Work Text:
Alex POV
I hugged my jacket to me closer as a brisk wind came through. My leg started to shake, maybe from the cold or my impatience. I've been waiting for her to show up for 20 minutes now. I contemplate leaving but won't. She's the only person who could keep me waiting this long and still put a smile on my face when she appears. I see her walking towards me as the stadium light illuminates her face and makes her ring sparkle even more.
"Hey fiancé, I missed you" I go into kiss her and she tenses. Something's wrong and her face says it all.
"Hey" she replies. "Sorry I kept you so long. I just got caught up in my thoughts and totally lost track of time"
"Hope is everything okay? What's wrong and don't try to lie to me because I can read you like a book. "
She looks down at the engagement ring I gave to her two days ago when I asked her to marry me and she starts to twist it.
"Hope. Just tell me."
She looks up at me and for the first time I don't see the tough head strong women I fell in love with. She looks broken, vulnerable. She looks scared.
"I don't think I can do this anymore" she says as she continues twisting her ring.
"Do what Hope?"
"Us. I don't think I can handle us anymore. I'm sorry."
She takes off her ring and places it in my hand without looking at me. She walks away without so much as a glance at me.
"Hope" I yell. " Don't do this. Don't leave me." "We can fix this, fix us"
She doesn't even budge. If anything she walks even faster. I can hear her crying and I just want to run after her but I don’t. I stand in the middle of the stadium cold and alone wondering where everything went wrong. I tell myself I'm not going to cry but as soon as I look down at the ring that's supposed to be on my fiancé's finger, I lose all control.
Hope POV
I don't think I've ever walked that fast in my life. I just heard her voice and it nearly broke all my resolve. My mind is filled with her voice the look on get face and the tears in her eyes so I turn on the radio to drown it out. But all that does is make it worse. Our song turns on as a flash of lightning blares through the sky. I brake the car, turn off the radio and let the tears flow from my eyes like the rain is pouring from the sky. I needed someone. I needed her but I made my choice, now I have to live with it.
Alex POV
"Alex you look horrible" Tobin says to me and I know she's right.
"Come in. What happened? Are you okay?"
I go to answer her but no words come out. I just open my hand and show her the ring that was supposed to be on Hopes finger.
"Oh no. Alex I'm so sorry. "
Besides my sister, mother and Hope, Tobin is the only one who could read me like a book. I didn't even have to say the words for her to know what I was thinking. And at this moment when my voice has failed me I've never been more grateful.
"You can stay here as long as you need.”
She closed the guest bedroom door and the sudden darkness that came overwhelmed me and reminded me of the loneliness that surrounds my heart.
"Tobin" I whisper, my voice sounds like it doesn't belong to me. I don't even want to see the face that appears if I look in the mirror.
She crawls in the bed and just holds me. Knowing exactly what I wanted and needed. I've never been more grateful for the friend she has become to me.
Hope POV
Carli must be a psychic or she must really know me well. I'm sitting on her couch by the fireplace trying to warm up. She called me during my breakdown on the road and ordered me to her house.
"How'd you know I needed you" I asked curious about her capabilities.
"Alex called me"
"She what... But I....
"You broke her heart, and she still loves you enough to look out for you. She's it for you Hope why'd you end it. I'm sorry, but why'd you let go of the best thing that has ever happened to you. "
"Because...."
"Because what?"
"Because I'm not the best thing that's ever happened to her or ever will. "
One week later....
Alex POV
No answer. But what did I expect. I've tried calling her every day of every hour for all week and each time I was sent straight to voicemail. Walking into the hotel for national’s camp I just wished she picked up once. How are we supposed to face our teammates who were all so ecstatic about our engagement? What do we say? Are we really over?
I'm standing by the elevators when I feel her walk in. I always knew she was the one for me because every time she walked in a room I didn't even have to see her to know she was there. I could sense her presence. She took the breath from my lungs with one look, one glance, one touch. I've barely been getting by without her. She's my heart, my soul. I need her to breathe. I need my life support back.
She looks like she's been through hell and back. I can sense it even though I can barely see her face. She's deliberately ignoring me and I'm thankful. One look into those blue eyes and I'll lose it. I'll break down, run to her, and ask her to forgive me even though she broke my heart.
I'm pissed as hell though. What gives her the right to be sad, she ended it. She left me. I storm over to her ready to lay into her.
"You have no right to look like that.” I say.
"Excuse me?" she replies.
"You heard me. You have no right to be upset. You ended it with me. You threw away everything we had, everything we built with no explanation at all. So you don't get to come in here and act like this has affected you as much as it has me. "
"Alex don't do this here, not now."
"If not here then where and when. Please let me know. I would really like to be included in the conversation that changes my life. Why Hope? Why did you do it?"
"Alex I... I"
"You know what forget it and forget you" I say as I storm away from her and to the elevators.
