twenty eight
Athena woke up to the soft breathing of Paige next to her, hugging her like she would disappear if she let go. the first thing she did was try and reach for her phone but it was difficult considering the death grip Paige had on her. the girl managed to pull it closer to her by her fingertip then grab it, holding it with one hand by popsocket while the other kept playing with the blonde hair.
her entire feed was full of Iowa winning and UConn's disappointed reactions, it was like a cold splash of water. she completely forgot about the previous night because that's what Paige did to her, she tuned out the rest of the world when they were together, good or bad. Athena turned off her phone, thinking of a way to possibly cheer Paige up once she woke because she would certainly be pouting all day.
first she thought they could finally go on that date but with the basketball player moping around all day, that would be a very sad date. Athena thought of multiple different ways to get Paige's mind off the game, some of them being not very PG but the rest requiring them to actually be home. it wasn't until then that she realized they weren't in Storrs and couldn't do all the things that usually worked.
back in high school, to bring spirits up after a loss, Athena and Paige would go out for ice cream and walk around the park for a while then go back to one of their houses and watch movies all day. the brunette wanted to do that, but they had a flight this evening and wouldn't get home in time for any of that.
Athena remembered Paige's family was here, picking her phone back up again and texting her mom what their plans were for the day. she immediately got an answer, not a helpful one, just saying they planned on waiting until they had to go to the airport for their flight. the soccer player suggested they go to lunch or breakfast because Paige could certainly use the cheering up, along with everyone else.
speaking of Paige, she shifted in Athena's arms, nuzzling her head closer to Athena and tightening her hold. the brunette placed a kiss on her forehead, holding it for a moment before letting go. she grabbed the arm that was around her and attempted to lift it, succeeding and getting up, replacing herself with a pillow. Paige didn't seem to notice the difference for now, hugging the pillow as Athena went to the bathroom.
coming out of the bathroom, the girl noticed an awake, and grumpy, Paige.
"morning" Athena said.
"come back here" Paige grumbled, tossing the pillow behind her and reaching out for Athena. Athena didn't protest, walking back to the bed and laying down. Paige going back to her place in her arms. "don't leave again."
"sorry, i had to go to the bathroom."
"unforgivable."
"yeah? what will i have to do to earn your forgiveness." Paige looked up, pouting her lips out and giving Athena her answer. "anything but that."
the blonde furrowed her eyebrows and frowned, "you don't want to kiss me?"
"no i do, i just have really bad morning breath."
"you think i care? give me a kiss right now." Paige stretched her head up, Athena pecking her lips quickly before pulling away and leaving the girl unsatisfied. "Athena i don't care about your damn breath, kiss me properly."
Athena rolled her eyes, leaning back down to plant her lips on Paige's properly this time. pulling back and seeing a grin on the girl laying on her. "better?"
"yeah, still would like a longer one though...and more of them but i'll hold off for now."
"you seem like you're in a better mood."
"yeah...i guess." Paige said, shrugging and sitting up. "still down about it but i'm using your advice and not letting it get to me."
"good...you know i'm proud of you, right?" Athena said, reaching up to place her palm on Paige's cheek, the blonde leaning into the touch and sighing.
"i know, thank you." the same 3 words she whispered the night they fell asleep together on the phone on the tip of her tongue, begging to be released. she wanted to scream them at the top of her lungs, shout it from the rooftops how much she loves the girl she looking at. but Paige held back, biting her lip and keeping her stare into Athena's green eyes.
Athena smiled down at Paige, kissing her lips again then speaking, "how would you feel about brunch with your family before we head to the airport?"
"if i agree, can i sit next to you on both the flight and at the restaurant?"
"well i think we were already sitting next to each other on the flight but deal."
the morning passed by, the two of them now getting ready for brunch with the Bueckers. they agreed to meet down in the lobby at 11:30, Paige and Athena getting there before the rest of them. the two sat on the couch in the lobby, Athena leaning her head on Paige's shoulder as they watched tiktok together. every few scrolls, a edit of the blonde would pop up, the girl watching once then adding to her collection and scrolling.
