~ Chapter 24 ~
Reed
The locker room was loud in the way only a basketball locker room ever was.
Music blasted from someone's speaker in the corner, bass rattling the metal benches.
Lockers slammed open and shut. Sneakers squeaked against tile.
Someone yelled about missing socks. Ryan and Felix were already arguing about something stupid—probably food.
Vinod sat on the floor tying his shoes with surgical focus like the fate of the universe depended on double knots.
Caleb stretched near his locker, headphones in, head bobbing to a rhythm only he could hear.
It was chaos.
Familiar.
Comfortable.
Reed sat on the bench pulling his jersey over his head, tugging the fabric down slowly, trying very hard to pretend his heart wasn't beating faster than usual.
It wasn't game nerves.
Those were easy.
Those he understood.
This was something else.
Something sitting heavy and warm in his chest.
Ryan dropped onto the bench beside him and nudged his shoulder with his own.
"Your girl's coming tonight, yeah?"
Reed kept his eyes on his laces. "Yeah."
Felix, halfway across the room, looked up immediately. "Look at you. Public boyfriend era."
Reed shot him a look. "Relax."
Vinod didn't even glance up. "You checked your phone five times during warmups."
Reed grabbed his towel and tossed it over his shoulder. "Mind your business."
Ryan grinned. "Nah, man. This is our business now. You're whipped."
Reed didn't deny it.
He didn't shrug.
He didn't argue.
That silence said everything.
Caleb finally pulled one earbud out. "You nervous?"
Reed hesitated.
"Yeah," he said honestly. "Not about playing."
Felix's grin softened just a notch. "You like her like that."
Reed nodded once.
Ryan clapped him on the back. "Good. About time someone knocked your emotionally constipated ass into feelings."
Reed snorted despite himself.
"Y'all done flirting or you wanna play basketball tonight?" Coach yelled from the doorway.
The room snapped into motion.
Reed grabbed his water bottle, rolled his shoulders, and followed the team out.
The second he stepped onto the court, the noise hit him like a wall.
Cheers.
Chatter.
The squeak of sneakers.
The low, constant roar of people who didn't know his name personally but loved what he could do with a ball.
Reed had walked into this environment a thousand times.
Tonight felt different.
He scanned the stands without meaning to.
Didn't plan to.
Didn't consciously decide to.
His eyes just... went.
And then he saw her.
Eva sat a few rows up with Parker and Sandra. Cassie was there too, waving like an idiot beside Ryan's jersey draped over her shoulders.
But Reed barely noticed anyone else.
Eva was wearing his hoodie.
His.
The sleeves swallowed her hands.
The hood bunched around her neck.
She looked small.
Soft.
Safe.
Like she belonged wrapped in him.
Something tight and warm expanded in his chest.
Not adrenaline.
Not ego.
Something deeper.
Reed forgot where he was for half a second.
Vinod elbowed him as they jogged past.
"Don't stare, Romeo."
Reed didn't respond.
Because Eva looked up at that exact moment.
Their eyes met.
Her lips curved into a shy, almost unsure smile.
Like she didn't quite believe she was allowed to wear his hoodie.
Like she didn't quite believe she was his.
Reed felt it settle into his bones.
That's mine.
Not ownership.
Not control.
Belonging.
Warmups suddenly felt easier.
His shots landed cleaner.
His body moved smoother.
Not because he wanted to impress strangers.
Not because he wanted highlight clips.
Because he wanted her to be proud.
Every time he ran back down the court, he found himself glancing toward her.
And every single time...
She was already watching.
----
Eva decided very quickly that being at a game as Reed's girlfriend felt wildly different than being at a game as Reed's... whatever she had been before.
Before, she had sat there feeling like a guest in someone else's world.
Curious.
Overwhelmed.
Half-aware of what was happening on the court and hyper-aware of the way her heart wouldn't stop doing strange things in her chest.
Now?
She was still nervous.
Still very much out of her element.
But there was something steadier underneath it.
Warm.
Grounded.
Like she had an anchor.
She tugged the sleeves of Reed's hoodie down over her hands and curled her fingers inside the fabric, pressing her thumbs against the soft lining like it might disappear if she didn't hold onto it.
It smelled like him.
Not overpowering.
Not cologne-heavy.
Just... clean.
Warm.
Comforting.
Sandra noticed immediately, of course.
She leaned in, eyes sparkling. "You look disgustingly cute right now."
Eva scrunched her nose. "Please don't say things like that in public."
Parker smiled softly at her from the other side. "You okay?"
Eva nodded, then shook her head, then nodded again.
"I think so. I just feel... weird."
Cassie tilted her head. "Good weird or existential crisis weird?"
Eva thought about Reed on the court, stretching, rolling his shoulders, glancing up during warmups like he was searching for something.
Like he had been searching for her.
"Good weird," Eva said quietly.
Sandra pressed her hands together dramatically. "That's our girl."
When the game started, Eva told herself she would try to pay attention properly.
Learn the rules.
Understand what was happening.
Be a supportive, normal girlfriend.
That plan lasted approximately six seconds.
Because Reed moved.
And suddenly nothing else existed.
He wasn't flashy.
He wasn't showy.
But there was something about the way he played that pulled her in.
Focused.
Calm.
Controlled.
Like he trusted his body to do what it had been trained to do.
Like he didn't need attention to feel confident.
Eva found herself leaning forward without realizing it.
Biting the inside of her cheek when he drove toward the basket.
Letting out tiny, almost silent gasps when things got rough near the hoop.
At one point, Reed took a hard hit and went down.
Eva's hand flew to her mouth before she could stop herself.
Parker immediately reached over and squeezed her knee.
"He's fine," she said gently.
