synopsis: Azzi posts things on her close friends to get Paige’s attention. But after the first post they started to become more bold and freakier.
includes: so much sexual tension between azzi and Paige. Dirty text & also funny texts. Filthy thoughts, Paige and azzi being so bold but also so oblivious & dumb at the same time. Best friends to lovers, azzi being a boobs girl, sexual content, language, semi-slow burn (in a way), Azzi getting a tattoo that says ‘eat me’, munch p & fingers in mouth
wc: 18.3k
notes: please, tell me your thoughts about this fic either in my inbox or comment section. love you & thank you for reading. This is inspired by that one interview of azzi saying she used her close friends to get Paige’s attention. Thank you @33lol for helping me edit this story!🥹
HOW IT ALL STARTED
When Azzi had walked through her new dorm her bags fell from her hands. She didn't even bat an eye at the loud ruckus it made; her sweaty hands dropped to her hips while she tried catching her breath. Her face was a little pink mostly on her cheeks.
Beads of sweat fell from her hairline, down the sides of her face and to the base of her neck. Azzi moved her hands off of her hips to run through the curly strands that fizzed up on the top of her head. Azzi’s throat was dry to the point where it hurt to swallow. She stared at the light brown cardboard boxes in front of her blankly not knowing where to start with this mess.
She stared at the bags that were at her feet and the brown cardboard boxes that were up against the wall beside her. The younger girl let out a sign in defeat. One-by-one she took the boxes and her bags that were filled to her room. Azzi turned on some music before she started organizing.
After two hours, Azzi finally got to the last thing she needed to do before she could go to sleep tonight, which was putting together a nightstand. It was still in its original packaging and in the middle of her room.
She scratched her head out of annoyance. Azzi was never good at putting things together. She was however good at losing screws, nails, literally anything you could think of. So, she only did the most responsible thing ever: calling Paige, who was good at building and looked good while doing it.
She grabbed her phone to dial Paige’s number. After the second ring, Azzi heard a faint “hello” from the other side of the phone. “Hey, can you come over please? I need help with something,” she pleaded, making sure to drag out her words to sound extra dramatic.
“Yeah, whatchu need help with? Did you run out of poop wipes again?”
All of the color drained from Azzi's face at the older girl's words. “That's not funny, Paige.” she huffed out. “That only happened once."
She knew damn well that was a lie but hey, she would do anything just to talk to Paige for an extra second and if that means causing a fake argument then so be it.
“It literally happened for the second time last week.” Paige shot back but Azzi ignored it. She picked at her cuticles, waiting a second to talk.
“So, like, are you gonna come over or not? I really need help putting a nightstand together. It’s more important.” She pleaded.
Paige sighed loudly into the phone. The brunette knew that sigh it was the one Paige always did when she would give into what Azzi asked her to do. “Fine,” Paige groaned, making the younger girl smile happily.
Got her ass.
“Thank you, and don't forget to bring a drill,” Azzi said before she hung up the phone. To make time go by faster, she cleaned up her room some more.
Azzi ran to the door when she heard a faint knock. She opened the door wide open with a smile that made her dimples pop. “Thank you so much for com—,” she cut herself off when she saw Paige and what she was wearing.
Paige was trying to kill her.
She was sure of it from the way the older girl's sweatpants hung low on her hips causing her lower stomach to be on display. The small inch of skin that was showing was just enough to make Azzi’s mind fuzzy. God,
The older girl had on a black tank top that hugged her body. The tank showed off her structured arms. The view was almost too much for Azzi to handle. She wanted to snatch the girl out of her doorway because of how good she looked in public.
Paige held a drill in her right hand that was dangling by her side. The grip she had on it made the veins in her arm and hand pop out. Suddenly Azzi's knees became weak. She wanted to do nothing more than get on her knees and give Paige anything she wanted.
I’m so gay, Azzi thought to herself. She licked her lips slowly moving her eyes back up to Paige’s face and that’s when it hit her. The blonde had been watching her this whole entire time. Azzi swore her heart fell to her ass when she met Paige’s gaze.
“So..are you going to let me in or are you just gonna keep eyeing me?” Paige teased with a grin.
Azzi wanted to whip that grin off of her face by kissing the girl's lips. “I wasn’t checking you out,” she mumbled, rolling her eyes. She moved a little to the side, allowing Paige into her dorm.
The younger girl walked first into her room. Paige walked in behind her; her eyes scanned the room. Azzi’s comforter was a soft pink color with three cream white pillows that were meant for decoration on her bed.
A small book shelve was in a corner of her room filled with all types of lesbian romance books along with thrillers. A faint smell of vanilla filled throughout the whole room from the candle that was burning on her dresser.
Paige’s heart squeezed a little at the sight of the collage bored Azzi had made with pictures of them throughout the years. Some of them that were on the board were all the way back from when they had first met at basketball camp.
“You like it?” Azzi asked. She looked around the room just like Paige was doing. “It still needs a lot of work, but I actually did a lot today.” She added.
“I love it. It’s just so you.”
Azzi laughed at Paige’s comment. “I’m gonna take that as a compliment. Now let’s get down to business.” She said, moving over to grab the heavy box. Azzi placed it beside Paige with a small thud. She sat beside Paige. Well, not really besides, more like on top of her from how close they were.
“I think you mean let me get down to business because you're not doing anything I got it az.” Paige said, before she opened up the box to get started on building.
The brunette smirked, “well if you insist,” she trailed off with a smile. She held onto Paige’s thigh as she got up from the floor. Azzi walked over to her bed and laid on her stomach.
Silence fell between them. Azzi just watched Paige with googly eyes while her legs swung up in the air behind her. After a few minutes of silence, the blonde’s eyebrows frowned from looking blankly at the sheet of instructions in front of her.
A small pout formed on Paige’s face. “This shit makes no sense,” she complained. Her head was throbbing at this point and her contacts were dry. And on top of all of that Azzi’s room was so hot to the point where she was dripping in sweat it felt like.
“Hmm, sounds like a you problem.”
Paige’s pout deepened. “Azzi,” she whined. Her face had a thin coat of sweat on it and dripped down to the base of her neck. It got to the point where it started to become uncomfortable.
“Do you mind if I take my tank top off? I'm sorry it’s just so hot like I feel like I'm gonna pass out,” Paige explained tugging at her shirt on the sides.
Azzi’s head perked up a little at Paige’s words. Her eyes sparkled in delight. I would love for you to take your shirt off, is what she truly wanted to say. “I don't mind Paige. You're good I promise,” she said, trying to act unfazed and nonchalant as she possibly could.
She watched every second of Paige taking off her shirt. Azzi swore time slowed when the blonde lifted her shirt above her head. It was almost the same kinda slow pace as the lifeguard girls who run in slow motion on the beach with their hair flowing in the wind in movies.
Azzi couldn't tell if Paige was doing it on purpose to give her a show or not but honestly, she didn't care. She was too busy admiring the way Paige’s abs had flexed when her arms stretched out above her head to take off the tank top.
She wanted to lick the sweat off of Paige’s stomach and trace the girl's abs with the tip of her tongue. Azzi was snapped out of her trance when the older girl coughed loudly.
“You enjoying the view?” Paige asked when she got the brunette’s attention. Her confidence was through the roof from how flustered Azzi looked at the moment. I should be shirtless around her way more, Paige thought, having your crush malfunction at the sight of you shirtless is such an ego boost.
“Bro-, shut up, aren't you supposed to be building?” Azzi argued, trying to change the subject from how Paige called her out.
Paige laughed, “whatever,” she mumbled before she got back to work.
For the next hour, Azzi spent all her time staring at the older girl's abs, arms, and the way Paige's sports bra hugged her chest. It was the best hour of her life if she was being completely honest. Sadly, it came to an ending when Paige tightened the last screw on the nightstand.
The older girl got up, letting out a small groan from the way her knees popped a little from sitting for too long. Azzi’s underwear was drenched at this point. She clenched her legs together trying to soothe the throbbing pain that was coming from in between her legs. There was no chance that she would be sleeping tonight, not after that jaw dropping view.
Azzi’s eyes popped out of head watching as Paige’s arms flexed from picking up the nightstand and carrying it to the side of her bed. “Damn,” Azzi mumbled underneath her breath without meaning to.
Paige turned her head over at Azzi’s direction, “what was that?” She asked, licking her lips while her eyebrows frowned in confusion.
“Nothing! Well, thank you so much for building this for me but I need to go take a shower. It's getting late,” Azzi said. She just said the first excuse that popped up into her mind.
It was pretty obvious that Azzi was lying. Paige could tell with the look that was on her face. But she didn’t push it, “your welcome Az, I hope you have a good night.” Paige said while Azzi walked her out of her dorm.
Oh, I will.
When Azzi shut her door, she let out a sigh in relief, not because she was tired of Paige’s presence, she probably would've jumped the girl's bone if she stayed any longer. It was because now she could take a nice shower and soothe the aching pain coming from in between her legs.
Azzi walked back to her room and opened her closet door. She bent down a little to look through one of the cardboard boxes that held miscellaneous items. The younger girl smiled when she finally found it: a pink vibrator that was waterproof and very useful for times like these.
She carried the toy to her bathroom along with a freshly clean towel. When she got in the shower hot water dripped down her body. The water made her curls stick to her back while she just stood under the steaming hot water.
Azzi grabbed the toy that was resting on the side of the tub under a clean and dry washcloth. She locked her knees into place and turned on the vibrator. A small hum echoed through the bathroom along with breathless moans that fell out of the girl's mouth.
The younger girl fucked herself with pure need from her desperately needing a release. “Hmmph—fuck, paige,” Azzi cried, bucking her hips move towards the toy.
Her jaw was clamped tight together and her knees wobbled a little. At this point, Azzi couldn't tell if she was crying or if it was the water coming from the showerhead running down her face — it was probably both.
“Ohh— Paige—shitt,” she whimpered, dragging out her words at the end from the way the vibration on her clit was starting to become too much.
Azzi planted her heels harder into the floor of the tub. She bit her lip hard. Azzi’s never been this happy about living alone before. She could be as loud as she wanted.
“Oh, fuck paige, I’m gonna cum,” she cried imaging it was the blonde in between her legs and not the toy.
The image alone pushed her closer to her release. Azzi's jaw fell open a little and her vision went white from how powerful her release was. She screamed Paige’s name one last time, dragging it out as she cried from overstimulation.
She moved forward to rest her forehead against the bathroom wall. Her breath hitched and her hand shook when she turned off the toy. “Fuck,” she cursed.”
It took Azzi a second to bring herself back to reality. Once she was finally able to feel her legs again, she moved back under the rain of water to actually start on her shower routine.
(And she totally didn’t touch herself for the second time at the end of her shower.)
When Azzi got done with the rest of her night routine she made herself comfortable in her bed. Her glasses slid down the slope of her nose from how she was looking down at her phone, scrolling on Pinterest.
Azzi laughed a little at this funny but also freaky picture she had seen on her home page. Her laugh soon turned into a grin when an idea formed in her head. She saved the picture to her camera roll and then went onto Instagram. She changed the list of people who were in her close friends so that now only Paige was in it.
She went back to her phone page to post the picture she found on Pinterest onto her close friend's story. In the photo it looked like Instagram messages that had four messages back-to-back. The four messages were: “I love boobs. I mean books. I love boobs too. Fuck.”
It was just a silly little related picture that she really related too especially for what had happened just two hours ago. She typed a quick text: “this is so real💀” before she posted it.
Paige had replied to her story instantly. which didn't really shock Azzi from how chronically online she was.
Paige: your so gay az [9:30 pm]
Azzi laughed a little at Paige's text. God, she was so down bad for this girl.
Azzi: You cannot be talking... [9:30 pm]
POSTS THAT WILL HAVE YOU SPEECHLESS
The tattoo shop was cold. Azzi sat in the waiting room in a chair that was starting to hurt her ass. She scrolled on tik tok while her leg bounced. Azzi was starting to get anxious by the minute. The only reason she was here was because she got this bright idea while she was working out and she couldn't stop thinking about it ever since.
“Azzi fudd?,” a girl called out with a clipboard in her hand.
Azzi looked up with a friendly smile. “Hello, that's me,” she said, grabbing her purse and slung it over her shoulder. She made her way over to the girl who looked around her age.
She bit her lip as they walked over to the girls station. Everything started to hit that there was no going back with this tattoo. Well, honestly, she's been wanting this tattoo for like forever she just never told anyone because she was scared about being judged.
The next two hours were a blur. Surprisingly the tattoo wasn't that painful considering the area she had got it in. When Azzi got home, she changed from her going out clothes into a pink crop top that stopped just underneath her under boobs. She changed into baggy gray sweatpants and rolled them at her hips.
Azzi moved over to her full-length mirror that was on the wall. She opened up Instagram and took a quick picture. In the picture her finger was hooked at the waistband of her rolled up sweats dragging it down to show off her new ‘eat me’ tattoo that was just beside her bikini line in thin writing.
The photo also showed off her lacy black thong that she was wearing not showing too much but just enough to have Paige startled. Azzi typed: ‘first tattoo🤭🤭’ into the text box and dragged it on the screen to where it was now in the bottom right corner.
She bit her lip while she clicked on the ‘post on close friends’ icon. Now, we wait, she thought. To distract herself, Azzi picked up around her room.
After an hour, she completely forgot about the instagram story. Azzi was laying in her bed scrolling on tik tok when Paige had slid up on her story. The brunette instantly clicked on the instagram notification not being able to help herself.
Paige: yo, is that real? [9:45 pm]
Azzi rolled her eyes a little bit at Paige’s text.
Azzi: nah, it’s fake. [9:45 pm]
Azzi: of course, it’s real paige 🙄[9:55 pm]
Paige: I don’t believe it… [9:55 pm]
Paige: I mean you're literally scared of needles there’s no way you actually got a tattoo. [9:56 pm]
Azzi: Do you wanna come over and see it for yourself? [9:57 pm]
Paige: yeah I do actually. I’ll be there in 5. [9:57 pm]
Azzi shot up from her bed and ran to her bathroom to make herself look presentable. She flatted out some of her frizzy curly hair and applied lip gloss to her lips and mascara to her lashes. The ding that came from her phone that was still on her bed scared her a little.
Fuck, she thought. Azzi made her way to her entrance door fixing her top as she walked. Right when she opened the door Paige didn't even let her say anything she just walked in. “Alright, let me see this tattoo. I don't believe that it's real,” she said, getting straight to the point.
The brunette rolled her eyes a little. “Just say what you want to see my underwear again at this point. It's okay, though I won't judge you.” She teased.
Paige’s body stilled at her words. Her face turned a burnt red color as her eyes widened a bit. “Bro-,” she weakly tried to argue but it was no use because she couldn't even think of words on how to defend herself.
Azzi laughed, “knew I was right,” she said motioning her hand at Paige telling her to come one.
When they made it to the younger girls room Paige sat on her bed watching Azzi who was in front of her full- length mirror. The blonde’s eyes trailed down to Azzi’s sweats and further to the tattoo that currently has her in a choke hold.
Oh kill me now, Paige thought. She was definitely not going to make it. This is gonna be what takes her out. She’s a hundred percent sure of that. Her throat ran dry when Azzi walked over to her still holding her pants down with her hand to show off the deadly tattoo.
“See, it's real” Azzi said, her chin was tucked from looking down at the tattoo.
Paige licked her lips, eyeing the tattoo. Azzi’s skin was a little red and swollen around the lettering. Those two words kept repeating in her head. Man, she really did mean it when she said that this tattoo was gonna break her and her self control as well. Because the way she could see half of Azzi’s lacy thong was not helping the situation at all.
Azzi bit her bottom lip, “do you like it?” she asked looking up at Paige. Her brown eyes sparkled with hope and in need of validation.
The older girl nodded her head, “love it,” she said. Paige met Azzi’s eyes for a second before they moved back down to the tattoo. “Can I touch it? You know, just for extra proof that it is real.”
The brunette rolled her eyes at Paige’s words. “You're not slick but sure.”
Paige laughed. She reached out with one of her hands lightly touching at the swollen skin with the tips of her fingers. “Damn, im fucked,” paige thought. It was definitely real.
She looked up at Azzi while her hand still moved gently over the skin. “Does that hurt?,” she asked, meeting the younger girl's eyes.
When their eyes met it felt like time stopped. A faint red color appeared on Azzi’s face from the way Paige was looking at her and from how she was touching her at the moment. The older girl had pulled back so fast as if the brunette’s skin had burned her.
“Sorry,” Paige said, clearing her throat. She scratched the back of her neck and laughed nervously. Is it getting hot in here? Paige thought because she swore she was burning up at this point.
Azzi pouted a little at the loss of the girl's touch. “Don't be sorry you didn't make me uncomfortable."
....
It wasn't until the next day Azzi posted something on her close friends again. This post was simply because she couldn't stop thinking about how close Paige's hands were to her heat. And from the way she could still imagine the way the older girl's hands felt on her skin.
The way Paige was so gentle with her in a way was such a turn on.
Azzi scrolled through Pinterest trying to distract herself from the filthy thoughts she was having about her best friend. Five minutes had passed by when she found a message that really did express how she was feeling.
So she instantly posted it on her close friend's story. The message said: ‘I hate when they apologize for touching me like no baby please keep touching me. I love how your hands feel on my body. ‘
The younger girl bit her lip and scrolled on her instagram feed until Paige slid up. Or she was hoping the girl was going to text her like she had been for the last couple times.
Azzi’s eyes shot up to the top of her screen when her phone vibrated. It was Paige. She clicked on the message and laughed when she read it.
Paige: 👀👀[9:55 pm]
Paige: Who's this about? [9:55 pm]
Azzi: nosyyy [9:56 pm]
Azzi: and it’s a secret 🤭[9:56 pm]
She laughed a little at her text. As much as Azzi wanted to tell Paige that it was about her, it was too soon. And she was honestly starting to like posting on her close friends. It was starting to get fun.
The brunette would be lying if she said she didn’t have a list of things she wanted to post on her close friends. Things that she knew would leave paige speechless.
Paige: bruh [10:00 pm]
Paige: I’m literally your best friend. this is unfair [10:00 pm]
Azzi: I’ll tell you soon [10:01 pm]
Paige: How soon is soon? [10:02 pm]
Azzi: soon [10:02 pm]
….
Paige was laying on her back in her bed. Her face was scrunched from the brightness coming from her phone screen. She kept switching back from tik tok and instagram because of how she couldn't find anything that caught her attention.
She let out a small groan, rolling to her side and refreshed her instagram feed. The first profile icon to pop up was Azzi’s and Paige immediately clicked on it. Her heart completely stopped at the picture Azzi had posted on her close friends.
“Fuck,” Paige mumbled out. Her throat ran dry from the picture. It was a photo of Azzi bent over on her bathroom counter. The younger girl's elbows were on the counter while her hand held up her phone and covered her face.
Azzi was in short shorts if you could even call them that. The way the brunette’s thighs were on full display made Paige clamp her legs together underneath her blanket. The younger girl paired the shorts with a purple tube top that showed off her arms and stopped right in the middle of her stomach.
The picture captured Azzi’s belly button piercing which made the blonde lick her lips. Paige hearted the photo and also screenshotted it. She stared at the photo for another thirty seconds before she tapped on the screen.
Paige’s breath hitched when the next thing that popped up on her phone was another picture of Azzi but this time it was a selfie. The photo was at an angle to where only you could see the brunette’s face and curly hair.
Azzi stared directly into the frame. Her eyes sparkled in mischief and desire. She had a small grin on her face as if she knew exactly what she was doing to Paige. The older girl stared mostly at Azzi’s lips that were lined with a dark brown color and topped with shiny gloss. She wanted that lip combo on her face specifically on her mouth and around her lips.
The blonde trailed her eyes up to look at Azzi’s eyes. She could tell that there was a small layer of mascara on Azzi’s lashes making them longer. Paige bit her lip and hearted that picture as well. Before she clicked on the next thing Azzi posted she took a screenshot of that picture as well.
The last picture was worse than the other two. Paige’s jaw dropped instantly at the picture. She physically had to bite back a groan that was in the back of her mouth. The picture was of Azzi bent over at her waist in front of her full-length mirror. She was wearing a short backless dress that stopped just below her ass.
Azzi’s back was arched and her curly hair dangled past her shoulders. She had held the phone beside her shoulder covering her face when she snapped the picture. “God damn,” Paige groaned, eyeing the back of Azzi’s legs. She wished that they were wrapped around her head so badly.
Paige hearted that picture as well and screenshotted it. She dragged her finger up on the story so that she could message Azzi. ‘holy fuck bro,’ is what she typed before she hit send. Her heart was pounding in her chest from what she had just done. When she tried to delete the message it was already too late.
Azzi had already seen it and she was typing. Paige bit her nails anxiously while she waited for Azzi to get done typing. The brunette’s message shocked her a little from how confident Azzi was texting her.
Azzi: Do you like them? ;) [10:13 pm]
Paige: Yes. [10:13 pm]
Paige: I love them but where are you going in that last picture? 🤨[10:15 pm]
Azzi: nosy💀 [10:15 pm]
Paige: ma just answer the question. Please for safety reasons yk like what if something happens? [10:15 pm]
She laughed at her own text. Damn that was the worst lie she had ever come up with.
Azzi: you’re so cute even when you’re lying [10:16 pm]
Paige sat up a little bit at Azzi’s text. Did she just call me cute?
Azzi: But I’m not going anywhere. I just wanted to get ready and post some pics [10:17 pm]
Paige: 🤨you look like you’re going out to a bar. [10:18 pm]
Azzi: I’m not. I just dressed up and took pictures for a special someone. [10:18 pm]
Paige: did it work? [10:19 pm]
Azzi: yes it did. She slid up on my story🤭[10:19 pm]
….
Azzi stood in front of three different ice cream dispensers. The hood of her hoodie was up and above her head and her hair was tired into a low ponytail. A small pout formed on her face as she kept thinking about which ice cream flavor to pick.
She jumped a little when Paige walked over to join her with a small ice cream cup in her hand. “What flavor you getting?” Paige asked.
The brunette’s pout deepened and her eyebrows frowned. She turned her head over at Paige to meet her eyes. “I don't know, I can't decide.” she complained, clocking the way the blonde’s eyes instantly shot down her rolled out lip.
Azzi smirked at the action but didn't say anything. She just licked her lips. She also tried to hold back the laugh that was threatening to leave her mouth when she watched Paige follow her tongue with her eyes.
“You should get vanilla, it's your favorite.”
The younger girl's shoulders relaxed a little at her words, “yeah but like I wanted to try something different,” she said leaning her hip more towards Paige’s so that now they were touching.
Paige’s eyes narrowed a little at her words, “ma we have been in this situation several times. You're going to try something new and then not like it. And then try to take my ice cream because yours sucks.”
Azzi rolled her eyes, “no I don't know what you are talking about,” she weakly argued. She walked over to the cotton candy ice cream dispenser and filled her cup up half way.
The blonde was judging Azzi’s ice cream choice from afar but didn't say anything. After they added topping to their ice creams they headed over to the register and Paige paid without hesitation. The two girls sat in silence while they ate their ice cream in Paige’s car.
Paige was side eyeing Azzi, licking her ice cream slowly off the spoon as she waited for the girl's reaction.
“Ew,” Azzi said after she tasted the cotton candy ice cream. “That's so sweet,” she complained, making the older girl laugh a little.
“Told you. Maybe you should listen to me next time.” Paige said with a knowing tone. She had a shit eating grin on her face as she enjoyed her ice cream while Azzi pouted.
Azzi looked over at paige, “can i have a taste of yours please?,” she asked with pleading eyes. The younger girl rolled out her bottom lip a little more knowing that Paige wasn't going to be able to say no to her.
Paige let out a long sign before she just silently handed her cup of ice cream off to the girl. She watched as Azzi used the spoon that had just been in her mouth with no shame or hesitation. Paige probably should've thought that the action was nasty in a way but honestly she was getting turned on.
It got even worse when Azzi took the spoon out of her mouth and licked the remaining ice cream off with the tip of her tongue. The brunette stared at Paige the whole entire time, not even taking her eyes off of the girl once.
The blonde’s eyes dilated at the sight. Oh fuck me, she cursed silently. Paige couldn't even describe in words how badly she wanted to be that plastic spoon.
Azzi moved the spoon away from her mouth with a giggle. “You're so red right now,” she teased with a smug look on her face.
Paige just slumped in her seat, titling her head back a little bit with a groan. She covered her face with her palms, knowing that she was still a bright red color but she couldn’t help it, not when Azzi was tonguing the spoon like that.
Later that night, Azzi was in her bed on her stomach with her legs bent in the air behind her. She kicked them back and forth as she scrolled through Paige’s instagram. Azzi had a sappy smile on her face as she stared at her phone.
Her eyes widened a bit when she came across a photo dump Paige had posted a month ago. Fuck, how could I forget these picture?,” Azzi said to herself. She was more mad that she didn't save them to her camera roll when Paige had first posted them.
One picture in particular that caught her attention was the one of Paige that had her body on display. The shorts the blonde had on were rolled at her hips, showing off her toned skin and abs. Paige's chin was tucked and her blonde hair was slicked back into a bun—that Azzi loved so much.
Azzi’s eyes trailed down to Paige’s chains that dangled low on her chest. She almost moaned at this picture but she was somehow able to tell it in. The older girl was also in a sports bra making her arms stand out. Azzi wanted to actually bite Paige because of how yummy she looked.
Before she could forget she screenshotted the picture to her camera roll. Then, she went to post something on her own story thinking that it was the right time to post something. It was a picture of white bold text with a pink background.
The text read: ‘omfg she makes me wanna bang my head on a concrete wall’ it was something that she had found on Pinterest an hour ago.
She added a small text and typed ‘fr 💀’ and then posted it. Azzi smiled at how fast Paige slid up on her story.
Paige: ????? [9:23 pm]
Paige: should I be concerned or??? [9:23 pm]
Azzi: Noo don’t worry about it 🤗🤗 [9:24 pm]
Paige: 🤨🤨 [9:24 pm]
Azzi laughed at Paige's text before she went back to scrolling on the girl's instagram profile. Just after a few seconds, she found herself eyeing at the way Paige’s hand looked in a photo that Paige had just posted today.
She eyed the prominent veins that popped out of Paige’s hand and the way the blonde was holding the cup that was in her hand. “Her hands are so big,” she mumbled under her breath.
Her legs were clenched together. She rubbed the inside of her thighs trying to relieve some of the aching pain from in between her legs.
Azzi licked her lips and liked Paige’s post without hesitation. She screenshotted the picture of the blonde's hands for later. The girl suddenly started laughing at herself when an idea formed in her head.
She scrolled through Pinterest trying to find the right meme photo which she did fine and surprisingly fast. Azzi went to post the meme picture of a girl standing in front of a mirror with the word ‘whore’ written in red lipstick on the mirror.
The younger girl added a text that said: ‘when I catch myself staring at her hands for a little too long.’ Azzi laughed to herself as she posted the story onto her close friends.
Just like last time, Paige instantly messaged her.
Paige: azzi. [9:50 pm]
azzi: what?? 🤨[9:50 pm]
Paige: tf are you posting? [9:51 pm]
Azzi: literally mind your business Paige.. [9:53 pm]
Azzi: don’t worry about it🥰 [9:54 pm]
Paige: oh I’m worrying… [9:54 pm]
….
The hot sun beat down onto Azzi’s body. She was currency laid out on a white lounge chair beside a pool. Her head was tilted up towards the sun while she laid on her back. Azzi’s body felt warm all over from the heat and at this point she was sweating a little.
Azzi’s eyes were closed but she opened them when a shadowy figure was hovering over her, blocking her from the sun. The brunette brought one of her hands up on her forehead to shield her eyes from the bright light coming from the sky.
When her vision cleared up. She was finally able to see Paige looking at her with a pout on her face. “What's wrong,” the younger girl asked, noticing the sad look on the blonde's face.
“Come get in the water with me.” Paige said, folding her arms below her chest.
Azzi’s eyes shot down to the older girl's boobs that looked bigger from how the girl's arms pushed on her chest. “Give me ten minutes,” she said, not taking her eyes off of Paige’s boobs.
Paige laughed when she followed where the brunette's eyes were looking at. She rolled her eyes a bit and launched forward to pick Azzi up. The brunette laughed out of shock and started to wiggle in Paige's arms, trying to get away.
“Paige-” Azzi groaned. She had to ignore the fuzzy feeling that was in her stomach from the way the girl was holding her waist and the back of one of her thighs.
The younger girl was cut off from saying anything else when Paige jumped into the pool and didn't let go of her. Azzi held her nose as she went underwater. When she brought her head up and out of the water she was met with Paige's shit eating grin.
“Im gonna get you back for this, I swear,” Azzi said, narrowing her eyes at the girl who was still holding her.
Azzi’s cheeks burned at the way Paige’s hands were caressing her sides and hips. Her fingers even went further down to play with her bikini strings. She bit the inside of her cheek, “don’t start something you can't finish babe,” Azzi said when Paige fingers moved under the string to feel more up on her hip.
“What do you mean?,” Paige asked, tilting her head a little to the side. She gave Azzi the best fake confused look she could come up with.
The brunette’s eyes moved off of Paige’s face to her, the girl's hand that was still touching her underwater. “Right,” she said, dragging out her words from not believing anything that was coming out of Paige’s mouth.
She moved her eyes back to Paige’s chest not being able to help herself. Azzi licked her lips watching the way the pool water ran from the blonde’s neck to in between her breasts. She has never felt so jealous in her life. She wanted to be in between Paige’s perky breast and the fact that the pool water is experiencing that is so unfair.
Her pupils dialed at how Paige’s top pushed up her boobs, making them look a little bigger than they naturally were. Azzi would do anything just to lay her head on one blonde's chest and to have the girl's nipple in her mouth sucking on the hard nub until it was sore.
