𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 — bella hines x reader!senior!teammate
ꨄ — summary: bella has fallen for the senior whose about to leave
ꨄ — word count: 1.7k
ꨄ — warnings: none
ꨄ — authors note: this is my first time writing for bella, and i only got the idea after seeing multiple edits on tiktok, and i am now in love with bella hines.
You couldn’t help it.
You were drawn to Bella. The way she was unapologetically herself. The way she never gave a damn what others thought, and the way she was always honest.
The two of you were bound to grow close, being on the same team and all, but Bella was a freshman, and it was your last year at LSU.
You should’ve never grown that close. But you did.
From the moment you met Bella, you knew. There was something different about her. Something that intrigued you. But, again, she’s a freshman. It’s her first year of college basketball, and your last.
Getting along was one thing—you had to, for team chemistry, but actually getting to know Bella? That was entirely different.
And you very quickly learnt that you liked her. Not just because of how pretty she is—because she is—or how good she is at basketball—because she is—but because of everything in between.
You liked her for her love of food, her love of God, her love of basketball, her love of music, her love of everything in life. You were captivated by her. By how she was purely herself.
And Bella liked you, too. She knew she wasn’t supposed to, you were the superstar senior, sharp-shooter, national champion, and best friends with Flaujae, about to enter the draft.
Bella was the wide-eyed kind of clueless freshman who still had a lot to learn and a whole career ahead of her.
And all those things still didn’t stop the both of you from catching feelings.
The team clocked both of you immediately during summer sessions, even Milaysia clocked the vibes, and she just got there.
The only people who didn’t were the two of you.
And it drove the team crazy.
Seeing the not-so-subtle looks you sent each other when the other wasn’t looking, or the smiles on your faces when your hands touched for 0.1 seconds.
It even started to drive Coach Mulkey crazy and she didn’t even clock the vibes till later on.
At that point, the team was rooting so hard for y’all to get together, they started conspiring.
If there was a team bonding dinner, oh, suddenly, no one else is available to drive Bella, but you. Bella’s hungry? Flaujae’s pushing you to the door, keys in hand. Bella wants to film a TikTok? Grace is pushing you in there, and you’re either lingering in the back or standing right next to Bella.
And, yes, maybe some would call that coercion or overly going or whatever other words there are, but if you only got one year with Bella, the team wanted to make it the best year ever.
Even if you couldn’t be with her for real, and the only quality time you spent together was looking for food, buying food, eating food, listening to music or buying LEGO’s, at least it was together, right?
Bella has known how she felt for a while. Longer than how long she’s officially known you.
She knew who you were in high school. She had a small, innocent little crush, but that quickly changed when she actually met you.
You were funny, and smart, and kind, and absolutely beautiful. Your jokes were top-tier, and Bella was always cheesing whenever she was around you.
Spending time together, Bella also quickly came to the realisation that her “small, innocent little crush” was actually a huge, not-so-innocent, big crush. A crush that drove Bella damn near insane whenever she was near you.
But she had to remember. You were leaving soon. You and Bella would only have a year together. And Bella had to treasure every moment.
Practice was extra brutal that day. Coach Mulkey was on your asses for the Duke game. 11 - 1 in the first quarter was “unacceptable,” she said. You got your get back, but that still wasn’t enough, and Mulkey dragged your asses through the mud to make sure it didn’t happen again.
You were planning on going straight home. You wanted to take a hot shower, cuddle with your pet, watch some movies and fall asleep in the process, but one comment from Bella about wanting to get something to eat and suddenly you had no plans.
So, you stood by the door, keys in hand and waited for Bella to finish collecting her stuff before both of you left to find something to eat.
Getting in your car, Bella immediately connected to your Bluetooth and put on an Olivia Dean song.
The soft voice of Olivia filled your car, and Bella was sitting in the passenger seat, singing along softly, and occasionally glancing over at you as though she was singing to you. Not that you noticed.
Traffic in Louisiana was a bitch, so it took a while, but you eventually pulled up to a common food place that you and Bella visited multiple times a week.
You went through the drive-thru and ordered your food, knowing both your orders off by heart.
After paying and getting the food, you pulled into the car park and handed over Bella’s food.
You kept the car on, knowing Bella would want to listen to music and sure enough, she grabbed her phone and clicked on a song.
The soft notes of A Couple Minutes by Olivia Dean, again, filled your car, and you both sat in silence, eating and listening to Olivia.
“Back on your sofa, of course I still care”
“Love’s never wasted, when it’s shared”
“And although it’s over, I’ll always be there”
“Only have a couple minutes and we’re going back to real life”
Listening to Olivia, you realise just how right she is.
You and Bella only had a couple minutes together before reality hit, and you were off to hopefully be drafted, and she was gearing up for her second year.
You couldn’t possibly pursue anything with Bella.
You were leaving.
And she was staying.
You couldn’t possibly put yours and her career in jeopardy if you said anything. And, yeah, maybe you could keep it private, but if you got drafted, you had no idea where you would end up, and long-distance relationships don’t always work out. Especially not for couples that just got together.
Little did you know, Bella was thinking about the same thing as you. Just not the negative.
She was taking Olivia’s words as a sign that she needed to tell you before reality did hit and you were gone.
If you left before Bella could tell you how she really felt, she wouldn’t be able to handle it. Living with this guilt because she wasn’t honest. Living with devastation because she would never find out how you felt.
She had to tell you.
