Epilogue
"…and the final senior…she's the reigning NCAA player of the year and holds the career and single season batting averages for your UCLA Bruins…number 21, from Toronto, Canada…Lauren Lewis!"
The roar of the crowd was incredible and Lauren felt a surge of adrenaline run through her veins as she took the field for the final time in a home uniform. It was her senior night and it also happened to be the final game of the regular season with the Lady Bruins already securing the number one ranking entering the post season. Lauren took a few steps towards home plate and turned to smile and wave at the crowd who let out a huge cheer in appreciation for her. She looked up into the stands and smiled at her parents who were in attendance along with her sister and Kenzi. Shortly after her freshman year it was apparent the two had become an item and she and Bo harassed them to no end about being an adorkable couple as the pair were so opposite it was ridiculous.
"Let's go ladies!"
Coach looked on from the dugout and nodded at Lauren who settled down and took her place behind the plate. She'd played various positions in her collegiate career but for her final game she asked to end her career where it began and wanted to strap on the catcher's gear one last time. She took a few warm up pitches from the freshman pitcher on the mound and smiled knowing tonight would be more of a moral victory than one that actually counted. UCLA was so far ahead in their record that they literally didn't even need to play this game so Lauren was going to soak it all in and enjoy her final home game for everything it should be.
The one black cloud hanging over the blonde was the absence of her girlfriend on this momentous occasion. Kelsy needed to study however as she was taking her MCAT's the following day and Lauren understood the academic pressure she was under. At times Lauren wished Kelsy had taken her athletic career more seriously but she also knew the blonde had been at almost every home game and always made time around her hectic schedule to spend with her. Lauren had met her at the beginning of her third year and although the pair hit it off immediately she was still recovering from her breakup with Bo and it took her a while to be ready to date again, not wanting to leave herself vulnerable to heartbreak again. Kelsy was good and safe and everyone liked her and she was exactly what Lauren needed at the time to get her through the final months of her time at UCLA.
"Batter up!"
The umpire signaled the start of the game and with a shake of her head Lauren cleared her thoughts and let her natural reactions guide her through the game she loved so much. On the surface Lauren was performing at the all-star caliber that people were accustomed to but inside Lauren was going through the motions knowing the team from Washington posed no threat. She enjoyed every strikeout and barked orders at the infielders with the confidence of the field general knowing her college career was coming to an end. Before she could even blink an eye the game was over with UCLA winning 9-1 and Lauren found herself inundated with reporters and well-wishers all vying for a piece of her attention as the night came to a close. After an hour of the hoopla that followed the game and after Coach gave them a short post-game speech in preparation for the post season Lauren found herself wandering out to the field still in her uniform not caring to rush and shower at that moment.
"Good job Baby Lewis."
Lauren rolled her eyes and turned around to see Kenzi and Tamsin walking over to her. The pair had literally been at every one of her games, although she had no idea how they'd managed that because they came to the home and away games, and Lauren had to admit it was comforting knowing she had allies in the crowd when they'd played in rowdy stadiums around the country. Kenzi gave Lauren a high-five as Tamsin put an arm around her and smiled down at her younger sister with nothing but pride on her face.
"I'm proud of you kid. You did good this year."
Lauren nodded and slipped her arm around her sister in return. "Season's not over yet Tam. We have a title to defend."
Tamsin nodded. "Yeah don't fuck that one up."
Lauren laughed and nodded in agreement. If they made it to the finals she would be seeking an unprecedented fourth straight title and given her competitive nature it was the only thing on her mind now that the regular season had wrapped.
"She wanted to be here you know…"
Lauren looked at Kenzi with a small frown. She knew of course that Kenzi was referring to Bo and part of her wanted to believe her former teammate but she also highly doubted she'd be seeing the brunette anytime soon. Lauren shrugged. "I know. It's fine though."
