by K J
“Right. Well, you two have fun. Oh, and Soph? Try not to break Cam. I like her.” He grinned, and moved to unlock the door of the shop. “I’m doing some quick inventory, so I might not be here when you get back. Cam, it was nice to meet you.” Ben pushed open the door, making the little bell ring, and locked it behind him. Cam turned to Sophia, and they held their gaze for a second. She marvelled at the incredible blue of Sophia’s eyes, with the darker ring around the outside of the colour. She blinked and drew her focus back, spotting the sports bag in Sophia’s hand.
“Are we walking to the local park?”
Sophia looked aghast. “Oh no. If you’re going to learn how to kick a footy, you need to do it on a proper footy oval.” Cam peered at Sophia’s face, not completely sure if she was being serious. Then Sophia indicated just how serious she was. “We’re going to the MCG.”
Cam gasped. “Oh, come on. Even I know that you’re not allowed inside that stadium except on match days.” Sophia’s shoulders dropped, and she pushed out her bottom lip, an action which Cam found ridiculously endearing.
“Okay. Well, maybe not the actual MCG. But we’re going to the training oval next door, which is just as good.” She poked her finger into the air. “And bonus! It’s open to the public.” Sophia looked Cam up and down again. “You ready?”
Cam laughed. “Sure. Question is…” She peered over the top of her glasses. "Are you ready for my ineptitude?” She pushed her glasses back and they held on to the moment, their eyes sparkling. Then Cam wriggled her shoulders. “So, are we catching a tram?”
Sophia hoisted the bag over her shoulder, clapped her hands together, and smoothed her palms in a circle. “Nope. I’ve got transport,” she said, and with a soft touch to the small of Cam’s back, turned her towards the corner of the building. Cam’s breath caught ever so slightly at the action. The now constant argument between her libido and common sense was becoming tiring, and common sense just needed to toughen up, for heaven’s sake. Sophia walked with purpose around the corner, Cam quickly adjusting her stride to keep up, and after travelling down a small cobblestone alleyway, they arrived at a cute ironwork gate, which Sophia held open for Cam to walk through. A bike-shaped lump huddled under a dark green tarpaulin on the back porch, and Sophia grabbed hold of a corner, then casually flipped the cover to the side, ending with a little flourish. She beamed like she’d just revealed the secrets of the universe. “Cam, meet Flo.”
Cam gaped slightly. You’re kidding. “Flow? Like…?” She undulated her hand in the air as if demonstrating a current. Sophia dropped the sports bag next to the back tyre.
“Nope. Like Florence.”
Cam lifted her chin slowly, then brought it down again. A very slow nod. “Like Florence and the Machine.” Reaching over the moped, Sophia lifted two electric-blue open-face helmets from a box attached to the wall.
“More like Florence is the machine,” she said, eyebrows creeping up, and a smirk starting on her lips. Cam looked at her, then lost herself to a fit of giggles. She pressed her fingers into her cheeks.
“Ah. That is so cool.” She stared at the gorgeous vehicle, and her grin played on her lips again. “Well, pleased to meet you, Flo.” Sophia’s eyes danced with happiness, as she pushed a helmet into Cam’s hands. Cam sent her a quizzical look. “You ride a Vespa. God, you’re confusing.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It’s a thing.” She jammed the helmet over her curls, sliding her fingers past her temples and forehead to shove the odd recalcitrant strands inside. Sophia opened the wheel lock, knocked her foot against the kick stand, grasped the handlebars, and rolled the bike over the stepping stones, out the gate, and into the laneway. Cam followed behind, and held the sports bag up like a prize.
“Should I wear…?” She jiggled the bag. Sophia stared at her, put a finger to her own lips, then waved the finger at Cam’s face.
“Your glasses…” Cam blinked in confusion. Obviously they were trying to outdo each other for the day’s Awkward Award. She pressed her hand to the frames and realised the helmet had knocked the glasses sideways.
“Oh. Got it. Thanks.” She gave a quick nod. “And I’m gathering that I’m wearing this?” She looped the bag’s straps over her shoulders.