Bella leaned over and turned the volume down, then she spoke up, breaking the silence, “Hey, can I talk to you?”
You glanced over, taking in the serious tone in her voice, “You’re talking to me right now,”
She huffed, a smile forming on her face, “You know what I mean.”
You laughed, “Yeah, you can talk to me. What’s up?”
Bella’s smile slipped from her face, and she put her food down. You raised an eyebrow. It must be pretty serious if Bella was putting her food away.
She glanced up at you, then turned her gaze to the middle console and didn’t make eye contact, “I, um, I have something to tell you,”
You put your food down and focused all your attention on Bella, “Okay…Is everything alright?”
She nodded her head quickly, still not making eye contact, “Yeah, yeah, it’s just pretty serious,”
Then she started rambling, “Not like death serious, but like still pretty serious, I mean, in comparison to other serious things, this isn’t that serious, but, I mean, it’s serious to me. It means a lot to me and—”
You watched in amusement as she rambled on. You could listen to her go on and on for hours, but it was clear she was nervous, and she had something serious to say, so you cut her off.
“Bella.”
She stopped. She was still looking at the middle console, still not making eye contact.
“Breathe, it’s okay. Whatever you have to say, it’s gonna be fine,” You reassured Bella, then laughing slightly, you continued, “and would you please look at me? You’ve been avoiding eye contact for a while now; it’s starting to hurt my feelings.”
Bella took a deep breath, then finally looked up and made eye contact with you.
And when she did, she couldn’t help it. Curse her stupid freshman hormones.
She surged forward and grabbed your face, bringing your lips together in a kiss.
Your lips were soft and plump, and Bella could taste your strawberry chapstick.
You froze for a second out of surprise, but it was long enough for Bella to pull away and start freaking out.
“Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God. Why would I do that?”
You sat, eyes wide and watched Bella cover her eyes and ask herself why she would do that.
You didn’t even get time to find out what Bella tasted like. Maybe you should.
So, you leaned forward and captured Bella’s lips in another kiss, effectively cutting her off from rambling on some more.
Once Bella realised you were kissing her, she melted into you. Her hands wrapped around your neck, and your hands were on her face, holding her close.
Bella tasted like the chocolate sundae she just had, along with hints of strawberry—probably residue from your strawberry chapstick.
Bella’s hands moved to grip your hair, pulling you closer, and one of your hands drifted to her jaw. Your thumb rubbing her cheek back and forth.
The two of you finally pulled apart, huffing and puffing from what seemed to be the best kiss either of you have had.
You let out a long breath, rubbed Bella’s cheek again, then quietly asked, “You okay?”
Bella grinned, “More than okay,”
The two of you could talk about the complicated parts later, what mattered right now was staying in the moment, and treasuring it because, as Olivia said, you only had a couple minutes before you’re going back to real life.
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a bella hines & grace knox fanfic |▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။၊| macarena los del rio
wrotebykb.'wrotebykb./wrotebykb./wrotebykb
ꕀ contains bellahines!graceknox!fem. mature language. love triangle. smut. teasing. way way longer fic. fingering. pussy e$ting. mommy kink??? bella lowkey being alamo.
𓍼word count | 1k
masterlist | wattpad | read part two here
words with kb | yall i cannot do them little words nm😭. ily. and uh enjoy fic.. that yes is a part teo hehehe(first time writing for lsu.. uhm i am a usc girl i dont know much but.. this was an idea.. i get alot of bella requests so)
in which, leandra has feelings not only for grace but for bella.. she didn't expect to be fucking both.. but when they find out? she has to make the big decision on who she wants.. or maybe she will choose herself..
wrotebykb.'wrotebykb./wrotebykb./wrotebykb
LEANDRA HAD just transferred from arizona state to now lsu you to get more out there. she had a talent.. she was phenomenal at track, ever since she was 13. her father took her to the track and made her run until her chest literally burned.
she averaged 11.8 seconds in a 100m dash her freshman year. undefeated in district meets. her 400m average stayed around 58—59 seconds.
leandra arnold? was a force to be reckoned with.
leandra had finally landed in baton rouge. it was hotter than the walls of a witches coochie, wasnt much of a difference from arizona. leandra had her wired earbuds in listening to one of her favorite audiobooks, project hail mary by andy weir.
it was a new semester and if leandra said her nerves werent jumping? they were through the roof— bad enough she has diabetes blood sugar is in the high 100s.
she wore a white tube top, light blue baggy bootcut jeans, hair was in two ponytails freshly dyed undercut purple, and some flipflops they highlighted her pastel blue toes, which mahed her nails.
eventually the driver turned into the busy campus and it was beautiful, purple and gold pride almost everywhere you looked, students left and right , it is hugeeeee and spread out. leandra huffed of surprised her braced teeth shining out of her mouth.
the driver slowed down turning his rear view mirror to leandra as they pulled on the curb smoothly the concrete cracking, "here okay?"
leandra nodded unbuckling her seatbelt.
