Chapter Text
Tobin walks into her mother’s kitchen, dripping wet and tracking sand everywhere. She’d spent the whole afternoon down at the beach surfing and hadn’t really even considered washing herself off before entering the house. Well, she thought about it, she just decided she didn’t want to. She was just hoping to make it up to her room for a shower before being caught.
That was not the case however, because her mother is sitting at the table in the kitchen, sipping on some tea and reading a book. She looks up and gives Tobin a disapproving look. “Really, Tobs?” She questions with a sigh. “There is a shower head out back for a reason,” she reminds her.
Tobin just gives her an innocent grin. “Sorry,” she says, at least managing to look a bit guilty.
She starts to head towards the stairs again and her mother looks up with a sigh. “Tobin!” She shouts. “Don’t walk through the house! You are tracking sand everywhere,” she says, exasperated. “Go back outside!” She tells her, standing up and practically dragging Tobin back out the back door.
Tobin laughs at her mom and tries to swat her hands away from her, but she does as she is told.
Once she’s rinsed off, she walks back into the kitchen with a towel wrapped around her body. She grabs an apple off of the counter and takes a bite of it, glancing back over at her mother. “When is Jeff getting here?” She asks curiously.
It’s a couple of weeks into their summer break from college and Tobin has decided to come back home for most of it. She knows that her brother has planned to stay out in California for most of his break, but he is supposed to be coming home to visit for at least a week. She’s hoping longer than a week, because she misses him, going to school across the country from him.
They’d always been a lot closer than her and her older sisters. Not that they weren’t close as well. Her and her brother just have more similar interests. She was never that girly and preferred to be outside playing sports or getting dirty than going shopping and doing “girly” things with her sisters.
“He’s getting in a little before dinner time. Katie should be picking them up,” she informs her daughter.
“Them?” Tobin asks curiously.
“Yes, he’s bringing his girlfriend Christen with him,” Cindy says with a smile.
“Oh,” Tobin says simply, a small frown on her face. She’d seen her brother post a lot of photos of Christen on his social media pages, but they’ve never really talked about her. He’s never really liked talking about the girls that he is dating though, he’s always pretty private about it. Which, Tobin understands because she's mostly the same way. Tobin does know that she plays soccer for Stanford though, and she’s really really good.
They’ve played against each other a few times in the past couple of years and she’s always been in awe at how good the girl is. Unfortunately, she’s never really had a chance to talk to her, outside of post game high fives and congratulations.
She’s not going to lie, she’s always been a little intrigued by her and she’s definitely noticed how attractive the woman is. She feels a little pang of jealousy every time she sees Jeff post a photo of the girl. Which is crazy, because she doesn’t even know Christen and if anyone deserves someone so beautiful and so talented, it’s her brother.
“Do you know her?” Cindy asks curiously. “He mentioned that she plays soccer.”
Tobin nods her head with a small shrug. “I’ve heard of her, she’s Stanford's best forward,” she tells her mom. “And we’ve played each other a few times, but nothing other than that,” she informs her.
“Good, you guys will have something to talk about,” Cindy smiles. “Make her feel welcome here. You know that your brother has never brought home a girl before,” she says with a sigh, narrowing her eyes at her daughter.
Tobin looks a bit offended. “I’ll be good,” she tells her, not really sure why her mother would think otherwise. Maybe she likes to tease her brother a bit, but she’d never purposely be mean to him or a girl he brings home. She’d never want to mess that up for him.
“Go and shower and get changed. I’m going to start dinner soon,” she tells her. “You can give me a hand.”
Tobin sighs, because she’s never really enjoyed cooking. Or really, she’s just not that great at it. But she does like to spend time with her mother and she knows that her mom enjoys the time together as well. Even if she does have to keep a pretty close eye on her so that she doesn’t burn the whole kitchen down or cut her finger off.
—-
It’s only a couple of hours later when both her sisters, Jeff and Christen walk in the door.
Tobin turns to greet them all with a wide grin, but stops short when she spots Christen. She’s seen her in photos and on the field for short periods of time, and she knows the girl is gorgeous. But seeing her in person, with her hair all curly and messy around her face, dressed in skinny jeans and a tight fitting top, it kind of takes her breath away.
She snaps out of it long enough to give her brother a big bear hug, “I missed you,” she says with a smile as he hugs her close.
“I missed you too, kid,” he says, ruffling her hair.
“I’m older than you,” she frowns, giving him a shove.
He just laughs and then turns to Christen who is smiling at their interaction with each other.
And Tobin swears she sees Christen’s eyes travel up and down her body, but she brushes it off, figuring she is just seeing things. Because there is no way her brother's girlfriend is checking her out, right?
“This is Christen Press,” he introduces, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “This is my sister, Tobin and my mom Cindy,” he introduces, smiling proudly at both women.
Cindy instantly pulls Christen into a big hug, and Tobin sees the look of shock on her face, making her snicker slightly. Her mom is definitely a huger, and it catches some people off guard. But, it doesn’t take Christen long to smile and hug the woman back just as fiercely. “It’s so good to meet you, sweetie,” Cindy says, giving the girl a warm smile.
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” Christen smiles back, once they’ve pulled away from the hug. She then looks over at Tobin, the grin still on her face, though it seems to have turned into a smirk now. “Tobin,” she says. “Nice to see you again.”
