Breaking Through

nine

Caitlin's phone buzzed on the locker room bench just as she finished putting on her practice gear. She picked it up, smiling at the message from Sam: "I'm about to board my flight. Can't wait to see you."

Her fingers flew over the screen as she replied: "Can't wait either! Steve will pick you up at the airport and take you to my house. I should be getting out of practice when you land."

She hit send, her excitement growing with every second. It  felt like it had been too long since she'd seen Sam, and the anticipation made it hard to focus on anything else.

Caitlin tried to push thoughts of Sam aside as she headed to the court, but it was no use. During warm-ups, her mind wandered to the last time they were together and happy, the way Sam laughed, how she made Caitlin feel comfortable and understood. Even as she ran drills, her focus faltered, her mind replaying memories of late-night talks and shared glances.

Coach called for a scrimmage, and Caitlin tried to lock in, but every time the ball was in her hands, she hesitated for a split second, wondering what Sam was doing, how she was feeling. She missed a pass, something that rarely happened, and Coach called her out on it.

"Come on, Clark, focus!" Coach's voice snapped her back to the present.

Caitlin shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. But it was like trying to keep water from slipping through her fingers. The excitement of seeing Sam again was too strong to ignore.

Finally, practice ended. Caitlin hurried to get dressed, her thoughts still on Sam. Her teammates Aliyah and Nalyssa were lingering in the locker room, goofing around and laughing about something from practice.

"You in a rush, Cait?" Aliyah teased, nudging her playfully.

Caitlin grinned, tugging on her sneakers. "As much as I love you guys, I gotta go."

Nalyssa smirked, leaning against the locker. "Why? You got a hot date?"

Aliyah chimed in with a laugh, "Yeah, with her sofa!"

Caitlin rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "Whatever," she said, grabbing her bag. "See you guys tomorrow!"

As she left the locker room, Caitlin's thoughts were all about Sam. The ride home felt longer than usual, her mind running through what it would be like to have Sam there, in her space. They'd shared so much in college, but this was different—this was her life now, and she was eager to share it with Sam.

Her phone rang, snapping her out of her thoughts. She saw Sam's name on the screen and answered immediately.

"Hey," Sam's voice came through, warm and familiar. "Steve and I just got to your house. How far are you?"

"Not that far," Caitlin replied, glancing at the time. "I can give you the code if you want to go inside."

"That'd be great," Sam said. "I don't want Steve to have to wait around. And hurry, but be safe, okay?"

Caitlin smiled at the concern in Sam's voice. "I will. See you soon!"

After hanging up, Caitlin sent Sam the code, her excitement bubbling over. The whole ride home, she couldn't stop thinking about how it would feel to see Sam, to have her there in her space, to talk without any screens or miles between them. The idea of it filled her with a sense of warmth she hadn't felt in a while.

As Caitlin finally pulled up to her house, she spotted Sam waiting inside, standing in the living room with a small suitcase beside her. Sam waved as soon as she saw Caitlin, and in that moment, all of Caitlin's nerves and worries melted away. She parked quickly and stepped inside, her heart racing as she approached Sam.