THE DRIVER pulled off with a honk and leandra gently waved before turning back into the camus getting that sweet sweet summer smell of sunscreen and sol de janeiro.
she swished her lips and she walked steadily on the way to. her dorm brushing past students and professors, she was so confident and where she was going.. now she was heavily confused.
she stood near the tigers cage, infatuated with the fact they had a real life tiger. its coat was pretty and tamed. it looked at leandra casuing her wyes to widen slightly in surprise as she stood nervously,
as she turned around and readjusted her tote on her shoulder, she grabbed her suitcase and kept walking, sje had to find it eventually — she made a sharp turn around a corner to focused on her nail charm when she bumped into a presumably taller person, spilling some of there matcha? leandra believed on her jeans.
leandra gasped, but was also relived cause her sunscreen definitely wasn't helping she felt burnt but anyways.. the girls eyes widened and she stretched out her jaw.
"my jeans!" leandra complained looking down at them , "im sorry," a calm but deeper presuming voice apologized leandra groaned looking up but she blinked eyebrows raised she was tooken back by the beauty of the woman.
her skin was light. almost cacuasian, she had these light brown locs. eyebrows high. eyes small. lowk a yam on her face and her lips? pink and plump.
her locs were in a half up half down style, she wore some purple basketball shorts, white socks. new balances and she topped it off with a lsu t shirt.
the women seemed. aback by leandra to. they both stared at eachother awkwardly before clearing there throat.
the woman looked down at the stained jeans, "how can i repay you?" she asked, leandra sighed, "dont worry about it.. you didn't mean to."
the loced haired girl bit her lip, "you sure?" leandra nodded, "i shouldve been watching where i was going my nail was on the berge of falling off anyways." she laughed nervously holding up her ringed hand showing her the crooked nail.
the girl smiled, "it will fall off eventually," , " i hope." leandra laughed. the woman joined in, when they bith caught there breathe the girl put her cold hand out from swapping hands due to the matcha coldness biting her palm.
"im grace."
leandra swished her lips taking the cold and condensed hand, "leandra." she told letting it roll off her tounge.
graces eyes crinkled warmly. "leandra.." she repeated almost a whisper to herself. leandra nodded, "yes." she answered voice gentle.
they held hands longer than supposed to before grace blinked down noticing her bags. "you new?"
leandra had pure tiredness in her eyes with flattened lips as she nodded, "yes. ive been walking around this big ole campus hoping.. praying.. a sign from the man above to find the dorms—" leandra began to rant still holding graces hand her hand gesturing out, grace nodded eyes raised at how much this stranger was trusting her already.
but she would be lying if said it didnt keep her entertained, she liked this leandra.
WITH THE help of grace , leandra found her dorm. B46. they also exchanged numbers incase leandra needed any more "help or had questions about campus" she walked in and saw boxes, ontop of boxes. leandra flattened her lips, her dad was bringing all her stuff tomorrow so the only thing she would be able to put on her side is clothes, whomever her roommate was had all her shit together, leandra heard the shower running so she got the memo, she walked in the room — two twin sized bed and two purple wooden nightstands.. leandra smiled and claimed her side which was the right side of the bed in the dorm.
she placed her tote on the already given nightstand she pulled out on of her ginger shots from her bag , twisting open the cap and as she took a sip the ginger spiked her throat, she gulped it down before putting the cap back on and tossing it back in her bag.
leandra yawned, boy was she tired. she thought about staying up and waiting for her roommate.. but.. her sleep was biting at her, she tried to wait.. but she heard faint humming.. homegirl wasn't getting out the shower any sooner.. so that was leandras cue she slipped off her flipflops , threw her pink iphone 16 on the bed and she fell first on the bed with a groan, she heard the shower stop maybe they were coming out sometime soon.. but her eyes had already pulled her into a trance of sleep.
when she wokeup her mouth was dry and she was stomach first , body all types of crooked— she got hit with the smell of taco meat and a really good perfume.
SHE RUBBED her eyes and saw it was dark outside streetlights shining— when her hands lazily skimmed for her phone time as she tapped with her long acrylics it read 7pm leandra yawned getting up — stretching out all her muscles.
the fact she slept in jeans shows she was tired, she heard some quiet drake maybe playing from an alexa or speaker.
tiredly l, eandra unzipped her suitcase grabbed herself a silk short nightgown with a lace near the bottom, changed. then grabbed her bonnet and swung it over her two braids.
she opened the bedroom door— and holy.. a woman was stirring taco meat mumbling drake lyrics, the smell of slap ya mama seasoning was made leandra sneeze in her arm — the individual heard the little achoo and turned around.
"sleeping beauty," she teased with a murmur. leandra blinked, "chef boyardi," she giggled walking over, the individual was another pale individual talk about inclusive (jk) , hair in a low bun her bun thick. her eyes hooded, eyebrows thin, unique nose.. she wore these gray sweatpants and a black sports bra , feet out and painted black matching her hands.
leandra leaned on the marble counter resting her hand in her palm tilting to the side, the individual tapped the woode. spoon on the pot before placing it down letting the meat simmer , as she turned to leandra leaned on the counter herself and mocked the dame position, there hooded eyes locked on eachother.
"bella." the woman told tiredly.
she sounded like sex.
leandra smiled, "leandra."
bella pouted out her bottom lip with a nod, "i hope you like tacos leandra." she teased.
