#imaginesokay

[imaginesokay]

Like This; Paige Bueckers

Wishing the moment didn't have to end.

“I wish it didn’t have to be like this.” Paige said standing over her suitcase. It was the beginning of the off season but that didn’t mean her schedule changed. She was in the middle of packing for a brand trip that would take her to Los Angeles, and leave her girlfriend in Dallas with her normal person job. Being a basketball superstar had a way of making most other jobs seem normal. 

“You are bringing so much attention to women's sports.” The girl walked toward the blonde, hugging her back. “You are doing what you love.” She kissed her shoulder. “And you are making money so I can buy more things when you leave me alone.” She joked.

“I’d be nothing if you didn’t support me.” Paige turned around in the arms. “And threaten to spend all my money.”

“What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine.” She smiled. She removed herself from Paige and sat down on the bed, refolding a shirt she had put in the suitcase. 

“I don’t remember signing up for that.”

“It was somewhere in the fine print.” She placed the shirt back down.  “One day we will get to live like this for the whole year and not just in stolen moments.”

“These moments are what makes the away trips less lonely." The blonde admitted. “Regardless how long I am away, I know I’m coming home to you.”

“I’ll always be here.” Paige laid on the bed, half on her girlfriend. 

“Do you ever think about it? When I finally convince you to stop working so you can travel with me?”

“You know that’s not how this works.” Her girlfriend started playing with her hair. “But I do think about the house we will have and the dogs.”

“You really see a future for us?”

“Please don’t act stupid.” She laughed. “I have the flowers picked out that we will have in our garden.” 

“As long as we're together in that house, it’ll feel like home.”

“That was very gay.” She laughed, running her hand up and down Paige's back. “You have to get back to packing.” 

“Just a few more minutes.”

“I don’t want to hear it if you forget part of an outfit.”

“I just want to hear more about this house you imagined for us.”

[imaginesokay]

Forever; Paige Bueckers

After a long day of practice, Paige want's to make sure you'll stay forever.

It didn’t take long for the facetime to connect. It never did. The nightly facetime was something that neither of you dared to change, even if it only lasted for long enough to say hello. Paige’s face filled the screen with a lazy smile to greet you. Her hair was messy on top of her head as she was propped up on the numerous pillows behind her. 

“Hey” Her voice was low, the tiredness dripping through. 

“Hey superstar.” She rolled her eyes but the smile betrayed her. She hated that nickname, she hated when you called her anything besides baby but that nickname was a particular enemy. But that’s who she is, an amazing basketball player getting the recognition she deserved. 

“Practice ran long today.” She sighs. “Geno was picking on KK again.” You hummed in sympathy and acknowledgment as she continued to talk about her day and what happened in practice. Basketball wasn’t your life but it was absolutely hers, so you could listen to her talk for hours about the practice guys and what Geno yelled about that day. She lived for these facetimes where nobody wanted anything from her, it was just her talking about whatever she wanted. 

After a while her story came to an end and it was your chance to talk again. 

“Did you eat?”

“Yeah”

“Paige?”

“That’s unfair… You can’t only eat girl dinners and get mad when I do.” 

“I’m not a basketball player.”  This was one of the most repeated conversations. Trying to balance basketball, school and brand deals often let her push meals to the side. If it wasn’t shoved in front of her face she would find something sufficient enough and call it a day. She was the one that needed to be fueled for each practice and game. So while your eating habits also needed some help hers was more important. 

She shifts on her bed, laying on her side and propping the phone up while she presses buttons on the tv remote. You mirror her and roll over to get more comfortable, watching the way her face changes as she reads the titles from whatever streaming service she’s browsing. 

“I miss you.” She broke the silence. 

“I miss you too.” Saying it stung a little in your chest. It has been 132 days since you last saw each other, not that either of you were counting. 

“Every time we see each other it’s just a count down.” It was true. Every visit had a deadline, she needed to go back to campus or you needed to go back to your life. There was always a flight booked, train ticket, always something that told you exactly how many days you were allowed to be happy together. 

“You are doing what you love, and I love watching it.”

“Wish you could be by my side while I do it.”

“That’s not what the universe wants right now.” You joked trying to make the situation a little lighter before it turns into a mess of who could be more sappy.

“The universe does not get a vote on us.” She looked back at the TV for a minute. A charged moment of silence before she looked back at the screen, her eyes a little glossy. “Can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

“You’ll stay with me forever right?” The question was said softly but that didn’t help mitigate the weight of the words. Your throat tightened as you thought before answering.

