Elements of Us /// Jimmy Butler

Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I ONLY own the plot and characters that I have created. I don't own anything related to the Bulls, thank you.

She felt frozen. For her, it was like time had stopped around her.

He loved her?

"I'm sorry." He sighed, "I shouldn't have-"

"No," Allison quickly cut him off as she broke from her trance, "I..." she breathed, "I love you, too." She released. It was like a weight lifted off of her shoulders; she loved him, and now he knew it.

Jimmy had his arm snaked around her waist as they headed towards the parking lot together. They weren't even ten feet from the car when they heard a familiar voice.

"Oh my god, Allison?" the voice questioned, "Jimmy?" The couple stopped dead in their tracks before glancing at each other and then nervously turning around.

"Hey, guys." Allison waved to her long times best friend, Kelly, and her boyfriend, Jack. There was adrenaline rushing through her system, she wasn't sure what to do. She looked at Jimmy with a nervous glance which he just nodded to in response.

"Hey," Kelly began skeptically, "You guys are here ... like together?" she probed

"Uh...well..we um..." Allison stuttered

"Yup." Jimmy answered firmly for her getting a shocked expression from Allison.

"So you guys are like dating?" Jack asked, feeling out of the loop.

"Yes of course they are." Kelly confirmed, "And they didn't even tell us." Kelly added, with disappointment as she crossed her arms over her chest, "How can you date but not want people to know about you?"

"Look," Allison sighed, "It's not like I didn't want to tell you, of course I did," she began, "But, we really aren't supposed to have a relationship other than professional so this could be really bad. I couldn't tell you and then risk it getting spread or something, we're just trying to be careful."

"You know, I'm really good at keeping secrets right?" Kelly asked, raising her eyebrows

"Kel, c'mon, that's enough," Jack started, "Let them be happy." He smiled

"You're right." She whispered to him, "Well, even though I'm only finding out now...I'm happy for you...for the both of you." She grinned.

The two couples said their goodbyes and parted ways after a few minutes. Jimmy started driving them home when he was deep in thought. He didn't want to hide their relationship forever, he wanted to be able to take her out and show her off. But, with their situation, it was really difficult to do that.

"You know..." Jimmy began, as Allison finished telling him a story, "Kelly had a good point."

"What do you mean, J?" she questioned, turning towards him as they approached a stop light.

"It's really hard for us to be dating when we can't go out together much because we don't want people to know." He shrugged.

"Jimmy," Allison began, "There's nothing that we can really do, at least for now." She shrugged, "This could seriously ruin my reputation."

"Oh sorry," Jimmy said with slight sarcasm creeping into his voice, "I forgot that your reputation was more important than our relationship." He shrugged, becoming slightly upset, "You know this wouldn't look too great for me either, but I'd be willing to do anything to be with you."

"Are you really gonna try and pick a fight right now?" She scoffed as they parked in her complex's lot, "You know I care about you a lot too, but this isn't that simple. There are regulations that I'm under and by already being in a relationship with you, I'm breaking a bunch of them."

"All I'm saying is that I want a relationship where we can go out and have fun and experience stuff together, that's not gonna happen as long as this keeps going the way that it has been."

"Well, Jimmy there's not anything I can do right now, "she sighed, "I don't know what you want me to say."

He just shrugged in response as he put the car in park.

"So, what?" she questioned, "You're giving me an ultimatum?" She asked infuriated.

"No, no." he shook his head, "I just..." he started, trying to think of a way to express his thoughts, "I wanna be with someone who wants to be with me." He was sure this was a mistake the moment he spoke the last word.

"I can't believe you just said that to me..." she said, stunned, "I just told you that I love you...and you're saying I don't wanna be with you?" she questioned, "Do you know how hard it was for me to say that to you? And, not because I don't love you, but just because saying it hasn't gotten me anywhere except hurt?" She unbuckled her seatbelt and swiftly grabbed her purse from the ground before opening the passenger car door.

"Alli, c'mon, wait." He called to her and she closed the door shut and speedily made her way inside, "Baby!" he tried one last time before she disappeared behind her lobby doors.

Allison practically ran up to her apartment, and when she finally got inside she let out a deep breath. Maybe he was right? Had she been too secretive about their relationship? Her main concern was what this was gonna do to her, but of course she worried about him.

She thought about it more as she ignored her phone's constant buzzing. Of course she was scared, but there must be something she could do.

That's when she decided; she would tell the board about it, tomorrow. She was going to make this right.