Synopsis:At Hopkins High School, Azzi Fudd has always known one rule, her brother Jose’s best friend Paige Bueckers is off limits, no matter how impossible it is to stop noticing her. But after one quiet night at an end of year party changes everything, Azzi finds herself three days later trapped in a car between Paige and Jose travelling to their cabin for 3 weeks, trying to hide a secret that already feels too big to keep.
warnings: underage drinking
Soccer Azzi x Basketball Paige
A/N: sorry it took so long to get chapter 2 out, but I hope y'all enjoy it, if there is anything you would like to see in future chapters lmk!
The lake house changed everything the moment they started spending time outside of its walls, because inside it was familiar and controlled and safe in a way that made it easy to forget what was waiting just beyond it, but outside down by the water where everything opened up into sun and silence and reflections that didn’t feel real it became impossible for Paige and Azzi to ignore each other in the same way they had been pretending to for days.
It started the next morning.
Paige and Jose had gotten down to the lake first, already arguing about something completely pointless like who could make it up the dock faster or who would fall in first, the kind of argument that meant nothing but somehow turned competitive anyway, while Azzi slept in longer than she meant to and only came down later, stepping out onto the wooden boards in a lilac bikini with her hair still tied up in a messy bun that had clearly been thrown together without much thought.
The shift happened instantly as soon as Paige saw Azzi.
Paige stopped talking mid sentence, not even slowly or subtly, just completely freezing like someone had pressed pause on her thoughts, her voice disappearing halfway through a word as her eyes locked on Azzi in a way that made it feel like everything else around them had been turned down without warning.
Azzi felt it immediately, that weight of being seen so directly it almost knocked her off balance for a second, especially because she had spent the entire morning trying not to think about Paige at all, and suddenly she was the only thing she could feel.
Paige wasn’t subtle about it either, not even slightly, because her gaze followed Azzi all the way down the dock like she had no intention of pretending otherwise, and when she finally forced herself to look away it was only to laugh at something Jose said that neither of them were actually listening to, just to give herself something to do with her face.
Azzi caught her staring again five minutes later.
And Azzi decided somewhere between sitting on the edge of the dock and feeling the sun on her shoulders while Paige took her shirt off because it was too hot to keep it on, leaving her in just a sports bra while Jose kept talking like nothing in the world had changed, that she was going to make Paige crack first, because that felt easier than admitting anything else.
The problem was Paige noticed.
And instead of pulling away or acting distant or making it less obvious, she leaned into it in a way that was almost worse, not in anything Jose would ever question, but in the smallest, quietest moments that no one else seemed to catch.
When she walked past Azzi in the kitchen and let her hand rest just a second too long on her hip as she passed, like she was just steadying herself but doing it in the worst possible place.
When she reached for a drink at dinner and her fingers brushed Azzi’s wrist in a way that could have been accidental if it hadn’t happened so deliberately slow.
When she sat down at the table and chose the seat right next to her without hesitation, letting her bare thigh press lightly against Azzi’s under the excuse that there wasn’t enough space, even though there absolutely was.
Azzi stopped pretending it didn’t affect her after the third time, because by then it wasn’t something she could ignore without actively trying, and trying meant thinking about it more.
Paige just smiled every time she noticed.
Like she knew exactly what she was doing.
Like she wanted her to notice.
And Jose, somehow, remained completely oblivious through all of it, talking over them, laughing at his own stories, and filling the space with noise that neither of them could fully hide behind no matter how hard they tried.
By the second day, the tension had shifted from something quiet and unspoken into something heavier, sharper, almost impossible to ignore, like it had slowly filled every corner of the cabin until there was no space left where it didn’t exist.
It showed up again at dinner without warning.
They were all outside on the deck, the lake stretched out behind them in deep shades of blue and black, the surface catching just enough moonlight to shimmer every so often, while plates of food sat scattered across the table and the conversation drifted lazily between everyone in that familiar summer way where no one was really paying full attention to anything.
Jose was mid story, talking with his hands like always, going on about something from childhood that nobody was really following but everyone was humoring anyway, his voice blending into the background noise of crickets and water against the dock.
Azzi was trying very hard not to look at Paige.
Paige was already looking at her.
It had become that kind of pattern now, the kind neither of them acknowledged but both of them fully participated in, like an unspoken agreement that neither of them knew how to break.
“Azzi, you’re not even listening,” Jose said suddenly, pointing his fork at her.
“I am listening,” Azzi replied too quickly.
“No you’re not,” Paige added calmly without even looking at Jose.
Azzi shot her a look immediately.
Paige just smiled like she hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Traitor,” Azzi muttered under her breath.
“I heard that,” Paige said lightly.
“Good,” Azzi whispered back, trying not to smile.
That was when it happened.
Under the table, completely hidden from everyone else, Paige slid her hand onto Azzi’s thigh like it was the most natural thing in the world, like it had always been there and no one had just decided to put it there in that exact moment.
Every part of her body tensed at once, her breath catching slightly as her eyes snapped toward Paige in immediate warning, silently asking what she thought she was doing while also very much aware of what she was doing.
Didn’t pretend it was an accident.
Instead she just kept talking like nothing had changed, her fingers slowly shifting higher in a way that made Azzi’s stomach drop, her voice lowering just slightly as she leaned in like she was about to say something meant only for her.
