The distance between us ✧
synopsis: The girls have been teetering on the line of becoming more. But what happens when Paige visits Azzi in Virgina and watches another man ask her to prom?
includes: them both being whipped, jealous Paige, awkward/cute pazzi, high school pazzi, love confessions, gay mfs, fluff/ cute moments, first kiss💋
Azzi Fudd had quickly learned that distance could be both a blessing, and yet feel like the most frustrating thing in the world.
Sometimes, the miles between Virginia and Minnesota felt impossible. They felt like a reminder that no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t just walk down the street and knock on Paige’s door. She couldn’t randomly ask her to get food after school or drag her to the gym when she needed someone to practice with.
But somehow, the distance had never stopped them from being close, If anything, it had made them closer. For years, Paige and Azzi had built a friendship that most people didn’t understand. They met through USA Basketball when they were 15, two girls from completely different states who somehow clicked immediately. Azzi had been quieter back then, the girl who watched everything before jumping in. But Paige had been the opposite, loud, confident, and impossible to ignore.
Paige had walked into the gym wearing an oversized hoodie, basketball shorts, and a ponytail that looked like she had thrown it together five minutes before practice despite there not being a fly away in sight.
Azzi still remembers looking at her and thinking she seemed like the kind of person who was already everyone’s friend (spoiler alert she was.) Paige had always had that kind of energy. She was tall, taller than Azzi by just a couple inches, with long blonde hair that she usually pulled back when she played. Her bright blue eyes always gave away what she was feeling, even when she tried to act like nothing bothered her. She had a naturally confident presence, the kind that made people look toward her when she entered a room. Paige dressed simply, hoodies, sweatpants, basketball shorts, sneakers and somehow made it look effortless. She had always carried herself with this comfortable confidence, like she didn’t need to prove anything to anyone.
A little shorter than Paige, with warm brown skin and thick dark curls that framed her face, Azzi had always been softer around the edges. Her big brown doe eyes gave away every emotion she tried to hide, which Paige loved teasing her about. Azzi cared about details. She noticed small things, she remembered conversations from months ago. She loved pretty things, cute outfits, jewelry, and taking pictures of moments she didn’t want to forget.
They balanced each other. Paige was the storm and Azzi was the calm.
Now, years later, they still talked every single day. Every morning Azzi wakes up to a message from Paige, and every night Paige was the last person Azzi talked to before she went to sleep. They FaceTimed after school and they FaceTimed after practice. Sometimes they stayed on the phone even when they weren’t really talking because neither of them wanted to be the first one to hang up, being in each other's presence was simply enough.
Their friends joked that they knew more about each other than they knew about themselves, they weren’t wrong. Paige knew Azzi hated when her curls got frizzy after practice, Azzi knew Paige pretended she wasn’t tired after long basketball days because she hated admitting she needed rest, Paige knew Azzi always got nervous before big games, Azzi knew Paige always tapped her fingers against her leg when she was anxious. They noticed everything, especially about each other. Which was probably why Azzi stood near the front window fifteen minutes before Paige was supposed to arrive, she was pretending to scroll through her phone even though she hadn't looked at the screen in several minutes. Every few moments, her eyes drifted back toward the driveway on their own, searching for a car that still hadn't arrived.
Behind her, she heard her mom's footsteps crossing the hardwood floor. Katie slowed as she passed, glancing from Azzi to the window before a knowing smile spread across her face. "You know," she said casually, folding her arms against the doorway, "you've checked the driveway at least six times in the last ten minutes."
Azzi didn't even turn around. "I have not," she answered quickly, her voice carrying just enough confidence to almost sound believable. Katie simply raised one eyebrow. The silence that followed was enough to make Azzi crack. "...Okay." She let out a defeated sigh, finally looking over her shoulder. "Maybe six."
Her mom laughed softly, I think we're well past six." Heat crept into Azzi's cheeks as she looked away again, trying and desperately failing to hide the smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.
"You're excited." Katie said.
It wasn't teasing anymore, it was simply an observation. Azzi shrugged one shoulder, suddenly finding the window far more interesting than the conversation. "She's been my best friend for years," she said quietly, as if that explained everything.
Katie's expression softened, "I know she has."
There was something warm in the way she said it, watching her daughter practically glow before her best friend had even arrived. "Which," she continued with another small smile, "is exactly why you're this excited."
Azzi let out an exaggerated groan, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. "You always have to make everything sound dramatic."
Katie laughed, “I'm not making anything dramatic." She nodded toward the window.
"You're the one standing by the front door fifteen minutes early."
Azzi opened her mouth to argue, then closed it. "...Fair." The smile she tried to hide won anyway.
A few minutes later, headlights turned into the driveway, Azzi's heart skipped before she could stop it. "Mom—"
"I see it," Katie laughed. Before another word could be said, Azzi was already pulling the front door open. An Uber rolled to a stop at the curb, the back door swung open. Paige stepped out first, effortlessly slinging a worn duffel bag over one shoulder before stretching her arms after the flight. Her oversized hoodie hung loosely over basketball shorts, blonde ponytail slightly messier than usual from traveling, she glanced toward the house.
The second her bright blue eyes landed on Azzi… Her entire face lit up.
"There she is." The grin that spread across Paige's face was impossible to miss and Azzi couldn't help laughing as she walked down the front steps toward her. "Hi to you too."
Paige dramatically dropped her duffel bag onto the driveway with a heavy thud before placing one hand over her chest. "That's all I get?" she asked, sounding deeply offended. "No dramatic sprint? No tears? No emotional reunion?" Azzi folded her arms, trying very hard not to smile.
"What exactly were you expecting?"
"I traveled all the way from Minnesota." She gestured broadly toward the sky as if she'd crossed continents. "I survived airports."
Azzi tilted her head, "You sat on a plane."
"I did." Paige nodded solemnly. “For several incredibly difficult hours."
"Oh, wow." Azzi pressed a hand against her heart, mirroring Paige's theatrics. "You're so brave."
"I know." Paige sighed dramatically. "The things I endure for this friendship."
Azzi laughed, shaking her head. "You're impossible."
"And yet..." Paige stepped a little closer, folding her arms with a smug smile. "You missed me." Azzi looked away for a second, pretending to think about it. "Hm..."
Paige narrowed her eyes."'Hm?'"
"Maybe." The brunette said.
"'Maybe?'" Paige repeated the word like it was personally offensive. Azzi bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh. "I don't know..."
Paige waited. Azzi held the silence just long enough to make Paige squint suspiciously. Finally, she laughed. "Okay." She lifted both hands in surrender. "Fine, I missed you."
"There it is." Paige pointed triumphantly. "I knew you'd admit it."
"You are unbelievably annoying." Azzi exaggerated.
Before Azzi could say anything else, Paige stepped forward and wrapped both arms around her, the hug was immediate. Strong and comfortable, the kind that erased weeks of distance in seconds. Azzi melted into it without thinking, she'd forgotten how different real hugs felt compared to seeing someone through a phone screen. Paige always hugged like she meant it, like there was nowhere else she'd rather be, like Azzi mattered.
She rested her chin lightly against the top of Azzi's curls. "I missed you," Paige murmured, her voice quieter now.
Azzi smiled against her shoulder. “We literally talked last night.”
"I know." Paige didn't let go, "But it's not the same."
For a moment, neither of them moved. They simply stood there in the middle of the driveway, neither caring who was watching.
Eventually Paige leaned back just enough to look at Azzi properly. Her bright blue eyes swept over her best friend with exaggerated concentration before a slow, teasing grin tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"You're still short," she declared with complete confidence, tilting her head as though she'd just made an important scientific discovery.
Azzi's jaw dropped so dramatically it almost made Paige laugh before she even had the chance to respond. She stared up at her in mock disbelief, one hand flying to her chest.
"Excuse me?" Azzi asked, her voice rising with exaggerated offense. She narrowed her eyes at Paige before lightly swatting her arm. "I literally haven't seen you in weeks, and that's the first thing you have to say to me?"
Paige barely reacted to the hit. If anything, her smile only grew wider. She rubbed her arm theatrically, pretending the gentle swat had actually hurt.
"I'm just making observations," she replied with an innocent shrug, though the amusement dancing in her eyes completely gave her away. "I figured I'd point out that some things never change."
Azzi let out an incredulous laugh, shaking her head as she crossed her arms over her chest. She tried to look annoyed, but the smile tugging at the corners of her lips betrayed her almost instantly.
"I grew," she insisted, lifting her chin as though saying it with enough confidence would make it undeniably true.
Paige hummed thoughtfully, taking an exaggerated step closer. She held one hand above the top of Azzi's curls as if she were measuring her height with invisible lines before pinching her fingers together.
"Maybe..." she said slowly, leaving a tiny gap between her thumb and index finger. "...about that much."
Azzi rolled her eyes so dramatically she thought she might actually see the back of her own head.
"You are so unbelievably annoying," she muttered, though the laughter tucked into her voice completely ruined the insult.
Paige pressed a hand to her chest, wearing an expression of exaggerated heartbreak.
"Ouch," she said. "And yet... you still missed me."
Azzi immediately looked away, hoping Paige wouldn't catch the smile threatening to tug at the corners of her mouth. She should've known better. Paige always noticed. Every tiny smile, every eye roll, every crack in Azzi's laugh carefully built walls.