Azzi felt feral with the sight in front of her. It took everything in her to not move her hands from around Paige’s neck to the girl's breasts to knead them. And God, she wanted to do it so badly. The brunette wanted to see if Paige’s full breast could fit in the palms of her hands.
Her heart fell to her stomach when she saw it. Paige’s hard nipples showing a little through the fabric of her bikini. Oh, kill me now, she thought. Azzi’s breath stuttered as she took one last look and then looked away. She had to force herself to look away before she did something she would regret later on.
When Azzi looked back up to look at Paige she freezed when she realized Paige was already watching her. “Like what you see?,” Paige teased, the grin on her face stretched even wider.
The younger girl bit her lip as she nodded her head. “Yes, I do like what I see,” she confirmed when she was able to find the courage to speak.
Paige’s eyes widened a little at Azzi’s response. Silence fell between them for a second before she finally opened her mouth again, “wanna feel?,” she asked.
“Really?” Azzi skeptically. Is she playing with me? She thought. In the back of her mind she really hoped Paige wasn’t.
“Yes, really.” Paige confirmed. Her finger tips moved back down to play with the knot that was on the side of Azzi’s hip holding her bottoms together.
The brunette's throat bobbed. “Yes, I wanna feel please,” she said breathlessly. She looked up at Paige with pleading eyes.
“Of course baby girl you can feel.”
Azzi insistently moved her hands down to grope at Paige’s chest. Her mouth dropped slightly in awe at how the older girl's breast fit in the palm of her hand.
She caressed Paige’s upper boob with her thumb, moving her head closer to the girl's chest a little to get a better look. azzi watched as Paige’s face scrunched a little when she gave extra attention to the girl's nipples outside of her top.
so she is sensitive, Azzi thought, making sure to take a mental note of that later.
Sadly, Azzi had to pull away. She didn't want to push anything even though Paige was completely fine with her feeling up on her. Azzi did however clock the small pout that formed on the older girl's face when she did end up pulling her hand away.
Later that night, Azzi found herself scrolling on her phone. Her back was up against her headboard and a book was in her lap ready to be read. She was scrolling on Pinterest like she had been doing every night as if it was part of her night routine.
She laughed a little at a quote she had seen. Azzi screenshotted the image and posted it to her close friends. The text read:’ God, I love boobs so much’ with a purple and orange ombre as the background.
Azzi was a little nervous on how Paige was going to react to this one considering what had happened between them earlier. Part of her was silently hoping that she wouldn't catch onto how she was talking about her and just act ‘concerned’.
The brunette bit at her cuticles and scrolled on tik tok as she waited for a reply. Azzi sat up straighter in her bed when Paige did finally reply to her story.
Paige: I can tell 💀 [8:40 pm]
Azzi's cheeks burned in embarrassment. Damn was it really that obvious? She thought to herself. She tried to shake off the embarrassment and went to go heart Paige’s message.
Azzi: what does that mean… [8:42 pm]
Paige: I think me and you both know what that means. [8:42 pm]
….
Small and breathless moans fell from Azzi’s mouth uncontrollably and faded into the darkness of her room. The loud sound of rain and thunderstorms echoed throughout the room from her noise machine.
The white noise was able to tune out the brunette’s moans, which she was thankful for considering that's the reason she bought it in the first place.
Azzi’s head was tilted back on her pillow, and her eyes were clamped shut. Tears fell from the outer corners and down her cheek from overstimulation. Her jaw was clenched together letting out a small hiss as the suction device in between her legs went to work.
Her inner thighs were soaked from arousal along with her sheets—her sheets were definitely going to need changed after this. Azzi’s legs were shaking intensely and her heels dug into the sheets as if she was trying to ground herself.
Her hands fisted the sheets, palms fighting cramps. She grinded her hips up chasing after the suctioning sensation out of savage need. “Hmph—shit,” she cried, trying her best to keep her voice down.
The younger girl's stomach clenched along with her breath hitching. Azzi’s back arched off the bed from the sensation becoming too much. In the back of her mind, she wished it was Paige making her feel this way.
Honestly, Azzi was so desperate for the girl that she reached for her phone at one point in contemplation before throwing it back down. Just hearing Paige's voice would send her over the edge, but she had way more self-control than that—totally.
Azzi’s head started to get foggy. The only thing she could comprehend was how she kept whimpering Paige’s name as if the blonde was going to walk through the door.
The knot in her stomach snapped causing a long and a-little-too-loud moan to come out of her mouth. Azzi's body jolted a little when she tried reaching in between her legs to take the toy off of her overstimulated and swollen clit.
Once she turned off the toy, she sank back into her bed. Azzi laid on her side as she tried catching her breath. Her legs were clamped together, soaked in slick and still trembling a little bit from how overworked she was.
In her mind, it wasn’t even her fault considering Paige did post a picture of her flexing on her Instagram story. That image was stuck in her head, and it didn’t help that she had also screenshotted that story. So, she was also kinda to blame as well.
Azzi was snapped out of her thoughts from her phone going off by her pillow. She let out a small sigh and reached for it. But when she realized it was Paige who had texted her she sat up a little bit and clicked on the message.
Paige: Az, I don’t know if you forgot but I live like right next to you so can you tell her to keep it down? [11:32 pm]
Her eyebrows frowned a little at Paige’s text in confusion.
Azzi: her? I don’t have anyone over Paige. wdym [11:32 pm]
Paige: oh. nvm then🥰 don’t worry about it Azzi [ 11:33 pm]
It took Azzi a second to realize what Paige was talking about. And when she did finally understand, she cursed to herself. Azzi was mainly mad about the fact that she didn’t play along with it but she also didn’t want Paige thinking there’s another girl.
Azzi: I think you are hearing stuff Paige idk…[11:35 pm]
Paige: Right, whatever makes you sleep at night. [11:36 pm]
Paige: I also love how you moan my name btw;) you sound really sexy. [11:36 pm]
Paige: could listen to it all night [11:37 pm]
The brunette clenched her legs together harder. Paige’s text created a second pulse from below her waist. It took everything in her to not give in but the way Paige was flirting with her was not helping.
Azzi: go to bed Paige. [11:37 pm]
Paige: whatever but if you need any help I’m here mama [11:38 pm]
Azzi: bro stop playing rn and go to sleep. [11:38 pm]
Paige: I wasn’t playin’ ma. I’m being dead serious. [11:38 pm]
Paige: But you should definitely go to bed because you must be tired. From yk.. [11:39 pm]
Azzi: You're not funny Paige.
….
The next day the two girls worked through morning practice like the texts from last night didn't happen. Azzi had to swallow down her embarrassment from seeing Paige in person.
The younger girl had this fuzzy feeling in her stomach every time Paige would touch her for a little too long. Or when she stared at Azzi like she was going to devour her any second which honestly Azzi wouldn’t stop her if she tried.
Every time she, Paige, and her other teammates would huddle around in a circle, her cheeks would flush a burnt red. It wasn't from how tired and sweaty she was, it was from how the blonde's hand would travel south to palm her ass. Paige didn’t even care about who saw her. Azzi understood that really fast when someone had made a comment and she brushed it off.
It wasn't until after the second time Paige had done that when Azzi finally said something. “Cut it out, P,” she rasped out. Azzi whispered it to where only Paige could hear her and no one else.
“Whatchu mean?”
Azzi’s eyes narrowed. She turned her head fully to Paige with a serious look. “You know exactly what I mean,” she said, stuttering over her words a bit when Paige’s grip tightened.
Azzi had to bite back a moan from the way the blonde's nails dug into her ass. Paige let out a laugh. “I’m literally not doin’ nothin’,” she argued. Paige had that look in her eye like she wanted Azzi to do something about how she was behaving.
The brunette took her eyes off of Paige’s face to look at the girl's hand that still hadn’t moved. She then glanced back up at Paige with an eyebrow raised. “Right,” she said.
Just as she was about to add onto her sentence one of her teammates cut her off. “Yo, P! Lock in bro…and get your hand off of Azzi's ass! Ain't nobody wanna see that shit,” KK shouted, staring at the two in full disgust.
Paige snapped her head over to KK and dropped her hand from the brunette’s butt. “Bro-, mind your business Camera,” she shouted back while Azzi tried to hide herself in Paige’s chest.
Azzi let out a sigh in relief when she walked through her bedroom door. She slung her backpack onto the ground and instantly headed over to grab a new pair of comfy clothes. Her legs were burning as she walked to her bathroom to turn on the tub. After her bath, she laid in her bed scrolling on Pinterest while Gilmore Girls was playing.
Azzi scrolled through her home page trying to find something that would be interesting for her to post today. She giggled to herself when she found the perfect thing to post.
Like always, Azzi screenshotted the picture and uploaded it to her close friends story. The quote read: ‘how do I politely ask her to slam me against a wall and make out with me.’ Azzi added a small text of “fr bro..” to the bottom right of her screen before posting.
Azzi finished two episodes of Gilmore Girls until Paige finally responded to her. It was almost embarrassing how fast she reached for her phone when it went off.
Paige: Wouldn't that hurt? [9:21 pm]
Azzi: What would hurt? [9:21 pm]
Paige: being slammed into a wall [9:22 pm]
Azzi: probably but I wouldn’t care. as long as she sticks her tongue down my throat we are good🙂↔️[9:22 pm]
Paige: freaky as hell bro…[9:23 pm]
Azzi: You can not be talking with how you were acting this morning and last night.. [9:24 pm]
Paige: But you liked it though. You think I didn’t clock the way you were leaning into my hand? yeah ma, you're not slick. [9:25 pm]
Azzi: fuck you [9:25 pm]
Paige: you wish;)) [9:26 pm]
Azzi shoved her head into her pillow, letting out a low groan. She hated how right Paige was. Also the fact that Paige knew she was right did not make it any better.
Fine two can play that game, she thought. She tugged down her sleeping shorts and took a close up picture of her tattoo that was half healed. Azzi’s dark red lacy thong was also on display and she made sure to show as much as she could to get a reaction out of Paige.
The brunette typed: “healing process🤭,” trying to make it seem like an innocent update picture even though it clearly wasn’t. Paige responded within seconds when she posted it.
Paige: fuck [9:30 pm]
Paige: it looks good ma [9:30 pm]
Azzi: Just good? [9:30 pm]
Paige: It looks hot and I love the color of your thong you have on [9:31 pm]
Azzi: you should come take it off of me;) [9:31 pm]
Paige: bro this aint fair you know I’m busy rn. [9:32 pm]
Azzi: ik, I just like teasing you🤭[9:32 pm]
….
Azzi sat with her legs crossed on a couch. Beside her was Paige who was, as usual, was sitting way too close to make it look casual. Her throat tightened a little at the way one of Paige’s legs were all up in her space from how she was sitting man-spread.
She wanted to rip this outfit right off of the girl. There was something about Paige wearing a white button down shirt with a vest over it that made her want to jump the girl's bones.
The older girl's jawline was also on full display causing Azzi to clench her legs even tighter together, trying to sooth the throbbing pain coming from in between them. And lastly, to top everything off, Paige had her arm wrapped behind her shoulders.
Azzi scooched a little more into Paige’s side so that she was almost sitting on top of the girl. “I like when your hair is slicked back into a bun,” Azzi said, running the tips of her fingers on the slick part of Paige’s hair.
Paige smirked, “Yeah?” she said. Her heart was pounding in her chest from how all up in her space Azzi was.
The younger girl nodded her head. “Yeah. It makes your jaw line stand out,” Azzi said, trailing her fingers down to run it on the older girl's structured jaw bone.
The brunette wanted to sink her teeth into the side of Paige’s neck. I wonder if she would moan if I did that. The blonde turned her head more to meet Azzi’s eyes.
Paige looked at Azzi with a heated gaze. She licked her lips, trailing her eyes up and down to check out the way Azzi looked in her skin-tight pink dress. “That dress looks good on you.”
Azzi laughed. “Yeah, you like it? I picked this one out because I knew you wouldn't take your eyes off of me if I wore it tonight,” she said, tugging the fabric that was over her bra down a little bit to cause more of her cleavage to be on display.
A smirk stretched across Azzi’s face when Paige’s eyes instantly went to her chest at the motion. From the look on Paige's face, she could tell the girl was struggling to keep herself together and she loved it.
“Fuck,” paige rasped out from under her breath. “You don't know what you are doing to me right now.”
Azzi bit her bottom lip. “No, I do know what I’m doing to you,” she said, inching her face to the side of Paige's head so that her lips were basically touching the blonde’s ear.
“I’ve been dying to have my lips on yours and the taste of you in my mouth.” Paige froze at her words. She let out a shaky exhale before she responded.
“By taste do you mean-” she was cut off by Azzi letting out a small ‘mhm’. Oh shit, Paige thought. She swallowed a lump in her throat.
“You can't say that shit right now. Not here,” she said, her eyes scanning around the room that their teammates were also in. It made Paige feel a little better about how everyone was minding their business—for once.
A fake pout formed on Azzi’s lips. “Why babe?,” she asked, placing a small peck on the side of Paige's neck before she moved away before anyone could notice. The kiss was enough to send shivers down the older girl's spine.
“Because we aren't alone,” Paige managed to say. She moved her palm to Azzi’s inner thigh and squeezed the girl's leg hard.
“So you're saying if we were alone,” Azzi paused for a second from trying to find the right words, “I would be able to have my way with you?”
Paige laughed. “Yeah ma thats exactly what Im sayin.”
Azzi nodded her head, “Bet. I'll try to figure something out so we can make that happen.”
Azzi was in fact not able to figure out a way on how to get Paige alone. She was pissed. More about how the pain in between her legs had gotten worse to the point where she was about to go to the bathroom to handle it by herself. Her legs were tightly crossed with one leg over the other.
Azzi’s underwear was soaked to the point where she was praying that the slick wouldn't seep through the fabric of her dress. Her self control was crumbling by the second from how good Paige looked under the fluorescent lighting in front of her.
To distract herself, she scrolled on Pinterest with her brightness down. Her home page was filled with pictures of Paige and freaky quotes. Azzi’s eyes were instantly caught by a post that said: “let my tongue explain how bad I crave you.”
She bit her lip, tapping her fake nails on the back of her phone while she debated on posting it. Fuck it, she thought before she saved it to her camera roll and posted it on her close friends.
As the night went on Azzi completely forgot about the post. Her mind was more focused on talking to her teammates trying to act like she wasn't about to snap any second.
Paige kept looking at her with an unreadable expression, which honestly to Azzi it looked like she was struggling too. Somehow during the ceremony Paige landed in the seat right next to her.
Alarm sounds were going off in Azzi's head with the way the blonde was looking at her as she made her way over to her. She wasn't even surprised when she felt Paige’s hand make itself at home on Azzi’s inner thigh. Azzi was silently thanking the table covers that were on each table because it was the only thing saving her right now.
“So, about that little post on your close friends. Who is it about?” Paige asked. Her eyebrows were raised in interest.
The brunette almost choked on the water she was drinking. “What do you mean?”
Paige narrowed her eyes at the younger girl. “Don’t play dumb with me Az,” she said, tightening her grip on Azzi’s thigh. She hated that the fabric of the girl's dress was blocking her from skin to skin contact.
A small moan fell from Azzi’s lips. It had happened so fast that she wasn't able to catch it but thankfully only Paige heard it.
“Fuck, I missed hearing those noises.” Paige groaned. She was so tempted to squeeze Azzi’s thigh again just to hear it one more time. Azzi’s jaw was clenched hard.
“It was nothing important, I promise. And plus I can't tell you,” she replied, trying to make her voice as convincing as she could.
Paige’s eyebrow raised, “Why can't you tell me?”
Because it's about you. And plus I love whatever game we are playing right now…is what Azzi wanted to say. “Um It's just a secret and I don't want people knowing,” she said.
The blonde nodded her head when she figured she wasn't going to get the answer out of Azzi. She had a gut feeling that the post was about her but she didn't want to assume anything even though they had a few heated moments earlier.
……
Azzi woke up from the loud ringing that was coming from her phone. She let out a small groan and answered it without even looking at the contact name.
“Hello?,” Azzi said into the phone speaker. She rubbed her sleepy eyes a bit as she tried adjusting them to the sunlight that shined onto her phone and in her face.
“Hey baby girl. How did you sleep?” The sound of Paige's voice made Azzi wake up instantly.
“I was sleeping really well until you woke me up,” she groaned. Azzi bit her lip, feeling her cheeks burn from the sound of Paige’s laugh.
“I’m sorry mama. I just wanted to hear the sound of your voice.”
Azzi’s eyebrow arched at that. “The sound of my voice, why?” she asked.
Paige's line went silent for a second. “Because I miss you. Actually, can I come over please?,” she whined into the phone. Her voice sounded so desperate making Azzi’s head so fuzzy all over.
“I miss you too and of course you can come over.” Azzi said with a big smile on her face. “Bet I’ll be there in a bit.” After Paige said that she quickly hung up causing Azzi to laugh a little.
Damn, she must really miss me, she thought. “Oh shit” Azzi cursed underneath her breath. She quickly got up from her bed and ran to the bathroom to get ready.
Just when she got done fixing her hair a small knock was heard at her front door. It was almost embarrassing how fast Azzi walked to the door.
“Hi,” she said softly to Paige. She grabbed the girl's hand and tugged her toward her bedroom so her other roommates couldn't disturbed them. Paige laughed at Azzi’s urgency but she still allowed herself to be dragged.
Paige made herself comfortable on Azzi’s bed while the brunette scrolled on Peacock trying to find something for them to watch. She admired the way Azzi’s legs looked in her short pj shorts.
Paige licked her lips at how much of Azzi’s legs were on display. She quickly brought her attention back up to Azzi when the girl turned around to look at her.
“Let's watch this,” Azzi said excitedly as she clicked on Love Island. “I’ve been wanting to watch it ever since the first episode came out,” she added.
Azzi walked over to Paige, pushing the girl downward so that now Paige was laying on her back. The younger girl made herself comfortable. She bent her leg over Paige’s waist and rested her palm on the girl's stomach.
Her head was directly on top of one of Paige’s breasts causing a dusty pink color to appear on her face all the way down to the base of her neck.
The brunette's breath hitched when Paige wrapped one of her arms tightly around her waist and moved her free arm down to palm one of her ass cheeks.
“Really?” Azzi said, referring to the paige’s hand on her butt.
Paige's heart dropped a little at her words and her mind instantly started thinking that Azzi was being serious. “I'm sorry,” she said while moving her hand.
Just when she was about to move her palm more Azzi stopped her by grabbing onto her wrist. “I was kidding Paige. I like when you touch me like that,” she confessed, causing a huge smirk to stretch across the older girl's face.
“Yeah?” Paige teased.
She tightened her grip back on Azzi’s ass and froze when a moan came out of the girl's mouth. Oh, she thought. Paige bit her lip while she kneaded the younger girl's ass hoping that another moan would fall out of Azzi's mouth.
Azzi’s back arched a little bit. At this point her core was throbbing and soaked in slick. Her underwear was ruined to the point where she needed to go change into a new pair. She just bit her lip hoping that her slick wouldn't seep through the thin material of her shorts and onto Paige's shirt.
honestly at this point she was kinda hoping that it would happen so Paige could take her right here. Azzi let out a shaky breath, trying to focus on the tv so she wouldn't combust and ask Paige to fuck her.
“The kissing noises are so nasty,” Azzi said, referring to the scene when Gabriel and Beatriz had that a makeout. She hid her face into Paige’s chest not wanting to see the two people on her screen making out.
“Damn, this shit is freaky.” Paige laughed. “Bro, I swear no one is pulling anyone aside for chats. Everybody is just kissing,” she added, with a disgusted look on her face.
Azzi laughed. She ran her fingers up and down Paige’s shirt that covered her stomach. Her bottom lip was in between her teeth as she inched downward to move her hand under Paige’s shirt to rest on top of the girl's abs.
The blonde's breath hitched under her warm hand. “Is this, okay?” she asked, looking up at Paige to make sure she didn't show any signs of being uncomfortable.
“Yes,” Paige said, cuddling Azzi even closer. She rested her chin on top of Azzi’s head. Paige smirked at the way Azzi traced the lines of her abs over and over.
“You like my abs baby girl?” she teased and held back her laugh when Azzi stopped moving her hand on her stomach. “Nah, baby girl keep going. You don't gotta stop.”
Azzi let out a small groan. That damn nickname was really testing her. “Yes, I love your abs. Is that even a question?” She said going back to tracing them with her fingertips.
Azzi blushed at the way Paige’s abs flexed underneath her touch. I wonder how it would feel if I grinded on them, she thought. “You're right. I see the way you look at them when I lift my shirt up in practice. Sometimes I do it just to get your attention.” Paige confessed without hesitation.
“Well it's certainly working, so keep doing it.”
Both of the girls binged watched all eight episodes before Paige left. Azzi laid back down on her bed with her legs squeezed together. She was desperately trying to not give in to pleasuring herself since the last time Paige heard her.
But she was honestly thinking about being loud so the girl would hear her and come back over. Azzi had to shake her head to get all of the dirty and filthy thoughts out of her head.
It only worked for a second before she opened her TikTok to a thirst trap of Paige. She cursed silently to herself. Nope I can't do this right now, she thought. She exited out of TikTok and went to Pinterest. The brunette scrolled on her phone page for quite some time before she got an idea.
Azzi opened up Instagram and posted a picture she had saved to her camera roll not too long ago. The words said: “I’m so sad, I need a shoulder to put my legs on.” The younger girl let out a laugh before she posted it on her close friends.
Azzi went back on TikTok and watched Paige edits as she waited for the girl to respond. Right when Azzi saw that notification pop up on her screen, she clicked on it.
Paige: I gotchu 🙋🏼♀️ [7:21 pm]
Azzi’s eyebrow raised at Paige's text. She stared at it blankly for a bit not knowing what to say.
Paige: wait…[7:23 pm]
Paige: I read it wrong at first but 😏[7:23 pm]
Azzi laughed a little at Paige’s texts. Her heart was pounding in her chest so fast, and her fingers shook as she typed on her keyboard.
Azzi: you offering? 🤨[7:24 pm]
Paige: maybe... [7:25]
Azzi’s eyes narrowed at her screen.
Azzi: stop playing Paigeee [7:25 pm]
Paige: baby girl I’m not. I’m being dead serious just like last time. [7:26 pm]
Azzi: I like that nickname. [7:26 pm]
Paige: baby girl? [7:27 pm]
Azzi: yes. Makes my head spin every time you call me that. Even when you use it over text. [7:27 pm]
Paige: Good to know. Now I’m gonna keep calling you that. [7:28 pm]
Azzi: please. [7:28 pm]
….
Paige laid on her back in her bed. Her legs were bent and spread apart. One of her hands held her phone that showed a picture of Azzi. Her other hand was occupied from holding a hot pink vibrator that was on the highest setting.
She cursed under her breath and her hips moved further into the bed. The tension between her and Azzi had been something else all day. The brunette was bending over in front of her constantly during practice and Azzi had even thrown her ass back onto her at one point making her heart almost stop. Azzi had moved her hands all over her body during practice for no reason and would whisper dirty things into her ear as if Azzi wanted her to do something about it.
Paige let out another moan from the sensation on her clit. God, she needed Azzi so bad. Her mind kept imagining how Azzi would taste on her tongue. How the girl would look if she used her strap on her and ate her cunt until she was begging for her to stop.
The older girl's eyes were locked on her phone. She was fighting back urges to not close her eyes from the pressure. The picture was the one Azzi had posted a few weeks ago showing off her damn tattoo.
The way Azzi’s underwear was also shown in the picture was not helping at all. “Fuck,” she whimpered. Her bare body was covered in sweat and slick.
Paige’s back was arched off the bed and she dropped her phone beside her. Her chin was tilted back and her eyes were closed shut. The blonde's mouth fell open letting out uncontrolled moans while the coil in her stomach started to form.
Paige could feel her bundle of nerves penetrate against the toy out of overstimulation, but she still needed more. She needed Azzi. Her legs were shaking harder now and her breath was caught in her throat. The blonde's heart beat quickened.
Paige let out one last moan before she came all over the toy. Her body started to tense up after her release, causing her to hiss. She just sat there allowing the vibrator to keep going until she came down from her high. When she was finally able to find the strength to turn the toy off she just laid on her back.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. Paige’s throat was dry at this point and she was a mess. Paige grabbed her phone and sat up on her elbow when she saw that Azzi had texted her.
Azzi: Oh, sweetie you are so loud. [9:56 pm]
Azzi: What's wrong? Are you all worked up from this morning? [9:58 pm]
Azzi: Damn it’s been twenty minutes. You still going at it? [10:28 pm]
Azzi: Should’ve just invited me over. I would’ve had you all fucked out in five minutes [10:28 pm]
Paige: fuck you [10:29 pm]
Azzi: I could’ve if you invited me over 25 minutes ago 🙄[10:30 pm]
....
Azzi and Paige sat side by side on a towel. Their bodies were lightly covered in sand as they just sat there staring off into the ocean. The brunette's nose scrunched a little at the sea salt smell that traveled through wind and blew through their hair.
“Can you rub sunscreen on my back please?” Paige asked, holding the bottle out to azzi as she turned her back to the girl. The brunette nodded her head and took the bottle.
She slowly rubbed the white liquid into Paige’s back taking as much time as she possibly could. Azzi’s throat bobbed when she moved her hands down Paige's lower back. When she trailed her hands back up, she stopped at the blue string of Paige’s bikini.
“Can I?” She asked, causing Paige to turn her head over her shoulder. Paige nodded her head.
“Of course baby girl.”
Azzi moved her hands under the string to lather the liquid onto Paige’s slightly tanned skin. Her bottom lip was in between her teeth, moving her hands back up to rub the sunscreen into Paige’s neck.
The blonde let out a groan when the younger girl dug her fingertips into the side of the base of her neck directly where a knot was underneath her skin. Azzi’s face burned at the sound.
She continued to massage the spot, loving the small noises that she could only hear coming out of Paige's mouth. “Fuck, right there,” Paige said, tilting her head to the left so Azzi could have more room to work with.
The younger girl's breath was caught in her throat and her fingers stilled. Paige looked over at her with a pout. When Paige saw how flustered Azzi was, her pout formed into a smirk.
She didn't say anything, she just looked at the other girl. “You can't say stuff like that,” Azzi whispered, not being able to find her voice. Her eyes were now dilated and filled with desire as she looked at Paige.
“Why?”
Azzi rolled her eyes. “You know exactly why Paige,” she said, giving the girl a knowing look.
Paige moved a finger on her chin acting as if she was thinking. “Hmm no I don't. Please tell me,” she teased, leaning in a little further.
The brunette’s breath hitched. Oh fuck me, she thought. Her eyes looked down at Paige's lips and then up at the girl's face. She licked her lips anxiously as Paige just grinned at her.
“I wanna kiss you so badly right now,” Paige confessed, staring deep into the younger girl's eyes.
Azzi swallowed the lump in her throat. “Then kiss me,” she said. Her heart was beating out of her chest when Paige leaned further in.
Paige’s lips were hovering in front of Azzi’s when someone cleared their throat. “Hello, can you please take this picture for us?” a girl who looked thirteen asked. She had long brown curly hair and a sweet smile on her face.
Both of the girls looked at each other for a second before Paige finally cleared her throat and moved away from Azzi. The brunette scrolled on her phone as she waited for Paige to come back. After five minutes Paige made her way back beside Azzi.
Her face was a burnt red as well as the tips of her ears. “Sorry about earlier,” Paige said, breaking the silence between her and Azzi. She scratched the back of her neck out of nervousness.
“It's okay Paige. Now lets go get in the water,” she said, getting up from her spot and dusting herself off. She ignored Paige's wandering gaze when she turned her back to her, causing her ass to be all up in the other girl's face.
Azzi grabbed onto Paige's hand and quickly ran into the water. They stopped when the water was past their hips. The older girl wrapped her arms around Azzi’s waist. She trailed one down to grab at one of the brunette’s ass cheeks before she picked her up.
The younger girl wrapped her arms around Paige’s neck. One of her palms moved downward to knead Paige's breast with a satisfied smile on her face.
The blonde’s grip tightened on Azzi’s ass check while the two just stared at each other waiting for someone to make a move. The brunette rolled her eyes. She moved her free hand to hold the side of Paige’s neck and also caress the girl's ear.
Azzi leaned forward to interlock their lips together. She instantly groaned into Paige’s mouth because of how soft the blonde's lips were. The grip Paige had on Azzi’s waist tightened as she pulled the brunette closer to her front.
Before Paige could get lost into the kiss, Azzi pulled away, making Paige’s eyebrows furrow out of confusion. “Wait-,” she said, making the brunette laugh at her actions.
“What?” Azzi teased, licking her lips as she met the blonde’s eyes again.
“Can I get another kiss please?” Paige said, dragging out her words. She rolled her lip out and messed with the bottoms of Azzi’s bikini, slipping her fingers onto the side of the fabric. “Too much?,” she asked, referring to the way she was caressing Azzi’s hip bone with her finger tips.
Azzi shook her head, “Not enough.” She bit the inside of her cheek hard as she tried to control her patience and remind herself that they were still in public. Even if they were in the middle of the ocean.
Paige smirked at her words. “Bet,” she said, moving her head closer to Azzi’s, but she was stopped mid way by the younger girl's hand on the side of her face holding her back.
“No, not here, we are still in public honey. Plus, when I mean by ‘not enough,’ I don't just mean kissing. I want more too,” Azzi said with confidence.
The older girl's eyebrows raised. “Oh, really? And what is that?” she egged on, biting her bottom lip as she looked at the girl on top of her with full interest.
Azzi cleared her throat before she spoke. “I want you to eat me out until I'm crying. That's what I want most. And then I want you to do whatever you want to me after,” she said, grinding her core onto Paige’s front a little.
Paige groaned, “Fuck.” She wanted that to happen so badly. “You don’t know what you are doing to me,” she added, feeling her head spin from the tension between them.
The brunette laughed, “Incorrect. I do,” she confessed, moving to wrap her arms back around the blonde's neck. The two just stared at each other for a second.