Sophia smiled. “If you wouldn’t mind.” She stepped through the gap between the seat and the handlebars, started the motor, which made an adorable putt-putt sound, and then turned her head to Cam. “Okay. Jump on. Your classroom awaits.”
Cam decided that riding on the back of a moped through the city of Melbourne of a crisp sunny day, while holding onto the waist of a very attractive woman, whose solid abdominal muscles could be felt through the fabric of her shirt was one of the yummiest experiences she’d ever had. Every part of her skin was tingling, and nothing could have stopped the grin that pushed her cheeks into the sides of the helmet. She felt actual sadness when they arrived at the carpark and Sophia silenced the little motor. Cam wriggled off the back, and undid her helmet, meeting the eyes of her driver, who was also grinning.
“It’s the coolest, isn’t it?” Sophia took Cam’s helmet and clipped it together with her own, then locked them to the back of the moped.
“Yes, now that I have your phone number, I’ll be ringing you with all sorts of fabricated scenarios, just so I get to ride on Flo again.” Cam patted the tan seat lovingly, and Sophia chuckled, as she removed the bag from Cam’s shoulders.
“Okay. So, we can’t get into the MCG, but we are allowed there.” She pointed to the fenced-off oval at the other end of the carpark, then used the same hand to indicate for Cam to walk with her. So unconsciously chivalrous. Cam pulled on her top lip, as they made their way along the crushed gravel walkway. Sophia was not fitting so easily now into the cardboard template that she had in her mind, which was a fact that was messy and annoying.
“—and the magic of the MCG ripples out to the other grounds.” Cam blinked. Sophia wore a soft smile, and Cam nodded like she’d heard every word. “To play in that,” Sophia waved generally at the enormous stadium, which loomed over the surrounding fields and carparks, “is the biggest thrill, but every time you step onto any field with your team mates and you play the four quarters, you’re playing at the ‘G’.” She tipped her head to catch Cam’s eye. “It really is that magical.”
Sophia stopped, threw the bag over the hip-height wire fence, then with one hand resting casually on the top tubular railing, leapt straight over the fence to land softly on the grass. She really needs to not do stuff like that. Cam widened her eyes in frustration, executed the same move as Sophia, but with more scraping on the metal with the backs of her thighs. So much finesse. She closed her eyes in resignation. Sophia was smiling at her when she opened them again.
“You okay?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay. Well, we’re not likely to get the sprinklers turned on us this time.” Sophia gave a wry quirk of her lips. “Let’s head into the centre.” Cam bounced slightly on her toes as she followed. The grass was tightly packed which made it quite springy, like an organic green gymnastics floor. Sophia turned, spotted her movements, and dropped her head forward with laughter. “Ah God, that’s so adorable.” Cam drew her lips into a thin line.
“What? It’s springy.”
Sophia’s eyes were sparkling. She sucked in a quick breath, glanced down as if to rein in her smile, then looked back up to Cam. “That’s exactly what the rookies do when they first step out onto a decent quality field. It’s just so cool to see someone who’s not a player have that same reaction.” She shrugged and held Cam’s gaze. “And, yeah, it’s adorable.”
Cam let the moment grow and sizzle, before she grunted, and flapped her hand at the sports bag. “Whatever. Come on. Show me how to kick a football.”
It turned out that kicking an AFL football was like trying to coordinate your hands and feet while playing a drum kit. Which, in Cam’s case, meant that her right foot was getting a great workout swinging
through fresh air, and not connecting with anything at all. She bounced the ball in frustration, and, of course, it ricocheted sideways and rolled, end-over-end, towards Sophia. Cam stuck out her bottom lip and huffed a breath so it blew the curls away from her eyes, then she grabbed a clump of hair in each hand and held them together on top of her head. Sophia picked up the ball and grinned.
“You’re doing well.” Cam scoffed. “No, really, you are. Come on. I’ll stand behind you and guide your hands.” Cam suddenly became incredibly aware of Sophia’s presence, so very close, and then the football was placed back in her hands, which were then held by Sophia. Jesus. This is not going to help my coordination. Sophia murmured instructions over her shoulder.