Tobin lets out a small laugh, “Yeah, you too, Press,” she says, trying to sound a little more confident than she feels. The two of them are sort of rivals against each other and on the field, Tobin is always cocky, but right now with Christen standing in her kitchen, looking like that, she can barely even find her voice.
“Oh you guys know each other!” Perry smiles, just now understanding that they have probably played against one another. “This is great!” She smiles.
Christen just laughs, nodding her head and Tobin swears it’s the best thing she’s ever heard in her entire life. She just wants to keep saying things to make Christen laugh like that, but she can barely find words, much less funny ones. She’s never really thought of herself as funny, even though people seem to think that she is. Right now, she wishes she could remember some of that charm she’s been told that she has, because she is at a loss, just standing there staring like an idiot.
“You okay?” Christen asks, raising a brow at Tobin.
Tobin’s eyes widen and she realizes just how long she’s actually been staring at Christen. “Oh! Yeah! Sorry,” she blushes. She quickly turns away from the group and moves over to the stove, acting like she needs to check on the vegetables that her mom was sautéing.
“Dinner smells amazing,” Christen grins at Cindy.
Tobin then feels a presence next to her and turns her head to see Christen standing directly behind her, peeking over her shoulder to see what she’s making. She can smell the perfume that Christen is wearing and it’s honestly intoxicating and a little overwhelming having her this close to her. She can feel Christen’s breath against her neck, and she swallows hard, her legs feeling a little wobbly.
She clears her throat and stands up straight, continuing to mix around the veggies, subtly taking a small step to the side to try and put a little more space in between her and Christen. She’s finding it a little hard to concentrate with the girl so close to her.
“We are making fajitas,” Cindy grins. “Oh I hope you don’t have any allergies. I should have asked,” Cindy frowns at Christen.
Christen steps away from Tobin and turns towards Cindy, giving her a smile. “I don’t have any that I know of,” she assures her. “I just hope Tobin here isn't going to try and poison me or anything out of retaliation,” she says with a smirk.
“Over what?” Katie asks curiously, sitting down at the bar on the kitchen island.
“Because we kicked UNC’s butt in the state championship a few months ago,” she says confidently.
Tobin scoffs and turns her head to glare at Christen. “You didn’t kick our butt,” she informs her. “You guys won by a penalty kick,” she says, rolling her eyes, thinking back to the game and how mad she’d been at the time. “And I didn’t even think to poison you, but now that you mention it,” she says, with a sly grin.
“Tobin,” Cindy scolds.
Christen just laughs, shaking her head. “It’s okay,” she assures the woman. “I started it,” she says, not wanting Tobin to get in trouble for joking around with her.
Tobin gives her mom a smug look and then turns back to the food, turning the burners off. “Okay, I think I have everything ready over here,” she tells her mother, who had just left her in charge of making sure the vegetables don’t burn. Cindy had pretty much done everything else.
“Okay,” Cindy nods. She finishes setting everything out along the island that they will need. “Tobs, will you say grace?” She asks looking at her youngest daughter.
“Sure,” Tobin mumbles, a little embarrassed to be put on the spot like that, especially in front of Christen. She’s never really liked talking in front of groups, no matter what it is. But, she does it anyway, because she knows it’ll make her mom happy.
—-
After dinner Tobin walks into the living room where her mom and sisters are gathered around, sipping on glasses of wine. She sits down next to Perry and realizes that they are all talking about Christen and Jeff.
Said two, have made their way down to the beach, and Tobin assumes that they want some alone time. She rolls her eyes at herself, when she feels a pang of jealousy in the pit of her stomach and knows that it’s completely ridiculous. She doesn’t even know Christen and it’s her brother's girlfriend, she definitely has no right to be feeling any sort of jealousy over it. But for some reason she does. She just feels this connection with Christen and this nagging need to get to know her.
“I’m so happy that he’s found someone like her,” Cindy says in a wistful tone. “She’s so smart,”
“And hot,” Katie says with a smirk. “Right, Tobs?”
Tobin shakes her head, pulling herself from her thoughts and realizes that her family is looking at her. “What?” She says, confused.
Katie laughs at her and nudges her arm. “I said, don’t you think that Christen is smokin?” She asks with a chuckle.
Tobins eyes widen and she shifts a bit uncomfortably on the couch. “I guess,” she mumbles and they just raise a brow at her, not really sure why she’s being so weird. “I mean, of course she’s gorgeous,” she shrugs, not really sure why they feel the need to ask her. Though, she knows they’re just making small talk and praising the girl. They don’t actually know just how often thoughts of Christen’s pretty face have run across her mind. “She’s super talented too,” Tobin can’t stop herself from praising the girl. “She’s already broken Stanford's record for most goals scored by a player and she’s only a sophomore,” Tobin informs them. She’s technically a junior now, but the season hasn’t started yet.
“Wow,” Perry comments, impressed.
“How did Jeff get someone so perfect?” Katie says with a chuckle, making the sisters laugh in agreement.
“Girls, be nice to your little brother,” Cindy says in a motherly tone.
“He’s not even here,” Tobin protests.
Cindy sighs at them, but doesn’t press the subject any further. She knows that all of her children mess with each other and it’s all out of love. She’s just really happy that he’s found someone so great in his freshman year of college.
It’s not too long after that, Christen and Jeff return back to the house, giggling about something. Tobin looks on with a frown on her face, wishing it were her that could make Christen laugh like that. She’s got her eyes closed and her nose crinkled up, with the biggest smile on her face and Tobin feels her insides melting a bit. She’s so damn adorable and it’s driving Tobin insane.