“Baby… I’m already here.”

“I know.” Her shoulders dropped.”Just sometimes everything feels so far and temporary. Having you on a screen for a couple of minutes while we don’t know the next time I get to hold you.” She swallowed hard. “I want to make sure I’m not losing you while I’m chasing all of this.”

“You are not losing me. Even when I’m not in the same state as you. Even when we are tired and missing each other.” You laughed for a second. “If your tiktok dances weren’t enough to push me away then good luck bud.”

“Okay.” She said softly, living in everything you said. “Stay on the phone while we sleep?”

“Forever.”

[imaginesokay]

Don't Leave Me; Paige Bueckers

Paige is getting ready to go to UCONN for a visit

Her duffel bag sat propped against the wall by the front door, UCONN blue and white standing out like a neon sign reminding you of what was about to happen. She had been buzzing all week about this trip,  coaches, practices, the chance to really show out. Now that the night had come, you couldn’t shake the heaviness in your chest.

Paige adjusted the strap on her backpack, half-grinning, half-distracted as she double-checked her phone. “Okay, so my dad’s waking me up at, like, five, which is gonna be brutal. But it's worth it.”

You tried to match her grin, tried to feed off her energy. But all you could manage was a soft, “Yeah, worth it.”

She didn’t notice at first, too busy digging through her bag. But when she looked up, her smile faltered. “Hey. What’s with the face?”

You shrugged, fiddling with the hem of your sweatshirt. “Nothing. Just… weird. You're leaving.”

Paige cocked her head, stepping closer. “It’s only a week.”

“I know, only a week and you are going to fall even more in love with UCONN and never come home.” you said quickly, but the words tumbled out before you could stop them, quiet and raw. “I don’t want you to leave me... Please don't leave me”

The room stilled. Her expression softened in an instant. She just looked at you, really looked, the way she always did when you were trying to hide something from her.

“You’re not gonna lose me,” she said, voice low, steady. She reached out, tugging gently on your sleeve until you met her eyes. “I’ll text you, call you, annoy you every chance I get. You’ll probably be sick of me by the time I’m back.”

You managed a weak laugh, but your throat was tight. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

And then she did something she didn’t usually do. She wrapped her arms around you and just held on, long enough that you could memorize the way her heartbeat felt against yours. It was the kind of hug that meant more than either of you knew how to put into words yet.

When she finally pulled back, her smile had returned, softer this time. “I’ll be back before you know it. Don’t go looking for a new best friend while I’m gone.”

You rolled your eyes, but the fear had eased just a little. Because when Paige said she wasn’t going to leave you? You believed her.

[imaginesokay]

Daughter; Evan Buckley

Buck has a daughter

Evan Buckley never thought he’d be good at this. He wanted it with all his heart but he was never too certain that he’d be good at it. 

He stood in the cramped hospital room, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. He was processing everything that had happened in the past hour but his eyes were steady. He was still staring at the tiny human bundled up in the striped pink and blue outfit. 

He had held the baby when she was first born, celebrating and thanking his wife for everything she dealt with to give him the gift of life. 

“Are you gonna come see your kid up close again?” His wife asked exhausted, back against too many pillows for it to actually be comfortable.

Your kid was all he heard. It was his kid. The bundle in the girl's arms was his kid. The little baby was going home with him. He shuffled closer to the bed slowly, he didn’t want to take a chance at disrupting how peaceful the universe felt. The baby's face was scrunched up, non-existent eyebrows furrowed like this wasn’t her first time in the universe.

“She looks annoyed.” He said, staring at the bundle of love in the arms of the one he loves.

“She’s been dealing with our bad singing for 9 months.” He let out a little laugh at that. Hearing that sound the baby’s hand shot up, tiny fist curling into her cheek. His chest was already cracked open, but seeing that opened it more.

“This is-” He fumbled for his words. “She’s real.”

“Yeah, she’s been for a while now.”

“But she's mine.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “She's real and she’s mine.” He reached out and let a finger brush on her cheek. He went silent for a second, the bravado slipping, his confidence gone. All that was left was the scared version of him that wasn’t sure if he’d be a good father.

“You okay?” His wife asked after watching his face change. 

“I want her to like me.” He met her eyes. “I don’t want to screw her up. I don’t want her to turn into what I was.”

“Oh baby.” Her tears welled instantly. “You are not your parents. But more importantly you said it yourself. Was. You no longer are, that’s in the past. That Buck gave me an amazing husband.” 

