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imaginewoso · 2 years

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The Green-Eyed Monster is a Blonde - Leah Williamson

Leah and Y/N are best friends. Y/N is smitten and the only one who can’t see it is Leah. Cue jealousy when Y/N goes on a date.

(My take on the “say it and I’m yours but if you don’t feel the same way then tell me” prompt)

(Does it count as friends to lovers if they’ve always been an unofficial couple?)

(Kinda long sorry about that)

“All right, pair off. You know the drill,” Jonas yelled. The Arsenal girls had been practicing under the hot sun for hours and welcomed the change in pace. Partner drills were everyone’s favourite, especially you and Leah. The two of you never missed a chance to pair off together (or maybe nobody dared try to take you away from the centre back). Either way, there hadn’t been a single practice where you and Leah hadn’t been partners since your arrival in London three years ago.

That is, until Stina Blackstenius joined the squad.

It was her first practice with the group and she hadn’t quite figured out the dynamics yet. There was no way for her to know that you and Leah were attached at the hip. No way for her to know the two of you did everything together—lived together, ate together, spent your free time together. No way for her to know that you had been pining after the young English captain since you first met her. No way to know that said captain maintained to everyone that you two were best friends (and definitely nothing more).

So when it was time for partner drills, the new gunner gravitated towards your familiar face, having played against you numerous times throughout the earlier years of your career in the Damallsvenskan.

“Ouf. Big mistake,” Jordan muttered to the rest of the team. They all watched on as Leah glared at the Swede approaching you.

“Looks like someone’s snatched your girl, Williamson,” Beth joked, earning a glare from the blonde and an elbow to the ribs from Viv.

“She’s not my girl,” Leah answered defensively, continuing to glare at her new teammate as the two of you began the drill. Had she focused her attention on you instead, she would’ve noticed the small smile you sent her way, an apology for the change in routine.

“You sure? You seem kind of jealous,” Beth teased, itching for a reaction.

“It’s not like that. We just work well together. We have a big game coming up and I want to make sure I’m at my best,” Leah snapped. She grabbed Viv and started the drill, a sour look still on her face.

“Don’t look so mad to be partnered with me,” Viv teased. The blonde did not respond, doing her best to avoid looking over at you while you laughed at whatever it is Stina was saying.

“Look Leah, if it makes you feel better, I’m sure she misses being your partner too,” the Dutch forward said while sending a ball in the defender’s direction.

Leah scoffed, slightly red. “It’s not about that, we have a routine. It messes with my game,” she insisted.

“Don’t be mad at her. She probably just wanted Stina to feel comfortable at her first practice, you know how Y/N is,” Viv continued. Leah’s face softened, her anger dissipating slightly. She did know how you were— too sweet to even think of saying no to a new teammate looking to build a connection.

“Yeah alright let’s just get this drill done,” the blonde said, brushing her friend off but grateful for her words.

The team continued practising until the whistle blew. “Okay, good job everyone. Hit the showers and enjoy your day off tomorrow,” Jonas yelled out as the team headed off the pitch.

Almost immediately you excused yourself, shooting Stina an apologetic smile before making a beeline toward Leah. “Hey,” you said tentatively, anticipating an unhappy blonde. Your suspicions were confirmed with the side-eye you received as the defender gathered her belongings before heading toward the locker room.

“I’m sorry, Leah. I know we usually partner up but Stina asked me and I wanted her to feel welcome here, you know? I didn’t mean to mess up our routine,” you rambled on as you followed her, confirming Viv’s earlier comments.

Leah sighed before turning toward you, now both in front of your respective cubbies. She couldn’t be mad, not after hearing your reasoning. “You’re off the hook this time Y/N/N, but you’re mine next practice,” Leah teased, sticking her tongue out at you playfully before grabbing her things and heading toward the showers, not waiting for a response.

“Always, Lee,” you whispered, letting out a sigh before gathering your own things.

*****

“I made it extra buttery, hope that’s okay?” Leah asked you from her place on the couch as you walked into the living room holding blankets and pillows. It was your usual Friday routine. She’d take care of the popcorn and you’d take care of the comfort. You took turns choosing the movie. Though you did always pick one she had mentioned wanting to watch earlier in the week (sometimes you wondered if she was on to you—if she knew you’d give her the world if she asked).

“Definitely,” you replied, before settling down beside her, but not too close. You always gave her space, not wanting to be too obvious about how much you longed to be close to her.

“Why are you so far? Come cuddle,” Leah whined. She only ever got like this with you. She’d never let the other girls see her like this. You weren’t complaining though. You were glad to have this version of Leah, your own version. Sometimes, if you closed your eyes hard enough you could almost pretend she was like this because she longed to be close to you too. You moved close enough for her to lay her head on your shoulder before pressing play on the romantic comedy you (she) chose.

