Her Courtside Dream

Prologue

It had been a week since my boyfriend first mentioned that he had this surprise for me. A whole week of wondering, of trying to guess what it could be. He'd dropped hints here and there, but they never really led to anything concrete—just enough to keep me on edge. I mean, we'd only been dating for two months, so I didn't really expect anything grand. In fact, I still couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that we were dating at all. It felt... surreal.

Let me explain—I wasn't exactly the girl guys in high school fawned over. Especially not someone like him. He was tall, and athletic, the kind of guy who could make heads turn just by walking down the hallway.

Did I mention that he was part of the basketball team, too? Because, yes, he was. And me? I was no one. I was plus-size, and I'd spent most of my life hearing that people like me weren't "ideal" or whatever. So yeah, when he asked me out, I thought it was some kind of joke. But he was genuine. He was sweet, and thoughtful, and treated me in a way I never thought someone would.

So there I was, blindfolded, which made me feel even more vulnerable than usual. I couldn't see anything, so my senses were on high alert. His hands were gently wrapped around mine, guiding me, and I could feel every little movement. "Careful," he whispered, his voice was low and calm. "Almost there."

My heart was pounding in my chest, and I wasn't sure if it was the excitement of the surprise or the fact that his touch still made me giddy. There was something about the way his hands felt—strong but gentle—that made me want to hold on tighter, like if I let go, this moment, this feeling, might disappear. I wasn't used to this. Not used to someone caring enough to plan something special for me.

I laughed nervously. "You're not about to prank me, are you?" I joked, though a tiny part of me wondered. He laughed too, squeezing my hand a little. "You'll see. Just trust me."

Trust. That was the thing, wasn't it? I trusted him, but my mind was racing with thoughts. What if I tripped? What if I fell? What if... No, stop, Kali. Just breath. You're fine. He's got you.

Finally, after what felt like forever-because let's be real, I was probably overthinking the whole thing—we stopped. The air felt different, cooler, like we were indoors now, and I could hear the faintest murmur of people in the background.

He just let go of my hand for a second, and my heart skipped a beat from the sudden emptiness. Then, I felt him behind me, his breath warm against my ear as he whispered, "Ready?"

When he finally pulled the blindfold off, I blinked against the sudden light, my heart pounding with anticipation. But as my vision cleared, it felt like time stopped, and all I could process was a sharp, stinging pain.

Did I trip? No. Did I fall? No. But was I wrong in trusting him? Fucking yes.