"you're so obsessed with yourself, oh my god." Athena said, rolling her eyes while smiling and pinching Paige's side.
"acting like you aren't." Paige looked over at Athena as best she could and responded. she was taken surprise by how close their faces were, her eyes automatically drifting down to the smiling lips inches away from her.
the blonde's own smile faded as she stared, licking her lips as she slowly leaned in. it was almost as if they had never kissed before with how nervous Paige was but there was no reason to be, they literally had done this not even an hour ago. maybe it was because they were in the middle of a public hotel lobby and all the other times they've kissed have been in the comfort of their rooms.
Athena stayed still, unsure if Paige really wanted to do this in public but wasn't going to stop her if she did. their lips brushed briefly before Paige heard running steps towards them, turning her head and groaning when a young boy jumped on Paige's lap.
Drew's body slam was enough to create some distance between the two girls, Athena wanting to keep away from any limbs that could hurt her while tackling Paige. her parents followed soon after, scolding the young boy for potentially hurting the basketball player with a not so hidden smile on their face.
the boy got off her, excitedly urging the girls to get up. Paige put her phone in her pocket before getting up and offering her hand out to the brunette that was still sitting. Athena took the hand held out to her and used it as leverage to get up, definitely not missing the way the blonde's bicep slightly flexed in her t-shirt.
she was fully expecting Paige to let go and drop her hand once up, but instead she held a firm, gentle grip on it, walking backwards and pulling the soccer player along with her. it was awkward with them both using their right hands instead of opposite, Athena waiting for the moment Paige would turn around and let go but it never came.
the blonde twisted her body to face forward but quickly switched her right hand for her left not letting Athena feel the coldness of the air without a hand in hers like a magician doing a slight of hand trick. the two of them trailed behind Paige's parents, Drew hanging onto the other side of Athena, both siblings swinging her arms back and forth.
Athena was once again stuck in the middle, mainly because Paige's long legs needed their room but she didn't really mind. she actually liked it, on her left she could have the physical contact that both her and Paige craved with each other, and on her right was her favorite Bueckers sibling.
the drive over was mainly filled with Drew talking their ears off as Paige traced the tattoos on Athena's left forearm while resting her head on her shoulder. she would only perk up when contributing to the conversation going on and even then if it was only necessary.
Athena could tell Paige was still thinking about last night, what she could have done better or differently because she was the same way, putting on a happy face while every mistake made eats you alive inside. she wanted to ask the blonde about it but also didn't want to trigger anything right before they have brunch so she left it alone. for now, she was just the "oblivious" friend that acted as if everything was alright.
Paige was pretty good at hiding it though, not acting any different then if they had won the game, maybe without the bragging but still. that's because she was selfless, she would rather suffer in silence then make her problems anybody else's, it was admirable at times but this is not one of those times. she had a right to be upset or sad, her season was over and it was the last time she would play with the same girls she came in with. yes, Paige is coming back for another year but that doesn't mean it's ok.
getting out of the car, Athena tugged on Paige's hand to keep a little bit of distance between her family and them. the blonde was confused, asking if she was ok but was met with silence.
"ok i thought i was going to be ok waiting until after we ate but i can't." Athena spoke, looking slightly up to meet the confused blue eyes staring down at her.
"what...are you ok?" Paige asked.
"that's what i was going to ask you. are you sure you're ok right now? i know you said you're trying to not let it get to you but right now you're acting like it didn't even happen. Paige i know you, and i know when you're faking it."
Paige sighed and rolled her eyes "can we not do this right now? let's just go eat and then we can talk when we are back."
"you say that but then later are going to end up deflecting and acting like everything's fine."
"no, i won't."
"we grew up together, i know all your habits. good and bad....look, if this is going to work," Athena used her free hand to gesture between the two of them, "you're going to have to be able to let me in."
Paige sighed, looking down at the ground and realizing Athena is right, "yeah..."