“You’re really bad at pretending,” Paige murmured softly.
Azzi swallowed hard, whispering back, “You’re insane.”
“Mm,” Paige hummed, almost like she agreed.
It hit the floor under the table with a loud clatter that broke through everything instantly.
“Shit,” he muttered, bending down to grab it without thinking.
And in that exact second, Paige pulled her hand away so quickly it was like it had never been there at all, sitting back in her chair with a perfectly innocent expression that could have fooled anyone who wasn’t Azzi.
When Jose sat back up, everything looked completely normal again.
Someone laughed at something he said.
Except Azzi’s pulse, which was still racing like it had something to prove.
Paige didn’t look at her for the rest of dinner.
Which somehow made it worse than if she had.
On the third day, Azzi woke up to warmth.
Not the kind that came from sunlight through the window or a blanket pulled too high during the night, but the steady, comfortable kind that made it difficult to remember why she would ever want to get out of bed in the first place, leaving her drifting in that space between asleep and awake where nothing quite felt real yet.
For a few seconds she didn't understand where she was.
Somewhere outside, she could hear birds beginning to wake up and the faint sound of water moving against the shore, but everything around her felt distant compared to the simple fact that she was comfortable.
Then she opened her eyes.
And immediately realized why.
She was lying against Paige.
Not accidentally sharing the same side of the bed.
Actually lying on her chest like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Azzi froze so fast it was almost impressive.
Every muscle in her body locked up at once as her brain finally caught up to what was happening, and before she could think through a single rational response she was already pushing herself upright, moving so quickly she nearly lost her balance and fell right off the edge of the mattress.
"Sorry," she whispered immediately, her voice barely above a breath. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"
Beside her, Paige stirred slowly, blinking awake as morning light filtered through the window behind her, and for a moment she just looked at Azzi without saying anything, her expression soft with sleep and completely free of the teasing grin she usually wore whenever Azzi got flustered.
"Hey," Paige said quietly.
Azzi looked anywhere except directly at her.
"I didn't mean to do that."
Paige sat up slightly, rubbing a hand across her face as she woke up fully.
Azzi finally glanced over.
Paige looked genuinely confused by how embarrassed she was.
"You act like you committed a crime."
"I practically tackled you in my sleep."
"Good morning to you too."
The sound of it only made Azzi's face feel warmer.
Silence settled between them for a moment, not uncomfortable exactly, but the kind that felt bigger than it should have because neither of them seemed entirely sure what to do with it.
Eventually Azzi stood up, moving toward her bag and grabbing clothes for the day with a speed that suggested she needed something to focus on immediately before she completely lost the ability to function.
Azzi rolled her eyes without turning around.
"I'm literally sitting here."
That earned the smallest laugh from Azzi, which only seemed to make Paige's smile grow.
A few minutes later, Azzi escaped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and leaning against it for a second longer than necessary while she tried to collect herself.
What she didn't see was Paige watching her leave, she didn't see the way Paige's expression softened once the door closed, or the small smile she couldn't quite hide afterward, or the way she eventually leaned back against her pillow and stared up at the ceiling, completely awake now and thinking far too hard about something that should have been simple.
Because the truth was, Paige had been awake long before Azzi.
She'd opened her eyes nearly an hour earlier when the cabin was still quiet and everyone else was asleep, only to discover Azzi curled up against her side sometime during the night without either of them realizing it. And for the first few seconds, she'd been too surprised to move.
After that, she simply hadn't wanted to.
There had been something peaceful about the moment, something so easy and natural that it didn't feel like one of the complicated situations they'd been trying to navigate ever since arriving at the lake house. It had just felt... nice.
So Paige had stayed exactly where she was.
Listening to the quiet sounds of the cabin.
Watching the morning light slowly fill the room.
Trying not to smile and failing completely.
Eventually she glanced down at Azzi again, taking in the way she was still completely asleep, her breathing slow and steady, clearly unaware that she'd spent the night drifting closer until she'd ended up curled against Paige's chest. The sight made something in Paige's chest ache in the best and worst way at the same time. Before she could talk herself out of it, she leaned down slightly and pressed a soft kiss against the top of Azzi's head, lingering for only a second before settling back against the pillow.
Azzi shifted slightly at the contact but didn't wake.
A sleepy sound escaped her before she settled right back against Paige.
That nearly made Paige laugh.
Instead she just shook her head fondly.
"You're impossible," she murmured softly, knowing Azzi wouldn't hear a word of it.
For a moment she simply looked down at her again before letting her eyes drift toward the ceiling.
"Soon," she whispered quietly into the stillness of the room, the word barely existing in the air at all.
Then she stayed exactly where she was and let Azzi keep sleeping.
And when Azzi finally woke up nearly an hour later in a complete panic, Paige had already spent sixty minutes trying not to smile about it.
On the fourth day, everything shifted outward again.
For the first few days, most of the tension between Paige and Azzi had existed inside the cabin, hidden in shared glances across rooms, quiet conversations when nobody else was paying attention, and moments that seemed to linger just a little longer than they should have. By the fourth day, though, they finally had a reason to leave the lake house and step back into the real world, and for a few hours it almost felt like things had returned to normal.