“What if I’m not good at this?” The baby answered him this time. She made a small sound, like a sigh and her hand found his fingers. 

“You already are.” She switched how she was holding the baby so Buck could hold her. He wanted to protest, fear of hurting her or ruining her but he also wanted to hold his baby girl. Almost immediately she relaxed into his chest, still grabbing his finger.

“She likes me.”

“Congrats. You are her father.” She laughed dryly. 

The same way your kid stuck with him, her father got him even worse. It was his turn for the tears to come back to his eyes. Proud, terrified, grounded. Evan looked down at his daughter. At how her eyes were peacefully closed, her chest rising and falling. 

“This is my daughter.” He said out loud. That found word sentence held so many emotions and promises, but to him the biggest promise was simple. She’d never have to worry about if she was loved like he had. 

[imaginesokay]

Photo; Diana Taurasi

A photo of you two becomes public

The photo is soft in a way that you can tell it was never meant to be public.

It was early morning softness. Both of you are still filled with sleepiness and love. Your arms were wrapped around her waist, her old mercury shirt falling off of one shoulder. The tattoo behind your left arm peeking out from underneath the sleeve. Diana had one hand resting on the top of your back, the other holding her phone to snap the photo. Your face can’t be seen, only the back of your head and your tattoo. Her face is on display, tilted so she can look at you through the screen on her phone. 

It’s the definition of domestic. A truly soft love filled morning. The moment was very, very real. Just as real as the photo when it makes its way to the internet. 

It goes live a few minutes later.

Neither of you are paying attention when it happens. Still consumed by the start of the morning, getting dressed and making breakfast. And all the teasing and ragebaiting that happens in between. It’s not until after filling her second mug of coffee that she reaches for her phone again.

As soon as she flips it up the screen's notifications scream at her.

Text after text. Calls stack on calls. Old teammates, Sue Bird, Brittney Griner, her managers. The text messages are rolling in. 

She doesn’t need to open her phone further to assume something big happened. Her stomach drops when she looks up at you. Her perfect girlfriend. Enjoying the warm drink in your mug as you sit at the counter watching her. Her jaw tightens for a second before she looks back down to open a message. One singular one that will tell her what happened, Sue’s, That’s where she learns exactly what happened and how it magically made it’s way to the internet. 

“What happened?” You straighten a little before asking.

She doesn’t sugarcoat it, though she doesn't have an answer for how it happened other than a mistake, she tells you that the moment from the morning is out there for the world to see. Your stomach drops to meet hers. 

“Oh.” You nod slowly, trying to process what just came out of her mouth. In the silence you reach for your phone, turning it over to see all the notifications. It didn’t take long for people to go through her 269 followers and find you. You and that damn tattoo your parents told you not to get. The outside world was now way too close to your inside world. 

“It’s everywhere.” She walks around the counter to be closer to you. “You know I would never-” 

“I know” You say all too fast. She takes a seat next to you, facing the kitchen sink and not you.

“You don’t have to stay.” She mushes her hands together. “The photo was on my phone, it’s my mistake and I'll handle it.”

“Don’t piss me off.” you let out a dry laugh. “You think this makes me want to leave?”

“I think this is my mistake and I don’t get to decide how it affects you.” She turns to look at you. “If this is too much, if you want out, for me to disappear. I’ll do whatever.”

“I don’t want out. I don’t want you to disappear." She exhales. “I wanted to be normal… just wanted to be yours.” She grabs your hands.

“You are still. Just because it’s loud outside the house doesn't mean anything has changed. Not if you don’t want it to.” The conversation was filled with insecurities leaking. 

“I still love you like I did in that photo.” You leaned your head on her shoulder. 

“I’m not sorry the world knows that I love you but I am sorry we didn’t get to own how it happened.”

 “It’s gonna make more than that for my love to change but how about you leave the photos to the younger one. I’ve never had a photo leak and I promise you the internet would die to see the one of you drooling on my lap.”

[imaginesokay]

Bracelet; Bella Hines

You make a homemade bracelet for your girlfriend

You had fallen for the tiktok shop though you’d never admit it. Everyone was having fun posting the things they were creating and it was a bit of FOMO. When the Tiktok ad came up and you could get 6 boxes of beads for a cheap price, who were you to deprive yourself of the fun. 

