United in Break-Up

Chapter 5

A few weeks have passed since the weekend at St. George's Park. Slowly, everyday life returned for the soccer players after the European Championship in England and the upcoming season of the Women's Super League came more and more into focus. Also, the WhatsApp group of the Arsenal Ladies came back to life and therefore a few of the players arranged a reunion meeting at a bar in London before the team goes off to the training camp together next week.

Beth was looking forward to finally seeing her teammates again. Some of them she had spent the whole summer with when they played together on the national team, but others she hadn't seen for a long time. This was also the case for Vivianne, who spent most of the time after the European Championship in her home country, the Netherlands. In fact, Beth was a little relieved about the fact that they hadn't seen each other for a while. Since Beth confided in Leah about her crush, she continued to try to get her own thoughts about the Dutchwoman in order.

When Beth realized how good it felt to talk to someone about her feelings for Vivianne, she told Leah almost everything that night at St. George's Park. She told her about the first time that she thought of Vivianne as more than a friend. That was the night she was so sad about Danielle for what felt like the 100th time – still, Vivianne continued to listen to the story for the 101st time, holding her patiently in her arms while just listening and soothing her with her calm manner. Beth even told Leah about how sad it made her feel that Vivianne now seemed to flirt with Alessia. Just the possibility of something evolving between the two of them is a very painful thought for her.

While all this was bubbling out of Beth, Leah just listened. Even though Leah was quite surprised that Beth seemed to have a crush on Vivianne, she reacted very understandingly and supportively to her confession. Only when Beth asked her for advice on how to deal with the crush, the captain couldn't help her either - structured as Leah was, she pointed out that according to her, there were basically only three ways to react to this crush: 1) Trying to actively fight against the crush. 2) Trying to follow the crush and win the person over. 3) Trying to wait until the crush disappears by itself. To Leah, these options had to be weighed against each other logically and she even suggested that she would help Beth with a pro and con list – but it seemed to Beth that it made the most sense to think about it herself first and to wait a little longer until she had found some distance to Vivianne and her crush on her.

Today, however, it seemed that the wait was over, as Vivianne would also be coming to the meeting at the bar that evening. As Beth made her way there, she tried to ignore the strange mixture of joy for the reunion and the uneasiness that the meeting with the Dutchwoman would mess up her thoughts again. The only thing that could calm her down was the thought that other teammates would also be there tonight - first and foremost Leah, who was now privy to her crush on Vivianne, so if she needed support in any way, she could definitely always count on her.

As Beth entered the bar, she immediately noticed the tall woman at the table next to the door – it was Vivianne. In her tight denim pants, her crop top with the plaid jacket over it and her hair open over her shoulders, she just looked stunningly beautiful. Beth unconsciously smiled at Vivianne as she made her way over to the table. "Hi," Beth said to her teammate, that's all she could get out at that moment. Vivianne grinned at her, "Hi Beth, what's got you tongue-tied lately? I also think it's nice to finally see you again." She took a step towards the Englishwoman and hugged her tightly. At the latest, this close physical contact had now left Beth entirely speechless. Even if she thought that her crush had become a bit smaller over the last weeks, this did not seem to correspond to the reality.

As the two broke free from the embrace, which actually lasted a little bit longer than their usual hugs in Beth's perception, their teammates were already returning to the table with a tray full of beer and long drinks. Beth greeted everyone warmly, made herself comfortable around the table with a drink in hand, and chatted with some of the teammates. Several drinks later she was engrossed in a discussion with Jordan and Lotte about whether the World Cup in Qatar was a good or bad idea, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" asked Vivianne with a sweet smile that made Beth's knees shake. The Dutchwoman handed her a glass of water, "Here, so that you might not feel so bad at our usual hangover meeting tomorrow. You've already had a few drinks, haven't you?". What a kind gesture! Beth was grateful and in her slightly drunken state, she leaned up really close to Vivianne and whispered a soft "Thank you!" in her ear.

"So, Viv, how are things going with Alessia?", Jordan then suddenly interrupted the two of them by asking this question addressed to Vivianne. This very question brought Beth right back down to earth. Even if she didn't want to, she had to listen to the answer to this question and as a good friend of Vivianne, she should probably even be honestly interested in her answer. "Very well," Vivianne replied to Jordan's question. "She's been visiting her parents, who live near London, for the last few weeks - so of course there has been the one or other occasion that we have seen each other when I was in England during our free time after the tournament," Vivianne grinned a bit mischievously. An appreciative murmur came from the other women at the table in response. "So, you guys are officially dating now? You'd make such a great couple!" Lotte stated curiously. Beth really didn't want to hear about all of that, but what could she do? Seeking help, she looked around at Leah, who seemed to notice her discomfort. "Guys," she interrupted the others, "give Viv a break with your nosy questions! This is almost like interrogation.".

But the questions didn't stop and Vivianne readily gave answers - after affirming that there was indeed something going on between her and Alessia, Beth couldn't take it anymore. "I'm going to go to the bar," she informed the other women, who, however, were too engrossed in the descriptions of Vivianne and her first date with Alessia. At the bar, Beth ordered herself a beer and a shot of liquor - and another one and another one and another one. She had no desire to return to the table and instead talked to the pretty bartender. Maybe she at least had a chance with her. About an hour later, Leah came over to join her at the bar, where Beth seemed pretty drunk by now.

"Beth, what happened?" she asked her friend. "Nothing, I just had a good chat with the cute lady behind the counter," Beth slurred. "She had several drinks and wasn't in the mood to stop, maybe it would be a good idea to take her home," the "cute lady behind the counter" added. At that moment Vivianne also joined Beth at the bar and looked at the Englishwoman worriedly. "What happened here?" she asked, directing the question more to Leah, since Beth didn't seem to be a very trustworthy source of information anymore. "She's probably had a few too many drinks," Leah sighed. "Jordan and I will take her home immediately.". "I can take care of that! I was about to leave anyway, and Beth lives a lot closer to my house than she does to yours," interjected Vivianne. Leah's expression darkened at that suggestion, "No offense Viv, but you are probably the last person who should be taking care of her right now. Come on Beth, we're going home!". With these words, she took Beth in her arms and they walked towards the exit of the bar - neither Leah nor Beth noticed the very hurt and devastated look with which Vivianne followed the two of them.