What a Shortstop Does Ch. 11-14

"Ugh, I should shower. I've got to have dry hair before hair and makeup tonight."

Sarah hummed her acknowledgement, but neither got up to move.

"You gonna make me breakfast?" She turned onto her stomach to look at Sarah and bat her eyelashes comically.

"If you wanted breakfast, you should have left me with the use of my legs."

"Pleeeeease, Sar. As much as I love your pussy, I need to eat real food!"

Sarah laughed at her pleading, "Alright, alright. I'll go cook while you shower."

"You're the best!" Ro gave her a quick kiss then popped off the bed and bounced to the bathroom.

"You have too much energy left!" Sarah smiled at the giggle she heard in response then got up to find clothes.

They ate breakfast together, despite it actually being closer to lunch time when they'd finally emerged from the bedroom. Sarah tried not to think about this time tomorrow when she'd be packing up to go home for the holidays. There was nothing at home she wanted right now. They always did the same thing for Christmas and as none of it involved her cousins on her mom's side, she didn't have much interest.

She disliked helping with her mother's charity dinner because it caused so much stress. Flying to visit her grandparents was exhausting and there was no one to hang out with. She loved her dad's family, but being the only grandkid on that side was also a bit lonely. The real treat was this year her parents had received an invite to some swanky New Year's Eve party, so she would be ringing in the new year alone on her couch probably under a pile of red vines.

Sarah sighed.

"What's up?"

"Nothing, just thinking about the holiday break. Not really looking forward to the rest of it. This was kinda the highlight."

"But aren't you flying to Arizona to see your grandparents?"

"Yeah, but that's for three days and they'll just spend the whole time talking to my parents or asking me the same six questions over and over."

"Like what?" Ro asked through a mouthful of egg.

"'How's school going, Sarah?', 'The softball team looking good this year?', 'What are you planning to do this summer?', 'Have you thought about applying to medical schools?', or my favorite, 'Got a boyfriend yet?'"

"Hm...well, I guess you can always set them straight, er gay, on that last one. That would vary the conversation for a bit, at least make it more interesting," Ro laughed.

"Yeah, I think I'll pass on coming out to my parents and grandparents over Christmas dinner."

"That's fair. Have you thought about it though? Coming out in general, I mean."

"A little, I don't know," Sarah didn't look up from her plate.

"Well," Ro began carefully, "All our friends basically know, right? Like, no one on the team or anything has brought it up and we've been hanging out for a few months now. And your cousins figured it out. What's different about the rest of your family?"

"I-"

"I'm not trying to pressure you!" Ro suddenly cut in, "I just want to understand."

"Thanks. Um, I don't really know. It's something I never thought about before. Outside of the extremely medical and detailed sex talk I got at twelve years old, I have never had a conversation about relationships with my parents. Now that I understand myself more, now that I know I'm gay, I guess I just don't know how to start that conversation."

"Okay, but whenever you're ready, I'll be here."

"Thank you." She leaned forward to kiss Ro.

They cleaned up and spent the afternoon lying on the couch with various sports or cooking shows filling the screen. Ro did some of her stretches which Sarah greatly enjoyed watching. It was nice just to spend the time together, not that the sex wasn't amazing, but so was just being herself with Ro around. They ate some snacks and had a popcorn catching contest. Sarah could catch popcorn in her mouth with astonishing accuracy and Ro thought it was the funniest thing to chuck pieces at her from across the room.

Around 5:00, a loud knock on the door signaled Kate and Tara's arrival. They'd decided to have Kate come pick up Ro for call time and drop Tara to come with Sarah later for the show. The two women stumbled in when Sarah opened the door.

"It's fucking freezing!" Tara yelled, shaking snow from her hair and stomping her feet on the rug.

"Grab your stuff, Roisin, we gotta go! It's going to take longer to get to campus, they haven't plowed all the roads yet."

Ro ran to grab her bags. She gave Sarah a kiss and handed over the apartment keys for them to lock up later. Bundled up, the two dancers trotted out into the snow which was quickly becoming ankle deep. Sarah made sure they got to the car before closing the door and joining Tara on the couch. They turned on a basketball game and quietly browsed their phones separately for a bit.

Tara cleared her throat, "So, uh, how's things going with Roisin?"

"Good, great really. We're official. Officially dating, I mean."

"Nice! Congrats," Tara's wide smile gave Sarah some confidence.