"you do want this to work...right?"
the blonde's head shot up, furrowing her eyebrows as if it was the stupidest question she's ever heard. "yes, of course i do. there is nothing i want more, well maybe a national championship but whatever...Athena i know you know how i feel about you, even though i haven't said it but you know."
"good...and i know, because i feel the same way. now let's go before you're family thinks i've killed you." Athena started to walk away only to be stopped by the firm hand in hers and spun back into Paige. the blonde held the sides of the shorter's waist and leaned down, barely giving Athena any time to react before a soft pair of lips were kissing her own.
the brunette placed one of her hands on Paige's chest, the other finding its way to the outside of her bicep. the two stood their for a moment, not even caring they were kissing in the middle of a public parking lot.
Athena was the first one to pull away, a smile creeping its way on her face, "what was that for?"
"pick me up...and i've been wanting to do that since we left."
"ok buckets, come on." Athena said, grabbing the blonde's hand and twisting around to pull her into the restaurant.
the two joined Paige's family at the booth, the young boy getting up from his seat to let Athena and Paige squeeze in them pushing them further in to have more space. they had no problem with it even though they voiced it truly the pair was grateful for Drew. every inch of them is touching from shoulder to toe. Paige's parents were snug on their side but still having enough space they could sit without having much contact between them, they voiced concerns about the amount of space but were reassured by the couple that they were 'fine with it.'
her parents backed off once the drinks came, starting up a conversation about who knows what. Paige was too busy shifting her hand from her lap to reach her pinky out and tickle the side of Athena's thigh, making the girl slap it away while trying to keep up with talking. Paige kept a neutral face, using this as her entertainment as they waited for the waitress to come back for their orders. she continued annoying Athena wether it was brushing or pinching her leg, or fully palming her thigh.
Paige was never one to sit still, always wanting to be active. it was part of the reason she loves basketball so much, you never stay still for very long, and that quality shows on and off the court. also she is a very physical person, she craves the physical touch from a loved one. thats why she has her hands all over Athena all. the. time. nonstop. Athena is no better, once she's attached to you, you will never have a moment without being more then a few inches from each other.
the two of them combined together was like an introvert's worst nightmare. they were never more then millimeters from each other, holding hands, cuddling, hugging, even walking. it's one of the reasons they go so good together, they have two separate personalities but they fit like puzzle pieces.
Paige got lost in drawing shapes on the smooth skin she could feel she didn't even realize the waitress staring at her, waiting for her order. the brunette bounced her leg up to stop the drawing and nudged the girl's shoulder. the blonde looking over at her then following her nod to the impatient looking girl with her pen on her notepad.
she apologized then gave her order, not missing the tone of the waitress when asking what side she wanted. the waitress then closed her notebook when finished, putting it in her pocket then walking away. the rest of the group went back to their activities, while Paige zoned back in on the girl next to her. she tried to drown out all thoughts about the last 24 hours and focus on the way her fingertips felt on the muscular leg next to her but they creeped in, flowing through her mind like a tidal wave.
Athena seemed to notice, seeing as Paige hasn't said a word in 5 minutes when she was the most talkative person at this table. she nudged her shoulder again to gain her attention, the blonde tearing her eyes away from the table to look at the green eyes to her left. without saying any words, they were able to communicate, Athena silently asking if she was ok and Paige nodding with a blink.
the brunette exactly what was going on, she knew Paige too well. the blonde was doubting herself again. Athena knew how to pull her out of it but she couldn't really do it in such a cramped space and in front of her family so she just had to tough it out and find another way.
she tried to get Paige more involved, "don't you think P?"
Paige shook her head, blinking a few times before humming a "hm?"
"that i would be a great basketball player and Geno should put me on the team." Athena said confidently.
Paige snorted then broke out into laughter. she didn't say a word for a full minute, opening her mouth like she would only to laugh more. through tears she was able to get a few words out, "you...basketball...Uconn? HAHAHA"
the brunette crossed her arms, slouching in her seat then mumbling, "ok it's not that funny."
