Queen
Hallo
Chapter One
You know that smell of when a cool night mixes with grass and football? I got a big whiff of it right then, walking onto the pitch. I squatted down and touched the grass. With closed eyes I took in a moment of calmness. On the exhale of breath I stood up and opened my eyes to the pitch around me. There stood my team and our opponents. We were ready to battle for a spot in the World Cup.
~~~~~~
6-0. Final score: United States Women’s National Team vs. Haiti’s Women’s National Team. I nearly danced my way back to locker room, filled with happiness about starting, scoring a goal, and being one step closer to Canada 2015. Damn good for a twenty year old. Sydney Leroux grabbed my face, “That’s my girl, Harris.” I gave her an air kiss and took to the showers.
On the bus ride to the hotel, I checked my phone. A text from Marco: not bad Cass :). Sydney leaned over to peek at my phone. “What did he say?”
Marco and I had meet at a Puma event in early August. However, his season started soon afternoon and my season in the FA WSL didn’t end until October. I showed Syd the text. “Don’t respond. Play it cool, girl.” I rolled my eyes and texted back: enjoying your introduction to women’s football? The past few months, I got to see him sporadically, like when Dortmund came to London to play Arsenal in the Champions League. I was playing for Chelsea Ladies so he spent some time at my flat. In between, we’ve been texting and calling. Ding! Marco: i’ve been missing out all this time. call me when you get to the hotel ok? I decided to take Syd’s advice and not respond, let him sweat a little, I thought.
~~~~~~~
“Hallo,” Marco answered my call from my hotel room.
“You requested a call Mr. Reus.”
I heard him laugh, “Yea I did Liebling.” I raised my eyebrow at being called honey. “I was thinking that since your season is over and the national team has a break for a while, you could...uh... come stay in Dortmund for a while.”
I opened my mouth to respond then closed it. How to respond to that? He sure got to the point quickly. How do I feel about that? After a few seconds of silence, Marco said, “Well you can stay in a hotel, you know, and come to a few games, and...yeah..I know it’s...not conventional...but I want to see you.”
By then I had recovered from the initial surprise. “I was planning on being with my niece on Halloween later this week,” I took a deep breath, “but after that I can come.” What did I just agree to?
~~~~~~~
Ella, my three year niece, went as a fisherman, well fisher-girl, for Halloween. She wanted to dress like her daddy who was a fisherman in Gloucester. My sister-in-law and I escorted Ella around the neighborhood as she collected a hoard of candy. “Explain to me again what you’re doing tomorrow,” Sarah said.
“I get on a plane for 13 hours and go to Dortmund,” I answered.
“For how long?”
“I don’t know actually. We didn’t talk about that.”
“How much was the ticket and hotel?”
“I don't know,” I said, “he paid for it.”
Sarah slapped me on the arm, “He’s a keeper. I wish your brother had that kind of money.”
I rolled my eyes, “You married a fisherman, what did you expect?” I thought. “Actually he’s a striker.”
She didn’t catch the joke. She was a fan of the other type of football. “Just be careful, okay? Your brother can’t handle another emotional crisis,” she asserted.
Ah, there is it. I liked Sarah but she always had one comment that hit a nerve. She didn’t really understand our family. “I know what I’m doing.” I didn’t really. I was taking a risk, going to visit a man across the Atlantic Ocean that I only somewhat knew, but I really was really freaking excited anyway.
~~~~~~~
Marco: i’m parked in the far parking lot, go straight after you get your bags. Marco was picking me up from the airport in Dortmund, but nothing too conspicuous, the man didn’t need relationship rumors and transfer rumors. I eventually got to his Audi. He tried to get out to help with my bags but I shooed him back in so no one would see him. I slid into the passenger seat and glanced at him. “Hallo,” he grinned his beautiful lopsided smile. He put his hand on the side of my face to turn me towards him. “I’m glad you’re here, Cassie.” I smiled; he kissed me.
It was the first time we’ve kissed, or seen each other in person, since he came to London back in September. A few moments, I pulled away and said, “I want to see Dortmund with the hometown hero.”
He laughed. “Sure thing, Liebling.” I blushed and he kept his hand on my knee.
~~~~~~~
We finally pulled up to his house. He glanced at me and put on a sarcastic smug look. I giggled, “It’ll take more than a fancy hose to impress me, Reus.” He seemed to like that and grinned.
He lead me by the hand into his house. It was big and spacious but the most impressive thing was that it was clean, I wasn’t expecting that from a 25 year old bachelor. I put my bags down in the kitchen. “You want a drink? I think I have wine,” Marco asked.
“I don’t drink,” I replied.
Marco raised an eyebrow then smiled. “Still too young for adult beverages? What a strange American law.”
Yeah, I was 20, just a year away from legal drinking age in America, but I didn’t drink for other reasons. I shrugged it off, I wasn’t ready for conversation about my childhood just yet. “Yeah, but I have taken a liking to that strange English habit of drinking tea.”
“I think I have some tea bags,” he said as he started rummaging in his cabinets. That gave me a chance to look at his butt. I straightened up from leaning on the counter to get a better view when he turned around. I think he caught me because he grinned. “Green tea okay?” he said.
“Um, yeah.” I was blushing.
He turned around to put the water on. He turned around again and walked towards me. He took me around the waist and pulled me close. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said for the second time today. He looked me in the eyes then slowly moved his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck. Wow this felt good.
I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. He looked surprised but looked back at me anyways. “You can cancel the hotel reservations,” I said. His eyes went wide then he grinned.
“Really?” I nodded. He put his smiling mouth back on mine. We were interrupted by the tea kettle going off. If not I would have melted in his hands.
