hey im wondering if you know the fic where paige was letting azzi win, i think it was fortnite and they were playing with kk and ice and they realize it
tysm
Not ringing a bell but I will put this on the tags because I also want to read this lol
EDIT: an anon found it. Ty anon https://www.tumblr.com/anonity/784372009902702592/loser
💬 2 🔁 12 ❤️ 242 · loser · i'm not doing the banners at the top anymore simply because i just realized i don't actually have to.. (it's com
A/N : i really dont know what to put in my A/N idk if ppl actually read them but someone pls give me advice. Also this is a filler chapter to set the tone for the next chapter. Also I’m gonna stop the posting every week thing instead I’ll just post when I’m done.
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Azzi Fudd POV
Fourteen days.
That was how long it had been since Paige hit the hardwood. Fourteen days since the entire arena fell silent. Fourteen days since I watched the strongest person I knew get forced to slow down.And somehow, in those fourteen days, I discovered something unexpected.
Paige Bueckers was not just a superstar. I got to learn who she really is behind all the glare of the cameras and the perfect media training. Somehow, she began feeling less like a stranger and more like a place I could finally just breathe.
It was terrifying
I’d spent my adult life learning to leave. Leave uncomfortable conversations. Leave fake friendships. Leave rooms filled with people who only saw what I represented. I knew how to disappear. I didn’t know how to stay. But Paige made staying feel dangerously easy.
Her injury healed faster than anyone expected. Not fully. She wasn’t back on the court yet. The team doctors were being overly cautious, which made Paige annoyed. Very annoyed. But she was walking again. No crutches. No wheelchair. Just a low-profile ankle brace hidden beneath her sweatpants that she desperately pretended didn’t exist.
Which meant, naturally, she complained about it to anyone who would listen.“It’s barely even a brace,” she muttered, tapping her fingers restlessly against the steering wheel. “It’s basically an expensive sock.”
I glanced at her from the passenger seat, an amused smile tugging at my lips. “You’ve said that seven times today, Paige.”
“Because it’s true. It's a conspiracy to keep me benched.” I forgot to mention that she seems to believe that every doctor is now against her.
“You also said your orthopedic surgeon was being dramatic.”
“He was,” she insisted, navigating the car smoothly down the street.
“He literally told you that putting too much pressure on it right now could risk your entire season.”
“Yeah, but he said it in a really dramatic way, Az. He used a sharpie on a diagram. It was unnecessary.”
I let out a genuine laugh, shaking my head. “You are completely impossible.”
Paige briefly took her eyes off the road, flashing me a sudden, heated look. “You like that about me.”
I rolled my eyes at her absolute confidence “ I tolerate it” My chest tightens in a warm way because she’s absolutely right but of course Paige has to ruin my internal monologue about her.
“That’s definitely not what your face says.” She smirked, turning her attention back to traffic. “Your face says you’re entirely obsessed with me.”
I quickly turned my head toward the passenger window, my cheeks warming up. “Good thing you can’t read minds.”
“I don’t need to read your mind, Fudd,” she murmured, her voice dropping into that low, effortless register that always caught me off guard. “I can see it in the way you look at me when you think I’m not paying attention.”
I looked back at her, trying to find a clever comeback, but she already had that small, deeply satisfied smile on her face. The exact one that said she knew exactly what she was doing to me, and that she had won the round before I even had a chance to play.
The whole point of this trip was to completely disappear.
We needed a clean break from the reporters, the flashing cameras, and the endless social media speculation. We just wanted a space that belonged entirely to the three of us: Paige, Hazel, and me.
Paige had booked a private beach estate tucked far away from the chaos of Dallas. It was an exclusive sanctuary, the kind of hidden paradise where the rest of the world couldn't randomly show up.
When the car finally slowed to a stop at exactly 2:00 PM, I instantly understood why this place was so highly respected.
The very first thing that caught my attention was the ocean. It wasn't the beautiful beach house itself, or even the sprawling property surrounding it.
It was the water. Endless blue stretched out all the way to the horizon. The waves were perfectly calm, and the crisp, salty air filled my lungs. The beach was entirely empty—just a massive expanse of white sand and the rhythmic, soothing sound of the tide.
It was the kind of peaceful place that didn’t even feel real.
The SUV stopped directly in front of the house.
I stepped out slowly, stretching my legs as the car doors clicked shut. Huge glass walls reflected the rolling blue ocean behind us. The architecture was sleek and modern, yet incredibly warm, featuring open spaces, rich natural wood, and towering windows that poured bright sunlight inside.
It was beautiful. But more importantly, it was completely hidden. Paige stepped up right beside me, our shoulders lightly brushing. For a brief moment, we just stood there in the quiet. Then, a tiny blur of energy exploded past our legs.
“THE BEACH!”
I laughed out loud. There she was—four years old, already acting like she owned the entire coastline. And of course, she still had her signature red ballet flats on.
I looked down as Paige called out to her. “Hazel!”
The little girl froze at the edge of the porch, looking back over her shoulder. “Yes?”
“Are you planning to swim in those shoes?” Paige asked, crossing her arms.
Hazel looked down at her feet, then looked back up at us with a thoughtful tilt of her head. “No.” A brief pause hung in the air. “Just walking near the water,” Hazel added smoothly.
Paige raised an eyebrow, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. “That is exactly what you said last time right before you fell in.”
Hazel smiled innocently, her wild curls bouncing. “I know.”
I glanced over at Paige, thoroughly entertained by the toddler's negotiation skills. “She knows exactly what she’s doing.”
Paige let out a dramatic sigh, shaking her head. “Unfortunately, don’t tell her but that her 5th pair, she thinks it’s all the same.”
I laughed at her exposed secret and motioned that I’ll zip my mouth and tossed the keys.
As Paige looked out at her daughter running toward the sand, a beautiful, relaxed smile spread across her face.
My bedroom was just as beautiful as the rest of the estate.
I unpacked almost nothing. That was the funny part. The old me would have brought endless options. Designer cover-ups. Expensive beachwear. Outfits carefully curated for the cameras and the eyes of a judgmental industry. But no one was watching me here. Except them.
I unzipped my suitcase. Instead of reaching for something glamorous, my fingers bypassed the silk and lace entirely. I grabbed Paige’s hoodie. It was the oversized gray Dallas Wings hoodie—the exact one I had borrowed the morning after the yacht. The one that still somehow held the faint, intoxicating trace of her perfume.
