More than meets the eye

Chapter 12

When Alex woke up, Tobin's brown eyes were staring into her blue ones.

"How long was I asleep?"

"You've been out since like 7 last night."

"Really?" Tobin nodded. The soccer player pressed the home button on her iphone. The screen lit up and she saw that it was almost 9 o clock. "Crap we have school!" Alex was preparing to hop out of bed, but her girlfriend sat up and grabbed her at the last second.

"You're in no condition to go to school Lex," Tobin said. The soccer player sat back down, her legs tucked under her.

Tobin reached up and tenderly touched Alex's face. The right side of her face wasn't so much swollen, it was just purple. She noticed the slit in her girlfriend's top lip and carefully ran her thumb across it.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"It's not your fault."

Her hand went for the forward's. Alex watched as Tobin turned away and squinted her eyes, looking off into the distance, not really focused on one particular object.

There was silence.

Followed by more silence.

"The hospital. That's where I went last night. I talked to your mom and told her what happened."

"You what?"

"I let her know that I'm going to take care of you."

"You had no right Tobin!" The last thing Alex wanted her mother to know was that her dad was beating her. She already had so much on her plate, she didn't need to worry about Alex. She needed to focus on recovering. More than anything, she wanted to be the one to tell her mother what was going on, not anyone else.

"I just- I thought that..." Tobin didn't know what to say. She didn't mean to upset Alex. She was just doing what she thought was right. She believed Pam had the right to know where her daughter was staying.

"I wasn't ready yet," Alex sighed.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted her to know you were safe with me," she admitted.

The soccer player heard the tone of her girlfriend's voice an knew the apology was sincere. She didn't have to look to know that. She also knew that in Tobin's heart, she believed she was doing the right thing.

But still. She needed to think.

Alex got off the bed and walked into the en suite bathroom. Tobin stayed put, waiting to see what she would do. She could hear the shower being turned on. She sighed. She was going to respect her girlfriend's silent wish to be alone right now.

Deciding that she had nothing else to do, she went into the living room and waited. Tobin found out that turning the TV on at this time of day was useless because only little kid shows were on.

She was so caught up in her thoughts, that she didn't hear the shower go off or Alex sit down beside her on the couch.

"I know your heart was in the right place." Tobin nodded. It really was. And she really was sorry. "Just let me know before you make some rash decision okay?"

Tobin thought about it and nodded.

"Only on one condition: No more going MIA alright? I was so worried about you, Lex." Alex smiled at her girlfriend.

"Deal."

Tobin was grateful that her girlfriend was so forgiving. If Alex had walked out on her she just might have lost it. She wished that she had the courage to tell Alex that she loved her right then and there, but the thought of rejection was eating away at her brain. She'd rather hold it in forever and just be with Alex, rather than saying it only to find out that she didn't love her back.