"Yeah, it's just...I'm not out, ya know? So that makes it a little complicated."

"Not really, dude. I mean, not here, not with the team. We've got your back no matter what," she stretched her long legs out and plopped her feet on the coffee table, "Guess it's complicated at home then?"

"How did you come out?" Sarah blurted before they could dive into her home situation any further.

Tara chuckled, "I was never 'in'. Apparently I told my parents in, like, kindergarten that this girl Ruth was really pretty and I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend. Of course they laughed it off as a little kid thing, right? But I just kept bringing home girls. Now they believe me anyway."

"Were they accepting?"

"For the most part. I've got an aunt who says I'm going to hell, but I told her I knew that before I started fucking women so," Tara laughed and shrugged.

Sarah sat thoughtfully for a bit. How would her aunts react? What if her parents were fine with it, but her aunts were not? Would her mom choose her side over them? A whole new set of scenarios opened up in her head.

"You think your parents won't be cool with it?" Tara asked quietly.

"I really don't know. We don't talk about that stuff. The deepest conversation I've had with my dad was about whether or not the use of replay review in baseball compromises the integrity of the game."

"Gotcha."

The silence stole over the room again, only interrupted by the sounds from the TV. After a while, Sarah got up and grabbed them sodas. Tara thanked her and they relaxed into watching and discussing the game until it was time to make their way to the theater. The snow made the drive slow, but not enough yet to be dangerous.

Finding their seats was quick and Sarah remembered at the last minute to turn off her phone. When she pulled it out, she had a text from Ro.

R: My parents want to take me to dinner tonight after. Do you want to come?

S: As your girlfriend? Or just a friend?

R: We can just say friend...but, like, they are gonna assume.

S: Right, yeah, okay.

R: Thanks, see you after!

S: Break a leg!

Ro had taught Sarah pretty quickly that saying good luck before a performance was bad luck. She didn't get that specifically, but she understood superstitions well enough. A girl on her high school team refused to wash her shorts for a whole season after she was convinced they were the reason her batting average had improved.

The show was just as good as the last one Sarah saw. Now that she was familiar with it, she knew where to look to find Ro and which parts were her favorites. Tara too seemed particularly interested when Kate was on stage. They'd take turns pointing out their girlfriends in different places. When the Arabian number began, Tara smirked at Sarah's face.

"Did she show you that one up close last night?" she whispered.

Sarah just elbowed her in response, never taking her eyes off the stage.

At the end of the show, she and Tara waited in the lobby for the dancers to appear. They chatted idly about winter break plans. Tara was staying in her house for most of it, but she did have plans to go home with Kate for a family Christmas party. Sarah talked about her Arizona plans and the lonely new years she expected.

"We're all usually back by New Year's Eve. I'm thinking about having a party, Kate wants to do some kind of silver and gold night thing. If you can sneak back early, you should come."

"Thanks, I'll think about it." Sarah was grateful for the idea. She wasn't sure how her parents could possibly object, but didn't want to get her hopes up too much.

"Hiii! What did you think this time?" Kate appeared out of the crowd and pounced on them, wrapping herself around Tara.

"Beautiful as always, babe." Tara smiled warmly and slipped her arm around Kate's waist.

"Aw, thanks," she scrunched her nose up. "Ro was right behind me, where'd she...? Oh. That's her parents, and one of her brothers. Maybe, Killian? I don't know, I can never tell them apart."

Ro was standing several meters away smiling at a plump black-haired woman and a tall, pale man. Another male, shorter, younger, and stockier than the other, stood to the side checking his phone. The woman who had her hands on Ro's shoulders was smiling and talking animatedly. Ro caught her eye and motioned for the three women to come over. Kate saw too and also seemed to log the terrified look in Sarah's eyes. She smiled encouragingly and led the way with Tara. Sarah tagged along behind.

"Mom, you remember Kate," Ro said as they approached. "And this is Tara and Sarah," she turned to them, "These are my parents and my brother, Killian."

"Hello, girls." Mrs. Daly smiled as she spoke and Sarah wasn't surprised to hear a gentle Irish accent. "Great job as always, Katie. Your grandmother couldn't make it this evening?"

Kate grinned, "Thank you Mrs. Daly. She came last weekend. Too close to Christmas now so she's busy making fudge for her church."