"no it's....i'm sorry Athena but you?" the basketball player was able to calm her laughter to make a coherent sentence, "no offense baby, but you have like..zero hand-eye coordination."
Paige didn't even realize she called her that in front of her parents, it had just become an instinct at this point even though she technically wasn't allowed to. her parents didn't seem to notice or if they did, they didn't show it. then again, Paige was too busy keeping her eyes locked on Athena's to notice them. in reality, her mom and dad shared a look, confirming they both heard that correctly then turning back to her daughter that was trying to explain herself to the brunette.
"well i play a sport with my feet dummy, i'm not expected to."
Paige swung her arm around the now pouting Athena, pulling her closer and trying to reason. all her reasons were valid to Athena but she wouldn't let Paige win that easy, keeping up her act and only breaking when her food arrived. she immediately perked up when the plate was placed in front of her, grabbing her fork and knife to dig in. Paige was next, her plate being much more full then everybody else. she kept her arm around Athena until the rest of the table got their food, taking it off to grab her fork and knife.
the rest of breakfast was pretty much silent, all them enjoying the good food. Paige was the first to finish despite having the most she gobbled it down like it was her last meal. since she had nothing else to do, she placed her hand back on Athena's thigh and went back to drawing. this time it wasn't shapes, instead it was words. the brunette wasn't able to decipher most of it though, it being Paige's non dominant hand and her handwriting was horrible but she could make out some letters.
taking the opportunity, Paige wrote out the same thing she's been consumed by for months. 'i love you' was drawn, next to it a very crooked and jaded heart. Athena could tell what the heart was, surprisingly, but didn't speak on the letters, thinking they were something like the alphabet.
walking out, the pair trailed behind just slightly, enough to be in earshot of the 3 ahead but far back enough they wouldn't been see in the peripheral of them. they walked side to side, their shoulders touching and hands brushing. Athena was the bold one, hooking their pinkies together and continuing on like it didn't make the blonde's heart skip 4 beats.
by the time they were back at the hotel, they had about 2 hours before they had to leave for the airport. walking into Athena's room, Paige thought she was safe. instead she was yanked by her hand, preventing her from flopping down on the bed and being tugged back towards Athena. her hands falling automatically to her hips, the other joining her hands together behind the taller's neck.
the blonde leaned in, going for a kiss but when her eyes closed, Athena jerked her head to the side and making Paige land on the warmth of her cheek instead of her planned destination.
"Paige."
"i don't think i like that tone..."
"you shouldn't."
"did i do something?"
"how many times do i have to tell you that i know when something is wrong with you before you learn."
"uhhh..."
"you didn't say a word for like 15 minutes at the restaurant P, what's going on?...and don't even think of trying to get out of this because i swear to god i will leave without you."
"i was just...thinking."
"good or bad thinking?" Paige stayed silent, ducking her head down, "Paige...it's not your fault."
"i know that, but it just- won't go away. every play i run in my head i think of something i could've done better and maybe if i did then we would've won."
"this is not all on you. stop trying to blame yourself for everything, it's a team sport not a individual one. maybe you could've done something different but so could've the entire team. you are the best player in the country and do not deserve to think like that. yes it's going to suck for a little, but you always have next year. don't focus on the failure as a whole but the little things that led up to that and tweak them, losing is just another step to winning....that's what my dad always says."
"ok...thank you. i don't know what i'd do without you."
Paige reached her hand up to cup Athena's cheek, pulling her closer to place a delicate, soft kiss on her lips. they both pulled back with a smile, staying close in each other's bubble.
"hopefully you never have to find out."
the shorter girl leaned back in, kissing Paige again for longer this time. Paige only pulled back to ask a question, one that had been burning a hole in her pocket.
"go out with me." more of a demand then a question.
"is that a command?"
"sorry, no...will you go out with me? like on an actual date, for real."
Athena broke out into a smile, "of course i will superstar...i've been waiting for you to ask."
"excuse you? i did and you said 'not until the end of the tournament'"
"doesn't sound like me, no."