She’s never felt this way so soon after meeting someone. And it’s her brother’s girlfriend of all people.
She seriously has to get a grip on this crush, or whatever it is.
“What are you guys chatting about?” Jeff asks, raising a brow at them as he and Christen join them in the living room.
Jeff sits in the single chair next to the couch and Christen chooses to sit next to Tobin. It surprises Tobin a bit and she sits up a little straighter, scooting away from Christen just a little so that she’s not right on top of her. She does it to give Christen a little more room, but also she finds herself not being able to think clearly when Christen is that close to her.
“You guys, obviously,” Perry says matter of fact.
Jeff rolls his eyes and Tobin sees Christen blush shyly at the comment.
“So, I never asked, how did you guys meet?” Cindy asks with a wide smile on her face, excited to hear the story.
Christen laughs and glances over at Jeff who just nods for her to tell it. “I was at a bar with some teammates after a game,” she starts. “I was at the bar and one of Jeff’s friends was drunk and hitting on me. He was being pretty forward and annoying and Jeff stepped in and saved me from him,” she says, smiling over at the boy.
“First of all, he’s not my friend,” Jeff feels the need to point out. “He was my roommate and he’s a total dick,” Jeff says with a groan.
“Language,” Cindy chastises him.
“Sorry,” Jeff says, but doesn’t look too apologetic.
“Anyway, he offered to buy me a drink to apologize for his, ‘not friend’ and now I guess I’m stuck with him,” she says, sending him a wink.
It makes Tobin laugh, because it was one of the worst winks that she has ever seen, but totally adorable at the same time.
“What?” Christen asks curiously, eyeing the girl for laughing at her.
Tobin looks a bit caught off guard for being called out and blushes slightly. She hadn’t meant to laugh out loud, but she supposes that she did. “You just...you tried to wink, but you can’t wink,” she explains with a small shrug. “It was funny.”
Christen furrows her brows. “I can wink,” she argues.
Tobin just laughs at her. “Okay, well that time was not a wink” she points out.
Christen glares at her and then sends her a wink to prove her point.
But, she still closes both eyes, making Tobin burst out laughing. “You are supposed to keep one eye open when you wink,” she informs the girl.
Christen gasps, looking at the girl offended. “I did” she protests, and then winks again, though it still looks exactly the same.
Tobin bites her lip, trying to hold her giggle in and she nods her head. “Okay, you totally did it right,” she lies, not trying too hard to cover up that she isn’t telling the truth.
Christen just glares at her and scoffs. “Whatever,” she mumbles, a pout on her face.
“You really can’t wink,” Jeff speaks up from his place in the arm chair. “But, it’s kind of cute so I never said anything,” he then says with a laugh.
“You guys are mean,” Christen says simply, pouting even harder.
Tobin looks over at her brother and chuckles, shaking her head at the adorable girl.
“I’m going to go and clean up the kitchen,” Cindy says, standing up from the couch and headed to the kitchen.
Jeff jumps out of the chair as well. “I’ll help,” he says following her.
“I can help as well,” Christen says, starting to get up, but Cindy shakes her head.
“No, you are our guest, you stay where you are,” she says kindly, but giving Christen a stern look, letting her know that she isn’t going to let her help, even if she tries.
Christen just sits back on the couch with a shy smile, “Okay,” she says simply.
Katie and Perry follow after them as well, but then Perry stops, turning to Tobin. “You aren’t a guest, you can help,” she points out, narrowing her eyes.
Tobin just sinks back into the couch with no plans of getting up. “I helped cook,” she shrugs.
Perry shakes her head at her little sister, but smiles at her before walking into the kitchen to help everyone else.
Tobin glances over at Christen and realizes that it’s just the two of them alone. Maybe, she should have rethought this situation and actually volunteered to help because now she doesn’t know what to say and she’s starting to feel a bit uncomfortable in the silence.
“Hey sorry for bringing up the championship game earlier,” Christen finally says, turning towards Tobin with apologetic eyes. “I know that I’d be upset if it were me.” She adds honestly. “And, I just want you to know that I think you are one of the best players that I’ve ever seen.” She says with a smile. “Seriously, I’d get a little distracted sometimes, watching you,” she adds with a smirk. “You have some magic feet.”
Tobin grins widely at the compliment, and blushes slightly. “Thank you,” she says a bit shyly. She has people tell her that she’s good all the time, and of course she always appreciates it but it feels a little bit different coming from Christen. She feels a little more touched by the comment and like it means a little more. “You are amazing as well,” Tobin tells her.
Christen rolls her eyes a bit, smiling bashfully. “You’re just saying that because I complimented you,” she says, brushing Tobin off.
Tobin turns on the couch, putting a leg up and facing Christen. “No, I’m serious!” She says exclaims. “You are the best striker that I have ever seen. Your goals are always so beautiful,” she tells her. “I watch a lot of the other college games and I just get so mesmerized by you. Anytime you get the ball, I know something beautiful is about to happen,” she tells her honestly.
Christen blushes hard at the compliment and ducks her head, not really believing she is as good as Tobin seems to think she is. “Thank you,” she says sincerely. “Maybe we will get to play on the national team together, one day,” she tells her with a hopeful grin. Tobin has already gotten a few call ups, but Christen has yet to get anything. It’s a bit discouraging, but she’s going to just work even harder for it.
“It’ll happen,” Tobin says confidently. “I think it’s crazy that it hasn’t yet,” she admits to her. “But, I know it will and I can’t wait to be able to play with you.” She says with a soft smile.
