3:30 A.M.

Chapter 3

Megan woke before Andi the following morning. The poor midfielder needed her rest after the stress Becky and Alyssa put her through. All things considered, Megan thought it went pretty well. They teased her no more than expected and she managed to hold her own. Throughout it all, the blonde defender kept reminding herself that Andi was worth it. She kissed the younger woman's forehead before sliding out of her arms, tucking her pillow in them so that Andi wouldn't wake up. Megan tucked the blankets tight around her and ventured off to find some coffee. Hoping to not wake Becky and Alyssa if they were still sleeping, she slunk downstairs and found the coffee pot all set and ready to go. She hit brew and waited. Megan found herself staring out the sliding doors leading to the deck, admiring the quietness of the suburb – it was different from the hustle and bustle of Boston.

The smell of coffee drew her out of her daydream of living in a house like this with Andi one day and she went to found a cup. Megan poured herself a cup of the delicious nectar and drank deeply, savoring the warm liquid as it slid down her throat. Nothing beat a good cup of coffee in the morning and this was the good stuff. It makes sense that two national team players always on the go would have the good coffee. Megan was going to take full advantage of it before she went back to the cheap stuff in her apartment in Boston. The second gulp of the delicious coffee was halfway down her throat when she heard someone clear their throat.

"Found the coffee I see?" Becky asked from the doorway. She made Megan jump and start coughing, the coffee getting stuck in her throat. The older woman rushed over and patted Megan on the back until got the liquid out of her throat and could take a deep breath.

"Jesus, you scared me. Yeah, the coffee is good." Megan smiled in thanks at Becky, signaling she was ok.

"It's Hawaiian. Lys found it on vacation with Moe and fell in love with it. Now she gets it shipped in." Becky poured herself a cup in her Tomb Raider mug Alyssa had gotten her for her birthday. She took a deep drink then ventured to sit at the bar, looking out onto their back yard. Megan topped off her copy then joined her.

"So...sleep well?" Megan took the plunge and attempted to make normal conversation with her mentor and girlfriend's mom.

"Yeah. Anytime Alyssa is in town I do. Something about sharing a bed with the person you love makes sleep come much easier." Becky shared.

"I bet. Must be tough playing for two different teams."

"It is. But she is worth it. Soccer, while one of the loves of my life, doesn't last forever. There will be a time when one or both of us hang up our cleats and we can live together. Until then, we take stolen weekends, bye weeks, and the offseason. Both of us playing for the national team helps, because we get to see each other in camps and tournaments."

"How do you handle the season when you are apart?" Megan's quiet voice betrayed the seriousness behind her question. The chance of Andi coming to play for Boston wasn't the greatest and there was also the chance that Megan could be traded. They couldn't plan on playing together for any team. Any sort of advice from Becky and/or Alyssa that could help Andi and herself make it was worth asking for.

"Well...FaceTime is our best friend. That and Skype. We are on the same time zone, which helps a lot. So, we will FaceTime after practice while we are recovering or grabbing coffee. Then we go our separate ways to run errands or do our own thing. At night, we typically Skype until one of us falls asleep. We do movie nights once a week or two weeks where we pick something on Netflix and watch over Skype. Communication is key. You know that stuff pops up and FaceTimes are missed and dates have to be rearranged, but we tell each other as soon as we know. If we go out with our teammates, the other one knows where we are and when we get home so they don't worry. Basic communication but it is the foundation kid." Becky pauses to take another long drink of coffee before looking at Megan. "It is also the little things. Like if I have a rough game, she will text Barnie and magically a 6 pack of my favorite beer, a giant Crunch bar, and a rose appear on my kitchen table. Or if I am missing her and mention it over Skype, two days later a shirt shows up in a sealed envelope that smells just of her. Once, I couldn't keep anything down in the middle of the night. Barnie was out of town for a goalkeeping clinic, so she spammed A-rod's phone to wake her up and come check on me so that I wasn't alone. The little things remind me that she loves me and that she is thinking of me. I try to do the same for her." Megan just nodded when Becky finished. It took her a moment to coordinate her thoughts after trying to absorb all the wisdom the older woman just imparted on her.