“Let me take you on a date tomorrow,” Paige finally said, causing Azzi’s spine to straighten up a little at her words.
“Really?”
“Yes really. Please baby girl. Let me take you out,” Paige pleaded. Her cheeks were now darker red as she waited for Azzi to respond. She moved her hand off of the girl's hip and back onto her ass. She couldn’t control herself. She loved how not even half of it fit in Paige’s hand even though they were so big.
“Yes, Paige. You can take me out,” Azzi said, leaning forward to press a small kiss on the apple of Paige’s cheek. Her heart squeezed at how sappy the blonde currently looked.
“I’ve been waiting for you to ask me this for like forever,” Azzi complained. “I was so close to just coming into your room one night to confess my feelings and then ask you to fuck me.”
Paige grinned, “Shit, I wouldn’t have been mad if you did that,” she teased earning a slap on her shoulder.
DATE NIGHT
Azzi: Wait for our date are we going somewhere casual or fancy? [5:32 pm]
Paige: kinda both? [5:32 pm]
Azzi groaned at Paige’s text. She took her attention off of her phone screen and onto the large pile of clothes that were on her bed. The younger girl let out a deep sign, we are gonna be here for a while she thought.
Azzi: Okay. And you're picking me up around 7:30 right? [5:35 pm]
Paige: yes mama [5:35 pm]
Azzi hearted Paige’s message and then brought her attention back to the pile of clothes. She ended up wearing a deep red wine mini dress that stopped just below her ass. The dress had a deep v-neckline and wrapped around the base of her neck.
The dress hugged her body and ruffled out a little at the skirt. She coated her body in vanilla body oil and body glitter. Azzi walked over to her closet so she could slip on her black kitten heels that gave her an inch to her height.
For her makeup, she just put on mascara and liners her lips in a dark brown color. Azzi added a dark red buttery gloss that gave her lips a tint to them on top of her lip liner. The younger girl tapped her finger on her phone. “Shit,” she cursed under her breath from how Paige would be here any second.
She quickly sprayed on mod vanilla perfume by Ariana Grande. Just as she sat the bottle back down onto her dresser a small knock was heard from her front door. Azzi ran her fingers down her dress flattening out the non-existent wrinkles as she walked to the door.
When Azzi opened the door she was met with Paige who was in a white t-shirt, dark baggy navy jeans and white clean air forces. Her hair was pulled back into a slicked back ponytail and a thin coat of mascara coated her eyelashes. Paige was holding a bouquet of roses that were almost the color of Azzi’s dress.
Paige’s eyes widened at the sight of the girl in front of her. “Holy fuck ma, you look stunning.” Her eyes moved up and down, fully taking in Azzi’s outfit that almost made her heart stop.
Azzi laughed. “You look good too,” she said, walking towards Paige to wrap her arms around the base of the girl’s neck.
The blonde was somehow still able to wrap her arms around Azzi’s waist even though one of her hands was full. “Yeah?” she teased, with a smug look on her face.
“A little too good honestly.”
Paige laughed at Azzi’s comment.
The brunette shook her head. “No, I'm being so dead serious, do we have to go to dinner? Why cant we just go inside” she asked, motioning her head over to the door that was still open.
The older girl rolled her eyes playfully. “I wanna take you out. I've been wanting to for like forever. Then, we can go inside your apartment after maybe,” Paige said playfully, wiggling her eyebrows at Azzi.
Azzi groaned and slapped a little at Paige’s shoulder. She took the roses from the girl's hands and closed her front door. “Come on, we need to go right now before I drag you into my room and do whatever I want to you.”
Paige allowed Azzi to drag her by the hand. “Shit don’t say stuff like that or we won’t be making it to the date at all,” she said with a huge grin on her face.
Her mind immediately drifted to the thought of eating Azzi out in her backseat. Paige liked her lips at the thought of the younger girl coming undone just from her tongue.
The brunette turned her head over her shoulder to look back at Paige. “Don’t threaten me with a good time. I’ll be happy with either one.”
Alright, that’s enough, Paige thought. She seriously needs to get Azzi in the car before she does lose her mind. Paige opened Azzi’s passenger door and ‘helped’ the girl into the car.
“I can literally feel you staring at my ass.” Azzi said, plopping down into her seat.
Paige rolled her eyes, “bruh it was all up in my face how could I not look?” she argued before she made her way over to the driver's side of the car.
….
Dinner was fucked the second they arrived to the steakhouse. For starters Azzi’s dress was so short that Paige was so close to losing her mind. The second the blonde girl caught the sight of the glitter on Azzi’s legs she couldn’t look away she wanted to lick each speck off.
When they sat down at their table Azzi just smirked at Paige like she knew exactly what she was doing to the girl. (She did)
“You okay?” She asked with a fake innocent tone. Her leg wrapped around Paige’s underneath the table. Azzi’s heel ran up and down the back of the blonde's calf.
Paige’s nostrils flared a bit. “Oh yes, I’m perfectly fine,” she lied through her teeth.
The older girl's hands gripped the table cover so hard that her hands turned white. She bit the inside of her check, narrowing her eyes at Azzi trying to figure out what the girl had in store for her.
Azzi smiled at her, showing off her pearly white teeth and her dimples. “You don't look fine sweetie. What's wrong?” she asked, traveling her heel up a little higher and right in between Paige's legs directly onto her heat.
Paige's eyes fluttered a little bit and she bit back a moan. She hated how her hips automatically bucked forward trying to cause more pressure to go on her cunt.
“Nothin is wrong,” she choked out. The older girl let out a sign in relief when Azzi moved her heel off of her heat from their waiter coming up to their table.
They ate in silence. Both of them were trying to keep their cool. After a few minutes Azzi moved her foot back in between Paige’s legs. She smirked evilly at the small moan that came out of the girl's mouth that was a little muffled by her fork.
Paige moved her free hand under the table to grab at Azzi’s ankle. She was so happy that the table covering dropped all the way down to the floor so no one saw what was currently happening. Paige squeezed the brunette’s ankle once and gave the girl a ‘cut it out’ look.
Azzi giggled and shook her head once. She narrowed her eyes at Paige like she was challenging the girl. “What are you going to do if I don't stop?,” Azzi asked, raising her eyebrows a bit.
“Wanna find out?”
The younger girl bit the inside of her cheek. “Yes, I really do wanna find out.”
Azzi almost let out a groan when their server came back with their dessert. Way to ruin the moment, she thought. Azzi had to force a smile on her face acting as if she was just fine and said a small “thank you.”
She opened her mouth wide when Paige held out a spoon of vanilla ice cream and fed it to her. Azzi kept eye contact with the blonde the entire time. even when she pulled back and licked the remaining liquid on her lips.
“Fuck,” Paige said shakingly under her breath. They needed to leave immediately.
Paige was too focused on the brunette’s plumped lips that she didn't even realize that some of the ice cream dripped onto her hand. Azzi did though she leaned forward wrapping her lips around Paige’s two ice cream covered fingers.
She moaned a little at the taste. Azzi kept her eyes on Paige’s shocked ones as she wrapped her tongue around the two digits. Her eyes lowered a bit when Paige shoved her fingers a little further into her mouth, completely forgetting that they were in public.
Another small moan left Azzi’s mouth but it was muffled. She sucked Paige’s fingers clean before she pulled away. Her tongue ran over her bottom lip and over her lip combo that was almost completely gone.
Azzi stared at Paige with a heated gaze and smirk. The older girl looked back at her for a second and looked away. Paige’s eyes scanned the restaurant looking for their waiter so they could get the fuck out of here.
Paige was able to successfully flag down their waiter and after she paid she dragged Azzi to her car. Her mind was spinning from how Azzi’s hands were all over her body, mostly her stomach and boobs.
“You’re such a tease,” Paige groaned underneath her breath. She picked up her pace when she saw her car in the distance.
When they got to her cry Paige pinned Azzi against the passenger door. Their hands are clamped together above Azzi’s head. The older girl leaned forward to kiss the brunette's lips. She groaned into Azzi’s mouth from how the girl put her front up against hers.
Paige gripped onto Azzi’s hands tighter. It pained her when she had to pull away from Azzi’s lips. She rested her forehead onto the younger girls as she caught her breath.
Azzi squealed when Paige picked her by the back of her thighs out of nowhere. Her back was against the hard of Paige’s jeep and her arms were wrapped tightly around Paige’s neck. Azzi slightly opened her mouth, allowing Paige to slip her tongue in while they made out.
The older girl groaned into Azzi’s mouth exploring every inch of it before she pulled away. Paige licked her slightly swollen lips when she pulled away. She stared at the brunette for a solid two seconds before she made her choice. She opened the backseat door with her arm and carried Azzi to the back of the car.
Paige laid Azzi down carefully on her back. Azzi’s legs were bent and wrapped around her waist as she turned around to slam the door shut.
“God, this dress has been driving me crazy all night.” Paige groaned. She played with the small ruffles of the shirt with her fingers, inching the fabric further up Azzi’s thigh.
Azzi smirked. Her eyes were locked on the way Paige’s fingers slid across her inner thigh and a little onto her laced thong.
The older girl looked up into the brunette's eyes. “Can I?,” she asked, referring to moving the skirt up and onto her stomach.
Azzi nodded her head. Her eyes sparked in pure excitement. She even bucked her hips up, wanting the blonde to see how wet she was for her.
Paige’s eyes narrowed at Azzi a bit. “Use your words baby girl or I’m not giving you anything.” She demanded. Paige had to fight back a smirk when she physically saw what her words were doing to the younger girl.
“Yes you can honey,” Azzi said. Her cheeks burned when she saw her lavender thong. Her slick had seeped through the material causing a dark puddle to form over her folds.
“Fuck baby girl. All of this for me?,” Paige couldn’t take her eyes off of the sight. She licked her lips, imagining how Azzi would taste in her mouth.
Azzi nodded her head, “yes it’s all for you,” she wanted to cry from how Paige was taking too long. Azzi just wanted her to get the point already and stop teasing her.
Paige lowered her head in between Azzi’s legs. She blew softly onto the drenched underwear. The older girl grinned at how Azzi bucked her hips up to her mouth.
“Can I eat you out?”
The brunette was gonna strangle her. “Paige, yes you can now please hurry up. I need to feel your tongue on my clit please,” she cried, feeling her eyes start to become blurry.
Paige reached her hands up to tug off Azzi’s underwear. She shoved them into her pant pocket coming to the conclusion that they were hers now. Paige stared in awe at the brunette’s heat. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed a lump in her throat.
She inched her mouth closer to Azzi’s center. The first thing she did was fun the tip of her tongue through the girl's folds. Paige gathered up all of the younger girls slick she had to offer. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head at the taste of Azzi on her taste buds. With her hands she looped them around Azzi’s thighs so that her face was completely buried into the girl's cunt.
The tip of her nose brushed up against Azzi’s clit making the curled headed girl gasp out of shock. Paige unhooked one of her hands from Azzi’s thigh to lift the girl's clitoral hood. She pulled back, her eyes watching the way the girl's bundle of nerves pulse at the need of more attention.
“Fuck, look at that baby girl shes begging for me,” Paige rasped out. She smirked when she saw Azzi cover her face in embarrassment. “Nah-, don't hide away from me. I want you to watch me while I eat this pussy and I'm not stopping until you don't have anything else to give.”
Azzi’s mouth fell open at her words. She couldn't help but clench around nothing. The brunette sat up a little, resting her back on the back of her arms while her elbows dug into the leather seat. “Well then hurry up then.”
Paige eyes dilated at her words. She instantly wrapped her lips around Azzi’s clit, sucking on it lightly. Paige groaned at the way Azzi’s legs tried closing more around her head.
“Paige-, that feels so good, keep going please,” she cried. Azzi’s core tightened up as she bit her lip watching the girl. Her nails dug into the leather underneath her while she tried to grind her hips into Paige’s mouth.
The blonde opened her mouth wider, nodding her head to signal to Azzi to keep grinding. The brunette followed her instructions, grinding her hips even harder than she did the first time.
It took everything in her to not close her eyes. The feeling of Paige’s playing with her clit was too much and it felt so good. “Fuck I’ve touched myself so many times imagining that it was you making me feel good.” Azzi confessed, causing Paige to release her clit from her lips to look up at her.
Paige licked her lips, “yeah? Tell me more,” she demanded. Paige moved her mouth a bit to create a glob of spit in her mouth. When she released it from her lips it landed directly onto Azzi’s clit that was aching for attention and dripped down to her folds.
Azzi whimpered at sight. Her eyes fluttered shut at the feeling of Paige’s warm tongue running over her folds and back up to where she needed her most. Her eyes snapped back open when Paige’s nails dug into the skin of her thigh.
When she looked down to meet Paige’s eyes she could tell the girl was pissed. “I’m sorry-, it just feels so good,” Azzi explained. Her breath hitched and her legs started to shake a little from Paige sucking harshly onto her clit now.
She almost cried when Paige pulled away from her clit. “What-, no, Paige-“ Azzi was cut off by the older girl's rasped voice.
“Baby girl, I gave you instructions, now do it. Or I’m going to get in the driver’s seat of this car and not let you cum until we get to your apartment.”
Azzi’s heart dropped at her last sentence. “No wait babe-. I’ll follow your instructions.” Her words made Paige grin.
“Good girl.” Paige praised, attaching her mouth back onto Azzi’s clit. She moaned at the way the brunette’s bundle of nerves pulsated on her tongue as if it was silently begging for more.
“I would always stay up late at night wishing that my vibrators were you. Sometimes I could try to be a little extra loud just for you to hear it. I was so desperate for you I would silently hope that you would walk in on me touching myself.” Azzi said. She moved one of her hands downward to play with Paige's hair.
Paige moaned into her cunt but didn't take her mouth off of it. She couldn't honestly, the taste of Azzi was so addicting. Paige ignored the pain in her jaw as she worked. The blonde shoved her face more into Azzi’s pussy, letting out small moans as she sucked on Azzi’s clit.
She didn’t pull away when Azzi’s thighs started to shake violently on her shoulders. Paige used the hand still on Azzi’s thigh to help hold the girl down.
“Oh-, Paige, I’m gonna cum,” Azzi cried. Her head was now thrown back and her back was fully arched off of the seat.
Just when the coil in her lower stomach was about to snap Paige pulled away. Azzi’s face scrunched in confusion and a pout formed on her face. “Why did you do that? I was so close to cumming,” she asked. Azzi wanted to cry.
Paige placed an open mouth kiss onto her cunt before she completely pulled away. “Remember when we kissed in the ocean and you told me what you wanted me to do to you.” Paige said, licking Azzi’s leftover slick off of her lips.
“Do you mean when I told you I wanted you to eat me out until I cried and then let you have your way with me?”
The blonde nodded her head. “Yeah you still want me to do that baby girl?” She asked, pressing a small kiss onto Azzi’s ‘eat me’ tattoo.
Azzi’s throat bobbed and her eyes lit up in delight. “Oh yes please.”
Paige smirked, “thought so. Now come one, get in the passenger seat so I can take you to your apartment.” She tapped Azzi’s thigh to signal to the girl to get up.
The brunette pouted. “Damn you're really gonna make me wait,” she complained. Her legs were still shaking as she fixed her dress. “Where is my underwear at?” She added not seeing it down on the floorboard.
“Don’t worry bout’ it”
Azzi rolled her eyes. Her legs felt like jelly when she climbed into the front seat. Just when she lifted her leg on the console a sharp pain came from her ass causing her to freeze. Azzi hissed at the pain while she turned her head over her shoulder. “Paige. Seriously?”
The blonde put her hands up in surrender. “Bro-, It's just so big how can I not touch it,” Paige argued, trying to hold back her laugh. She slapped Azzi’s ass one last time before she got out the back seat and went to the drivers seat.
Two minutes into the drive she was starting to regret not taking Azzi in the car. The second Paige pressed on the gas petal the brunette started to become a menace. At first, she leaned over to press kisses onto Paige’s cheek. It started off as sweet but then she moved down to her neck, sucking at the spot that made the blonde’s vision blurry.
“If you wanna get to your apartment quicker, I suggest you stop.” Paige said, but despite her words she tilted her head a little to the side to give Azzi more room. The older girl moved her right hand off the steering wheel to rest it on the inside of Azzi’s inner thigh.
Her jaw clenched when she felt Azzi’s slick, “damn baby girl, you're still so wet,” she groaned. Paige gathered up one of the brunette’s arousal with two fingers and then moved them to her mouth. She groaned at the taste of Azzi; it was a taste she was starting to love and become obsessive with. Something that she couldn't get enough of.
Paige almost wrecked the car when Azzi took the same fingers into her mouth. She moved her eyes off of the road, just to get a glimpse of Azzi’s lips wrapped around her fingers. “Fuck,” Paige groaned out, when the brunette bobbed her head on her fingers a bit.
The older girl's left hand clenched onto the steering wheel so tight that her hand turned white. She pressed on the gas with her right foot. “Azzi,” Paige said. Her voice was deep and hard.
Azzi hummed around her fingers. She didn't show any interest in releasing them anytime soon. The brunette actually pouted when Paige pulled her fingers out of her mouth. “Paige-,” Azzi whined.
“Ma we are so close to getting to your apartment please don't make me pull this car over.”
The younger girl laughed but still sat back in her seat. Her legs were clamped together the whole three minutes they had left in the car. Azzi jumped out of her seat when Paige parked her car. But the second she got out of the car the blonde had walked around to her side to pick her up.
“Wait-, babe-, I don’t have underwear on, remember,” azzi panicked. She did not want to flash the whole dorm complex.
“It’s okay baby girl I got you,” Paige said, moving her palm down to hold Azzi’s skirt. She tightened her grip on Azzi’s waist as she quickly walked to Azzi’s door.
Paige sat Azzi back onto the ground easily. The younger girl dug in her purse trying to find her keys. She kept getting distracted by Paige’s wandering hands. “Paige,” she snapped when the girl slapped her ass.
Azzi let out a sigh in relief when she was finally able to open the door. She grabbed onto the collar of Paige’s shirt and tugged the girl to her bedroom. Azzi slammed the door shut and locked it.
The second she had closed the door Paige’s hands were grabbing at her boobs. “Hmph-, Paige,” Azzi groaned, she tugged them both over to her bed.
Azzi pushed Paige into the bed. She stripped from her dress and was left in her lavender lacy bra. Paige’s eyes widened at the sight. She reached her arms out to pull the girl onto her and Azzi went willingly with a laugh.
The brunette situated her knees to where they were straddling Paige’s sides. One of her hands went up to hold the side of Paige’s face. Azzi leaned down to press a small kiss onto Paige’s lips. She pulled away before the older girl could deepen the kiss.
“Bro-,”
Azzi shook her head. “Take off your clothes,” she instructed. She moved off to the side of the bed, sitting on the back of her legs.
Paige playfully rolled her eyes. “Yes ma'am," she mumbled.
She quickly took her clothes off and threw them off the side of the bed. Paige didn't stop until she was completely bare. Azzi bit her lip and ran her hand from Paige’s chest to her abs. The brunette looked back up at Paige with pure need. “So you gonna keep your promise from earlier or..” she trailed off.
Azzi laughed when Paige quickly changed their position. Now, she was the one laying on her back and Paige was hovering over her. “Spread your legs baby girl,” Paige rasped out.
The younger girl opened her legs automatically at Paige’s command. Her slick covered folds and inner thighs were fully on display for the older girl. The blonde almost moaned at the sight.
Paige moved to situate her body in between Azzi’s legs. She looked up at the girl while she dragged her tongue over Azzi’s inner thigh. Paige slicked up all the slick in a slow pace. She smirked at the way Azzi bucked her hips, trying to chase after some type of pressure.
She ran her tongue over Azzi’s folds from not being able to help herself. Paige needed to have the taste of Azzi on her taste buds again.
A soft whine left Azzi’s mouth and echoed throughout her dark room. Azzi’s eyes fluttered at the shapes Paige was drawing on her clit with the top of her tongue. She hissed when the blonde flattened her tongue against her bundle of nerves.
Paige ran over her clit for a second before she brought it into her mouth. Her lips wrapped around the nerve and sucked it until Azzi was crying.
“Paige-, mhm—keep going please,” she begged. Azzi played with the blonde's hair, moving it out of her face so she could watch Paige.
Her breath hitched at the way Paige moaned into her pussy like it was the most delicious thing ever. The small muffled sounds sent vibrations all throughout Azzi’s body causing her spine to arch.
She fisted at the sheet and her legs were spread further out. “Oh-, please Paige, fuck-,” Azzi cried. She didn’t even know what she was begging for at this point. Words were just falling from her mouth and she couldn’t stop them.
Azzi moved her hands to unclasp her bra. She threw it off of the bed and started to play with her boobs. The brunette tugged at her nipples making her hiss. Paige looked up at her and moaned at the sight. She moved one of her hands up and tugged one of Azzi’s hands away to replace it with hers.
Azzi’s eyes rolled to the back of her head. “I love how big your hands are,” she said, referring to the way Paige’s whole palm was able to hold one of her breasts.
Paige smirked into her cunt. She released Azzi’s clit and admired how swollen it looked. The older girl blew air onto it watching as it pulsated around nothing. “Paige,” Azzi cried, dragging out her words.
“Fuck, you taste so fucking good.”
Paige moved her mouth downwards. She stuck her tongue out to trust it into Azzi’s entrance. Paige fucked the girl with her tongue and graoned at how tight Azzi’s walls were around her. The older girl took her hand off of Azzi’s boob to run it down the brunette’s folds to gather up some of the girls left over slick.
When she felt like her fingers were coated enough, she moved them back up and pushed them through Azzi’s plumped lips. The younger girl moaned at the taste of her in her mouth. She grabbed onto Paige's wrist, sucking the girl's fingers clean.
Slobber had dripped down from the sides of Paige’s mouth as she continued fucking Azzi with her tongue. Paige eased her way back up to Azzi’s neglected clit. This time she sucked at it gently, just enough to have Azzi’s legs tremble.
“Fuck-, hmph, I'm close,” Azzi warned. Her head started to spin and her face scrunched up. The brunette almost cried when Paige pulled away from her bundle of nerves. But before she could even complain Paige started talking.
“Grab my phone. I want you to video me eating your pussy,” the sound of Paige's voice made Azzi move instantly. She quickly crawled to the end of the bed to grab Paige's phone from off the floor.
Azzi quickly got back to her original spot. She fumbled with turning on Paige's phone. Her hands shook as she switched to the camera because of how Paige attached her mouth back onto her oversensitive clit.
The flash light shined onto the side of Paige’s face showing off Azzi’s arousal that covered Paige's mouth. Paige's eyes were half lidded she smiled as her jaw worked eating Azzi’s cunt. The camera also caught the drool that was mixed with Azzi’s slick on the side of her mouth that dripped onto her chin and down her neck.
Her blue eyes moved at the camera and stared at it for a second. She gave it a small wink before the phone started to shake violently.
Azzi’s mouth fell open, “Oh-, Im cumming,” she moaned loudly. She dropped Paige’s phone onto the bed still videoing.
Azzi’s abs flexed and she started trying to move away from Paige's tongue from being close. Paige held down one of her thighs, following Azzi’s movements with her head so she could keep her lips wrapped around the girl's clit.
She moaned the second Azzi’s juices hit her tongue and god, it was worth the wait. She drank up every last drop the brunette had to offer. Paige didn't let go of Azzi's pussy until the girl was pushing at her head and crying from overstimulation.
“No more-,” Azzi whined. She pulled Paige up by her arms to snuggle into the girl's chest.
Paige laughed and licked her lips. She brought her arm up to whip away Azzi’s slick and spit from the corners of her mouth. “Was it worth the wait?” Paige rasped out. Her voice was a little hoarse.
Azzi nodded her head. “Oh definitely and totally worth all of the teasing.” She pressed a small kiss onto Paige's rose cheek, “Will you be my girlfriend?”
The blonde smirked. “Damn, was I really that good at eating you out?” She asked with a smug look on her face.
The younger girl rolled her eyes. “Paige-, just answer the question,” she whined.
“Yes I’ll be your girlfriend and thank you for that video you recorded, gonna send it to you later,” Paige told her as she grabbed her phone to stop the video.
Azzi nodded her head, “Yes please now shut up I'm tired,” she whispered. The brunette changed their position so that she was able to rest her head onto Paige's boobs.
“You know, getting that tattoo and posting that freaky stuff on my close friends was so worth it,” she mumbled out tiredly.
“What-” Paige asked, her head snapped to the side in confusion. Her eyebrow raised fully. Wait, that actually makes so much sense, she thought.
“Shh honey, I'm so close to going to sleep. That's a problem for tomorrow,” Azzi shushed her, causing her to laugh.
notes: sorry for any mistakes at the end I didn’t edit that part but I will come back to do it tomorrow. I really hoped you guys enjoyed it. Also for the people who sent requests on things to add, don’t worry I’m gonna add them into my next fic! also tell me your thoughts! Bye ily🩷
Collegestudent!paige x dadsgirlfriend!azzi, forbidden romance, cheating, age gap.
A/n: Hi guys! I hope you like this chapter I know it’s not a lot of fluff/interaction between Paige and Azzi but I think it moves the story along well! Please let me know your thoughts! Also I will be posting a synopsis for my new series later this week! Love you all 🩷
Word count: 12.3k
A few days later, the heavy scent of simmering garlic and pasta sauce filled the kitchen.
Peter was sitting at the kitchen island, comfortably reviewing some paperwork, while Paige occupied her usual barstool, her long legs tangled together as she aimlessly scrolled through her phone.
Azzi stood by the stove, her heart doing a nervous little flutter against her ribs. She smoothed down the front of her shirt, took a breath to steady her posture, and turned around to face them both.
"Hey, um... can I talk to you guys about something really quick?" Azzi asked, her voice carrying an easy, bright warmth as she walked over to the island.
Peter looked up instantly, a soft, affectionate smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. "Of course, beautiful. What's up?"
Paige lowered her phone, her eyes tracking Azzi’s movements with that steady, unblinking intensity that always made Azzi's skin feel electric.
"So, my family texted me today," Azzi started, her eyes lighting up with an immediate, unmistakable spark of pure joy. She loved her family more than anything in the world. "They want to come out and visit next week. I wanted to sit you both down and make sure that would be okay. They’re going to stay with me at my house, obviously, but since neither of you have ever met them before, I just wanted to check in and see how we wanted to do introductions."
"Azzi, of course that's okay," Peter said without a second of hesitation. He reached across the marble countertop, casually covering her hand with his warm palm and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I’ve been dying to finally meet them."
Azzi offered him a sweet, reassuring smile, but the underlying guilt gave a sharp, familiar tug in her stomach.
Peter’s brow then furrowed slightly as he thought over his calendar. "Wait, next week... oh, shoot. I just remembered I have that conference. I’m going to be out of town for the first few days they’re here. I won't be back until Wednesday morning." He let out a disappointed sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I’m so sorry. I hate that I won't be here the day they arrive."
Before Azzi could even formulate a response to soothe him, Paige spoke up.
"I'll be here," Paige murmured, her voice dropping into a casual, thoroughly relaxed register as she leaned her forearms against the counter. She looked directly at Azzi. "They can just hang out with me for those first two days while you're gone, Dad. It'll give me a chance to actually meet them and get to know them before you get back."
Peter’s face completely lit up at his daughter's suggestion. A look of gratitude and pride came over his features, and he shook his head with a soft chuckle.
"That is an amazing idea," Peter said, completely touched by how welcoming his daughter was being to Azzi's family. He looked over at Azzi, his eyes swimming with devotion. "That works out perfectly. Paige can hold down the fort and give them a proper first welcome, and then I'll join the party the second I get back into town."
"Yeah," Paige murmured softly, her eyes locking onto Azzi’s face with a heavy, possessive focus that sent heat straight down Azzi’s spine. "I'll make sure they're completely taken care of."
Azzi’s breath hitched sharply, her heart hammering a frantic, wild rhythm against her ribs.
"Thank you, P," Azzi whispered, as a breathless smile split her face. "That... that really means a lot to me. I’m so excited for you guys to meet."
—
The hum of the highway beneath the tires was loud.
Paige kept one hand firmly on the steering wheel, her eyes focused on the road ahead, but her composure was completely shot. It wasn't because of the traffic. It was because Azzi was being absolutely insufferable.
Ever since they had backed out of the driveway, the older woman had been completely incapable of keeping her hands to herself. The impending arrival of her family had made her beyond anxious.
Right now, Azzi’s left hand was resting heavily on Paige’s right thigh, her fingers idly tracing patterns through the fabric of Paige’s jeans. She would occasionally slide her hand up, her palm smoothing over Paige’s quad with a sudden, firm pressure that made Paige’s grip on the steering wheel tighten until her knuckles turned white. Every few minutes, Azzi would lean completely across the center console, burying her face into the crook of Paige’s neck to leave a fast, heavy kiss against her skin, before settling back into the passenger seat.
"Az, stop, I’m tryna not to crash the car," Her voice dropping into a low drawl as she tried to ignore the hot, throbbing ache coiling tight in her lower stomach from Azzi's hand and mouth. "You're driving me crazy. Sit still."
"I can't," Azzi gasped out, a smile cutting through her nerves as she reached up to gently scratch the back of Paige's neck. "I am so excited, P. My chest feels like it's going to explode. Okay, but listen, I need to brief you on them before they come out. You need to be prepared."
"Alright," Paige murmured, a confident, slightly amused smirk playing at the corner of her lips as she glanced over at the flushed woman beside her. "Lay it on me. Who am I dealing with?"
Azzi let out a long, dramatic sigh, her fingers shifting down to intertwine tightly with Paige's free hand over the center console.
"Okay, first are my brothers," Azzi said, her eyes crinkling at the corners with deep affection. "They are going to be loud and annoying. They fight constantly, it’s exhausting. But I think they are going to love you. They’ll probably try to rope you into whatever stupid argument they’re having within five minutes."
"I can handle that," Paige grinned, squeezing Azzi's hand tight. "Who else?"