The trip into town had started simply enough.
Jose had announced over breakfast that they were completely out of everything required for a proper lake trip, which apparently included snacks, drinks, and an unreasonable amount of supplies for making s'mores.
"We literally made them two nights ago," Azzi pointed out.
"Exactly," Jose replied. "And now we're out."
"Thank you for that information."
Paige laughed into her drink.
Jose pointed at her immediately.
"No," Paige said. "I'm laughing at you."
By the time they piled into the car and headed into town, the mood was easy again. The windows were down, music played quietly through the speakers, and for the first time in days Azzi felt herself relaxing instead of constantly overthinking every interaction she had with Paige.
The town itself was small, the kind of place where everyone seemed to know everyone and summer tourists were easy to spot from a mile away. The grocery store sat near the center of town, surrounded by a few restaurants, a bait shop, and a handful of small businesses that looked exactly the same as they had every year.
An hour later they were leaving with far more groceries than any of them had intended to buy.
Jose was carrying two bags.
Paige had somehow ended up carrying four.
Azzi suspected that it had been intentional.
"Show off," she muttered.
"You've called me that before."
"Because it keeps being true."
"I can't help being naturally gifted."
Paige looked entirely too pleased with herself.
Then a voice called out from across the parking lot.
All three of them turned.
A guy about their age was jogging toward them with two other people trailing behind him, clearly someone Jose knew well because his face immediately lit up in recognition.
"Dude," Jose said. "What are you doing here?"
The conversation started instantly, the way conversations always did when friends ran into each other unexpectedly, full of interruptions and inside jokes and questions asked before previous questions had been answered.
Paige seemed to be doing the same.
Then the invitation came.
"There’s a party tonight at the lake house down the road," Jose's friend said, grinning. "Y'all should come."
Jose didn't even try to hide how interested he looked.
"Yeah. Starts around eight."
Jose looked immediately sold.
Paige glanced toward Azzi.
Azzi glanced toward Paige.
The look lasted less than a second.
Neither of them said anything.
Neither of them needed to.
For some reason, saying yes felt bigger than it should have. Maybe because she knew Paige would be there. Maybe because being around Paige had started feeling different lately no matter where they were. Maybe because she already had a feeling the night wouldn't be as simple as everyone else expected. Still, after only a brief hesitation, she nodded.
And just like that, it was decided.
The drive back to the lake house felt different somehow.
Not enough for anyone to comment on it.
Just enough for Azzi to notice herself thinking about the party more than she probably should have. Jose spent most of the drive talking about who might be there and whether any of the people from previous summers would show up.
Every now and then Azzi would catch her looking out the window, thoughtful and quiet in a way that made her wonder if she was thinking about the same things.
When they got back to the cabin and told their parents, the reaction was exactly what they expected.
A reminder to stay together.
Another reminder about curfew.
Several warnings that Jose dramatically claimed were unnecessary.
"They're absolutely necessary," his mom replied.
By the time evening arrived, the lake house had settled into that golden hour calm that always happened right before sunset, when the water reflected the sky and everything seemed quieter than it had all day.
Upstairs, people started getting ready.
Music drifted faintly through the hallway.
Voices carried from room to room.
The excitement of having somewhere to go slowly spread through the house.
And beneath all of it, something else lingered.
Something neither Paige nor Azzi had talked about.
Something that had been building for days through shared looks, interrupted moments, and conversations that never quite said everything they wanted to say.
It wasn't hidden anymore.
It sat just below the surface now, close enough to feel even when neither of them acknowledged it. As the sky darkened outside and the lights around the lake began reflecting across the water, neither of them fully understood how much the night ahead was about to complicate things.
They only knew one thing for certain.
Whatever had started between them wasn't getting easier to ignore. And a crowded party was probably the last place either of them needed to be.
The house was already loud before they even made it inside.
Music pulsed through the walls in heavy waves, the bass strong enough to make the wooden porch steps vibrate beneath their feet as people moved in and out through the front door in a constant stream, laughing loudly, calling to friends across the yard, carrying drinks, disappearing into the crowd and reappearing again minutes later like nobody planned on staying in one place for very long.
Cars lined both sides of the narrow road leading up to the lake house, squeezed together wherever people could find space, and colored lights hanging from the deck cast shifting shades of blue, red, and purple across the front yard, making everything feel slightly unreal against the darkness settling over the lake beyond the trees.
For a moment, Azzi stood beside Paige near the bottom of the porch steps and simply took it all in.
The air felt different here.
Not like the quiet tension that had followed them around for the last four days.
Like one small mistake could suddenly become a very big one.
Paige glanced toward her.
Azzi let out a breath and looked toward the crowded house again.
"It wasn't supposed to be."
Despite herself, Azzi laughed.
The sound seemed to relax something in Paige's expression.
Then they walked inside together.
The noise immediately doubled.
The living room was packed shoulder to shoulder, conversations overlapping on top of the music while groups clustered around couches, kitchen counters, doorways, and every empty section of wall available, and it took Azzi a second to adjust to the sudden chaos after spending the last few days mostly surrounded by trees, water, and the familiar comfort of the lake house.
She became aware of people looking at them almost immediately.
People figuring out who belonged with who.