I turned and stared into the full-length mirror. A world-famous model, standing in a secluded beach house, wearing a basketball player’s old fleece over a simple swimsuit. It was easily the least “Azzi Fudd” outfit I had ever put on in my entire life.
And somehow... it felt the most like me.
I smiled softly at my reflection, running my hands over the heavy fabric. “Interesting.”
Outside, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Paige was standing right near the shoreline, and for a split second, I completely forgot why I was even here. It wasn't because she looked like some untouchable celebrity on a magazine cover. She didn’t. She was just Paige.
Her hair was a messy blonde halo in the ocean breeze. She wore simple swim shorts, her ankle brace barely visible against the white sand, and she was laughing.
She was laughing because Hazel was currently charging through the shallow water, proudly wearing her red ballet flats—which were now completely soaked and covered in wet sand.
“Mommy!” Hazel shrieked over the sound of the waves.
Paige looked down at her. “What, Haze?”
“My shoes are beach shoes now!”
Paige nodded with absolute seriousness. “Of course they are, sweetie.”
I stepped closer, the sand yielding beneath my feet as I approached them. “You completely gave up, huh?”
She turned her head to look at me. “On what?”
“The shoes.” She glanced back down at Hazel, then turned her gaze right back to me, her eyes lingering on the oversized gray Wings hoodie I was wearing. “I learned a long time ago that arguing with her is completely pointless.”
Hazel nodded in proud agreement from the surf. “Mommy knows.”
I let out a genuine laugh. Paige's smile widened, bright and relaxed. And that was exactly what I kept noticing. It was these tiny, unfiltered moments. The quiet, domestic ones that no one else in the world ever got to see.Those were the exact moments that made Paige feel less like a global superstar, and more like home.
I settled onto a lounge chair beneath the shade of the umbrella.
The waves moved in a gentle, hypnotic rhythm, and the afternoon sun cast a deep, thick warmth across my skin. For once, my mind was entirely clear. There were no thoughts of the next fashion campaign, no scripted interviews, and no exhausting public appearances. I was just existing.
It was a rare, almost impossible feeling. I closed my eyes and simply listened to the world around me—the wind, the sea, Hazel’s bright laughter, and Paige’s deeper voice answering some incredibly important toddler question. It was peaceful.
Then came the warning bells.
In my experience, whenever Paige and Hazel suddenly got quiet, something was about to happen. I opened one eye. The two of them were huddled together at the shoreline, whispering fiercely. Both of them were looking right at me.
I sat up immediately, throwing my legs over the side of the chair. “No.”
Paige snapped her head away, looking out at the horizon entirely too fast. Hazel just beamed, flashing the exact, triumphant smile Paige wore whenever she was certain she had won an argument.
I pointed a finger at them. “Absolutely not.”
I stared at her partner in crime then back at her “Paige.”
She shrugged, her voice dripping with artificial innocence. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You are a terrible liar.”
“I highly disagree.”
“You literally look guilty right now,” I countered
.“This is just my face, Fudd. I always look like this.”
“No, you don’t.”
Hazel started walking toward me. Her little steps were slow and highly suspicious, her wet red ballet flats kicking up tiny clouds of white sand.
I looked between the two of them, my heart doing a strange, fluttering kick in my chest. I spent my whole life being able to spot a lie before the sentence was even finished. But apparently, I had two massive weaknesses: a six-foot-one basketball player and a four-year-old with matching, lethal levels of confidence. I saw the trap coming, and somehow, I still let it happen.
Hazel stopped right in front of my lounge chair, her little face twisting as she tried desperately to look serious. It was almost convincing.“What exactly are you doing, haze ?” I asked, leaning forward.
She tilted her head. “Nothing, this is how I always am.” She shrugged her shoulders as she finished her sentence.
I shot a look over her head at Paige, who was suddenly very interested in a passing seagull. “Paige.”
“What?”
“You taught her that line.”
She looked genuinely offended, tossing her messy blonde hair out of her eyes. “I did not!”
Hazel immediately turned around and completely betrayed her. “Mommy said wait until she closes her eyes!”
A heavy, hilarious silence fell over the beach.I slowly turned my gaze back toward Paige. Her entire expression froze, her mouth slightly open. Then, she let out a long, defeated sigh, burying her face in her hands. “Hazel.”
“What?” the toddler asked, completely oblivious.
“You weren’t supposed to say that part out loud.”
Hazel’s eyes widened, and she instantly clapped both hands over her mouth. “Oh.”
A genuine laugh tore out of my throat, the sheer, beautiful ridiculousness of the moment bubbling over. Here I was, a world-famous model, caught in the middle of a secret operation run by a superstar athlete and a child who had absolutely no ability to keep a secret.
You’re both terrible,” I murmured, trying to summon a glare.
Paige simply crossed her arms, her head tilting in that effortlessly casual way of hers. “You love us.”
The words were tossed out as a tease, light and easy, but something about the sheer certainty in her voice made my chest tighten. I had to look away toward the horizon before she could see the exact second my breath caught. “That is a remarkably bold assumption, Bueckers,” I muttered.
Paige just smiled, a low, knowing sound escaping her throat. “Was I wrong, Fudd?”
I opened my mouth, a sharp, clever rebuttal sitting on the tip of my tongue, but the universe had other plans. In a flash of blue and blonde, Paige closed the ten-foot gap between us before my brain could even process the movement. With a wicked grin, she tipped the bright pink bucket forward, dumping a cascade of freezing ocean water straight over my shoulders.
I gasped as the icy shock soaked right through her gray fleece hoodie.
Hazel clapped her hands, jumping up and down in the sand. “Mommy won! Mommy won!”
Paige straightened up, looking thoroughly pleased with herself as she tossed the empty bucket aside. “I completely dominated that exchange.”
“You cheated,” I corrected, squeezing a handful of the wet fabric.
“I executed a flawless surprise attack.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, letting a slow, deliberate smile slide onto my face. “Enjoy your temporary victory, superstar. You have no idea what you just started.”
Hazel’s eyes went entirely round as she picked up on the sudden shift in the air. “Oh no…”
Paige’s smirk flickered, her gaze instantly darting down to her accomplice. “Hazel, what did you do?”
I stood up from the lounge chair with slow, dramatic precision. The deep-seated, competitive edge I usually kept buried beneath layers of professional poise and high-fashion elegance suddenly roared to life.