“I really hope so,” Christen says wistfully. “It’s always been my dream. I’ve worked so hard for it and I just feel like I’m not getting noticed,” she frowns.
Tobin reaches out and grabs Christen’s hand, but when she sees Christen’s brows furrow at the contact, she quickly releases it. “Sorry,” she mumbles.
“It’s okay,” Christen replies softly, reaching back out and squeezing Tobin’s hand.
Tobin looks up to meet Christen’s eyes and she feels herself getting a little lost in them. She has the greenest eyes that she has ever seen and she never wants to stop looking into them. She wants to memorize every little speckle. “You have really pretty eyes,” she finds herself saying.
“Thank you,” Christen says, looking away from Tobin and blushing.
Tobin’s eyes widen a bit when her brain catches up and realizes that she had just said those words out loud. “I’m sorry,” she says again, feeling like a complete idiot. “I just...I don’t know why I said that.” She sighs and then sees a little bit of hurt on Christen’s face. “No! I mean, I meant it.” She says, not wanting Christen’s to be offended. “I just...I probably shouldn’t say things like that.” She tells her with a frown.
Christen looks at her curiously, “Why not?” She asks softly.
Tobin opens her mouth to say something, but then sees Jeff walking back into the room and she quickly shuts it again. She then realizes that her and Christen are still holding hands and she quickly pulls her hand away, looking at Christen with a bit of a panicked look.
Christen just gives her a weird look and then turns to Jeff, smiling at him. “All done, cleaning up?” She asks.
“Yeah,” he says, sitting back down in the chair, looking exhausted. “Katie and Perry went home. They said they’d come back over tomorrow,” he says, looking over at Tobin. The two elder sisters don’t live at home anymore, but they both were going to be making frequent appearances while the two younger siblings were in town.
“Look at you, actually being helpful,” Christen teases him. He just flips her off, making her gasp and throw one of the little pillows on the couch at him.
“I’m heading to bed, you coming?” He asks, standing up.
Christen looks back at Tobin and then nods at him, standing up as well. “Sure,” she agrees. “Night, Toby,” she says, giving Tobin a grin.
Tobin grimaces at the nickname but can’t find it in herself to get upset with Christen for using it. It doesn’t seem to annoy her as much when it’s coming from Christen’s mouth.
“Night Toby,” Jeff mocks, knowing how much his sister hates the name.
She just flips him off as she watches the two of them head upstairs.
—-
The next morning, Tobin finds herself in front of the mirror in her room, changing into different outfits, not being able to decide what to wear for the day. She groans at herself once she tries on the 4th outfit of the day and can’t believe she’s actually doing this.
She’s trying to look nice for her brother’s girlfriend.
She’s a terrible sister.
She finally decides just to wear some joggers and a hoodie, deciding that they haven’t made any plans to actually go anywhere yet and she doesn’t want to look like she tried too hard. Especially considering she normally walks around in a T-shirt and shorts, not really caring.
She doesn’t need anyone thinking that she is trying to impress Christen, not that anyone would ever probably assume she’d hit on Christen. They’d never think that lowly of her, or assume she’d do such a thing. Even though she sort of is. But, it’s not like she’d ever actually make a move. It’s just a stupid crush and she’ll get over it soon enough.
She walks downstairs and sees Jeff and Christen sitting with Cindy at the kitchen table, eating breakfast.
Christen has a Stanford T-shirt on and some shorts, her curly hair pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head. She looks like she’s still half asleep and Tobin thinks that she looks completely adorable. She can’t even get mad at her for the choice in T-shirt when she looks this cute.
“Morning,” Tobin grumbles, sitting down at the table across from Christen. It’s then that she notices Christen is also wearing glasses this morning and Jesus Christ, Tobin is pretty sure that her brain is short circuiting.
“Morning,” the girl greets, giving her a sleepy smile.
Tobin doesn’t even notice her mom getting up to make her a cup of coffee, because she’s pretty sure that she actually blacked out for a few seconds, staring at Christen who is just sipping on her coffee, not noticing how hard the girl is staring at her.
She gets pulled out of her thoughts when Cindy places the cup in front of her, making her shake her head and smile over at her mother. “Thanks mom,” Tobin says gratefully, needing a cup of coffee before she can really be social. She looks at the spread in front of her and starts piling on pancakes and sausage onto her plate with hungry eyes. She’s definitely missed her mom's cooking since she’s been away at school. She basically lives off of junk food and crappy food from the cafe.
Christen just raises a brow, amused at the amount of food that Tobin has stacked on her plate.
Tobin notices the girl staring at her, “What?” She asks with a mouthful of pancakes.
Christen giggles and shakes her head, giving Tobin a cute smile as she pushes her glasses up on her nose. Tobin feels her heart flutter at the sight, and she really can’t process how any human being can be this adorable and this sexy all at the same time. And especially this early in the morning, without even trying.
“Tobin, don’t forget to breathe,” Jeff teases, watching his sister inhale her food.
Tobin just glares at him and takes a large gulp of coffee, washing down all the bread. “Sorry, it’s so good,” she says, almost moaning. “The food at school is terrible,” she groans.
Christen just laughs at her. “The food at Stanford is pretty good,” she informs her. “I guess we’re just better in all areas,” she added with a smirk.
