𝑳𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑺 & 𝑳𝑨𝒀𝑼𝑷𝑺

𝑻𝑾𝑬𝑵𝑻𝒀; 𝑴𝑬𝑫𝑰𝑨 𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵

The sun shined through the blinds of Sloane's dorm room, casting soft golden lines across the bed where Paige and Sloane lay tangled in the sheets. The morning was quiet, the only sound being the faint hum of the city outside and the occasional rustle of fabric as they shifted closer together. Sloane stirred first, blinking her eyes open to find Paige's arm draped lazily over her waist. She smiled to herself, relishing the warmth of Paige's skin against her own.

Paige blinked awake, her sleepy expression quickly shifting to a soft grin as she noticed Sloane watching her. "Morning baby," she murmured, her voice still husky from sleep.

"Morning," Sloane replied with a chuckle, her fingers brushing a stray hair from Paige's forehead. "How'd you sleep?"

"Like a rock," Paige yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "I could get used to this."

Sloane was about to reply when Paige's phone buzzed on the nightstand. She reached over to grab it, eyes still half-closed. But as she swiped across the screen, her face quickly changed from sleepy to shocked.

"What is it?" Sloane asked, propping herself up on her elbow, a little knot of worry forming in her stomach.

Paige's eyes widened as she scrolled through her notifications. "Uh..."," she said, turning the screen toward Sloane. The screen was flooded with messages and notifications from social media. Sloane's name was popping up over and over, alongside Paige's, in a flurry of excitement.

Sloane sat up straight, taking Paige's phone to look closer. "Oh... oh wow," she breathed.

She grabbed her own phone from the side table, and sure enough, it was blowing up too. Her Instagram follower count had skyrocketed overnight by over 4,000 new followers, and her notifications were pinging nonstop. Her TikTok had new tags, duets, and comments, most of them pairing her and Paige together. As she scrolled through, she saw countless edits and clips from the game, slow-motion videos of her cheering on the sidelines, followed by Paige's three-pointer and the big screen moment when they had locked eyes. The background music was always something romantic, something dreamy.

Paige leaned over, eyes wide, watching Sloane's screen with a mix of amusement and disbelief. "oh my god they're really running with it."

One edit caught Sloane's eye. It was set to a slow R&B track, intercutting clips of Paige's concentration on the court with Sloane's exuberant cheering, ending with a caption that read, " so obvious they want each other it hurtsss" comments below were filled with people shipping them together and endless debates over whether they were actually a couple.

Paige chuckled, shaking her head. "Looks like our little moment on the Jumbotron got them thinking."

Sloane couldn't help but smile, feeling a mix of embarrassment and excitement. "I didn't think anyone would notice that much... or care this much."

"Oh, they noticed," Paige teased, her fingers tracing circles on Sloane's arm. "We're literally the first trending names on tik tok search."

They spent the next few minutes scrolling through, laughing at some of the edits, and stopping to read occasionally when a sweet or clever comment popped up. Paige grinned as Sloane scrolled on a video with an "he wants that cookie so effing bad" slideshow came up, then showing a picture of Paige looking at Sloane.

"okay, that's enough!" Paige laughed, shaking her head.

Sloane shrugged, still scrolling. "Hey, at least we're famous now, right?"

Paige smirked. "Oh, we've always been famous. But now we're like, internet famous. There's a huge difference."

Sloane giggled, leaning over to kiss Paige's cheek. "I guess we should get used to it."

Paige's stomach growled, interrupting the moment. "I need food. Let's go grab breakfast. I'll pay."

Sloane perked up at that, and they quickly got dressed, throwing on casual clothes—Paige in her favorite hoodie and Sloane in Paiges oversized sweater. They slipped out of the dorm, walking side by side with an easy sense of familiarity.

They found a cozy little café just a few blocks away still on campus , tucked between two brownstones, with a bright red door and ivy climbing up the side of the building. Inside, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries filled the air. The café was warm, with small, round tables scattered around, and a soft hum of conversation in the background.

They slid into a corner booth, and Paige picked up the menu with a playful grin. "What are you in the mood for? Besides me, of course."

Sloane laughed, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "Definitely some coffee. Maybe a breakfast burrito or something sweet."

Paige nodded.

The waitress came over, and Paige confidently ordered for both of them, her voice warm and steady. "Two lattes, one with extra foam, and a breakfast burrito with a side of fruit. And I'll take the pancake stack with maple syrup."

As they waited for their food, they kept talking about the media storm. Paige leaned forward, her fingers tapping lightly on the table. "It's kind of funny, how everyone is so invested."

"Yeah," Sloane agreed. "I like how all your fans want us together."

Paige's expression softened, and she reached across the table to take Sloane's hand. "They should, you're what's best for me."

Sloane's heart fluttered at the compliment, and she squeezed Paige's hand back before she reached over and gave Paige a kiss:

Their lattes arrived, and they took a moment to enjoy the warmth of the cups in their hands. Sloane watched Paige over the rim of her mug, feeling a deep sense of contentment. This—this quiet, simple moment of just being together—felt perfect.

When the food came, they dug in, sharing bites and stealing kisses across the table. Paige paid for their meal with a smug grin.

After breakfast, they walked back to Sloane's dorm, hands intertwined, the cold air nipping at their cheeks but neither of them caring. As they reached the door, Paige pulled Sloane in for one more kiss, her lips soft and warm.

"I'll see you when you come back from Dayton in three days right?"

Sloane asked and within seconds Paige's whole face and demeanor changed hearing Dayton again. All the memories of the point guard asking for Sloane's number came rushing back all the emotion she felt returning in an instant. "yea. plane leaves tomorrow night" Paige said blandly before almost rushing off. Sloane just brushed it off to her maybe being upset for having to leave.

A/N: i smell drama coming😈😈😈😈

don't know if i mentioned this but this book is definitely not following no typa schedule at all....

THANK U GUYS SMMM FOR 8K READSSSSS

love u all

-lea

sept 10 2024