WELL LEANDRA has been at at lsu for four months now— she began starting her classes and shes gotten pretty close to her roommate bella, found out she was on the basketball team with the other pale girl she met that same day, she got a follow back from grace on instagram.
bella and leandra attended parties together, had sleepovers.. got jealous over stupid shit.. argued like a married couple.. even cuddled sometimes.. nothing weird even though everyone swore they were together leandra denied it bella would smirk and never denied.
leandra also.. had something with grace too.. they made out at bellas birthday party behind a tree under faury lights.. it was very sexy an Leandra would be lying if she said her vagina doesn't thump thinking and it they had been realllll close ever since. leandra has now two bestfriends, where one transfered from usc the other uconn.. they thrive on the track team together and are a dynamic trio, nonah and chloe and they definitely learned the roots of lsu together my girl leandra is full lsu now.
buttttttttttt...
leandra also has another problem.. she has caught feelings for bella.. but also likes grace— she loves bella for the cooking, the gentle moments her undevoted loyalty to her, what they bond over.
she loved grace for the very good sex, the makeouts..the gifts, the way she knew how to talk to her, and the way she praised her and looked at her.
and yeah.. guilt took over. but she wasn't dating them. so the way she chose to help her feelings.. was write in her diary. she wrote letters to bella and grace.. her feelings and yes her guilt..
LEANDRA WAS currently on live— she was in the bathroom letting alex g play quietly from her ipad, she was scrunching her mielle curling cream into her hair as she squinted reading the comments, seriously where the fuck were her glasses.
"youre so pretty!"
"love your top leandra!"
"thoughts on uconn?"
leandra plumped her lips, "uhhh" she trailed reading the comments scrolling with her long baby pink acrylic thumb, "thank youu" she appreciated with a warm smile— "my thoughts on uconn? dont have em not gonna lie," she winced stretching out her jaw.
"where you going??"
"curl cream from where??"
leandra twisted the conditioned wet curls in a bun , as she parted another section she spoke again with a gentle hum, "im going to nonah's a small little get together, my curl cream mielle." she answered just then her ipad blared playing her familiar ringtone— she smiled reading who was calling
"gracielou🤪😝🥰"
she smiled , but remembering she was on live she bit her lip , she clicked the green button and the sound blared and grace glitched through, she was in the bathroom fresh out of the shower a towel over her chest.
"im on live —" leandra said with a quick murmur, looking at the camera— grace raised an eyebrow, "when are you ever on live?" she teased propping the phone up.
"heyyy grace!"
"ouuu is that my babymama?"
"tell her we said hayy"
"im on live right now," leandra smirked propping grace up, "what time will you be ready?" the eventoned woman asked as she sprayed water onto her dry part, grace grabbed her electric toothbrush, before turning on her water faucet and putting her toothbrush under the water, "i gotta pick up flau and bella from milyasias dorm .. — i wont be too late."
leandra smiled, "what if i needed a ride?" she murmured looking at grace with squinted eyes, grace was applying her toothpaste she squinted her eyes mocking the athlete, "then you shouldve told me earlier.."
"well im telling you now."
"too late hunnybun."
"not youre hunnybun."
LEANDRA ROLLED HER eyes as she tossed her tote in grace's white honda civic in the girls back seat, grace turned to her smirking— leandra rolled her eyes leaning onto grace's door holding it with her arm— "what?" she murmured.
grace smiled turning away and back to the steering wheel, grace wore her locs down— black fitted sweater, long cargo jeans— white socks and some black addidas, leandra bit her lip seeing her toned belly get highlighted.
leandra got in, immediately being hit with the smell of mango. , leandra had her natural curls in a twist out — pink tube top , black cuffed at the top boot cut leggings and her feet was out, to stick onto nonahs black and white theme she also added a light pink hawaiian flower to her hair.
"you ready?" grace asked, playing with her hair consciously looking at herself through her phone camera— leandra dug in her purse pulling out her summer fridays she hummed a nod while her eyes also searched for the aux.
"mm not my aux," grace teased already grabbing the cord, leandra rolled her eyes, "cmon just give me it," her hand darted out and touched graces to get the cord grace furrowed her brows, "say please." she cooed, leandra leaned in as she kept trying to pry it from graces hand, "pleaseee." she pleaded.
grace smirked, letting it go , leandra smiled at the fact she got her way everytime , grace pulled off into the sunset.
OKAY LEANDRA don't know how p$ssy fairy but jhene aiko got onto the radio or how she began singing it to grace who was with a tight jaw.
"youuu can get enoughhh of meeee yeahhhhh—" the woman sung off key in graces pierced ear, the biracial swished her cheeks around.
well now it turned into them being in the backseat— the gps kept blaring that they were 15 minutes away , and pnd got quiet over the noises of there mouths moving.
grace was on top of leandra holding her waist, leandra rested her hands on graces back stroking her long acryliced nails up and down feeling all on graces trained muscle.
leandra let out a quiet whimper in graces mouth as graces tounge slipped in, the warm organ sending leandra into a trance, leandra bit her lip pulling back with a whine , holding graces face— "we have a party to get to,"
grace licked her lips looking down at her attentively enjoying the feeling of her face in leandras slim manicured hands —"mm i know baby." she mumbled going down to leandras neck teasingly nibbling at the sensitive skin. leandra moaned , holding graces head.
graces warm long fingers inched down towards leandras warmth in between her legs — leandra slightly tucked in her lip,
graces sexual appeal was something so sinister and crazy, leandra was sent into sativa everytime this woman touched her.
