Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ariana had her earbuds in, listening to Troye Sivan’s song “Bloom,” with her eyes closed.
Nicole had sent it to her last night to get her ready for today’s game.
“Promise me you’ll hold my hand if I get scared now,” she sang softly.
Her body was moving slowly to the beat. “Yeah, I bloom, I bloom just for you. Come on, baby, play me like a love song…” She smiled and thought of Nicole as the song continued.
Their love had bloomed all around them despite their best efforts to fight it.
Ariana had a good feeling about the game today. She felt like something was a little off with Nicole when she’d talked to her last night, but she’d smiled at her when no one was watching during shootaround.
No matter what happened in the game Ariana knew they were going back to New York tonight and she would be at Nicole’s with her. They could talk then. In the meantime she was ready to play her best because Nicole was there and they were in this together.
Ariana opened her eyes to see Cameron’s hand waving in front of her face.
“It’s time,” she said. “Let’s go win this game.”
Ariana nodded, put her phone away, and they left the dressing room. Out on the court, Ariana looked around and smiled. She was ready.
During warmups an errant ball rolled towards the media table and Ariana went after it. She looked up into Nicole’s eyes and smiled. “Watch me bloom,” she said, just loud enough for Nicole to hear.
Nicole smiled and nodded.
The game started and New York came out ready to play. Dallas kept it close the first half and then New York went on a run in the third quarter. It was a good game with a loud crowd as Dallas inched its way back.
Ariana wasn’t about to let them steal this game and she encouraged her team in the huddle during each timeout as the clock wound down. Dallas pulled within four points with less than two minutes to go.
Nicole had given Ariana a couple of things to keep in mind that New York hadn’t done well in the previous game they lost. Ariana saw an opening and instead of passing the ball like she had so many times before she stepped back and took a deep three-point shot.
Ariana knew it was going in as it left her fingers.
This quieted the crowd and invigorated Ariana. She watched Dallas’ point guard come up the court and waited until just the right moment to pounce. Her hand punched the ball away and she sped up the court for an easy layup, extending their lead to nine points with thirty seconds left.
New York’s defense stayed tough and they won the game as well as the series with three wins to Dallas’ one. They were going to the finals!
Ariana had felt like she’d been on a mission from the beginning of the season to bring the championship back to New York.
They were now one step closer. The other semifinal series wasn’t complete yet so they’d be returning to New York with a chance to recover and prepare for the championship series.
She couldn’t wait to get home and celebrate with Nicole.
Ariana gave a quick glance to the media table and she waited until Nicole looked her way. She smiled and saw Nicole’s face light up when their eyes met. Yeah, it was going to be a good night.
Several hours later Ariana walked into Nicole’s apartment and found her waiting in the kitchen.
“I have a Diet Coke ready for you,” Nicole said, hurrying to put her arms around Ariana. “Congrats, honey.”
Ariana felt Nicole’s lips on hers and couldn’t contain her excitement. “We’re in the finals!”
“Yeah, you are.”
Ariana put her bag down while Nicole brought their drinks into the living room.
“I remembered a couple of things you said towards the end of the game,” Ariana said after taking a healthy drink of her soda. “So I took the shot!”
Nicole laughed. “That’s exactly what I said into the mic.”
Ariana laughed with her. This was the best, going over the game after a big win and trading favorite moments. They settled back on the couch and sipped their drinks.
“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” Ariana asked.
“What?” Nicole’s eyes widened.
Ariana shrugged. “I could tell something wasn’t quite right last night. Did something happen? Are you okay?”
Nicole furrowed her brow. “How’d you know? I thought I hid it well.”
Ariana reached over and cupped Nicole’s cheek. “I know you, Nic. I love you and can tell when something is bothering you.”
Nicole set her drink on the table and sighed. “Remember when we were talking after the game the other day? When you left, I turned around and there was Maggie Patterson.”
Ariana’s heart fell into her stomach. “Oh no. Did she hear us?”