With an overly dramatic sigh of defeat, Azzi looked back at her. "No," she corrected, fighting and failing to hide her grin. "You're lucky I missed you."
Paige didn't hesitate. She didn't even pretend to consider the comeback. "I know."
The answer came so easily, so matter-of-factly, that Azzi actually stopped for a second.
"You know?" she repeated, eyebrows shooting up. "Excuse me?"
Paige only smiled wider, completely unfazed by Azzi's disbelief.
"I know," she said again, her voice carrying that familiar confidence that somehow never sounded arrogant. It wasn't cocky, it was just... Paige. Like she'd already accepted the fact as undeniable. Like there had never been a version of reality where Azzi wouldn't miss her.
Azzi stared at her for another beat before letting out an incredulous laugh. "You are impossible."
"No, seriously." Azzi shook her head, still smiling despite herself. "Most people would've at least pretended to be humble."
"And lie to you?" Paige asked innocently. "That doesn't seem like a great way to start."
Azzi groaned, dragging a hand down her face.
"See? This is exactly what I was talking about."
Paige let out a laugh, warm and unbothered. "I missed that attitude."
Azzi tried to glare, but it lasted all of two seconds before she cracked another smile. "I hate that you're happy to see me."
"No," Paige said softly, her grin turning genuine. "You really don't."
Azzi opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again when she realized Paige was right. "...You're still unbelievably annoying."
"And you still missed me."
Azzi rolled her eyes one last time, unable to stop laughing.
"Yeah," she admitted quietly. "I did."
Later that day, Azzi wandered back toward her room, absently rubbing the back of her neck after helping her mom carry a heavy storage box upstairs. The cardboard had left faint red marks across her palms, and her shoulders ached just enough to make her roll them as she walked.
The house had settled into the comfortable sort of noise that only happened when everyone was home. Her parents' voices drifted from the kitchen, blending together with the clink of dishes and the low hum of the dishwasher. Somewhere down the hall, Jon burst into laughter at whatever video he was watching before immediately shushing himself when someone yelled his name. The familiar sounds wrapped around the house like a blanket.
Azzi smiled to herself. For the first time in weeks, everything felt… Normal. Or at least as normal as it could with Paige back, that thought settled into her chest before she could stop it.
She frowned at herself. Don't start.
She reached her bedroom door and nudged it open with her shoulder, already thinking about collapsing onto her bed for five uninterrupted minutes. Instead, she froze in the doorway.
"...Seriously?" The single word slipped out before she'd even fully processed what she was looking at.
Paige was sitting cross-legged near the foot of the bed, completely comfortable, her phone balanced loosely in one hand. She wasn't even paying attention to it anymore, absentmindedly scrolling with her thumb while staring out the window.
Like she'd always belonged there, like she'd never spent weeks away. And wrapped around her was Azzi's favorite oversized gray hoodie. Not just a hoodie, The hoodie.
The one Azzi always wore on cold mornings, the one she'd practically lived in last winter. The one that somehow always ended up smelling faintly like lavender detergent and vanilla fabric softener after every wash.
Paige looked up at the sound of Azzi's voice. A slow, innocent blink. "What?" Her eyebrows lifted just enough to say, What did I do now?
Azzi stared at her for another beat, her mouth hanging slightly open before she finally remembered how to form words. She pointed at Paige's chest. "That's my hoodie."
Paige followed the direction of her finger, looking down at herself as though she'd only just noticed what she was wearing. "Oh."
She pinched the front of the hoodie between two fingers, examining it with exaggerated seriousness before looking back up. "This one?"
Azzi couldn't help the tiny laugh that escaped through her nose, It wasn't funny. Paige just had that effect on her. She quickly pressed her lips together again, trying to recover the annoyed expression she'd intended to wear. "Yes," she said, narrowing her eyes with mock suspicion. "That one."
Paige's mouth curved into the smallest smile. Not smug, not teasing, Just pleased.
"I like it." She shrugged one shoulder as she spoke, tugging absentmindedly at one of the sleeves until it covered most of her hand. The fabric was too big on her, making her look smaller somehow.
Azzi watched the movement before she caught herself, her gaze quickly snapped back to Paige's face. "You own hoodies."
"I do." Paige nodded once without arguing, completely calm, as though they were discussing the weather.
"So..." Azzi stepped fully into the room and let the door swing shut behind her with a quiet click. "...why are you wearing mine?"
She crossed her arms, leaning back against the closed door, she wanted to look annoyed, she was fairly sure she looked annoyed. But unfortunately, the corners of her mouth kept threatening to smile.
Paige noticed, she always noticed.
Instead of answering right away, Paige looked down again. Her fingers smoothed absentmindedly over the faded gray fabric stretched across her knees. She rubbed the sleeve between her thumb and forefinger, thinking.
The silence wasn't awkward, It was thoughtful.
Long enough that Azzi found herself wondering if Paige actually didn't know the answer.
Then Paige spoke. "I don't know."
She glanced back up, giving a tiny, helpless shrug.
Azzi raised an eyebrow. "You absolutely know."
"You borrowed it without asking."
Paige considered that. "...Technically."
Azzi let out another reluctant laugh. It came before she could stop it. She sighed dramatically, dropping her head back against the door for a second. "You're impossible."
"So I've been told." Paige smiled again.
Not the loud grin she wore when she was trying to make everyone laugh, yhis one was smaller, quieter at that. The kind of smile that only seemed to happen around Azzi, It lingered for a second too long.
Azzi looked away first. She pushed herself off the door and wandered farther into the room, mostly because standing there suddenly felt strange. She pretended to straighten a stack of books on her desk, she adjusted a pencil that didn't need adjusting. And picked up her water bottle, only to put it right back down.
She wasn't fooling anyone, especially not Paige.
Behind her, Paige watched the little trail of unnecessary movements with an expression that softened without her realizing it.
Azzi always got fidgety when she was flustered, paige had noticed that years ago. She'd just never said anything.
Azzi turned back around, catching Paige watching her. "What?"
Paige blinked once before quickly looking down at the sleeve she was absentmindedly rolling between her fingers. "Nothing."
Azzi narrowed her eyes. "You've got that face."
"The one where you're thinking something."
"I'm always thinking something."
Paige laughed quietly, the sound warm enough to pull another smile from Azzi before she could hide it. For a second, neither of them said anything, the silence settled comfortably between them.
Outside, a breeze stirred the curtains just enough to send a stripe of late afternoon sunlight crawling across the floor. Dust floated lazily through the beam, Paige watched it for a moment then looked back down at the hoodie. Her fingers brushed over the cuff again.
She answered the question she'd been asked almost a minute earlier.
The words left her mouth before she could stop them, Everything stopped.
The room, the conversation, and even the sounds from downstairs seemed impossibly far away.
Paige's eyes widened. ...Oh no.
Her stomach dropped, She replayed the sentence in her head. It smells like you.
Not Your detergent, Not Your fabric softener Just…You.
Heat rushed into her face. She looked up just in time to see Azzi frozen where she stood. Azzi hadn't moved, nor hadn't she blinked. Her heart gave one hard, painful thump against her ribs.
For one terrifying second, all she could think was: Did she really just say that?
The day was spent doing what they both loved most, Basketball. Not the organized kind, not the kind with coaches watching or people keeping score. Just them, the simple kind. The kind that always somehow turned competitive.
The Virginia sun hung high above the driveway, warming the concrete beneath their sneakers. The air carried the faint smell of summer fresh grass from the yard, warm pavement, and the occasional breeze that offered just enough relief before disappearing again.
A basketball bounced steadily between them, it was familiar, and easy. A kind of rhythm they had fallen into years ago. Paige stood near the hoop, hands resting on her hips as she watched Azzi line up her shot. Her blonde hair was pulled back messily, loose strands escaping around her face from the heat and the movement. She had a focused look that Azzi knew well. The look Paige got when she was convinced she was about to win, which usually meant she was about to be unbearable.
Azzi took the shot, the ball hit the rim, bounced once, then fell through the hoop.
Paige immediately groaned. "No way."
She tilted her head back dramatically, staring up at the sky like she had personally been betrayed by the universe.
Azzi couldn't help laughing. "Way."
She walked over to grab the ball, a satisfied smile tugging at her mouth. Paige narrowed her eyes. "You got lucky."
Azzi stopped and looked back at her. The disbelief on her face was obvious. "Lucky?". She repeated the word slowly, eyebrows raised.
Paige nodded like she was making a completely reasonable argument. "Yes."
Azzi shook her head, spinning the ball once in her hands. "You're unbelievable."
"You prefer winning." Azzi argued.
Paige smiled immediately, because that was true, very true. She loved winning, always had. Whether it was basketball, video games, arguments, or something as ridiculous as who made the better sandwich, Paige treated everything like there was a championship trophy waiting at the end. And Azzi loved reminding her when she lost, probably a little too much. They kept playing until the score became less important than the arguing, until they were both laughing too hard to take the shots seriously, until Paige started claiming every missed basket was because of some imaginary problem with the driveway.
Azzi looked down at the perfectly flat concrete. "The ground?"
Paige nodded confidently. "Yes."
"The ground made you miss?"
Azzi stared at her, then burst out laughing. "You are ridiculous."