Azzi was wearing a fitted black top with light denim shorts, her curls still slightly damp from her shower and falling naturally around her shoulders, while Paige stood beside her in an oversized football tee and black jorts, looking completely relaxed despite the crowded room, her sleeves pushed up carelessly like she had thrown the outfit on without thinking even though somehow it worked perfectly.
For a second, Azzi caught a girl near the kitchen and glanced at Paige.
Which annoyed Azzi far more than it should have.
Before she could examine that thought too closely, Jose suddenly straightened.
Jose was already looking across the room.
"Oh, that's actually incredible timing."
But he wasn't listening anymore.
His attention had already disappeared somewhere across the house.
Neither Paige nor Azzi could even identify who he was looking at before he started moving.
Jose was already walking away.
And then he vanished into the crowd without another word.
The silence lasted about three seconds.
"He does this every single time."
Paige shook her head slowly.
"That's actually impressive."
That earned another laugh from Azzi.
For a moment they stood there together watching the crowd swallow Jose completely.
Then someone called Paige's name from across the room. At nearly the same time, a girl Azzi vaguely recognized from previous summers waved her over from near the kitchen.
Like both of them were aware that staying together would be noticeable, but walking away felt strangely disappointing. Paige shoved her hands into her pockets "I'll find you later."
The look she gave her wasn't.
Azzi felt her stomach tighten slightly.
Then she started backing away through the crowd.
"Try not to get into trouble."
"That's usually your job."
Then she disappeared into the house.
And for the first time all night, Azzi was on her own.
Which should have made things easier.
Instead, somehow, it only made her more aware of where Paige wasn't.
At some point, Azzi ended up on a couch near the back of the house without really remembering the steps that led her there, like the party had slowly rearranged itself around her until she simply existed in one corner of it.
There was a drink in her hand she hadn’t seen being poured, something sweet and strong that she only occasionally lifted to her lips out of habit more than interest, music thumping through the walls so loudly that conversations barely held together beyond fragments and laughter, and bodies constantly passing in front of her line of sight like the room couldn’t decide whether to stay still or keep moving.
The girl sitting beside her had introduced herself earlier, but Azzi had already lost the name somewhere between the second sentence and the third song, which wasn’t helped by how quickly she kept talking, filling every pause with stories that didn’t really need telling and leaning in a little too often like distance wasn’t something she understood.
“Seriously, I swear this place is always like this,” the girl said, laughing as she nudged Azzi lightly again like she’d been doing all night.
“Yeah,” Azzi replied absently, eyes drifting past her toward the rest of the room.
Paige, meanwhile, had ended up near the kitchen almost by accident, or at least that was how it felt at first, until a group of guys immediately recognized her and the space around her shifted in a way that made it clear she wasn’t just another person at the party.
It started casual enough.
A few “hey, you’re Paige right?” moments.
Then it turned into questions that came faster and closer together.
“So you’re really that number one recruit everyone’s talking about?” one of them asked, leaning against the counter like he was trying to sound casual but failing slightly.
Paige shrugged, one hand wrapped loosely around her drink. “Apparently.”
Another guy tilted his head. “What’s that even like?”
Paige let out a small breath through her nose. “A lot of pressure.”
“No like actually though,” someone else pushed, a little more curious now. “Does it feel weird knowing everyone’s watching you all the time?”
Paige paused for a second, eyes briefly flicking toward the floor before she answered. “You get used to it,” she said simply, like it was the kind of thing you either adapted to or didn’t survive.
They kept talking after that.
Pressure dressed up as opportunity.
But Paige’s attention kept slipping in and out of the conversation in a way she couldn’t fully control.
Because across the room, through the shifting crowd and flashing lights and people she didn’t care about, she saw Azzi.
A girl she didn’t recognize.
Leaning in just a little too comfortably.
Something in Paige’s expression changed immediately.
But sharp enough that the guy mid sentence actually paused. “Hey,” Paige said suddenly, cutting through the conversation without waiting for permission.
One of the guys frowned slightly. “Yeah?”
Paige didn’t look at him anymore.
Her eyes stayed fixed across the room. “Who’s the girl with Azzi?”
They all followed her gaze.
“Oh,” one of them said after a beat, like it was the most normal thing in the world. “That’s Valarie.”
“Who is she?” Paige asked.
“Lives around here,” another added, taking a sip of his drink. “Sophomore at Oak Tree Heights.”
One of them smirked slightly. “Wait is that Azzi with her?”
Paige didn’t respond to the tone.
Another guy leaned forward a little, grin widening. “No way she bagged Azzi.”
Paige turned her head back so fast it almost cut the air “What did you just say?”
The guy blinked, caught off guard. “What?”
Paige’s voice stayed even, but there was nothing relaxed about it anymore. “What do you mean by that?”
He shifted his weight. “I just mean… Valarie’s been kind of obsessed with her. Like all year. Everyone knows it around here. Since Azzi only comes here for the summer she probably doesn’t even realize.”
Because at that exact moment, across the room, Valarie’s hand moved onto Azzi’s thigh.
Not even pretending to be accidental.
Azzi reacted instantly, grabbing her wrist and pulling it away with a clear firmness that made her entire posture shift backward, her shoulders tightening as she tried to create space that wasn’t being respected in the first place.