Tobin rolls her eyes, and keeps eating, not even feeling the need to reply to that. But then she can’t help herself. “Are you going to bring up Stanford in every conversation?” She asks, feigning annoyance. Surprisingly it’s not actually bothering her that much. But she decides that she doesn’t think there is anything Christen can do that would bother her.
“Probably,” Christen nods.
—-
They all end up going to the beach that afternoon and Tobin tries her best to get Christen to try and surf but the girl refuses and says she just likes to relax on the beach and that surfing isn’t really her thing.
Tobin gives up after a few minutes and joins her brother out in the water, leaving Christen to lay out in her very small bikini that has Tobin’s mind short circuiting again. She’s used to seeing girls half naked in the locker room all the time, and she barely even notices it anymore. And she has definitely had her share of naked women in front of her, but none of that compares to Christen. She can’t keep her eyes off of Christen.
She then decides that it’s probably a good thing that Christen hadn’t agreed to go out in the water with them, because now Tobin can stay at a safe distance and maybe she can focus long enough to actually stand on her board.
After a few hours, she comes back up and sits down next to Christen who has put a shirt and shorts on, now that the sun is going down and she’s reading a book. Tobin just dries herself off a little with her towel, deciding to let herself dry more before she puts on clothes as well. Her brother is still out in the water, leaving them alone together, once again.
Tobin should really start thinking things through a little better, because she has come to realize that she doesn’t know what to say around Christen and just becomes very aware of how awkward she is. She’s always told that girls love her and she’s so charming and has a way with them, but right now she’s feeling like an awkward teenage boy or something with their first crush.
“Your family is really great,” Christen says, being the one to break the silence again. “Your mom is so nice,” she smiles.
Tobin grins, and nods her head. “Yeah, she’s the best,” she agrees.
“I love your house too, it’s always great being right on the beach,” she says with a smile, looking out at the ocean, enjoying the view as the sun starts to set.
“Yeah, it’s a great view,” Tobin nods, looking back at Christen.
Christen bites her lip, looking Tobin up and down again, “Yeah, the view is pretty great,” Christen agrees with a smirk.
Tobin knows that she’s not just seeing things this time. Christen had definitely just checked her out. Or maybe, she’s just imagining things because a part of her wants it to happen, as bad as that is. But she’s pretty sure that she wasn’t just imagining it.
She meets Christen’s eyes again and sees the girl is still staring at her, biting down on her lip.
Tobin swallows hard and looks away from Christen’s intense gaze, clearing her throat a bit awkwardly. “So uh...you like the beach?” Tobin asks, and then winces at how awkward she sounds.
Christen giggles and nods her head, not commenting on the awkwardness. “I do,” she replies. “I grew up on the beach,” She informs her. “Just, on the other side of the country in LA,” she tells her with a smile.
“You’re actually from LA?” Tobin asks, furrowing her brows.
“Yeah, why?” Christen asks, curious as to why Tobin seems so confused.
“I don’t know,” Tobin shrugs. “You always hear about people moving there or wanting to move there, but you don’t often hear of people actually growing up there,” she tells her.
Christen just laughs and shrugs her shoulders. “Well, I did.” She says honestly. “I love it. I couldn’t imagine growing up anywhere else,” she says with a smile.
“Well, I definitely cannot believe that you grew up on the beach and never learned how to surf,” Tobin frowns.
Christen shakes her head, an amused smile on her lips. “I was just never very interested,” she shrugs, not knowing why Tobin seemed to be so put off by the information. “I was always so busy playing soccer. I never really had time to learn anything else,” she tells her. “I just went to the beach to relax and walk my dogs,” she says.
“I’m going to get you out there before you leave,” Tobin tells her, giving her a grin.
Christen just laughs, rolling her eyes. “We’ll see,” she tells her. “You’re really good though,” she says sincerely. “I don’t really know much about surfing, but you looked good doing it,” she adds with a smirk.
Tobin blushes and gives Christen a shy grin. “I’m okay,” she smirks. “Kelley claims that she’s better than me,” she then says.
Christen is confused for a second and then her face lights up. “You play with Kelley for the national team,” she puts two and two together, and Tobin nods. “Well, Kelley is a psycho,” she says with a fond laugh.
Tobin laughs loudly and nods her head, “She’s pretty crazy,” she nods in agreement. “She talks about you a lot,” she then informs her.
Christen’s eyes widen a bit, not expecting that tidbit of information. “What does she say?” She asks curiously, and a little cautiously.
“Nothing bad,” Tobin assures her with a smile. “She’s just always telling stories about stuff you guys did and she always talks about how good you are and how you’re going to be joining us soon or she’s quitting,” she says with a chuckle.
Christen grins and shakes her head. “Did she tell you that we hooked up?” Christen asks curiously.
Tobin’s eyes widen and she whips her head around to look at Christen, “Wait what?” She asks, completely caught off guard by that information. Kelley had definitely not told her that part.
Christen is about to say more, but unfortunately for Tobin, Jeff chooses that moment to come out of the water and join them. “Hey there,” Christen greets him with a smile as he lays down on the towel next to her.
“I’m exhausted. I forgot how tiring this can be,” she says, sounding out of breath.
“You need better stamina,” Tobin tells him with a smirk.
Jeff flings some sand at her, but doesn’t argue with her. “Where is mom?” He questions, noticing that she’s not on the beach anymore.
“She went back to the house to make some dinner,” Christen tells them. “She told me that I’d probably have to drag you guys out of the water,” she adds with a smirk, looking at both of them affectionately.
