Bella had barely slept that night. She'd laid awake until the early hours of the morning with thoughts running through her mind. She couldn't fall asleep, and her exhaustion was clear on her face when she woke up. Her nose was at least fading some and looked a lot more normal.
She finally just got up after lying there forever and went for a run. The run took her mind off of things for a little while, but they had a morning practice today. She ran back to her dorm to grab her things and almost ran into JP as she entered.
"Woah, you're up bright and early. Nose feel better?" She asked as Bella grabbed her things.
"Yeah, it does," Bella nodded and the two of them walked to practice together. She loved having actual friends. She loved having people she could just talk to. Meaningless little conversations that distracted her and took her mind away from the million thoughts running through it at hundreds of miles per hour.
Practice was awkward to say the least. She'd put on sunglasses earlier to hide her puffy eyes, and now she could also effectively avoid making eye contact with Kate. She stayed away from her as much as possible during practice. It was hard. She was everywhere and Bella also just felt this undeniable pull to the vampire that she didn't really have the will to fight anymore.
Kate wasn't herself either. And the girls all definitely noticed too. The usually funny and bright blonde who they'd all come to love and adore, was suddenly gloomy and not at all chatty. They didn't push their luck though and did what she asked of them. The practice was a tense one and Bella felt terrible for the girls because she felt completely responsible for this whole thing.
At the end of practice, everyone packed up quietly and left. Bella walked off with JP and glanced over her shoulder to see Kate watching her. It broke her heart too. She'd become accustomed to her time with Kate after practice. She loved their conversations and Kate's antics, but she needed a little more time to get her mind straight.
"That was totally weird, right?" JP asked halfway across campus. Bella was lost in thought and looked up in confusion.
"What?" She asked.
"CK," JP said, "She seemed bummed out, yeah?" She asked and Bella just nodded and focused her attention on the ground. Shit she was going to cry again. Dammit, "I wonder what happened."
Bella just shrugged and shook her head that she didn't know. The girls went their separate ways to shower and Bella once again sobbed while showering. She had to get a grip.
0~0~0
She took a walk that night. It was late and she probably shouldn't be out by herself. But she had her pepper spray and her phone and she needed some fresh air to clear her head. She walked for a long time before finding herself in front of the book store and standing in front of the tree that Kate had hidden in and scared her from during their game of capture the flag. She sighed and nodded before taking a seat under the tree and pulling her phone out.
Bella: Can we talk?
Kate texted her back almost immediately and Bella couldn't help the little smile that graced her face when her phone beeped.
Kate: Of course. Where?
Bella: I'm under your tree.
She didn't get a reply and wondered if Kate had just ignored her text until she heard footsteps about five minutes later. She looked up as the vampire took a seat next to her. They were both silent for a long few moments before Bella sighed.
"I'm sorry," She started and was cut off.
"Don't apologize. This was a lot to take in. I'm your coach for god's sake. I'm thousands of years old and you're 22. The last time you got close to any vampire, it didn't end how you thought it would. It was a lot to process. It is a lot to process."
Bella nodded in agreement with the woman, "You're not wrong," She whispered as she faced forward once again, "It is a lot to take in. I never thought I'd meet another vampire, let alone be mated to one. Especially my ass of a soccer coach," She said with a playful tone and Kate smirked slightly at her, "But I did, and I am, and I think I'm okay with that. Actually, I think I'm more than okay with that."
Kate looked at her with hope all over her face and Bella stood and now it was her turn to pace in front of the other woman, "But how the hell would this even work?" Bella asked as she raked a hand through her hair, "You're my coach. I'm your player. The girls will catch on eventually. You could lose your job," Bella ranted and Kate watched her pace and listened to her concerns with a small smile on her face.
She stood while Bella was pacing and the human didn't notice that she'd moved. She reached out and grabbed a warm hand in her own cool one and Bella froze and looked down at their hands before looking up into golden eyes.
"Bella. I am your coach, and you are my player. The girls might notice. And I might lose my job. Those are all true statements. But none of it matters to me. Nothing else matters when you're right here. And I know that you're not really ready for these kinds of declarations, but I've waited thousands of years for you and I know exactly how I feel. Human laws be damned."
Bella stared for a long moment before nodding, "But for right now? We don't have to do anything to put any of that into jeopardy. I'm a pretty sneaky vampire," Kate said and Bella rolled her eyes good naturedly, "And this campus doesn't really even have a rule about staff dating students but it probably would be a conflict of interest since I'm your coach. But who cares? We can make this work," She paused, "I mean… If you even want to make this work?" She suddenly sounded so unsure and Bella's heart soared in her chest. She cursed her own body in that moment for its reaction to Kate.
"I do," She said with a nod, "I want this to work," She said with a gesture between them, "I really do."