Paige smiled because making Azzi laugh was always worth losing. Even if she would never admit that.
A few minutes later, Paige drove toward the basket, quick and confident. Azzi followed closely behind, too closely. Because she knew Paige's moves, she knew exactly what Paige was going to do before Paige even did it. Years of playing together had made them almost predictable to each other, Almost.
Paige spun past her and took the shot. The ball went in. She immediately turned around with a triumphant grin. "See?" She pointed toward the hoop. "Perfect."
Azzi crossed her arms, she looked unimpressed, but she was not unimpressed, she was trying very hard not to smile. "You traveled."
Paige froze. The confidence disappeared from her face for half a second, then she looked genuinely offended. "I did not."
The way she said it was so serious that Azzi almost laughed again, Almost.
She stepped closer, shaking her head. "You absolutely did."
Paige placed a hand over her chest dramatically. "Wow."
She looked away like she was wounded. "The disrespect."
Azzi rolled her eyes, but the smile she was fighting finally appeared. "You took three steps."
"You know I can count, right?"
Paige looked at her, then looked away.
The tiny pause gave her away.
Azzi noticed immediately, of course she did. "You know I'm right."
Paige sighed, picking up the basketball and spinning it between her hands. "You’re just mad because I scored."
Azzi watched her for a second. The sun caught the side of Paige's face as she smiled, completely pleased with herself despite being caught.
And before Azzi could think about it-
Before she could filter it-
"You’re lucky you’re cute."
The second the sentence left her mouth, everything stopped. Azzi's fingers tightened slightly around the edge of her shirt, her brain caught up a second too late.
Across from her, Paige went completely still, not dramatically, not like when she was pretending to be offended, she physically went still. The basketball rested against her hip, her eyebrows lifted slightly.
Azzi froze. The warmth that had already been lingering from the sun suddenly felt like it was coming from somewhere else, she looked anywhere but Paige.
The driveway, the hoop, the grass, anywhere. Because looking at Paige felt impossible.
Then slowly Paige smiled, not her usual teasing grin, something softer. Something that made Azzi's stomach flip before she could stop it.
"Did you just call me cute?" Her voice was lighter than the moment deserved, like she was trying to make it a joke. But her eyes stayed on Azzi waiting.
Azzi swallowed her cheeks were definitely warm now. "No." The answer came too fast.
Paige's smile grew, "Yes, you did."
"I didn't." Azzi turned slightly away, pretending to look for the basketball even though she knew exactly where it was.
Paige watched her, the way she avoided eye contact, the way her shoulders got slightly tense when she was embarrassed, the way she always thought she was better at hiding things than she actually was. Paige knew, she always knew.
Paige took a few slow steps closer not enough to make it obvious. Just enough that Azzi noticed. "You definitely did."
Azzi glanced back at her, paige was smiling. That was the problem. Paige always looked at her like she was the easiest person in the world to understand.
Azzi looked away again. "Maybe."
The word came out quiet, almost reluctant.
Paige's eyebrows lifted. “Maybe?" She repeated it like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Azzi finally looked back at her, a small smile breaking through despite her best efforts. "Okay." She shook her head slightly, giving in. "Yes I did."
For a second, neither of them said anything. Because somehow admitting something as simple as yes, you're cute felt far more dangerous than it should have.
Paige looked down, smiling to herself then she shook her head. "You’re trouble." The words were playful, but there was something warm underneath them. Something neither of them wanted to examine too closely.
Azzi bounced the basketball once against the pavement. Caught it, then smiled. "And you love it."
The teasing came easily, the way it always did. But this time… It landed differently. The smile on Paige's face softened, the air between them shifted. Just for a second. Because the joke wasn't really a joke, not completely.
Paige looked at her, Azzi looked back. And neither of them laughed right away because maybe she did. Maybe Paige did love it, maybe Paige loved a lot of things about Azzi that she had never said out loud. And maybe Azzi loved a lot of things about Paige that she was still pretending was just friendship.
The moment only lasted a few seconds, then Paige looked away first, clearing her throat and tossing the basketball back toward Azzi. "Your turn."
Azzi caught it, smiling to herself. Because of course they both pretended nothing happened.
They always did, but neither of them forgot.
Later, after the basketball had been abandoned and the heat of the afternoon had started to fade, they ended up exactly where they always seemed to end up.
The porch steps were warm beneath them, still holding onto the last traces of the Virginia sun. The basketball sat forgotten near the driveway, slightly dusty from being dragged across the concrete all afternoon. Neither of them had bothered to bring it back, neither of them cared. The important part was that they were still there, side by side.
Azzi sat one step higher than Paige, her legs stretched out in front of her while she leaned back on one hand. Her phone rested loosely in the other, her attention caught by something on the screen. Paige wasn't even sure what she was looking at, she hadn't asked. She hadn't really been paying attention to the phone. She was paying attention to Azzi, she always did.
The afternoon had left its marks on her. Her curls were messier than they had been that morning, some falling around her face from running around outside. Her cheeks still had a faint flush from playing, and there was a relaxed smile resting on her lips as she read whatever had made her laugh.
It was a smile Paige had seen thousands of times. During games, during late-night calls, across crowded rooms, and through a phone screen. But seeing it in person was different. Everything felt different when Azzi was right there. Close enough that Paige could see the tiny changes in her expression, close enough to hear the quiet little laugh she made before she even realized she was laughing, close enough that Paige didn't have to imagine what it would be like to sit beside her.
And somehow that felt more dangerous than the distance ever had. Paige looked away for a moment, focusing on the yard in front of them. She needed to stop staring, because Azzi was going to notice. Azzi always noticed.
Except she was smiling at her phone, completely unaware, or maybe pretending to be Paige couldn't tell anymore. After a few quiet seconds, Paige leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees. The question came out before she had fully decided to ask it.
Azzi's thumb stopped moving across her screen. She looked up, turning her head toward Paige. The sudden attention made Paige's heart jump in a way she immediately ignored.
"What?" Her voice was soft, curious.
Paige watched her for a second, the way her eyebrows lifted slightly, the way she gave Paige her full attention without hesitation. Like she always did.
Paige smiled faintly. "Everyone at USA Basketball thinks we’re together."
For a moment, Azzi just stared, then she laughed. Not because the idea was funny, not exactly. More because it was familiar, because she had heard it before. So many times.
She lowered her phone into her lap, shaking her head slightly as her smile grew. "I know."
The answer was simple, too simple.
Paige studied her face looking for something, a reaction, a hesitation, anything.
"Does that bother you?" The question sounded casual like she was just curious. Like she wasn't quietly holding her breath waiting for the answer.
Azzi's smile faded just slightly, not completely. Just enough that Paige noticed, of course she noticed. Azzi turned her body a little more toward her, resting her phone beside her on the step. "No."
The answer came easily, too easily.
Paige tilted her head. She watched Azzi's face carefully. The tiny shift in her expression, the way her eyes flickered away for half a second before returning.
"No?" She repeated it softly not challenging, just making sure.
Azzi looked back at her. "No."
There was a quiet confidence in the answer but Paige knew Azzi. She knew the difference between when Azzi was certain and when Azzi was trying to convince herself.
"Why?" The question was gentle, almost too gentle. And that was what made it harder. Azzi looked down at her hands. Her fingers traced over the edge of her phone case, a small nervous habit Paige had noticed years ago. A habit Azzi probably didn't even know she had.
"I don’t know." The words were quiet.
Barely louder than the breeze moving through the trees. Paige didn't answer immediately.
Because she knew, she knew that was a lie, not a bad one, not an intentional one. Just the kind of lie people told when the truth was too big to say out loud. Azzi knew Paige knew, she could feel it. The silence between them changed, not uncomfortable. Just heavier. Full of everything they weren't saying.
Paige looked down at the porch boards. Azzi looked out toward the driveway, neither of them moved. Because moving would mean breaking the moment. And neither of them wanted to be the one to do that.
The truth was sitting right there, between them. Not hidden, not complicated, just unspoken. The truth was in the way Paige always looked for Azzi first in every room. The way Azzi always saved space beside her without thinking. The way they reached for each other naturally and only questioned it afterward. The way everyone else seemed to see something they were both too afraid to name. They had spent years convincing themselves that this was just who they were.
And maybe that was why admitting anything else felt impossible. Because what if saying it changed everything? What if putting a name on it made them lose the one thing they couldn't imagine losing? So they stayed quiet. Two people sitting shoulder to shoulder on a porch, pretending they didn't already know.
Paige finally glanced back at Azzi, Azzi looked over at the same time their eyes met.
Neither smiled, not immediately. For once, they just looked at each other. Like they were both standing at the edge of something. Something they weren't ready to step into. Then Azzi's mouth curved slightly, small, almost invisible.
Paige noticed, of course she did. And she smiled back.Because even when they didn't say the truth… They always seemed to understand it anyway.
By the third day of Paige being in Virginia, Azzi had started to forget what it felt like when she wasn't there. And that was the dangerous part, not the distance, not the fact that Paige lived in Minnesota and Azzi lived in Virginia. Not even the reality waiting at the end of the visit—the part neither of them wanted to talk about too much. The fact that eventually, Paige would have to pack her bags. Eventually, there would be a suitcase sitting by the door again, eventually, there would be a goodbye at the airport, and eventually, Azzi would go back to waking up and reaching for her phone instead of walking downstairs and finding Paige there.
