𝑳𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑺 & 𝑳𝑨𝒀𝑼𝑷𝑺

𝑻𝑾𝑬𝑵𝑻𝒀 𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹; 𝑮𝑶𝑶𝑫 𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑴𝑺

The next morning, Sloane found herself sat at the corner of the café,
sipping a coffee, her eyes glued to the entrance. The sun came in through the large windows, leaving soft rays across the wooden tables. She had been refreshing her Instagram feed out of habit, scrolling through more comments on the post she and Paige had shared the night before. It was still surreal—having gone from private, secret meetups to the full-on public having acknowledgment of their relationship.

She hadn't spent the night with Paige. After their FaceTime call last night, they'd gone to bed in their own beds, and it felt strange waking up without her.

The bell above the door jingled, and there was Paige, stepping inside. Sloane's heart did its usual flip as she saw her, looking effortlessly perfect in an oversized hoodie and sweatpants, her blonde hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. Paige spotted Sloane and smiled, a little wave of excitement passing between them.

"Hey," Paige greeted as she slid into the seat across from Sloane. "Have you been surviving the media?"

Sloane snorted, raising her eyebrows. "Barely. My phone hasn't stopped buzzing. People I haven't spoken to in years are suddenly so interested in my life."

Paige laughed, pulling out her phone. "Same. I woke up to, like, twenty new texts. Apparently, going public was a big deal."

Sloane grinned. "I guess people love us."

Paige shrugged, but there was a glint of pride in her eyes. "Well, look at us."

Sloane laughed as she leaned back in her chair, shaking her head with a smile. "Honestly, though, how do you feel about all this attention? Like, it's a lot, right?"

Paige sighed, her fingers tracing the edge of her coffee cup. "Yeah, it's definitely... a lot. But Im used to it and I expected it for you. I mean, you're dating me."she joked, though there was a flicker of seriousness beneath her playful tone.

"Wow, the modesty," Sloane teased, but her smile softened. "But seriously. It's not just your teammates or friends. People I barely know are weighing in on our relationship."

Paige nodded, her smile fading slightly. "I know what you mean. But I think it'll die down after a while. Right now, it's just fresh and exciting for people. Soon enough, they'll find something else to focus on."

Sloane exhaled, letting Paige's reassurance sink in. She knew Paige was right. This attention would eventually fade, but for now, the spotlight felt glaring. "Yeah, I guess."

Paige reached across the table, her hand brushing Sloane's. "We'll get through it."

Sloane's fingers curled around Paige's, grateful for the gesture. "True. And, maybe you can get a few sponsorship deals out of it," she said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

Paige laughed, squeezing her hand. "Oh yeah, because that's what this relationship is all about—endorsements."

Sloane rolled her eyes playfully before letting go of Paige's hand to take another sip of her coffee. She was silent for a moment, the conversation hanging in a comfortable lull. Then, a thought that had been bothering her for a while surfaced.

"oh my god, I just remembered something i need to ask you." Sloane started, glancing up at Paige.

Paige tilted her head, intrigued.

Sloane hesitated for a second before diving in. "Why did you stop asking me to tutor you?"

Paige's expression softened, and a small smile tugged at her lips. "I was wondering when you'd bring that up."