"Alex wait” she says and I halt. I nearly turn around and walk back to her but then I remember.
"Like you did for me at the stadium. Why should I " I turn back around and head up to my room.
Hope POV
Within ten minutes the news of Alex's and my fight and our breakup spreads throughout the whole team. I thought people hated me and ignored me before but this is on a whole other level. Being with Alex definitely changed people's opinions of me but now I'm same old Hope again. I deserve it though. At the end of the day I'm here to play Soccer and win championships not make friends. But I still can't get her out if my mind, or the ache out of my heart.
I sucked at practice. Actually we both did. I didn't make one save and she didn't score once. Paul came up to me and ripped me a new one.
"Get your head in the game Solo." Paul said. " I know your upset and I heard what happened but that's no excuse to perform the way you are now. Step it up. "
I was hearing what he was saying but I sure wasn't listening. All I heard was her voice. She was complaining about the easy flick on shot she missed. We're both a mess and only we can fix each other.
Alex POV
I woke up to someone tapping at my door. After my crappy day at practice I came back to the room and went straight to sleep.
"Please be Hope, please be Hope. " I desperately and stupidly mumble to myself.
I open the door to my wishes being answered.
"Hope " I say timidly.
All of a sudden all the tension eased from my body as her lips were on mine. The chemistry between us could never be denied. No time apart could ever destroy our flow. It's like riding a bike, you never forget. But I did forget. I forgot myself. I forgot what she did. I forgot what happened between us.
"Hope stop" I say lightly as I try to push her off of me.
"But I can't. I don't want to. " She replies, not letting me go.
"Hope, STOP IT. " I yell roughly and shove her off of me and into the door.
I feel the tears begin to well up in my eyes and I pray that they don't fall but of course they do. They always do when it comes to Hope.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me" she says as she goes to sit on the bed beside me. She grabs my hand and I see tears fall of her own.
"I don't deserve you. I never did that's why I broke it off. I couldn't let you marry someone less than you. I mean look at how I just threw myself on you. But like I said I can't stop. I'm an addict like my father and you’re my drug. I couldn't let you live a life that you didn't deserve so letting you go was the best decision for you even if it killed me. The whole team says i was being selfish just like always, but for the first time in my life I was being selfless. So that's why I'm a mess because letting you go will forever and always be the hardest decision I ever made.
No one else will ever compare to you so I guess I'll be forever Solo." She choked out as she tried to laugh it off.
I sat there motionless. I didn't know what to say but I suddenly found my words as I saw her heading for the door.
"You're so stupid" I said to her.
"What?"
"I said your are stupid. " as I punched her in the arm.
"What the hell was that for?" She replied while gripping her arm and grimacing in pain.
"That was for being so stupid and forcing yourself on me and the trying to leave after saying the sweetest thing you have ever said to me in all my years of knowing you including the two years we dated without letting me say my piece. "
"I guess I deserved that then"
"Yes you did.
First off who are you to make that decision for me. I proposed to YOU.
Don't you think I thought through everything before I made that decision? I weighed all the pros and cons. But at the end of the day I realized you were it for me Hope Solo.
Solo. Your last name should have been my first sign to stay away from you. And then everyone else telling me how toxic you are should have been the second. But I didn't listen. My parents always did say I was stubborn. I didn't listen because I felt this pull to you like you were my life support in the middle of the ocean. You are the only thing saving me from drowning in all the madness around me. You talk about how you're no good for me; well you save me Hope Solo. You are everything to me Hope and to live without you is to... It's to not live at all.
I'm in love with you, ya big dummy. Just let me love you. Please? "
She stared at me while tears were flowing down her face.
"What if I hurt you?"
"You won't" I replied. "You love me to much to do so."
She started laughing. " You're right. "
"I always am. Now please just put this ring back on your finger and say you'll marry me. But this time you have to promise never to run from me again. " I said as I held my palm open with her engagement ring in it.
"I'm a runner. Always have been until I met you. And then suddenly I didn't feel the need to run anymore. I find where I belong in you. You're my home. I was just to scared to admit it. Too scared to see that someone as amazing as you could love me. Too scared to stand up and be judged by all the people who hate me while I confess my love to you. But I’m not scared any more. I'll scream it from the rooftops how much I love you Alex Morgan. I'll tell the whole world that I'm not a runner anymore because all I need to survive in this cold hearted world is you and I'm going to make sure that you know that every single day of our lives.
I promise and YES I WILL MARRY YOU ALEX MORGAN!!!!!!!"
I slowly pushed the ring back on her finger as tears slid down my cheeks.
"I love you so much" I said as I kissed her harder than I ever had.
Alex POV
"Thank you,” she said as she held me close in her arms.
"For what Hope?"
"For saving me from a life without you."
THE END