"My dad," Azzi murmured. "He’s tall, and he seems really intimidating, but I promise you, he’s super sweet. Also.. I am warning you right now, Paige. He makes the absolute dirtiest, most inappropriate jokes you have ever heard in your life. He has zero filter. So when he says something awful at dinner, just laugh and ignore him."
Paige let out a laugh, her chest heaving under her sweatshirt. "An intimidating guy with a dirty mouth? Az, he sounds like my favorite person already. I think we’re gonna get along great."
"Oh god, please don't encourage him," Azzi groaned playfully, hiding her face against Paige's shoulder for a split second before looking back up. "And then... there's my mom."
The playfulness in Azzi's voice dropped into something much more serious.
"She is strict, Paige. She is very stern, and she reads people like a book the second she meets them. She doesn't fake anything," Azzi explained softly, her thumb tracing the back of Paige’s knuckles. "But... if she likes you, and she develops a soft spot for you? She is the sweetest most protective woman on the planet. I just... I really want her to like you."
Paige swallowed hard. The thought of facing Azzi’s mom while actively harboring a massive secret was terrifying.
But as they rounded the final curve toward the airport terminals, Paige tightened her grip on Azzi's hand, bringing it up to press a firm, lingering kiss directly to the older woman's knuckles.
"She's gonna love me, Az," Paige murmured, her eyes flashing with that unyielding devotion that always made Azzi’s heart stop. "I promise. Now let's go get your family."
The moment Paige parked the car at the curb, everything else blurred. Azzi practically jumped out of the passenger seat. Paige stepped out after her, leaning her body back against the driver’s side door, her hands shoved deep into her hoodie pockets as she watched the sliding glass doors open.
"There they are!" Azzi gasped.
Before Paige could even register the movement, Azzi was running. A chaotic whirlwind of a family had just burst through the doors, pushing a mountain of luggage. Instantly, Azzi was swallowed whole. Her brothers, Jon and Jose, were aggressively shoving each other out of the way and tackled her first, shouting over one another. Then came her dad, Tim, who’s face immediately cracked into a massive, warm grin as he lifted Azzi completely off her feet. Finally, her mom, Katie, stepped in, wrapping Azzi in a tight embrace that lingered a second longer than the rest.
Paige stood by the car, a soft, genuinely touched smile breaking across her face. Seeing Azzi surrounded by so much love made her chest feel incredibly warm.
"Okay, okay, let me breathe!" Azzi laughed, as she finally extracted herself from the huddle. She turned back toward the car, her eyes glittering with excitement as she waved Paige over. "Come here, I want you to meet everyone."
Paige walked over, her stride casual but her heart doing a nervous thud against her ribs.
"Everyone, this is Paige," Azzi introduced, her voice soft and proud. She cleared her throat slightly, a brief flash of caution crossing her features as she added, "Peter's daughter. She was nice enough to drive me here to pick you guys up."
"Hi Paige! We’ve heard so much about you." Tim boomed, stepping forward first. He didn't hesitate to wrap his massive arms around Paige in a giant hug. "Good to meet you, sweetheart."
Jon and Jose immediately shoved their dad out of the way, both grinning like idiots as they took turns pulling Paige into brief, loud hugs. "Hey, if you're an engineer, can you help me with some homework later?" Jose joked, earning an immediate shove from Jon. "Shut up, man, don't ask her that yet."
Paige let out a laugh, completely disarmed by them. "I can take a look," she grinned.
Finally, Katie stepped into Paige's space. She was shorter, her posture perfectly straight and her eyes incredibly sharp. She didn't say a word at first, her gaze scanning Paige’s face. But after a beat, a soft smile broke through her serious expression, and she stepped forward, wrapping her arms securely around Paige’s neck.
"It is so wonderful to meet you, Paige," Katie murmured softly, her tone carrying that sweetness Azzi had promised. "Thank you for taking care of my girl today."
"Of course," Paige murmured honestly, her voice low and respectful.
—
The process of packing the car was an absolute circus, with Jon and Jose nearly getting into a fistfight over who got the front seat before Tim shut them down and forced them both into the back with him and Katie. Paige took the wheel, guiding the car away from the chaotic airport terminal, while Azzi sat in the passenger seat.
The cabin was loud with the rustle of jackets and her brothers already bickering over the air conditioning, but after a few minutes, Katie’s voice cut through the noise from the middle row.
"So, Azzi," Katie started, her tone perfectly casual but her eyes fixed firmly on the rearview mirror, capturing both Azzi and Paige in her line of sight. "Where is Peter? I thought he was going to be joining us today."
Azzi cleared her throat, her posture tensing just a fraction. "Oh, um, Peter had a conference pop up for work. He's actually out of town until Wednesday. He was really upset about the timing, but he'll be joining us as soon as he gets back."
"Ah, I see," Katie murmured. She leaned forward slightly, her features softening into a curious expression as she looked at the back of Paige's head. "Paige... how did you end up being the one to get us from the airport?"
"I wanted to," Paige murmured, her voice completely relaxed as she flicked her eyes up to meet Katie's in the mirror. She didn't flinch under the older woman's gaze. "Azzi was really stressed about making sure everything went smoothly today, so I volunteered to drive. I wanted to make sure you guys were taken care of."
Azzi’s heart did a soft flutter at Paige’s words, but before the silence in the car could turn too heavy, Jose leaned forward from the very back seat, completely breaking the tension.
"Hey, Paige," Jose called out, smacking the back of her headrest to get her attention. "I gotta know, do you watch basketball?"
"Yeah, I watch. Closely."
"Alright, bet," Jose grinned. "Then settle a debate for me and Jon. Who's the GOAT? LeBron or Steph Curry? Choose wisely, because your answer dictates if I like you or not."
Paige didn't even hesitate."Steph. Easily. It’s not even a question."
"What?!" Jose groaned loudly, throwing his hands up and hitting the roof of the car, while Jon let out a massive yell of approval. "Oh my god, you’re one of those people? LeBron has four rings, four MVPs, and he’s dominant in every single category! Steph is just a shooter!"
"Just a shooter?" Paige mocked, her voice dropping into a smug, sharp cadence that made Azzi look over at her with a mix of fondness and exasperation. "Jose, the man literally changed how the game of basketball is played. You can't even play pickup at a local park without every kid trying to shoot from the logo because of him. Efficiency over force any day."
"Efficiency?!" Jose barked back, completely fired up as he leaned so far forward his head was practically between the front seats. "LeBron carried a trash Cavs team to the finals in 2007! Steph had a super-team with KD! If you put LeBron on those Warriors teams, they win eight straight titles!"
"If you put LeBron on those Warriors teams, the floor spacing is ruined and nobody gets a shot off," Paige countered smoothly, effortlessly merging onto the highway while completely dismantling Jose's argument. "Steph’s gravity off the ball creates the entire system. You just watch highlights, Jose. Look at the analytics."
"Don't bring math into this!" Jose whined, though he was grinning from ear to ear, completely loving the banter.
Azzi sat back against her seat, a smile splitting her face as she listened to them bicker. She looked over at Paige, watching the line of her jaw and the way her eyes lit up as she argued with Jose. The joy of having her family in the car, combined with how effortlessly Paige was fitting in with their dynamic, made the lingering guilt in Azzi's chest vanish.
The moment the front door of Azzi’s house swung open, the energy of the car ride spilled directly into the foyer. Jon and Jose immediately dropped their bags by the stairs and headed straight through the living room toward the back patio doors, lured by the afternoon sun hitting the lush green lawn. Tim followed closely behind them, already loudly demanding to know if Azzi had any beers in the fridge.
Within minutes, the house quieted down as the men and Paige moved out to the backyard. Through the large glass windows of the kitchen, Azzi could see Paige standing by the outdoor patio table, completely relaxed as Jose aggressively gestured with his hands, clearly still trying to win the basketball debate.
In the kitchen, the atmosphere was much softer, filled with the comforting, domestic sounds of running water and the rustle of grocery bags.
"Hand me those bell peppers, sweetie," Katie murmured, her voice carrying that calm, authoritative warmth.
Azzi smiled, grabbing the vegetables from the counter and placing them on the cutting board next to her mother. For a few minutes, the two of them worked in comfortable silence.
Katie stopped cutting for a fraction of a second, her eyes drifting toward the window. Outside, Jon had just handed Paige a football, and Paige caught it effortlessly, a confident grin cutting across her face as she tossed it back with a perfect, tight spiral.
"That Paige," Katie murmured softly, a genuinely touched, warm smile breaking through her serious features as she resumed chopping. "She seems so great, Azzi. Truly. She just fits in perfectly with this family. The boys are already obsessed with her, and your father acts like he's known her for years."
Azzi’s heart did a soft, dangerous flutter against her ribs, a wave of pride and affection washing over her chest. She looked out the window at the blonde girl who had completely consumed her entire life, her eyes softening with undeniable adoration.
"She really is," Azzi agreed softly, her voice carrying a quiet, emotional depth. She cleared her throat, forcing a casual, practiced brightness into her tone as she rinsed a handful of cilantro. "Honestly, mom, we’ve gotten so close over the last few weeks. We’re basically like best friends now. We do absolutely everything together."
Katie didn't interrupt. She just kept cutting the peppers, but her pace slowed down, her eyes fixed intently on the cutting board as she listened.
"Like, it's crazy how much we hang out," Azzi continued, the excitement of having Paige validated by her mother completely overriding her usual caution. Words began to spill out of her in a breathless, rapid ramble. "We started doing these little girls' nights at the house whenever her dad is tired or working late, and we just watch movies. I’ve been teaching her how to braid her hair because she was complaining about it, and we literally had a sleepover the other night because we were up so late talking. We cook dinners together all the time, and last weekend we spent the whole afternoon at the mall just walking around and trying things on. She’s just so easy to talk to, Mom. I knew everyone was gonna love her, I told her on the drive over that she had absolutely nothing to worry about because she's just perfect."
Azzi finally paused to catch her breath, dumping the cilantro into a bowl with a proud, thoroughly satisfied nod.
Katie slowly set her knife down on the cutting board with a quiet, deliberate click. She didn't say a word at first. Instead, she slowly turned her head to face her daughter, her posture perfectly straight.
The stern, all-knowing expression was firmly back on Katie's face. She let the weight of Azzi’s ramble hang in the quiet of the kitchen for a beat, her eyes searching her daughter's flushed face. But the skeptical smirk didn't stay. Instead, Katie’s features softened completely, expanding into an incredibly tender, knowing smile that carried the full weight of a mother’s unconditional warmth.
She reached out, placing a gentle, reassuring hand on Azzi’s arm.
"I'm happy you have that, Azzi," Katie said softly. "Really. Everyone deserves to have someone in their life who makes them that happy."
Azzi’s breath hitched sharply in her throat. Azzi swallowed hard, looking down at the counter as her heart hammered a frantic, wild rhythm, deeply relieved but utterly exposed by how completely her mother understood her.
Katie didn't take her hand off Azzi’s arm. She let the silence stretch for a beat, her eyes tracking the frantic pulse jumping in her daughter’s neck. Then, her voice dropped a fraction lower, turning quiet and incredibly direct.
"Does Peter make you that happy, Azzi?"
Azzi’s entire body went completely rigid, her breath hitching sharply in her throat.
"Yes," Azzi snapped out instantly, her voice sharpening as she tried to shut the conversation down. She ripped her arm away from her mother's grip, her eyes flashing with a sudden defensive panic. "Yes, of course he does, Mom. Why would you even ask me that? It’s completely different. What I have with Peter is different then Paige….she's my friend. It's different."
Katie didn't flinch at Azzi’s tone. She could hear the defensive strain in Azzi's voice, could see the way her hands were slightly trembling against the marble counter. She knew, with absolute certainty, that Azzi was lying through her teeth.
But seeing the genuine distress and rising panic in her daughter’s eyes, Katie’s protective instinct won out. She wasn't here to push her into a corner.
"Okay," Katie murmured softly, raising her hands in a gentle, yielding gesture as she stepped back toward her cutting board. "Okay, sweetie. I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."
"Good," Azzi muttered, as she aggressively grabbed a head of lettuce and began ripping the leaves apart, her chest heaving. She glared down at the sink, her voice dropping into a sharp, wounded pout. "Because I'm not gonna tell you things anymore if you're just gonna make it weird. Seriously. We were having a normal conversation about my life, and you completely ruined it."
Katie just offered a quiet, completely unbothered nod, picking up her knife to finish the peppers. "You're right. I'm sorry. Let's just finish dinner."
Azzi didn't answer, still huffing as she washed the lettuce, but the tension slowly began to drain out of her shoulders. She looked back out the window at the yard, where Paige was currently laughing at something Tim said, her blue eyes bright. Azzi’s heart did that familiar, heavy ache all over again, the sweet relief of her mother's backing down doing nothing to erase the reality that she was completely transparent.
—
The tension in the kitchen was still thick enough to choke on when the screen door to the backyard creaked open, followed by the heavy, familiar thud of Paige’s feet against the hardwood floor.
"Hey, I'm just slipping past to use the restroom," Paige muttered, as she strolled into the kitchen.
She stopped for a second just behind Azzi, her eyes dropping to the counter. The simmering pasta sauce and the spread of fresh bell peppers, cilantro, and grilled chicken immediately caught her attention.
"Oh, wow," Paige murmured, a low, appreciative sound escaping her throat as she leaned her body slightly over the counter. "Az, this looks incredible. It smells so good in here."
Azzi, who was still trying to recover from the conversation with her mother, offered a tight, slightly breathless smile. "Thanks, P. It’ll be ready in a little bit."
Paige nodded, but instead of moving along to the bathroom, she lingered for just a fraction of a second too long.
She thought she was being incredibly slick, under the impression that Katie was too focused on her chopping to notice a thing.
Paige shifted her weight, leaning her hip against the counter right next to Azzi. She tilted her head down, her eyes softening as she looked at the side of Azzi’s face.
"I missed you when I was out there," Paige murmured, her voice dropping into a low, private register meant only for Azzi's ears. She reached out, her hand casually brushing against Azzi’s wrist to grab a loose slice of bell pepper from the cutting board. Her fingers lingered against Azzi's skin for a heartbeat longer than necessary. "You look so beautiful right now mama."
The casual delivery of that one quiet nickname, combined with the brush of her hand, sent a sharp, reckless bolt of heat straight down Azzi’s spine. Azzi’s breath hitched in her throat. She didn't dare look at Paige, keeping her eyes glued to the sink as she gave a quick, stiff nod.
"Thank you," Azzi whispered frantically, her voice a little too high. "Go use the bathroom, Paige."
"On it," Paige murmured smoothly. Proud of herself for what she thought was a totally undetectable, private moment, she popped the pepper into her mouth and walked down the hallway, thoroughly satisfied and relaxed.
The silence that followed Paige's exit was absolute.
Azzi stood entirely frozen by the sink, her heart hammering against her ribs. She slowly closed her eyes, praying that her mother hadn't noticed the interaction.
Beside her, Katie's knife had stopped completely.
Azzi slowly risked a glance over her shoulder. Katie was standing perfectly straight, her hands resting on the counter. The stern, serious expression was completely gone. Instead, she was looking at the empty hallway, and then back to Azzi, with an expression of pure amusement. She raised a single eyebrow, an incredibly smug smirk cutting across her face.
She didn't say a single word. She didn't have to. The quiet, knowing look she gave Azzi was confirmation Paige hadn't been nearly as subtle as she thought she was.
—
The click of the bathroom door unlocking broke the silence, and a moment later, Paige’s heavy footsteps echoed back down the hallway.
Azzi was trying to scrub a spot on the marble countertop that was already perfectly clean, her face still warm, while Katie had quietly resumed chopping vegetables with a small, knowing hum.
Instead of heading straight back out to the yard to join the boys, Paige slid onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island. She propped her elbows on the counter, her eyes tracking the way Azzi was frantically organizing a the kitchen.
A slow, teasing smirk cut across Paige’s face. She leaned her chin in her palm, looking past Azzi to lock eyes with Katie.
"So, Katie," Paige started, her voice dropping into a playful, conspiratorial register. "Has Azzi always been this messy? Because trying to cook with her is a safety hazard. She leaves cabinets wide open, drops things on the floor, and just moves on with her life."
Katie stopped her knife entirely, her stern expression instantly vanishing as she let out a loud, breathless laugh. "You have no idea. You are speaking to a woman who suffered through eighteen years of it."
"Mom, stop!" Azzi protested, as she turned around from the sink. "I am not messy!"
"Azzi, please," Katie scoffed lovingly, launching right into a dramatic, long-suffering rant. "In high school, you couldn't even see the carpet in her bedroom. I used to tell her it looked like a natural disaster occurred in her closet. I would walk in there to grab her laundry, and I’d find half-empty water bottles from three weeks prior hidden under the bed. It was a nightmare."
Paige let out a delighted laugh, as she soaked up the ammunition. "I knew it! She tries to pretend she’s so put-together, but I knew the truth."
"It was an organized chaos!" Azzi defended herself, a breathless, frustrated laugh breaking through her mock offense as she pointed a soapy finger at them. "And it was high school! People change!"
"Well, some things don't change," Paige murmured smoothly. "Because she’s also a horrible driver. Seriously, Katie, being in the passenger seat with her is terrifying. She hits the breaks way too late, she gets road rage over absolutely nothing, and she can’t park to save her life."
Katie’s eyes completely lit up, a look of triumph taking over her face as she pointed a finger at Paige. "Oh my god, yes! Thank you! I have been saying this for a decade! Did she ever tell you what happened on her eighteenth birthday?"
"No," Paige said, her voice rich with amusement as she locked eyes with the older woman. "Please, tell me everything."
"Mom, do not tell her that story!" Azzi gasped out, as she tried to physically step between them, her dark curls flying.
"I am absolutely telling her," Katie insisted, completely unbothered by her daughter's panic as she smiled warmly at Paige. "We bought her a car for her birthday. It was in perfect condition. She had the keys for exactly four hours, Paige. She went to go pick up her friends, tried to parallel park on a completely empty street, panicked, hit the gas instead of the brake, and drove right up over the curb and directly into a concrete planter. Totaled the front bumper before the sun even went down."
Paige was laughing so hard she had to bury her face in her forearms against the marble island, her shoulders shaking violently. "Four hours?! Az, that is genuinely impressive. How do you total a car on an empty street?"
"The planter came out of nowhere!" Azzi whined dramatically, covering her burning face with her hands, though a helpless, watery laugh was bubbling out of her throat.
Seeing Paige sitting there so effortlessly bonding with her mother, trading embarrassing stories at her expense, made Azzi’s heart swell so tightly.
Katie chuckled softly, reaching out to pat Paige’s arm. "Paige, if she is driving you anywhere, you make sure you hold onto the handle. She has a history."
"Oh, I’m never letting her drive me again," Paige chuckled, finally lifting her head, her eyes instinctively drifting back to Azzi’s flushed, beautiful face with a quiet, private intensity that she still fully believed was completely undetectable. "From now on, I’m always behind the wheel."
Katie watched the way Paige’s eyes lingered on Azzi’s face. She quietly pushed the chopped peppers into a bowl, her smirk returning as she leaned back against the counter, crossing her arms.
"You know, Paige," Katie started. "Azzi was just telling me before you came in here that the two of you are basically like best friends now. She says you do absolutely everything together."
Azzi’s breath hitched. She shot her mom a frantic, warning look, her face instantly heating up all over again.
But Paige didn't miss a beat. She completely missed the underlying trap Katie was setting, totally convinced she was just having a normal, easy conversation with Azzi’s mom. A genuine, incredibly warm smile broke across her face, and she nodded firmly.
"Oh, yeah, definitely," Paige murmured. "We really do. Azzi is a hundred percent my best friend. Which is honestly so wild, because back when we first met? I thought for sure she was gonna be totally stuck up and rude."
Azzi let out a dramatic, breathless gasp, her jaw dropping as she whipped her head around to glare at the blonde girl. "Excuse me?! I was stuck up?"
"Oh, completely," Paige chuckled, leaning forward on her elbows and flashing a teasing, cocky smirk.
"Mom, do not believe her!" Azzi fired back, a defensive pout covering her face. She dropped her dish towel onto the counter and pointed a finger at Paige. "If we are talking about who was actually stuck up, it was her. Do you want to know what she said to me? When I told her I want to the same college as her, Paige literally looked me and said she didn’t care!"
Katie let out a surprised laugh, looking over at the blonde girl with a raised eyebrow. "Did you really say that?"
"Okay, look, in my defense—" Paige started, her face flushing slightly as she rubbed the back of her neck, a sheepish but amused grin taking over her face. "I was being pretty horrible, I admit it. I was in a terrible mood that day, and I was being a total jerk."
"You were awful!" Azzi laughed, the mock offense fading into pure affection as she looked at Paige.
"I was," Paige agreed smoothly, her voice dropping into a softer, lower register as her eyes locked onto Azzi’s. "But... my dad yelled at me for it. He made me realize what a brat I was being and forced me to apologize to her. And after I apologized we’ve been pretty much been attached at the hip."
"We really have," Azzi whispered softly, as she stared back at Paige, completely forgetting her mother was even in the room.
Katie just stood there, her arms crossed, looking between the two of them as they stared at each other with a look that absolutely no one could mistake for a simple friendship.
Katie raised her eyebrow a little higher, the triumphant, knowing smile on her face expanding as she let out a quiet, thoroughly amused hum.
—
The energy of the afternoon finally settled as the entire family gathered around a large table on Azzi’s back porch. Tim had taken a keen interest in the blonde girl sitting next to his daughter.
"Paige," Tim said, setting his fork down and leaning forward against the table, his expression melting into a genuinely curious grin. "Azzi told me you’re studying engineering. What’s the focus?"
Paige wiped her mouth with a napkin, her body shifting as she sat up a bit straighter.
"Mechanical engineering, sir," Paige murmured. "Right now, it’s a lot of testing different materials to see how much weight and pressure they can take before they snap or break. Basically, we design things and then figure out exactly where they'll fail so we can make them safer for everyday use."
Tim’s eyes completely lit up. "Ah, so you're the one making sure bridges don't collapse and cars don't fall apart when they hit a bump. Thats really cool, you must be super smart."
"I try my best," Paige chuckled, a relaxed, confident smile breaking across her face. "It's a lot of math, but it's cool to see how things work in the real world."
Tim nodded firmly, taking a sip of his beer before a teasing glint took over his eyes. He leaned in a bit closer, looking Paige up and down. "Alright, so you're smart. But let me ask you the real question, do you party? cause if you can’t hold your liquor I don’t see a place for you in this family."
Paige let out a laugh. "Oh, I definitely know how to have a good time. I keep a very healthy balance."
Tim smacked the table with his palm. "I like you, Paige."
Azzi sat right beside Paige, her heart swelling with pride as she listened. Seeing how easily Paige was holding her own with her father, and how genuinely impressed Tim seemed to be made her so happy.
Without even thinking about it, entirely driven by habit from their secret months spent side by side, Azzi reached her hand across the tabletop. Paige’s hand was resting casually right next to her plate, and Azzi instinctively went to loop her fingers through Paige's.
The second the tips of her fingers brushed against Paige’s knuckles, Azzi remembered where they were. Her eyes locked right onto her mother across the table, and her brain went into a full, panicked overdrive.
In a split-second blur of motion, Azzi violently jerked her hand back, completely changing direction. She aggressively swatted the air right above Paige’s hand, making a loud, dramatic smacking sound against the wooden table.
"Ugh, sorry! There was a huge fly right there," Azzi lied breathlessly, her voice cracking slightly as she kept swatting at the empty air for good measure, trying to look entirely casual. "Gosh, the bugs are so bad out here tonight. Just... trying to get it away from your food."
Paige blinked, looking down at her hand and then up at Azzi with a thoroughly amused, highly skeptical grin forming. She knew damn well there wasn't a bug anywhere near her plate, but she just let out a low chuckle and murmured, "Uh... thanks, Az. Preciate the protection."
Azzi quickly risked a glance across the table to see if she had pulled it off.
Katie slowly brought the wine glass to her lips, taking a deliberate, quiet sip. Her features expanded into a thoroughly amused, knowing expression, her eyes carrying a soft, silent warmth that completely validated what she was seeing. She didn't say a single word to ruin the moment, but she gave Azzi a single, barely perceptible nod that said 'Nice try, but I see right through you.'
—
The plates had been cleared from the table, leaving only the lingering warmth of a good meal and the hum of the crickets in the backyard. The family filed back into the warmth of the living room, a collective food coma finally slowing down Jon and Jose’s endless bickering.
Azzi clapped her hands together, drawing everyone’s attention as she stepped into the center of the room to establish some order.
"Okay, listen up," Azzi announced, her voice carrying a firm, organizational tone. "Here is the sleeping arrangement for the week. Mom and Dad, you guys are obviously in the guest room upstairs. It’s already made up with clean sheets and everything."
Tim nodded appreciatively, rubbing his stomach as he sank deeper into an armchair. "Sounds perfect, sweetheart. I'm ready to pass out."
"And you two," Azzi pointed a finger at Jon and Jose, who were already aggressively eyeing the massive sectional couch. "You guys are sharing the living room. No fighting over the pillows."
Jon shrugged, seemingly fine with the layout, but then he looked over at the kitchen island where Paige was leaning against the counter.
"Wait, what about Paige?" Jon asked, blinking as he looked between his sister and the blonde girl. "Is Paige leaving, or can she stay and play Fortnite with us for a bit? Me and Jose brought our PS5."
"Oh, Paige isn't leaving," Azzi replied smoothly, a completely practiced, casual brightness in her tone as she gestured toward the hallway. "She’s staying the night. She’s been helping me get the house ready all week, so she’s just crashing here."
Before Jon could celebrate, Katie chimed in from the edge of the couch. She had been quietly folding a throw blanket, but the second the words left Azzi's mouth, she stopped.
Katie slowly turned her head, her eyes locking right onto her daughter. She raised her eyebrow.
"Oh? Paige is staying the night?" Katie asked, her voice dropping into a perfectly innocent, incredibly sweet tone. "Where is Paige sleeping, sweetie? Do you have another guest room I don't know about?"
The passive aggressiveness from her mom was Azzi’s last straw. After a long afternoon of being watched like a hawk, the underlying panic in Azzi's chest instantly converted into irritation.
Azzi dropped her hands to her hips, her posture stiffening as she glared directly at her mother. "Mom, why do you have so many questions today? Seriously. What is your deal?"
Katie didn't flinch. In fact, her smirk vanished in an instant, replaced by that formidable, strict persona that made even Tim sit up a little straighter. She crossed her arms over her chest.
"I have so many more questions, Azzi," Katie snapped back, her voice low. She tilted her head, a knowing look in her eyes as she dared her daughter to keep pushing. "Do you want me to start asking them right now? In front of everyone?"
The threat was clear, and it hung in the living room like a ticking time bomb. Tim, Jon, and Jose all went completely silent, looking back and forth between the two women with wide, uncomfortable eyes.
Azzi was so beyond annoyed her chest was actively heaving,m. She was entirely done playing her mom’s game.
"Paige is sleeping in my room," Azzi barked out, her voice defensive. She threw her hands up in the air, glaring at Katie with absolute annoyance. "Now mind your own business!"
Paige stood by the counter, completely oblivious to what Katie was implying. She just flashed a confident, relaxed grin and gave Tim a casual nod, completely breaking the tension. "Yeah, we usually just put pillows down the middle. Keeps things civilized."
Tim let out a forced, slightly awkward laugh, trying to defuse the room. "Smart kid! Don't let her hog the covers."
Azzi didn't say another word. She shot her mother one final, furious glare before spinning on her heel and marching toward the kitchen to aggressively scrub a plate that was already clean, her heart hammering against her ribs. Katie just calmly picked up the folded blanket, a small, thoroughly satisfied smirk returning to her lips as she watched her daughter walk away.
—
The second the bedroom door clicked shut, locking the rest of the family out, the composure Azzi had been maintaining all night completely shattered.
She began pacing the length of the hardwood floor, her hands shoved into her dark curls as she moved erratically between the bed and the window. Her chest was heaving, her breath coming in shallow, frantic gasps that made her look like a trapped animal.
Paige stood by the door, watching her with a calm, steady focus.
"Az, hey," Paige murmured, her voice dropping into a low, soothing register as she stepped into the center of the room. She reached out, trying to catch Azzi's arm as she paced past. "Breathe."
"I can't breathe, Paige! I literally can’t breathe," Azzi panicked. She ripped her hands out of her hair and gripped Paige’s forearms, her dark eyes were wide and completely overflowing with terror. "You don't understand. The questions in the kitchen, the look she gave me when I almost held your hand, her interrogating me down in the living room—"
"Azzi, stop," Paige interrupted gently, her hands moving up to cup Azzi’s cheeks. She tilted Azzi's head up, forcing her l eyes to lock onto Azzi's. She gave her a soft, reassuring squeeze. "Your mom was just teasing you. Parents do that. She thinks we’re best friends and she’s just poking fun at how close we're getting. It's fine. We played it cool."
"We didn't play it cool! You didn't see her face!" A tear leaked out of the corner of Azzi's eye, her voice cracking with vulnerability. She leaned heavily into Paige’s palms, her whole body trembling against the taller girl. "Paige... she knows. She doesn't think we're just friends. My mom knows what we’re doing."
Paige closed her eyes for a brief second, taking a slow, deep breath to keep her own head straight as she felt the rhythm of Azzi's heart hammering against her chest. She opened them, looking down at Azzi, her expression turning incredibly serious.
"Okay," Paige whispered, her thumb gently wiping away the tear on Azzi’s cheek. "Okay, so she suspects something. But hey, she hasn't even met my dad yet. She doesn't have his number, she doesn't know him, and she has no way of contacting him. She can't do anything right now, Az."
