Daylight - Paige Bueckers

remember this?

January 1st, 2024

Paige's POV:

As we walked through the bar, weaving between crowds of people who were celebrating, I felt a strange mix of relief and nervousness. The kiss had been... right, but now there was this space between us that felt fragile, like it could go either way. I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the weight of everything we hadn't said yet, but my thoughts were a mess.

Alex stepped up to the bar and waved over the bartender, her hand resting casually on the counter. I found myself staring at her, wondering if this was really happening-if this was the start of something new, or if we were just delaying the inevitable fallout.

"Two tequila shots," Alex ordered, her voice loud enough to be heard over the music. She glanced at me with a small smirk.

I raised an eyebrow. "Tequila? Really?"

She laughed, that familiar sound making something inside me unclench just a little. "Shut up, you know you love it."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the smile creeping onto my face. "You're such a bad influence."

The bartender set down two shot glasses in front of us, and Alex slid one toward me. I picked it up, the glass cool against my fingertips as I looked at her. This felt like old times, like we could slip back into how we used to be before everything got so complicated. But I knew better. It wasn't that simple.

"To... what?" I asked, holding up my shot.

Alex tilted her head, thinking for a second before raising her glass. "To... figuring things out. Eventually."

It wasn't a sappy toast, but it felt real. Honest. I could work with that.

"To figuring things out," I echoed, clinking my glass against hers before throwing back the shot.

The tequila burned its way down my throat, and I winced slightly, feeling the warmth spread through my chest. Alex laughed again, clearly enjoying my reaction.

"You're terrible at this," she teased, nudging me with her elbow.

I coughed a little, setting the glass down. "I just wasn't prepared."

She grinned, her eyes lighting up with amusement. "You should always be prepared when I'm around."

There was that playful banter, the way we used to talk to each other before things got heavy. I felt my shoulders relax just a little more, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn't overthinking every little thing between us.

"Come on," Alex said, grabbing my hand without even thinking about it. "Let's find the rest of them before they start to freak."

Her hand in mine felt so natural, like muscle memory. I squeezed it gently before letting go, following her through the crowded bar.

We found everyone at one of the high tables near the back, laughing about something I couldn't quite hear over the music. Naomi spotted us first, her eyes flicking between Alex and me with a knowing look.