"go pack, we leave in an hour."
-------------------------------------------------------
"i hate planes." Athena said, sitting down in her window seat that Paige generously gave up for her.
"relax, what's the worst that could happen?" Paige questioned, closing the overhead bin and taking her seat next to Athena.
"we could crash into the ocean, we could crash into another plane, we could just suddenly drop 15,000 feet out of no where and have no idea where we are, we could-"
"woah! ok ok...Thea what are the possibilities of that?"
"higher then you think! did i ever tell you the last time i got on a plane and we were just about to take off, i got news that Kobe and his daughter died from a plane crash?"
"...ok?" the blonde said with concern, then mumbling, "don't know why you had to bring Kobe and Gigi into this."
"sorry, i just hate planes."
Paige reached over to grasp Athena's hand, using her other one to close the window, "Athena...we are going to be fine, trust me."
Every worry Athena had bottled up disappeared within seconds, the words of the girl sitting next to her making her truly believe they would be ok. the brunette nodded, relaxing in her seat and used her left hand to scroll through the movies displayed on the screen in front of her. she ultimately found a movie, but since they haven't taken off yet, she tilted her head to the right and rested it on the blonde's shoulder, closing her eyes. Paige turned her head to play a sweet kiss and her forehead then went back to trying to find her own movie.
"have you ever watched The Wilds?" Athena questioned, soon hearing Paige's hand drop onto her leg.
"oh my god."
an hour into the flight while squeezing the life out of Paige's hand, Athena finally fell asleep. her grip loosened, drawing the attention of the girl next to her, making her realize Athena had her head hanging low and would certainly have a knot in her neck when she woke up. lifting up the armrest, Paige guided her head back to her shoulder the going back to her movie.
Paige was slightly worried about doing this is such a public setting but all the people around them seemed to not be paying attention or care. the only reason she worried is because their public imagine broke them once before, and even though Paige couldn't care less, Athena was not one for the public eye. she wanted to stay in the background as much as possible, which is ironic considering she is the caitlin clark of soccer right now.
the blonde knows she has to talk to Athena about this but also they still aren't together, yes they technically are but not officially. maybe when they are settled in their relationship and have told their parents and friends then they can talk about being public. Paige then went on a rant in her head about how stupid it was that she has to even think about that. she wasn't allowed to love her girl the way she wants to because the 2 million people that follow her on instagram and tiktok would be pissed off? bullshit.
whatever, as long as Paige gets to actually love her then all her problems would be background noise. just the sight of Athena after the final four game made her forget about everything, her entire focus just on her.
apparently, she had been zoned out for that long because next thing she knew, the plane was on the ground and people were already getting off. Paige softly nudged Athena, trying to get her up and awake to be able to walk off this plane without assistance.
"psst, Thea...baby come on get up, the plane landed."
Athena inhaled, rubbing at her red eyes then giving a lazy smile to Paige. she was still robotic as they walked off the plane, leaning her entire body on Paige as they waited for her parents. the Bueckers' weren't able to get seats close to the two, the whole flight being booked with the weirdest seats available and settled for seats almost at the back of the plane while the girls were closer to the front.
the taller girl rubbed up and down Athena's back, pulling her hood over her head to shed her from any extra light that may peek in. Paige's family finally emerged from the terminal, finding the two girls almost asleep on each other while standing. the pair basically helped each other all the way out the airport and all the way home. her parents dropping them off at Athena's apartment, not wanting to deal with the potential rowdiness of the basketball girls at the dorms.
without a care, they both dropped their bags at the door and dragged their feet as the walked to Athena's bedroom. since they were both already in comfy clothes, there was no point in changing. Paige climbed into bed first, Athena using the bathroom before joining her. the brunette shuffled out of the bathroom, finding the image of her unofficial girlfriend look over and open her arms for Athena to drop into.
Athena softly smiled, climbing into her embrace. the two shared a half-hearted kiss, them both being too tired to contribute anymore than that, then turned off the light and easily fell asleep for the night.