Obsessed isn’t the right word for it, but the amount of bracelets made would make you think otherwise. One for LSU, one for basketball, one that simply said I <3 bella, anything you could think of now had a bracelet to match. You were hunched over making the bracelets more than your back appreciated. 

“Are you making another one?” Was all Bella said when she entered your apartment. It was later in the night. She had wrapped up practice, showered and then made her way to see you before the night ended. 

“I miscounted and now the words aren’t in the middle.”

“Oh my god. What are you making this time?” You looked up glaring at her.

“I can gladly sleep alone in my bed tonight if you are going to be mean.”

“That’s dramatic.” She flopped onto the bed. “What is this one going to be?”

“A secret until it’s finished.” Grace kind of just looked at you before picking up the remote and trying to put something on. 

“This is bracelet like 10, not including your three unfinished ones.”

“When you get a headache from trying to line up beads correctly you can comment on how many I have made.” 

“Woah now.” She held her hands up. “I was just getting to the fact that you’ve made so many and haven’t made me one.”

“You ruin everything.”

“I’m not digging the glares these bracelets have given you.”

“This one was for you, that’s why it has to be perfectly even.”

“You are making a bracelet for me?” 

“Don’t make it weird.” You mutter, focused on trying to finish the bracelet. Bella pulled her knees up and rested her head on them, watching the way you were working. 

“You are concentrating so hard.”

“I want it to look nice and not break.”

“You think I’ll break it?”

“I know you play basketball.” You blinked at her before laughing. She watched as you tied off the bracelet and cut the extra length on the strings. She gently took it from your hand once you held it up.

“You are insane.” She inspected the bracelet. It was white and pastel yellow, a bright sunshine. In the middle of the bracelet was written I <3 my gf. “You made me a bracelet that says I heart my girlfriend.”

“I think it is very fitting for you.”

“You really made me a bracelet?” There was a shine to Bella’s eyes. 

“Duh, it’s practically a ring so now we have to stay together.” 

“I will never take this off.”

“You can’t wear it in-game.”

“I’ll put it on right after we play.” She slid it on her wrist. “You’ll make me another one if this one breaks, yeah? Same saying too?”

“I’ll make it right now if you want.”

[imaginesokay]

Moments; Carl Gallagher

Reminiscing on the memories in the Gallagher house.

It was the middle of the night and the southside of Chicago was quiet in a way it rarely was. The pair was sitting on the steps, Carl taking long drags of the blunt while you were sitting next to him wrapped in a random blanket from the couch. It didn’t seem like it at the moment but the world was moving faster than either of you knew how to handle. Fiona was gone, Kev and V were leaving and even though it was a fight, the house was going to sell. It was now more clear than ever that they were only in charge of so many things and how they reacted to the things around them.

“I can’t believe we're going to sell the house.” Carl shook his head. 

“It’s less of a we. But it’s for the better.” 

“This is the house we all grew up in.” He looked back at the door. “This is our home.”

“This is where you were traumatized.” 

“It wasn’t all trauma.”

“Didn’t you run a dog nursing home in your basement?” You tilted your head. “Lose the house, a lot. Didn’t Monica-”

“Okay okay.” He settled back down. “But this is always where I fell in love with you.”

“You’ve told me you’ve fallen in love with me almost everywhere.”

“Because I have. I keep falling in love with you.” He puffed again. “This is the place where I really started to believe that you’d stay.”

“I told you I’ll always stay.”

“I remember the first time I bought you here. I thought for sure you were going to run away.” He looked like he was watching the scene in the sky. “You came from your nice house on the north side to one that was falling apart. You had such a light in your eyes until Debbie yelled at you.” 

“That’s not fair. I brought donuts and she went on about how I thought I was better than her.”

“It was so cute, you brought donuts and sat on the couch talking to franny. You didn’t even flinch when you noticed the couch was as comfortable as the plywood under it.”

“Why would I say something bad about someone else's life? It wasn't hurting anyone.”

“Far from the plush couch in your living room.” He laughed. “It was then that I knew I loved you.”

“Oh that was the moment? Not the time I cooked dinner on the one working burner on the stove.”

“That’s another moment I fell in love with you. You said you were getting food not groceries. Then showed up with the stuff to make that greek bowl thing.”

“It was a chicken tzatziki bowl.”

“You were the first person in forever to go and cook in that kitchen. You were blowing dust off the seasonings. But you stood there and cooked dinner for my family. We just got lucky that the back left burner still works.”

“I think that’s where Liam stopped being weary of me. He stayed down here and talked to me that night when I did the dishes.”

