Ever since Azure had told Katie about that night, things were different.
Katie was extra careful, watching Azure's every move, looking at her with a sadness in her eyes that wasn't there before.
She would constantly ask her if her shoulder was okay, if she needed help with anything if she wanted to talk about it. It was like Katie was walking on eggshells around her, afraid to say or do anything that might trigger her teammate.
And Azure hated it.
***
Azure stared down at the coffee in her hands, sighing softly.
She could feel Katie's gaze on her. So much, it felt like She was piercing holes through her skull with her eyes, trying to get inside her brain and finally unlock the mysteries that Azure kept hidden away, even from herself.
"You know, you don't have t-"
"I know I don't. I want to." Azure interrupted Katie, her voice firm and resolute as she lifted her gaze to meet Katie's probing stare. There was a flicker of surprise in Katie's eyes at Azure's interruption, a silent acknowledgment of the rarity of such a decisive response from her typically guarded teammate.
Azure took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she was about to reveal. She knew that once she opened the floodgates, there would be no turning back, no hiding from the truths that lay buried deep within her subconscious.
"You want it all? From the beginning? Or just the night that messed the fuck out of my life?" Azure asked, trying to appear nonchalant
Katie's expression softened at Azure's question, a glimmer of understanding shining in her eyes.
"Whatever you're comfortable with, Aze," Katie replied softly, her voice filled with compassion and empathy. "We can start wherever you feel ready. I'm here to listen, whenever you're ready to share."
Azure nodded, a sense of relief washing over her as she felt the weight of Katie's understanding and acceptance.
"Okay," Azure whispered, her voice barely above a whisper as she took a deep breath, preparing herself to dive headfirst into the depths of her own memories. "I... I met Gabby during high school. My father's a heart surgeon. At the Tisch Hospital, in New York. I used to burst into his office all the time, after football. I'd come and see if he was here. Most times he wasn't. He was always running around, preparing operations, or helping out in other services. So I'd wait for him in his office, getting yelled at by the nurses and cleaning ladies 'cause I'd always sit on the couch with my dirty football clothes." Azure recounted, a very small, almost inaudible chuckle escaping her lips at the memory.
"There was this one nurse, that was always on my back. Her name was Marisol, and... gosh, she wore it so good. She was always smiling, even when she was scolding the shit out of me. She would always bring me some snacks. Every single time I was there. Sometimes we'd sit on the couch together, and she'd talk to me about her husband, about her kids. And god, did she have a lot of those. I think it was something like seven kids in total. She had this way of making me feel like I was part of her family, like I belonged there in that bustling hospital with her and all the other nurses and doctors. She was working in one of the richest hospitals in New York, but she was far from being rich herself. All she had she gave to her kids."
Azure stopped, for a few seconds, sighing softly, as if bracing herself for what was to come next. She glanced up at Katie, who was listening intently, her eyes filled with empathy.
"One day, I came to my dad's office excepting to see Marisol or my dad, instead... Instead, I saw her. Gabriella. She was sitting on my spot, reading a magazine. Her shoes off, as if she owned the place. When I entered, she looked at me like I was the one interrupting." Azure's voice trembled as she recounted the moment she first laid eyes on Gabby in her father's office. The memory was etched vividly in her mind, each detail burned into her consciousness like a brand.
