Daylight - Paige Bueckers

paige talks about you a lot

June 2nd, 2023

Alex's POV:

The sun was blazing as I stepped out of my car, stretching my legs after the long drive back to UConn. The campus had this weird, calm energy in the summer—much different from the chaotic mess of students rushing between classes in the fall and spring. But today, there was something exciting in the air. It had been two weeks since I left for break, and we were all finally back at school for the summer session.

I grabbed my bag and walked toward the house, a mix of excitement and nerves buzzing in my chest. It had only been a couple of weeks apart, but it felt like ages since I'd seen everyone. I couldn't help but smile, thinking about all the nights we'd spent together before the break—those easygoing hangouts, late-night conversations, and spontaneous adventures.

As I reached the front door, I heard voices inside—familiar ones. My hand hovered over the doorknob for a second as I took a deep breath. Then I pushed it open, stepping into the chaos.

"ALEX IS BACK!" Naomi shouted, bounding over to me like an excited puppy. She practically tackled me with a hug before pulling back to look at me with mock suspicion. "You better have brought us something from one of those camps."

"Nice to see you too," I said, laughing as I ruffled her hair. "And yes, I did—don't worry."

Cassie was next, grinning as she leaned against the couch with a bottle of water in her hand. "Look who's finally decided to show up," she teased. "We thought you'd run off and joined the cheerleading cult full-time."

"I'm back, I'm back," I replied, throwing my hands up in surrender. "Can't get rid of me that easily."

As I walked farther into the room, I saw the rest of the crew lounging around. Aubrey and Nika were sitting on the floor near the coffee table, arguing about something that seemed trivial but entertaining. Azzi and Sarah were by the kitchen, whispering to each other as they passed out snacks. And then there was Paige—standing by the window, looking down at her phone with a small smile on her face.

When her eyes lifted and met mine, I felt that familiar warmth spread through my chest. It was subtle, but there was something electric in the way we smiled at each other. We hadn't seen each other in person since that goodbye kiss before break, but we'd stayed in touch almost every day.

Paige raised an eyebrow at me. "Took you long enough," she teased.

"What, you didn't miss me?" I shot back, grinning as I made my way over to her.

She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the smirk on her lips. "Maybe a little."

The banter was easy, but underneath it, I could tell there was something else simmering between us—something that had been building since before break. The rest of the group might not have picked up on it yet, but I was keenly aware of the tension.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked, turning to the group. "How are we kicking off the summer?"

"We were just waiting for you to get here before we started," Aubrey said, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Oh no," I groaned. "What have you guys planned?"

Nika clapped her hands together. "We're having a reunion dinner tonight—just the nine of us. It'll be our new tradition."