"can i?" grace sweetly asked her warm brown eyes looking up at the toned bodied trackstar— leandra gave a hum of approval, grace lifed up the womans hips slightly as she pulled her lace thong and leggings down in one swift motion.
grace spat on her middle and ring finger, not that she needed too.. but leandea appreciated the effort, graces fingers oushed into leandras warm tight walls the stretch so intense that leandra gasped,
she did slight in and out motions and leandras juices slushed , leandras nails scraped into graces biceps, "fuckkk — grace!" leandra whined unknowingly clenching her body, head tilting back eyes fluttering shut.
the pumps had alot of pressure to them, grace curled tighter causing leandra to squeal— "j.. just like that oh— fuck youre so good!" she whined.
grace smiled slipping her soaked fingers out, bringing the glistening fingers to her lips with a laugh under her breathe, leandra head slowly tilted back down and her eyes fluttered open, "w..whav" she whined in confusion , unclenching.
grace licked her glistening fingers clean, "you taste good." she murmured.
leandra rolled her eyes.
always teasing.
THEY PULLED into nonahs driveway , bella was in the back , left window — scrolling on her phone earbuds loud, she had her hair down— wavy.. pretty. — a grey essentials hoodie, black shorts white socks and yezzy slide, milaysia had her hair in barrel rolls, she had drifted off head lazily on flau's shoulder, mouth open, she wore a white long sleeve , white jean shorts— white nike socks and her airforces.
flau who was on the right window rested her head tiredly on milaysias — drinking her ensure bobbing her head to the drake playing, she wore some random black blue light glasses from amazon — side part black wavy lace front, black crop top— long camoflauge cargos, and a pair of black and white airforces.
in the front leandra shook up her ginger shot quickly the slushing loud enough to make grace raise an eyebrow as she turned the car off, leandra twisted the cap and took a light sip, "fuck." she muttered at the spike in her throat.
bella laughed under her breathe — leandra turned to her with sauinted eyes, "okay giggly ass nigga you take a sip!" she huffed handing over the tiny bottle of ginger shot, bella took it with a raised eyebrow as she read the ingredients , "ooo my stomach hurts –" she lied with a wince clenching her stomach fakily.
leandra rolled her eyes taking it back, "thought so." bella smirked watching her put it back in her bag, flau shook her head as she unbuckled her seatbelt, "lay," she whispered tapping the dreadheads shoulder, milaysias snore only got louder in the quiet almost sounding like a snorting pig— everyone turned to the sleeping girl.
"shes slumped—" leandra joked, unbuckling her own seatbelt— grace leaned in and tapped milaysias arm milaysia jumped up eyes fluttered slowly as she swallowed reliving the dryness in her mouth, "huh?" she yawned. everyone snickered , everyone unbuckled there seatbelts , getting ready to enter nonah's welcoming home.
summary: what starts as flau’jae lingering a little too long after practice slowly turns into something neither of you are really pretending not to notice anymore, especially once she decides she’s done waiting.
🏷️:
practice had ended almost twenty minutes ago but somehow you were still stuck inside the lsu practice facility, sneakers squeaking softly against the polished floor while you tried to gather the last of the loose basketballs scattered around the court, the gym mostly quiet now except for the low hum of the lights overhead and the distant echo of a ball being dribbled lazily somewhere near the opposite basket, the sound uneven like whoever was over there wasn’t even really trying anymore.
the air still carried that warm, slightly rubbery smell of a long practice, sweat and polished hardwood and the faint bite of cleaner the staff used earlier that afternoon, the kind of smell that lingered in athletic buildings long after everyone had supposedly gone home. you should have been gone already, everyone else had either headed to the locker room or slipped out toward the parking lot in clusters of tired laughter and complaints about film tomorrow morning.
but you had made the mistake of lingering just long enough for the gym to thin out, just long enough to get stuck collecting stray balls like some kind of unofficial closing duty because lingering meant flau’jae.
flau’jae, unfortunately for your personal space and any attempt at leaving quickly, had decided sometime in the past few months that you were her favorite place to be, which meant if she saw you alone for longer than about ten seconds she tended to appear like a magnet snapping into place, easy and effortless and completely unconcerned with the concept of boundaries.
“you movin real slow,” her voice drifted across the court, amused and warm, carrying easily through the quiet gym, and when you glanced over your shoulder she was already walking toward you with that relaxed stride of hers, hoodie half unzipped and hanging loose over her practice shirt, hair tied up messily like she hadn’t even bothered fixing it after practice, a few curls escaping near her forehead as she brushed a hand through it like the whole thing didn’t matter.
you rolled your eyes a little, spinning the basketball in your hands before dropping it into the rack. “i’m literally picking up the last ball.”
“nah,” she said immediately, closing the distance between you like she had all the time in the world, “you procrastinating so you can spend more time with me.”
before you could even respond she had already slipped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you lightly against her side with that casual familiarity she always seemed to have, like this was just the default position the two of you existed in now, like she hadn’t just cornered you there between the rack and the sideline.
you tried to keep your voice neutral even though you could feel the warmth of her hoodie against your arm. “you are the one who walked over here.”
“yeah,” she hummed softly, leaning her weight against you just a little like she was testing how much you would tolerate before complaining, “because you over here lookin lonely.”
you were not lonely, you had been alone for exactly thirty seconds but arguing with flau’jae about this kind of thing never actually worked because the girl had already decided her version of reality was the correct one.
once flau’jae decided something she carried it with the quiet confidence of someone who genuinely believed everyone else would eventually agree with her and unfortunately she was very comfortable in that confidence.
the two of you started walking slowly toward the rack of basketballs together, your steps slightly uneven because her arm was still hanging loosely over your shoulders, fingers occasionally tapping against the fabric of your hoodie like she was drumming out some quiet rhythm in her head, the kind of absent little movement people made when they were relaxed enough not to think about it.
you were just about to duck away and put some actual space between you when a voice echoed from the doorway, loud and dramatic enough to bounce off the high ceiling.
