Another day.
Another training session.
Another opportunity for Azure to escape the suffocating grip of her own thoughts, if only for a fleeting moment. She laced up her boots, before looking up at the rest of the locker room, all busy talking and laughing together.
Katie wasn't there. Azure assumed she was already on the training grounds.
Which sucked. Because she had promised Katie she would apologize to Laura today, before training. And she didn't have the courage to do it by herself. Because everyone was going to be watching.
She took a glance at the Austrian girl, sat a few lockers away from her. Every since their tumultuous interaction a week ago, Laura seemed to be diverting her gaze every time her eyes met Azure's, seemingly scared of confrontation. Azure sighed, feeling a pang of guilt gnawing at her conscience as she realized the extent of the hurt she had caused Laura with her thoughtless words and actions.
Taking a deep breath, Azure stood up from her seat and made her way over to where Laura was sitting. She could feel the eyes of her teammates following her every move, their curious gazes lingering on her as she approached Laura's locker.
When Azure reached Laura's locker, she heard ushering around her. Beth asked Viv to keep an eye on Azure, and Kim got up from her seat and walking closer to the two women. she tried to ignore them. She focused instead on the task at hand, on the apology that she knew she needed to make, regardless of how difficult it might be.
Laura looked up to Azure. Their size difference was striking, Laura petite and delicate compared to Azure's taller, more imposing frame. Azure could see the apprehension in Laura's eyes, the uncertainty and fear that lingered just beneath the surface as she met Azure's gaze with a mixture of trepidation and wariness.
Azure extended her hand towards the younger girl, and mumbled; "I'm sorry."
Laura hesitated for a moment, her gaze flickering between Azure's outstretched hand and her apologetic expression. She could sense the sincerity in Azure's words, the genuine remorse that colored her voice as she reached out in a gesture of reconciliation.
Slowly, tentatively, Laura reached out and grasped Azure's hand in her own, her fingers trembling slightly with uncertainty. Azure felt her skin burn at the contact. Somehow, Katie was still the only one who could touch her without setting her on edge.
"Thanks," Laura murmured softly, her voice barely above a whisper as she met Azure's gaze with a mixture of surprise and gratitude.
Azure simply nodded at her words, before retrieving her hand and walking out of the locker room immediately, the air becoming suffocating.
She could feel the weight of her teammates' stares following her every move, their silent judgment lingering in the air like a heavy shroud of uncertainty.
As she stepped out onto the training grounds, Azure took a deep breath, the cool breeze washing over her skin as she tried to shake off the lingering sense of unease that clung to her like a second skin. She knew that she had done the right thing by apologizing to Laura, by acknowledging the hurt that she had caused with her thoughtless words and actions.
Katie was nowhere to be seen, and Azure couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment at her absence.
And Azure then realized, that for the first time in two years, she cared.
Cared about someone. Cared about their opinion, their feelings, their well-being.
Cared to know where they were. If they were okay. If they needed her.