But Valarie leaned in again anyway.
And that was when Azzi’s eyes lifted across the room.
It wasn’t a look that needed explaining.
A quiet plea without words.
And something in Paige snapped into focus immediately.
“I’m gonna go check on her,” she said, already stepping away from the group. “She doesn’t look comfortable.”
The guys straightened slightly. “Yeah, go,” one of them said quickly. “For sure.”
“Good luck,” another added under his breath like he already knew how this was about to go.
She was already moving through the crowd, eyes locked on one thing the entire way across the room.
The closer she got, the clearer it became.
Azzi wasn’t just uncomfortable, she was stuck in that polite kind of discomfort where she kept smiling out of habit even though her body was already leaning away, her shoulders tight and her attention clearly elsewhere, like she was trying to find an exit without making it obvious.
The girl next to her kept talking, leaning in again like space didn’t apply to her, fingers brushing Azzi’s arm mid sentence as if it was nothing, as if Azzi hadn’t already shifted away twice.
And then something changed.
Across the room, through the moving crowd and flashing lights, her eyes locked onto Paige like everything else suddenly stopped mattering, and in the next second she was up.
She stood too fast for it to look casual, crossing the small space between them in quick steps before anyone could really track what she was doing, and grabbed Paige’s arm like it was the only solid thing in a room that suddenly felt too loud.
“Hey,” Azzi said quickly, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Baby, I’ve been waiting for you.”
Paige froze for half a second.
Her expression softened immediately, like something in her switched gears without effort, and she nodded slightly as if she had been expecting this exact moment all night.
“Hey beautiful,” Paige said smoothly, slipping into it so naturally it almost felt rehearsed. “You okay?”
Azzi nodded a little too quickly, already blushing, fingers still lightly gripping Paige’s sleeve. “Yeah. I am now.”
She stepped closer instead, slow and deliberate, letting her hand rest at Azzi’s waist in a way that wasn’t forceful at all but felt grounding in a way that made Azzi’s whole posture change, like her body had been waiting for it without realizing.
“I’m gonna kiss you,” Paige said quietly, only for her.
Azzi gave the smallest nod.
Paige leaned in and kissed her.
Just enough to shift everything in the room without trying to, like it didn’t need an audience to mean something. Her hand tightened slightly at Azzi’s waist as she pulled her closer, and Azzi’s hand came up instinctively to Paige’s chest, not pushing her away but holding on like it was the only stable thing in the middle of all the noise, her shoulders relaxing as she melted into it without thinking. When they finally separated, it didn’t feel like an ending.
Their foreheads hovered close for a second longer than necessary, both of them breathing a little unevenly, both wearing that quiet almost smile that said too much without actually saying anything.
Then someone cleared their throat behind them.
“Excuse me,” Valarie said, sharper now. “Who are you?”
Paige turned slightly, but her arm stayed around Azzi’s waist like it was the most natural thing in the world, like she had no intention of letting go just because someone else was confused. Azzi leaned into her without thinking, still catching her breath, fingers lightly gripping the fabric of Paige’s shirt.
“Paige,” she said calmly. “Azzi’s girlfriend.”
The word landed differently in the space between them.
Valarie blinked, caught off guard. “Oh… I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”
Paige did, still steady, still calm. “We’ve been together for a while,” she said easily, like it had always been true and there was no reason to question it now. “We just keep things lowkey. Private, not secret.”
Paige glanced at Azzi briefly before looking back at Valarie. “You know how it is,” she added. “Being two of the top recruits in basketball and soccer. Not a lot of privacy anymore.”
Valarie’s expression tightened slightly, like the explanation didn’t quite land the way she wanted it to. “Oh,” she said again, quieter. “Right.”
Paige gave a polite smile that didn’t invite more conversation.
“Anyway,” she said, tightening her hold at Azzi’s waist just slightly as she guided her backward through the crowd. “We’re gonna go.”
She turned them both away from the couch, moving through the crowd with Azzi still close to her side, cutting through noise and bodies and light until the room behind them started to fade into something less important.
For a few seconds, it felt like the world got quieter just because they were no longer in the center of it.
And behind them, the party kept going like nothing had changed at all.
But for the first time all night, Azzi wasn’t searching for Paige in the room.
Because Paige was already there.
The night kept moving around them in waves of noise and light, and somehow Azzi and Paige moved with it like they were trying to stay visible just enough to avoid suspicion but close enough that neither of them ever really drifted apart, with Azzi introducing Paige to a few of her lake house friends as the evening blurred on while people kept asking her how soccer was going and turning just as quickly to Paige to ask about basketball like both of them had suddenly become the center of conversations they weren’t fully prepared for.
No one had seen Jose since the very start of the night, which everyone kept joking about but neither of them fully questioned out loud, and that absence somehow made everything feel slightly looser and slightly more dangerous at the same time, because without him around they didn’t have to constantly calculate distance but they still did it anyway out of habit.
By the time the noise started to feel like too much, Paige had already guided them away from the crowd without making it obvious, finding a quieter corner of the house where a couch sat half tucked away from the lights and speakers, just big enough for two people to sit without being swallowed by everyone else, and they both ended up there almost naturally with their legs touching and shoulders close as Azzi finally let herself lean in, resting her head against Paige like it was the only quiet thing left in the entire house.