“I could never do that,” Leah startled you out of your thoughts about 30 minutes into the movie.

“Do what?” You questioned, unsure of what she was referring to (and definitely not because you were too focused on her breath hitting your neck).

“Date a coworker, I mean, that can’t end well, right?” Leah said, looking up at you. “I mean, too many people involved it’s bound to get messy eventually.”

Your heart cracked slightly. “But that’s only if you break up,” you managed to get out, praying that she didn’t hear or feel your heart beating loudly.

“Yeah, I guess. Anyway, doesn’t even matter. There’s no time for a dating. Between Arsenal and England and studying, there’s no way I’d be able to date,” Leah rambled on, eyes now on the screen.

“Yeah,” you muttered, focusing your attention back on the movie and away from the blonde. Maybe she hadn’t heard the sound of your heart beating, but you wondered how it was possible she didn’t hear the sound of your heart splitting in two.

You watched the rest of the movie in silence. Once it was over you looked down and noticed Leah asleep.

After turning off the TV, you picked her up slowly and made your way toward her bedroom, careful not to wake her. You laid her down gently on her bed and tucked her in, pushing her hair slightly out of her face.

You made your way to the door, turning to look at her one last time with a sigh before shutting the door and making your way to your own bedroom across the hall. Her words from earlier running through your mind.

******

Leah didn’t say a single word on the car ride home. It was a tough match— playing against Chelsea always is. The game was tied 0-0 up until the final ten minutes. Nobody blamed Leah for the loss. It could’ve happened to any of the defenders— that’s what her teammates told her once the final whistle sounded. But Leah blamed herself.

She had tripped. The particular patch of grass had been causing her trouble all game and when Harder had cut to her left, she forgot about the terrain and fell, giving the Danish midfielder a clear path toward goal.

You parked the car in front of your shared flat. “Lee, we’re here,” you said gently, pulling the blonde’s focus onto you. Leah unfastened her seatbelt, grabbed her bag, and slowly made her way up the path toward the door. She waited for you to unlock before heading straight to the shower, ready to wash away the day and the horrible thoughts plaguing her mind.

Meanwhile, you got to work. Only one thing could cheer up your best friend and that was your specialty pancakes for dinner. You made the batter, chopped up all of Leah’s favourite fruits, and waited until you heard the water shut off before beginning to cook, not wanting the food to get cold and knowing the blonde would likely take a while to emerge.

Proving you right, Leah made her way out of the bathroom twenty minutes later in an oversized Nike sweatshirt and shorts. Dimmed eyes lit up slightly when she saw the food on the table. She sent you grateful smile and sat down.

You both ate in silence. Leah was still in her head about the goal and you did not want to push her, knowing exactly what she was going through. Being a professional footballer does have its downsides, the immense pressure definitely at the top of the list. You were just glad she was eating.

When the blonde tried to help clean up once you both finished, you shooed her away. “You can take care of the music, let me clean,” you said as you began to load the dishwasher.

Never one to miss an opportunity to play her music in the flat, Leah opened her phone, choosing a random playlist. She sat back down, watching as you cleared the table. Slowly, a pensive look took over her face.

You knew that look. You could read Leah like the back of your hand and you knew she was replaying the goal all over again, the food no longer acting as a distraction.

An upbeat song began to play through the speakers—one of Leah’s favourites. You quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her up, startling her out of her daze. “Y/N what are you doing?”

“Dance with me Lee, pleaseeeeee,” you begged, eyes pleading.

“I don’t really feel-“she started before you interrupted her by twirling her around and dipping her as the chorus began. She let out a gasp, and gripped your arms. “Y/N,” she half-yelled, looking up at you as you kept her in that dip position.

“C’mon Lee, I won’t drop you, trust me yeah?” you teased, looking down into her eyes and winking. She nodded, cheeks red.

You set her back into a standing position and danced around her, pulling out the wackiest moves to make her laugh. Your underwater snorkel dance move enough to elicit a loud cackle from the blonde. You smiled, glad to see her letting loose.

The song ended and a slow one began to play. Leah smiled at you, slowly turning away, intending to sit back down. That is, until you twirled her back into you.

“One more song?” you asked kindly, looking up at her through your eyelashes. Leah nodded shyly. Her hands went around your neck as yours tentatively settled on her waist. The two of you swayed back and forth, lost in the music and one another.

Leah’s eyes flickered down to your mouth and back up again. She bit her lip, looking deeply into your eyes. Your breath hitched as Leah seemed to lean in ever so slightly, almost as if she couldn’t help herself. You couldn’t say who leaned in next. All you knew was that you could feel Leah’s breath mix with yours. The last image you saw before closing your eyes was Leah doing the same. Your lips barely grazed hers when the sound of her phone ringing cut off the music and pulled the two out of your trance.

