Breaking the Grid

C session

The cardboard cup is warm against my fingers, steam curling up and brushing my chin. I murmur a quick "thanks" to Alicia, Blair's assistant, sipping her own coffee like she hasn't got three phones in her bag buzzing at once.

She's leaning against the wall, arms crossed, her eyes locked on Blair. My Blair, sitting across the studio in that armchair under the blinding stage lights, answering questions like it's nothing. Perfect posture, perfect tone, tossing out that easy smile that makes the audience laugh at the right times. She's flawless, as always.

It's her world, this. The cameras, the microphones, the crowd hanging onto her words. And I sit here in the shadows, sipping my coffee, heart swelling with pride.

Alicia nudges me gently with her elbow, pulling me out of the trance. "She's good, huh?"

I laugh softly, shaking my head. "Good? She was born for this. Look at her."

Alicia's lips curve into a smile, soft and knowing. "Yeah... but even with all this, she's happier about you than anything. "

Her words make my chest tighten. I blink down at my coffee, then back at Blair on that stage. "I... I know. Sometimes I still don't get it, though. Like—she could have anyone, and yet..." I trail off, feeling my throat dry.

"And yet she chose you," Alicia finishes for me, like she's known me forever. Her tone is firm, no room for doubt. "And I've never seen her like this. Not for any race, not for any sponsor, not for any stupid trophy. You're it, Kyra. She's in deep."

I can't help the smile tugging at my lips. "You're really gonna make me cry here, Alicia."

She chuckles, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Save the tears for the wedding, yeah? God, I can't wait. I'm already planning my dress, and you two aren't even giving me a date yet."

That makes me laugh, the sound bubbling out despite myself. "You're worse than her sometimes, you know? You're just as dramatic."

Alicia shrugs with that unbothered confidence she always carries. "Of course. Someone's gotta keep up with her energy." She takes a slow sip of her coffee, then lowers her voice, more serious now. "I'm really happy for you, Kyra. I mean it. She deserves this. And so do you."

I look back at Blair again, framed in the glow of studio lights, her laugh ringing across the set. She catches me watching, even from all the way over here, and winks so quickly I almost think I imagined it.

My stomach flips.

Yeah... Alicia's right. She chose me. And I'm the luckiest damn woman alive.

---

We've only been home five minutes, and somehow Blair's already decided we need a "mandatory cuddle session." I didn't fight her—how could I? So here we are, tangled up in our bed, her entire body stretched out across mine like I'm her personal mattress.

Her head rests on my chest, her hair tickling the side of my jaw. My fingers trace lazy circles over her scalp, down to the back of her neck, feeling the way her muscles relax under my touch. Her breathing slows, steady and shallow, like she's teetering on the edge of sleep.

But then, in that low husky voice she always gets when she's tired, she mumbles, "I love you."

My heart gives that stupid jump it always does. She tilts her chin up, her eyes finding mine—soft, vulnerable, yet so sure.

"I love you too," I whisper back, meaning every syllable.

She smiles against my skin, then takes my hand from her hair and presses a kiss to my knuckles. Her lips linger there, warm and tender, before she drops my hand back to my chest.