Thirty Eight

The morning after the game felt... different. The gym was quieter, the usual buzz of the team's energy replaced by the stillness that seemed to have settled in me overnight. I had barely slept, my mind replaying every moment of last night—every laugh, every word, every glance exchanged between Paige and me. The kiss still lingered in the back of my mind, like the taste of something sweet that you can't quite get rid of, no matter how hard you try.

I could still feel her hand on my cheek, her breath in my ear, the warmth of her smile. It was like everything had shifted, and in the most unexpected way, it felt right.

I grabbed my coffee from the counter and slipped into my usual spot in the corner of the locker room, trying to pretend like I wasn't about to combust from the inside out.

"You look like you haven't slept a wink," Aubrey teased, her voice laced with that playful energy I'd come to expect from her. She was always the first one to notice when something was off. I could already see the gleam in her eye as she walked past me, tossing her bag into a locker.

I didn't need to ask her if she was referring to last night. The whole team knew how much I had been avoiding my feelings for Paige, the little moments that had passed between us. But it was different now. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with it.

"Yeah, well," I muttered, glancing around for a way out of the conversation. "You could say I'm still processing."

Aubrey raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. 'Processing,' huh?" She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a playful whisper. "You know, if I were you, I'd be doing a lot more than processing. I'd be figuring out how to make the most of this... whatever it is with Paige."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips. Aubrey wasn't wrong. Every glance from Paige the night before had sent my pulse into overdrive. She had a way of looking at me that made me feel like I was the only person in the room. And it had been impossible to ignore.

"She's not... exactly subtle, is she?" I muttered, not looking up from my coffee.

Aubrey's laughter rang through the room, drawing a few glances from the other girls, but she didn't care. "Subtle? Paige? Babe, Paige is as subtle as a freight train." She leaned back against the lockers, crossing her arms. "But you know what? I think you're both too stubborn to admit what's right in front of you. Maybe last night was the wake-up call you needed."

My heart skipped at the thought, but before I could respond, I heard Paige's voice in the hallway.

"Hey, sexy," she called out, her tone light and easy. My stomach flipped at the nickname, and I turned to see her standing in the doorway, a huge grin on her face. The sight of her, tousled hair and that confident energy, made everything inside me tighten.

Aubrey's grin widened at the sight of her. "Oh, look, the girl herself. Should I leave you two lovebirds alone?"

"Do I get a say in this?" I shot back, raising an eyebrow at Aubrey, but I couldn't hide the way my cheeks flushed when Paige stepped fully into the room.

"Nope," Aubrey said, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "But I'll leave you to it. Don't get too lost in each other now."

I narrowed my eyes at Aubrey's retreating form before turning my attention back to Paige. She was standing in front of me now, her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, looking so casual yet so... her. She had this easy confidence about her that never failed to make me feel like everything in the world was right, even if I had no idea what was going on in my own head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your moment," Paige said, her voice soft but teasing. "You just looked so deep in thought, I couldn't resist."

"You're always interrupting me, P," I shot back, setting my coffee down, feeling the tension in the air change. I wanted to be mad at her for making me feel like a bundle of nerves, but I couldn't. I couldn't find it in me to be anything other than happy she was here.

Paige smiled, stepping closer until there was barely any space between us. "Maybe I like interrupting," she said in a low voice, her hand brushing against mine. The electricity between us was immediate, and I had to fight the urge to let the moment stretch out longer.

"Well, I do have a job to do," I said, trying to keep the teasing tone in my voice, but even I knew it was a half-hearted attempt. My heart was pounding too loudly for me to focus on anything else.

Paige smirked, leaning in just enough so that her lips were near my ear. "Maybe I can make that job a little more fun."

I shivered at the sound of her voice so close, and it took every ounce of strength I had to pull away from her. "You're impossible," I muttered, but the smile on my face couldn't hide how much I wanted her to stay close.

"Guilty as charged," she replied with a wink. "But you love it."

Before I could respond, the door to the locker room swung open, and Coach looked in, glancing around at all of us. Her eyes lingered on the two of us for a moment before she let out a small chuckle. "Lovebirds, huh?" she said, her voice teasing but with that familiar authority behind it. "Let's get this day started, ladies. You've got a lot of work ahead of you, and I expect nothing less than top-notch effort."

We both turned to her, and Paige smirked. "We're just keeping things light for now, Coach. Promise we'll work hard later."

Coach raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I know, Bueckers. I know. But don't think I don't see what's going on. Now, get ready. We've got drills to run."

With that, the light mood in the room shifted again, and I felt my nerves return. But this time, there was something different. A certain calm that had settled over me after last night. It was as if I was starting to realize that maybe I didn't need to have everything figured out all at once. Maybe Paige and I didn't need to rush or hide or be perfect. We could just be.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, that didn't seem so terrifying.

The rest of practice passed in a blur. I focused on my camera, snapping shots as the girls ran drills. Paige was unstoppable on the court as usual, her athleticism and leadership evident in every play. Aubrey was her usual mix of jokester and powerhouse, lighthearted but always pushing the team to do better. The whole team had this energy to them that couldn't be matched, and I couldn't help but admire it.

But through it all, my mind kept returning to Paige. The way she'd looked at me earlier, the way she made me feel so seen without even trying.

As practice wrapped up, I found myself standing by the bleachers, my camera dangling at my side. Paige jogged over to me, sweat glistening on her forehead, her breathing heavy but steady. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand, her grin as wide as ever.

"Ready to go, baby girl?" she asked, a teasing note in her voice.

I smiled up at her, a little nervous, but still... sure. "Yeah. Let's go."

For the first time in a long time, I wasn't running from what was in front of me. I was ready. Ready to face whatever came next.

And with Paige by my side, I knew it would be more than okay.