She detached herself from you, apologizing and saying something about her mom calling to check up after the game. You could only watch on as she left the room, your heart beating out of your chest. Only once Leah’s bedroom door closed did you let your mask down. With a shaky breath, you leaned against the sink, calming your racing heart before busying yourself with finishing the clean up.

Leah didn’t come out again after that, opting instead to head to bed. When the blonde walked into the kitchen for breakfast the next day, it was like nothing had happened the night before (even though you spent all night thinking about it). The almost-kiss wasn’t mentioned.

*****

“BURNING!” Y/N yells, jumping up excitedly.

“YES!”

“How is that burning? It literally looks like a piece of toast and a house,” Viv asked, voicing the confusion of all the Arsenal players in the room. The team had gathered for their monthly game night.

“No fair, they’re definitely cheatin,” Jordan grumbled. You two had been unstoppable all night, first winning Codenames, then Cranium and now Pictionary. You had won against every team you had faced off against, Jordan and Beth the most recently defeated.

“It’s definitely not cheating, we just use more personal anecdotes, it’s easier that way. Leah decided she wanted to make us breakfast on my last birthday. I woke to the smell of burning, and a completely charcoaled toast, hence the toast and our house” you explained only to receive a slap on your shoulder from Leah.

“Don’t tell them our strategy!” the blonde yelled, laughing at the look of indication on her best friend’s face from having been hit.

“Okay, no more games. I can’t take losing to the lovebirds anymore,” Lia groaned, leaning into Caitlin’s side.

“We aren’t dating,” Leah denied quickly, face instantly turning red.

“Sure seems like it sometimes,” Beth whispered to Jordan. Her attempt at subtly failing as the whole team heard.

“We aren’t. Y/N and I are just friends. We don’t see each other that way. Plus, there’s no way we would work well together,” the blonde insisted, avoiding eye contact with you entirely.

You felt your heart split in half. You knew she didn’t see you in that way, but she had never said it out loud so directly. At least before you could hold on to the hope that you weren’t imaging the definitely more than friendly touches and the staring. At least then you could hold on to the hope that she loved you too. Now that hope was gone. She confirmed what you always suspected; what you always feared. She didn’t love you. No wonder she didn’t bring up the almost-kiss.

It took everything in you not to start crying right there on the living room floor. Instead, you let out a forced chuckle. “Us two? Yeah no way that could work,” you managed to get out. You waited a beat before excusing yourself, citing the need for a new drink as the reason for your abrupt departure toward the kitchen. You didn’t need to see the looks of pity on the other girls’ faces. And you definitely didn’t need to see what you could only imagine as a look of disgust on Leah’s face at the mere thought of you two together.

You don’t know how long you stayed in the kitchen, staring out the window, your new drink untouched. It was only when you heard someone clearing their throat that you snapped out of your trance.

“Hey Y/N, you have a minute?” Stina asked, approaching your slightly.

“Totally, what’s up?” you replied, shifting your attention to the Swedish striker.

“Well you see I have this friend in town…”

*****

Leah shut the door behind her. “How do you feel about pasta for dinner? I got a craving while on my run” she called out.

She was met with silence. A completely rare occurrence in your flat. Normally you would’ve answered her straight away.

“Y/N? You around?” the blonde said slightly louder as she walked into the empty kitchen. From the corner of her eye she saw a note on the fridge. Upon closer inspection, she made out your familiar scrawl:

‘Hope you had a good workout. I’ve gone out for the night. Don’t wait up! xo Y/N’

“Gone out?” Leah muttered to herself. You usually ate dinner together on Fridays and watched a movie. You had never missed a movie night. “Something must of come up,” she reasoned, disappointment beginning to creep in.

Leah grabbed her phone and dialled the familiar number. She’d make her own plans. That was better than wallowing. “Hey mate, are you and Beth busy tonight? Y/N went out, maybe we can grab dinner or something?” the blonde questioned.

“Oh right her date was tonight!” Jordan exclaimed. “Yeah I’d love to, we can try that new sush-“

“Wait, her what?” Leah asked frantically, stomach dropping.

“Her date. She didn’t tell you? Stina mentioned it to us at practice yesterday. She set it up. Something about a friend that’s in town, can’t quite remember the details,” Jordan said tentatively, hearing the distress in her friend’s voice.

“Oh,” the defender whispered, the blood pounding in her ears. She needed to sit down.

“Leah, are you okay?” Jordan asked from the other end of the line when she heard the shaky breaths her friend was letting out.

“Yeah, totally fine. Hey sorry mate, I forgot I promised Jacob I’d help him with something tonight. I’ve gotta go shower, just got back from a run, you know. Catch you later,” she muttered quickly, barely finishing before hanging up the phone.