“We used to stay out here until dark, mom really would have to drag us out,” Jeff says with a laugh. “I’m getting too old for that now,” he then adds.
Tobin just rolls her eyes. “You’re younger than I am,” she says, shaking her head. “You’re just getting out of shape,” she tells him.
“Not all of us are star athletes,” he rolls his eyes at both girls.
“How unfortunate for you,” Tobin mumbles in Christen’s direction, jabbing at his stamina.
Christen looks at her a bit curiously but before she can say anything, Tobin is jumping up onto her feet. “Come on, let's go see what mom made, I’m starving,” she tells them, starting to gather up their things.
“You are always hungry,” Jeff complains, but stands up as well.
“So are you,” Christen replies, making Tobin look at him smugly.
Jeff just looks offended at the fact that Christen would betray him like this, making Christen giggle at him.
—-
After they have dinner, Christen wanders out onto the back deck where she sees Tobin laying out on one of the couches, looking out at the beach a few yards away from them, just enjoying the quietness of the waves. “Hey,” she says quietly as she approaches, not wanting to startle the girl.
Tobin opens her eyes and sees Christen standing above her, making her grin. “Hi,” she replies softly. She sits up, giving Christen some room to join her on the couch.
“What are you doing out here?” Christen asks curiously.
Tobin just shrugs, “Just chillin,” she responds simply. “I like laying out here, it’s relaxing,” she tells her.
“You’re right,” Christen agrees, leaning back into the couch and taking in a deep breath. “I know that I’m still in California at Stanford but it’s a lot different than being at my parents house right on the beach. I miss it,” she says softly.
“Again, bringing up Stanford,” Tobin sighs, making Christen reach out and shove her playfully. “You don’t visit your parents often?” She asks curiously.
“Oh, I do.” Christen nods. “Every chance that I get. It’s just not the same, not being there every day. I realize that I maybe took it for granted sometimes,” she explains with a small shrug. “I was really lucky to grow up there.”
Tobin nods, “I grew up in Jersey,” she informs her, though she’s sure that she already knows that, from Jeff.
“Yeah, I know,” Christen smiles. “Neither you or your brother seem like you’d be from the North,” she laughs, shaking her head.
Tobin just grins, “I get that all the time,” she tells her. “Everyone thinks that I’m from Cali,” she laughs.
Christen smiles and nods her head, “I can totally see that. You have a surfer drawl,” she tells her.
Tobin just shrugs, “I don’t know, it’s just how I talk.”
“I like it,” Christen tells her honestly, giving her a soft smile. “I like your voice. It’s really calming,” she tells her.
Tobin blushes, meeting Christen’s eyes, and again she’s taken aback by how green they are and how bright they are, even just under the dim lighting of the moon. She looks like she’s glowing and it’s taking Tobin’s breath away. She can’t remember a time where she was so drawn to another person.
Or when she’d wanted to kiss someone so badly.
And of course it has to be her brother’s girlfriend.
She clears her throat and pulls her eyes away from Christen, realizing she’s getting into dangerous territory again. “So how long have you known my brother?” She asks, trying to put the conversation back on him. Maybe just to remind herself that Christen is his.
“We met like a month into the semester,” she shrugs. “So maybe like 8 months now?” She says, and Tobin can see that she’s trying to do the math in her head, and she looks so cute with her nose scrunched up adorably.
“He likes you a lot,” Tobin says softly.
“Yeah, I like him too,” Christen shrugs. “Probably why I stuck around,” she then adds with a smirk. “He’s pretty great.”
“Yeah,” Tobin nods in agreement. Her brother really is the best, and he definitely doesn’t deserve her sitting here having these intimate moments with his girlfriend. She’s really being an awful sister. “He’s probably wondering where you are,” she then says with a frown, knowing that the two of them should probably get some space from each other.
“He’s fine,” Christen waves her hand. “He was playing video games,” she informs her. “And I want to get to know you more,” she then says, turning so that she’s facing Tobin, scooting a little closer to her.
Tobin gets a little nervous at the closeness and the intense look on Christen’s face, like she’s trying to see into her soul. She shifts a bit uncomfortably under her gaze and starts playing with the fabric of her joggers. “There isn’t much to know,” Tobin shrugs. “I’m obsessed with soccer and I like to surf. That is pretty much it.” She tells her.
Christen tilts her head to the side and smiles at Tobin, and she reminds her a little of a puppy, which makes Tobin smile softly back at her. “I think there is more to you than that,” Christen says honestly, bringing her arm up to the back of the couch, partially behind Tobin as she leans into her a little.
Tobin notices the tone of Christen’s voice and the look in her eyes. She’s seen it before, this isn’t the first time that a girl has looked at her like this. Actually, she has lots of girls look at her like this. But, it can’t be true, can it? She has to just be imagining things because there is no way her brother’s girlfriend is looking at her in this flirty and almost seductive way right now.
It has to be her imagination.
“Um...” Tobin says a bit awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck. “I like art,” she shrugs. “I’m not great at it, but I love painting. And taking photos. Jeff has really gotten me into photography,” she tells her, speaking of her brother’s major.
Christen nods, smiling at her. “I’d love to see some of your stuff,” she tells her sincerely.
“Yeah, okay,” Tobin nods. “I don’t really have anything with me,” she informs her. Maybe some photos on my phone, but it’s inside.”
“Next time,” Christen shrugs. “I’m sure you are a lot better than you give yourself credit for,” she tells her. “It seems like you are good at just about everything,” she adds honestly.
