Still

14.

Chapter Fourteen

"Cause I loveeeee you," Maia and Lauryn sang their own loud rendition of Lenny Williams's song, "Cause I Love You". They were both holding their own respective makeshift microphones. Mai had chosen her brush, whilst Lauryn settled for the pair of curling irons she'd been using.

You know those moments in life where everything just seemed good? Everything was falling into place and how they should be. An entire month had passed and everything just felt good.

Tyler was doing amazing with Asia and her family. Maia was receiving daily check ups about him. He was attending weekly therapy sessions with Brianne and she felt that he was either really good at hiding from her or just doing amazing. On the backend, Maia was working hard as shit to make sure that he didn't have to go back with his dad. The courts were stalling, providing a bit of time for all parties involved.

Lauryn's relationship with Christopher was only getting stronger. The two of them were inseparable, but that notion was coming to an end. This would be their last week of enjoying one another alone, because training camp was set to start next week. He was back on regular schedule, but from what she'd told the crew, she'd be flying out for a few games.

"They probably hate us," Maia said with a laugh, using the brush to brush out her curly hair.

For the first time, the entire crew was out of town together. Jourdan was hosting a party tonight at a mansion and he'd asked for everyone to come out. Surprisingly, everyone's schedules aligned and everyone was able to come out.

"Them niggas stay hating," Lauryn remarked with a roll to her eyes. She went back to putting loose curls in her hair, lip syncing along with the song.

No one had seen what one another was wearing so far. The attire tonight was formal. He didn't express how formal he wanted them to go, but they'd all mutually agreed to show up and show out.

"This is like my last formal night before my wedding," Brianne huffed as she entered the bathroom. Since everyone had started getting dressed, she'd been running amok. No one had ever seen her under this much pressure.

Maia eyed her with a frown through the mirror. Lauryn caught her stare and chuckled lowly. "She's nervous about the press."

"Oh," Mai mumbled. Now that she's been in the spotlight for the last few months, it has gotten much easier to ignore the press. She was confident that no one knew her truth.

"Just ignore them, girl. You got a whole ass support system," Lauryn encouraged. Now that she was dating Christopher, she was finally getting her own dose of the press. They'd take the pictures of her, mention when she's at the games, and even linked in her business. The difference was that Lauryn wasn't acknowledging anything. She went business as usual on all of her platforms.

The girls continued getting dressed before it was finally time for them all to get into their attire. Lauryn had decided to keep things neutral and nude today. She was wearing the perfect shade of brown to pair against her brown skin. Her makeup was done to perfectly accentuate and remind everyone that above all, she had a face card to play.

"Damn," Maia said as she entered the bedroom that all of the girls were sharing to get ready. While they were all sleeping in different rooms, they found it better to get dressed together.

"Damn?" Lauryn incredulously asked, looking Maia from head to toe. Her hair was straighten flat down to her to the bare arch of her back. She was wearing a skintight, black spaghetti strapped long dress. The slit of the dress came up to her hip, showcasing the best hint of sexy.

Mai looked down at the dress, smiling at it briefly. "Don't start. I found it in my closet and realized I never wore it."

"Because where the fuck would you have worn it to?" Lauryn asked, still admiring her best friend. Over the past few months, she'd witnessed a flower blossoming. Maia was truly coming into and embracing the fact that not only was she beautiful, she was sexy.