That was normal, that was what they had always done. They had spent years knowing how to handle the distance. The FaceTime calls, the texts throughout the day. The sending of random pictures because something reminded one of them of the other. They knew how to miss each other, they had practice. The dangerous part was how quickly Paige became a part of Azzi's everyday life again. Like she had never left, like the months apart had just been some strange interruption, like Paige had always belonged there. And maybe that was what scared Azzi the most, because she noticed everything. Small things. Things that shouldn't have mattered, but somehow did.
Paige's shoes sat by the front door every morning not carefully placed, just dropped there the way Paige always did when she came inside. The first time Azzi saw them, she almost smile, almost. She had caught herself before anyone could notice. But she had still looked at them for a second longer than necessary, because they meant Paige was there. Her water bottle was constantly appearing in random places around the kitchen, on the counter, next to the sink. Sometimes somehow sitting directly beside Azzi's own. Azzi had no idea how one person could lose the same bottle in the same house so many times. And yet Paige managed, every single day. One of Paige's hoodies had somehow become permanently mixed in with Azzi's clothes, which, technically, was an accident, probably. Except Azzi had a feeling it wasn't, especially because when she mentioned it, Paige had just looked completely innocent.
"I don't know how that happened."
Azzi had stared at her and Paige had stared back, neither of them believed it but Azzi hadn't moved the hoodie. She hadn't put it back in Paige's bag, she hadn't even mentioned it again.
Because the truth was… She liked it there, she liked seeing reminders that Paige was there, she liked opening her closet and seeing something that belonged to Paige hanging beside her own clothes, she liked hearing Paige's laugh drift down the hallway. That laugh that always seemed to fill up whatever space it was in. She liked waking up and knowing that if she walked into the kitchen, she'd probably find Paige standing there.
Probably barefoot, probably still half asleep, and probably stealing food while pretending she wasn't. And every single time, Azzi would walk in and say something about it. And every single time, Paige would act surprised, as if she hadn't been doing the exact same thing for years.
It felt natural, almost too natural. That was the problem. Because Azzi wasn't supposed to feel this comfortable, not because of Paige because comfort was easy, comfort was dangerous. Paige had always been the type of person who made herself comfortable anywhere.It was one of the things Azzi loved about her. The thought came so easily that Azzi almost missed it.
She paused when she realized what she'd thought.
Not liked, not appreciated.
Her chest tightened slightly. She pushed the thought away before she could examine it. Because of course she loved Paige, she loved her family, she loved her friends, she loved people.
That was normal. Except… It didn't feel like the same thing, not with Paige. Not anymore. Because Azzi knew Paige differently than most people did. Everyone at USA Basketball saw the same version of her. The Paige everyone naturally gravitated toward. The tall, athletic, confident girl from Minnesota who walked into a room and somehow made it feel smaller. The person who could make teammates laugh even after a difficult practice. The one who carried herself like she knew exactly what she was doing.
The one people trusted, and they should. Because Paige was that person. She was the teammate who noticed when someone was quieter than usual. The one who would throw an arm around someone's shoulders after a bad game without needing to be asked. The one who defended the people she cared about without hesitation. The one who somehow stayed calm when everything around her got chaotic. But Azzi knew there was more, she knew the Paige that existed after everyone else went home. The Paige who got nervous before important games even though she acted like she didn't, the Paige who would pace around before a big moment and pretend she wasn't overthinking, the Paige who secretly cared far more about people's opinions than she wanted anyone to know, the Paige who would tell everyone else not to worry and then quietly worry herself, the Paige who stayed up late listening to Azzi talk through something bothering her, even when Paige had practice early the next morning. Azzi remembered those nights, the quiet ones. The ones where Paige's voice would get softer as she got tired but she'd never tell Azzi to stop talking, because Paige never wanted Azzi to feel like she was too much.
Everyone else saw the confident girl from Minnesota, the basketball player, the leader, the person who seemed impossible to shake. Azzi saw the person underneath, the real Paige. The one who laughed the loudest, the one who cared the deepest, the one who pretended she didn't need reassurance but always smiled a little differently when Azzi gave it to her. And maybe that was why everything felt so complicated because Azzi didn't just like Paige's smile. She didn't just like the way Paige looked wearing her clothes.She didn't just like the way Paige played basketball. Those things were easy, those things anyone could notice.
Azzi loved knowing her. The little things, the things nobody else saw, the way Paige hummed quietly when she cooked, the way she scrunched her nose when she was trying not to laugh, the way she looked for Azzi first after something exciting happened, the way she always remembered the smallest details Azzi mentioned weeks earlier, the way Paige somehow made Azzi feel understood without her having to explain herself.
All of her. The confident parts, the nervous parts, the loud parts, the quiet parts. Everything.
And maybe that was why Azzi found herself standing in the middle of her room one afternoon, staring at one of Paige's hoodies hanging beside her own, realizing something she wasn't ready to admit. She wasn't just missing Paige when Paige was gone anymore. She was noticing how much better everything felt when Paige was there. And that was a much scarier thing.
That morning, Azzi was sitting at her vanity, enjoying one of the rare quiet moments before the day started. Sunlight poured through the curtains, catching on the little things scattered across her desk—the hair ties she always misplaced, the lip balm she kept forgetting she already owned, the small collection of products she used even though she always claimed she "didn't do much."
Her room still carried the comfortable evidence that Paige had been there for days.
A water bottle sitting on the nightstand, a hoodie draped over the back of a chair, a pair of shoes near the door that definitely weren't Azzi's.
Azzi was halfway through fixing her curls when she heard footsteps in the hallway.
She didn't look up right away, she didn't need to, she already knew the sound. That was the thing about Paige. After a few days together, Azzi could recognize her without even trying. The way she walked, the slight pause before opening a door. The way she always knocked even when she knew she was welcome.
The door opened and then Azzi looked up, Immediately. Because there was something very familiar about the oversized sweatshirt Paige was wearing. Too familiar.
Azzi's hand paused halfway through her hair, her eyes narrowed slowly, suspiciously.
"Are you seriously wearing that?"
Paige stopped in the doorway. She had one hand still resting on the doorknob, her eyebrows lifting as if she had walked in expecting a normal morning and somehow ended up on trial.
"What?" The innocence was almost impressive, almost.
Azzi slowly turned her chair toward her, setting the hairbrush down. "My sweatshirt."
Paige looked down, actually looked down. Like she hadn't realized what she was wearing. The sweatshirt hung loosely on her frame, the sleeves slightly too long and covering part of her hands.
Azzi hated that it looked good on her. She hated that Paige somehow managed to make stealing her clothes look natural.
Paige glanced at herself, then toward the mirror across the room.
Azzi stared. The response was so casual it almost made her laugh.
She pointed at the sweatshirt.
Paige looked back at her, Azzi raised her eyebrows.
For a second, Paige just stood there. Then the smallest smile started forming.
Azzi noticed immediately, of course she did. That smile meant Paige knew something. And Paige always got that smile when she knew she had an answer that would make Azzi lose her argument.
Paige leaned casually against the doorway, crossing one ankle over the other. "It’s comfortable."
Azzi turned fully in her chair. "You have your own clothes."
"I know." Paige answered easily. Too easily.Like she wasn't the person currently wearing something that belonged to Azzi.
Azzi tilted her head. "Then why are you wearing mine again?" The word again carried more weight than she intended because this wasn't the first time, or the second. Paige had somehow made a habit out of borrowing things that belonged to Azzi. Hoodies, shirts, and blankets. Anything she could claim was "more comfortable." And Azzi always complained, but she never actually stopped her.
Paige's smile grew. There it was, that look, the one Azzi knew too well. Paige had an answer. And she knew Azzi wasn't going to be prepared for it. "Because I like yours better."
The sentence was simple, Casual. But somehow it landed differently. Azzi blinked. She quickly looked away, pretending to adjust something on her vanity because Paige couldn't know that a sentence like that affected her. That was ridiculous, It was just a sweatshirt, just fabric. Just Paige being Paige.
She cleared her throat. "I don't think that's how sweatshirts work."
Paige pushed off the doorway and walked farther into the room, still smiling. "Yes, it is."
Azzi looked back at her. "No, it isn't."
"How?" The question came out before Azzi could stop herself. And maybe she shouldn't have asked.
Because Paige stepped closer, not dramatically, not enough to make it obvious, Jjust enough that Azzi noticed. Paige rested her shoulder against the wall beside the vanity, looking at her with that familiar confidence. "Because it's yours."
The room went quiet, not completely. The outside world was still there. Birds, cars passing, the house waking up around them. But somehow it all faded behind those three words, Because it's yours.
Azzi stared at her and for once… Paige looked like she realized she had said too much. The confidence disappeared, just for a second. Her smile softened and her eyes flickered away. A tiny crease appeared between her eyebrows as if she was replaying the sentence in her head.
Maybe that sounded different than I meant.
Except maybe she hadn't meant something different. Maybe that was the problem.
Azzi noticed the change immediately, because she knew Paige. She knew the version of Paige that everyone else saw.