Knowing it was a sore subject Tamsin suggested they go out to dinner to celebrate the win and Lauren agreed knowing her sister was not going to leave her alone that night to let her thoughts consume her. It was a bittersweet moment for Lauren as she thought about how different her first two years had been in comparison to her final two years.
ooOoo
After her breakout freshman season she had quickly captured the attention of almost every team in the nation and she suddenly found herself in the limelight alongside Bo as the pair knocked teams out one by one game after game. The second year was similar to the first with Bo on the mound and Lauren behind the plate and it went by in a whirlwind as the team captured its second title in a row making Lauren tremendously proud but at the same time tremendously sad knowing Bo would be graduating that year. With an offer to play ball in Japan, Bo and Lauren had discussed the possibility of their long distance relationship but both knew it was a futile attempt at best.
By the third month of Bo being gone the pair were miserable since the time difference was so drastic and they barely got to talk to each other let alone even think about being able to see each other before the school year let out. Lauren's grades began to slip as she was always tired since she stayed awake to talk to Bo and ultimately she had to make the decision to end things between them while Bo was overseas. As expected this didn't sit well with the feisty pitcher and after a few long drawn out conversations the pair decided a breakup was the only possible outcome at the time. Lauren had met Kelsy just before the breakup and while she wasn't exactly a rebound fling, she knew she was taking the easy way out by moving on to the stable and quiet girl who was in her bio class instead of fighting for the passionate teammate she loved with all her heart. She had also suspected Bo was seeing someone in Japan and her suspicions were confirmed when she heard through the rumor mill that Bo was spending time with a pitcher from Australia who played for one of the other professional teams in the area. Lauren was furious thinking that Bo had been unfaithful to her and she let her rage push her further into her relationship with Kelsy so was patient with her and took care of her and basically kept Lauren from going insane mentally and emotionally during her junior year.
Bo had returned to the US shortly after the end of Lauren's junior year and made it a point to try and see Lauren who was still reeling from everything that had happened between them. The pair eventually did get together for coffee and after five hours of talking they both realized things hadn't changed as much as they thought it had. The fought and laughed and shared stories of what the other had been up to and although Lauren was careful to keep her guard up and not let herself fall for Bo a second time she could feel the familiar feeling of comfort and calm that Bo seemed to bring out when she was around and it was what Lauren missed the most about the brunette. She missed how Bo made her feel sane and calm and confident and by the end of the coffee night she was exhausted. Mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. The pair ended the night with promises to stay in touch and keep the possibility of reuniting open when Bo returned to the US permanently at the end of her three year contract.
But, even the best of intentions usually doesn't work out like one hopes and as days turned into months Lauren knew the radio silence from Bo meant she shouldn't expect anything from her anytime soon. Lauren had tried a few times over the year to email to call Bo but she never got a response so after the third email went unanswered she stopped trying. She didn't know why Bo vanished from her life after their reunion the year prior but she was also done spending her time trying to figure it out. She embraced her fourth year at UCLA with renewed focus and actually enjoyed herself in spite of the empty void she felt in her bones every time she stepped onto the field.
ooOoo
Two weeks after the end of the NCAA tournament
"Hey…"
Lauren blinked her eyes a few times before looking up in disbelief. It was two weeks after her team had won its fourth straight title and about three weeks before she would graduate from UCLA before beginning medical school at Yale. Kelsy had been accepted at Johns Hopkins so although they wouldn't be at the same school any more the pair were at least reasonably close and Lauren felt happy knowing they would be continuing their relationship beyond their time as undergraduates. The pair had discussed it earlier in the year and with both blondes moving to the east coast they had happily agreed to move their relationship with them and Lauren felt a sense of completion knowing she was set to begin the next phase of her life.
And then this happens.
It's a normal Wednesday afternoon and Lauren was sitting on the steps of her Bio building reading some notes when the one person she had been waiting a lifetime for finally showed up.
"Bo?"
The brunette gave her a small smile and nodded. "Hey Lauren."
Lauren squinted up at her and closed her notebook knowing it was the furthest thing from her mind. "What are you doing here?"