Reed popped back up a second later.
Eva exhaled like she'd been holding her breath underwater.
Sandra glanced at her and smirked. "You're already in deep."
Eva didn't argue.
Because she was.
When Reed hit a clean three, Cassie screamed like her soul left her body.
Ryan turned toward their section and pumped his fist dramatically.
Sandra screamed too, because obviously.
Eva clapped.
Hard.
Probably too hard.
Her palms stung a little.
She didn't care.
Reed glanced up.
Found her.
Held her gaze.
Then, very subtly, nodded.
Not cocky.
Not flashy.
Just... for her.
Like he was saying: I see you.
Like he was saying: That one was yours.
Eva felt it low in her stomach.
Warm.
Heavy.
Terrifying.
Oh.
Oh no.
She tugged the hoodie sleeves over her hands even more and hid half her face behind them, suddenly very aware of the way her cheeks were heating up.
Sandra leaned in and whispered, "He is down bad."
Eva whispered back, "Please stop."
Cassie smiled softly. "You look happy, Eva."
Eva didn't answer right away.
She watched Reed jog back on defense.
Watched the way he shook out his hands.
Watched the way he glanced toward their section again like it was instinct.
"I think I am," Eva said quietly.
And that realization felt bigger than anything else.
--
By halftime, Reed's body was warm and loose, adrenaline buzzing under his skin in that familiar, steady way.
The game was tight.
Fast.
Physical.
Exactly the kind of night he liked.
And yet, his attention kept drifting.
Not to the scoreboard.
Not to the bench.
Up.
To her.
Eva sat curled slightly forward in her seat, hoodie sleeves pulled over her hands, knees tucked in toward herself like she was trying to take up less space even though she didn't need to.
She clapped after every good play.
Not screaming.
Not showy.
Just earnest.
Like she meant it.
Like she cared.
At one point, someone near her dropped a drink and it splashed near her shoes.
Eva startled, then laughed softly, embarrassed, brushing at her jeans with the sleeve of the hoodie.
Reed felt a stupid smile tug at his mouth.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Bit her lip.
Glanced toward the court.
Toward him.
When their eyes met, she didn't look away right away.
Didn't duck her head.
She just looked.
Like she was checking on him.
Like she wanted to make sure he was okay.
Something about that settled heavy and warm in his chest.
Not excitement.
Not lust.
Something quieter.
Deeper.
Felix nudged him on the bench. "You're smiling like an idiot."
Reed didn't look away from Eva.
"Shut up."
Ryan followed his line of sight and whistled low. "Damn. She's really yours, huh."
Reed swallowed.
"Yeah."
He didn't add anything else.
Didn't need to.
Because standing there in the middle of a noisy arena, watching Eva exist so gently in a space that overwhelmed her just to support him...
Reed realized he wasn't just playing for himself anymore.
He was playing for her.
When the final buzzer sounded and the crowd exploded, Eva felt it rush through her chest like a wave.
They won.
They actually won.
Cassie screamed.
Sandra grabbed Eva's arm.
Parker laughed.
Eva stood without thinking.
Her eyes went straight to Reed.
He looked flushed.
Sweaty.
Breathing hard.
Alive.
And when his gaze lifted and found her, something inside her clicked.
That's mine.
Not in a possessive way.
Not in a claiming way.
In a quiet, terrified, hopeful way.
Mine.
She didn't remember walking down the steps.
Didn't remember weaving through people.
She just knew she was suddenly there, near the edge of the tunnel, heart pounding so hard she was pretty sure everyone could hear it.
Reed spotted her immediately.
His face changed.
Not dramatic.
Not exaggerated.
Just... softer.
Like something in him relaxed.
Eva barely had time to think before she stepped into him.
Her arms wrapped around his waist.
Her cheek pressed against his chest.
Reed's arms came around her without hesitation.
Secure.
Warm.
Strong.
Eva breathed him in.
"You were really good," she said into his jersey.
Reed smiled against the top of her head.
"You came."
It wasn't a question.
It was a statement.
Eva pulled back just enough to look at him.
"I told you I would."
His thumb brushed gently over her cheek.
A simple touch.
It made her knees feel weak.
Parker cleared her throat loudly behind them.
Sandra stage-whispered, "We're witnessing a moment."
Cassie was absolutely taking pictures.
Ryan yelled, "MY BOY SECURED."
Eva's face burned.
Reed didn't seem to care.
"Can I kiss you?" he asked quietly.
Eva nodded.
"Yes."
He leaned down and kissed her.
Soft.
Slow.
Unrushed.
Not a show.
Not for anyone else.
Just for them.
When they pulled apart, Reed rested his forehead against hers.
"Thanks for wearing my hoodie."
Eva smiled shyly. "I like that it smells like you."
Reed definitely stopped functioning for half a second.
--
Walking out of the arena with Eva tucked into his side felt... easy.
Her head came up to just under his shoulder.
Her hand rested at his waist like it belonged there.
She leaned into him without thinking.
Without asking.
Like it was natural.
Reed noticed everything.
The way she occasionally bumped into him when she got distracted.
The way she tugged the sleeves over her hands when she felt shy.
The way she glanced up at him like she was checking to see if he was still there.
Each tiny thing landed.
Each tiny thing mattered.
He glanced down.
Eva was already looking at him.
"What?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"Nothing."
Then, quieter, honest:
"I'm really glad you're mine."
Eva's fingers curled into the fabric of his hoodie.
"I'm really glad I'm yours."
Reed knew it then.
With terrifying clarity.
He wasn't casually interested.
He wasn't exploring.
He wasn't testing waters.
He was in this.
Deep.
And for the first time in his life...
That didn't scare him.