“oh my god.”
you froze, flau’jae didn’t even flinch when the two of you turned your heads, three of her teammates were standing there halfway between the tunnel and the court with their practice bags slung over their shoulders, expressions ranging somewhere between amused and completely exhausted, like they had just walked into something they had already seen too many times before.
one of them squinted at the two of you for a long second before pointing. “she doin it again.” another nodded immediately, not even hesitating. “told you.” you frowned slightly, glancing between them. “doing what.”
flau’jae tightened her arm around you just a little, like she had no intention of letting the moment turn awkward. “nothing,” she said casually.
“no,” the first teammate laughed, stepping further inside the gym with a disbelieving shake of her head, “don’t act brand new now, you literally have been attached to them the entire week.”
“that is not true,” flau’jae replied, though the way she shifted closer to you at the same time completely ruined the defense.
you tried to slide out from under her arm she followed you like physically followed you.
you stepped to the left, she stepped with you, her arm still comfortably hooked over your shoulders like she had no intention of letting go anytime soon, the movement so automatic it almost looked rehearsed.
her teammates stared, one of them actually rubbed her forehead like she had a headache coming on. “see,” she said, pointing again, “this is exactly what i mean.”
“what,” flau’jae said lightly, like she genuinely didn’t see the issue, “we just talkin.”
“you been just talkin for three days straight.” you couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped you, the sound slipping out before you could stop it, which apparently only encouraged her because she leaned down slightly, resting her chin briefly against the top of your head in a way that made your brain completely short circuit for a second.
“they are exaggerating,” she murmured quietly, voice lower now. “we are not exaggerating,” another teammate cut in immediately, “you literally sat next to them on the bench yesterday when there were ten empty seats.”
“and,” someone added, pointing toward the locker room hallway, “you changed lockers.” that made you blink, turning your head to look at her. “you changed lockers?” flau’jae didn’t even look embarrassed. “it was closer.”
“to them,” the teammate finished flatly,there was a moment of silence where everyone looked at her, flau’jae shrugged a little like the conclusion was obvious then squeezed your shoulder lightly. “i like being around them.”
the simplicity of it made the room go quiet for a second, the kind of quiet that happens when someone says something honest without even realizing how obvious it sounds to everyone else in the room.
you shifted a little under her arm, pretending to focus on the floor so no one noticed the way that sentence settled somewhere warm in your chest as her teammates exchanged looks immediately one of them leaned toward another and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“she down bad.”
“i am not down bad,” flau’jae said instantly.
“you followed them to the training room this morning.”
“my ankle hurt.”
“your ankle was fine.” another teammate chimed in, “you waited outside their class yesterday.” “i was textin.”
“you were not texting.” flau’jae finally let out a quiet laugh at that, shaking her head slightly like they were all being ridiculous before nudging you forward toward the exit with a gentle push of her shoulder.
“cmon,” she said softly, ignoring them now, “they're just jealous.” you raised an eyebrow. “of what.” she glanced at you sideways, grin slow and a little mischievous, the kind that made it feel like she was enjoying this way too much. “that you like me best.”
behind you one of the teammates groaned dramatically, the sound echoing through the mostly empty gym. “oh my god she’s flirting now.” another voice called out as the two of you reached the doors. “please just date already so we can have our teammate back.”
flau’jae didn’t answer them instead she nudged the gym door open with her shoulder, the evening air spilling inside in a warm wave that felt completely different from the cool blast of the air conditioning, the sky outside fading into soft purple and gold like the day hadn’t quite decided it was finished yet.
for a second you thought she might finally let go once you stepped outside she didn’t her arm stayed draped over your shoulders as the two of you walked out toward the parking lot together.
steps slow and unhurried like there was nowhere else she needed to be tonight, like sticking close to you was the most natural decision she could make and judging by the way she leaned into you again, smiling quietly to herself like she had already won something you didn’t even realize was a competition,
she probably wasn’t planning on leaving your side anytime soon.
the air outside the facility felt softer than the gym, warm in that late evening way where the sun had already dipped low but the pavement still held onto the day’s heat, the parking lot mostly empty except for a few scattered cars belonging to staff and the last couple players who hadn’t left yet, the quiet settling in slowly now that practice was over and the campus around you had started to drift into that calmer nighttime rhythm.
flau’jae still hadn’t moved her arm, not even a little if anything she seemed more comfortable now that you were outside, leaning slightly into your side as the two of you walked down the short path toward the lot, her fingers tapping lightly against your shoulder again like she had some invisible beat playing in her head.
“you realize,” you said after a moment, glancing sideways at her, “your teammates are going to keep making fun of you.”
“they been making fun of me,” she said easily, completely unbothered, “that ain’t new.” you shook your head a little, adjusting the strap of your bag. “they literally said you follow me around.”
she tilted her head like she was thinking about it.“i don’t follow you.” you gave her a look as she paused for half a second. “…i just ended up where you at.”
that made you laugh despite yourself, the sound slipping out before you could stop it, and flau’jae immediately brightened like she had just been rewarded for something. “see,” she said, nudging your shoulder lightly, “there you go.”
“what.”
“you smiling again.”
