WOSO Imagines

Highland Cows (Martha Thomas)

When Martha made the move to Spurs, I was excited but anxious. We had just settled into Manchester after two years, and now we were back in London. With Bethany England out injured, Tottenham was in need of a striker, and with the amount of talent at Manchester United, Martha jumped at the opportunity to be that. And she was killing it; seven goals in five games across all competitions. To say I'm proud of her is an understatement, though I refuse to wear a Spurs shirt. I love her, and I go to every match, but I'm a lifelong Arsenal fan. Luckily, she's supplied me with an endless number of Scotland shirts to wear in support.

Although the move has been great for football, it's been very stressful for both of us. To remedy this, we go to Scotland a few days before she has to report to camp for the next round of Nation's League games against the Netherlands. I booked us a little cabin in the highlands, wanting to just relax in nature. Nessie, our chocolate lab, comes with us (yes, she's named after the famous Loch Ness monster, much to Martha's objections).

I wake up tangled in sheets and my girlfriend's arms, sun streaming in through lace curtains, Nessie snoring away at our feet. Not wanting to wake either of my sleeping beauties, I carefully remove myself from the bed and tiptoe towards the kitchen to make myself a coffee. Mug in hand, I slip out onto the front porch, breathing in the smell of grass and fresh rain from the night before. Bird calls are a much-appreciated morning buzz compared to the car horns and yelling I've grown accustomed to in London. Everything just feels so much calmer.

The pitter-patter of paws across the wood planks interrupts my peaceful alone time, a very happy tail smacking my knees. "Good morning to you, too, Nessie. Did you sleep well?" I ask, reaching down to scratch her behind her ears. A pair of arms settles around my waist. "How did you sleep, lovely?"

"Amazing. I didn't want to get out of bed," Martha says, burying her face in the side of my neck.

I laugh, leaning into her. "You didn't have to. The whole point of this mini holiday is for us to relax."

"You weren't in bed, so I had to come find you."

I take a long sip from my mug. "I made coffee if you want some."

"I'm comfortable right here. Caffeine can wait."

I set my mug down on the railing, turning around in her arms, taking her face gently in my hands and kissing her. I pull away, resting my forehead against hers, studying the brown eyes and dimples I love so much, a smile on my face. "This is by far the best way to spend a morning."

"I know what would make it even better," she smirks.

"Oh, yeah? And what would that be?"

"Pancakes! Obviously," she laughs. "Jeez, get your head out of the gutter, Lily."

My eyes light up. "With blueberries?"

She nods. "And the special syrup you like from Manchester."

"You remember."

"Of course, I do. I think you ate about ten of them drowned in the stuff on our first date."

"I really like pancakes."

"I thought it was charming."

"And now you're stuck making them for me," I grin, kissing her cheek.

"For the rest of our lives," she whispers.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Come on, let's get us some breakfast. Come on, Ness."

After the three of us enjoy breakfast together, we come up with a plan for the rest of the day.