The confident one. The one who always had a comeback. The one who never seemed caught off guard. But Azzi knew this Paige too. The one who got quiet when something mattered. The one who accidentally revealed too much and then tried to cover it up. The one who suddenly looked younger when she wasn't pretending to have everything figured out.
Paige cleared her throat, then quickly added, "Also, it's soft."
The recovery was so obvious that Azzi couldn't help it, she laughed, a real laugh.The kind that made Paige smile just because she caused it.
Paige's mouth opened like she was going to argue. Then she stopped because there was no point. Azzi was right again.
Paige looked down at the sweatshirt sleeve, tugging lightly at the cuff. "I panicked."
The honesty surprised Azzi. Not because Paige wasn't honest. she was. But because Paige didn't usually admit when she lost her composure.
Azzi smiled. "You panicked?"
Paige nodded once, completely serious. "Yeah."
Azzi shook her head, still smiling. "You're terrible at hiding things."
The words were teasing but they were also true. Because Paige was good at hiding things from almost everyone.. almost. Paige looked back up and something about her expression changed. Not much. Just enough.
"Only from you." The sentence was quiet, too quiet. The kind of sentence that wasn't supposed to mean anything but somehow meant everything.
Azzi stopped smiling for a second not because she was upset because she didn't know what to do with that.
The words sat between them, Heavy, warm, and dangerous. Because Paige meant it as a simple fact but Azzi heard everything underneath it.
That Paige noticed when she was pretending. That Paige knew when she was nervous. That Paige could read her in ways nobody else could and maybe that was the same reason Azzi could read Paige.
Neither of them moved, neither of them looked away. For a moment, the sweatshirt wasn't the point anymore, It wasn't about borrowing clothes, It wasn't about comfort, It was about the fact that Paige had chosen something that belonged to Azzi and Azzi had never once actually wanted it back.
Finally, Paige looked away first a small smile tugged at her mouth. "You're thinking too much."
Azzi blinked Immediately defensive. "I am not."
Paige smiled. "There it is."
"The thing where you deny something while proving my point."
Azzi rolled her eyes, but she was smiling again.
And Paige saw it, of course she did, she always did.
Neither of them said anything else about the sweatshirt. They didn't need to because somehow, lately, the smallest things had started saying everything for them.
Later that afternoon Azzi convinced Paige to go shopping with her. Which, according to Paige, was an unfair thing to ask of anyone. At least, that was what she claimed. The reality was that Paige had been walking beside Azzi through the store for the last twenty minutes, carrying a drink in one hand and holding Azzi's bag in the other without being asked. She complained, constantly. But she hadn't actually try to leave. That was Paige. She always acted like she hated things she secretly enjoyed.
Azzi had learned that a long time ago.
They moved slowly through the store, surrounded by racks of clothes and the quiet background music playing overhead. The afternoon crowd moved around them, people browsing and chatting, but Azzi barely noticed.
She was too used to this, Paige beside her, Paige making comments about everything she picked up. Paige pretending she wasn't interested while somehow always being the first person to give an opinion.
Azzi held up a dress in front of herself, turning slightly toward the mirror. She looked at the color, then at the shape, then back at Paige. Paige was standing a few feet away, leaning against a display table with the most dramatic look of suffering Azzi had ever seen.
Azzi narrowed her eyes. "You know you're allowed to admit you're having fun, right?"
Paige immediately looked offended. "I don't know why we're here."
The answer came so quickly that Azzi almost laughed. Almost.
Instead, she raised an eyebrow. "Because I wanted to look at dresses."
Paige glanced around the store, then back at Azzi. "You have a closet full of dresses."
Azzi turned back toward the mirror, holding the dress against herself again. "That's not the point."
Paige sighed loudly. The kind of sigh that was clearly meant to be heard. "You and your clothes."
Azzi looked over her shoulder, a smile already forming. "And you and your basketball shorts."
Paige immediately straightened. The offense on her face was almost impressive. "They're practical."
Azzi looked down at the outfit Paige had chosen for the day.Basketball shorts, a hoodie, and sneakers.
She looked back up. "They're ugly."
Paige's mouth dropped slightly, she put a hand over her chest. "Wow."
The reaction was so exaggerated that Azzi couldn't hold it in anymore. She laughed, a real laugh. The kind that escaped before she could decide whether she wanted to show it.
Paige narrowed her eyes. "No, you're not."
Azzi tried to look serious, but she failed. The smile stayed. "Maybe a little."
Paige shook her head, pretending to be disappointed. "Unbelievable."
But she was smiling too and that was the part Azzi noticed because Paige could tease anyone. She could joke with anyone and she could make an entire room laugh without even trying. That was just who Paige was.
But the way she looked at Azzi afterward was different, Softer. Like the joke wasn't complete until she saw Azzi's reaction, like Azzi's laugh was the part she was actually waiting for and Paige didn't even realize she did it.
That was what made it worse or maybe better. Azzi wasn't sure anymore. She just knew that Paige had a way of making her feel like she was the only person in the room. Even when there were dozens of other people around.
Eventually, after trying on a few different options, Azzi disappeared into the dressing room with the dress she'd been considering.
Paige sat down on the small bench outside, phone in hand. At least, that was what she wanted it to look like. Like she was busy, like she wasn't waiting ,like she wasn't listening for the curtain to move. She scrolled through her phone without actually reading anything.
A few seconds passed, then she looked up and Immediately looked back down. Then frowned at herself because why was she acting like she had been caught doing something? She wasn't doing anything.
She was just...Looking that was all.
The curtain opened and Azzi stepped out. Paige looked up and stopped only for a second.
But Azzi noticed of course she did she always noticed Paige. Azzi stood in front of the mirror, smoothing the fabric slightly as she looked at herself.
The dress wasn't anything dramatic it wasn't about that. It was the way Azzi carried herself. The way she seemed both confident and unsure at the same time. The way she glanced toward Paige like Paige's opinion mattered more than anyone else's and Paige hated how immediately she thought:
Paige blinked, realizing she had been staring, Azzi caught it.
The question was quiet and a little uncertain.
Paige immediately looked down at her phone. "Nothing."
Azzi crossed her arms slightly she knew that answer, she knew Paige.
Azzi tilted her head, "You're doing the thing."
Paige tried to look confused. "What thing?"
"The thing where you pretend you don't have something to say."
Paige opened her mouth then closed it because she did do that, especially with Azzi, especially when the thing she wanted to say mattered.
Azzi waited. Not impatiently, just patiently because she knew Paige would eventually say it.
Paige looked away for a moment then back. "Azzi."
The way she said her name made Azzi's expression soften. "What?"
Paige hesitated and that was unusual.Paige didn't hesitate, not normally. Paige could walk into a room full of strangers and somehow make herself comfortable within minutes, she could step onto a basketball court and play like the whole world was watching because she trusted herself, and she could defend people she cared about without thinking twice. But with Azzi sometimes she got stuck because Azzi's reaction mattered, too much.
Paige swallowed slightly. "You know you're really pretty, right?"
The words were simple but the effect they had was immediate. Azzi's face warmed, she looked away almost instinctively, suddenly very interested in adjusting the edge of the dress because Paige could compliment her all day. She could tell her she was talented, strong, funny, and a great teammate. Those things were easy, but this? This felt different.
Azzi smiled down at the floor. "You're only saying that because you're my best friend."
It was meant to be a joke a way to make the moment lighter but Paige's expression changed, not dramatically, just enough. The teasing disappeared.
"No." The answer came immediately, too immediately. Azzi looked back up and paige seemed to realize how serious she sounded.
Her eyes softened, the intensity faded into something gentler. "I mean..." She paused, searching for the right words because there were so many things she could say, too many. She could say that she noticed everything about Azzi. That she had always thought she was beautiful, that it had nothing to do with being her best friend, that being close to Azzi was the reason she noticed the little things everyone else missed but she couldn't say all of that, not yet.
So instead, she smiled softly. "No. I'm saying it because it's true."
The words settled between them, quiet, and honest. Azzi didn't know what to do with them.She didn't have a joke or she didn't have a comeback.
So she just smiled, small, and a little shy. The kind of smile Paige always seemed to bring out of her.
And Paige smiled back because that was enough.
For now neither of them said anything else but they both felt it. That little moment where everything they weren't saying sat right there between them and neither of them reached for it, not yet.
That same night, they sat outside on Azzi’s porch. The world felt quieter after dark. The sounds of the day had faded away, replaced by the soft rhythm of crickets hiding somewhere in the yard and the occasional breeze moving through the trees. The warm Virginia air wrapped around them, gentle and familiar.
It was completely different from Minnesota, paige had mentioned that more than once since she arrived. The weather, the slower evenings, the fact that she didn't have to put on layers just to step outside. Azzi had teased her about it every time but secretly, she liked hearing Paige compare the two places because it meant Paige was noticing things about being here, about being with her.
They sat in two chairs near the edge of the porch, close enough that their knees almost touched whenever one of them shifted, almost.
Neither of them moved away. Paige leaned back, one arm resting along the side of the chair as she looked up at the sky.The stars were brighter out here or maybe that was just because everything felt different when she wasn't looking at them through a phone screen.