For a while neither of them spoke, just sitting there breathing a little slower while the party carried on somewhere far behind them, until Paige shifted slightly and broke the silence with her voice lower than before as she said, “you know the other night at the end of year party.”
Azzi hummed softly without lifting her head, already knowing this wasn’t going to be something she could ignore.
Paige looked at her properly then, really properly, and said it without hesitation, “it was more than just a make out to me.”
Azzi finally lifted her head just enough to meet her eyes, seeing the seriousness there that made everything else fade for a second, before Paige added, “and I mean it when I said I see you more than my best friend’s sister.”
Azzi didn’t look away when she answered, her voice quieter but steady as she said, “it means more to me than a make out too,” before shifting closer and settling herself fully onto Paige’s lap in a way that felt less like a decision and more like something she had been doing in her head for days, continuing softly, “and I still mean it when I said I see you more than my brother’s best friend.”
Paige brushed a curl from Azzi’s face like she had been wanting to do it all night, and they leaned in at the same time, meeting in a kiss that didn’t feel rushed or unsure, just long and heavy with everything they hadn’t said out loud yet, and when they finally pulled back they stayed close, foreheads resting together as the noise of the party blurred again into something distant and irrelevant.
“Let me take you on a date,” Paige said quietly, like it was the simplest thing in the world.
Azzi let out a small breath, eyes still locked on hers as she replied, “ask me again when we’re both sober so I know you’re 100 percent in.”
Paige didn’t even hesitate before kissing her again, softer this time but just as sure, and when she pulled back she murmured, “oh baby, I am 100 percent in, I’ll ask you again tomorrow.”
Their eyes stayed locked for a second longer than either of them needed, both of them a little dazed and too aware of each other now, and Azzi leaned in close again, her voice barely above a whisper as she said, “that doesn’t mean we can’t make out tonight.”
Paige gave a small breath of a laugh against her lips, shaking her head slightly like she couldn’t believe her, before answering just as quietly, “oh is that right.”
“Yeah,” Azzi said, soft but certain, tilting her head slightly as she added, “kiss me again Bueckers.”
That was all it took for Paige to pull her in again, the space between them disappearing completely as the rest of the world faded out behind the couch, the noise, the people,
The noise of the party didn’t just fade around them anymore; it felt like it stopped mattering entirely, like the couch had become its own small world tucked away from everything outside it. Music thumped somewhere far off, laughter rising and falling like waves they weren’t part of, but none of it could reach them now.
Paige’s hand stayed at Azzi’s waist, not moving, not wandering, just there steady like she was trying to convince herself this moment was real and not something she was going to wake up from later. Her thumb brushed once, absent minded, then paused like even that small touch had become too loud between them.
Her eyes lifted slowly, catching Paige’s, holding them there like she wasn’t planning on letting go first this time.
“You’re staring,” Azzi murmured, voice low enough that it barely existed above the bass from the other room.
Paige exhaled a quiet laugh through her nose, but it wasn’t amused. It was shaky at the edges, like she was already losing control of whatever she’d been trying to keep in place all night. “Yeah,” she admitted, softer now. “I am.”
No hesitation after that. No space left for second guessing.
Not rushed, not messy, just sure. Like something in her had finally snapped into place and there was no point pretending otherwise. Azzi went with it instantly, like she’d been waiting for exactly that kind of certainty from her.
The kiss landed slow at first, almost careful, like both of them were still checking if this was allowed to happen. Then it shifted subtle at first, then deeper, more real, like neither of them wanted to pretend anymore that they didn’t feel this every time they ended up too close for too long. Azzi’s hand slid into the front of Paige’s shirt, not pulling, just holding on like she needed something solid to anchor herself to. Paige responded by pulling her in closer, like distance had suddenly become unbearable.
When they finally broke apart, it wasn’t far. Not really. Just enough for air to return, just enough for their foreheads to almost meet again without either of them moving. Paige’s hand stayed at her waist even then, like letting go wasn’t an option she was willing to consider yet.
“We should go,” she said quietly, but it didn’t sound like she meant it fully.
Azzi didn’t move off her.
Instead, she stayed right there in her lap like she belonged there, like she’d decided somewhere in the last few minutes that that was just where she was supposed to be.
“Mm,” Azzi hummed, like she was agreeing and not agreeing at the same time.
Her eyes flicked up again.
Then she leaned in first this time.
No warning. No hesitation.
Just the same certainty Paige had used on her returned.
The second kiss wasn’t softer.
It was deeper, heavier with everything they hadn’t said out loud for months, like the night itself had finally pushed them past the point of pretending they didn’t already know exactly where this was going. Paige tightened her hold immediately, instinctively, like if she didn’t, Azzi might disappear back into the noise of the party behind them.
But Azzi didn’t pull away.
And for a few suspended seconds, the world outside the couch didn’t exist at all.
The walk back to the lake house felt noticeably quieter than the walk there, not because the night itself had changed in any meaningful way, but because Jose wasn't with them, and his absence seemed to leave a strange gap in everything around them, like the world was missing a sound they had become so used to hearing that they only noticed it once it was gone.