Tobin chuckles shaking her head. “Hardly,” she dismisses. “I could say the same for you though,” she tells her.
“You don’t even know me,” Christen argues. “Except for soccer.”
“Maybe,” Tobin shrugs. “But I also always hear from Jeff and Kelley about how you are the smartest person that they know and that you will definitely graduate with honors at Stanford. And getting into Stanford says enough about how smart you are, without even getting honors,” she says honestly. “And now here I am, talking about Stanford,” she rolls her eyes, trying to make the situation a little more light.
She can feel how thick the air around them has gotten and how serious the conversation was. It was maybe getting a little too intimate for how she should be talking to her brother’s girlfriend. The longing looks and the slight touches, she’s not oblivious to it and she’s pretty sure that she’s not just making it up in her head.
And she knows that it’s so wrong.
But it also feels so right..
Christen laughs at her for the Stanford comment and Tobin just stares at her in awe, still thinking it’s the best sound that she has ever heard. And this time it was actually her that made Christen laugh like this. She takes it as a win in her book.
When Christen stops laughing, they make eye contact again, and Christen bites down on her lip.
Tobin’s eyes immediately fall down to her lips and she knows that she really shouldn’t, but all she can think about is kissing Christen right now.
“Tobin,” Christen says softly.
When Tobin looks up at her eyes again, she realizes that Christen is staring at her lips as well, that same longing look on her face.
“I should get inside,” Tobin says, standing up quickly, knowing that she needs to get herself out of this situation before it goes too far. Before she does something that she can’t come back from.
Before she kisses her brother’s girlfriend.
God, she’s a terrible person.
Christen frowns at her, not even trying to hide her disappointment, “Oh,” she says softly and a little sadly. “Okay,” she says quietly, folding her arms across her chest, looking a bit dejected.
Tobin almost feels bad enough for her, that she sits back down to comfort her, but she doesn’t. Christen shouldn’t be feeling sad right now and Tobin definitely shouldn’t feel bad for her. She should be angry that this girl seemingly had wanted to kiss her.
She’s her boyfriend’s sister. She should only want Jeff.
Tobin just swallows and glances at Christen one more time before walking back into the house. She’s not really angry at Christen, even if she should be. She’s disappointed in herself for letting this crush escalate so quickly and for things to get this out of hand.
“Yo! Let me kick your ass at Mario Kart,” Jeff says as Tobin walks through the living room.
Tobin looks at him and feels even more guilty when she sees the happy smile on his face. There is no way that she can sit down and hang out with him right now. She honestly can’t even look him in the eye. “I’m going to bed,” she mumbles, headed for the stairs.
Christen comes in a minute later and sits down next to Jeff. “What’s up with Tobin?” He asks curiously. “She seemed a little upset,” he informs her.
“I don’t know,” Christen sighs, a little confused herself. Though, she’s figuring that Tobin was upset by her. She’d honestly almost kissed the girl and that was obviously not something that Tobin was interested in. Maybe, she’s been a little too forward. She’d come here with Jeff, and she barely even knows Tobin. She definitely shouldn’t have been out there almost kissing his sister.
Jeff just grunts at her and doesn’t push the subject any further. “You want to play with me?” He asks hopefully.
“No,” Christen frowns, not really a fan of most video games.
He just shrugs, already expecting the answer and continues to just play against the computer.
A little bit later, Tobin makes her way back downstairs and is a little surprised to see Christen and Jeff still sitting on the couch playing Mario Kart. It’s pretty late and she figured that they would have headed to bed by now. She honestly wouldn’t have come down if she knew they were still here. She’s still not really feeling comfortable being around them.
She needs to get a grip on her feelings before she can be around either of them.
“Tobs!” Jeff yells when he sees her in the kitchen.
Tobin sighs, knowing that she can’t sneak back upstairs. She grabs a bottle of juice from the fridge and a protein bar before making her way into the living room. “What’s up? I didn’t think you guys were still awake,” she tells them.
“It’s still early,” Jeff says with a grin, even though it’s well after midnight. “Come and play me,” he says, almost in a whining tone. “Chris won’t play,” he frowns.
Tobin bites down on her lip and almost says no, but decides to join them, anyway. She couldn’t really sleep and honestly she always loves playing mario kart with her brother. It gets a little too competitive sometimes, but it’s always a lot of fun and something they always do together. “Fine,” she sighs, moving around the couch.
Christen scoots over from Jeff to the other end of the couch, letting Tobin sit in between them.
Tobin frowns and almost sits in the armchair next to them, but decides that she can’t see the TV as well there, and as much as she’s feeling awkward around both of them, she still doesn’t want to lose. So she sits down right in the middle of both them, squeezed in so that she’s snuggly between them. Her thigh brushes up against Christen’s and she tries to ignore the closeness as she takes the other controller from Jeff.
It doesn’t take long before the two are trash talking each other and even shoving one another trying to mess the other up as they play. Christen just sits back, watching them, half amused and half surprised just how competitive and childish they are acting over a game. A cartoon car game at that.
She’s never really got the big deal over mario kart.
“You guys are literally the same person,” Christen says with wide eyes. She’s seen Jeff play this game multiple times and knows how competitive he can get over it, and she never thought she would meet someone who was on his same level. “I never thought that I’d meet someone as competitive over this as Jeff,” she smirks.
Neither of them even acknowledge Christen while they are playing, but after a minute the game ends with Tobin jumping up off the couch, celebrating her win.
