Across the Ocean With You - Kyra Cooney-Cross

Chapter One - 365

I can't help but let my mind wander back over the past year.  I feel like a completely new person, I've found a sense of peace and purpose that I never thought possible. Love has a way of transforming you, and Kyra has been my guiding light through it all. 

I look in the mirror and see someone who is confident, resilient, and deeply happy. The trials we've faced have only strengthened our bond, and the future feels brighter than ever. It's amazing how much can change in a year, and I can honestly say that I've never felt more alive, more grounded, or more ready for whatever life has in store for us

It's a peaceful morning, and I have a rare moment to myself admits the chaos of my dream girl proposing and her imminent Olympic Tournament departure. A perfect time to reminisce about the whirlwind that brought me here.

A year ago, my life felt like it was unravelling. Leaving Australia was the one of the hardest decisions I had ever make, but it was completely and unbelievably what I had to do. There is no doubting that for a second. The pressures, expectations and toxicity had become too much. I needed space to breathe, to figure out who I was without the constant spotlight and scrutiny from my family. 

But then I had to go home, I say had to but really I was just scared. Scared of everything, scared for Laura and what Lillie would become if I let them stay with our family, Scared of myself, scared of missing out, scared of changing too much from the simple lost girl that once called Hope Town home. However leaving London also meant leaving behind Kyra, my heart, and my home. The distance was supposed to be forever to protect her from me, protect her from a life she never asked to be apart of, then Melbourne was my time to heal, but it only made me realize how deeply I needed her.

Seeing Kyra in Melbourne was a chance encounter that brought us back together, almost like fate, I didn't know she was even coming to Australia with Arsenal and she didn't even know if I was still alive let alone in a city I'd never even been before. 

A coffee shop, Zoost Management, Aunt Zoe's "work event" and just like that fate had its own plans. Seeing Kyra again was like coming home. The spark between us reignited, and is now burning brighter than ever. We had both grown during our time apart, and it only made our us stronger. It didn't take long for us to fall back into our rhythm, our love story picking up right where it left off.

Laura and Zoe were ready for me to leave again, basically made it a non negotiable. They already had plans for the day I finally realised I wasn't meant to stay. Just days after Kyra and I headed to Queensland to see her Dad, Zoe was already getting her investment property ready for Laura and by the time I sat them down to tell them I was thinking about going back to London, Laura was already employed by Zoe in her Accounts department. They were going to be okay together, and they just needed me to leave so I could be okay too. 

Now, sitting here in our flat...I still can't believe that...Our Flat...Mine and Kyra's. Everything feels surreal. Kyra and I are engaged, something I couldn't have imagined a year ago. Our engagement although probably quicker that your usual relationship, was still the perfect timing, I think when you've both made sacrifices and know how much it takes to make a relationship work you're allowed to do what feels right for you.

The proposal was chaotic, a bloody beautiful mess that perfectly encapsulated our journey together. The big, light-up letters still make me smile, some of our bestest friends and the two "parents" who have unofficially adopted me being there, even the stupid fake dry shampoo distraction whilst our friends rushed to our flat while Beth worked so hard to make it as perfect as it could be considering it was Kyra vision, it'd never be perfect but that meant it was perfect to me. Every moment is etched into my heart forever.

This past year has been a rollercoaster of emotions, but it's also been a testament to the my own strength and the strength or Kyra and I. From the moment I left Australia, uncertain and afraid, to finding Kyra and navigating the challenges that came our way, to then leaving her to then finding our way back again. We've proven that we can weather any storm. Our love isn't just a fleeting romance, it's a deep, enduring connection that grows stronger with every obstacle we overcome.

As I sip my coffee, I think about the future. Oh my god....THE WEDDING PLANS! and of course now the Olympic grind is about to consume us again, and while it means more time apart, it also means more opportunities to support each other and grow as individuals. Kyra's determination and passion for the game inspires me every day. I know that whatever comes our way, we'll face it together, hand in hand.

I know love isn't always easy, but it's always worth it. And as I look forward to the years ahead, I'm filled with a sense of hope and excitement. Kyra and I have our whole lives ahead of us, filled with dreams, adventures, and countless memories waiting to be made. No matter where life takes us, or what oceans we have to cross, as long as we have each other, I know we'll be okay.

Her departure for France is looming quick, her flights this afternoon and I don't really know how to feel. In a few weeks Dean and I will be there to support our girls and our country but it still doesn't help that after just a day of being engaged weeks are going to go by where we are apart. 

I have to keep reminding myself, her career takes a lot sacrifices and that's not just sacrifices made by her. They're made by her friends back home, her family and now me. As hard as they can seem I have no difficulty in making them, I just struggle within myself to navigate the emotions that come with it. It's something I'm working on. 

The beginning of the new us, the engaged us, the future us is already starting on the edge of a tournament but wouldn't change it for the anything in the world.