Saved by the Whistle

twenty || euphoria

euphoria : a feeling or a state of happiness or excitement

She found herself seated on a plane headed for the United States a few weeks later, Carli and Antonio on either side of her. They would be landing in North Carolina, then take separate flights for where they are headed. Carli was going to Houston, Antonio was heading home for a week or two before meeting Georgia in Utah. He was heading back to Afghanistan sometime within the next few months, but he was never given a date when he would be leaving. 

Ten hours the three of them were standing in the airport in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was weird being back in America, but it was also like she had never left. She would have to remember to drive on the right side of the road instead of the left again, but everything seemed as it had never changed. Although she was thousands of miles from Portland, she still felt as if she was standing right there in the Portland International Airport.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Carli said as they grabbed their bags and stood at the center of the airport. Antonio's and Georgia's gates were somewhat near each other, but Carli's was a few down from where they were headed. 

"We'll see each other soon, okay?" Georgia said with a grin as Antonio grabbed her bag for her. She smiled at him then back to her, wrapped her arms around Carli. "Thank you for everything you have done for me, Carli Lloyd." She said softly in her ear.

"Go kick ass in Utah, girly. I'll see you on the field soon." She responded with a laugh, patting her on the back as the first call for her departure was called. Carli gave Antonio a quick hug as well. "As much as Brian and I love each other, I have never seen someone so in love with someone else. You better hold on to her."

"I wouldn't let her go for the world. Thank you for everything you've done for her to get her going in her career. I cannot thank you enough for being there for her." He responded with a huge grin, and they made a second call.

"See you on the flip side." Was the last thing Carli said with a grin as she went towards her gate to head to Houston. Georgia took her luggage from Antonio and gripped his hand as the two of them walked towards their gates. There was one gate in between them, and their connecting flights were supposed to be arriving within the next hour. They sat together at her gate, barely speaking to each other. He held her in his arms as they waited for their flights.

"You're going to do great things, Georgia Jacobson." He said in her ear, and she smiled, looking up to him.

"Do you really think so? To be honest, I'm terrified to start playing professionally here." She responded with a chuckle, and he looked at her with disbelief.

"Babe, you're going to kick ass with the Utah Royals. You're going to be playing with one of the best defenders in the country. You're going to be a player that rookies are going to look up to because you've already got a bit of international experience under your belt. You're going to be great." Antonio explained to her, feeling her body loosen its tension it was building up.

"Okay. Okay, I can do this." She said with a deep breath as her plane departure was called. She looked up and sighed, looking back to him. 

"You can do this." He said, planting a passionate kiss on her lips. She smiled against his lips, wrapping her arms around him.

"I love you. I'll see you soon." She said, pecking his lips one last time before getting up with her carry-on. He stood up as he watched her get on that plane. She looked back at him one last time, and they smiled at each other as she boarded the plane that would change her life.

--

Seven hours later, she was all checked into a hotel for the week while she visited what the city had to offer. She knew that she would most likely be taking the position in place of Nicole Barnhart, who had retired after FC Kansas City was terminated from the NWSL at the end of the 2017 season. [TO CLARIFY: This is not true - it is just for the storyline]. She was planning to look for apartments or even a small house in the suburban area of Sandy, Utah, that was close to all the facilities the Utah Royals RC had access to.