Her eyes welled with tears that she desperately tried to blink away. She let herself feel the sadness, but only for a minute. Then, the anger hit.

*****

You opened the door quietly and slid into the apartment.

“How was your date?” Leah spat out, making you jump. You were not expecting your best friend to be awake, let alone sat on the couch in the dark, a full cup of (what looked like cold) tea on the coffee table.

“Geez Lee, you scared me,” you put her hands to her chest trying to calm your beating heart. “What are you doing up? It’s super late.”

“How was your date?” the blonde repeated, ignoring the question directed at her. You finally processed what she was asking, eyes widening slightly at having been caught.

“How’d you know?” you asked, suspecting one English midfielder to be the answer.

“Jordan.” Typical.

“Right. Well, it was nice,” you answered before putting your keys on the console table and making your way toward your bedroom, eager to avoid any more questions.

“Nice?” Leah, getting up from the sofa and following closely behind.

“Yeah, she was really nice,” you responded from the seat at your vanity as you began to take off your earrings, only to be met with a scoff from the blonde.

“What is your problem?” you asked, glancing quickly at the woman sitting on at the edge of your bed before continuing to take off the rest of your jewellery.

“Oh nothing, I just didn’t realize we were missing movie nights for random girls now,” Leah jabbed.

“You miss them all the time! You missed one two weeks ago. It’s not like I didn’t tell you I was going out,” you answered with an eye roll.

“Never for a date.”

“Yeah well you told me yourself last week you don’t have time for dating so obviously you wouldn’t miss a movie night for a date,” you chirped back, slowly losing patience with the conversation.

Another scoff.

You paused and took in your best friend through the mirror’s reflection. You noted the clenched jaw, fisted right hand and the subtle glare being sent your way. All the tell-tale signs she was very, very mad.

“No. You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to be upset at me,” you shook your head, continuing to busy your now shaking hands by taking off your makeup.

“Of course I get to be upset. Since when do we lie to each other? Since when do you go on dates without telling me, your best friend?” the blonde questioned, anger clear in her voice.

“I never lied to you Leah, it wasn’t a secret. Stina’s friend was in town to help her settle in and she said we’d hit it off for sure so I agreed to a date. Is that why you’re upset? Because I didn’t tell you directly?”

“Yes.”

“So if I had told you I was going on a date you’d be fine with it?”

“Yes,” the blonde responded hesitantly, her voice cracking. The lie was clear as day.

“God, you’re so frustrating,” you groaned, throwing your arms in the air and turning around to face her. You glared at her and she glared right back.

“I can’t keep doing this, I can’t,” you finally said, exhaling loudly through your nose as you did.

“Doing what?” Leah snapped.

“Pretending like whatever’s happening between us isn’t actually happening. We’ve been doing this back and forth thing for months, hell, years Leah,” you forced out exasperated, determined to finally have this conversation. “We’re practically a couple. The only one who can’t see it is you. We hold hands, and we cuddle and we dance, and we make the best board game team,” you rambled on, looking at your best friend straight in the eye.

You gulped before finally saying the one thing you had always stopped herself from saying. “I love you. I’m in love with you. She was nice and I had fun tonight but she wasn’t you. And I didn’t tell you because if I told you, if I saw you before I had to leave, then I know I wouldn’t have even made it out of the flat because I’d much rather sit here and watch Lord of the Rings with you for the fifteenth time than go out with anyone else,” you declared, trying your best to keep your voice steady before continuing. Leah’s eyes-widened. She began to say something but you interrupted, needing her to finally hear you.

“If you want me too, god, just say it and I’m yours, Leah,” you pleaded with tears in your eyes, finally bearing it all for the woman in front of you. “But if you don’t, if I’ve imagined all of this, then you need to tell me because I can’t keep acting like it doesn’t kill me to be this close to you and not get to call you mine.”

“Y/N,” the blonde whispered after a beat. The anger she’d been harbouring since Jordan told her about your whereabouts dissipating entirely. “I…I’m…I don’t…I.”

“You know what, don’t even worry about it. I get it, you’ve made it clear. I shouldn’t have even said anything. I’m so dense, what was I even thinking,” you mumbled, immediately second guessing your honesty. Wiping the tears that began to fall, you turned and headed out of the bedroom, straight for the front door. You needed to get out of there.

But just as you turned the knob, you felt a hand on your wrist that spun you around. Your back barely had time to hit the door before you felt soft lips against your own.

“I love you too. I want you too. God Y/N I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it,” Leah whispered against your lips before capturing then once more in a kiss.

Finally.

#leah williamson imagine #leah williamson x reader #woso imagine #engwnt imagine #engwnt x reader #uswnt x reader

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