacation fling?
Except it didn’t feel like a fling.It felt like love.
My phone buzzed, reminding us it was time to get ready for the team celebration.The coaches had rented out a private room at a restaurant in downtown Milan.We’d take pictures, give awards, and celebrate our improbably victory.Our team had come to Italy as underdogs and emerged as the best team in the world.It was something to be proud of.
Yvonne and I were both quiet as we got ready to leave, moving past each other in the small space like strangers instead of two people who’d been face down in each other’s pussies just a couple of hours ago.
We’d all agreed to wear our opening team tee shirts along with our medals.I’m pretty sure none of us would be taking them off for a while.I put on my team shirt along with my most flattering jeans, the ones that made my ass look fabulous.I took care to brush out my curls into soft waves and added a little lipstick and mascara to complete the look.
I wanted to look good in the pictures and maybe remind Yvonne what she’d be missing when we parted ways.
“Ready to go?”I asked her.
She gave me a quizzical look, like she could feel me pulling away and was confused about it.
“Yeah, sure.”
Thetrattoriastaff seemed thrilled to have the women’s hockey gold medal team eating with them.When we arrived the tables in our private dining room were piled high with food – various types of pastas, seafood, vegetables, everything you could think of.And wine.Lots and lots of wine.Now that we weren’t in training anymore we could eat and drink as much as we wanted.
Yvonne and I were standing to the side when Greta approached us with Marlena, another woman on our team who played for Chicago.
“Are you two going to come out now?”Greta teased.
“What are you talking about?”I asked.“I’ve never hid my sexuality.”
That was the nice thing about women’s hockey.Unlike the men’s leagues, there was not really any taboo around LGBTQ+ status.I’d guess more than half of the league was lesbian, and a good chunk of the rest were bisexual or other orientations.Hetero girls were definitely the minority.
“She’s talking about the way you two are so in love with each other that everyone on the team knows it – and all the other teams too,” Marlena said pointedly.
“I, uh…,” I looked to Yvonne for help, but she was avoiding my gaze.“We’re just friends.”
If I hadn’t been looking at her, I would have missed the way Yvonne flinched before schooling her features again.What was she hurt about, she was the one who said it was too much trouble to travel between Vancouver and Seattle.
“Friends don’t grind against each other on the dance floor,” Greta said pertly.“But y’all go ahead and keep pretending.We won’t tell anyone.”
Yvonne
Iwassoconfused.Everythinghad been fine with Toni earlier.More than fine, given all the orgasms we’d shared.Then she’d made that comment about Vancouver and Seattle not being too far apart, and something had changed after my response.
Was she asking if we’d see each other again?I hoped so, but then she’d pulled away and I wasn’t sure.I’d merely been pointing out what a pain in the ass it was to travel between Washington and British Columbia.I did it all the time for various reasons, but maybe she thought I was saying it was too far to see each other again?
I’d wanted to talk more, figure out where we stood, but then we’d needed to leave for the party.
“We’re just friends,”she’d told Greta.
Toni hadn’t looked like she believed it any more than Greta did.God, I really sucked at this.After growing up in a home completely devoid of affection, I hadn’t learned how to recognize it.I was an expert at interpreting whether someone was angry, but this sadness or disappointment or whatever it was with Toni, that wasn’t as clear for me.
What was clear was hearing her say we were just friends cut me like the world’s sharpest knife.Suddenly I couldn’t take it anymore.I set my wine down on the nearest table, then took Toni’s and did the same.
“What…?”