Nicole nodded.
“Fuck!”
“It’s okay, baby,” Nicole reached for her hand and squeezed it. “She said she wouldn’t say anything, but I don’t know if we can trust her.”
“What should we do?”
“We aren’t going to do anything,” Nicole said. “You are going to practice and I’m going to see my bosses.”
“They’ll bench you.”
“Maybe.” Nicole nodded. “If they do then that’s okay. I’ve already got the new contract and I was thinking on the way home that it could be a good thing.”
“How? This is my worst fear coming to life. The last thing I ever wanted to happen is you to lose your job.”
“I’m not losing my job.”
Ariana could feel Nicole move closer and gently stroke her hand. “How could this be a good thing?”
“I’ll be at your games and be able to cheer for you the entire time,” Nicole said. “I won’t have to stay neutral. I can watch you and be mesmerized by your talent and grace without having to say a word on air.”
Ariana scoffed. “You’re just trying to put a positive spin on this. Why didn’t you tell me about Maggie?”
Nicole gave her an are you kidding me look. “I’m not trying to spin anything, Ari. I wasn’t about to give you something else to worry about before your game.” She squeezed Ariana’s arm. “I’ll be at all your games and I’ll get to be your biggest fan and cheerleader.”
“You’re saying this like it’s a done deal.”
Nicole shrugged. “It may be. Think about it. If I step down, it protects the network and us. Plus, I get to watch and appreciate you.”
Ariana sighed. “You’re not bullshitting me, right?”
“You seem to be able to tell, so am I?”
Ariana narrowed her gaze at Nicole and tilted her head. “We’ll see.”
A big smile spread on Nicole’s face. “Let’s go to bed. It’s late, we can talk about this tomorrow.”
Ariana smirked. “Come on, baby, play me like a love song.”
“Every time it comes on,” Nicole sang.
Ariana let Nicole pull her off the couch while they both sang as they walked down the hall. “I bloom just for you.”
“Why would you do that?” Kate exclaimed. “I’m your agent! Ariana must have been furious.”
“She knew,” Nicole said, taking a seat at the bar.
“She knew and you still did it?” Kate slid onto the stool next to her.
“What’s going on?” Stuart said from the other side of the bar. “Why are you here so early?”
Nicole sighed. “I need a beer.”
“Our friend Nicole met with her bosses and resigned!” Kate said.
“That’s old news,” Stuart said, “it happened days ago.”
Kate sighed. “Explain to me again why you thought that was the best thing to do.”
Nicole took a breath and exhaled. “Someone else found out about us. I couldn’t trust her not to say anything. When I went to Laura and Rob I knew the best thing for the network and Ariana was for me to step down. I already have a new contract. Everyone is protected. It’s fine.”
“Ariana is playing lights out,” Stuart said, setting a beer in front of each of them. “If anything it’s emboldened her.”
“I told you I would do anything for Ariana and that was what was best,” Nicole said.
“But they were going to give you the finals,” Kate said. “You could’ve been commentating her games.”
“Honestly, I’ve enjoyed watching her from the stands,” Nicole said with a smile. “I can cheer for her and watch her kill it on the court without having to say something neutral into a microphone.”
“I never thought I’d hear you say that,” Kate said. “You gave up the premier spot on the most important series of the season.”
“Aw, look what love has done to my girl,” Stuart said with a dreamy look on his face.
Nicole chuckled. “I have learned that I have room in my life for more than one thing.”
“You mean basketball.”
“Yes, I’ve discovered basketball and my career are nothing without Ariana.”
Stuart smiled and raised his glass. “To finding love and New York winning another championship.”
Nicole chuckled as she clinked her glass with Stuart’s and Kate’s. “It’s been an exciting series. New York stealing that first game while they were in Las Vegas was brilliant."
“You were great on the pregame show in Vegas,” Stuart said.
“I know the network put you in the studio to keep too many questions from being asked,” Kate said. “Has it worked?”