“i smile normally,” you said. “nah,” she shook her head slowly, ponytail bouncing a little with the motion, “you do this thing where you try not to smile but then you do anyway.” you frowned slightly. “i do not.” she leaned down just a little closer to your face, studying you with that playful focus she always had when she was trying to prove a point.
“you literally doing it right now.” you turned your head away before she could see if she was right which she definitely noticed. “mmhmm,” she hummed softly, clearly pleased with herself.
the two of you reached the edge of the parking lot where a few cars sat under the tall lamps, the light casting long shadows across the pavement, and for a second it looked like you might finally separate since your car was a few rows away from where hers was usually parked.
instead flau’jae just…kept walking with you like it wasn’t even a question as you glanced at her again. “your car is the other way.”
“i know.”
“…so why are you walking this way.” she shrugged casually. “i’m escorting you.”
“i don’t need an escort.”
“too late,” she said, tightening her arm around your shoulders for half a second before letting it loosen again, “already committed.”
you sighed, but there wasn’t much bite in it by the time you reached your car you had almost convinced yourself she might finally step away.
instead she leaned against the side of it with you still half tucked into her side, like this was just the natural place for the conversation to keep going. you looked up at her. “you realize you’re still doing it.”
“doing what.”
“being clingy.” flau’jae blinked then she grinned slowly, like the word didn’t bother her at all. “clingy?”
“yes.” she tilted her head slightly, studying you again in that quiet, thoughtful way she sometimes had when she wasn’t joking around.
“you mind?” the question came out softer than everything else she had said so far, almost casual but not quite, like she was trying to pretend the answer didn’t matter too much even though her eyes stayed fixed on you waiting for it.
you hesitated for a second because the truth was… if you really minded, you probably would have pulled away a long time ago.
you probably wouldn’t still be standing here letting her lean against your car with her arm draped around you like it belonged there.
“…not really,” you admitted and flau’jae’s entire face lit up in a way that was honestly a little dangerous. “good,” she said immediately. “that was way too fast of a response.”
“i been waiting to hear that.” you gave her a suspicious look. “how long.”
“like… two weeks.”
“two weeks?”
“maybe three.” you stared at her. “you have been intentionally clingy for three weeks.”
“testing the waters,” she corrected you laughed again, shaking your head and flau’jae just watched you with that quiet grin, leaning her shoulder against yours while the parking lot lights buzzed faintly overhead and the evening air settled around the two of you then after a second she spoke again, voice softer now. “you still smiling.”
you groaned lightly, reaching for your car door. “goodnight flau’jae.”
she finally lifted her arm so you could open it, but instead of stepping away she leaned forward slightly through the open space between you and the door, resting her forearms on the roof of the car so she was still right there, still close.
“i’ll see you tomorrow,” she said. “you see me every day.”
“exactly.” you slid into the driver’s seat, glancing up at her through the open door. “…you’re ridiculous.”
she just smiled, slow and warm and completely unashamed. “yeah,” she said quietly, “but you don’t mind.”
the two of you stayed like that for a second longer than necessary, the quiet of the parking lot settling around you slowly, the overhead lights humming faintly as they flickered on against the deepening evening sky, your hands resting loosely on the steering wheel even though you hadn’t actually started the car yet, the keys still sitting untouched in the ignition while the warmth from the day clung faintly to the metal of the door.
flau’jae was still leaning against the door frame like leaving was the last thing on her mind tonight, one arm stretched comfortably along the top of the car, her shoulder angled toward you while she looked down with that same thoughtful expression she had been wearing more and more lately, like she was quietly studying something she hadn’t quite figured out yet.
there was something calm about the way she stood there, completely at ease, like she had already decided she wasn’t in any rush to go anywhere if it meant stepping away from you too soon.
then she tilted her head slightly, studying you again the same way she had been doing all evening, eyes soft but focused, the silence stretching long enough that you could feel the moment shift into something different, something slower and more deliberate than the easy teasing that had filled most of the conversation before.
“so,” she said slowly, her voice lower now in the quiet of the lot, “you busy tomorrow?” you narrowed your eyes a little, though there was no real suspicion behind it. “that depends.”
“on what.”
“on why you’re asking.” the corner of her mouth lifted immediately, amused like she had expected that answer, and she leaned a little closer through the open door, forearms still braced against the roof of the car while she looked at you like she was debating how exactly she wanted to say the next part.
“because,” she said, dragging the word out slightly while her gaze stayed fixed on yours, “i was thinking maybe we could go get food or something.” you raised an eyebrow. “we get food all the time.”
“nah,” she said immediately, shaking her head once, curls shifting slightly with the movement, “not like that.” you paused for a second. “…like what.” her grin widened just a little more. “like a date.”
the word settled between you quietly, unmistakable, the kind of moment where the air shifts just enough that you realize the conversation has stepped over a line neither of you had officially acknowledged before, you looked at her for a long second. “your teammates already think we’re dating.”
“yeah,” she shrugged lightly, completely unbothered, “might as well give them a reason.” you tried not to smile again. “that’s your logic.”
“that’s solid logic.” as you leaned back slightly in your seat, pretending to consider it even though the warmth creeping slowly up your neck was already giving you away. “where.”
“there’s this little spot off campus,” she said immediately, like she had been thinking about it longer than she was letting on, “nothing fancy, just good food, quiet, not a lot of people.”
“you’ve planned this.”