Her blonde hair moved slightly with the breeze, and for once, she wasn't talking, Azzi noticed she always noticed when Paige got quiet and not because it was unusual but because Paige's silence meant something. Most people saw Paige as someone who filled every room, someone who always had a joke ready, or someone who could keep a conversation going forever. Azzi knew she could, but she also knew Paige had a quiet side.A side she didn't show everyone, and somehow, Azzi had always been one of the people who got to see it.
Paige kept looking at the stars for a few more seconds. Then she spoke.
"You know what’s weird?" Her voice was softer than usual, not playful, and not teasing.
Azzi turned her head toward her. She noticed the way Paige didn't look over right away. Like she was thinking about how to say whatever was on her mind.
Paige smiled faintly. "I've been here three days."
Azzi nodded slowly. "Yeah."
She knew that of course she knew. She had counted the days too, not intentionally, not in a way she would admit but she knew.
Paige turned her head slightly, looking back at the sky.
"And it already feels normal."
The words sat there for a moment. Azzi felt something shift in her chest because she understood exactly what Paige meant.
It wasn't about the house or the weather, or Virginia. It was about the feeling of having her there again, like the distance between them had disappeared, like Paige belonged in all the little spaces of Azzi's life.
A soft smile appeared on Azzi's face. "Because you've been here before."
It was the obvious answer. The safe answer, the one that made sense.
For a second, Azzi wondered if she had misunderstood. Then Paige looked over, really looked at her.
The answer was gentle, certain.
Azzi's smile faded slightly as she waited. Paige held her gaze for a moment and then, almost like she didn't mean to say it out loud—
Everything went still, but not literally. The night continued around them, the crickets kept singing, and the breeze kept moving. But for Azzi, the moment narrowed down to those three words.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the chair, she looked at Paige and Paige looked back. For a second, neither of them knew what to do with the honesty sitting between them because Paige hadn't said anything impossible.
She hadn't confessed anything, she hadn't crossed any line. But somehow It felt like she had gotten dangerously close.
Paige seemed to realize it too her eyes shifted away. A tiny, almost embarrassed smile pulled at her mouth. The same Paige who could confidently talk in front of thousands of people suddenly couldn't look at Azzi after saying something simple.
Azzi noticed that, of course she did.
"What?" The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Paige looked back. "What?"
Azzi gestured slightly between them. "You just..."
She stopped. Because she didn't know how to finish the sentence. You just said something that sounded like everything I've been trying not to think about, you just made me wonder if you feel it too.
Instead, she shook her head. "Nothing."
Paige's lips curved into a knowing smile and a quiet laugh escaped her.
Azzi looked at her, confused. "Do what?"
Paige turned slightly in her chair, facing her more. "Almost say something."
The observation was gentle, not teasing. Because Paige knew. She knew Azzi had just done the same thing she had done, gotten close to saying something real, then backed away.
Azzi looked down, hiding the small smile that appeared because Paige was right, annoyingly right. As usual.
"Maybe I learned from you." The curly girl said.
The joke was light but the meaning underneath it wasn't.
Paige smiled a real smile, the kind that reached her eyes because maybe she liked knowing Azzi paid attention, maybe she liked knowing Azzi noticed the things nobody else did. For a while, they just sat there, not talking, not needing to.
The silence between them wasn't empty. It was comfortable, familiar, and full. That was one of the things Azzi loved most about Paige. They never had to force anything, they didn't have to fill every quiet moment with words. They could sit next to each other doing absolutely nothing and somehow still feel connected.
Most people would have thought silence meant there was nothing to say. But with Paige, silence felt like another language. One they both understood.
Eventually, Paige shifted slightly in her chair, she looked back up at the stars.
Then, after a long pause, she spoke.
"Do you ever think about what would happen if we lived closer?"
Azzi's heart reacted before her brain did because the question wasn't complicated. It was innocent, a normal question.
Friends thought about things like that, friends wished they lived closer, friends imagined spending more time together. That was all.
Still, Azzi didn't have to think about her answer. She looked at Paige. "All the time."
The honesty surprised even her. Paige's eyebrows lifted slightly then a smile slowly appeared.
There was something hopeful in the way she asked. Small, almost hidden. But Azzi heard it.
"Yeah." She nodded, looking back out at the yard.
"What would we do?" Paige asked it casually.
But both of them knew they weren't really talking about activities. They were talking about the idea of a life where distance wasn't always there. A life where seeing each other didn't have an expiration date.
Azzi thought about it, she smiled slightly. "Probably annoy each other every day."
Paige laughed immediately. The sound was warm and familiar. "Definitely."
Azzi looked over at her. "And you'd steal my clothes."
Paige didn't even hesitate. "Obviously."
Azzi shook her head, smiling.
There it was, the same Paige. The same girl who had been stealing her hoodies for years.
"And you'd make me play basketball when I don't want to."
Paige looked genuinely offended. "Also obvious."
Azzi laughed softly. The two of them fell into that easy rhythm again. The one they always had, the one that made everything feel effortless.
Azzi looked away, still smiling. "Sounds terrible." She said it like a joke, like she didn't mean it, like she wasn't imagining exactly what she had described.
Paige was quiet for a second. When Azzi looked back, she found Paige already watching her not with her usual teasing expression. Something softer, something that made Azzi forget how to breathe for half a second.
"Sounds perfect." Paige said.
The words were quiet, almost too quiet but Azzi heard them.
Her heart skipped. Just once, enough for her to notice, enough for her to wonder if Paige noticed too.
Paige looked away after a moment, suddenly interested in the sky again.
Azzi stared at her profile. Because maybe the scariest part wasn't wanting a future where Paige was closer, maybe the scariest part was realizing that, somehow, Paige had already started feeling like home
The next afternoon, everything changed. The strange thing was that Azzi didn’t realize it was going to happen. She had spent the entire day thinking about nothing except the fact that Paige was still there, that Paige’s shoes were still by the front door, that Paige had stolen another sweatshirt and acted like she had no idea how it ended up in her room, that Paige had somehow convinced everyone in the house to let her stay a little longer outside after breakfast because she “was enjoying the weather,” even though Azzi knew the real reason was simpler.
Paige just liked being there, with her. And Azzi liked having her there more than she wanted to admit.
They were sitting in the living room, comfortable in the way they always were. Paige was stretched out on one side of the couch, one leg tucked underneath her, scrolling through her phone while pretending she wasn’t listening to everything happening around her. Azzi sat beside her, laughing quietly at something on her own screen.
It was normal. That was the dangerous part, everything with Paige felt so normal, like she belonged there, like Azzi hadn’t spent months missing this exact feeling.
The sound of the doorbell cut through the room. Both of them looked up. Paige’s eyebrows lifted slightly, her thumb stopping mid-scroll.
Azzi frowned, she wasn’t expecting anyone.
"Are you expecting someone?" Paige’s voice was casual, but Azzi knew her too well.
She heard the curiosity underneath it.
Azzi shook her head, setting her phone down on the cushion beside her. "No."
She started standing, brushing a few crumbs from her shorts. Before she could take more than a step, Paige stood too, Azzi looked back at her.
Paige immediately shrugged, like she hadn’t just moved without thinking. "I’ll come with you."
The words made Azzi pause. A small smile tugged at her mouth because there it was, Paige’s instinct.
She could pretend she wasn’t protective, she could pretend she wasn’t constantly paying attention but she always did things like this.
"You’re coming with me?" Azzi asked, turning fully toward her.
Paige looked confused by the question. "Yeah."
Paige blinked then looked toward the door. "I’m walking with you."
The answer was so simple that Azzi almost laughed, almost.
Instead, she tilted her head. "Protective much?"
Paige immediately rolled her eyes, grabbing the sleeve of her hoodie and pulling it down over her hand. A nervous habit, one Azzi noticed every time.
"No." The denial came too quickly.
Paige shook her head as she followed her toward the hallway. "I’m not."
Azzi glanced back. "You are."
Paige tried to look annoyed, she really did but the corner of her mouth lifted. The smallest smile, the kind she got when she knew Azzi was right but didn’t want to admit it.
"Maybe." The blonde admitted.
Azzi laughed softly and Paige looked at her, just for a second long enough for Azzi to notice, long enough for Paige to look away when she realized she’d been staring.
Neither of them mentioned it. They never did.
Azzi reached the front door and opened it and then she stopped because standing on the other side was Mason, holding flowers.
For a second, Azzi didn’t process it, not because she didn’t understand because she did, immediately.
Her eyes moved from the flowers to his face, and her stomach dropped slightly.
Behind her, Paige went quiet, completely quiet.
Azzi didn’t turn around. She didn’t need to, she could feel the change. The air shifted.
Paige had been relaxed seconds ago, now she wasn’t. Mason smiled nervously, shifting the flowers between his hands. "Hey, Azzi."
Azzi forced herself to smile politely. "Hey."
Her voice came out softer than she expected.
Mason glanced down briefly, taking a breath like he was trying to calm himself. "I know this is kind of random." He gave a small nervous laugh, "But I wanted to ask you something."
Azzi’s fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the door because she already knew. And suddenly she was aware of Paige standing behind her not far away, not doing anything. Just there watching and for some reason, that mattered more than it should have.
Mason lifted the flowers slightly. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to prom with me."
The world didn’t stop but Azzi felt like it did. Because the answer should have been easy, it should have been simple. Mason was nice, he was kind. There was nothing wrong with him but the first thought that came to Azzi’s mind wasn’t about him. It was about Paige.