The music from the party still echoed faintly behind them as they followed the path back toward the cabin, laughter occasionally carrying through the trees whenever the wind shifted in the right direction, but neither Paige nor Azzi said much. Part of it was because they were still thinking about everything that had happened inside the house, and part of it was because they couldn't stop wondering where Jose had disappeared to.
Before leaving, they had searched.
They had walked through nearly every room in the house, checked the kitchen, the deck, the backyard, the dock stretching out toward the dark water, and even circled back through the driveway where cars kept arriving with headlights flashing across the trees. They had called his name more than once, texted him repeatedly, and waited longer than they originally planned, expecting him to suddenly appear with some ridiculous explanation the way he always did.
No familiar voice shouting back.
Eventually, after another unanswered text and another lap around the property, they had found themselves standing together near the edge of the yard looking back at the crowded house, both silently realizing they had reached the same conclusion.
There wasn't much else they could do.
"He'll probably show up at two in the morning acting like nothing happened," Azzi had muttered.
"That's exactly what he's going to do."
And because they both knew it was true, they finally gave up and headed home.
Now, as they pushed open the front door of the lake house, warm light immediately spilled over them from the kitchen and living room, replacing the cool night air with something familiar and comforting, and for a brief moment Azzi felt some of the tension leave her shoulders.
Or at least as close to home as this place had always felt.
Katie looked up first from where she was sitting at the kitchen table, a mug still in her hand, and her expression shifted almost immediately when she noticed who had walked through the door.
"Why are you two home already?" she asked, glancing toward the clock hanging on the wall. "It's only 11:30. I thought you'd be out for at least another hour."
Paige stepped inside first, setting her phone down on the counter as she slipped off her shoes near the door, and if Azzi hadn't spent the last several days around her she might have missed how quickly the explanation came.
"I had a headache," Paige said casually, reaching up to rub the side of her head for emphasis. "Azzi offered to come back with me."
Katie's attention shifted toward Azzi.
"The party was kind of boring anyway," she added with a shrug that she hoped looked convincing. "Not really our thing."
Paige had to look away to hide her smile.
Because that was definitely not the full story.
From the living room, Tim glanced up from his phone.
The question landed differently than the others.
The atmosphere shifted ever so slightly.
Not enough to create panic.
Just enough to make both girls exchange a quick look before answering.
"We tried to find him," Azzi said honestly. "We looked all over the place."
Tim let out a short laugh through his nose.
Katie leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a second.
"What?" Tim asked, already smiling.
"He does this every year."
Katie pointed toward both girls.
"I guarantee he lost track of time talking to someone."
"Or flirting with someone," Tim added.
"Definitely flirting with someone."
The certainty in their voices made it impossible not to laugh.
"Of course we're right," Katie replied. "We've known him his entire life."
"Honestly, that makes me feel better."
"It should," Tim said. "If there was actual trouble, Jose would've found a way to involve everyone."
That earned another round of laughter.
The lingering concern slowly faded after that, replaced by the familiar comfort of family teasing someone who wasn't even present to defend themselves, and for the first time since leaving the party, everything felt normal again.
Eventually Katie stood and pointed toward the staircase.
"Yes, ma'am," Paige said immediately.
Even Azzi laughed at that.
A few minutes later, after saying their goodnights and listening to Tim make one final joke about Jose inevitably stumbling through the front door sometime before sunrise, Paige and Azzi headed upstairs together
Upstairs, the room felt different than it had on that first night, not because anything physical about it had changed in any obvious or dramatic way, but because the unfamiliar edges had gradually worn away over the past few days, replaced by a kind of quiet comfort that came from shared routines, overlapping habits, and the unspoken understanding that had started to settle between them without either of them ever really naming it out loud.
The evening seemed to slow down the moment the door clicked shut behind them, as if the noise and chaos of the party outside had been left behind entirely, and both of them naturally slipped into the familiar rhythm they had developed over the trip, moving around each other in the small space without needing to ask, without needing to explain, just existing in the same room in a way that somehow felt easier than it should have.
Paige disappeared into the bathroom first while Azzi stayed back in the room, setting her phone down on the nightstand, pulling her hair away from her face, and gathering everything she would need for her shower in slow, distracted motions, focusing on each small, ordinary task with a kind of careful attention that kept her grounded, because anything else would have led her right back to the memory of the party and the way Paige had looked at her when everything had shifted.
The night still lingered in her mind in fragments that refused to settle properly, the way conversations had faded in and out around her, the way time had felt slightly off all evening, and most of all the way Paige had looked at her earlier like she was no longer something to be kept at a distance or thought about in passing but something she was fully aware of, constantly aware of.
By the time the bathroom door finally opened again, Azzi had managed to convince herself she looked completely normal, sitting on the edge of the bed with her phone in her hand like she was absorbed in something unimportant, like she wasn’t replaying anything in her head at all, like she wasn’t waiting without admitting she was waiting.
And immediately regretted it.
Because she was dressed down in comfortable pj shorts and a Calvin Klein bra that left her shoulders and midriff relaxed and unguarded, and Azzi, who had been pretending to focus on her phone, immediately made the mistake of looking up at the wrong moment.
Paige noticed almost instantly, like she always did, like she had developed an almost unfair awareness of her over the past few days, and a quiet laugh slipped out before she could stop it, soft and amused in a way that made it very clear she had caught her completely.