Sarah noticed how Mrs. Daly's eyes caught on the way Kate's hand held Tara's. It was subtle, just a little tightness around her eyes, but maybe Sarah was just hyper-aware of her every reaction right now. Sarah caught Ro quietly pulling her father aside and whispering something. He nodded. She gave him a quick squeeze and turned back to the group.

"Well, we should get back, snow's starting to pile up," Kate wound her arm around Tara's waist, "Have a safe drive and a great Christmas!"

"You too, girls!" Mrs. Daly smiled more genuinely.

"Sarah, Dad said it's fine if you want to join us for dinner!" Sarah noticed the way this was actually directed more at Mrs. Daly than herself.

"Thank you," Sarah smiled nervously.

"I'll go get the car, Ma. The parking lot is probably covered in snow." Killian zipped his coat up and pulled the collar up to his ears.

"I gotta go start mine too, I can follow you all," Sarah prepped her coat for the walk outside too.

"I'll ride with you," Ro brushed her hand over Sarah's shoulder then thought about it and yanked away, "I, uh, know the way."

Sarah nodded, ignoring the lump in her throat. Why were her nerves choosing now to rear up? She followed Killian out the front doors.

"So," he began as they stepped into the freezing lot, "are you fucking my sister?"

Sarah choked, "Uh, Wh- I, I..."

"It's fine if you are, just, ya know, 'I'll kill ya if you hurt her' and that whole thing." He smiled mischievously.

"Right yeah, uh, okay."

"I'm just teasing. Sarah, right? Brothers are supposed to look out for their sisters. But ours seems to have chosen to exclusively date women who I'd have a hard time punching."

"Sorry," Sarah blurted awkwardly. "If I hurt her, you can totally punch me though. I won't dodge it."

Killian threw his head back and laughed, "Sounds good."

Clearing snow off the car took a few minutes, but when Ro climbed in and pointed the way to the restaurant, Sarah began to thaw out.

"Great job tonight."

"Thank you, it means a lot that you came twice," Ro rested her hand on Sarah's thigh, "And that you're willing to come to dinner with my parents."

"Your brother asked me if we were fucking."

Ro's hand twitched on her thigh, "That asshole! Don't worry, I'll deal with him."

"Nah, it's fine. We agreed that if I hurt you, he gets one punch." Sarah laughed at Ro's indignant face.

"My brother does not fight my battles for me."

"I know, but I don't plan on giving him a reason to either." Sarah dragged her fingers over the back of Ro's hand and laced them. They drove the rest of the way silently holding hands.

The restaurant was a typical chain place, a little slow for a Saturday night since most of campus had emptied. The friendly waitress took their drink order and left them menus. Ro's dad and brother had ordered beers, Mrs. Daly and Ro ordered iced tea while Sarah got water.

"Ya don't drink?" Killian asked teasingly.

"I'm only 20," was Sarah's reply.

Killian gave Ro a wicked look raising his eyebrow. But Mrs. Daly cut off any silent squabble the two siblings were about to start.

"What's your last name, Sarah?"

"Golding."

"Ah, that's a unique family name. And what do you study?"

"Exercise science-"

"Sarah's going to be a doctor!" Ro blurted out over her tea.

"Physical therapist, but yeah," she corrected.

"How wonderful! You must be smart. These two," she gestured at her kids, "if they were smart, they'd be studying something that'll actually get them a job!"

"Aw, that's not fair, Ma!" Killian whined.

Dinner went well and Mrs. Daly only gave a tight nod when Ro mentioned that Sarah could take her back to her apartment. She hugged her parents, smacked her brother, and pulled Sarah away to the car.

When they got back to the apartment, Ro went to shower the hairspray and stage makeup off while Sarah collapsed on the couch. Her mind wandered to home and her own parents. They'd be in bed already unless dad was working in the ER tonight. Tomorrow they'd have dinner together, ask about her semester, and tell her to get all her laundry done before Arizona. Should she slip into the conversation that she had a girlfriend? Would they ask about Ro? Would they want to know how they met? Or would it just be quietly acknowledged then the subject changed? She honestly didn't know, but the idea of telling them sent her stomach into knots so she pushed it away and focused on happier thoughts.

Softball practice would be in full swing when they came back from break. Sarah couldn't wait to get back into batting practice. Then her classes were far more interesting next semester now that she'd finished the prerequisites for her program. And there was Ro, who said she'd be on Sarah's side, who was willing to be patient while she figured things out.

