Arielle Stevenson, a determined hairstylist with dreams of owning her own salon, finds her past colliding with her present when NBA player Jordan Poole walks into her salon for a hair appointment. Despite Arielle's attempts to keep her distance, Jor...
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Back In the Day.. University of Michigan | 8:45 P.M.
The knock on my door woke me up. I glanced around, seeing that I was on the couch and the TV was on playing an episode of Grey's Anatomy. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 8:45 pm, which lead me to believe that the person at my door was Jordan. He did usually get out of practice around this time, but why was he coming straight here and not going to his dorm like he usually did?
Yawning, I got off the couch and walked over to the door, looking in the peephole, seeing Jordan standing there, waiting for me to answer the door. I unlocked the door and opened it.
"Hey," I said. "You okay?"
Jordan nodded his head. "Better now," he says smiling at me, and placing a kiss on my forehead.
Here his flirty self go...
"What's wrong?" I asked as he stepped inside and I shut and locked the door behind us.
Jordan shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just exhausted. We have 6 AM practices, then I'm in classes all day, and right after, it's either games or more practice... I'm barely getting any rest."
I sat down beside him on the couch, my concern evident. "Maybe you should eat something and try to get some sleep..."
"I'm not really hungry," Jordan replied.
I crossed my arms. "You need to eat something, Jordan."
Jordan smirked and followed me into the kitchen. "Fine, you win."
As Jordan reluctantly started eating, I leaned against the counter, watching him closely. It pained me to see him pushing himself so hard, neglecting his own well-being in the process.
"You know," I said softly, "it's okay to take a break sometimes. You don't have to carry the weight of everything on your shoulders alone."
He paused, looking up at me with tired eyes. "I know, Arielle. But I can't afford to slack off, not with everything riding on this season."
I reached out, placing a hand on his arm. "I understand, Jordan. And I'm here to support you through it all. But remember, your health and happiness matter too."
He sighed, nodding in reluctant agreement. "I'll try to remember that," he said, forcing a small smile.
I left the kitchen and headed into the bathroom to run some bath water. I tested the temperature with my hand until it felt warm enough, then I stood, dried my hands, and went to my room to grab my favorite vanilla-scented candles. After lighting them and placing them on the bathroom counter, I picked up my laptop, opened Netflix, and queued up "Manifest."
Just as I stood to head back to the kitchen, I turned and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Jordan in the doorway.
"Jordan, you scared me!" I exclaimed, my hand flying to my chest.