"Not right now," Azzi whined, her voice a broken, desperate pout as she buried her face directly into Paige’s neck, hiding from the reality of it. Her words came out muffled against Paige's skin, thick with a terrifying realization. "But he comes back on Wednesday. My parents are going to be here. They are going to meet him. Paige... what if she meets Peter, and she sees how sweet he is, and she just feels bad for him? What if she looks at him, realizes what we've been doing behind his back while he's away for work, and decides she has to tell him?"
Azzi gripped the back of Paige's hoodie even tighter, her voice trembling. "If she feels guilty and tells him the truth when they meet... it will completely destroy him. It will destroy everything."
Paige didn't say anything right away. She just wrapped her arms securely around Azzi’s waist, pulling her tightly against her chest. She held her close, burying her face into Azzi’s curls and letting the steady, calming rise and fall of her own chest serve as an anchor for the shorter girl's frantic breathing.
"Hey, look at me," Paige murmured softly, loosening her grip just enough to tilt Azzi’s chin back up. Her gaze was warm and completely steady. "You’re entirely overthinking this, baby. I promise you."
"I'm not—"
"You are," Paige interrupted with a gentle chuckle, her thumbs caressing Azzi’s jawline. "Your mom loves you. Even if she's picking up on a vibe, she’s not going to just blow up your entire life the second she meets my dad. You're stressed, you're exhausted from hosting, and your brain is spiraling."
Azzi let out a long, trembling sigh, her forehead resting against Paige’s collarbone. "It just feels so scary."
"I know it does," Paige whispered softly, kissing the top of her head. She stepped back, bopping Azzi lightly on the nose. "You know what you need? You need a sweet treat to get you out of your head. Works every single time. Let's go get Insomnia Cookies."
Azzi blinked, a small, helpless smile finally breaking through her exhaustion. "Insomnia? Paige, it is past eleven o'clock at night."
"Exactly. Perfect timing," Paige grinned. "But first, you need to get out of these clothes and into your pajamas. You’re too tense."
Paige didn't wait for a response. She walked over to Azzi’s dresser, pulling out a soft, oversized t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants, walking them back over to where Azzi was standing.
"Come here," Paige murmured, her voice turning incredibly soft and gentle.
With slow, deliberate movements, Paige carefully reached up to unbutton Azzi's blouse, her hands completely steady as she guided the fabric off her shoulders. There was no rush, no urgency, just a quiet, deeply intimate care that made the last remnants of Azzi’s anxiety melt away. Paige slid the t-shirt over Azzi's head, smoothing her dark curls back out of her face afterward, before helping her step into the sweatpants.
"Better?" Paige asked softly, her thumbs resting on Azzi’s hips.
"Much better," Azzi whispered.
Paige smiled, then reached into her own overnight bag to pull out her own pajamas; a pair of loose grey shorts and a worn-out t-shirt.
Once they were both completely comfortable, Paige grabbed her wallet and car keys from the nightstand.
"Alright, the hard part," Paige whispered, nodding toward the bedroom door. "We have to sneak past your parents in the hallway. You ready?"
Azzi let out a quiet, breathless laugh. "If we get caught, I'm telling them it was your idea."
The master plan of slipping down the hallway completely undetected fell apart the exact second they reached the top of the stairs.
Azzi was tip-toeing, holding onto the back of Paige’s t-shirt like a shield, when the bright, unmistakable glow of the television screen hit them from below. The sound of video game gunfire and digitized explosions echoed up the stairwell, completely shattering the illusion of a sleeping house.
Paige looked back over her shoulder, a highly amused, thoroughly defeated grin cutting across her face behind her glasses. "Well, so much for being quiet," she whispered.
They walked the rest of the way down, stepping into the living room to find the entire family exactly where they had left them. Jon and Jose were leaned completely forward on the edge of the sectional, their faces illuminated by the blue light of the TV as they aggressively clutched their controllers, playing Fortnite. Tim was still kicked back in his armchair watching them play, while Katie sat on the other end of the couch, quietly reading on her phone.
The moment Paige’s feet hit the hardwood floor, all four heads whipped around to look at them.
"Whoa, where are you guys going?" Jon asked, blinking rapidly as his eyes tracked their pajamas. "You guys look like you're dressed for bed."
"Yeah, what's the move?" Jose added, not taking his eyes off the screen for more than a second as he furiously tapped his thumbs. "Are we going somewhere? Because I'm starving."
Azzi froze as she tried to think of a completely normal explanation for why they were sneaking out in their sleepwear. But before she could stutter out a cover story, Paige stepped right into the center of the room, completely unbothered.
"Relax," Paige chuckled, her voice perfectly easy as she jangled her car keys. "Azzi was feeling a little stressed out and decided she needed a sweet treat to get out of her head. We’re just running a quick midnight drive to get cookies."
Katie slowly lowered her phone, her eyes shifting from Paige’s relaxed posture straight to Azzi’s flushed face. The highly perceptive, incredibly smug smirk returned to her lips in an instant. She raised a single eyebrow, letting out a quiet, knowing hum that made Azzi look away immediately, her ears burning with heat.
"Cookies?" Tim perked up from his armchair. "From where?"
"insomnia," Paige grinned, turning her attention to Azzi's dad. "They're elite."
"Oh, man," Tim groaned happily. "If you're going, you gotta bring me back a chocolate chip. I'll pay you back tomorrow."
"Bro, wait, me too!" Jon yelled, completely abandoning his game character for a split second. "Get me a double chocolate chunk! I need that fuel if we're gonna stay up playing all night."
"Make it three!" Jose chimed in, throwing his hands up in approval. "Get me the M&M one. Paige, if you bring us back cookies right now, you are officially the greatest person alive."
Paige let out a laugh, her shoulders shaking as she gave the boys a mock salute. "Alright, alright, calm down. I got you guys. I promise I'll bring back a whole box of warm cookies for the house."
She turned her eyes back to the couch, looking at Azzi’s mother with a polite smile. "Do you want anything, Katie?"
Katie looked up from her phone one last time, her gaze lingering on the way Azzi was subconsciously shifting closer to Paige’s side. Katie’s smirk softened into a very warm, deeply amused smile.
"No, thank you, sweetie," Katie murmured softly, her tone carrying a quiet, underlying warmth that made Azzi’s heart do a nervous flutter. "I think you’ve got your hands full taking care of Azzi’s sweet tooth. Just drive safely."
"Always," Paige smiled smoothly, completely missing the subtext as she gently placed a hand on the small of Azzi’s back to guide her toward the front door. "We'll be right back, guys."
—
The dashboard light cast a soft, ambient glow over the quiet interior of the car as Paige navigated the empty, midnight streets. The gentle hum of the tires against the asphalt was the only sound breaking the silence until Azzi shifted in her seat, turning her body fully toward the driver's side.
"You are incredible, you know that?" Azzi murmured, her voice soft but heavy with emotion. She reached across the center console, resting her hand on Paige's thigh just above the knee. "The way you just handled my entire family today. They absolutely love you, Baby."
Paige flashed a quick smirk keeping her eyes on the road as she slid her right hand down to cover Azzi’s, tracing her thumb over Azzi's knuckles. "I told you it’d be fine, Az. They’re good people. It’s easy to talk to them."
Azzi let out a slow breath, her eyes dropping to their joined hands. The warmth of Paige's touch was comforting, but the knot of anxiety in her stomach hadn't completely untied itself. She chewed on her bottom lip for a long moment.
"Paige... is it horrible of me if I say that I want them to not like your dad?" Azzi whispered, the confession coming out small and tight, almost as if she was afraid to let the words exist in the open air.
Paige didn't flinch. She squeezed Azzi's hand gently, her voice dropping into a steady, non-judgmental register. "It’s not bad, Az. You're allowed to feel whatever you're feeling right now. There's a lot of pressure on you."
"No, but it is bad," Azzi insisted quietly, guilt washing over her face as she stared out the passenger window at the passing streetlights. She swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly with a raw, painful honesty. "I just... I feel like if my parents meet him and they don't really care for him, or if they find him annoying, it would make all of this so much easier. If they prefer you over him, it would give me a reason. It would make it easier to rationalize what I’m doing behind his back."
She paused, a sharp, self-deprecating laugh escaping her throat as a tear threatened to spill over. She looked back at Paige, her dark eyes filled with a deep, vulnerable ache. "God, I know that is a completely horrible thing to say. To wish that my family dislikes a perfectly sweet person just so I can feel less guilty about hurting him."
Paige pulled the car up to a red light and finally turned her head, her eyes locking onto Azzi with intense, unyielding devotion. She lifted Azzi's hand to her lips, pressing a soft, lingering kiss against her knuckles.
"You're navigating an impossible situation, Ma," Paige murmured smoothly. "You're trying to protect his feelings, handle your family, and figure out what we are all at the same time. It doesn't make you a horrible person to want a path that feels a little less painful. We're going to get through it together, okay? Just take a breath."
Azzi looked at her, Paige’s reassurance making her chest ache in the best way possible. She nodded softly, squeezing Paige's hand back as the light turned green and they pulled into the parking lot of the cookie shop.
—
The morning sun was cutting sharply through the kitchen windows on Wednesday, but the atmosphere inside was anything but warm. The air was thick with anticipation. Azzi was frantically moving around the stove, her dark curls pinned up hastily as she turned over strips of bacon, her movements rigid and completely driven by nerves. Jon and Jose were uncharacteristically quiet at the island, scrolling on their phones, while Tim drank his coffee in a steady, heavy silence.
Paige sat at the far end of the dining table, slouched slightly in her chair, her eyes tracking Azzi’s pacing with a quiet, intense focus. Right next to her sat Katie, who was sipping her tea, her gaze moving between her daughter and the empty space at the head of the table.
The sudden, heavy thud of a suitcase rolling up the front porch stairs made everyone freeze.
The front door clicked open, and a second later, Peter stepped into the house. He looked visibly exhausted, his hair a little messy from the red-eye flight, his jacket wrinkled as he dropped his duffel bag by the entryway. Despite the fatigue, a wide, eager smile broke across his face the moment he saw the room full of people.
"Hey, everyone!" Peter called out, his voice bright and entirely well-meaning as he stepped into the kitchen. He quickly nodded toward Tim, Jon, and Jose.
He didn't wait for a formal introduction before he moved straight toward Azzi by the stove. "Hey, beautiful," he murmured, his face softening with genuine affection. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight, lingering hug before leaning down to press a firm kiss right onto her lips.
Azzi’s entire body went completely rigid in his embrace. Her eyes flew wide open, a flash of panic darting across her features as she instinctively tried to keep her posture neutral. She shot a quick, terrified glance over Peter's shoulder toward the table.
At the end of the table, Katie hadn't broken her stare. She watched the entire greeting; Peter's eager smile, the kiss, and Azzi's completely stiff, uncomfortable reaction.
Without breaking her gaze from Peter, Katie slowly leaned her head over toward Paige.
"He is incredibly loud for eight o'clock in the morning," Katie whispered under her breath, her tone dripping with a quiet, razor-sharp judgment meant only for the blonde girl's ears. "And he puts absolutely no effort into his appearance."
Paige, who had been watching the interaction with a tight jaw, instantly let out a laugh. The sheer pettiness of the comment caught her completely off guard. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
Hearing Paige laugh, Katie didn't say another word, but the subtle, knowing smirk that cut across her face was entirely triumphant. She took another quiet sip of her tea, completely validated, while Azzi stood by the stove trapped in Peter's arms, her heart hammering a wild, chaotic rhythm as she realized her mother had officially made her choice.
Peter finally let go of Azzi, completely oblivious to the tension holding her spine straight, and turned back toward the table with that same eager, wide smile. "Man, it smells amazing in here. I didn't realize how hungry I was until—"
"Peter," Katie interrupted smoothly. Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the room with an authority that instantly stopped him mid-sentence.
Peter blinked, his smile faltering slightly as he looked over at the end of the table. "Uh, yes?"
Katie set her mug down with a deliberate, quiet clink. She crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair as her eyes locked onto him with zero warmth. "It is considered incredibly rude to walk into a house full of people you’ve never met, skip the formal introductions entirely, and head straight for the food."
The kitchen went dead silent. Jon and Jose slowly lowered their phones, exchanging wide-eyed, terrified glances, while Tim quietly took a very slow sip of his coffee, staying entirely out of the line of fire.
Peter’s face instantly flushed a deep, embarrassed red. He swallowed hard, nervously shifting his weight as he quickly adjusted the collar of his wrinkled jacket. "Oh, wow. I am so sorry, Katie. You’re completely right. I didn't mean to be disrespectful at all, I guess I was just really excited to finally get here from the airport."
He scrambled to fix it, stepping forward and extending a hand across the counter toward Azzi's father. "Tim, it's an absolute honor to finally meet you. I've heard so many great things."
Tim gave a brief, firm nod, shaking his hand once. "Peter. Good to meet you."
Peter then turned to the boys, offering a quick wave. "Hey, guys. Jon, Jose, right? Good to meet you both." Finally, his eyes landed on Paige, who was still sitting right next to Katie. He offered a polite, slightly awkward nod. "Hey, kiddo."
"Hey, Dad," Paige murmured, her voice perfectly casual as she leaned back, a faint, lingering trace of amusement covering her features.
Before Peter could even open his mouth to try and smooth things over any further, Katie spoke up again, her tone shifting into a bright, conversational sweetness that was so entirely deliberate it made Azzi’s stomach drop.
"Well, now that we’ve taken care of the bare minimum," Katie said, a highly perceptive, incredibly smug smirk cutting across her face as she looked directly at Peter. She then turned her head, reaching out to place a warm, affectionate hand right on Paige’s shoulder. "I have to say, Peter, you have some incredibly big shoes to fill today. Because Paige has been absolutely wonderful."
Azzi froze by the stove, her heart hammering against her ribs as she watched her mother actively go to war.
"Seriously," Katie continued, practically bragging as she squeezed Paige’s shoulder, her eyes locked firmly on Peter's increasingly uncomfortable face. "Paige has been helping Azzi get the entire house ready for days. She is incredibly polite, highly intelligent, and she, my husband and my sons have just been getting along fabulously. Honestly, we have all completely fallen in love with her. She’s practically part of the family already."
Paige let out a low chuckle, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish but thoroughly confident grin. "Thanks, Katie. I appreciate that."
Peter stood in the center of the kitchen, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he offered a tight, deeply confused smile, completely sensing the bizarre shift in gravity but having absolutely no idea why he was already losing to his own daughter. Azzi quickly looked down at the bacon, her face burning.
—
The breakfast table was packed, the massive spread of bacon, eggs, and pancakes filling the center of the wooden surface. Despite the abundance of food, the atmosphere remained incredibly stiff.
"So, Peter," Jon started, pouring a massive amount of syrup over his pancakes. "Do you watch sports? Are you into basketball or football or anything?"
Peter offered a polite, somewhat apologetic smile, shaking his head as he picked up his fork. "Oh, no, not really. I was never much of a sports guy, honestly. I'm more into documentaries and reading when I have free time."
Jon and Jose’s faces instantly dropped, their expressions shifting into a look of collective disappointment. They exchanged a brief glance before quietly returning to their food, completely tuning him out.
Beside Peter, Azzi’s heart was already doing a nervous flutter, her eyes darting across the table.
Tim, who had been quietly chewing on a piece of toast, set his coffee mug down with a heavy, deliberate thud against the wood. He leaned his broad frame forward.
"Azzi tells us you've been single for a long time now. After your first marriage ended... do you ever see yourself getting married again? Setting down roots like that?"
The question made Azzi freeze entirely, her fork hovering inches from her plate.
Peter cleared his throat, nervously adjusting his posture under Tim's intense scrutiny. He gave a quiet, honest shrug. "Honestly, Tim... no, I don't. My first marriage was incredibly difficult, and after it ended, my entire world became about stability and focusing on Paige. At this point in my life, I'm really content just taking care of my career and being independent. I don't really think marriage is in the cards for me again."
Tim didn't say a word, but his jaw visibly tightened. His brow furrowed into a deep, heavy scowl, and he slowly leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and let out a sharp, disapproving grunt. As a father who deeply valued the structure of marriage and wanted nothing more than to see his daughter properly settled down, Peter's answer was the absolute wrong one.
From the other end of the table, Paige looked at her dad. Seeing him sit there looking so incredibly small, uncomfortable, and utterly isolated under the weight of the family’s judgment, a sharp pang of guilt hit her chest. No matter how messy the situation with Azzi was, Peter was still her father, and he didn't deserve to be interrogated like a criminal at a breakfast table.
Paige cleared her throat, her voice breaking the silence as she sat up straight, purposefully drawing everyone's attention away from her dad.
"You know," Paige started, her tone surprisingly soft and completely genuine as she looked across at Tim and Katie. "My dad might not be a sports guy or a traditional marriage guy, but he is genuinely the most selfless, kind person I’ve ever known."
Peter looked up, a look of quiet, surprised gratitude softening his tired eyes.
"He raised me entirely on his own," Paige continued, a proud, confident smile replacing her usual cocky smirk as she spoke from the heart. "And being a single dad to a stubborn kid like me could not have been easy. But he never complained once. He worked ungodly hours just to make sure I had everything I needed for school, he showed up to every single one of my extracurriculars, and he basically gave up his entire twenties and thirties just to make sure I grew up safe and happy. He’s a really great dad."
The raw honesty in Paige's voice acted like a sudden release valve for the tension in the room.
Tim’s scowl softened just a fraction, he gave a slow, thoughtful nod.
Across the table, Katie watched the way Paige had immediately stepped in to shield her father. Her eyes moved from Paige's protective posture straight over to Azzi, who was staring at Paige with a look of such deep, unfiltered adoration and gratitude it was practically painful.
Katie brought her mug to her lips, a very quiet, thoroughly perceptive smirk returning to her face as she took a sip, completely capturing the quiet shift in the room's gravity.
"You know, Peter," Katie started again, her voice dropping into an incredibly smooth, conversational cadence that made the hairs on the back of Azzi’s neck instantly stand up. "It really is a beautiful thing, seeing how close our daughters have gotten. Paige has actually spent the last two nights here at the house with Azzi."
Azzi’s fork scraped sharply against her plate. She shot her mother a frantic, pleading look, but Katie completely ignored it, her gaze locked firmly on a completely unsuspecting Peter.
"They’ve just been completely inseparable," Katie continued, her tone dripping with an innocent, casual curiosity. "Honestly, watching them run around the house the last few days, it’s like they are completely in their own little world together. You can barely get a word in. What do you think about that? Did you know they had become this close?"
Azzi closed her eyes, holding her breath as she prepared for the absolute worst.
But Peter didn't catch the trap at all. Instead, a genuinely warm, deeply relieved smile broke across his tired face. He looked over at Paige, his eyes shining with a sudden, thick emotion that made Paige’s chest tighten with a sharp pang of guilt.
"Honestly? I absolutely love it," Peter murmured, his voice full of sincerity. He let out a soft, heavy sigh and shook his head. "You have no idea what a relief this is for me. To be completely honest with all of you... that’s the main reason I was always so terrified to start dating again. I stayed single for so many years because I was just so worried about how a relationship would go over with Paige. She’s my whole world, and the absolute last thing I ever wanted to do was make her feel pushed aside or uncomfortable in her own family."
He reached across the corner of the table, offering Paige a soft, incredibly proud smile. "Seeing her blend into your family like this, and knowing that she and Azzi are genuinely becoming best friends... it just makes me so incredibly happy. It feels like everything is falling into place exactly the way it was supposed to."
The silence that settled over the breakfast table was completely suffocating.
Jon and Jose kept their heads down, completely oblivious to the drama, but Tim slowly lowered his coffee mug, his brow furrowing as he looked between his wife and his daughter.
Azzi couldn't even look up from her plate. A heavy knot of guilt twisting violently in her stomach. Hearing Peter speak with such gratitude about the very thing that was destroying his relationship behind his back felt horrible.
Paige’s jaw tightened, the confident, easy posture she usually maintained completely evaporating.
Katie didn't press the knife in any further. She had gotten exactly what she wanted. She slowly leaned back in her chair, taking a deliberate sip of her tea while her eyes locked onto Azzi’s tense, trembling shoulders. The look on Katie's face was one of absolute, triumphant validation, she had just left Azzi and Paige completely trapped in the reality of what they were doing.
—
The front door finally clicked shut as Peter left for his house to shower and change out of his travel clothes, taking a bit of the pressure out of the room with him. Jon and Jose immediately slipped back to their games, and Tim went out to the garage, leaving the kitchen completely quiet.
Azzi stood by the sink, her hands gripping the edge of the counter so tightly her knuckles were aching. Her chest was still tight, her breath shallow.
Katie set her empty mug down, her movements characteristically graceful and unhurried. She stood up, smoothing down her shirt, and looked over at her daughter.
"Azzi," Katie said softly, her voice missing the edge it had carried all morning. It was low, steady, and entirely grounded. "Come sit on the back porch with me for a minute. Let's get some fresh air."
Azzi’s stomach dropped into a bottomless pit. Every instinct told her to run, to make up an excuse about cleaning, but the quiet authority in her mother's tone left no room for negotiation. She followed Katie out the glass doors, the warm morning air hitting her face as they walked over to two large outdoor chairs.
Katie sat down, wrapping her sweater a little tighter around herself, and gestured for Azzi to take the seat directly opposite her. Azzi sat, her entire body rigid, her eyes glued to the ground, unable to meet her mother’s gaze.
"Look at me, sweetie," Katie murmured gently.
Azzi slowly lifted her head, her dark eyes wide and defensive, her pulse hammering a wild, chaotic rhythm against her ribs.
Katie didn't smirk. She didn't look triumphant or smug. Her features were completely softened, carrying a rare, profound gravity that was entirely stripped of malice.
"I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to just listen to me," Katie said, her voice incredibly calm. "Azzi... are you having an affair with Paige?"
The word hit the open air like a bomb.
Azzi instantly erupted, pushing her chair back with a loud, violent scrape against the deck boards as she stood up. "What?! Mom, are you insane? How can you even ask me that?!" Her voice cracked, a frantic, terrified pitch taking over. "She is my friend! She is Peter’s daughter! Why are you trying to ruin everything? Why are you trying to make me look like a monster?!"
"Azzi, stop. Sit down," Katie said. She didn't raise her voice. "Calm down. Breathe, and sit back down."
"I'm not going to sit down and let you accuse me of—"
"I am not accusing you, and I am not upset with you," Katie interrupted smoothly, her eyes carrying a warmth that completely stopped Azzi in her tracks. "Azzi, I am your mother. I am not your judge, I am not your father, and I am certainly not Peter. I am not going to tell anyone. I am not going to blow up your life. I just want the truth from my daughter. That is it."
The shield of anger Azzi had thrown up instantly disintegrated, leaving behind nothing but terror. She looked at the gentle, entirely non-judgmental look on her mother’s face, and the weight of the secret became too heavy to carry for another second.
Azzi sank back into her chair, her knees completely giving out. A harsh, broken sob tore from her throat, and she buried her face in her hands as hot, heavy tears instantly spilled over her fingers.
"I'm sorry," Azzi wept, her voice completely broken, trembling with shame as her shoulders shook violently. "Mom, I am so, so sorry. I know... I know how horrible it is. I know what a disgusting person it makes me."
Katie reached out, her warm hands firmly grasping Azzi’s wrists and gently pulling her hands away from her face so she could look at her.
"I don't think you're a monster, honey," Katie whispered softly, her eyes holding her daughter's gaze with absolute, unconditional security.
"But he's so sweet, Mom," Azzi sobbed, the words tumbling out in a desperate, panicked rush as she squeezed her mother's hands back. "Hearing him talk at breakfast... I felt like I couldn't breathe. I know how much this will destroy him if he finds out. I know how awful it is to do this behind his back, but I... I can't stop it. I'm completely obsessed with her, and I don't know what to do."
Katie didn't hesitate. She stood up from her chair, pulling Azzi up into her arms. She wrapped her daughter in a tight, fierce embrace, rubbing her back as Azzi buried her face into Katie’s shoulder, her body still shaking with heavy, broken sobs.
"Shh, I've got you," Katie murmured softly, her voice a steady, grounding anchor against Azzi’s panic. "Just breathe, sweetie. I’ve got you."
After a long moment, Katie gently pulled back just enough to look at her, keeping her hands resting securely on Azzi’s shoulders. Her sharp eyes were entirely soft, filled with a deep, maternal seriousness.
"Azzi," Katie said quietly, her tone completely calm and free of any condemnation. "I need to ask you one more thing, okay? Just so I understand what you’re dealing with. Have the two of you taken this to a physical level... or is it just emotional right now?"
Azzi swallowed hard, she looked down at the porch floorboards, her voice dropping into a raw, intensely vulnerable whisper. "It’s... it’s physical, Mom. We’ve been... it's both."
The confession hung in the warm morning air, but Katie didn't flinch, and she didn't let go of Azzi's shoulders.
Panick immediately flared back up in Azzi's eyes, and she desperately grabbed her mother's forearms, her grip tightening in a sudden, frantic plea. "But please don't let this make you hate Paige. Don't look at her differently. It’s not her fault, I swear it isn't. I'm the one who let it happen. It's completely my fault, so if you're going to be mad at anyone, just be mad at me."
"Azzi, stop," Katie interrupted gently, her voice firm but incredibly tender as she squeezed Azzi's shoulders to stop her from spiraling. She offered her daughter a soft, reassuring smile, her features completely relaxed. "I told you, I am not upset. I'm not mad at you, and I am absolutely not mad at Paige."
Azzi blinked through her tears, looking at her in disbelieving silence.
"I don't hate her, and I don't think either of you are bad people," Katie explained smoothly, her tone carrying an absolute, unconditional security. "Life is incredibly messy, and feelings don't always happen when or how they’re supposed to. I can see how deeply the two of you care about each other, and I can see how much pain this secret is causing you. I don't want to judge you, Azzi. I just want to help you figure out how to navigate this so you don't keep tearing yourself apart."
Azzi let out a long, trembling breath, the suffocating layer of isolation she had been carrying for weeks finally dissolving completely. She leaned forward, resting her forehead against Katie’s shoulder again as a quiet wave of gratitude washed over her, knowing that even in the absolute mess of her secret, her mother was standing right there with her.
—
Azzi let out a ragged, trembling breath, her forehead still resting heavily against Katie’s shoulder. The tears had slowed down, but the reality ahead seemed to press down on the porch with a crushing force.
"I just... I don't know what to do, Mom," Azzi whispered, her voice thick with exhaustion and dread. She pulled back slightly, looking into her mother's calm eyes with a desperate, searching look. "I know I have to figure something out, but telling Peter... it's going to blow everything up. It’s not just about hurting him. If the truth comes out like that, the fallout is going to be so horrific that it'll eventually just fuck up what I have with Paige anyway."
Katie listened intently, her expression serious and deeply focused. She didn't offer a quick, easy fix, nor did she sugarcoat the reality of what Azzi was facing. Instead, she gave a slow, deliberate nod of agreement.
"You're right, Azzi. It very well could put a massive strain on the two of you," Katie said, her tone level and entirely grounded. She reached up, gently tucking a stray dark curl behind Azzi’s ear before resting her hand on the side of her daughter's neck.
"But let me tell you something," Katie continued smoothly, her voice dropping into a lower, unwavering register. "If you really love Paige as much as I think you do, and if she loves you the same way... you will work for her. If she is truly the person you want to be with, you are going to have to endure the mess, and fight to protect what you two have."
Katie gave Azzi’s neck a firm, reassuring squeeze, her features expanding into a soft, encouraging smile. "It’s going to take time, and it’s going to be hard, but if she’s worth it, you don't run away just because it gets ugly. You stand up, you handle it like an adult, and you work for the life you actually want."
Azzi stared at her mother, the truth of the words sinking deep into her chest. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded softly, finally feeling like she had a solid piece of ground to stand on.
Katie kept her hand resting gently on the side of Azzi’s neck, letting her thumb smooth over the tense muscle. She watched the shifting emotions on her daughter's tear-stained face before asking the one question that had been lingering in the back of her mind all morning.
"How long, Azzi?" Katie asked softly, her voice entirely stripped of judgment, just seeking to understand. "How long have the two of you been sneaking around like this?"
Azzi swallowed hard, a fresh wave of tears welling up in her eyes. She looked down at her lap, her voice trembling and thick with emotion as she confessed. "Since... since about two or three weeks after we met. It just happened so fast, Mom."
She buried her face in her hands again, another sob escaping her throat as the sheer weight of the timeline; months of hiding, months of lying to Peter pressed down on her chest.
Katie didn't scold her. She just rubbed Azzi’s shoulder, letting her cry for a long moment until her breathing began to even out again.
"Okay," Katie murmured gently, her tone shifting into something purposeful and practical. She waited until Azzi lifted her head and wiped at her eyes before giving her a soft, encouraging nod. "Go inside. Go get Paige and bring her out here. I want to talk to her."
Azzi’s breath hitched sharply, her eyes widening in a sudden spike of panic. "Mom... please. You said you weren't mad. You're not going to yell at her, right?"
"Azzi, I'm not going to yell at anyone," Katie reassured her smoothly, a calm, steady smile gracing her features. "I just told you, if you two are going to get through this, you're going to have to work for it. And if Paige is going to be a part of this family, she and I need to be on the same page. Go on. Bring her out."
Azzi stood up on somewhat shaky legs, taking a deep, stabilizing breath. She gave her mother one last, vulnerable look before turning and walking back through the glass sliding doors, leaving Katie sitting alone on the quiet porch, waiting to face the other half of her daughter's secret.
—
(Two chapters from not is gonna pretty much just be smut so if you have anything you wanna see in that send me an ask and I’ll try to include it!)
a/n: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I was busy this weekend, and I also did not have any motivation to write. But anyway, here we are. Again, I am new to writing stuff like this so please give me your opinions, thoughts, suggestions. Thank you for reading. I appreciate it!
Warnings: sexual content (yay we all cheered!)
Word Count: 7.8k
Chapter 11: Real Romantic Shit
Azzi had been on dozens of dates. She'd dated her ex for years. If she counted all the dinners, movies, random Tuesday nights spent wandering Target for no reason, she'd probably been on hundreds of dates.