“I believe,” I said, meticulously smoothing down the damp sleeves of her hoodie, “that a signal of war has just been issued.”
Hazel squealed, her face lighting up with pure, unfiltered joy. “A war? A real war?”
Paige let out a rich, melodic laugh, though she instinctively took a half-step back into the sand.
The next few seconds dissolved into a beautiful blur of motion. Hazel shrieked—not in panic, but in absolute, breathless excitement—and shouted, “RUN!” The toddler took off, her soaked red ballet flats kicking up wet clumps of white sand as fast as her small legs could carry her.
Paige didn’t hesitate, spinning on her heel to follow her daughter's frantic retreat. “Don’t you dare encourage violence , Fudd!” Paige yelled back over her shoulder.
“You fired the first shot!” I called out, giving chase.“I was resetting the energy!”
“You are completely unbelievable!”
Paige slowed down just enough to look back at me, her messy blonde hair flying across her face in the sea breeze. “You like that about me.”
Hearing her throw my own words straight back at me made me laugh out loud. She shook her head, completely unable to hide the bright, radiant smile that took over her face.
The beach quickly dissolved into the kind of chaotic, unscripted mess that you can never plan for, but instantly know will become a permanent memory.
“You two are completely ridiculous.”
“Thank you,” Paige said smoothly.
“That was absolutely not a compliment.”
“We accepted it as one anyway.” I rolled my eyes, but just as I opened my mouth to counter, Hazel let out a massive, unbridled belly laugh. It was the kind of pure, contagious sound that made it physically impossible to stay guarded.
And just like that, the mock competition evaporated into thin air. That was the magic of Hazel; she had this effortless ability to pull the heavy, serious air out of any room and make everything feel light.
The ocean water felt significantly warmer than I expected when we finally drifted down to the shoreline. Paige had subtly shifted the entire energy of the afternoon, turning a silly prank war into a quiet, peaceful rhythm.
The three of us ended up standing ankle-deep in the rolling surf. Hazel was happily kicking at the incoming waves, her red flats once again completely waterlogged and caked in dark sand.
I looked down at her feet, a soft sigh escaping me. “Haze… your shoes.”
She looked down, entirely unbothered, and stomped her foot into a wave. “They survived, Azzi. See?”
Paige nodded slowly, placing her hands on her hips as she admired the damage. “Honestly? Impressive durability.”
I turned my head to look at Paige, the late-afternoon sunlight catching the sharp angles of her jaw. “You realize you are entirely the reason she thinks footwear can withstand a natural disaster, right?”
Paige shrugged, her shoulder lightly brushing against mine as the tide rolled over our ankles. “Confidence is an essential trait, Fudd.”
“For a pair of ballet flats?” I teased.
“For everything,” she murmured, her voice dropping into that quiet, grounding register. She looked at me, her eyes holding a depth that the media could never capture. “Especially for the things worth holding onto.”
I smiled. The thing about Paige. Even her jokes carried pieces of who she was. She wanted Hazel to believe she could handle anything. Because Paige had built her entire life around handling everything.
For a moment, everything slowed. The waves moved gently around us. The sun was lower now. The sky was turning gold. Hazel was a few feet away collecting shells, completely focused on the most important task in the world.
Paige stood beside me, Quite and relaxed. This was the version of Paige I wanted to remember. The one who laughed. The one who let Hazel cover her body in sand. The one that makes me feel like home.
“You know,” Paige said, looking toward the water, “I never thought I’d take a vacation where my biggest competition was a pink bucket.”
I smiled.“You lost.”
“Excuse me?”
“You lost badly.” I teased with a hint of sarcasm.
“I let you win.”
I looked at her .“That is the biggest lie you’ve ever told.”She laughed. And I realized something. Maybe the most dangerous thing about Paige wasn’t how intimidating she could be. It was how easy she made it, to forget she was. Before either of us could say anything else, a wave hit the shore. Hazel screamed happily.
“LOOK!”
We both turned.
She held up a pink shell like she had discovered treasure. “Mommy! Azzi! I found a magic one!”
Paige immediately walked over, kneeling in the sand. “What makes it magic?”
Hazel looked between us, her big eyes completely serious. “It picked both of you.”
I blinked already meeting Paige’s eyes “Both of us?”
Hazel nodded firmly, holding it out to show us. “Yeah. Because you’re my people.”
The words were simple. Childlike. But they hit much harder than they should have. Paige looked up at me. For once, neither of us had a clever response. Because somehow, a four-year-old had just said the exact thing we were both too afraid to admit out loud.
Eventually, Hazel decided the magic shell needed a proper home. Naturally, finding it wasn’t enough—it required a full ceremony.
I watched from the water’s edge as she carefully dug a tiny hole in the surf, her red ballet flats now completely caked in wet sand.
Paige stood right beside her, hands on her hips, pretending to evaluate the construction. “Are you entirely sure this is where the shell belongs, Doc?”
Hazel nodded solemnly. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because it likes it here.” Paige looked over at me, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged. “Honestly? Solid reasoning.”
“Thank you,” Paige said smoothly.
“I wasn’t agreeing with you,” I teased.
“I know.”
I laughed softly, shaking my head. That was another thing about Paige. Fans and media seems forget that they only see a couple hours of their life in a week. She owned the court. She build Dallas up, and saved the franchise. Outside of that is a person who has warm heart and is willing to do anything for anyone she cares for.
The sun dropped lower, fading the bright afternoon into a soft, golden glow. We sat near the water on a spread-out towel, watching Hazel build a sandcastle.
It was less of a castle and more of a highly confident pile of sand.“It’s a princess basketball tower,” Hazel explained proudly.
I nodded with absolute seriousness. “Obviously.”
Paige smiled over at me. “You didn’t even question it.”
“I know better,” I murmured, nudging her shoulder.
Hazel pointed a sandy finger at me. “You’re learning.”
I looked at Paige, raising an eyebrow. “She definitely gets that from you.”
“I know,” Paige smirked, tossing her messy hair.
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“I accepted it anyway.” I laughed, the sound carrying over the gentle crash of the waves. For a long while, we just sat in the quiet. It was a strange, beautiful feeling.
My whole life had been built around noise—cameras flashing, phones ringing, everyone always wanting a piece of the curated image. But here? No one needed me to be a world-famous model. They just wanted me here, as myself. It was almost overwhelming.
“You got quiet,” Paige’s low voice pulled me back.
