Lean on Me || Jill Roord

26. Best Friends

"ELLIE! OH MY GOD!" I quickly pulled her into a tight hug, which earned amused laughs from Daan and Jill, who embraced each other as well. "It's been too long," I whispered into Ellie's ear, and she pulled me in tighter.

"I've missed you so much, Carol," Ellie said once we pulled away and all stepped inside my apartment.

"Good to see you too, Caroline," Daan's voice caught my attention, and I turned around to give her a hug too. "Hey DVD," I said with a smile.

Ellie and Daan were staying at my apartment for the new year as we were all going to Viv and Beth's for their New Year's Eve party. Kerstin was due to come over soon as well, and we were all taking the train to Kyra's, where we'd crash for the night after the party. Needless to say, a bunch of Australian and Dutch footballers were going to arrive at the same time; it made me giggle at the thought.

Ellie and I spent most of the morning catching each other up on everything that's happened since the last time I played on the national team. Life in France, how she felt like she'd grasped most of the language and could do media duties in French, how the team was doing, how her and Daan were, and all that good stuff. I caught her up on my recovery, then got a scolding about my Australia trip. Everyone seemed to be scolding me for it, but mostly out of their worry for me, which I understood.

Daan and Jill were sitting in the kitchen, undoubtedly doing the same thing we were doing, though they were out of earshot. A silence fell between Ellie and me for a moment, and a look crossed over Ellie's face, one that I barely caught. It was on the border of worry and an internal battle behind her eyes; it made me curious but also slightly concerned. "What's up?" I put my hand on her knee as I leaned slightly forward off the couch.

Ellie opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, and her eyes travelled behind us to Daan and Jill, who were laughing about something. "Ellie. Is something wrong?" Worry creeping into my mind.

"What? No," she paused. "I-

Another moment of silence passed between us as she looked down to her hands in her lap, and when she finally looked back up into my eyes and spoke, I couldn't have been happier. "I'm going to propose to Daan." The grin that spread across my face was massive, and I quickly tackled Ellie into a hug, causing any worry she had about telling me to disappear as she laughed at my actions. It took everything in me not to shout with excitement for her, but I kept quiet, especially when Daan glanced over her shoulder as Jill and her looked at us with mild confusion.

I was unexplainably happy for my best friend; she and Daan had been in one of the strongest relationships I'd ever known. They got along wonderfully, and they fit together like two puzzle pieces; they were soulmates. And despite some of the hate they got because of the age gap, none of it had ever affected them. If anything, it had made them stronger.

Around 11 is when Kerstin arrived, and we all made our way to the Manchester train station to make the journey down into London. I'd told Kyra we'd be there shortly and to be ready for us, in other terms, for her to clean her apartment.

Alessia and Vic were also getting ready at Kyra's, so when we arrived, her apartment was bustling with people. Due to the Woso community being so tightly knit, everybody knew each other in some sort of way, making introductions light and easy. It was safe to say Kyra's apartment was a madhouse with seven women getting ready at once.

—

"Caroline! It's lovely to see you again!" Viv pulled me into a quick hug after she had said hello to Jill, whose hand hadn't left the small of my back since we'd walked into the flat. "It's nice to see you again too, Viv; how have you guys been?"

Jill's hand slipped around my waist once more as Beth gave them the rundown of how things in London had been, handing us both drinks in the process. Viv had rolled her eyes at Beth's actions, though only I caught it, and I gave her a slight smirk, which she returned. "Are you two a confirmed thing yet?" Was what brought my attention back to the conversation? Jill's grip had tightened around my waist, and I glanced up, seeing her facial expression, which didn't give away much.