“What?” Azzi asked too quickly, even though she already knew.
Paige folded her arms loosely, leaning against the doorway for a moment with an expression that was far too knowing.
“I wasn’t doing anything.”
Paige tilted her head slightly.
Azzi rolled her eyes, trying to recover some of her composure, but it didn’t really work because Paige was already smiling wider now, clearly enjoying this far too much.
Without saying anything else, Paige crossed the room in a few slow steps that felt unnecessary but deliberate, like she was aware of exactly what her presence did to the space between them, and reached up gently to tilt Azzi’s chin upward just slightly so she had no choice but to meet her eyes properly.
“Eyes up here, princess,” she teased softly, her voice low enough that it felt more personal than playful.
The nickname alone was enough to make Azzi’s face warm instantly, her expression shifting before she could stop it, and she let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh even though she was clearly trying to hide how much it affected her.
“You really enjoy embarrassing me,” she muttered.
“A little,” Paige admitted easily.
Paige laughed under her breath, clearly not even pretending anymore.
“Okay,” she corrected, “maybe more than a little.”
Azzi narrowed her eyes, trying to look offended, but it didn’t last more than a second before she was fighting a smile instead, because there was something about the way Paige looked at her right then that made it impossible to stay serious for long.
Paige stayed there for a moment longer than necessary, still close enough that the space between them felt smaller than it should have, before finally pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead and stepping back again like it was the most normal thing in the world.
“There she is,” Paige said quietly, like she had just confirmed something she already knew. “You were overthinking again.”
Azzi opened her mouth to argue, then stopped, because the problem was that they both knew she was right, and there was something frustrating about how easily Paige could read her without even trying.
Paige pointed toward the bathroom with a small nod.
Azzi narrowed her eyes slightly.
“You’re very bossy tonight.”
“And you’re avoiding sleep.”
Paige smiled again, softer now, less teasing and more honest.
“I just want to actually spend time with you before we both pass out.”
That landed differently, quieter in a way that made Azzi pause for half a second longer than she meant to, because it wasn’t said like a joke or a comment anymore, it was just real.
Azzi adjusted her grip on her things.
As she started toward the bathroom, she hesitated at the doorway and glanced back over her shoulder, finding Paige already sitting down on the bed now, watching her with a relaxed expression that somehow made the whole room feel calmer.
“You know,” Azzi said, lingering just long enough to make it clear she wasn’t in a rush, “you’re kind of lucky I like you.”
Paige didn’t even hesitate.
That earned an immediate eye roll from Azzi, though the smile on her face gave her away completely.
And then she finally disappeared into the bathroom, while Paige’s quiet laughter followed her out into the hallway, and for the first time all night, nothing felt complicated in the way it had before.
When Azzi came back out, the room had settled into something softer and quieter, the lights dimmed low enough that everything felt calmer than before, and Paige was sitting at the edge of the bed scrolling through her phone until she felt the shift in the room and looked up at exactly the wrong moment to pretend she hadn’t been waiting for her.
Azzi was wearing one of Paige’s shirts, oversized on her frame and hanging slightly off one shoulder in a way that looked accidental but definitely wasn’t, clearly taken without permission and paired with sleep shorts underneath, her hair still slightly damp from the shower, and the second she stepped fully into the room there was this brief pause where neither of them said anything at all.
Paige tilted her head slowly, her expression shifting into something amused almost immediately.
“Hey,” she said, setting her phone down properly now, like it didn’t matter anymore. “That’s my shirt.”
Azzi glanced down at it and tugged lightly at the hem like it wasn’t a big deal at all.
Paige let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head a little as she leaned back on her hands.
“I didn’t need permission.”
That made Paige smile wider, like she was trying not to.
Then she nodded toward her. “You can keep it.”
Paige didn’t look away when she added, more casually than it probably felt, “It looks better on you anyway.”
That landed in the middle of the room and just stayed there.
Azzi’s expression softened without her meaning to, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly like she didn’t quite know what to do with that kind of honesty, and for a few seconds neither of them filled the silence, because it didn’t feel like it needed to be filled.
They just looked at each other.
Then, without any conversation about it, like it was the most natural conclusion in the world, they both got into bed.
There wasn’t a question of sides or distance or space, Azzi settling in almost immediately against Paige as if her body already knew where it belonged, curling into her side with her head resting against Paige’s chest and one arm draped loosely over her stomach, while Paige adjusted around her instinctively, one arm coming up to hold her in place without even thinking about it, like she had already memorized how to do it correctly.
The room fell completely quiet except for the slow rhythm of their breathing.
The rest of the house felt miles away.
Paige glanced down at her for a moment longer than necessary, her hand resting lightly at Azzi’s back before she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, slower this time, quieter, like she wasn’t doing it to be playful anymore but because it felt like something she needed to do, and Azzi didn’t move away from it at all.
Eventually, Paige spoke again, barely above a whisper.
Azzi made a small sound in response, something between agreement and exhaustion, already drifting before she even fully settled into it.
And a few minutes later, Paige followed, holding her just a little closer as the night finally softened around them completely, both of them falling asleep tangled together in a way that didn’t feel accidental anymore, but inevitable.