I smiled slightly, looking out at the horizon. “Maybe I’m just enjoying the silence.”
Paige nodded, letting dry sand slip through her fingers. “I get that. I think people forget that being known isn’t the same thing as being understood.”
I looked at her, completely disarmed by the truth in her eyes. Our worlds were the exact same. People loved the edited, styled versions of us, but very few actually knew the real people underneath.
“You’re different here, Azzi,” Paige added softly, her gaze locking onto mine. “You spend your whole life being who everyone else expects. But here? You don’t have to.”
Before her words could completely shatter my remaining defenses, Hazel stood up abruptly, covered in sand.
“Mommy, I have a problem,” she announced with immense toddler gravity. “A very serious one.”
Paige instantly straightened up, her competitive, protective instincts flaring. “What happened, Haze? What is it?”
Hazel pointed at her pile of sand. “The tower needs a flag.”
A heavy pause hung over the beach before Paige relaxed, letting out a defeated sigh. “That was the emergency?”
“Yes.”
I covered my mouth to hide a laugh, but Paige caught me anyway, shooting me a playful glare. “Don’t.”
“I'm sorry,” I lied smoothly.
“You’re really not.”
“I’m absolutely not. Gotta give it to her. She’s fast with her words, I need to take some notes”
Hazel looked between us, crossing her small arms. “Are you laughing at my problem?”
“Never,” I said quickly, matching Paige's serious expression. “Your problem is extremely important.”Satisfied that justice had been served, Hazel turned around and marched off to find the perfect stick, her wet red ballet flats kicking up tiny clouds of gold sand.
I watched her go.
It’s awesome how Paige raised Hazel to be a confident and intelligent girl. I can see the amount work she put in is all for Hazel. “You know she’s amazing.”
Paige’s expression softened.
“Yeah.”
No hesitation. She knows it. She knows she did a great job with Hazel.
“I know.”
The love for Hazel was obvious. It made sense why Paige was so protective. Why her walls were high. Why she trusted few. She wasn’t just protecting herself. She was protecting the little girl running across the sand in red ballet flats with a mission.
“You’re a good mom.”
Paige looked at me. The compliment clearly caught her off guard. “I try.”
“No.” I shook my head. “You are.”
She didn’t argue instead she just looked away. And somehow that said more.
The sky turned orange. Hazel climbed between us under the blanket. Exhausted. Her head on Paige’s shoulder and her leg draped across my lap.
The older I get the more I understand why people choose to retire away from the noise. The beach house lights came on behind us. The ocean keqpt moving. The world felt distant. Because with them they make my life easier. With them everything felt right.
Hazel lifted her head. “Azzi?”
“Yeah?”
“Tomorrow, can we make a big fort in your living room?”
I laughed. “Of course.”
Paige looked at me. “You realize you just agreed to a full construction project.”
My smile widened at her comment “I can handle it.”
She smiled. “There it is.”
“What?” Confused from her words
“The confidence.”
I shrugged my shoulders “Maybe I learned from someone.”
Paige shook her head. “Careful, Fudd”
“Why?”
“You might start liking me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Maybe I already do.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. I said quietly more to myself than her.
A beat of silence.
She looked at me her eyes piercing my skin. Maybe I said it a bit too loud. We were quickly reminded of the little bug we have between us as she snuggled against Paige’s side. We both looked away, laughing.
The moment slipped. But not completely. Because something had shifted. Something small.bSomething neither of us was ready to name.
And honestly? I think we were both okay with that. I reached for Paige’s hand. Her fingers curled around mine. A simple touch. But electric.
We didn’t need any words exchanged because our actions spoke louder than the words I could say to express what I’m feeling towards her.
A promise lingered between us, waiting patiently to be spoken.
Here’s the new story I’ve been working on I’m still new to the writing stories so hopefully next chapter it’s more detailed and little more exciting but I hope you guys enjoy this
A merger of Hearts
Chapter 1 — The Meeting
Paige had built her company from a tiny office with two employees into one of the fastest-growing technology firms in the country.
At thirty-two, she was used to being underestimated.
She was less accustomed to being nervous.
But as the elevator climbed toward the forty-second floor of Hartwell Enterprises, Paige couldn’t shake the feeling that today’s meeting mattered more than the numbers on the proposal in her leather portfolio.
Her company, Vale Innovations, had developed revolutionary sustainable technology for large-scale commercial buildings. Hartwell Enterprises controlled some of the largest properties in the country.
A collaboration between them could change both companies.
The elevator doors opened.
“Ms. Bueckers?”
Paige looked up.
A woman stood at the reception desk, dressed impeccably in a charcoal suit.
“CEO Fudd is expecting you.”
Paige nodded.
“Thank you.”
She followed the assistant down a hallway surrounded by glass walls and panoramic windows.
Then the conference room doors opened.
And Paige stopped.
Azzi sat at the head of the table.
Paige had seen photographs of her before. Everyone in business had.
But photographs hadn’t captured her presence.
Azzi was composed, confident, and remarkably calm. She looked up from the documents in front of her.
Their eyes met.
For one strange second, neither woman spoke.
Then Azzi smiled.
“Paige Bueckers.”
“Azzi Fudd.”
They shook hands.
Azzi’s handshake was firm.
Warm.
And somehow, Paige forgot every carefully rehearsed opening sentence.
“Please,” Azzi said, gesturing toward the chair beside her. “Have a seat.”
Paige sat.
The meeting began professionally.
Budgets.
Timelines.
Investors.
Marketing.
Projected revenue.
Everything went exactly as expected.
Except for the way Paige kept noticing Azzi.
The way she listened instead of waiting for her turn to speak.
The slight crease between her eyebrows when she was thinking.
The quiet confidence in her voice.
And when Paige finished presenting the most important part of the proposal, Azzi leaned back.
“I like it.”
Paige blinked.
“That’s it?”
Azzi smiled.
“That’s it.”
“You don’t have any concerns?”
“I have several.”
Paige laughed despite herself.
“Of course you do.”
“But I think they’re problems we can solve together.”
Together.
The word lingered.
Neither woman knew it yet, but that word would eventually become the foundation of everything.
Summary: Azzi Fudd is the darling of the WNBA: a former UConn star and number one draft pick, lethal beyond the arc. Quiet, effortless, unreachable. The People’s Princess and MVP favorite. Until a season-ending injury sidelines her for over a year, and she disappears from the spotlight.
