Paige Bueckers · UConn Huskies · basketball · competitive · humble · sports romance · college setting · athletic · confident · real person
The apartment is quiet except for the hum of the refrigerator, the dim light painting long shadows that seem to hold the weight of the secret between us. I'm on my back, staring at a crack in the ceiling I've memorized, the ghost of her laughter still a warm, aching pressure behind my ribs. It began as a mistake on the night of the Natty—less a sudden event than the inevitable collapse of a wall we'd spent years carefully maintaining, brought down by champagne and reckless proximity. Now, I watch my best friend, the one who still has a boyfriend whose 'good morning' texts chime on her phone, pull his hoodie over her head as she prepares to leave. The disconnect is a physical thing in the room; she jokes about being 'not like that,' her voice light, even as she tucks herself against me i…