I See Stars

Chapter 6

Alex POV

I don't know what it is, but something about today feels different. Okay, that was a lie. I know exactly why today feels different: Tobin and I are officially together. Last night, after we got back from Santa Barbara, Tobin and I told the gals that we were going to start dating. I was more nervous for that than I have been for anything in my life, even the Olympics or World Cup. It was kind of awkward at first because I had to explain the whole Servando thing, but other than that it went really well. When everyone was gathered in the living room, Tobin started to say, "Alex and I" and that's as far as she got before Kelley walked over to us and silently hugged us both with the goofiest grin on her face. Oh god, I love KO. As for the rest of the gals, they were all super cool about it. Ash and Ali congratulated us, Pinoe did a celebratory dance, and Kling and Moe did the most surprising thing--they told everyone they were together too! They had told me on the drive back to LA, but I wasn't expecting them to tell Kelley, Pinoe, Ash and Ali already.

"Alex," I hear Ash say, jolting me out of my interior monologue.

"Huh?" I say in reply.

"Do you wanna go for a hike? I found this neat place with Ali the other day, but we didn't have a chance to check it out."

"Yeah, sure!" I say with a smile. I've been sitting on the couch in my pajamas all morning, so it's probably a good thing Ash suggested a hike.

Ash smirks. "What?" I say, raising an eyebrow.

"You're reading Harry Potter?" she replies, pointing to the book I've been reading for the past two hours.

I blush and roll my eyes. "What? It's good!"

"I know. But it's been what, a day, and Tobin's already got you reading HP?" Ash says with a grin.

I roll my eyes. "Let me get dressed and then we can go," I say, standing up and walking to the stairs.

Forty-five minutes later it's 11 and Ash and I have just started hiking along the trail. It's an absolutely beautiful day, and I honestly couldn't be happier. I wish Tobin was here right now...is it pathetic that I already miss her? But I love hanging out with Ash.

"Thanks for suggesting this, Ash," I say with a smile. "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you decided to come along," Ash says, returning the smile. "I also just want to let you know," she says with a serious expression, "You can always come to me if you're having girl problems." We both laugh.

"Haha very funny," I say, lightly punching her in the shoulder.

"But in all seriousness, I'm so happy for you and Tobs," she says, putting an arm around my shoulder. "And you can always talk to me about anything, whether it's about Tobin or anything else."

"Thanks Ash," I say, happy to know that I have someone to talk to about Tobin.

"Speaking of which," she says as we trek uphill, "How does it feel to be in a relationship with a woman?"

"To be honest," I say with a smile, "I hadn't even thought of it like that. When I'm with Tobin, it just feels right. I don't even think about the fact that we're both women. We're just two people. There's something unexplainable about the way I feel when I'm around her. She brings out the best version of me."

"Alex, there's nothing unexplainable about that." Ash smiles and looks me in the eye. "It's love."

"What? No, no, no," I say, frazzled. "We literally started dating yesterday. I'm not in love."

"Whatever you say," Ash says, a sly smile spreading across her face. "But even though you just started dating, you've been best friends for years. And you loved each other all that time."