Now she’s back, just as the league’s youngest star is becoming its new face: UConn’s latest number one pick and fresh off winning Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers.
Their first time sharing a court, and it’s the World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
a/n: Let me know if you love it or hate it or if one person reads it. Also there’s a prologue that I’d read first, but I’m not going to tell you what to do. Cheers, em.
Word Count: 5.7k
Chapter One – “I’m Just Playing”
Miami, Florida
Paige dumps the contents of the USA team backpack she’d been handed at check-in onto the hotel bed. A few packs of electrolytes and granola bars tumble toward her feet. An embossed water bottle rolls beneath the suitcase stand. A blue foam ball falls out last. Sick.
Paige sprawls across the bed, squeezing it once before tossing the ball with her left hand. Her wrist flicks. It arcs, nearly missing the ceiling fan, before dropping neatly into her waiting palm.
“Your new coach and a few front office staff are here…let me see if I can figure out who exactly,” Lindsay says, scanning the schedule for the weekend. She sidesteps around the pile Paige dumped across the floor, never looking up from the paper in her hands.
It is odd that they added a stress ball to the bag. Paige tosses it again.
“Oh, and Curt is here, obviously,” Lindsay adds.
Did they expect players to need something to squeeze out their frustrations?
“They want to do dinner tonight.”
Maybe they hoped the players would use it for hand-eye coordination? Toss. Catch. Repeat.
“Are you even listening?” Lindsay mutters.
Paige closes her eyes and tosses the ball. When she catches it without looking, she smirks.
“Paige.”
Maybe the stress ball was for unnecessarily stressed-out agents?
This time, Paige tosses the ball with her right hand, but nothing lands in her palm.
Her eyes snap open. Lindsay is standing over her, stress ball in hand, peering down at her. From this angle, her 5’4” frame takes on a more menacing presence than usual.
“Don’t worry, I got it.” Paige reaches out for the ball. “Dinner tomorrow with the crew.”
“Paige,” Lindsay sighs.
“Kidding, kidding. I know it’s tonight.” Paige pushes herself up again, but Lindsay stretches her arm higher above her head, keeping the ball just out of reach.
Paige rolls her eyes. Fine, she’ll play this game. “Anything else I need to know?”
“We need to go over your schedule for the whole weekend.”
Paige flops dramatically back on the bed. She knows she shouldn’t complain, but a twelve-hour travel day across the country has her praying for some alone time before her presence is required with front office staff for logistic bullshit.
“Starting with tomorrow, you’re no longer doing media in the first slot. You’re now third or—”
“Wait,” Paige interrupts. “Why not?” Paige had asked for the first slot months ago. Being first meant she was finished before practice even started, leaving her to complete the long, meticulous pre-practice routine she and her trainers had built. Got to keep the joints oily.
“Apparently, Azzi Fudd showed up.”
Paige sits up so quickly she knocks into Lindsay’s chest.
“Ow! Paige, what the hell?”
“Azzi Fudd?”
Lindsay glares at her, while rubbing around her collarbone. “It is officially confirmed.”
“That she’s showing up?”
“No, that your head is made of rocks.”
The pillow Paige tosses at her barely grazes her shoulder.
Lindsay chuckles and moves out of Paige’s immediate vicinity to sit at the desk. “Anyways, yes, Azzi Fudd is here. So, you don’t need to be ready until mid-morning.”
Azzi Fudd showed up. That was…
…interesting.
She had most certainly not been on the published roster, and Paige hadn’t heard her name in any recent preseason discussions. Actually, if she was being honest, she hadn’t heard her name in any basketball discussions for about nineteen months.
“…immediately after practice and you really cannot be late to that, Paige.”
“Huh,” Paige says.
“Pai-ge.” Lindsay enunciates her name in two syllables.
Paige smiles sweetly. “You know if you give me back the stress ball, I might focus—”
Lindsay hurls the ball at Paige’s head.
A wicked grin spreads across Paige’s face as she catches it. Can’t argue with the reflexes of a professional athlete. She’s pretty sure Lindsay mutters something about athletes under her breath.
Her grip tightens once around the ball until her knuckles whiten. Azzi Fudd showed up.
Had it really been since Seattle?
Paige wonders if she’ll wear her two braids.
…
By the time Paige ushers Lindsay out of her hotel room, she’s wiped. She’d bribed Lindsay with fake promises to memorize her schedule and pre-vetted talking points—but now she wants to lie on the floor and just exist. Or sleep.
Her phone chimes.
young n’turnt
Kiki: we still on tn? 🍻🍾
Cameron: yes lol
Sonia: pb’s got early media so she can’t do anything crazy
Sonia: and she can’t meet us until after her dinner with FO staff
Paige: why do u have my schedule memorized
Sonia: lindsay has me on retainer with favors
Cam: it’s ok p we can get you home early dw
Paige: no need I got bumped to later media
Kiki: LFGGGG
Kiki: freedom arc begins
Cam: kiki what
Sonia: who bumped you?
Kiki: please don’t say ccc
Paige types: Azzi Fudd.
The cursor blinks on her screen as she hovers over the send button. The letters arranged on the screen look different outside her own head.
She deletes it. It wasn’t really her news to share and, perhaps more truthfully, she doesn’t want to field questions she doesn’t know how to answer.
Paige: dunno probably some vet
Paige looks up at her ceiling fan for a moment, spinning rapidly. For a second, the room tilts with it. Her eyes blink back the sudden onset wave of vertigo. The phone beeps again.
Kiki: classic bureaucracy
Cam: again, kiki what?
Sonia: fine, but we’re still keeping it lowk since it’s day one tomorrow
…
Paige’s head the next morning does not feel like they kept it lowkey at all.
She didn’t even drink, adhering to her strict no-drinking policy the night before a practice. But the girls had stayed up late, gossiping and giggling, despite having seen each other only a few weeks earlier. Plus, it’s not like she could sleep with her mind running through every possible version of today. It’s not that she’s nervous, per se. But she is aware that it’s the first day of training camp, with a new team. Newer than expected.
Lindsay can probably already hear the excuses. She’ll have to blink through bleary eyes and force a smile through media availability, and she’s not entirely convinced her face is cooperating yet.
Despite her ravenous need for caffeine, the elevator seems content to take its sweet time to arrive. When the doors finally open, a chirpy Kelsey Plum looks up.
“Good morning, sunshine. You look great.”
Paige shuffles past her and steps in. “Yeah, good morning, Plum.”
