BETWEEN OUR LIPS. paige bueckers

twenty one

for lylah <3

"I'm so proud of you!" Kai says with a big smile while hugging Paige. Kai's smile slowly drops, "you're all sweaty." She adds with a whisper. Paige rolls her eyes and picks the girl up bridal style. "And you still have the energy to pick me up after a full basketball game. I really need to work on my cardio." Paige laughs before setting the girl down.

"Come workout with me then," Paige suggests making Kai laugh. "I'm serious." Paige adds as they walk towards the visitor locker room to pack up and head back to the airport.

"No way, last time I ran a mile and timed it, it took me fifteen minutes to finish it." Kai tells her. Paige starts laughing and Kai groans, "stop it! It's embarrassing." Kai puts her face in her hands to hide her red cheeks.

"No it's not, it's quite adorable." Paige says, Kai not believing her one bit.

Paige and Kai walked into the locker room, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the empty benches. Kai began to pack up her camera equipment while Paige started to untie her sneakers.

As they worked, Paige glanced around, noticing they were alone. A sly smile spread across her face. She walked over to Kai, her eyes locked on hers.

Without a word, Paige leaned in, her lips brushing against Kai's in a soft, gentle kiss. Kai's eyes fluttered closed, her lips parting to deepen the kiss. Paige's hands cradled Kai's face, her thumbs tracing the curves of her cheeks.

Their lips moved in sync, the kiss growing more intense. Kai's hands wrapped around Paige's waist, pulling her closer. They stood there, lost in the moment, their hearts racing.

Finally, they broke apart, gasping for air. Kai's eyes sparkled with delight, her face flushed. But as she glanced towards the door, her expression turned worried. "Paige, wait, what if someone comes in?"

Paige's smile faltered, her eyes following Kai's gaze. For a moment, they just stood there, frozen, waiting to see if anyone would walk in. Then Paige shrugged, her voice barely above a whisper. "I guess we'll just have to take that risk."

Kai laughs before shoving the blonde, "no, we have to get ready to go. We have a flight to catch." Kai explains getting a pout from the blonde. Kai rolls her eyes and grabs Paige's chin, going in for a kiss before turning Paige's head to the side and giving a kiss to her cheek. "Pack." Kai says with a stern voice while pointing to Paige's stuff that was all over the place. Paige throws her head back with a groan but does as Kai says.

Kai and Paige finish packing up their things and head out to the bus, "finally!" KK says loudly seeing the two of them walk out of the arena. Kai gives her a deadpanned look making KK rush onto the bus.

Kai and Paige go to the back where they always sat, all the girls basically asleep, being tired from the game. Kai laughs as she sits down and fatigue doesn't hit her like it normally does. "I'm not tired." Kai says to Paige.

"Neither am I." She says, smiling at the girl.

The bus rumbled down the highway, the only sound the gentle hum of the engine and the soft snores of the girls. Paige and Kai sat together, their heads leaning against the window, gazing out into the darkness.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Paige said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kai turned to her, her eyes guarded. "What is it?"

"What was it like, growing up in your neighborhood?" Paige asked, her curiosity genuine.

Kai's gaze drifted back to the window, her voice cracking. "It was hell. I saw things no child should see. My dad was the worst, but he would always protect me."