This Love (Paige Bueckers)

75

may 4, 2025

Caitlin pov

"we're getting married next month," iris tells our parents.

"what?" mom asks.

"well, you sure took 'after graduation' literally," my dad laughs.

"that's very soon," mom points out.

"we know," Paige says. "but we love each other and are very excited to get married."

"you're both so young," my mom says.

"yes," iris says.

Paige pov

"they sure took that well," I say, walking out of her childhood home.

"they were just shocked," Iris defends.

"are you okay?" I ask.

"yeah," she laughs. "I've learned that certain things don't matter as much as others. I wouldn't be okay if I wasn't eating. but this is nowhere near as bad as that."

"complete different situations shouldn't be compared," I say, opening the car door. "not eating and parents being upset are a lot different. and neither should be taken lightly."

"let's just move past it," she sighs. "I'm tired."

"okay," I whisper as I put the car in drive.

one day later.

we arrive back in Indiana.

Iris and I walk into the mailroom once we get back to our apartment. I see that we have one package.

"what's that?" Iris asks.

"something that Alice told me to get," I answer. "you'll see."

we go to our apartment and I plop the package down onto the counter.

"can I open it?" Iris asks.

"sure," I laugh as I put my keys on the hook.

she giggles before grabbing a knife to cut open the small box.

she pulls out the dvd and scrunches her eyebrows. "the last of us two?"

"yep," I smile.

"have you played the first one?" she asks, laughing.

"I played it before we met," I tell her. "I'm jacked at it."

"okay, Bueckers," she smirks. "prove it, then."

I ignore the temptation of the name and say, "okay, ma."

I walk over to the ps5 and push the dvd into the console.

Iris sits down on the couch as I make popcorn.

"what the fuck?" I yell. "when did Ellie get hot?"

"after she aged from 14," Iris says.

"Dina's hot too," I point out.

"agreed," Iris nods.

after a while of playing, we reach Seattle day one.

"where the fuck is the gas?" I ask as I ride the horse around like a maniac.

"In the courthouse garage," Iris answers. "with the bloater."

"what's that?" I ask.

"the annoying fat ass infected," Iris says.