Kelsey smiles wider. “Miami’s always good time, no?”
Paige shrugs. She likes Kelsey. She likes coffee before Kelsey even more. And Kelsey has a propensity to be a little bit of a shit.
“Bueckers, I’d avoid the lobby if I were you.”
“Oh?” Paige rubs at her face, then pulls at her ponytail.
“Social media team is already set up to capture us heading to our first day of practice.” She starts unwrapping a granola bar that appeared from her pocket. She takes a bite. “You know the girl they have running the social media is pretty cute; persistent but cute.”
If Paige is asked to answer some asinine question about her favorite album or bench, start, cut: DT, Sue and Maya—she might do something drastic. “Fuck.”
“The dining room is on level two, and there’s coffee and a back stairwell—”
Paige jams her fingers as she smashes the level two button.
The elevator doors open and she steps out into a crowded dining room. The LED lights are unforgivingly bright.
“Good luck, rookie.” The elevator doors close too quickly for Paige to turn around and chirp back. Not a rookie anymore.
Paige really should know better than to underestimate Kelsey Plum. The dining room is not full hotel guests, or the maybe-cute social media intern, but fans milling around in her jersey or Caitlin gear. Before she can step back towards the elevator, signs, basketballs, and jerseys are being shoved towards her. What a little shit.
When Paige finally gets to the practice facility, she’s been fed and caffeinated and, despite her right hand being a bit sore, the world does not look so dim. Well, except for the fact she’s looking down at her jersey.
The nineteen stares back as she sips at her pre-workout drink.
“Holy shit dude.” Kiki sounds a bit breathless, shoving the locker room door open. She looks completely unaffected from their night. Sonia follows close behind, looking a bit weary but somehow spared the dark circles Paige can feel sitting beneath her eyes.
“Y’all suck, I thought we were going to keep it chill last—”
“You will not believe who bumped you for media,” Kiki interrupts, completely ignoring Paige’s complaint. She grabs at Paige’s arm and drags her down onto a bench in the middle of the row of lockers.
Sonia scoots in on her other side. “We’re not to blame for your poor sleeping habits.”
Kiki shoves her phone into Paige’s lap and presses play on the live stream of media availability happening only a wall away.
Azzi Fudd looks different from the last time Paige saw her. Her hair is slicked back into a ponytail, her curls left loose, and there is something more settled about her than Paige remembers; composed and maybe a tad older.
“Before I take any questions, I will start with the obvious: Yes, I am back.”
“Holy shit,” Kiki breathes. Sonia hums in agreement.
A reporter off camera asks: “Where have you been the last year and a half?”
Paige had been working on breathing exercises per her prescribed morning routine when Sonia and Kiki barged in. By the reporter’s first question, she forgot she was supposed to be breathing at all.
“Rehabbing.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s a full-time job.”
Another person chimes in: “There were rumors you left the country.”
“People come up with interesting rumors.”
“So, they’re false?”
“Most of them.”
“Did you ever consider not returning?”
“No.”
Sonia exhales. “They’re vultures.” Paige nods because it is true, but she also can’t help but wonder.
“Are you ready to play full-time?”
“I am at one hundred percent.”
Azzi stares at the reporters and smiles; it’s disarming.
“Damn, she’s not giving them anything,” Sonia shifts slightly closer to Paige to get a better angle.
An astute observation; every answer landed exactly where Azzi wanted it to. The questions continue, purposefully crafted, hopeful they will split the story wide open. But Azzi is practiced, poised, and a round of bouts with eager media feels like her warm-up.
The girls stay glued to the phone.
“So, no more signature braids?”
“It’s just practice today,” Azzi offers.
“One more question, Azzi.”
Azzi turns to the camera, she smiles. “For you, Myles? Anything.”
Paige would bet her Rookie of the Year bonus that Myles was blushing.
“Your last appearance with Team USA training camp before the 2024 campaign, you were the new kid on the block, and now—”
“Myles,” Azzi says, drawing out his name. “Are you calling me old?” She might as well wink at him.
“Of course not.” His slight chuckle is disproportionately loud through the microphone. “I am just wondering what your thoughts are on all of the younger faces here at training camp, like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers?”
Kiki snorts. Sonia exhales. Paige blinks slowly, watching Azzi’s face. Something flickers there, but it’s gone before Paige decides whether she imagined it.
“I always love seeing the sport growing.”
“So, you’re excited to play with them this weekend?”
It’s pushy. The reporters having been salivating after her for any newsworthy soundbite.
“We’ll just see if they have what it takes.”
Paige nearly chokes.
…
The Kaseya Center’s practice court looks like any high school court you’d find across America. It is buried under the main stage, away from any public viewing, meant for players to grind, work, repeat. It isn’t glorious. Paige loves it.
The loudness of USA Basketball feels far away. It is just players in a gym.
Except of course, Sue and Kara sitting on the sidelines in the middle of a line of folding chairs watching and writing notes on a clipboard. Singlehandedly deciding who represents the country.
“Have you seen everyone yet?” Paige asks.
In an impressive feat of flexibility and hip mobility, Cam lunges forward and twists her upper body toward her forward-facing leg. With her elbow resting on her front leg, she looks down at Paige sitting cross legged on the ground.
“Nope,” she pops the “p” as she uncoils herself and begins to repeat the stretch on the other side.
Paige’s joints feel stiffer the longer she watches. She raises one hand in the air and leans over her side. That’ll help.
“I saw a few people in the locker room, I think with the media schedule everyone got here at different times.” Kiki adds from underneath her forward fold.
Most players had wandered in to start individual warm-ups. Paige looks around the gym, watching people separate into self-selected groups.
“Who are you looking for?” Cam moves into a wide stance before twisting into a triangle-esque shape.
Paige ignores her question. “Did you do media already?”
“Mhmm, asked all about group dynamics.” She unwinds and retwists back down. Long legs and arms flow easily. “Did you really call us the ‘young interns?’”
“Yeah P, I got asked what I thought I would gain from this internship experience.” Sonia pipes in as she joins the group. Her elbow collides with Paige’s side as she sits down. Unbelievable.
“Bruh,” Paige raises her other hand to even herself out. “I obviously said ‘young n’ turnt.’”
Their laughter distracts Paige, soothing her mild headache. For a moment, she lets herself enjoy this. The easy familiarity of them, the way their laughter loosens the tension in her chest—the feeling of being constantly watched by coaches and cameras, the eve of qualifiers haunting them, a whole week of expectations. The weight of it feels like it’s settling in at home between her shoulder blades.