So why did this one have her feeling like she might actually throw up? She'd spent most of the day trying to breathe through it. In for three, hold for three, out for three. The technique her therapist had taught her. Usually it helped.
Today, not so much. Because the nerves weren't really about the date itself. Dinner with Paige sounded easy enough. Exciting, even. It was everything after that that kept sending her thoughts spiraling.
Azzi was very aware that she was attracted to Paige. There was no point pretending otherwise anymore. Her heart raced when Paige smiled at her. She caught herself staring at her hands, her mouth, the little cross necklace she absentmindedly played with.
And that attraction came with questions Azzi had never really had to answer before. Questions that somehow had her standing in a nail salon, trying very hard to act normal.
"Do you want me to cut them down?" the nail tech asked.
Azzi glanced at her hands.
"Uh..." Her stomach flipped. "Yeah. Pretty short."
Later, she had a hair appointment, which she had been meaning to do for a while, but didn’t have the time. Four simple cornrows, two on each side of her center part, while the rest of her curls stayed loose and defined.
Luckily, she'd gotten waxed the weekend before, one less thing to worry about. By the time she got home, it was just after four, leaving her plenty of time to get ready.
She showered longer than usual, exfoliating her legs and scrubbing her lavender and vanilla body wash all over. Afterwards, she moisturized practically every inch of herself. Totally normal behavior.
She worked through her skincare slowly before moving on to makeup. Her skin had been behaving lately, so she skipped foundation, using only a little concealer beneath her eyes. Then she attempted the smoky eyeliner Caroline had taught her. Mascara. Lip stain. Gloss.
When she finally stepped back from the mirror, she barely had time to admire the finished look before her phone lit up on the bathroom counter.
P (heart emoji) 5:35pm
The reservation is at 7:30, but Ill be there at 6:15
A little bit of a drive
Im excited
Butterflies erupted instantly. Azzi stared at the message for a full minute before smiling helplessly at herself in the mirror. Maybe that was the problem. This wasn't just another date. She liked Paige. Enough that the possibility of messing it up made her nauseous.
She picked up her phone, reread Paige's text one more time, and tried the breathing exercise again. Then she opened Paige's contact, grinning despite herself as she typed back. Okay. Maybe she was terrified. But she was excited, too.
Azzi texted back that the time sounded perfect and that she was excited too. The second Paige liked the message, Azzi set her phone on the charger and walked toward her closet.
That was when the real problem started. What the hell was she supposed to wear? It had gotten colder out, which meant she could finally justify wearing her favorite trench coat. She considered pairing one of her newer tops with a skirt, but that felt too casual.
Paige had texted her the name of the restaurant earlier, so naturally Azzi had looked up the menu. The photos made it seem really fancy.
Fancy enough that Azzi suddenly wished she'd known sooner. She could've gone shopping. But between her nail appointment, getting her hair done, and spending half the day trying not to have a nervous breakdown over the fact that she was going on a date with Paige, there hadn't been time.
She shuffled through hangers with growing frustration. Eventually, she stepped back from the closet and pressed both hands against her cheeks. She could feel herself spiraling. Her chest tightened slightly. Okay. Breathe. This was supposed to be fun.
As she pushed a few more hangers aside, her eyes caught on something tucked farther in the back of the closet.
Her brows furrowed. "Oh." She carefully pulled the dress free. The one she'd bought when she'd gone shopping with Paige. Caroline had reorganized her closet, and Azzi had completely forgotten it was there. She held it up against herself, turning slightly toward the mirror.
Then she remembered the way Paige had looked at her that day. Not glanced. Looked. The memory sent warmth flooding straight into her stomach.
At the time, Azzi had brushed it off. Now? She was definitely wearing this tonight.
She carried the dress over to her dresser and opened the top drawer, reaching automatically for one of the bras she usually wore. Then she paused. Folded neatly off to the side was the lavender matching set Caroline had talked her into buying.
"For no particular reason," Caroline had insisted.
Apparently, Caroline's definition of no particular reason involved lace. Azzi stared at it for a second. Then quickly grabbed both pieces before she could overthink it. She got dressed carefully, checking herself in the mirror more times than she cared to admit. The dress fit just as well as she remembered.
She slipped on her Louboutins before adding her jewelry piece by piece, a silver twist ring on her right hand, a simple silver band on her left middle finger, diamond studs, and a delicate tennis bracelet.
When she looked back into the mirror, though, she found herself lingering. Not studying the dress. Studying herself.
A year ago, her life had looked entirely different. A different relationship. A different future. A different version of herself. Back then, she'd been settling. Making herself smaller. Accepting things she knew she deserved better than.
Now, she was standing in her own apartment, dressed for a date with someone who made her feel excited and terrified in equal measure. Someone who made her laugh. Someone who made her feel seen. Azzi smiled softly at her reflection. She was proud of herself. Proud that she'd taken the leap. Proud that she'd chosen herself.
She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and slipped it into her black purse. After making sure her lip gloss was safely tucked inside, she headed into the living room.
As she reached for her trench coat hanging by the door, a knock echoed through the apartment. Immediately, her stomach erupted into butterflies. Excitement. Nerves. Panic.
Azzi closed her eyes briefly and took a slow breath. She was fine. This was fine. This was just Paige. They hung out all the time. Nothing new. Another knock sounded through the apartment.
Azzi opened her eyes. Her pulse skipped. Okay. Maybe it wasn't exactly the same.
But when the thought of seeing Paige sent a smile tugging at her lips anyway, Azzi knew one thing for certain. Whatever this was between them, it was worth being nervous for.
She took a deep breath before opening the door. The moment she did, her breath caught. Paige stood on the other side holding a bouquet of flowers.
The smile on her face was priceless, soft and a little uncertain, like she wasn't entirely convinced Azzi would actually want them. The slight embarrassment written across her features made Azzi's chest tighten. It was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. Her gaze dropped briefly, taking in Paige's outfit.
Black trousers that fit her perfectly. A black belt with a silver buckle. A fitted white ribbed top tucked neatly into the waistband. Instead of her usual hoodie, she wore a sleek black leather jacket that made her look both polished and effortlessly cool.
Her hair was down, Azzi's favorite. Soft waves framed Paige's face, and Azzi couldn't help but wonder if she'd curled it herself. The thought made her smile. When Azzi looked back up, she caught Paige's eyes moving over the dress she'd chosen. Recognition flashed across Paige's expression. Azzi's stomach fluttered.
"Hi," Paige breathed, looking momentarily speechless before a smile spread across her face. "You look amazing." She took a small step forward before holding out the bouquet. "These are for you."
Azzi accepted them carefully, allowing Paige to step inside before closing the door behind her.
"Let me just put these in water."
She moved toward the kitchen counter, grabbing the tallest glass she could find. She filled it quickly, mixed in the flower food, and carefully arranged the bouquet.
"I guess I should've gotten you a vase too," Paige teased from behind her.
Azzi laughed softly. "Shut up."
Turning back toward Paige, Azzi found herself taking her in all over again. The nervous smile that still hadn't fully disappeared.
"Thank you," Azzi said warmly, stepping closer and wrapping her arms around Paige's shoulders.
"You look..." Azzi trailed off.
Paige's mouth curved into a knowing smirk. "Sexy?"
Azzi rolled her eyes, though the smile tugging at her lips gave her away instantly. "Yeah," she admitted, her voice quieter than she'd intended. "You look really sexy."
The confidence in Paige's expression faltered for just a second. Then her hands settled carefully at Azzi's waist.
"Thank you, ma," Paige murmured. The teasing edge in her voice had softened into something gentler. Paige leaned forward slightly, giving Azzi plenty of time to pull away. Instead, Azzi closed the distance between them.
Their lips moved slowly. Azzi tangled her hands in Paige's hair pulling a little. She let out a quiet groan, causing heat to pool low in Azzi’s stomach.
Azzi nipped at her bottom lip before pulling back still in between her teeth before letting go. Azzi lightly wiped some gloss off Paige's lip before taking a step back, unlocking her hands from Paige's shoulders.
"We should probably go," she said, reaching for her purse. "We dont want to be late."
She turned back around only to find Paige still standing exactly where she'd left her. Her expression had gone pleasantly dazed. Azzi crossed her arms.
"You good?" she asked, fighting back a grin.
Paige blinked once before shaking her head slightly, like she was trying to remember what planet she was on.
"Perfect," she answered. Then she smiled, a warm confident smile Azzi had come to know so well. She walked toward the door before holding it open for her.
Azzi shook her head, unable to stop smiling as she stepped past her. The butterflies hadn't gone away. If anything, they'd multiplied. Paige reached over to gently brush her fingers against Azzi's hand on their way out the door. She was having trouble controlling the smile on her face.
Paige guided her toward the car, opening the passenger door before Azzi even had the chance to reach for it herself. Azzi couldn't help but smile as she slid into the seat. Paige closed the door gently before rounding the front of the car and climbing into the driver's seat.
"Are you comfortable?" Paige asked almost immediately, adjusting the vents before fiddling with the temperature controls. Azzi glanced over at her. The slight furrow between Paige's brows. The way she kept readjusting things that didn't actually need adjusting. It was adorable.
"Yeah," Azzi assured her, her voice light. "I'm good."
Paige nodded once before putting the car into drive. Soft music filtered through the speakers as they pulled away from the curb. A few minutes later, Paige settled back into her seat a little more comfortably before resting one hand on Azzi's thigh. Azzi's breath caught. The warmth of Paige's palm seeped through the fabric of her dress, sending an embarrassing amount of awareness racing through her body.
Neither of them spoke much during the drive. The silence wasn't awkward. It was comfortable. Paige's thumb began moving absentmindedly back and forth against her thigh. Azzi stared straight ahead. The slow sweep of Paige's thumb repeated. Azzi swallowed. Maybe she needed to stop paying attention to it. She shifted slightly in her seat, resisting the urge to glance over. Another stroke of Paige's thumb. Maybe Paige needed to stop. Or maybe Azzi needed to get a grip. Beside her, Paige hummed softly along with whatever song was playing on the radio, completely unaware of the internal crisis she was causing.
By the time they pulled up in front of the restaurant, Azzi had finally convinced herself she'd regained some level of composure. At least until a valet attendant approached the car.
"One sec," Paige murmured. She climbed out before handing over the keys and exchanging a few polite words with the attendant.
Then, without hesitation, she walked around to Azzi's side. The passenger door opened. Paige held out her hand. Azzi stared at it for half a second before placing her own in it.
"Thank you," she said softly as Paige helped her out of the car.
Paige's hand shifted to rest gently against Azzi's hip as she guided her toward the restaurant entrance. The gesture felt so natural that Azzi barely thought about it. Until she realized how much she liked it. The hostess greeted them immediately and led them through the dining room. Azzi glanced around as they walked.
The restaurant was beautiful. Low lighting cast a warm glow across the room. Small candles flickered on each table, accompanied by simple floral arrangements. Conversations drifted quietly through the space, mixing with the soft music playing overhead. It was elegant. And definitely expensive.
Azzi shot Paige a look over her shoulder. Paige suddenly seemed very interested in the hostess's directions.
The hostess stopped beside a small table tucked away near the windows. Before Azzi could react, Paige stepped forward and pulled out her chair. Azzi stared at her for a moment before shaking her head with a helpless grin.
"Thank you," she said, for what had to be the hundredth time that evening.
A faint flush spread across Paige's cheeks. "No problem."
Paige settled into the chair across from her. Azzi glanced around the restaurant once more. When her attention shifted back to the table, she noticed Paige fidgeting with something in the pocket of her leather jacket. Her fingers tapped nervously against whatever it was. Azzi frowned slightly. Before she could ask, the waiter appeared beside their table.
"Good evening," he said warmly. "Can I start you both off with something to drink?"
Paige ordered a Cabernet for the table along with two waters. Azzi smiled to herself. Paige remembered.
It wasn't something Azzi had mentioned often, but it was the wine she'd gravitated toward whenever they went out. The fact that Paige had remembered something so small made warmth settle in her chest.
As they waited, conversation flowed easily between them. They talked about their days while skimming through the menus. Well. Paige skimmed. Azzi had already looked up the menu hours ago. She'd studied it enough to know exactly what she wanted before she'd even walked through the restaurant doors. Still, she flipped through the pages thoughtfully, pretending to debate her options.
"What do you think you're going to get?" Paige asked casually. "I heard the shrimp scampi is really good."
Azzi glanced up from the menu. Then smiled. For two reasons. The first being that Paige definitely wasn't recommending it for herself. Paige hated shrimp. The second being that Paige was trying to steer her toward something she thought Azzi would enjoy. It was such a small thing. And yet somehow, it made Azzi's heart squeeze.
"Yeah," Azzi said, glancing back down at the description she'd practically memorized earlier. "I was looking at that." She traced the words with her eyes before looking back up. "I think that's what I'm gonna go with."
She closed her menu and set it on the table. "What about you?" she asked. "What are you getting?"
"Probably the steak," Paige answered with a shrug. "Apparently the mashed potatoes are supposed to be incredible."
She glanced down at the menu again before looking back up. Only to find Azzi staring at her.
"What?" Paige asked, a hint of nervousness slipping into her expression.
Azzi tilted her head slightly. "Nothing."
Paige narrowed her eyes. "Azzi."
A smile spread slowly across Azzi's face. "You just look really nice."
The faint pink that dusted Paige's cheeks was immediate. "Oh." The confidence Paige carried so effortlessly seemed to falter for a moment. "Thanks."
Azzi's smile widened. "Like..." She paused, letting her gaze flick briefly over Paige's leather jacket before meeting her eyes again. "Way too good."
Paige's blush deepened instantly. Her lips parted slightly, as if searching for a response. Before she could find one, the waiter appeared beside their table.
"Are you both ready to order?"
Paige blinked once before tearing her attention away from Azzi. "Uh, yeah."
Azzi bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. They placed their orders before handing back their menus.
"Excellent choices," the waiter said with an easy smile. "I'll get those started for you."
Once he walked away, silence settled over the table again. Paige reached for her water glass. “You did that on purpose."
Azzi lifted an innocent shoulder. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
Paige let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head. Then, unable to stop herself, she smiled. "You really don't make this easy, do you?"
Azzi leaned back slightly in her chair, her grin growing. "No," she admitted softly.
Paige held her gaze for a moment before looking away. "I had a question I wanted to ask."
Something in her tone made Azzi sit up a little straighter. "What?"
Paige's fingers tapped once against the side of her water glass before she wrapped her hand around it. She looked down at the table. "Well..."
Azzi waited.
Paige let out a quiet breath through her nose, almost laughing at herself. "I wanted to ask officially."
Azzi's brows furrowed.
"Officially?"
"Yeah."
Paige glanced up, then immediately back down again. For someone who could talk to thousands of people without breaking a sweat, she suddenly seemed weirdly interested in the pattern of the tablecloth.
Azzi felt her stomach flip. "Paige."
Paige laughed nervously. "Sorry." That definitely wasn't helping. A second passed. Then another. Azzi watched Paige rub her palms against her jeans before finally looking back up.
"Would you be my girlfriend?"
For a moment, Azzi forgot how to speak. Everything else seemed to disappear, the restaurant, the conversations around them, the music playing somewhere overhead. Just Paige. Waiting. Looking more nervous than Azzi had ever seen her. Her heart skipped once. The smile that spread across her face was immediate.
"Yeah," she whispered.
Paige blinked. Like she hadn't expected her answer to come that quickly.
Azzi laughed softly. "Yes," she repeated, stronger this time. "I would love to."
The change in Paige was instant. Her shoulders loosened. The tension disappeared from her face. She ducked her head, a smile breaking across her lips that she couldn't quite hide. Something warm settled in Azzi's chest. Across the table, she reached for Paige's hand. Paige's fingers intertwined with hers immediately. Neither of them said anything for a few seconds. They just sat there smiling like idiots.
"That's why you were so nervous..." Azzi teased.
Paige's smile faltered. Just slightly. She glanced down toward her lap.
Azzi noticed the way her thumb kept moving against the back of her hand. "Hey." She squeezed gently. "If anyone should be nervous, it's me."
Paige shook her head. "You don't even know."
"What?" Azzi asked with a small laugh.
Paige was quiet for a beat. Long enough that Azzi thought she might not answer.
"You're just..." She stopped. Searched for the words. "You're amazing."
Azzi felt her teasing expression soften.
Paige looked down again before continuing. "I don't want to mess this up."
The honesty in her voice caught Azzi off guard. She frowned. "I should be the one saying that," she said honestly. "I'm the one who just figured out I'm a lesbian. I've never done any of this before."
"It's not about that," Paige said quickly.
"Then what is it?"
Paige let out a breath. "You've made things better for me."
Azzi blinked.
Paige gave a small, self-conscious laugh. "I've been happier." Her thumb brushed across the back of Azzi's hand. "I've been taking care of myself more."
Azzi stayed quiet. Listening.
"I'm just saying..." Paige's voice softened. "I really like you. For you."
Warmth flooded Azzi's chest. For once, she couldn't think of anything clever to say. The silence settled comfortably between them. Then, eventually, the corners of her mouth lifted into a smirk.
"You sure you're not just trying to get into my pants?"
Paige rolled her eyes immediately. "Shut up, bro."
Azzi raised an eyebrow. "Calling me bro definitely isn't helping your case." That finally earned the laugh Azzi had been looking for.
The waiter arrived then, balancing their meals effortlessly. The conversation shifted easily back into their familiar rhythm. They teased each other between bites. Made fun of each other's food choices. Azzi took her time eating, savoring both the meal and the fact that Paige was now officially her girlfriend.
The shrimp scampi was good. Not life-changing. But good. Across from her, Paige worked through her steak much quicker. As Azzi noticed Paige nearing the end of her mashed potatoes, she opened her mouth to ask for a bite. Before she could speak, Paige slid the bowl across the table.
Azzi blinked.
Paige shrugged. "I saw you eyeing them since they brought the food out."
"I was not," Azzi mumbled.
Paige just looked at her. Azzi happily accepted the potatoes.
The first bite made her pause.
Paige's grin widened. "They're good, right?"
Azzi pointed her fork toward Paige. "You don't get to be smug."
Paige looked entirely too pleased with herself.
Dessert followed not long after. A slice of chocolate cake to share. Azzi only managed a few bites before she was full, but she couldn't help smiling every time Paige dramatically offered her another spoonful before eating it herself instead.
By the time the check arrived, Paige had already reached for it. Azzi didn't even bother protesting. Mostly because she knew Paige wouldn't let her pay. But also because she'd left her wallet at home. Her purse contained exactly two things of importance: Lip gloss and a piece of gum.
As they walked out of the restaurant, Paige waited for Azzi to step ahead before resting a gentle hand against the small of her back. The simple touch made Azzi smile. Paige opened the car door for her. Then closed it once she was settled inside. It was such a small thing. But after everything, the flowers, the nervous question, the way Paige had looked at her all night, it made Azzi's heart feel impossibly full. She glanced through the windshield as Paige rounded the front of the car. Her girlfriend. The thought alone was enough to make her smile all over again.
On the drive home, Paige let her hand linger on Azzi's thigh again. But after the night they'd had, Azzi couldn't handle the constant awareness that came with it. She reached down and intertwined their fingers instead, settling Paige's hand safely in her lap.
As they got closer to Azzi's apartment, she could feel her nerves starting to creep back in. She'd managed to keep them under control most of the evening, but now they were bubbling back to the surface. She took a deeper breath. Everything was going to be okay.
When they got back to the apartment, Paige took Azzi's keys from her hand, jogging up the steps first to unlock the door. Azzi followed behind, moving almost on autopilot. She dropped her purse on the table before shrugging out of her trench coat and hanging it neatly on the rack.
As she started toward her bedroom, she glanced back over her shoulder.
Paige was still standing near the front door. Watching her carefully. Almost cautiously.
"Can you help me with my dress?" Azzi asked softly, her voice betraying a little more nerves than she'd intended.
Paige hesitated. Then nodded. "Yeah."
Azzi walked toward the bedroom, her heartbeat picking up with every step. She stopped near the edge of the bed, turning her back toward Paige as she lifted her hair out of the way. She felt Paige step closer. Close enough that Azzi became aware of every little thing. The warmth radiating from her. The faint scent of her perfume. The brush of her fingertips as they found the zipper.
Paige slowly pulled it down. Azzi wasn't sure if Paige was intentionally moving carefully or if her own mind had stretched the moment into something much longer than it actually was. She held her breath until the zipper settled at the small of her back. Paige's hands lingered for only a second before resting gently against her waist.
A soft kiss pressed against Azzi's shoulder. "I'll let you get changed," Paige murmured.
Azzi blinked. She turned slightly, confusion flickering across her face.
"I'll be in the living room," Paige added, nodding toward the doorway before stepping away.
Azzi stood there for a moment. Maybe she was just overthinking things. With a quiet sigh, she changed into a pair of loose boxers and an oversized college T-shirt that slipped off one shoulder.
When she stepped back into the living room, she found Paige sitting on the couch. Her jacket had been draped over one of the kitchen chairs, her shoes kicked off nearby. One arm rested along the back of the couch while she flipped through something on the television.
When Paige looked up and saw her, her entire expression softened. "There you are," she said quietly.
Azzi walked over. Paige reached for her hand, gently tugging her closer. Azzi climbed onto the couch beside her, settling comfortably against her side. Paige wrapped an arm around her waist automatically, pulling her close. Azzi rested her head against Paige's shoulder.
For a while, neither of them said anything. Eventually, Azzi glanced up. Paige was already looking at her. Paige leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before reaching for the remote again.
"Let's watch something."
Azzi paused. That wasn't what she'd expected, but she nodded anyway.
As she shifted to sit more comfortably, Paige tightened her hold around her waist, keeping her tucked securely against her side. Azzi glanced over. Paige smiled before pressing another brief kiss against her temple. Then she turned back toward the television. A few seconds later, the familiar opening notes filled the room.
Azzi stared at the screen. Then back at Paige. "...Frozen?"
Paige shrugged. "What?"
Azzi laughed, unable to stop herself. "What the hell?"
Paige's arm squeezed around her keeping her eyes on the tv.
Azzi looked at her skeptically. "I thought this was a kids movie?" She said in a mocking tone.
Paige avoided eye contact. “Just watch the movie” She said, settling further into the couch.
Beside her, Paige seemed to relax too. They sat quietly as the movie played, neither of them paying much attention to what was actually happening on screen. For the first time since they'd left the restaurant, Azzi let herself stop overthinking. Paige wasn't rushing her. Wasn't expecting anything from her. She just wanted to be here. With her. The realization settled warmly in Azzi's chest as she sank further into Paige's side, content to let the silence stretch between them.
A few minutes passed. Then a few more. Eventually, a familiar feeling prickled at the back of her neck.
Azzi smiled slowly, she tilted her head back. "What?"
Paige looked almost guilty. "What?"
Azzi lifted an eyebrow. "You're staring at me."
Paige sighed dramatically before reaching into the pocket of her jeans. "Okay."
Immediately, Azzi sat up a little straighter. "What are you doing?"
"Hold on."
"Paige."
Paige laughed quietly. Then she pulled out a small box.
Azzi froze. "Paige." Her voice came out softer this time.
Paige suddenly looked almost as nervous as she had in the restaurant. "I know it's probably too much, but I already bought it."
That made Azzi laugh.
Paige's shoulders relaxed slightly. "Just open it."
Carefully, Azzi took the box from her hands. The second she lifted the lid, her breath caught. Inside was a delicate silver cross necklace, tiny diamonds catching the light from the television. For a moment, she just stared. Because she knew that necklace. She'd stopped in front of that display more than once.
She looked up. "How did you..."
Paige's smile turned almost shy. Azzi wasn't sure she'd ever seen that expression before. She looked back down at the necklace. Then back at Paige. And before she could stop herself, she leaned forward and kissed her. Paige made a surprised sound before immediately kissing her back. When they finally pulled apart, Azzi was still smiling.
"You're ridiculous."
Paige grinned. "That's not a thank you."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
She closed the box and set it carefully on the coffee table in front of them.
Without thinking too much about it, she turned and pressed another quick kiss to Paige's lips before settling back into her side.
For the next half hour, they stayed curled up together on the couch. At some point, Paige's thumb began tracing absentminded circles against her side.
It was such a small gesture.
But once Azzi noticed it, she couldn't stop noticing it.
Every slow pass of Paige's thumb sent a little shiver through her. She shifted against the couch, trying to focus on the movie instead.
It didn't help.
The television continued playing in the background while Azzi became increasingly aware of the warmth of Paige's arm around her waist and the steady rhythm of her touch. She was constantly shifting to distract herself from the ache between her legs. At some point Azzi got fed up, and turned to face Paige.
“Wassup” Paige glanced down immediately.
Azzi swept the back of her hand across Paige's cheek before brushing her fingers through her hair. Paige's eyes fluttered shut. Azzi felt herself smile. She liked seeing her like this. Relaxed. Comfortable. The tension she'd carried throughout the evening seemed to melt away beneath the simple touch. Paige leaned into her hand instinctively. The movement was small, but it made something warm twist in Azzi's chest. Her fingers caught lightly in Paige's hair, giving a gentle tug. Paige let out a soft sound that made Azzi's breath hitch.
Slowly, Paige opened her eyes again. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Azzi found herself studying her. There was something different in her expression now. Softer. More open. The bright blue of her eyes seemed darker in the dim light of the living room, her gaze fixed entirely on Azzi. The look sent a nervous flutter through her stomach.
“Az-” before she could say anything, Azzi pulled Paige's in by the neck, crashing their lips together. The kiss was intense, it felt like neither one was being careful anymore. They both needed this.
Azzi felt Paige's tongue slid against her lip, prodding her to open hers wider. When she finally licked inside her mouth, Azzi moaned at the feeling. Hearing this, Paige hand slid to her waist pulling her closer. Azzi was quick to swing her leg around Paige's legs, settling against her lap.
Azzi lightly pushed her back against the couch leaning down, sinking into the kiss. Azzi shifted her hips slightly against Paige's, causing Paige to groan slightly. She felt Paige grip her waist, pulling her down slightly. It was getting harder to breathe but it felt too good. Azzi pulled back slightly, lips still ghosting over Paige’s.
“Bedroom” Azzi basically breathed.
“Are you sure?” Paige said carefully, but Azzi could hear the restraint in her voice.
Azzi nodded, connecting their lips again. “Please fuck me” she said into Paiges lips.
That must've motivated her, because Paige quickly readjusted her hands and was standing up off the couch.
Azzi squealed a little, not expecting that.
“Hold on” Paige mumbled readjusting her hold. She slowly made her way to the bedroom, careful not to bump into anything on the way. They kept their lips together, but Paige wasn't as focused as before.
When Paige got to the edge of the bed, she gently lowered Azzi till she was laying. She climbed onto the mattress, her knees bracketing her legs. Azzi reached up and pulled her down causing Paige to laugh into her mouth. Their kiss was a little slower this time, Paige mapping out her mouth. Azzi just let her, she felt her body relaxing into her touch.
She felt Paige’s fingers slide up her sides, lifting her shirt in a silent question. Azzi was quick with a head nod, Paige sat back on her heels while Azzi ripped her shirt off before laying back on her elbows. Paige took a second to just look. Azzi breathed slowly, looking at Paige's face. She looked needy, almost hungry. That lit a fire in the bottom of Azzi’s stomach.
Paige leaned down, lightly kissing her before tracing along her cheek and down along her jaw. Azzi couldn't hold herself up any longer falling back against the pillows. Paige followed, connecting her lips to her neck. Azzi could only let out a soft breath. The kisses on her neck sent shivers throughout her body. She couldn't think of a time when she felt this good.
Paige made her way farther down stopping right above the edge of her bra line. She pulled back to look at Azzi.
“I love this bra” She said leaning down kissing her once, then a little further down over the bra. And then finally found her nipple biting at it over the bra. Azzi let out an embarrassing loud moan at this. She could feel pleasure shooting through her body. Paiges one hand slid up grabbing at her other breast lightly kneading it as she sucked on her nipple.
Azzi lasted six seconds before she was pushing at Paige's shoulder sitting up and reaching behind her back to un hook her bra. She pulled at the straps, grabbing it in her hand and throwing it somewhere across the room before laying back down and grabbing Paige to follow her. Paige went right back to work on her breasts. Switching sides kissing her way to Azzi's other nipple.
“You're so beautiful,” Paige said into the skin of her breast. She could only let out a sigh. Not sure what words would come out. Paige kept working at her nipple, while her other hand started exploring the skin of her abdomen. Trailing her finger up and down.
She could feel herself getting wetter, the ache growing, and she was doing anything she could to cause friction. Paige must have caught on, coming back up to her lips.
“What do you need?” Paige said in a husky voice.
Azzi hesitated, not sure what to say.
“Tell me what you want” Paige whispered again, causing goosebumps on Azzi’s skin. She was nervous to say it. She never really talked during this. She never had to say what she wanted. But then again, she never ended up getting what she really wanted. That gave her a boost of confidence.
Azzi grabbed Paiges hand that was on her stomach, sliding it over her boxers between her legs. She bit Paige's lip before pulling back.
“I need you to touch me” Azzi could hear how desperate she sounded, but she didn't care. She had been wanting this, dreaming about this for so long, she thought she might combust.
Paige smiled at this slowly reaching for her waistband pushing past her underwear. She was slowly moving her hand over Azzi’s center exploring.
She heard Paig’s breath catch. “Your so wet Az”
“About time” Azzi joked. “Ive been like this for weeks” She breathed out before a moan. Paige had started moving her finger pads over Azzi clit, rubbing small circles. Paige leaned down kissing her slow, listening to Azzi’s breathing and how her body reacted to her touch.
“Yeah” She sounded almost taunting. “You need me that bad?” All Azzi could do was nod her head. Paige moved her hands farther down feeling the wetness as Azzi’s center. “Fuck” Paige huffed out. She gathered her slick, bringing it back up to Azzi's clit, rubbing tighter circles.