About the way Paige had gone silent, about the way she hadn’t made a joke, about the way she was standing behind her like she was trying very hard not to show anything. Azzi hated that she noticed, except she didn’t. She loved that she noticed because Paige was Paige and Azzi had spent years learning every little thing about her.
Azzi gave Mason a gentle smile. "I’m sorry."
She saw the disappointment flicker across his face, small but there.
Mason nodded quickly. "It’s okay."
Azzi shook her head slightly. "I just..."
She paused, choosing her words carefully.
Mason looked down for a second, then nodded. "No problem."
He smiled politely. "Thanks for being honest."
Azzi thanked him, and after a few more words, she closed the door. The second it clicked shut, the quiet returned but this quiet felt different, heavier.
Azzi turned around slowly. Paige was still standing where she had been, her hands were shoved into the pockets of her hoodie, her shoulders were slightly tense and she was looking anywhere except at Azzi.
There it was, the thing Paige thought she could hide, the thing everyone else might miss but Azzi never missed Paige.
Paige looked up and her expression changed immediately like she had been caught.
"Nothing." She said quickly.
Azzi crossed her arms, not angry just knowing.
Paige looked away again. "I’m fine."
The answer was automatic, too automatic.
Azzi stepped closer. "You’re doing the thing."
Paige frowned slightly. "What thing?"
Azzi softened. "The thing where you pretend you’re fine."
For a moment, Paige didn’t answer because she knew, she knew Azzi knew. A quiet sigh left her as she looked down. "I’m not pretending."
Azzi watched her face, the small movements, the hesitation. The fact that Paige suddenly looked like she didn’t know what to do with her own feelings.
"Then tell me what’s wrong." The younger girl asked.
Paige opened her mouth but nothing came out, and that scared Azzi more than anything. Because Paige always had something to say, always. Whether it was a joke, a comeback, a way to make things lighter, but now?, now she just looked nervous.
"I don’t know." She said.
Azzi’s expression softened. "You don’t know what?"
Paige swallowed, her eyes stayed on the floor. Then, quietly— "Why I hated seeing him ask you."
Azzi froze, not because she didn’t understand but because she did. Her heart started beating faster. "Why did you hate it?" The question was barely above a whisper.
Paige finally looked up and Azzi saw it. The fear, the honesty. The same feeling Azzi had been trying to hide from herself for years.
Paige took a breath. "Because..."
Her fingers curled inside the sleeves of her hoodie, a nervous habit one Azzi knew.
"Because I didn’t like the idea of someone else taking you to prom."
The room went completely still and Azzi realized something. This wasn’t jealousy, not the simple kind, not the protective best friend kind. This was something deeper, something she understood because she felt it too.
Paige looked away. "I know that sounds stupid."
"It doesn’t." Azzi’s answer came immediately, too quickly.
Paige looked back at her and for a second, neither of them moved, because they both knew. They were standing at the edge of something they had avoided for years, something they were both terrified to say.
Paige’s voice dropped. "I think..."
She took a shaky breath. "I think I’ve been pretending something isn’t there."
Azzi’s heart pounded. "What?"
Paige looked at her, really looked at her and for once, Paige Bueckers didn’t look confident, she didn’t look like the girl who could handle anything. She looked like someone holding the most important thing in the world and being afraid of dropping it.
A nervous smile appeared. "I think I’ve been pretending..."
She paused, then whispered, "That I’m not in love with my best friend."
And Azzi forgot how to breathe.
For a few seconds, neither of them moved, Azzi just stood there completely still. Like her body needed time to catch up with what her heart had already understood. Paige’s words stayed suspended between them.
I’m in love with my best friend.
Not a joke, not a teasing comment, not one of Paige’s playful lines that Azzi could laugh off and pretend didn’t affect her.
The truth, the thing they had both spent years circling around. The thing Azzi had felt every time Paige looked at her a little too long, every time Paige reached for her hand without thinking, every time Paige showed up for her in ways that went beyond friendship.
The house suddenly felt impossibly quiet. Azzi could hear the faint hum of the refrigerator from the kitchen, the ticking of the clock on the wall, and even the sound of her own heartbeat, which felt far too loud for a moment this fragile.
Across from her, Paige looked terrified and that almost hurt more than anything because Paige had always been fearless. That was what everyone saw first, the confident girl from Minnesota, the girl who walked onto basketball courts like she belonged there, the girl who could speak in front of a crowd without hesitation, the girl who could take pressure from everyone and somehow turn it into motivation. But right now?
Right now, Paige looked like she was waiting for the one answer she couldn’t handle being wrong. Her shoulders were slightly tense, her hands were still hidden inside the sleeves of her hoodie and her eyes kept flickering over Azzi’s face, searching for any sign of what she was thinking.
And Azzi realized something that made her chest ache. Paige wasn’t scared of losing a game, she wasn’t scared of expectations, she wasn’t scared of anything the world could throw at her, she was scared of losing Azzi.
Paige..."Azzi finally managed to say her name. The single word came out so softly it almost disappeared into the silence that surrounded them.
Paige lifted her head immediately. Hope flickered across her face for the briefest moment, bright enough for Azzi to see it, before it dimmed under the weight of her own fear.
Azzi opened her mouth, nothing came out.
Every thought she'd had over the last few years seemed to collide all at once, tangling together until she couldn't separate a single one from the rest.
Paige watched her struggle, with every passing second, her stomach sank lower. She'd done it, she'd ruined everything. A shaky breath escaped her as she looked down at the hardwood floor, blinking hard against the sting building behind her eyes.
"I'm sorry." The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Azzi frowned immediately. "What?"
Paige laughed quietly, but it was the kind of laugh people made when they were trying not to cry. She rubbed the cuff of her hoodie between her fingers, refusing to meet Azzi's eyes. "I shouldn't have said that."
Her shoulders lifted with an uneven breath before falling again. "I knew I shouldn't have."
"Paige..." azzi whispered.
"No, it's okay." She interrupted gently, still looking at the floor. "It isn't your job to make this easier." Her voice grew quieter. "I know you don't... feel the same."
Azzi's eyebrows pulled together. "What?"
Paige finally risked looking up. Her blue eyes were glossy now, vulnerable in a way Azzi had never seen before.
"I get it." She forced a tiny smile that disappeared almost instantly. "I really do."
Another nervous laugh escaped her. "I just..."
She swallowed. "I got tired of pretending."
She shrugged helplessly. "And I guess I thought... maybe if I said it once..."
Her voice cracked. "...I could finally stop lying to myself."
Azzi's chest ached. Paige looked so convinced, so completely convinced. Like she'd already accepted rejection before Azzi had spoken a single word.
"I'm sorry if I made things weird." Paige continued, shaking her head.
"I never wanted to make you uncomfortable."
She took one careful step backward. "I'll fix it."
Azzi blinked. "...Fix it?"
Paige nodded too quickly. "I'll pretend I never said anything."
She smiled again, and somehow that hurt even more. "We'll be okay."
She was trying so hard to sound convincing, but she wasn't convincing either of them. "We're still best friends." The sentence broke in the middle.
Paige cleared her throat, "I can do that."
She looked away before whispering, "I'll figure it out." She took another step back.
Azzi watched her create distance between them, and something inside her panicked.
"Don't." The word came out sharper than she'd intended.
Paige froze. Azzi's heart pounded so loudly she could hear it. "Don't walk away."
Paige stared at her, confused. "I thought..."
Azzi took one slow step toward her, then another.
Paige stayed exactly where she was. Almost like she was afraid moving would make the moment disappear.
Azzi stopped a few feet away. Close enough to see that Paige's hands were shaking inside her sleeves, close enough to see the tear sitting stubbornly in the corner of her eye.
"You really think I don't like you?"
Paige gave the smallest shrug. "I don't know."
Her voice barely rose above a whisper. "I don't think people usually stay quiet this long when someone tells them they're in love with them."
Azzi let out a breath that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. "I wasn't quiet because I didn't know what to say."
"I was quiet because..." Azzi smiled helplessly. "...I've wanted to hear you say that for so long that I forgot people actually could."
"I wasn't shocked because you loved me." Azzi admitted softly.
"I was shocked because you finally said it."
Paige just stared. "I don't understand.”
"I know." Azzi laughed quietly, looking down at her own hands. "I don't think I understand either."
She rubbed her palms against her shorts before looking back up.
"I've spent years explaining you away."
Paige frowned slightly. "What does that mean?"
Azzi smiled to herself. "It means..."
She paused, searching through memories instead of rehearsed words. "...every time you left, I felt like someone had taken part of my day with them."
Paige's breathing slowed.
"Every time my phone buzzed, I hoped it was you."
Azzi looked down, embarrassed. "I'd wear the sweatshirt you forgot here because it smelled like you."
A small laugh escaped her. "I told myself I was just sentimental."
Her eyes met Paige's again. "When you hugged me goodbye..."
Her voice softened. "...I'd always wait until you let go first."
Paige's lips parted. "I didn't want to."
The confession slipped out before Paige could stop it. Azzi's eyes widened.
Paige shook her head. "I always wanted one more second."
Silence settled between them. Not awkward, not heavy, just honest.
