LOVING DAHLIA ( ᴘᴀɪɢᴇ ʙᴜᴇᴄᴋᴇʀs) (ON HOLD)

Chapter 1: The End and a New Beginning

Paige Bueckers stood outside Steve's apartment, her heart hammering in her chest. She had just found him-her boyfriend-wrapped up in the arms of someone else. Not just anyone, but Melody Sirens, the captain of the volleyball team. The image burned into her mind, but she refused to let her emotions show. She didn't want to give Steve the satisfaction of seeing her break.

Instead of confronting him, Paige had taken the calm route. Her voice had been steady, colder than she ever thought possible.

"It's over," she said simply, ignoring Steve's stammering apologies. "Don't call me."

Before Steve could react, she turned and walked out the door, her feet carrying her away from the mess of a relationship that had clearly been unraveling for longer than she realized.

As she got into her car and drove away, the familiar streets of UConn blurred by. Her mind raced, but she wasn't going to let herself fall apart. Not now. She needed something-something normal, something distracting.

That's when she spotted the small grocery store tucked just off campus.

A beer and some chips would do the trick. A simple remedy, but a remedy nonetheless.

Inside, Paige weaved through the aisles, grabbing a pack of beer from the cooler. Her next stop was the chip aisle. She made a beeline for the section, eyes landing on the familiar yellow bag of Lays, only to see that there was just one left. Perfect.

She reached for it, but a small hand shot out from nowhere, beating her to it.

Paige blinked and looked down. A little girl, no older than four, was clutching the bag of chips, looking up at her with big, wide eyes.

"I got them first, Miss. You came late," the girl declared in a sweet baby voice, her grip on the chips firm.

Paige couldn't believe it. She had just been outmaneuvered by a preschooler. "But I saw them first," she said, trying to keep her tone light. "You're too little to appreciate the real value of these chips."

The little girl, Sadie-according to the name stitched on her tiny jacket-was undeterred. "Nope! I got them, and they're mine now."

Paige sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Okay, but how about we share? I'll give you some of my chips if you give me half of that bag."

Sadie shook her head stubbornly. "Nooo, it's all mine!" she giggled, clearly enjoying this little power struggle.

Just as Paige was about to continue the banter, a woman's voice floated down the aisle. "Sadie, come on, sweetie. We need to get going."

Sadie's face lit up, and she spun around at the sound. "Coming, Mommy!"

Paige turned, her eyes following the girl's gaze, and the world seemed to slow for a moment. Standing at the other end of the aisle was the woman Sadie had called "Mommy." Her long, dark hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders, but what truly stopped Paige in her tracks were the woman's eyes-steel grey, piercing and beautiful.

Paige's breath hitched. She had never seen anyone quite like her before, a combination of grace and strength in her posture, her presence commanding without even trying.

The woman, Dahlia, smiled warmly at her daughter before her gaze shifted to Paige. "Is my little one causing trouble?" she asked, her voice smooth, with a hint of amusement.

Paige swallowed, suddenly feeling awkward and caught off guard. "No, no trouble at all," she said quickly, her usual confidence faltering. "We were just... negotiating over the last bag of chips."
The women chuckled softly. "Sadie is quite the negotiator."

Paige felt a smile tug at her lips despite everything that had happened earlier. "Yeah, she definitely knows what she wants."

The young women's steel-grey eyes lingered on Paige for a moment longer, something unreadable flickering across her expression before she turned back to her daughter. "Come on, Sadie. Let's not keep Miss Bueckers from her chips."

Paige blinked in surprise. "You know who I am?"

The women gave a small nod, her lips curving into a soft smile. "Of course. Paige Bueckers, UConn's star. Hard to miss."

Paige felt her face flush slightly. "Right."

As the mystery women and Sadie walked away, the little girl still clutching the bag of Lays triumphantly, Paige couldn't help but watch them go, her thoughts suddenly far from Steve, Melody, or the heartbreak she had just walked away from.

Something about that brief encounter-with the mystery women caught Paige's attention- something had shifted the air around her.

And for the first time in what felt like hours, Paige felt something other than the sting of betrayal.

XoXo V ❤️❤️❤️