Almost as if on cue, a brush of fingers over her face forced Sarah to open her eyes. Ro stood in front of her stark naked and glistening. She smiled softly.

"Tired?"

"Just thinking," Sarah said thickly as her hands reached up to rest on Ro's hips.

"Want me to make you stop thinking?" Ro asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sarah swallowed, "Please."

At some point they dragged their exhausted bodies off the couch and made it to bed. They slept long and deep as the snow drifted silently outside the window.

Chapter 14: New Year's Eve

Sarah's drive home was a lonely two hours. She had put it off as long as she could, but by her mother's second text asking when she'd be home, she knew it was time to go. She kissed Ro long and sweet after packing. They tried not to be too sappy about it, after all, they'd see each other in about two weeks. Sarah brought up going to Tara and Kate's New Year's Eve party and Ro agreed that if Sarah could go, she'd come back for it.

Convincing her parents to let her go back to campus early turned out to be easier than she thought. They felt bad for abandoning her on her last weekend home, but hearing she had a chance to head back to campus early to see friends seemed to ease their guilt. Convincing them she'd be safe and smart once there was a little more difficult.

"Where is this party?"

"Tara's girlfriend's apartment. Tara will be there and some other teammates. It's going to be small."

"And you'll keep the drinking to a minimum?"

"Mom, softball season. Of course, I'll be smart."

"Sarie is a smart girl, hon, she'll be fine." Her dad's only contribution to the conversation was to assure his wife she made the right decision in saying yes.

So that's how Sarah ended up back at Ro's apartment on the afternoon of New Year's Eve slipping into a silver tank top and gray leggings. Ro had wanted to do her makeup, so she also had silver glittery eyeshadow and dramatic winged eyeliner. Her blonde hair was curled and pulled half back into a sparkly clip Ro had from an old dance costume, the most she'd worn it down since Halloween.

"Okay, I'm not wearing the shoes, it's too fucking cold for that!" Ro's voice carried from her bathroom. "But what do you think?"

She stepped into the room as graceful as always. The tight, gold dress dazzling in the bedroom lights. Her cheekbones, eyelids, and collarbones shimmered with gold highlighter. She'd also done winged liner but added glossy lipstick where Sarah just went with chapstick. Sarah followed the line of the dress away from her face, over her hips, and ending suddenly at the tops of her thighs. Her long legs stretched for miles under the dress, ending in pink fuzzy socks.

Sarah grinned, "The socks pull it together. Perfect."

"Ya think?" Ro laughed, "I'm keeping 'em. They are too comfy."

Grabbing their jackets and pulling on winter boots, they trudged out to Sarah's car. Kate's apartment was fairly close, so the car was just starting to warm up when they arrived. A line of cars outside told them that it might not be as small a party as they were thinking.

In fact, Kate's apartment was packed. The party decorations glimmered silver and gold as did the sea of bodies. They kicked their boots off by the door and stuffed jackets into the already bursting closet. Setting off in search of a drink, they found it wasn't as dense as they first thought, it was just most people had congregated in the living room where one of Kate's friends had plugged in his amps and set up a mock DJ booth.

"If they don't get a noise complaint tonight, I'll be shocked!" Ro called over the din.

The kitchen wasn't much quieter. Tara had the blender out and was pouring ice into the already rotating blades, causing a fountain of shaved pieces to fly back out at her. She threw her head back and laughed, ice chunks falling from her hair.

"Ro, Sarah! I just invented an iced vodkachino! Come try one!" Ro gagged and Sarah recalled her mentioning this drink at Thanksgiving.

"No thank you, insane bartender, I'd like to stay conscious tonight!" Sarah patted her on the back.

"More for me!" Tara cried.

They drank a milder mixer as they watched Tara craft her concoction. She laughed maniacally as she poured whipped cream over the whole thing. Sarah cringed at the thought of how much alcohol and cream she watched go into that blender. Tara was going to be ringing in the new year over the toilet if she didn't slow down.

With a light buzz, Sarah let Ro drag her to the dancefloor. As they moved together, she gripped Ro's shimmery hips and pulled her closer. The other woman let her take the lead and ground her hips to Sarah's rhythm. It was not so much dancing as foreplay, but it matched the music and they both had the buzz to blame. Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah noticed two of her teammates watching. Well, if Carly and Tara's big mouths hadn't passed it around by now, it was definitely out with this dance. She was out with this dance.