“i plan a lot of things.” you looked at her again. “you literally just asked.”
“i been thinking about asking,” she corrected with a small shrug, another quiet pause settled between you, the parking lot calm except for the distant hum of a car somewhere farther down the street. “…okay,” you finally said, flau'jae blinking once. “okay?”
“okay.” for a half second she looked almost surprised then the grin that spread across her face was bright enough that you immediately regretted answering that quickly. “see,” she said softly.
but before she could finish the sentence she leaned down suddenly, one hand sliding to the edge of the door frame while the other brushed lightly against your shoulder, the movement quick enough to catch you slightly off guard before her lips met yours.
the kiss wasn’t rushed, just warm and certain, starting soft but lingering longer than either of you expected, her head tilting slightly as she leaned deeper into the space between the open door and the seat. her hand shifted from your shoulder to rest along the side of your neck, fingers warm against your skin while the quiet parking lot wrapped around the moment like the rest of the world had stepped away for a second.
you could feel the warmth of her breath when she shifted closer, the gentle brush of her thumb along the back of your neck almost absentminded as the kiss deepened just slightly, slow and steady, and before your brain could really catch up you found yourself leaning into it instinctively.
your hand slid along the edge of the seat while you tilted your head back a little, the movement natural and unplanned, giving her more room without even realizing it, your neck shifting just enough that she had easier access as her lips moved against yours with the same calm patience she seemed to have about everything tonight.
there was no hurry in it, just the quiet warmth of the moment stretching out longer than you expected when she finally pulled back she didn’t move far, her face still close enough that you could see the quiet satisfaction in her eyes. “yeah,” she finished softly, voice lower now, “i knew you liked me.”
you stared at her. “you cannot just—” she cut you off by opening the passenger door. “scoot.”
“…what.”
“scoot,” she repeated, already climbing halfway into the car you blinked at her. “flau’jae—” but she was already sliding into the front seat beside you, laughing quietly under her breath while she nudged your arm.
“cmon.” the way she said it made it feel like the most obvious thing in the world, so with a quiet sigh you shifted across the console and climbed into the backseat, and she followed right after you, shutting the door behind her while the interior of the car settled into a softer kind of quiet, the parking lot lights glowing faintly through the windows.
for a second the two of you just looked at each other, the space between you smaller now in the dim backseat, the outside world muffled behind the glass then she leaned in again.
this time slower, one hand resting lightly against your jaw while the other braced beside you against the seat, her fingers warm against your skin as she gently tilted your face toward hers before her lips met yours again.
the kiss deepened gradually, unhurried and steady as she shifted closer, her hand sliding from your jaw to the back of your neck where her fingers curled lightly into the fabric of your collar.
you leaned back slightly against the seat while tilting your head again without thinking, giving her more room, more access as your neck shifted just enough for her to follow the movement easily, her thumb brushing along your jaw while the quiet warmth of the moment stretched between you.
the kiss lingered there, slow and warm, the kind that made time feel like it had paused somewhere outside the car when she finally pulled back she let out a quiet breath, resting her forehead briefly against yours. “okay,” she murmured. “…okay what.”
“now,” she said, smiling a little, “i’m done.” you stared at her. “that’s what you climbed into the backseat for?”
“yep.”
“you are ridiculous.” she just laughed softly, climbing back toward the front seat like nothing had happened, pushing the door open again while the evening air drifted inside. “tomorrow,” she said over her shoulder as she stepped out, “seven.”
you shook your head, sliding back into the driver’s seat while she jogged across the lot toward her car again and when she glanced back once more before getting in, that same quiet, satisfied smile still on her face, it was very obvious that the girl had already decided tomorrow’s date was happening exactly the way she wanted.
the next evening the campus felt completely different without the echo of a basketball bouncing somewhere nearby, the sky fading slowly into that soft golden blue of early evening while the last of the daylight slipped between the buildings.
you were halfway convinced flau’jae might actually be late for once then a car pulled up beside the curb the window rolled down. “you gonna stand there all night,” her voice called out casually, “or you getting in.”
you stepped closer, leaning down slightly to look inside. “…you’re wearing a jacket.” she glanced down at herself like she had just noticed. “yeah.”
“for food.”
“it’s a date,” she said simply, you tried very hard not to react to that failed a little and when you slid into the passenger seat she noticed immediately, the corner of her mouth lifting while she pulled away from the curb.
“you nervous?” she asked. “no.”
“little bit?”
“no.” she laughed softly under her breath, the sound warm and quiet while the car rolled through the evening streets, music playing low through the speakers, the comfortable kind of silence settling between you that only happened when two people had already spent enough time together not to fill every second with talking.
after a few minutes she glanced over at you again. “you know,” she said thoughtfully, one hand resting loosely on the steering wheel, “my teammates are never gonna let me live this down.”
“because you’re clingy.”
“because i asked you out.” you looked out the window. “those are the same thing.”
she laughed again, shaking her head slightly before turning onto a quieter street lined with warm lights and smaller restaurants tucked close together and when she parked and turned off the engine she didn’t rush to get out right away.
instead she looked over at you, expression softer now than the teasing one she usually wore. “for the record,” she said quietly, “i wasn’t joking yesterday.”
“about what.”
“liking being around you.” your chest did that strange warm thing again and before you could overthink it too much you reached for the door handle. “you coming,” you said, her smile returned immediately, bright and easy as she climbed out of the car beside you.
