What The Heart Wants

History In The Making

As they were the welcoming committee for the rest of the Hearts upon their arrivals to Philadelphia, Ali and Steph went to the airport early to plan out how they would meet up with all of the flights as they landed. Once the schedule was resolved and they had stopped at Boule Cafe in Concourse B for coffee and pastries, they found a place to sit to people-watch while talking about yesterday's shopping excursion and the curious thoughts which it stirred up in both of their minds.

Ali: You are going to look smashing on Thursday night. The dress you picked out is classy but also shows off your upper-body physique a bit, and the open-toed boots are so you.

Steph: When do I get to see what you bought?

Ali: I want to surprise you a little with it. Case you haven't noticed, I have grown a bit fond of you and wouldn't mind making your jaw drop again like it did when we saw each other in Vegas.

Steph: Ooooooooo...lady's a bit of a tease, now is she?!

Ali: Maybe. You know, if Shelina wasn't standing right next to you, I might have been a little MORE forward than I was.

Steph: Truth be told, if she wasn't there and if I knew then what I know now, I would have probably responded to your affection in some way, like I wanted to on Sunday before you noticed us being spied upon.

Ali: I didn't want to let go of you, because your arms felt so good around me and your body felt so good in mine.

Ali noticed a couple of businesswomen walking through the concourse rolling their carry-ons behind them, laughing up a storm over something one of them said to the other. She pointed them out to Steph and remarked, "Why can't love be like that?! No pretense, no dancing-around-the-subject. Just honest emotion and not caring what it looks like to others."

Steph: Because the stakes are usually so high that no one is willing to look like a fool if they act outside of what is deemed sort of normal. Also, who says it can't be? Take two of our new teammates, Kristie and Steph. They are a riot when they're together, but you can also tell that they truly are in love with each other and aren't faking it for appearances' sake, unlike some people in our business.

Ali: Right. I told Ashlyn that I thought Alex and Servando's marriage was just window-dressing and that if Morgan could find someone who she could accept and who could give her the "home" she wants, she'd leave him for the person. Now, thinking back on it, I might have given her license to find out if it was true or not.

Steph: You told her what you thought, and you admitted that the two of you had been drifting apart before that, plus Ashlyn was seeking her out more as a way to deal with your being at loggerheads with each other than as a test run for the future.

Ali: Another player who I think is faking it is Morgan Brian. During the month-plus we were together for the World Cup two years ago, her happiest times were when she was around Julie and Kelley, along with the visits from Emily Sonnett, who was on summer break from Virginia at the time. I didn't see that being the case when Fabrice and her were together during the times made available for us to see family. I don't know why she's going through with this wedding and keeping up the facade.

Steph: Probably for the same reason I am juggling two women, neither of whom I think of myself being with long-term. The fear of the unknown. In her case, like in Alex's it seems, it's safer to just do what's expected of you, even if you're not totally into it, than to risk going after what you really want and dealing with the potential negative fallout from your choice.

Ali: Sort of like my fear of being outed.

Steph: Right. If she were confident enough in herself that the reward outweighed the risk, she'd go after who makes her truly happy no matter what is standing in her way.