“That was the other thing. You cooked in a real pan and we ate on real bowls that we didn’t even know we had.”

“I’ve spent enough time here that I wasn’t just going to cook for myself.”

“That was absolutely another time where I fell even more in love with you. But it was the night with you yelling that I knew you were gonna stay.”

“Oh god.” You buried your head in your hands knowing exactly where he was going.

“Debbie was not your biggest fan.”

“She still isn’t”

“She was like a foot away from you, telling you to go back to your house because you told her it wasn’t fair that she came slamming into the house in the middle of the night.”

“That wasn’t my best moment.”

“It was like 4 in the morning. She was slamming things being loud so you decided to be louder and yell at her.” He laughed a little. “She was cursing at you. Telling you to go back to your family if you didn’t like it here.”

“I shouldn’t have cursed back.”

“You should have because it was what you said. You told her that you would stay where you pleased and that you were with your family.” He looked at you, kissing the top of your head. “You called us, this broken house and me, your family.”

“I meant it, I always will.”

“That was when I knew you were staying. Without a doubt.”

[imaginesokay]

In Love With You; Nika Muhl

Nika says she's in love with you

The music from the party was loud, the house smelled like a distillery and regret. Exactly what college parties were meant to be. Nika was perched on the arm of a worn leather couch, surrounded by her friends and teammates. The solo cup in her hand was halfway full though she had already drunk enough to feel it. She was listening to the conversation going on around her but her eyes were focused across the room, caught in the sound of her friends laugh across the room.

It wasn’t supposed to feel like this. They had been friends since Nika first started at UCONN. By luck they had been paired up for a freshman experience class, and were attached ever since. Study sessions, late night pizza, endless debates about music and movies. The Croatian would never admit it but really enjoyed the fact that she had to teach someone about basketball, it meant she was making a friend who had no expectations of her and it meant she always had someone who was going to cheer for her even if she didn’t think she deserved it. It was somewhere between the sleepovers and basketball lessons that the comfort had started to twist into something else. Something she tried with every fiber of her being to down play but it was proving harder and harder. 

When the girls laugh cut through again, Nika slid off the couch and walked across the room to where her best friend was standing. She placed her hand on her lower back, something that was normal.

“I think we’re heading out, Lili has been mumbling about her pajamas.” 

“Yeah, let me say bye.” Where one girl went the other followed. She said goodbye to the group she was laughing with and followed the group of basketball players out. They were all buzzing from the drinks and breezy air. Every time someone from the group stumbled it was met with laughs and offers of help. Nika and her friend eventually found themselves at the very back of the group, arms intertwined.

“Hey.” the dark hair girl muttered, barely loud enough for the other to hear.

“Hmm?” Nika swallowed hard when her friend turned to look at her, the street lights hitting her eyes.

“I want to tell you something.” She kicked a pebble as they walked. “I think for a while now-” 

“If I drive, does anybody want to go to DP Dough?” She was cut off.

“I think for a while now I’ve-”

“Hello?! Pair in the pack.” Aubrey exclaimed after her first statement was ignored. “Pizza, I’m driving. We can lap it.”

“Oh my god.” Nika practically sighed. “Yes pizza jesus. Stop bothering me for 3 minutes.” Her friend just laughed next to her. 

“I’m so glad we have a sober person because pizza sounds amazing.” Her friend spoke. “I hope the workers don’t hate us for coming this late because I’d feel so-” Nika cut off her friend this time. The tipsy Croatian had a plan and the moment was already fading.

“Pizza does sound good, you're right but what I was talking about before Aubrey interrupted me.” She shouted the last four words. “I think for a while now I’ve liked you.”

“God I’d hope so you-” She started to lightly laugh.

“No, I like you as more than a friend.” She stopped walking for a second and looked at the girl. The laugh weighed heavy on her.

“You're serious.” Her eyes searched the Croatians. “You drank more than me Nika this is just-”

“I’m in love with you.” She grabbed her friend's hand. “Since the day you came to your first basketball game wearing my jersey and cheering every time I touched the ball.”

“You are drunk, Ni.” She sighed. She looked at how far ahead the group had gotten then back to the dark haired girl. “I’m in love with you too Nika. Have been.”

“Really?”

“So really.” She pulled the girl along so they could catch up with the group. “But we can continue this tomorrow. Or later after the pizza.” 

“You guys and this pizza are annoying.” Nika said feeling relieved that she admitted her feelings and it worked out in her favor.