“That okay? You like that?” Paige whispered in Azzi’s ear.
“Mhm, yeah” Azzi choked out. “It's good” was all she could say. Her breath stuttered. Azzi reached down grabbing at the bed sheets needing to hold something. She was feeling the ache start to build. She bucked her hips up into Paige's hand causing her to smile into a kiss. Paige sped up slightly from that.
“Please” Azzi breathed “dont, dont stop” She got out.
Paige just smiled into another kiss. She circled her fingers a few more times before she was easing her hand off and pulling it back.
“Mghu” Azzi mumbled out grabbing at Paige’s hand that was pulling out of her shorts.
“I gotta taste you,” Paige said, kissing her jaw and then biting the lobe of her ear. That effectively shut Azzi up. Her breath caught in her throat and just gave a tiny nod. Azzi could feel Paige’s smile from her lips traveling down her neck. Taking her time to nip and suck on ever part of skin she could. When she got down to her belly bottom she lightly tugged at the ring which sent another shiver down her body. Azzi brought her hand up lightly combing her fingers through Paige’s hair, grounding herself. Paige trailed a little farther down before looking up and locking eyes with Azzi.
“This okay?” she emphasized with her fingers pulling at the waistband.
Azzi nodded feverishly “please” she barely breathed out. What can she say, she was needy. She was pent up. For weeks. She didn’t care at this point. No nervousness, no hesitation, just pure straight want. Paige could see it in her face, that only made her smile more.
Paige pulled her boxers down way too slow for Azzi's liking, she kissed along her legs as she got further down. Azzi helped once they were at her ankles, quickly kicking them off the bed which made Paige chuckle.
Paige took a second just admiring, lightly messaging Azzi’s calf before leaning down kissing right above her knee. She peppered kissing along her leg moving closer to where Azzi needed her. She started squirming a little bit, which only made Paige's grin grow.
“You’re enjoying this way too much,” Azzi said with a huff reaching down to run her hands through Paige’s hair.
“Maybe a little” Paige mumbled into her skin, right by her hip bone. She kissed further down in the crease of her leg. She ghosted her lips over her center blowing a little causing Azzi to shiver.
“Stop” Azzi whined. She sounded ridiculous but she was on the verge of exploding.
“Ask nicely,” Paige said, pressing the lightest kiss on Azzi’s clit.
Azzi’s breath hitched. She could feel her pulse around nothing. “Please” she said in a breath. Her hand in Paige's hair tightened. “Please” she said a little louder with more urgency.
“Good girl” Paige mumbled before pressing a firm open mouthed kiss against her clit. Azzi let out a shaky breath at the feeling. Paige took her time, licking lightly from her entrance up to her clit, then lightly sucking between her lips.
Paige lightly hummed at the taste causing a drawn out moan from Azzi. Paige was slow, and attentive, listening to what made Azzi’s breath louder, what made her squirm. Paige was taking her time.
Paige kept one hand wrapped under her leg and was lightly rubbing the outside of her hip. The other was holding her right leg down. Every pass over her clit, Azzi felt herself buck her hips up slightly, lightly tugging Paige closer. That only made Paige’s tongue move faster, swirling around her clit in a devastating rhythm.
Azzi could feel a finger lightly prodding her entrance causing her to look down. Paige was already looking up at her with her eyebrows raised asking a silent question.
Azzi nodded, “yes please” she said breathly. Paige immediately complied sliding her finger in agonizingly slow. She pumped a few times before she felt Paige add another finger, moving a little faster and curling perfectly hitting that spongy part inside. Paige continued sucking on Azzi’s clit causing Azzi's moans to get embarrassingly loud.
“Fuck”- she choked out hips rocking to the rythym of Paige’s mouth and fingers. Her grip tightened in Paige's hair keeping her locked in place. Not that she was going anywhere, but just in case.
It was only a minute or two before Azzi started to feel her body tense, her clit pulse feverishly. Her hand clamped roughly on Paige's scalp. Azzi felt the moment the band snapped, pleasure shooting through her body. She came apart with a cry, her pulse pounding in her ears. She felt Paige slow her fingers, still working her through it. Azzi's body slowly melted into the bed.
Azzi’s breath started to return to normal, and she loosened her grip on Paige's head slowly moving her hand down to Paige's shoulder, weakly pulling at her to come closer. Paige complied immediately climbing back up Azzi’s body leaving kisses as she made her way up. Her hand stayed at Azzi's center leaving her palm flat against her clit, putting pressure for any lingering pulses.
Paige brushed a kiss over her lips slowly, But Azzi pulled her down connecting their lips with a little more passion. Paige just smiled into it. They kissed for a few minutes, Azzi just fully settling into the peace. Paige leaned back slightly to look her in the eyes.
“You okay?” Paige asked lightly
“Mhm” Azzi said with a small smile. “That was-” She nodded looking away, “really good”
Paige just smirked, leaning in for another kiss. “I aim to please” She said against her mouth.
Azzi laughed for a second before it came out as a choked moan. Paige had pressed her palm down in a circular motion, before letting up and sliding her fingers through her folds. Before she could say anything Paige kissed her again, her hand moving a little faster against her clit. Azzi could feel the tightening in her stomach come a little quicker this time. Her hand reached down to Paige's wrist, not to stop her but to have something to ground her. Azzi could barely breath with how Paige’s hand was moving, and how she was kissing her.
Azzi leaned her head away to get a breath in, Paige just moved her head down to her jaw, kissing her way to her neck. Azzi just closed her eyes and leaned into the feeling. As Paige's movements got quicker Azzi squirmed.
“I dont-” she breathed out. “I cant-” she could only get out before Paige was moving back connecting their lips. Paige mumbled against her mouth
“You can” she rasped out, almost sounding out of breath herself. Azzi clenched at the noise. Even though she was sensitive, wanting to be good for Paige, she let go giving into the feeling. She was so lost in the pleasure she could barely register what Paige was whispering in her ear. All she knew was something about a good girl. Which only made her clench more.
It was only a few minutes before she was cumming again. This time it caught her by suprise. One minute she was clenching, the next she was hit with pleasure. It felt like her body was slowly lighting on fire.
Paige slowed her hand kissing back up her neck and connecting their lips. Azzi lightly pushed at Paige's hand from the feeling. Paige smiled before placing one last lingering kiss against her lips. Azzi closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She felt the bed dip on her side, Paige laying down on her side, her head propped up by her elbow.
Paige placed her hand across Azzi’s stomach, lightly rubbing her thumb along her skin. Azzi just layed there with her eyes closed for a minute before slowly peeling them open and looking over at Paige. She brought her hand up against Paige's cheek pulling her in for another kiss.
“Thank you” she mumbled. Her body felt like jello.
“Anytime.” Paige punctuated it with a kiss to her shoulder before leaning her head back in her hand.
They just stared at each other for a few seconds, Azzi taking in Paige's appearance. Her hair slightly tousled from Azzi gripping at it. The witness on her chin, and the slight red surrounding her lips. She looked a little crazy, but it made Azzi’s stomach flutter. She looked so good. Like she could go another ten rounds.
Paige must’ve been reading her mind, she placed her hand fully on her stomach, almost stopping her from moving.
“You look tired,” she said with a grin. “Let's just chill for a second” She said, sitting up slightly to pull the blanket over them.
“Wait” Azzi said but stopped herself. She wasn't sure what she was trying to ask.
“I-” She hesitated. “Can I- I wanna do that to you” the heat immediately rose to her face. She sounded like an idiot that's for sure.
“Why don't we just relax for a sec” Paige said, laying against the pillows, holding her arm out for Azzi to lay against her side. She looked at her for a second before giving in and laying her head on Paige's chest. Paige started rubbing her back slowly.
Azzi tried to keep her eyes open, but after everything, she felt her body relaxing every trace of Paige's hand. Her eyes started slowly shutting. She held out as long as she could but before she knew it, sleep pulled her under.
A/N: WINGS UP MOTHERFUCKERS!!!! Azzi was almost perfect from the field! Whoever jinxed her...you will start coughing in three days. Anywho, here's Chapter 3! I hope you love it!!! xx Elle
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Azzi was proud of the outfit she’d thrown together. It still satisfied her parents’ rules for modesty, but it was one of the cuter pairings she’d made in a while. The spaghetti strapped, gingham dress was a piece that was only supposed to be worn under a cardigan, but she slipped a white, short-sleeved t-shirt under the navy dress. She finished her outfit off with a pair of stark white ballet flats.
For the first time in her four years at Hays County High, Azzi wore a War Hawks gameday button. It wasn’t something that would matter to anyone else, but it meant everything to her.
She wasn’t wearing it because Jake was on the team or because he was expecting her to show up or because her parents expected her to support him.
She was wearing it because she wanted to.
And that – doing what she wanted no matter the expectations of others – that made her smile.
Then, she looked in the mirror again.
And for a second, all she could see where the things she didn’t have.
Everything she couldn’t have.
All the other girls wore denim shorts and tank tops when the September days felt like a sauna. She wished she could wear an outfit that she wouldn’t overheat in. That she could have a jersey number painted on her cheeks and thighs. That she could cover herself in blue glitter and take fun pictures with her friends.
She’d spent the last four years watching them. Wishing. Wondering what it would be like to do something because you wanted to, and not just because you were expected to.
Her eyes drifted back to the button she’d been so proud to wear.
It should’ve been a 5 – she wanted it to be a 5.
She wanted it all.
The joy. The belonging. The freedom.
Freedom to live.
Freedom to love.
Freedom to just…be.
Freedom to just exist without having to mold herself to someone else’s expectations.
That was what she wanted. More than anything.
Her eyes met her reflection's.
The girl staring back looked exactly the same as she always had.
Same dress.
Same fake smile.
Same life.
Maybe one day she would be brave enough to get more.
For now, she grabbed her backpack and headed for the door.
It was a Friday, which meant Jake wanted to give her a ride to school, something she tried her best to avoid. But since she’d politely declined for the last two weeks, Azzi knew she’d have to suck it up today.
She looked at her Apple Watch and sighed for the fourth time – he was late again, and Azzi already knew he’d have the world’s dumbest excuse.
When Jacob’s blacked out Jeep Wrangler swerved around the corner – a record seventeen minutes late – she had to remind herself that slamming the door would be disrespectful. Probably disrespectful enough to reach out to her dad. But still, it didn’t stop the quiet groan that passed her lips.
“Sorry I’m so late, Z. I wanted to bring you a coffee.”
Jacob had always been a terrible liar, but Azzi acted none the wiser as she looked at the empty cup holders. “That was so sweet of you, Jake. May I have it please?”
His hazel eyes widened as he scrambled to make an excuse. “Oh, well I remembered Mr. Smith’s bio lecture about caffeine being a drug, and I know Pastor Fudd would kill me if I gave you drugs, so I threw it out.”
Azzi suppressed a frown, trying to think of something her mom would advise her to say. “Well, thank you for thinking of that. I didn’t even realize my dad could think of it like that.”
She left off the fact that she hated the taste of coffee as he mindlessly rambled about the upcoming game. Azzi was content to stare at the trees as he sped to school – that is until he said something that got her attention.
“– Bueckers just thinks she’s better than everybody, but she’s not even supposed to be on the team!” He complained.
Paige may not be better than everybody, but she sure is better than you.
“She thinks she’s so good because she’s got all them offers, but anybody could get those schools.”
That’s odd, because I’m pretty sure you have one Division III offer and one junior college one. And the same scouts who have seen Paige have also seen you.
“You know what I mean, baby?” He asked, finally acknowledging his girlfriend.
Azzi turned to him, adjusting her game day pin. “I’m sorry, Jacob. I know how hard you’ve been working.”
His pitiful pout was wiped off his face as his eyes dropped to the button she had pinned to her chest. “I see somebody is taking what Pastor Woody said at Bible study into account.”
The smirk he wore irritated her, but Azzi had no clue what he was talking about. “What do you mean?”
It could’ve been anything. Pastor Woody was probably Azzi’s least favorite minister at her dad’s church. He wasn’t always so bad, or maybe she was just starting to notice – but his rhetoric was always hateful and harmful. He’d always been homophobic, misogynistic, and a little racist – the last one was the most surprising, considering he served under a Black pastor, but a lot of things didn’t make sense to Azzi.
“When he was talking about being a good girlfriend and wife – how you should be obedient, submissive, and supportive. So we can be a strong, godly couple.” He paused, gesturing to the button. “I appreciate you supporting me. I don’t know why it took you so long.”
Azzi didn’t remember that part of Pastor Woody’s talk, but she didn’t put it past him. “Of course,” she started. “I’m sorry I wasn’t being supportive enough earlier.”
“It’s okay, Z. That’s why it’s so important that you’re with a strong man like me. I’ll lead you well, and you’ll be my perfect little wife after we graduate.”
Those words made her skin crawl so much that she had to force herself not to shiver. But she heard the truth in his words – even if she didn’t marry him right after high school, both of their parents were going to make sure she ended up Mrs. Jacob Gibson.
And maybe for a normal girl, they’d be able to just not do whatever they were told, but Azzi had never done anything else. She told her parents no once or twice when she was little, but the spankings she got quickly shut down any thought of disobedience.
But as much as she didn’t want to upset her parents, she didn’t want to keep living a lie. She didn’t want her kids to think it was good to settle for someone they didn’t love just to keep their parents happy.
Azzi wanted out – she wanted freedom more than anything in the world, but she had no clue how to get there.
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The morning passed in a blur of AP Literature, Calculus, and Economics. Azzi had always loved school, so it was odd that she couldn’t really remember any part of her classes before lunch.
She was on her way to the cafeteria when her phone buzzed in her pocket.
(214) 285-6698: hey its paige. i got your number from jackie, who got it from caroline
Azzi smiled to herself – she’d finally had Paige’s number, something she’d been wishing for since she was in sixth grade. She was so happy she ignored the horror caused by her grammar
Paige Bueckers: since it’s gameday, can we do a session during free per
Paige Bueckers: i have a quiz on interest today, and i just wanna make sure I’m good
Azzi: Hi Paige :) Sounds good! I’ll be heading to the library at the end of lunch
Paige Bueckers: actually, can we work in coach’s office
Paige Bueckers: i’m just anxious and i wanna be locked in
Azzi: Of course! I’ll meet you there
She wondered if Paige was ashamed of needing a tutor. It was more common than most people thought, but Azzi had always felt like asking for help made you a better person. But being ashamed of being tutored didn’t mean that Paige was ashamed of being seen with Azzi – at least that’s what she told herself.
She just shrugged her shoulders and continued to the cafeteria – content smile soft on her face.
When she finally made it to the cafeteria, she heard a loud laugh, and she knew exactly who it was. Paige’s face was lit in glee. She sat at a table with her normal crew. Natasha Cloud was one of her closest friends. She was always nice to Azzi, always tossing a friendly smile her way when they passed each other in the halls. Her arm was around her girlfriend, Izzy’s waist. Izzy and Azzi had been lab partners in physics last year. She was funny and kind, but her parents yelled at her when they found out she was befriending a lesbian.
Finishing out the table was Jackie Young and her girlfriend DiJonai. Jackie was quiet – a silent assassin who had broken 25 school records on the basketball team. Her girlfriend, DiJonai, was one of the prettiest girls in the whole school. She literally looked like a barbie doll. Azzi had never talked to her, but she figured she had to be nice to be in that group.
Azzi longed to have friends where she could be herself without worrying if they would accept her. Instead, her smile faltered as she headed to her table.
Teagan and Chrissy were the closest things Azzi had to best friends. Tegan’s dad was the college pastor, Pastor James, while Chrissy’s dad was Pastor Woody. Obviously, that meant they had to be best friends.
Outside of not feeling like she fit in, Azzi was the only Black person in their friend group. Teagan and Chrissy’s boyfriends, Silas and Harrison, were both white boys who played golf. And Azzi was convinced they were both a little racist, and they only put up with her because her dad was their pastor.
When she sat, they were already going into their prayer-wrapped insults.
"Do you see those dykes over there? Laughing and making sure all the attention is on them," Chrissy sneered, shaking her head in disgust. "It's like they're trying to recruit people into their lifestyle."
They're just eating lunch.
Silas leaned back in his chair, his voice dripping with false concern. "My dad says it's a spiritual sickness. We should pray for them. Pray that God heals them before they corrupt more people."
Loving someone isn't a sickness – it's beautiful.
"Especially Natasha," Teagan added, her voice taking on that sanctimonious tone Azzi hated. "She's the quarterback. She has so much influence. And she's using it to normalize sin. The Bible is very clear about this."
The Bible also says to love your neighbor.
Harry jumped in quickly, his jaw clenched. "It's an abomination – two women being together. It's right there in scripture. There's no gray area."
Two people loving each other shouldn't be an abomination.
"And Jackie," Chrissy continued, her eyes narrowing as she watched the basketball player laugh with her girlfriend. "Breaking all those records, getting all that attention – and for what? To flaunt her sin? She's making a mockery of what it means to be a woman."
Silas nodded in agreement. "My dad says women like that are rejecting God's design. They're supposed to be nurturing, submissive. Not out here playing sports like men and corrupting young girls."
Jackie is just playing basketball.
"Paige and Natasha want to be boys so bad. May the Lord have mercy on their souls," Teagan held her hand to her heart as she shook her head. "And now they've got DiJonai wrapped up in it too. That girl could have any boy she wanted, but instead she's choosing to live in darkness."
Being masculine didn't mean they wanted to be boys. Maybe they were just more comfortable that way.
"Exactly," Harrison said, his voice low and venomous. "DiJonai's beautiful. It's such a waste. She's throwing away her future, her chance at a real family, real children. All because she's been influenced by those perverts."
DiJonai looks happy.
Jacob wore a cold smirk, and Azzi knew that whatever came out of his mouth would be absolutely vile.
"It's sad because Paige, Natasha, and Jackie are actually pretty. They just need someone to fix them. Someone to show them what real love looks like. How they should be with a man. They're confused, that's all."
Chrissy nodded eagerly. "My mom says we should distance ourselves from them. That being around that kind of behavior could influence us. She says Azzi should especially be careful, since she's lab partners with one of them. We don't want people thinking she's –"
"Exactly," Silas interrupted, his eyes landing on Azzi with an intensity that made her skin crawl. "You'd be smart to stay away from them, Azzi. Your dad would be disappointed if people thought you were associating with those people."
I'm not associating. I'm just existing in the same space.
"Pastor Woody preached about it the other day," Teagan said, her voice dropping to a whisper as if sharing a secret. "He said that homosexuality is a choice. A rebellion against God's order. And that those who enable it are complicit in their sin."
How is love a sin? They aren't even hurting anyone.
Harrison leaned forward, his voice dripping with false pity. "We should pray for them. Pray that they turn from their wicked ways before it's too late. Before they face God's judgment."
"And we should pray for you too, Azzi," Chrissy added, reaching over to pat her hand. "That you stay strong in your faith. That you don't let their influence pull you away from what's right."
What's right is letting people live.
Jacob's smirk widened. "My mom says Paige's dad is divorced. That's probably why she turned out like this. Broken home, broken person. No wonder she's so messed up."
Silas nodded solemnly. "Generational sin. That's what my dad calls it. It gets passed down. Those girls never stood a chance."
That's not how this works.
"We're not being mean," Teagan said, her voice taking on that defensive, righteous tone. "We're being honest. We're being faithful. The Bible says to speak truth in love."
This isn't love. This is cruelty dressed up in scripture.
"And honestly," Chrissy continued, her eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of her own piety, "I feel sorry for them. They're going to hell, and they don't even know it. We're the only ones brave enough to say it."
Azzi dropped her sandwich, stomach rolling with nausea.
"I –" Azzi's voice cracked. She pressed her hand to her mouth. "I have to go. Tutoring session."
She didn't wait for a response. She grabbed her bag and practically ran from the cafeteria, her ballet flats squeaking against the linoleum. The bathroom was mercifully empty when she burst through the door. She barely made it to the first stall before her body rejected everything – the sandwich, the hatred, the cruelty wrapped in scripture.
They're talking about Paige. About the girl I –
She couldn't even finish the thought. Her hands shook as she gripped the cold porcelain. Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. If she started crying, she wouldn't stop.
Fix them. Like they're broken. Like loving someone is something that needs to be cured.
Azzi flushed and stumbled to the sink. Her reflection looked pale, mascara slightly smudged. She splashed cold water on her face and rinsed her mouth, trying to wash away the taste of bile and self-loathing.
I sat there. I didn't say anything. I just sat there and let them.
She gripped the edge of the sink until her hands shook.
I'm such a coward.
🏈📖💙🏈📖💙🏈📖💙🏈📖💙🏈
Coach Franklin's office smelled like old leather and coffee. Azzi had arrived five minutes early, spreading out her color-coded materials on the small table in the corner. Her hands were still trembling slightly, but she forced them steady as she organized the practice problems she'd prepared.
The door swung open, and Paige walked in wearing her football jersey – number 5 in navy and silver – and white shorts that hit just above her knee. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, a few blonde strands framing her face.
"Hey." Paige spoke immediately. "You okay?"
Azzi's heart stuttered. "What?"
"In the cafeteria. I saw you basically run out of there." Paige dropped into the chair across from her, leaning forward with genuine concern in her blue eyes. "You looked upset."
She noticed. She actually noticed me.
Nobody noticed Azzi anymore. She'd perfected the art of being invisible – blending into the background, never making waves, never drawing attention. But Paige had seen her. Paige had noticed.
"I'm fine," Azzi managed, feeling warmth bloom in her chest. "Just needed some air."
Paige studied her for a moment longer, then nodded slowly. "Alright. But if you need to talk or whatever..."
"Thank you." Azzi's voice came out softer than she intended. She cleared her throat and pulled out the practice problems. "So, I pulled a few problems to get you ready for your quiz."
"Yes, please." Paige groaned dramatically, but there was a smile playing at her lips. "I need to be locked in."
They started with simple interest, and Azzi was impressed by how quickly Paige worked through the problems. Her handwriting was messy but confident, and she talked through her process out loud.
"Okay, so if it's simple interest, I just multiply principal times rate times time." Paige tapped her pencil against the paper. "So $2,000 at 5% for 3 years is... $2,000 times 0.05 times 3, which is $300 in interest."
"Perfect!" Azzi beamed. "You got it! I knew you would."
Paige grinned, and Azzi found herself distracted by the way the fluorescent lights caught the definition in Paige's arms as she reached for her calculator. The jersey's sleeves were cut short enough to show the curve of her biceps, the smooth lines of muscle that came from hours of training.
Focus, Azzi.
But it was hard to focus when Paige shifted in her seat, the white chinos pulling slightly across her thighs. Azzi had never really looked at anyone like this before – had never let herself. But there was something about the casual confidence in the way Paige sat, legs spread slightly, which bothered her when Jake did it. The veins in her hands were visible as she gripped the pencil, and Azzi wondered what it would feel like to –
"Azzi?"
She snapped her attention back to Paige's face, heat flooding her cheeks. "Sorry, what?"
"Is this right?" Paige turned the paper around, showing her work for a compound interest problem.
Azzi leaned in, grateful for the excuse to focus on something concrete. "Let me see... Yes! That's exactly right. You even remembered to divide the rate by the number of times it compounds per year."
"Hell yeah." Paige pumped her fist, and Azzi couldn't help but laugh.
"You're doing so well, Paige. Seriously."
Paige's expression shifted, something vulnerable flickering across her face. She set down her pencil and looked at Azzi directly. "You know, you've given me more encouragement in one week than I've gotten from my teachers in the last year."
Azzi's heart cracked open. "What?"
"I'm serious." Paige shrugged, but there was weight behind the gesture. "Most of them just – they see my grades and assume I'm not trying. Or that I'm stupid. And maybe I wasn't trying for a little while, but they didn't care enough to ask why. They never really care why I'm struggling."
"Paige." Azzi reached across the table without thinking, her hand hovering near Paige's. "You're not stupid. You're actually really smart."
Paige huffed out a laugh. "I appreciate the lie –"
"It's not a lie. I don't lie." Azzi's voice was firm. "Your brain just works differently than the way most teachers teach. But different doesn't mean bad. It just means you need someone to explain things in a way that makes sense to you."
Paige stared at her, and Azzi watched something shift in those blue eyes – surprise, maybe, or gratitude. Or something else entirely.
"Thank you," Paige said quietly. "Really."
Azzi smiled, pulling her hand back before she did something stupid like actually touch Paige's skin. "You're welcome. Now let's do a few more problems so you can ace this quiz next period."
🏈📖💙🏈📖💙🏈📖💙🏈📖💙🏈
The library was nearly empty when Azzi settled into her favorite corner after school, pulling out her French assignment. She'd been working through a translation of Tartuffe for twenty minutes when she heard footsteps – fast, urgent footsteps that didn't belong in a library.
The door burst open, and Paige ran in wearing her full football uniform, shoulder pads, cleats, and all. Her face was split by the biggest smile Azzi had ever seen, and she had a paper clenched tightly in her fist.
"Azzi!"
Several students looked up, annoyed, but Paige didn't seem to care. She jogged over to Azzi's table, practically vibrating with excitement.
"An 82!" Paige thrust the paper toward her, the red number circled at the top. "I got an 82! I haven't gotten a B on anything since like middle school!"
Azzi's face broke into a matching grin. "Paige! That's amazing!"
"Thank you!" Before Azzi could process what was happening, Paige pulled her up from her chair and wrapped her in a hug so tight that Azzi's feet actually left the ground. She smelled like grass and sweat and something rich, maybe cologne or shampoo, and Azzi's brain short-circuited.
Oh my God. Oh my God. She's hugging me. Paige Bueckers is hugging me.
When Paige set her down, Azzi felt dizzy.
"I've been looking everywhere for you," Paige said, still beaming. "I checked the stadium first, but you weren't there yet."
"I waned to finish my French assignment." Azzi gestured weakly at her abandoned notebook.
"Right, yeah. Sorry." Paige didn't look sorry at all. "Can I walk with you to the stadium?"
"Sure."
They packed up Azzi's things and headed out into the hallway. The school was mostly empty now, just the echo of their footsteps and the distant sound of a janitor's cart. It felt intimate somehow, just the two of them in this big empty space.
"I really can't thank you enough," Paige said as they walked. "I know tutoring me is probably the last thing you want to do with your free time."
If only you knew.
"I don't mind," Azzi said honestly. "You're easy to work with. You actually want to learn."
Paige bumped her shoulder gently against Azzi's. "That's because you're a good teacher."
Azzi's entire body felt warm.
🏈📖💙🏈📖💙🏈📖💙🏈📖💙🏈
Friday night at The Nest was electric. The stands were packed, the smell of popcorn and hot dogs thick in the air. The War Hawks were playing their biggest rival, and the energy was infectious.
For the first time in four years, Azzi wasn't reading a book.
She sat in her usual spot, front row, right behind the team bench, but her eyes weren't on Jake. They were on number 5.
Every time Paige caught the ball, Azzi jumped to her feet. Every time she broke a tackle or made a cut that left defenders grasping at air, Azzi's heart soared.
It was a blowout game. The War Hawks were up 42-14 by the fourth quarter, and Paige had scored four touchdowns. Four. Azzi had screamed herself hoarse, clapping until her palms stung.
On Paige's eighth strong run, a 35-yard gain that had the entire stadium on their feet, Azzi found herself grinning so wide her cheeks hurt. She didn't care that Teagan and Chrissy were probably judging her from wherever they were sitting. She didn't care that Jake kept shooting her confused looks from the sideline.
She only cared about watching Paige play.
When the final whistle blew, Coach Franklin called the team together at midfield. Azzi watched as he held up the game ball, saying something she couldn't quite hear. Then he handed it to Paige.
The team erupted in cheers, and Paige held the ball above her head, laughing. Her eyes scanned the crowd, and then –
They locked on Azzi.
Time seemed to slow. The noise of the stadium faded to a dull roar. Paige's smile softened into something else, something private and just for her. She nodded once, a small acknowledgment, and Azzi felt it in her chest like a physical thing.
She sees me. She really sees me.
In that moment, with Paige's eyes on her and the cool night air on her skin and the taste of freedom on her tongue, Azzi felt something she hadn't felt in years.
YAYYYY DALLAS 30PT WIN OVER THE ACES
sometimes i worry that i make this too internal monologue-y, but then i remember that's like lowk the point of what i'm trying to write so?? i hope it's not too think-y lol. also reminder that everything written is paige's POV as someone raised very catholic and trying to navigate that!!
TWs: Internalized homophobia, Catholic guilt
but i don’t really know this place
and it’s lonesome here in the wide-open space
can it be as real as it seems?
maybe this time, i won’t wake from the dream
what am i destined to be? it’s a mystery, baby
just please don’t leave me alone
“Mom, look what I can do!” the boy said. He couldn’t have been older than five years old. His damp dirty blonde curls were smushed to his forehead. His blue swim trunks were littered with an array of dinosaurs and his arm floaties sported images of Super Mario–both dripping water all over the concrete as he walked backwards to place his back against the fence, winding up to show off his “epic cannonball”.
It was hot out. The sun was beating down onto her shoulders and reflecting blindingly off the surface of the pool.
The boy ran towards the pool and leaped, jumping into the water and creating a small splash.
Once he resurfaced, he paddled over to her, pushing his curls out of his face with the palm of his hands. His brown eyes were squinted as he looked up at her, wading in the water.
“I didn’t do it right,” he pouted.
She held her arms out at him. “Wanna try again?”
He nodded vigorously, swimming close enough that she could lift him up under his arms and set him on the ledge of the pool.
“You got it, buddy. Try to make sure you keep your legs tucked. Then you’ll make a bigger splash.”
He notted, biting his lip in concentration as he stepped back, brows furrowing. He took his cannonballing very seriously.
He sprinted towards the pool and leaped, this time perfecting his tuck and keeping it long enough to create a respectably-sized splash when he made contact with the surface of the water.
When he finally resurfaced, she cheered, “That was great, bud! You did it!”
