Beyond the Basket - Paige Bueckers

part 33 - proving grounds

Thursday May 15, 2025

Kiera POV

Paige's fingers find their way to my hair, gently combing through it in slow, absentminded strokes. Her touch is soft but tense, like she's trying to ground herself, trying to be calm. I press a little closer to her, hoping my presence can at least remind her she's not alone in all of this.

"They're wrong, you know," I say quietly, breaking the silence that's settled around us. "The people calling you overrated. They don't know you, and they definitely don't know what you're capable of."

Her fingers pause for a second, then continue their rhythmic movement through my hair. I can feel her take a deep breath, like she's trying to let my words sink in, but I know how loud the outside voices can be. Paige has been dealing with it for so long—the praise, the criticism, the endless comparisons. It's exhausting, even if she pretends it isn't.

"I know," she finally murmurs, her voice low, almost as if she's saying it more to herself than to me. "It's just... this game. It feels like I have to prove everything all over again. Like nothing I did before matters."

I lift my head slightly, resting my chin on her chest so I can look at her. Her blue eyes are clouded with worry, her jaw tight. She's always so composed in front of everyone else, but here, in this quiet space between just us, she lets me see the cracks.

"You don't have to prove anything to anyone," I say, my voice firm. "You've already shown the world who you are. The game doesn't define you, and neither do they."

Paige looks down at me, her lips pressing together in a thin line. For a second, I wonder if she's going to argue, brush it off like she does with everyone else. But then, she sighs, her shoulders relaxing a little beneath me.

"I just don't want to let anyone down," she admits, her voice softening. "I've worked so hard to get here, and I know people are watching, waiting to see if I'm still...me."

"You'll always be you, Paige." I reach up, cupping her face gently, my thumb brushing along her cheek. "And if anyone doesn't see that tonight, that's their problem. Not yours."

She closes her eyes for a moment, leaning into my touch. When she opens them again, they're a little less burdened, a little more at peace. I smile at her, and for the first time tonight, she gives me a real smile back, small but genuine.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," she whispers, her hand coming up to cover mine on her cheek.

I lean up and kiss her softly, the kind of kiss that says everything I feel for her without needing words. When I pull back, I rest my forehead against hers, closing my eyes and just breathing her in.

"You won't have to find out," I whisper back.

I lay back on Paige's chest and press my lips softly. Her arms grab my jaw and push her lips against me. It doesn't feel like the innocent kiss that happened a few seconds ago, but instead a kiss that makes me feel the cum building up to explode over my underwear.

I take off the pajama shorts that I'm wearing and already feel the wetness building. I spread my legs over her abs and she feels the liquid on my pussy.

"Baby, if that kiss already made you this wet, wait for everything I do next."

I feel my face grow red and she pulls her shirt that I'm wearing off my shoulders and pulls my body on top of hers. I feel our breasts grace each other as we kiss passionately.

P's hand slides down the side of my naked body before landing on my cunt.

"Is this okay, baby?" she asks me.