These three settle in with her.
She isn’t looking around anymore when Kiki’s elbow jabs at her other side. Really this is abuse at this point.
Kiki nods towards the locker room entrance.
Sabrina cruises onto the court, her ponytail swinging on beat with her steps. But Paige looks behind her where, with her head slightly down, Azzi slowly walks in.
The sounds from the court feel suspended. The movement stills and the energy shifts slightly.
It’s quiet the way the room tilts towards her; bending and contorting itself to frame her.
Or, maybe that’s just Paige.
From the side wall, Sue stands and walks over to greet the new duo. She side hugs Sabrina before grabbing at Azzi and embracing her. “Thank god you’re here. We need you.”
For the first time in person in years, Paige hears a smushed Azzi speak. “You’d have been fine without me.”
“Probably true,” Sue smirks. “But luckily I don’t have to find out.”
The pressure around the gym snaps and the court moves towards the newcomers as people start shouting out welcomes and exchanging hugs. Paige remains sitting, unsure whether she should move yet.
A voice floats from the crowd: “Team USA’s official backcourt is back together.” Paige watches Caitlin’s jaw tick from the corner of the group.
She slowly stands, her joints protesting. Half of her wants to stay rooted to the ground, wait until the group dissipates, be the last one to approach, and say something undeniably charming. Azzi would probably hate it, and Paige would revel in her annoyance. The other half, the one with logic and reasoning, remembers that would be weird and she should try hi first.
A whistle to huddle interrupts any reunion plans as the players are asked to gather round. Kara starts talking about “the goals for today” and “different lineups” and “getting to know each other.” Paige’s brain tries to focus on instructions, absorbing each word, but her eyes keep glancing across the huddle at Azzi and her unwavering concentration. Azzi is listening. Her expression seems to sharpen with every detail, filing away the information she’ll need on the court.
“Focus on not running plays but reading and reacting.” Reading Azzi’s pinched eyebrows. Reacting to Azzi shifting her weight off her right leg.
“Paige,” Sonia whispers from her side. “You good?”
“Huh?”
“You’re like vibrating.”
“Oh.” Paige looks down at her feet. She’d been bouncing on her toes, teetering forwards, just so. “Yeah, just amped.”
Sonia exhales loudly. It sounds more like a choked back laugh.
The players are separated based on jersey color for the first round of scrimmages. Paige hustles to the endline where the rest of the red team waits.
“First five out: Plum, Ionescu, Gray, Iriafen, Boston.” Nate doesn’t look up from his clipboard as he reads the names out. “Let’s just see what we can do.”
Paige settles near the scorer’s table. On the other team, she watches Caitlin walk towards their coach.
“How often are we doing subs?” She asks, and Paige has to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She might normally also be annoyed about not starting, but today it gives her an optimal vantage point to watch.
On the court, Azzi bends to retie her shoe. Before standing, she taps the compression sleeve over her right knee three times, gently, almost absentmindedly.
Paige keeps watching.
The gray team brings up the ball. Azzi cuts behind her defender and slips into the corner, hands out and ready, expectantly.
Wide open. Paige groans internally.
Instead, the pass goes down the post where two defenders descend.
The sounds of players calling for the ball rises, but Azzi waits, balancing on the balls of her feet, watching the play develop as her teammate drives into traffic.
Some players would demand the ball; Paige knows better. A shooter like that doesn’t need to announce herself. She needs someone who can find her, someone to help capitalize on the other team’s—her own team’s—mistake of leaving a player like Azzi open.
The contested shot from the paint misses.
Someone should have made that pass. Paige could’ve made that pass, which was arrogant enough to think. Still. She couldn’t exactly argue with the truth.
Kiki snags the rebound and passes it to Sabrina to bring up for the red team. In an instant, Azzi is suddenly moving the other direction. She flies out to pick up the ballhandler, staying attached through the first step and forcing her to give it up.
Paige’s eyes narrow. She hasn’t seen her play in years…it’s strange to think about.
Kara’s whistle rings out. Subs are ordered in and Kelsey jogs towards Paige to tap her hand in.
“Good luck,” Kelsey says as she grabs a towel. “And I mean on both sides,” she adds. Paige nods absently, but she is watching Caitlin tap Sonia out and go straight to Azzi. She leans in, barking out some instructions. Azzi listens, then lifts her chin in acknowledgment.
Paige bristles, irrationally, she supposes. Of course. It’s just that Paige hasn’t even said hi yet, and well. Caitlin is already giving instructions.
Which is fine.
Obviously.
“You aren’t going to learn anything helpful by overhearing their plays,” Sabrina calls.
Paige’s cheeks flush. She dips her head and jogs over to join her team.
“Five-out motion offense. Everyone can shoot.” Sabrina looks at the team, clearly taking the one. Paige exhales and grabs the ball.
She scans the court; the red team is taking position across the half court line. The rest of the gray team join them, while Veronica and Azzi walk to the center circle.
There is always a moment, even in practice, right before the whistle where the air feels static. Everything continues in motion, but Paige holds her breath and feels the world—the court—freeze. Years on the hardwood, but it is always the same.
Kelsey shouts something from the sideline at Kiki, and Kah clutches her side as she laughs. Aliyah bumps Caitlin’s shoulder passing her to get down the post. Chelsea calls out to watch for the switch.
Paige exhales.
She looks up across the court and almost trips into inbounds. Azzi is at the halfcourt line looking directly at her.
Paige’s breath sputters out and her stomach drops into her shoes. She’s suddenly overly conscious of the dead skin on her dry lips and the ever-present ache in her right knee. She wants to bend down and scratch at it, her feet having stuttered—hiccupped to a halt at the precipice of the court.
Finally, she is being noticed and she feels ill. The pre-scrimmage adrenaline from moments before now poisons her bloodstream. She feels hot and damp.
Azzi’s chin tilts, a quick movement that Paige would’ve missed if she blinked. She crouches low in a defensive stance.
Paige’s mouth waters. Dammit.
The whistle blows. Somehow Paige is of right enough mind to pass the ball in and catch it back, before she’s running headfirst into the trap.
Azzi picks her up at halfcourt, bodies nearly colliding. She mirrors every one of Paige’s movements with sharp precision. Paige takes a half step to the left, but Azzi is already there. She’s close enough to breathe her in. Paige’s eyes sting as sweat falls off her eyelashes. Her steps feel slower than usual.