Nicole nodded. “Yes, I explained that first night that I was working on a new project and was excited to give my analysis before the games.”
“Yeah, little do the fans know Ariana Villa is that new project,” Stuart muttered.
Nicole smirked and reached over the bar to slap his shoulder. “The network will announce our move to college basketball when the season starts. It’s all working out.”
“Okay, New York won the first game, Vegas the second, then they came back to New York where we won both of those,” Stuart said.
“Right,” Nicole said. “We went back to Vegas and they won, so now we’re here for game six tomorrow night.”
“Three games to two,” Kate said. “We win tomorrow and it’s over.”
“They’re going to do it,” Nicole said.
“Is that your professional opinion or are you speaking as our point guard’s girlfriend?” Stuart asked.
“In this case they are one and the same.” Nicole grinned and took a long sip of her beer.
“Have you still been keeping your distance from each other?” Kate asked.
Nicole nodded. “It’s not so bad when we’re here because Ariana stays with me.”
“I’m planning a big celebration here at the bar tomorrow night when they win,” Stuart said. “I think Ariana is going to win MVP for the series.”
Nicole smiled. “I do, too. She’s had a triple double in four of the five games.”
Stuart furrowed his brow. “What does that mean for a point guard again? They don’t usually rebound.”
“She’s had double digits in points, assists, and steals,” Nicole explained.
“I’m sure you’ve helped her with that,” Kate said with a smirk.
Nicole shrugged. “I may have shared my basketball knowledge with her.”
“I was thinking more about other things you may have shared to keep the stress away,” Kate said, raising a brow.
Nicole chuckled. “I may have done that too.”
Kate and Stuart laughed. “We’re really happy for you and Ariana. You’ve found your person,” Stuart said.
“I have.” Nicole smiled and felt her heart tingle with warmth. It seemed to do that whenever she thought about or saw Ariana. She took one last sip of her beer. “I’ve got to get home, my girl will be back from practice soon. I’ll see you tomorrow at the game.”
“Thanks for the tickets,” Kate said. “Did Ariana get them for you?”
Nicole nodded. “We got tickets for you and Emily, Stuart, and his handsome hubby.” She grinned at the sweet expression on Stuart’s face. “We also gave tickets to Dave, my doorman, and his wife, plus one of the little girls and her family who attended our youth clinics.”
“I forgot you and Ariana did those together,” Kate said.
“The day after she fell in my lap we were both at a neighborhood park playing with the kids,” Nicole explained.
“There was this one little girl, Chloe. She told me she wanted to be a commentator like me because she didn’t think she’d be big enough to play in the WNBA.
I can’t wait to introduce her to Shealyn tomorrow and show her the behind the scenes at the media desk. ”
“Your doorman?”
Nicole raised her brows and smiled. “He has been very helpful to get Ariana in and out of my building without anyone discovering our little secret.”
“Oh, I love it!” Stuart laughed. “What about her family? Won’t they be there?”
Nicole shook her head. “Her mom, stepdad, and little brothers came to her first championship series, but chose not to attend this one. It was hard for Ariana to celebrate with them and her teammates. So we’re going to Portland to visit them after the season ends.”
“She has little brothers?” Kate asked.
Nicole nodded. “After her mom remarried, she had twin boys. I can’t wait to meet them all.”
“Look at you, meeting the family,” Stuart said. “This is so much fun, watching you blossom right in front of me.”
Nicole chuckled. “We’re also going to Arizona to visit my parents. Ariana met my niece and sister’s family when she played in LA earlier in the season and I was there commentating. Of course, she is my niece’s favorite player.”
“You’re right, Stuart, this is fun. Our reserved, career focused friend has found more to life than basketball. I love it!”
“Yeah, and I love Ariana,” Nicole said. “See you tomorrow.”
She hugged her friends and left the bar with a lightness in her step. Ariana was close to winning the championship and Nicole couldn’t wait to walk down the street with her love, holding her hand for all to see.