Tate POV
Stirring awake, I felt the heat of the sunshine through the curtains. The best sleep I've had in a long time was what I had last night and the night before. Waking up next to Nika was something I missed.
After going back to Storrs, Nika and I have been inseparable. She stayed glued to me, trying to prove that she always wanted to be around me, that she loved me. I had nothing against her, I mean, I was the one who royally screwed up. My thoughts running quicker than I should have allowed them to make me make the quickest decision to not listen to the girl.
"Babe?" Nika's voice was quiet with sleep, "You awake?"
I twisted enough to look up at her. Her eyelids heavy, a dopey smile on her face, and her hair a tussled mess. "Yeah."
"You wanna do something today?" Her arms came around my waist, pulling me closer to her as her head nuzzled into my neck.
"Of course. What do you have in mind?" I could feel her lips grow into a smile against my neck.
"Well..." She pauses, holding her head up to look me in the eyes, "I was curious to know if you'd...possibly...wanna hang out with my sister, Hana."
My eyes went wide, a small chuckle falling from the brunette's lips, "Would she even like me? Wait, I'm not ready to meet any of your family? Is she nice...she's not gonna be like your parents, is she? Oh god.."
"Babe, calm down," a soft hand cupped my jaw, her thumb brushing softly against my cheek, "You don't have to go. She's just wanting to shop around anyway. Don't worry."
A small pout is all I can muster, "But, I don't wanna not meet her."
"You're being a little confusing today, I see," I playfully smack her arm, Nika pretending to groan.
"I'm not, just conflicted."
"Same thing."
"Is not."
"Is too."
"Nika..."
"Yes, my beautiful and wonderful and amazing and talented and gorgeous girlfriend Tate?"
I rolled my eyes, "You're crazy, and cute, but mostly crazy."
"Does that mean you're coming with me to hang out with Hana?" Her eyes pled as her hand trailed down to my waist, holding me in a comforting manner.
"Fine."
Her eyes lit up with excitement as she took in the simple word, "Really? Oh my god, let me text her, give her a heads up. She's going to love you, no doubt."
I sat there, watching Nika type out a quick response to her sister. Her fingers moved quickly over the letters, pressing each one with so much ease. I hurriedly looked away as she looked up at me.
"So..." She hummed in response, "why's your sister in Storrs right now?"
"The game tomorrow."
"Is it a special one or something?"
Nika's face held a sense of amusement, "Ta, baby, it's like my homecoming game. My sister is playing for Ball State. My parents are gonna be in the crowd too..." her thoughts drifted with her words, her eyes settling on the device in her hands.
"Oh," We hadn't really spoken much about her parents since they pretty much ignored her pleas to listen to her. Matter of fact, we hadn't even thought about it much due to the small incident we had ourselves.
"It's okay. My parents are going out to eat with Hana tonight, and she said she'd try and help with the whole mess. Like I said, Hana is going to love you," The sparkle of hope returned into her chocolate brown eyes, the eyes I could get lost in all day.
"Why is your sister doing all that?"
"Well..." the hand that was once resting on my waist moved to the back of her neck, a habit I realized quickly meant either nervousness or embarrassment. "I might talk to her about you...like a lot."
"Stopppp!" The giddy feeling bubbled within me, "That's adorable!"
"It's adorable when you talk about me to that little friend group of your's. Oh! Or when you repost edits of me on your secret TikTok account. Can't forget ab-" I broke her defensive rambling with a kiss to her lips. She, without hesitation, melted into it.
"Just take the compliment dummy," I smiled and watched as her eyes opened, taking in a breath.
"I just like to remind you that you're the one who deserves all the compliments...not me."
"Nika, you deserve so much. You deserve every compliment in the world!" My hands traveled up to encompass her face in my palms, watching her face turn a faint tint of red.
"I don't deserve you."
"You deserve me just as much as I deserve you."
We sat in the quiet dorm room, taking in each other's company. The faint sounds from the commotion of Nika's teammates outside the door fading into the distance. The sunlight casting a glow on the bed gave the space between as a magical feel. The eye contact we held felt like we were exchanging words without speaking. We could feel everything the other was feeling, we could think what the other was thinking, we were one. We were meant to be.
A thunderous knock pulled both Nika and I out of our daze, jumping slightly. "Hey! Lovebirds! I need something from your room!"
Paige.
Classic Paige.
"Fine! Let me just throw something on really quick!" I glared at Nika, knowing well enough that we were completely dressed.
"Ew! Okay...Nevermind! I'll ask Azzi!" The blonde's disgusted tone sent the brunette beside me into a laughing fit.
"You did not just do that!"
"What! It gives us more time together...without having to get up," She was right. As soon as Nika was to get up, it was hard to get her to lie back down.
"I'll let it slide this time, but only because I wanna stay here with you for a little longer," Nika's chuckle fell from her lips, a smile stretching across my face.
"So," She cuddled into me, "My sister?"
I take a deep breath in, releasing soon after, "she couldn't be worse than you."
"Hey!" Between a laugh and the offended remark, she smiled.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But, I think I'm gonna like her. I mean, she's sticking up for you, helping deal with your parents and everything," She nods, taking in my words.
"She's sweet, most of the time, but yeah. She's a good sister," The girl seemed to drift off, possibly falling asleep a little.
"Hey...you fallin' back asleep?"
She nodded, "You're just comfy."
I rolled my eyes, "That's just an excuse."
She shook her head, "nah uh."
"Whatever," I watched as her eyes closed, settling her head on my shoulder. I smiled watching her drift back off. "I love you, Niks."
A/n : so....I came back....