pillowtalk.

forty four | more than okay

"Did you see how the hell that dude attacked the basket?" Draymond laughed before him and Stephen proceeded to mock the way Patrick Beverley handled his shot at the basket. "Dude looking like he ain't know what to do with a basketball."

"It happens." Stephen laughed as he watched Draymond continue to mock the guy. 

"Sheesh. You would think he had an extra foot with the way he tried to dribble his way past you." They continued to laugh and mock the team in other ways until Heart came around the corner of the hallway, immediately meeting Stephen's eyes.

"Hey." He said, getting up and wiping his forehead with the towel he held around his neck. "You ready to go? We don't want to miss your flight, now do we?" Draymond stood up, instantly engulfing the petite girl into his arms and holding onto her tightly.

"I mean, you could purposely miss the flight and just stay here." Dray added as he continued to hold onto the girl. 

"Stop, you'll make me cry." She pouted as she pulled away.

"I'm sorry. But hey, I'm proud of you. Look on the brighter side, you're making moves, Ma. Important moves. You'll be back in the Bay before you know it. We'll be waiting for you." He hugged her once more before letting go. Heart scanned the rest of the practice facility, looking for a specific face to say her goodbyes to. 

"Uhm, do you know where Klay is?" Steph quietly nodded as he pointed towards his way. She caught a glimpse of his head as he practiced his free throws at the farthest left court of the facility. "I'm just going to say bye to him and everyone else."

"Go for it. I'll be right here." She responded with a soft smile before making her way towards Klay. Although it's been a rough patch with Klay, she still found a friend in him and she knew how much he meant to Stephen. She always saw the good in him, regardless of the chaos he's caused. 

"Hey." Heart says softly, as she approaches the court. Klay softly smiles as he steps back from the free throw line to give her his undivided attention. 

"Hey. Are you leaving already?"

"Yeah, I am. I just wanted to say bye." He chuckled a bit as he silently pulled the girl into a tight hug. 

"You'll do great out there. Just remember, you have all of us rooting for you back home."

"Thanks, Klay."

"You know I always got you." He winked as she pulled away. As Heart made her way through the court once more, she shared more hugs and goodbyes with the rest of the team before her and Steph were finally on her way. She had said her goodbyes to Christen, Dom and Logan back at home and preferred that Logan stay behind or else she didn't think she'd ever get on the plane.

She knew Stephen would be distraught at the airport and that was already more than enough to handle. 

The ride to the airport was silent. They both dreaded this moment, but it had to come sooner or later. Despite her hands getting sweaty from the anxiety, she held onto Stephen's hand tightly. She figured the sooner this came, the easier it would be to let him go for a bit. 

But she felt the total opposite.

As he parked the car in the garage, she let out a hefty breath. She felt her insides crumbling, realizing that this was it. She'd be off to LA and she wouldn't be around her loved ones for awhile. She wishes she could pack everyone and everything into a box and just take them with her, but things don't work that way. And she hated it. 

"You ready, baby girl?" 

"I don't know." She looked down as she fiddled with the straps of her Calvin Klein backpack. "I just dont--"

"Hey, hey." Stephen gently lifted her chin in order to see her eyes and the rest of her face. He smiled as he caressed her cheek, knowing it would somewhat calm her down for the meantime. "Come on, don't ever say you can't, baby."

"What if I'm making the wrong decision? What if I mess everything up just by leaving?"

"If that was the case, God would've shown you by now. But he hasn't. Nothing has come in the way of you leaving to fulfill a big part of your dream. It's meant to be, sweetheart. This was meant for you. I know you can do this, and I know you'll be great out there. I don't doubt it one bit." She softly smiled at him as she let her cheek sink deeper into the palm of his hand.

"Thank you." Heart responded, almost at a whisper.

"You got this, alright? You'll be back in my arms in no time."

"We'll be okay?" She looked him in the eye.

"More than okay." He smiled before leaning over to place a deep, passionate kiss on her lips. "Are you okay now? We're running a bit behind, so we need to get you into that airport, baby girl." She nodded as they quickly unloaded the car and headed into the airport. To her surprise, the flight was indeed already boarding.

She didn't think time was moving that quick.

Thankfully, security wasn't hectic, so she knew she'd make it in time with the few minutes she had to spare. 

"Here." Stephen handed her the printed ticket as they made their way closer to security. She grabbed the ticket and stuffed it in the front pocket of her bag before turning to Stephen. Her eyes instantly filled with tears. "Aw come on, stop it." He chuckled as he held her close. 

"I hate this."

"I do too. But we'll be alright."

"Can't you just come with me?" She whined as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I wish. But you know I'll be there from time to time. I'll be visiting when I can, baby girl."

"And it won't be long, I know." She said, mainly to reassure herself.

"Exactly." He pulled her close once more. "Now give me a kiss. You got a flight to catch, beautiful." She tiptoed, crashing her lips onto his. The kiss quickly deepened as he ran his tongue against her lower lip, asking for entrance. She gripped tightly onto his arms, as his hands rested against her cheeks, helping deepen the kiss. 

"God, I'll miss that." She whispered as they pulled away.

"I love you, Heart." He kissed her forehead. "You know I love you more than anything. You're everything to me."

"I love you too, Wardell." She replied, close to a whisper. She tried her hardest to crack a smile as the tears continued to fall. Stephen watched as she made her way through security with a breeze, his heart aching every time she stepped further and further away from him.

"I love you." She turned to mouth out once more. He blew a kiss to her and waved as he watched the love of his life walk deeper into the airport and to the gates that would take her to her new chapter in life.

Los Angeles. 

~

(Everything - B2K)

the second book should be up rather soon. stay tuned. :) i love you guys!

-nikks