“Hold your arms out straight. Lift your hands slightly. Like this. That’s it. And when the ball’s in line with your chest, you’re going to let it go, and bring your right foot through so that the falling ball and the rising foot connect at the same point. Try it. Don’t think. Just do it” Cam’s skin was aflame as a shiver ran up her spine, and she doubted that her limbs would function properly after that exquisite moment. Sophia moved away, and Cam tried very hard to remember the instructions. Straight arms. Foot something. Drop the ball. What? And suddenly, her body decided to cooperate and there she was, somewhat awkwardly, kicking a football. She whipped her head around to Sophia who folded her arms and grinned.
“I did it. I mean, it’s only just over there.” Cam flipped her hand. “But I did it.” Sophia bit her lip through her grin, then walked backwards as she went to fetch the ball.
“Told you.”
Cam bobbed her head from side to side. “Fine. You give great instructions.” Sophia handed the ball to her.
“Do it again.”
After another collection of successful kicks, which began landing further and further away, Cam scooped up the ball, and tossed it to Sophia. “I’m probably ready to try out for South Melbourne now. So, are you looking for a new player?”
Sophia laughed, tossing the ball from one hand to the other. “I reckon your overall football knowledge still needs work.” She glanced away, then back, and a smile tugged at her mouth. “If I take you to dinner, I could fill you in on more AFL strategies.” Sophia raised both eyebrows hopefully.
Cam dropped her head, then looked through the top of her glasses. “You can’t help yourself, can you?”
“What?” Sophia continued to toss the ball from hand to hand. “You’re attractive. I’m attractive. We can be attractive together. In a restaurant.” She shrugged, the eyebrows still up near her hairline.
Cam shook her head, a small smile on her face. “No.”
Sophia flipped the ball to her, and Cam smirked as she caught it. Sophia’s gaze intensified.
“No?”
“No.”
Sophia took a step closer. “Really?”
Cam stepped back, suddenly realising exactly what Sophia was about to do. They held their gaze.
“Yes, really.” Then, as a grin burst onto her face, she took off, dodging around Sophia, and raced towards the other end of the oval. She figured her fitness from hiking and yoga would at least give her a solid head start, but it was only a couple of moments before strong hands clasped her waist, spinning her in mid-air, and brought her to the ground. She landed fairly softly, gave a slight squeak in surprise, then collapsed on her back, enjoying the little parade of sexual chemistry zaps racing up and down her spine. Sophia grinned at her, then stretched out on the grass, hands behind her head, and chuckled.
“That was hilariously bad, Cam.”
Cam threw the ball at Sophia, which went nowhere near her, then flopped her arms to the side of her body, marvelling at how comfortable the grass was. “I let you catch me,” she said, staring at the sky. The response was a soft huff of laughter. “This has been fun. Thank you.” She listened to the distant noise of the city, then rolled her head to find Sophia’s eyes looking back at her. They turned to contemplate the sky again.
“You sound surprised.”
Cam wriggled her shoulders into the grass. “Hmm. I had my doubts. You’ve already dialled up the flirt-o-meter, when I told you not to.” Sophia caught the tease in her voice because she chuckled.
“How’s the article coming along?”
“Which one? The on-the-table or the under-the-table one?”
“Under-the-table.”
“Well, I’ve got some solid info already. Mainly about the inequalities around playing grounds, resources, equipment, that sort of thing.” Cam waved her hands at the sky while she spoke. “I need to attend one of the promotional events that the newbies do, just to see if it’s as appalling as they say.” Sophia’s growl indicated exactly what she felt about the promotional events, and Cam hummed in agreement. “All the misogyny stuff is good content, but I can’t get anyone to talk about the parties and the vitamins.” She rolled her head again. “I’m hoping you can.” Sophia flipped up her elbows so her arms pressed into her ears, then dropped them, settling her head into her hands.
“I’ll see what I can dig up.” They lay in silence for a long minute. “I love this sport, Cam.”
“Yeah. I know you do.”
“It offers so much to so many women.” There was another silence. “I love things like the feel of a new ball just out of its plastic. I love the smell of the ground when it’s been baking under a stinking hot sun for all of summer, and then first rains come and it’s like the ground absorbs life.” She breathed in heavily. “That’s an amazing smell.”
