The Lover Boy Within

CHAPTER THREE

Three Years Later

Work had been pretty hectic for Nora and her colleagues Melanie and Lauryn. Over the years they had grown apart and completely different from how they were when they newly joined Fox. Nora was extremely good at writing and it made them nurse negative feelings about her. They had written several key articles for the sports department and were in some form of unofficial competition for each of them to be the lead.

The mixed race Phoenix native never really put it to heart but tried her best to churn out quality articles regarding sports issues or athletes they were advised to write about.  Her work had also earned her a VIP pass for the NBA Finals game 7 in San Francisco and she was excited about it.

It was also going to be special for Nora because she had never seen Giannis play basketball live and considering it was the Bucks playing against Warriors, this was a one off opportunity. Three of her requests for him to give her tickets to see his game had fallen on deaf ears so she didn't bother asking him anymore. The perk of attending the game court side was bliss for her but some of her colleagues also became envious. Many didn't understand why her article on "Social Media and the NBA" stood out for the previous month making her win the exclusive ticket and they began to spread all sorts of misinformation about her. Game 7 was in two days at the Warriors home ground, Chase Center giving the advantage to the Golden State team.

Nora had the day off  and keenly played out several scenarios in her head of what Giannis reaction will be to seeing her on the court. She intentionally declined informing him because he was never interested in her watching him play. There was certainly no need. It was a good opportunity to make some new friends which she lacked so she packed a few of her best outfits in her hand luggage and felt giddy about it. She was set to leave Arizona and was waiting for her Uber to arrive before her cousin called.

"Hey D", she said after picking her call. Her cousin whom she cohabited with was in Malaga with his girlfriend and wanted to find out if she had gotten to the airport.

"Make sure you ain't late for your flight. Devin warned as he spoke on the phone. The cousins constantly looked out for each other and were very close. Their fathers Melvin and Anthony Booker were brothers who got married in their late twenties. In addition, their wives became very good friends too, inseparable. Devin and Nora weren't any different, They were more like siblings than cousins, grew up and did everything together. They had been living together ever since their parents moved to Australia to manage businesses they set up as soon as their children marked their twentieth birthdays and got admission to the same university. When Devin got drafted into the NBA they moved into a bigger house. He always wanted her to attend his games but Nora wanted to make it on her own without being referred to as Devin Booker's "sister" or cousin and because of this she refused all requests to do so. One thing that could not be taken from her was that she was his biggest cheerleader. She used her first and middle name when she got a job with Fox Sports just not to draw any attention to herself and live a normal life.

Devin still found ways to spoil her despite her stubbornness and the fact that they shared the same birthday made them closer. There was only one thing he expected from Nora, to stay away from basketball players because he felt they were bad news and would only cause her heartbreak. He made her promise never to date any of them and as far as he was concerned she obliged completely. Nora had successfully managed to hide her fling with Giannis so there was no issue with the two and she hoped he never got to know.

"I'm on my way, I have more than enough time before the boarding gate closes", she replied.

"Hope you don't forget your promise?, it's for your own good okay", he reiterated his stand to her and smiled when she acknowledged his concerns.

"I gotta go Nora, talk to you later, love you bye", he said as he hurried back to meet his waiting girlfriend.

"Love you too D be safe", she replied and cut the call.

The flight to San Francisco was uneventful and Nora was quick to check into the hotel booked by her employer and relaxed on the bed.  She had the whole of tomorrow to explore the town and she couldn't wait for the break of dawn. Giannis line was engaged after attempting calling him thrice before she gave up and brought out her laptop to work, after all it was a good way to distract her mind from him despite his lackadaisical attitude towards her. When she was done with work she closed the laptop and hopped onto the bed to sleep ahead of the long day.

The next day

"Include a glass of juice please" Nora informed the person on the other end of the line at the kitchen in the hotel. "Let it be orange", she added as she sat and waited for her food to arrive. Devin had spoken to her that morning before she proceeded to dress up . Toast and scrambled eggs were her favorite but she needed some form of sugar ahead of her day and it was a complete breakfast for her. She cleaned her mouth with the napkin and stood in front of the mirror as she carefully admired herself. White tank top, blue fitted jeans with white sneakers. Her hair was packed up in a bun with some of the curls falling on the side. The make up was light and she wore light pink blush and a nude Fenty beauty lippie which made her face pop.

It was noon and the tour guide had successfully completed the Big Bus San Francisco open top tour after five hours and Nora was feeling exhausted. She dropped down at the city center and went into the Westfield center where she headed straight to Zara to pick some clothing items that were newly released. Her shopping cart was full as she picked more than she bargained to out of her love for what she saw before she headed to the cashier for payment.

"I absolutely love your Chanel bag", a fellow female shopper in the store said to Nora with a wide smile on her face. "It's the new edition and I ordered it a while ago", she added while looking at the young woman.

"Thank you", Nora replied. "It was actually a gift", she added as she responded politely to the older woman. Devin had bought the limited edition bag for Nora in Paris along with a feminine Rolex watch and surprised her with it when he got back after the All Star weekend break in February.

The ride back to her hotel was a bit longer than when she left due to rush hour traffic with cars blaring their honks in a sort of desperate bid to get home. Tiredness had creeped into her accusing her to feel extremely sleepy but she needed to be awake with all the shopping bags she had with her. She picked up the shopping bags and placed in a trolley as she entered the reception and headed for the elevator. The events of the day preoccupied her mind making her forget about Giannis but by the time she was done arranging her things he was ringing her.

Nora looked at her iPhone 13 promax screen and wanted to pick up but hesitated. Giannis had been off with her recently and although she knew the rules between them she still remained offended. She had dropped calls on his phone and he didn't pick but return at his own convenience. This wasn't the first time it was happening, she couldn't complain and she didn't like it, she just wanted him to feel a bit of what she felt most times just to satisfy herself even though she was not sure it would work on him. Nora dropped the phone on the coffee table as she took off her clothes and attempted entering the bathroom before her phone beeped.

"WHY AREN'T YOU PICKING UP?" appeared clearly on her screen from Giannis and it was a first certainly because Nora always answered or returned his calls. She chose not to respond either and went ahead to soaking herself in the tub filled with warm water till she was done and went to bed.

Thank you for reading this chapter ❤️
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