Forbidden Love

Portland

Emily's POV

Lindsey had to help me with my suitcase from the overhead bin because it got shifted in the flight, being pushed back so far that I couldn't reach it.

She teased me the entire time and on our walk off the airplane. "I just think it's cute that you can't reach things and you need my help." She laughs and I glare at her as we head to the passenger pick up line.

Luckily the airport isn't that crowded for a Tuesday afternoon. We pass a couple Timbers posters followed by a few Thorns ones, welcoming us to Portland.

Her step falters when she sees her poster.

The poster that I know she absolutely dreads seeing.

When the Thorns staff told her that PDX wanted to have a poster of her in their airport, she was so excited. I knew that Lindsey had become almost a face for the Thorns, similar to how Tobin is, but she never believed me when I told her; this only confirmed it.

I remember her sending me previews of the pictures they had taken. She was in our home kit, hair in a sleek ponytail, with the most un-Lindsey like glare I had ever seen. We laughed about it afterwards when I said I had never seen her make that face before.

The pictures she saw and the finished product were not the same. 

I figured they would have edited the picture a little at least, for lighting purposes. But no. They edited her entire body. The Lindsey hanging up had skinner arms, a smaller torso, and wasn't as tall.

She doesn't talk about her insecurities often, but when she does, it's about how she feels too big, too wide, like she isn't skinny enough. And each time I try to get her to believe that she isn't any of those things.

It was almost like whoever edited the picture knew exactly what she was most self-conscious about and decided to edit those parts.

We had stopped in front of the poster without realizing it, Lindsey looking up at it and me trying to read her.

"I hate it," she says quietly.

I swear I can hear my heart shatter.

"I think you look really intimidating in it, but I like this version of you the most," I grab her hand softly and squeeze it. "They shouldn't have done that to your picture, they didn't need to in the first place."

"Well clearly someone thought I looked better that way than how I actually looked-"

"Someone dumbfuck with a computer doesn't get to decide how you look best." Her eyes finally find mine and I know that I look angry. I am angry. "Linds-"

"Can we just go please? I don't want to look at this anymore." The pleading in her voice and the look of hurt in her eyes would make me do anything, I would go to the ends of the earth to make sure she never hurt like that again.

So I nod and we keep walking.

I don't tell her how I hate the poster too. How I hate that anyone in the world would think she isn't perfect the way she is. How I hate that anyone would ever make her less of what she is, a world class athlete, an incredible human being.

Walking through the automatic doors, we're met with the chilly air that Portland is known for. Neither of us have on jackets but we soon find Tobin parked up a little ways, leaning against her Jeep. She waves when she sees us.

The car ride almost feels awkward. Lindsey sits in the front seat and I'm left to sit in the back. It's just a short drive but I already miss her sitting next to me.