Bo smiled and sat down on the step next to her being careful not to sit too close or too far from the blonde. "I'm back."
Lauren frowned. "You're back?"
Bo nodded. "I'm back."
Lauren scoffed. "Just like that. You're back?"
She felt a surge of anger and confusion wash over her and she looked at Bo in disbelief. "You're back after two years and not a phone call or email or tweet or anything in the last 12 months."
Bo sighed and nodded as she stared ahead knowing Lauren had every right to be upset with her. "Yep."
Lauren growled. "Well welcome back. Now if you'll excuse me I have class."
Bo put her hand on Lauren's arm to still her movement. "I came back for you."
Lauren laughed sarcastically as she stared down at Bo letting the anger take up residence on her face. "I find that hard to believe Bo."
Bo let out a small sigh as she slowly withdrew her hand. "They offered me an extension to stay in Japan. But it would be for another five years and I wasn't ready to be away from you for that long."
Lauren rolled her eyes as she set her things down harder than necessary. "Well you had practice this past year whats the problem?"
Bo looked at her shyly as she licked her lips and looked away before speaking. "Do you know why I never replied to your emails or called you or anything Lauren?"
Lauren rolled her eyes again as she stared at the side of Bo's head. "Because you're an asshole?"
Bo laughed lightly and nodded as she glanced at Lauren. "Besides that. I couldn't handle it Lauren. In truth I wanted you there with me but you had to finish school and your career here."
Lauren looked at her curiously letting her features soften just a little bit. "Why didn't you just tell me you missed me?"
Bo looked away again in frustration. "Because you would have done something stupid. Like came to see me or something and it would have ruined your career or worse your grades and it would have left me empty once you returned to school."
Lauren frowned. "So your solution was to cut me off completely? Do you know how shitty I felt after you left last time?"
Bo nodded and frowned also. "Yeah I do Laur because I felt it too. I shouldn't have come when I did…but I needed to see you and leave things better than we had on the phone."
Lauren ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "You nearly broke me Bo. You know that. Why should I welcome you back into my life now?"
Bo sighed and looked at Lauren sadly. "You shouldn't. But it doesn't mean I won't hang around and try to show you why you should."
Lauren couldn't help the small smile that crept over her lips at the comment. She knew she was only kidding herself by denying her feelings for Bo but she wasn't ready to let the older woman just waltz back in and pick up where she left off. She had plans, things she wanted to get accomplished in her life and she wasn't going to give all of that up because Bo decided she was ready.
BEEP BEEP
Lauren looked at her cell and smiled a little at the text from Kelsy wishing her good luck on her Bio quiz. Bo watched the interaction and fought the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance but she knew that Lauren had a girlfriend and that it wasn't her place to try and break the pair up. She knew she'd lost a lot of Lauren's trust by the way she'd handled things when she left for Japan but in all honesty she did that out of fear. She was scared at how much she cared for Lauren and she didn't know how to handle the feelings that had left her empty inside when she'd arrived in the foreign country to start her professional career. She'd considered terminating her contract but she knew she had to do this for herself. She'd worked her entire life to get to this point and with softball returning to the Olympics in 2020 she wanted to stay in playing shape until tryouts for Team USA. It was the hardest decision of her life but she knew it was the right one as it gave Lauren the freedom to be the college student she needed to be and have the experiences she needed to have while at UCLA. But as time went on Bo quickly realized her own dreams and ambition was nothing in comparison to how much she needed Lauren in her life. She knew she'd made a mistake by letting Lauren go and she opted out of her contract at the end of her second season and got on the first plane back to the US with only one thing on her mind.
She hoped she wasn't too late though and she knew one thing for sure...she was back to fight for Lauren and there would be no one who would get in her way. She knew Lauren was leaving for medical school and she knew Lauren had her life planned out and Bo was hoping that somehow she'd find a way to be a part of that again. Even if it meant giving up everything she'd ever wanted in life because she'd come to realize the only thing that mattered was Lauren and she would do whatever it took to get her back once again.