He had a bright smile on his face as his cheeks reddened from the praise. He swam back over to her and she playfully grabbed him and blew a raspberry on his chest.
The boy giggled loudly, playfully pushing back at her. Her heart swelled at the sweet sound.
“Lunch is ready.”
She startled, looking up and meeting warm brown eyes.
Paige woke with a start, sitting up and breathing heavily, bringing her hand up over her heart as adrenaline shot through her veins. What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck.
She gripped the sheets as she forced herself to take controlled breaths. She tried to focus on what she could see and hear around her: the ceiling fan making gentle clicking noises as it spun above her, her little volleyball keychains hanging from a lanyard wrapped around the door handle to her closet making gentle clanking noises as the airflow moved them. The pink and purple lava lamp on her desk that she’d left on last night, illuminating a purple glow around her room. The beautiful, ornate cross hanging on her wall across from her bed.
The clock on her nightstand, reading 5:35 a.m.. Which was just cruel.
Get a grip, Paige.
She fisted her shirt where it laid over her chest and forced herself to take deep, measured breaths. She felt insane. What kind of creep dreams about having children with a friend. Azzi would probably think she was disgusting if she knew.
Paige tried to redirect her thoughts to anything else. Volleyball. College recruitment. What she was going to eat for breakfast. Puppies. What kind of dog she wants one day. Which tests she had coming up next week.
A few hours passed of Paige just laying in her bed, staring at her ceiling, trying to regulate her breaths as she inevitably rolled over the same handful of thoughts in her head.
Eventually, the sun rose. It was light outside now: sun shining, birds chirping. There was something almost upsetting in such a beautiful morning being illuminated outside of her windows when she herself felt so torn apart.
She heard running coming from down the hall, which was shortly followed by her bedroom door flying open, rattling the picture frames on her wall. Drew stood there, still holding onto his blankie that he swore he outgrew but never slept without, curls wild, face brimming with excitement.
“Paigey,” he whined, standing at her doorway. “I wanna get breakfast.”
“Not today, Drew.”
“What?!” he exclaimed, standing there with his mouth agape, like he couldn’t fathom what he was hearing.
Paige felt guilt fester in her chest as she tightened her blanket around her shoulders. “I don’t feel like it today.”
He crossed the room to stand right next to her bed, prying under her blanket to loop his hands around her arm, leveraging all of his body weight to tug on her. “Get up.”
“Quit it!” she snapped at him, ripping her arm out of his grasp.
His face fell, and she instantly felt regret. His brows furrowed as his eyes flew all over her face, searching her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” she mumbled. “I jus’ wanna be left alone today.”
He studied her, far more perceptive than an eight year old should’ve been. His gaze softened as he crawled up over her and onto the center of her bed, sitting criss-cross right next to her, his knee touching Paige’s thigh. He leaned over to poke her cheek. “Why’re you sad?”
“Just am,” she said as she rested her head back on her pillow and closed her eyes.
It was silent for a few moments, before Drew asked, “We could watch a movie?”
She squinted an eye open to look at him where he sat with a hopeful expression on his face. “What movie?”
“Lego Batman?” he asked.
Paige thought about it for a second. “Okay, fine.”
He pumped his fist in celebration. “Yes!” He scampered out of her bed and reached to grab her arm again, this time successfully getting her out of bed.
Paige’s moping was then relocated to their couch downstairs. It did little to take the previous day and the dream off of her mind, but Drew’s excitement over the movie was contagious and allowed her to feel a little better, just for a few hours.
——
Sunday, September 22nd, 2024 — St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church, Anderson, SC
She didn’t know what to do with the feelings that had taken permanent residence in her chest. Ever since waking up that morning, Paige had been really, truly struggling. So, she did what she always did when things got too much—she went to God.
Sitting and praying in her room hadn’t been offering her any relief, so she’d decided to drive to a Catholic church in the area. She’d tried attending service at a more affirming non-denominational church that past Sunday, but the guilt of betraying what she was raised to believe was the one true, apostolic Church throughout her whole childhood had eaten her alive, and the last thing she’d needed in that moment was more guilt.
Despite how beautiful the early morning was when she woke up, it was now pouring outside. She had elected to leave her own Bible in the car, lest it get drenched on her way into the building. She (an idiot that had not grabbed an umbrella) made a sprint for it once she got out of the car, and her hair still ended up sopping wet by the time she made it inside the building.
Awesome.
Her shoes were squeaking with every step as she trudged herself towards the main entrance.
The inside of it was beautiful. The stations of the cross were beautifully embellished in stained glass along the walls of the nave, along with intricate wood carvings to match. She wished so desperately that it wasn’t raining, so she could have the chance to see what she was sure would be beautiful rays of light streaming through the stained glass.
Paige’s stupid squeaky footsteps echoed throughout the room as she walked to a pew, kneeling and doing the sign of the cross before moving to sit down and kneel in the row, resting her elbows on the back of the back of the pew in front of her as she clasped her hands and bowed her head.
She was the only one in the room. It was quiet. All she could hear was the thrum of the rain hitting the rooftop. Usually, the sound would relax her, but today it just added to her nerves.
She let herself sit in silence, just breathing in God’s presence.
I’m sorry.
She felt awful. Like she had betrayed God by feeling the way she did, and betraying Him even more by being so upset about it.
She thought she’d come to terms with being gay and Christian and she thought she’d been steadfast in her belief that the Bible didn’t actually condemn homosexuality. That God was love and He loved her for who she was. But, she’d also grown up being taught the notion that feelings of guilt and shame were the truest forms of conviction. That, when she felt this way, it meant her conscience was recognizing her sin as morally wrong, and it was God’s way of calling her home. She’d never felt it this strongly before.
I’m sorry.
She took a shaky deep breath, forcing herself to focus on her breathing and nothing else, letting herself sit in her feelings.
After sitting and just letting herself feel for who knows how long, she eventually came to the conclusion that she was just going to have to force herself to get over it and just see the other girl as a friend. To just be normal even if, deep down, she knew she wasn’t. Even though she hadn’t known her very long, she didn’t want to lose Azzi as a friend, or lose her trust. Everyone had their own cross to carry, and she vowed that this would always be hers.
She sat in the pew for probably another hour or so, just trying to clear her mind. A few people came and went in and out of the church, but none of them paid her any mind–something she found herself quite grateful for. Being there definitely did help a little.
It was still raining when she left, but not as hard, so she wasn’t as soaked when she reached her car. Just medium-soaked.
After getting home from the church, she’d tried her best to keep herself busy to keep herself centered. She’d done a mini-workout in her room, she’d gone for a run (even though she usually hated straight cardio), and now she was just reading random verses in the Bible, hoping that maybe she’d find something that would ease everything she was feeling.
Halfway through one of the verses, her phone buzzed.
Azzi: Hey, is everything ok? I noticed you weren’t yourself yesterday and wanted to check in 💗
Paige felt her heart fall out of her chest. She didn’t know what to say besides just brushing it off. The truth was certainly off the table. The girl had a boyfriend, for crying out loud. She probably thought being gay was a sin and wouldn’t want to be Paige’s friend anymore if she knew, and Paige would rather be her friend than be nothing at all, as pathetic as it sounds.
Paige: yeah. just got tired
The typing bubble showed up, then went away, then showed back up.
Azzi: Let me know if you need anything!
Paige hearted the message before turning her phone off, letting it fall forward and hit her chest. She stared up at the ceiling, urging herself to just stop feeling this way. Please.
A few hours later, Azzi texted again.
Azzi: Do you want to practice tomorrow?
The pit in her stomach widened. Fuck.
What was she even supposed to say? “Nah, sorry, I cant because I’m obsessed with you and want to marry you and live happily-ever-after with you and you’re apparently straight and have a boyfriend and I’m scared you’ll hate me for it, sorry, whoops!”
Yeah, she’s sure that would go over well.
She ended up sending her the most believable lie she could think of.
Paige: i’m sorry, i cant :( i have to watch my brother
Azzi: Aw! Well I hope you have fun with your brother
Paige felt so guilty about lying to her. So guilty. She used to lie a lot as a small child, but the habit had been extinguished when she had been called out for it in front of the whole class in the first grade by her teacher. For some reason, that experience had stuck with her, and she’d been a shit liar ever since.
Paige: thanks!
She didn’t know why the short text exchange had brought tears to her eyes, but it did. She sighed as she put her phone down and turned over onto her back, squeezing her eyes shut. If this is how I am just texting her, how am I going to survive actually talking to her?
——
Monday, September 23rd, 2024 — The Bueckers’s, Anderson, SC
The thought of seeing Azzi at school the next day filled her with dread. What if she talked about her boyfriend? Paige was almost confident she wouldn’t be able to keep her emotions off of her face. And then that’d probably raise questions. Questions that she absolutely would not be answering.
She was convinced she just needed more time. To process and compartmentalize. Maybe do some more soul searching.
So, as a last resort, she walked down the hallway from her room to her dad’s room, knocking lightly on the cracked door as she walked in.
He was sitting at his desk, laptop open, glasses sitting low on his nose as he read over a document sitting in front of him on the screen. He looked up when he heard her enter. “Hey, kid, what’s up?”
“‘m not feeling well,” she said, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, avoiding his eyes. “Can I stay home tomorrow?”
He got up from his desk and walked over to her, putting the back of his palm on her forehead. “You don’t feel warm,” he pointed out, adding “But you don’t look great.”
She choked out a short laugh. “Thanks.”
“We’ll see how you feel tomorrow, alright? Go get some rest,” he said gently, returning to his desk.
“Okay.”
She ended up convincing him to let her stay home.
She ended up spending the day researching the likes of “Christian books that argue for inclusion” and “what Christian denominations are the most LGBT friendly”.
There were plenty of books out there. God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines, The Widening of God’s Mercy by Richard and Christopher B. Hayes, Changing Our Minds by David Gushee, Why the Church of Nazarene Should Be Fully LGBTQ Affirming by Thomas Jay and Alexa Oord. She was scared to purchase one, lest her dad see the charge on the credit card or see it come in the mail and ask about it. It was at least comforting to her that there were people out there that cared enough about inclusion in the church that they devoted their time to writing full books about it. She ended up pirating a few of them, vowing to buy real, physical copies once she could.
The results for the most affirming church denominations were primarily the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church in America, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the Episcopal Church. She really wanted to find one that felt similar to the Catholic Church, but was inclusive.
The first two options seemed great in their own rights, but they both had something about them that differed from the views she’d developed through her own study. The United Church of Christ seemed wonderful in its extremely progressive views and social justice efforts, but it was a lot more local-based, with each individual church having its own autonomy rather than having unified beliefs. The Presbyterian Church in America believed in salvation from faith alone, but it had been drilled in Paige’s head since she was a child that salvation needed works. The Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Episcopal Church were very similar, and ended up having the core beliefs that matched Paige’s–similar to Catholicism, but with less judgment and guilt.
She started looking into churches in her area that she could go to. She didn’t want one too small, as she really wanted to have a bigger church community to be involved with. She was determined to get into more volunteer work and public service, because she knew having a purpose in life besides setting a volleyball and moping about an unrequited crush would be beneficial to her. There ended up being only one Episcopal church and one Lutheran church near her that fit what she wanted.
After what was probably several hours worth of laying on her bed with her iPad scrolling through the different details about the denominations and different theological stances on sexuality in the Church, her phone buzzed. She rolled over and reached for it off of the nightstand, freezing when she saw the name. Azzi Fudd.
Azzi: Hey, Paige! I hope you’re feeling better. Here’s the notes you missed! Lmk if you want me to explain any of it
Attached were about ten pictures of different pages of notes from the day, featuring the slanted, rushed handwriting she always wrote with when she was trying to keep up with when the teacher was talking fast. She was so sweet. Paige’s chest squeezed.
Paige: thanks azzi i rlly appreciate it
Azzi: No problem!
She felt terrible for lying about being sick. And hadn’t even been able to practice to burn some energy because she had to look like she didn’t feel well.
It was like, no matter what she did, she still felt guilty about something. Guilty about being gay, guilty about hiding feelings from Azzi, guilty about brushing her off for practice.
So she just put her phone down and laid in bed, praying over and over again that she’d stop feeling the way that she did, and that, one day, it would all work itself out.
——
Wednesday, September 25th, 2024 – Westview Rec Center
Paige steeled herself and said a quick prayer for strength as she opened the doors to the rec center for practice.
She’d been dreading it all day. She’d spent the entire morning doing wall sets against the side of her house and she’d spent the afternoon at the gym lifting. Her hips and shoulders were aching, and her car Advil was out and she hadn’t had time to buy more, which meant that she’d likely continue to ache for the duration of practice.
When she turned the corner to the court they always practiced on, Azzi was the first person she saw. Hair in a messy bun, leg sleeve in place on her right leg, wearing another Elevation practice shirt. She was standing with the other girls engaged in conversation. Paige’s heart constricted at the sight of her, the pit in her stomach magnifying tenfold.
Paige walked up to the group, squeezing in next to Kayla.
“Hey, P, how’re you feeling?” Lainey asked.
“Good, thanks,” Paige responded, trying not to outwardly fidget too much. “Just had a cold or something.”
“Well we’re glad you’re back,” Azzi said, offering her a gentle smile that made Paige’s palms feel sweaty. You’re just friends. Just focus on being a good friend.
“Thanks, glad to be back,” Paige replied softly before bending down to change to her practice shoes.
Once practice began, it was clear that Paige was off. Late reaction times, sloppy sets, mistimed hits. Paige’s heart was hammering and she couldn’t shake the thought that everything felt wrong. On top of that, she was pissed at herself for letting her emotions get in the way of her playing. After what was probably her tenth shitty set to Azzi, the girl walked over to her, concern written all over her face.
“Hey, you good?” she asked as she reached a hand out, gently resting against Paige’s arm.
Paige’s throat felt tight as she avoided her eyes. “Yeah, guess I’m still not one hundred percent yet.”
She looked back up at her almost sheepishly as Azzi searched her eyes, eyebrows furrowed. “Well, let me know if you need anything,” Azzi said, supportedly, as she gave her arm a squeeze before letting go.
“Thanks,” Paige replied, moving to return to position.
After the completion of practice—fifty shitty sets and thirty shanked passes later—Paige’s right shoulder was pulsing in complaint and she had a headache forming.
Ava walked up to her, water bottle in hand, practice shoes still on, oblivious to Paige’s misery. “We were talking in school yesterday and decided we wanted to stay later and practice a bit more if you wanna join us.”
Despite how she was feeling, Paige’s eyes lit up and a smile formed on her face. “Oh, yeah, absolutely!”
Never in a million years did she ever think the other girls would take volleyball seriously enough to want to put in extra reps. It was honestly a dream come true for her sport-wired mind.
Well, everyone but Marissa. But Paige thought they could cope with one person being sub-par if the rest of them could pull their weight.
Chris left pretty quickly after practice—he definitely wasn’t the most sociable person on the planet. But he did leave the net up for them, since Paige and Azzi had worn down the staff enough to let them use it on their own anyways.
They started with some basic serve practice. Paige parroted off a lot of what she’d been taught herself. She demonstrated a serve, showing them exactly why theirs all ended up smack-dab in the center of the net.
“A lot of you guys serve with your elbow too low,” she pointed out, positioning her elbow low to show them what she meant. “If you keep your elbow and hand high, you’ll keep the ball high. Like this.” She showed them what she meant, doing a regular overhand serve.
Azzi added, “You want your elbow at least as high as your eye-level. You want to keep your elbow at that height the whole time.” She did a slow motion version of the movement, before also demonstrating a regular overhand serve. She grabbed another ball from the bin, handing it to Lainey. “Here, you try.”
After having everyone practice what they’d shown them, all of the girls seemed to improve–even Ava, who hadn’t made a single serve over the net yet all season.
“We did good,” Azzi pointed out on their way out of the rec center.
Paige smiled, holding the door open for Azzi as they walked out. “Yeah, we did.”
Azzi muttered a thanks for the door before asking, “Do you wanna practice after school on Friday with me?”
Paige’s heart was in her throat. “I can’t, I’m sorry,” she claimed, “my dad needs me to watch Drew again.”
“Oh, okay,” Azzi said quietly, looking down at her hands as she fidgeted, sounding disappointed. She looked back up at her, chewing on her bottom lip awkwardly. “Well, have a nice night.”
“Thanks, Az. You too,” Paige gave her a small wave before parting to head to her car, chest feeling wrecked with guilt.
——
Tuesday, October 1st, 2024 – Buc-ee’s, Florence, SC
“Awww, baby’s first Buc-ee’s!” Lainey cooed as she forced Paige to pose next to the giant beaver statue by the front entrance and angled her phone in a plethora of different ways to take pictures. Azzi stood next to her, giggling as she watched the camera screen from the side.
“We are the same age,” Paige retorted, rolling her eyes, but posed for the picture nonetheless.
When they finally walked in the store, Paige’s eyes were assaulted with the image of cartoon beavers. Everywhere.
And, when she said everywhere, she meant it. One featured on every shirt, hat, bag, and food item in the gas station. A beaver face littered every wall, employee shirt, and surface. Everywhere you looked, there was a beaver.
There was a family of eight with matching mullets, rat tails, and camo shirts to the right of her. A gang of bikers to her left. What looked to be an entire high school football team grabbing fresh hot briskets in front of her.
When her teammates insisted that going out of their way to stop at Buc-ee’s was a crucial core memory she had to experience, this is not at all what she was envisioning. It was so southern, for a lack of better words. They were right about the bathrooms being nice, though. A+ as far as any public restroom went.
She ended up getting herself a giant root beer slushie, a pack of beaver-themed beef jerky, and beaver chips. Really staying properly fueled in preparation for their game that night.
They’d played Lakeside–Christian’s school–at home last Thursday and he had been there to cheer Azzi on. He’d brought her flowers and worn a St. Anne’s t-shirt in support. She’d kissed his cheek after they’d won the game. Paige had been trying all week to forget the memory.
The team had continued doing extra practices together over the weekend. Everyone was steadily getting better with the drills Paige and Azzi had come up with for them to do. It had made Paige feel actually excited for the quickly approaching South Carolina Volleyball Tournament–the results of which determining who gets to play in the South Carolina All-Star Games and who gets Gatorade Player of the Year.
Azzi had reached out a handful of times to ask about practicing more just the two of them, and Paige had brushed her off every time. Though being near her had gotten easier for Paige to bear as of late, she still just didn’t feel ready to face her one-on-one. Was too worried that her feelings would become obvious and was terrified of what Azzi would think.
She knew Azzi had noticed something was up between them. She’d even asked Paige if they were alright the other day—to which Paige said yes, why wouldn’t they be? The look on her face that Azzi had given her when she said it made it clear that she didn’t buy into her excuses, but Paige must’ve put on a good enough performance when they interacted around the team because hadn’t brought it up since.
Speaking of Azzi: somehow, in her pursuit of beaver-themed food, she’d managed to lose track of both her and the rest of her teammates. She was standing aimlessly by the entrance that they’d come in, hoping that the rest of the girls would pass by her on the way out.
As she was standing around waiting for everyone, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked her notifications. Anxiety clogged her throat as she caught eyes on her mom’s name on the screen.
Mom: Hey. Why haven’t you committed yet? Any new offers?
Mom: NIL pays a lot of money nowadays.
Her mom had been nagging her ever since this summer to make a choice. Which was rich coming from someone that always complained about how much time Paige was gone practicing, how expensive the traveling and coaching fees and equipment was, and how you know you’ll need to find a real job eventually, right?
Typically, top recruits verbally committed the summer after their sophomore year. Paige was already two months into her junior year and had yet to announce any type of commitment and had yet to go on a tour. Planning a tour was rough for her–she didn’t want to go alone, but her dad worked full-time and she would die before she met a prospective coach with her mom by her side.
She’d had plenty of offers from all over the nation. Almost all of the top coaches in the country had reached out to her on June 15th. Dawn Staley from South Carolina, Cori Close from UCLA, Vic Shaefer from Texas, Kim Mulkey from LSU. Geno Auriemma from UConn.
It was overwhelming. She’d responded to and talked to all of them, either through emails, Instagram DMs, text messages, or phone calls. They were all serious about her.
She knew, deep down, there was only one school she actually wanted to go to. UConn was the best in the nation, played exactly how she wanted to play, and consistently produced the type of player she wanted to be. But the thought of fully committing and it ending up being the wrong choice was terrifying.
She was pulled out of her thoughts as the rest of the girls found her.
“So did beaver-land live up to your expectations?” Azzi asked as they started their walk back to the car. The sun had just started to set. It made her eyes sparkle and caused her hair to reflect an almost reddish tint. She was beautiful.
“I’m not sure what I expected, to be honest,” she replied with a laugh. God almighty, there were so many gas pumps. She turned to look back over at the bag Azzi was carrying, gesturing to it. “Whaddya get?”
“Sour ropes and glazed almonds.” Azzi opened the beaver-stamped bag to show her. “What about you?”
“Root beer slushie and beaver jerky and chips,” Paige said, proudly, like a true southern transplant.
“Taking eating clean really seriously I see,” Azzi deadpanned.
Paige blanched, immediately rising to her own defense. “Bro, you literally have sour ropes and sugary almonds. At least jerky has protein and the chips are freshly made.”
Azzi scoffed as she reached to open her car door. “Don’t insult my almonds like that, they’re freshly made too.”
Paige opened her door too–the one directly behind Azzi–and got into the car. As she got herself situated in her seat, Paige continued her case. “Being freshly made doesn’t mean your almonds are healthy.”
“That doesn’t mean your chips are healthy either, Paige,” Azzi retorted, turning her head back to glare at Paige–which was truly her favorite Azzi expression. “And stop hitting my seat, it’s annoying.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Paige lied as she leaned up against Azzi’s seat to reach over her shoulder and grab an almond out of Azzi’s bag.
“Thought you said my almonds were too sugary,” Azzi said as she snatched her almonds out of Paige’s reach after she grabbed one.
“Never said that.”
“You guys bicker like an old married couple,” Ava interjected, amused, as Virginia started the car and began her trek out of the crowded gas station.
Paige huffed, crossing her arms and leaning back against her seat with a beet red face, the comment immediately shutting her up. Azzi just shrugged. “Paige started it.”
“Whatever, bro,” Paige shook her head, feigning annoyance.
——
Thursday, October 10th, 2024 – Westview Rec Center
Somehow it was already senior night–which had really just turned into “Virginia Appreciation Day”, as she was their only senior. They’d surprised her with a picture frame with handwritten notes from everyone on the team etched onto the margins with an image of her competing in the previous year’s SCIS Volleyball Tournament in the center. They’d also brought her flowers and celebrated her during halftime of their match.
They’d won the game. This late in the season, and with all of the extra practices, the other girls had actually managed to sort of learn how to get the ball to Azzi and Paige, which was really all they needed to do in order to win games. Azzi and Paige were lightyears above anyone else in the 1A class in the league–the next best player might sign Division III at best. Not that playing Division III was bad at all. It was plenty respectable. But Paige had played for the country and she’d bet everything that Azzi would’ve, too, if she hadn’t torn her ACL.
The championships were only a week out, and Paige was definitely starting to feel the pressure. Enough so that she was willing to push aside her Azzi-related feelings and seek out the girl to ask about practicing together again.
“Hey, Azzi, wait up,” Paige called, running to catch up to her across the parking lot.
Azzi slowed her steps, turning to meet Paige’s eyes. “Yeah?”
Fuck, she was still just so pretty. Hair a mess from the game and drenched in sweat.
“Wanna practice with me this weekend? To prepare for the tournament next week?” Paige asked, hopeful.
Azzi looked apologetic. “I can’t, I have plans with Christian. Maybe sometime next week?”
The sinking feeling in her chest magnified. Why did you even expect her to want to practice with you anyways when you’ve been brushing her off all month. She was so mad at herself for not manning up and just practicing together before–because now who knows if she’ll even want to practice again. She wanted to smack herself for having been so stupid.
“Okay, no problem. Have a nice night.” Paige offered a small smile as she turned to head back to her own car, not waiting to see Azzi’s reaction.
What would she even be doing with Christian for a whole weekend anyways?
She played her music low on the drive home, too busy replaying every time she’d brushed Azzi off to actually listen to any song. Once she got home, it was pretty late–nearing ten o’clock–but she knew if she went to bed, she would be stuck in her head all night. So she did the thing she always did when she needed to stop thinking: she played volleyball.
She grabbed the wooden rebounder she’d made for herself with some wood she’d begged her dad to let her buy, bringing it out into the driveway and grabbing one of her outdoor volleyballs from the bin she kept them inside of in the garage. She definitely wouldn’t have long before her dad would tell her to come inside and go to bed, but any little bit would help.
So she stood there, hitting the ball against the rebounder, receiving it, and hitting again. On repeat, for over an hour. Her shoulders had already ached from the game, but now they burned, and her body felt like lead. She was so used to the toll the sport takes on her body that, while she’s practicing, she can almost forget about how it feels. But it’s a welcome feeling when it burns strong enough to keep her mind from spinning.
———
Monday, October 21st, 2024 – John T. Rhodes Myrtle Beach Sports Center, Myrtle Beach, SC
Paige wiped the sweat off of her brow, lowering her center of gravity as she got into position, ready for Azzi to serve.
Third set. 24 to 20, down four.
Azzi’s hand made contact with the ball as she sent it flying across the net. It was received by the other team’s libero. Everything moved in slow motion as the setter set it right side, their hitter leaving the ground and reaching up over the net.
Their blockers were too slow to catch it. The ball smacked into the ground and, for a moment, it was like the world stopped. Paige looked up and saw the girls across the net cheering, all smiles and laughter.
Her jaw clenched as she straightened. They had been so close.
The other girls on the team had really given it their all this season. Not perfect by any means, but they’d come a long way since the beginning of the year when no one could get the ball across the net during a serve except Paige and Azzi. They’d fought with heart and Paige had really let herself hope that they’d had a chance at the 1A State Championship.
They lined up to shake hands with the other team and all Paige registered was the sting of the loss.
Once handshakes were over, Azzi didn’t even look at her as they walked off of the court together.
They really hadn’t been themselves on the court ever since Homecoming, but after Azzi blew her off for Christian, they’d been downright awful together and it’d cost them the championship, despite all of the effort the other girls had been putting in. Paige felt awful about it.
As soon as it was acceptable, she’d headed straight back, clearly upset about the loss. Paige went looking for her and found her sitting around a corner in one of the back hallways of the sports center, hands around her knees and head leaned back against the wall, tears rolling down her cheeks. Even crying, she looked beautiful. Paige’s heart constricted.
She quietly walked over and sat next to her, close but careful not to touch. Azzi sniffled and roughly wiped at her face.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Paige said gently.
Azzi nodded, bottom lip wobbling as another tear slid down her cheek. Paige leaned over and gently wiped it away with her thumb. Her hand lingered for a few seconds before she pulled it away, damp cheek soft under her touch.
She turned back to stare at the wall in front of them as she leaned to her side to push her shoulder into Azzi’s. “You played great.”
Azzi took a shaky breath as she rubbed at her eyes, chin wobbling. “Wanted to win so bad.”
Paige’s chest felt tight. The sting of the loss was still so fresh. “Today wasn’t our day, but we’re going to. I promise.” She playfully nudged Azzi with her elbow, a small smile on her face, trying to lighten the mood. “I think we did pretty good with what we were given this year. The girls tried really hard.”
Azzi nodded, cracking a small, tearful smile. “They did.”
Paige looked back over at her, eyes trailing over her face. She was still shaking, eyebrows furrowed. “You wanna talk about it?”
Azzi brought in another shaky breath, tears starting to brim over again, shaking her head no.
“You sure?” Paige pushed, because clearly there was something still bugging her aside from just the loss.
Azzi’s shoulders tensed. She replied, harsh note to her voice, “You wouldn’t get it,”
“I mean, maybe not,” Paige responded with a small shrug. “Still here if you wanna talk.”
“I just–” Azzi started. “I’m just worried about recruitment, I guess. Like…I sat out for my ACL and I lost so much time. Fell off a lot of people’s radar. And now I have to make up for it. I dunno, it just sucks.” She lightly knocked her head against the wall as she looked up at the ceiling, blinking away tears.
Paige sat for a second, watching her, mulling over how she wanted to word what she was going to say. “I dunno, I always try to tell myself that being good is something that no one can take away from you,” she said, contemplative, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “Like, regardless of what everyone else thinks, your game is yours and it will always speak for itself. Your work ethic is insane and it’s going to pay off.” On a lighter note, she added, “Like that one song says: you get what you give. You’re going to get what you give, I promise.”
“Why’re you so good at that,” Azzi hiccuped with a wet laugh.
Paige shrugged. “It’s a gift.”
“Thank you,” she said, gently, giving Paige a gentle nudge.
“Anytime.”
They both sat there, shoulders pressed together, the only noises were Azzi’s couple of sniffles and the low hum of the air conditioning running.
After a few minutes of just sitting in one another’s company, Azzi asked, so quietly Paige almost missed it, “Why have you been avoiding me?”
“I haven’t been,” Paige responded immediately, heart beginning to thrum in her chest.
Azzi leveled her with a glare. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I just had some family things going on, it wasn’t on you, promise,” Paige muttered. “I’m sorry if I made you feel that way.”
“Okay,” Azzi said quietly, taking in a deep breath. “You’d tell me if I ever did?” she asked, looking over at Paige.
“Yeah, promise.” Paige met her eyes, and they just stared at one another, searching each other’s eyes. Paige could only keep it up for a few seconds before she felt herself flush and she looked back down at her hands.
“We should probably head back,” Paige said, standing up from where she was sitting and leaning down to offer Azzi a hand.
Azzi took her hand, letting Paige use her bodyweight to pull her up. “Sorry you had to spend your birthday at the tournament just for us to lose.”
“Nah, it’s ‘aight. Winning would’ve been nice, but I wouldn’t wanna spend my birthday doing anything else,” Paige smiled, giving her a gentle nudge as they walked back to join the rest of the team.