You know that smell of when a cool night mixes with grass and football? I got a big whiff of it right then, walking onto the pitch. I squatted down and touched the grass. With closed eyes I took in a moment of calmness. On the exhale of breath I stood up and opened my eyes to the pitch around me. There stood my team and our opponents. We were ready to battle for a spot in the World Cup.
~~~~~~
6-0. Final score: United States Women’s National Team vs. Haiti’s Women’s National Team. I nearly danced my way back to locker room, filled with happiness about starting, scoring a goal, and being one step closer to Canada 2015. Damn good for a twenty year old. Sydney Leroux grabbed my face, “That’s my girl, Harris.” I gave her an air kiss and took to the showers.
On the bus ride to the hotel, I checked my phone. A text from Marco: not bad Cass :). Sydney leaned over to peek at my phone. “What did he say?”
Marco and I had meet at a Puma event in early August. However, his season started soon afternoon and my season in the FA WSL didn’t end until October. I showed Syd the text. “Don’t respond. Play it cool, girl.” I rolled my eyes and texted back: enjoying your introduction to women’s football? The past few months, I got to see him sporadically, like when Dortmund came to London to play Arsenal in the Champions League. I was playing for Chelsea Ladies so he spent some time at my flat. In between, we’ve been texting and calling. Ding! Marco: i’ve been missing out all this time. call me when you get to the hotel ok? I decided to take Syd’s advice and not respond, let him sweat a little, I thought.
~~~~~~~
“Hallo,” Marco answered my call from my hotel room.
“You requested a call Mr. Reus.”
I heard him laugh, “Yea I did Liebling.” I raised my eyebrow at being called honey. “I was thinking that since your season is over and the national team has a break for a while, you could...uh... come stay in Dortmund for a while.”
I opened my mouth to respond then closed it. How to respond to that? He sure got to the point quickly. How do I feel about that? After a few seconds of silence, Marco said, “Well you can stay in a hotel, you know, and come to a few games, and...yeah..I know it’s...not conventional...but I want to see you.”
By then I had recovered from the initial surprise. “I was planning on being with my niece on Halloween later this week,” I took a deep breath, “but after that I can come.” What did I just agree to?
~~~~~~~
Ella, my three year niece, went as a fisherman, well fisher-girl, for Halloween. She wanted to dress like her daddy who was a fisherman in Gloucester. My sister-in-law and I escorted Ella around the neighborhood as she collected a hoard of candy. “Explain to me again what you’re doing tomorrow,” Sarah said.
“I get on a plane for 13 hours and go to Dortmund,” I answered.
“For how long?”
“I don’t know actually. We didn’t talk about that.”
“How much was the ticket and hotel?”
“I don't know,” I said, “he paid for it.”
Sarah slapped me on the arm, “He’s a keeper. I wish your brother had that kind of money.”
I rolled my eyes, “You married a fisherman, what did you expect?” I thought. “Actually he’s a striker.”
She didn’t catch the joke. She was a fan of the other type of football. “Just be careful, okay? Your brother can’t handle another emotional crisis,” she asserted.
Ah, there is it. I liked Sarah but she always had one comment that hit a nerve. She didn’t really understand our family. “I know what I’m doing.” I didn’t really. I was taking a risk, going to visit a man across the Atlantic Ocean that I only somewhat knew, but I really was really freaking excited anyway.
~~~~~~~
Marco: i’m parked in the far parking lot, go straight after you get your bags. Marco was picking me up from the airport in Dortmund, but nothing too conspicuous, the man didn’t need relationship rumors and transfer rumors. I eventually got to his Audi. He tried to get out to help with my bags but I shooed him back in so no one would see him. I slid into the passenger seat and glanced at him. “Hallo,” he grinned his beautiful lopsided smile. He put his hand on the side of my face to turn me towards him. “I’m glad you’re here, Cassie.” I smiled; he kissed me.
It was the first time we’ve kissed, or seen each other in person, since he came to London back in September. A few moments, I pulled away and said, “I want to see Dortmund with the hometown hero.”
He laughed. “Sure thing, Liebling.” I blushed and he kept his hand on my knee.
~~~~~~~
We finally pulled up to his house. He glanced at me and put on a sarcastic smug look. I giggled, “It’ll take more than a fancy hose to impress me, Reus.” He seemed to like that and grinned.
He lead me by the hand into his house. It was big and spacious but the most impressive thing was that it was clean, I wasn’t expecting that from a 25 year old bachelor. I put my bags down in the kitchen. “You want a drink? I think I have wine,” Marco asked.
“I don’t drink,” I replied.
Marco raised an eyebrow then smiled. “Still too young for adult beverages? What a strange American law.”
Yeah, I was 20, just a year away from legal drinking age in America, but I didn’t drink for other reasons. I shrugged it off, I wasn’t ready for conversation about my childhood just yet. “Yeah, but I have taken a liking to that strange English habit of drinking tea.”
“I think I have some tea bags,” he said as he started rummaging in his cabinets. That gave me a chance to look at his butt. I straightened up from leaning on the counter to get a better view when he turned around. I think he caught me because he grinned. “Green tea okay?” he said.
“Um, yeah.” I was blushing.
He turned around to put the water on. He turned around again and walked towards me. He took me around the waist and pulled me close. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said for the second time today. He looked me in the eyes then slowly moved his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck. Wow this felt good.
I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. He looked surprised but looked back at me anyways. “You can cancel the hotel reservations,” I said. His eyes went wide then he grinned.
“Really?” I nodded. He put his smiling mouth back on mine. We were interrupted by the tea kettle going off. If not I would have melted in his hands.
♠ ♠ ♠
My first fanfic, feedback welcome!