Jeff just pouts on the couch, claiming that Tobin cheated.
Christen just shakes her head at them amused by their antics. “Do you want to play?” Tobin asks, sitting back down and looking over at Christen.
“Christen hates this game,” Jeff informs her. “And she’s terrible at it,” he adds with a smirk.
Christen scoffs at him and takes the controller from Tobin. “Teach me,” she says with puppy dog eyes, looking up at Tobin.
Tobin melts at the look on her face and can’t help but agree, “Okay,” she nods. She tells her how the game works and moves Christen’s fingers around on the controller, showing her which buttons she needs to hit and when. She can’t help but notice Christen’s fingers brushing up against hers and lingering a little longer than they probably should.
Christen leans in to Tobin as she listens to her talk, and honestly she’s having a hard time listening to what Tobin is actually saying to her. Admittedly, she really does hate this game and has no desire to play. She’d just kind of wanted Tobin to show her. Plus, she wasn't going to miss an opportunity to kick Jeff’s ass and put him in his place.
And it only takes a couple of rounds, before she beats Jeff. Honestly, the game is pretty simple and she doesn't know how people find such entertainment in it. But, she is pretty happy that she beat Jeff and she’s even happier to see the proud smile on Tobin’s face as she reaches over to hug her.
“You did it!” Tobin says proudly.
Christen hugs her back, holding her a bit too long, just enjoying having Tobin’s arms around her. And Tobin enjoys the feeling of Christen in her arms just as much.
She hates to admit it, but she does.
Tobin pulls back after a minute, clearing her throat and feeling a bit awkward again. She glances over at Jeff who isn’t paying them any attention and is starting up a new game with a frown on his face. “Rematch,” he challenges her.
“No,” Christen frowns. “This game is boring,” she complains.
Both Tobin and Jeff look a little offended and Christen just rolls her eyes at them.
“Tobs? Up for another round?” He asks hopefully.
But, Tobin glances over at Christen and then stands up, shaking her head. “Nah, I’m going to head to bed,” she tells them, the uncomfortableness she’d been feeling starting to creep back up at her. She feels absolutely terrible for feeling this way for Christen and she knows that she needs to put some space between them before it gets even worse.
“Fine,” he frowns, setting the game so that he’s just playing the computer.
Tobin leaves the two of them, and heads for the stairs without another glance at them.
Christen lets out a sigh as she watches Tobin walk up the stairs, a small pout on her face.
“You totally have the hots for my sister,” Jeff says, making Christen whip her head around to look at him, the comment catching her off guard.
Christen considers denying it for a moment but then just sighs again. “Maybe,” she admits with a small smirk. “She’s hot,” she shrugs.
Jeff grimaces and pauses the game to turn and look at her. “I didn’t bring you here to hook up with my sister,” he says with a smirk of his own. “Though, I knew she’d probably be your type,” he adds.
“Why’s that?” She asks with a frown.
“Because she’s me, but a girl version and you love me,” he says, waggling his eyebrows at her.
Christen laughs and reaches out to shove him. “You think very highly of yourself,” she smirks, but doesn’t deny that she does love him.
He just shrugs and goes back to playing his game. “I’m pretty awesome,” he says with a smug grin. “If you weren’t only into the ladies, you’d totally want me,” he teases.
Christen just shoves him again, which makes him mess up on the game and he shouts at her, quickly trying to get back onto the track and catch up to the other players. Christen just laughs at him and watches him for another moment while he finishes up.
“I don’t think she likes me,” she says softly.
Jeff turns back towards her with a frown on his face. “Why do you say that? I’m pretty sure that you are exactly her type,” he tells her. “I mean, honestly who wouldn’t want you,” he asks, not really believing it. He had known before he even brought Christen here that the two of them would probably hit it off.
“True,” Christen says with a cocky grin. “But, I don’t know... we kind of had a moment earlier and I sort of almost kissed her,” Christen admits, making Jeff’s eyes widen. “But she got really awkward and practically ran away,” she says with a sigh.
Jeff just frowns, because he knows that his sister is normally pretty confident around women and it doesn’t seem like her to get uncomfortable or shy away from a girl. “I don’t know, but if you are nice to me, I could maybe help you out,” he suggests with a grin.
Christen just looks at him unimpressed. “I don’t need help getting a girl,” she says with a scowl, a little offended.
“Fine,” he shrugs. “But, she is my sister and I know her better than anyone. I could be pretty useful,” he says, and starts to play another game.
But Christen reaches out, stopping him. “Fine,” she sighs. “Help me,” she says realizing it was her best option. If she really wants to win Tobin over, she probably will need his help, as much as she hates to admit it. She isn’t normally used to having to work this hard for a girl’s attention, but Tobin is totally worth it.
“Nope, you already lost your chance,” he says, turning his chin up at her.
Christen rolls her eyes at him, “What do you want?”
He just grins at her, “Get me a date with one of your hot teammates,” he says, wiggling his brows, and Christen frowns at him.
“I told you that I’m not setting you up,” she reminds him. “It’s weird.”
He just sighs, “Fine. I was kidding anyway,” he tells her. “Honestly, I just want my sister and my best friend to be happy and I think that you guys could be happy together,” he tells her softly.
Christen smiles warmly at him for a moment, but then bursts out laughing. “That was so gay,” she shrieks, doubling over in laughter.
“Shut up,” he grumbles, pushing her off the couch.