Cam smiled. “There’s a word for that.”
“Oh, I know. Petrichor.”
Cam blinked, and a tiny smile crept onto her lips. Sophia Lindstrom, I’m beginning to like you altogether too much, dammit. Then her smile was dimmed when the next question floated across the space between them.
“Why don’t you like me?”
Cam was instantly defensive. “I do.”
“Maybe. But you don’t like the idea of me. The athlete me.”
Cam sighed, and contemplated her response, finally deciding that, like a trauma buffet, she could actually share her story with this woman. She sorted through the files in her mental life experiences cupboard, and spoke to the sky, finding the soft blue soothing as she organised her thoughts.
“I dated an athlete for three years. The three years of uni. Her name was Rachel and she was a long-jumper.” She heard Sophia shuffle on the grass, as if settling herself in for a long story. “Rachel was going to qualify for the Australian track and field team for the next Olympics. She’d been pretty much guaranteed a place, actually. She was talented, and worked hard, and I was completely and utterly besotted with her. We were the forever couple.” Cam faltered, and let the silence grow.
“Okay.” The word was soft in Cam’s ear, and it gave her confidence to continue.
“So, Rachel was always encouraging me to be the best version of myself. She’d suggest ways for me to improve what I ate, how I exercised. Lots of things. I thought it was all good advice, and that she said it because she loved me. I listened because Rachel knew about these things.” Cam dug her fingers into the thick turf. “I mean, she was always watching videos of herself at events and training so she could improve her performance. I figured her advice to me was warranted. Anyway,” she cleared her throat, “one time I came home from a lecture to find Rachel sitting on the couch, holding the remote. So, I sat down beside her and she totally delivered the most sensual kiss ever and I thought ‘Well, yum. We’re on for tonight’.” Cam coughed out a single monotone laugh, and pinched off individual blades of grass, casting aside the tiny bits with a flick of her wrist. “Then she said, ‘Babe, I’ve got something to show you. I think this will enhance our relationship even more’ and she pressed play and suddenly on the TV was our most recent love-making.”
Sophia hissed. “No!”
Cam nodded, the ground pushing into the back of her head, then suddenly lying down became completely the wrong position to be in for the
amount of agitation in her body, so she sat up, crossed her legs and stared down at Sophia’s stunned expression.
“So, then Rachel paused it, and while she cued it up again, she told me that she’d recorded us so I could watch my technique and look for areas of improvement.” Sophia pulled her legs in, and pivoted, ending up cross-legged opposite Cam, their knees almost touching. Her eyes grew even more round.
“Oh my God, Cam. That’s…” Her mouth moved to find the words. “That’s unbelievable.”
Cam wrenched her glasses off, wiped her hand over her eyes, stared blearily at Sophia, then shoved her glasses back on. “Oh, but…” She clenched her fists and tapped them on her knees. “It gets better.” She nodded softly, then the action evolved into a head shake as she remembered the event. “Rachel went on and on about her technique, about my technique, pausing the video at certain parts to show me something, and I just sat there, totally stunned, until—” her eyes closed softly, then flew open “—she said that she was thinking about showing her best friend, also a fucking fucking fucker of an athlete—” Sophia suddenly reached over to cover Cam’s fists “—because she wanted to get this friend’s opinion, which galvanised me into action and I screamed at her about how awful she was, and here’s the fun part.” She glared at Sophia’s appalled expression. “Rachel couldn’t see that she’d done anything wrong, and dumped me for not understanding the sacrifices that an athlete has to make to get to the top, and therefore I wasn’t cut out to be the girlfriend of an Olympian.”
Cam pulled in a shaky breath, stared at Sophia’s fingers splayed across the skin on the back of her hands, then lifted her head to hold Sophia’s gaze. “So, professional athletes and their freaking scary egos can go to hell, because they suck the good out of the everyday people around them.” Her voice trembled with anger. “I was in love, Soph—Sophia.”
Sophia ducked her head to catch Cam’s eyes. “It’s okay. I like Soph.”
Cam lifted a corner of her lips in acknowledgement, and sucked in a slow breath. “It’s a cliché, but love does blind us. It’s amazing what you can’t see when you love someone.”