Azzi smiled through tears. "So did I."
Paige felt her heart stop.
"I used to count the days until you visited." Azzi continued quietly. "I'd pretend I was excited because my best friend was coming."
She laughed softly. "But that wasn't the whole truth."
A tear rolled slowly down her cheek. "The truth was..."
She swallowed. "...you were the person I wanted beside me for everything."
"The good days." Azzi took another tiny step closer. "The bad days." Another step. "The boring days."
Now there was barely any space between them.
"I never imagined my future without you in it."
Her voice trembled. "I just never stopped to ask myself why."
Paige could feel tears sliding down her own cheeks now. "Azzi..."
Azzi smiled through her own tears. "I think..."
She laughed quietly. "...I fell in love with my best friend a long time ago."
Paige stared at her. For a second she honestly wondered if she'd imagined it.
Azzi nodded. "I love you."
The words came so naturally that she wondered why she'd been afraid of them.
Another tear slipped free. "I just didn't know that was what it was."
Paige laughed through tears, one hand immediately covering her mouth. "Oh my God..."
She shook her head in disbelief. "You love me?"
Azzi smiled. "I love you."
Paige laughed again, the sound watery and completely overwhelmed. "I spent years thinking I had to hide it."
Neither of them realized they were crying anymore.
They were smiling too much to notice. For a long moment, they simply stood there looking at one another. No words, just years of feelings settling quietly between them.
Azzi noticed Paige's hand twitch at her side. Almost like she wanted to reach for hers but didn't know if she was allowed anymore. So without thinking, Azzi slowly lifted her own hand. She didn't rush,she gave Paige every opportunity to step away.
Paige didn't. Instead, she carefully slid her hand into Azzi's. Their fingers intertwined naturally, as though they'd always belonged there. Both of them looked down at their joined hands, Paige laughed softly. "We've held hands before."
"I know." Azzi smiled. "But It feels different."
"It really does." Paige whispered.
She looked back up. They were standing so close now that Azzi could see every tiny fleck of blue in Paige's eyes.
Paige searched her face carefully. "Can I..."
She stopped, suddenly nervous all over again.
Azzi tilted her head. "What?"
Paige smiled shyly. "Can I kiss you?"
Azzi's smile softened into something impossibly gentle. "You can."
Paige didn't move right away. Instead, she lifted her free hand slowly, carefully brushing a loose strand of hair away from Azzi's face. Her fingertips grazed Azzi's cheek, warm and gentle.
Azzi closed her eyes for just a moment, leaning ever so slightly into the touch without realizing she was doing it.
Paige's breath caught. "So that's still okay?" She whispered.
Azzi opened her eyes and smiled. "More than okay."
Paige leaned forward slowly. There was no rush.
Their foreheads met first, both of them smiled instinctively. They stayed there for a few quiet seconds, breathing the same air, laughing softly through happy tears because after years of wondering, there was nothing left to hide.
Azzi closed the last inch between them. Their lips met gently, it was tentative at first, soft enough that it almost felt like asking another question.
Neither of them pulled away. Instead, the uncertainty slowly melted into relief. Paige smiled against Azzi's lips, and Azzi couldn't help smiling back. The kiss deepened only slightly—not hurried, not desperate, just two people finally allowing themselves to express what they'd carried silently for years.
When they finally pulled back, it was only far enough to look at each other. Neither of them stopped smiling, nor did beither of them let go of the other's hand.
"I can't believe..." Paige laughed quietly, shaking her head. "...I apologized."
Azzi smiled, brushing away one of Paige's tears with her thumb. "I can't believe you thought I didn't love you."
Paige leaned her forehead against Azzi's again. "I'm really glad I was wrong."
And for the first time, neither of them had to wonder what the other was feeling. They already knew.
The next morning, Azzi woke up slowly. Not because she was tired but because she was comfortable, too comfortable. For a few seconds, she stayed still, her eyes still closed, letting herself exist in the quiet.
The room was warm from the morning sunlight slipping through the curtains. The house was silent, the kind of peaceful silence that only happened early in the day before everyone started moving around.
Then Azzi noticed something, something that made her entire body pause. An arm was wrapped around her waist, a familiar arm.
Her eyes opened slowly and she immediately smiled because somehow, even in her sleep, Paige had found her, Again.
Azzi looked down to see Paige was curled behind her, still asleep, her face relaxed in a way Azzi rarely got to see. Without the confidence, the jokes, the constant energy Paige showed everyone else, she looked softer, younger, even peaceful.
Her blonde hair was messy from sleep, falling across her forehead and she was holding Azzi like letting go wasn't even an option.
Azzi's smile grew because this was new, not the closeness. That had never been new, they had always been like this. Movie nights where their shoulders touched, long hugs after games, falling asleep on FaceTime because neither wanted to be the first person to hang up.
Waking up in Paige's arms after finally admitting everything? This was different, it was real.
Azzi carefully turned her head slightly, trying not to wake her.She just wanted to look for a second that was all. Except Paige stirred almost immediately, of course she did. Because Paige somehow always knew when Azzi was looking at her.
Her eyes opened slowly and for a moment, she looked confused. Then she realized where she was, a small smile appeared.
"Morning." She spoke. Her voice was low and sleepy and Azzi hated how much she liked it.
"Morning." Azzi whispered back.
Neither of them moved because moving would mean acknowledging how close they were, qnd suddenly, even though they had spent years being close, it felt different.
Paige blinked a few times, still waking up, then she smiled.
Azzi frowned slightly. "What?"
"You're staring." Paige said.
Azzi immediately looked away. “I am not."
Paige's sleepy smile grew. "You are."
Azzi rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face ruined the attempt. "You literally just woke up."
"And I’m already right." The older girl said proudly.
Azzi laughed quietly, there she was. Paige. Even half asleep, she was still annoying, still Paige and somehow that made Azzi feel even more comfortable.
For a few seconds, they just looked at each other. No jokes, no pretending. Just the strange reality that they were finally allowed to do this.
Paige's fingers moved slightly against Azzi's side, a small, absent-minded touch. But Azzi noticed, she always noticed. And Paige noticed her noticing because of course she did.
A tiny smile appeared on the blinded face. "What?"
Azzi shook her head. "Nothing."
Paige raised an eyebrow. "You're doing the thing."
"Already." Paige repeated.
Azzi laughed softly. "You've known I'm your girlfriend for like twelve hours and you're already calling me out."
The word still felt strange. Not wrong, just new.
Paige's expression softened when she heard it. Like she was still getting used to the fact that she was allowed to have that.
"You're my girlfriend." She said it quietly.
Almost like she was testing the words.
Azzi felt her heart skip. "Yeah."
A smile slowly spread across Paige's face. "That's crazy."
"Because I spent years wanting to say that." She admitted.
Her honesty made Azzi's expression soften. Paige was always honest with her but now she didn't have to hide behind jokes anymore. That was the biggest difference.
Azzi looked at her and suddenly she realized how close they were. Their faces were only inches apart, the thought only made both of them go quiet.
Paige's eyes flickered down, then immediately back up.
Azzi noticed, of course she did.
Neither of them moved and then, at the exact same time, they both laughed.
Not because anything was funny but because they both knew.
"Wait." Paige covered her mouth slightly.
Azzi immediately laughed harder. "What?"
Paige looked embarrassed. "Morning breath."
Azzi smiled. "Oh my gosh."
"You are worried about morning breath after literally confessing your love to me yesterday?"
Paige shrugged, still covering her mouth. "I don't know. It feels different."
Azzi understood. Because everything felt different now. The smallest things felt bigger, a look, a touch, a kiss.
Because before, they could pretend. Now they couldn't.
Azzi smiled softly."You're ridiculous."
Paige looked at her. "And you're still going to kiss me."
The confidence was back, a little, just enough.
Azzi raised an eyebrow. "You sound very sure."
Paige smiled. "Because I know you."
Azzi shook her head. "You're impossible."
"And you love me." Paige teased.
The words were playful but they were true.
Azzi looked at her, really looked at her. The girl who had been her best friend first, the girl who had always chosen her, the girl who was somehow still nervous even after finally getting what she wanted.
Azzi reached up, brushing a piece of blonde hair away from Paige's face. The movement was gentle, automatic. Like she had done it a hundred times in different ways without realizing what it meant.
"Yeah." Her voice softened. “"I do.”
Paige's smile changed, less teasing more emotional. And for a moment, neither of them cared about anything else. Not the distance, not the future, not what came next. Just this, this morning, this feeling.
Paige leaned closer then stopped. One last hesitation. "You sure?"
Azzi smiled because even now, Paige was still asking, still making sure.
"Paige." She whispered her name like an answer and that was enough.
They kissed softly and slowly. A little awkward because they were both smiling too much, a little imperfect because they were still figuring this out but completely them.
When they pulled apart, Paige laughed quietly. "Okay."
"I forgot kissing you would make me happier than I expected."
Azzi's cheeks warmed. "You expected less?"
"No." Paige smiled. "I just didn't think it was possible."
Azzi looked at her. "What wasn't?"
Paige tightened her arm around her slightly. "That my best friend could somehow become my favorite person."
Azzi's heart softened because that was the thing. Paige had never stopped being her best friend, she had just finally become something more.
And somehow... That made everything better.