Azzi’s hand juts out for the ball, testing her control.
Paige pulls back, almost losing it.
Clearly, she's not going to out-handle her. She tosses the ball out to Sabrina, hoping to recalibrate.
The game continues on the other side of the arc, Sabrina and Veronica testing each other, seeing who can get around. Paige expects Azzi to be drawn into Sabrina’s pull, but she stays on her hip. They’re so close that the hairs on Paige’s arm almost brush hers, static prickling across her skin, a tiny electric charge. The gravity shifts, just slightly, pulling Paige towards her. If she moves her arm forward just a bit, their skin will bump—
Sabrina steps left and pulls up, but Veronica follows upwards, snatching the ball out of her hands.
Azzi is already running. Her feet dig into the hardwood as she sprints. Paige is definitely faster, but Azzi had been expecting the turnover, had seen it before it played out, and Paige had been busy calculating the distance between their arms. Veronica’s pass slices the air straight into Azzi’s hands.
But Paige is not one to give up. She pushes. It’s too much for practice. Too much when two points don’t matter. Still. Her feet rise with Azzi, her hand stretching out to slam the ball away. And that’s why they call me Paige Blockers.
Her hand grazes air, and she’s crashing down onto the floor. Onto her ass. Azzi’s fake-out pause is rewarded with an easy uncontested layup.
She looks down at Paige, still laid out.
Paige is still heady with adrenaline, her thoughts a half-step behind her mouth. “Almost had you—”
But Azzi just turns on her heel and walks away back down the court, not listening.
So. A year away apparently had not changed her. Still cool. Completely unaffected.
By the time the morning ends, the red team has a slight edge. Paige’s blood is pumping in her ears; she doesn’t like losing, and the slight lead gives her a small, ugly satisfaction. She had been loud all morning.
Preening.
Azzi only looked at her when she had the ball in her hands. Whatever.
Paige slides down the wall, sitting down while sucking at her water bottle. Her shorter strands of hair came loose from her ponytail and cling uncomfortably to her face. She watches Sue and Azzi speak in low voices in the corner. Catches the way Sue looks down at Azzi’s knee briefly, and how Azzi shifts her weight onto her right foot and shrugs.
“Are you going to actually talk to her today or—”
“Don’t.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to say,” Sonia slides down next to her, Cam and Kiki on her heels.
“Whatever it was, I don’t want to know. I’m just playing.”
Sonia chuckles and looks like she might counter that point when Kiki points to the entrance of the gym.
“Heads up, they’re letting them in.”
A group of people start filtering in. Phones held out in front of them ready to capture every moment. Media let in to observe the afternoon and hopefully get a few viral moments.
Cam tugs a few strands of hair out of her ponytail to frame her face, giving her an effortless model-wearing-athleisure-but-I-don’t-actually-sweat type of look. A type of beauty that makes lesser women cruel.
“You’re unbelievable,” Kiki chastises lightly, bumping her shoulder.
“What,” Cam flashes a blinding smile at them. “I play better when I look good.”
The group breaks into a fit of giggles, and Paige can feel the cameras already pointing towards them. It’s a good shot, the youngest members of the roster all laughing together; Lindsay will be happy with the good pr.
The teams change around for the afternoon scrimmages. Paige looks down at her new gray jersey and the number nineteen clinging to her body.
“First out,” Steph shouts. “Boston, Gray, Copper, and the backcourt is Fudd and Bueckers.”
Paige rolls her shoulders twice and walks to the top of the key. Sonia and Caitlin are at the opposite baseline, both wearing red.
She turns to her left. Azzi is wearing the same gray jersey, except hers features a zero. The sweat from the morning work makes it cling more to her body, giving Paige a more definitive outline of the shapes of skin and muscles hidden underneath. She should probably look away.
She also wants to say hi. Something normal. Something that doesn’t make it obvious this is the moment she has been thinking about since she woke up.
Paige’s exhale catches slightly in the back of her throat. She opens her mouth to try again. “Do you want Sonia or…”
“I’ve got Clark.” Right.
It’s the first thing she has said directly to Paige all day. Her voice travels through Paige, wedging her way into her brain.
Paige blinks, tempering any expectations. It’s not like a good to see you was what she expected, but maybe a hello. Okay. It’s not like she opened with hi. Basketball. It makes sense.
A whistle sounds off, and Azzi is moving away from her, never having really looked at her. Paige pauses for a moment too long and then forces herself down the court.
The play has begun.
The next few possessions, Paige falls in line with the game plans and tries to stay upright not thinking about whether she is being watched. The irony doesn’t escape her that the media is now in the room with them. Notwhat she means.
She keeps tabs on all the players, or at least that is what she tells herself.
A behind-the-back pass to Aliyah in the paint. Azzi drags two defenders towards her. Kah drives instead of passing. Azzi finds an open space. Again.
Space.
Paige is almost annoyed at how obvious it is.
At the next reset, she jogs to the end where Chelsea has gathered the team.
“We’re going to run man-to-man.” Chelsea points at Aliyah. “You’re on Kiki, and…”
“Let’s run a horns flare for Azzi.” The syllables of her name stick to her teeth, strange and out-of-body. Saying her name first, but not to her.
The group turns to look at Paige. She keeps her eyes on Chelsea and repeats, earnestly, “Let’s run a horns flare for Azzi.”
The weight of everyone’s attention settles over her. She resists the urge to visibly shiver, especially beneath what feels like Azzi’s glare. From the corner of her eye, she looks downright dangerous.
Chelsea considers her before shrugging. “We haven’t run one today.” She looks at Azzi and nods, “let’s get Fudd open.”
They jog quickly back onto the court. Paige swallows, rolling the ball once between her palms before passing it to Chelsea. Chelsea would inbound it to Paige, and then it was on her to run it right, execute the play.
At the top of the arc, Sabrina immediately picks up Paige on defense, exactly what they predicted. Chelsea steps in between them, setting the screen. Step one done.
Paige steps around it, anticipating the screen, while Sabrina struggles to get around Chelsea. Caitlin steps towards Paige to help Sabrina on defense, leaving her assignment. Step two done.
Two on Paige. She whips a pass across the arc to a now-open Azzi. Step three.
The pass lands directly in her hands; she rises and shoots. Step four.
The net barely moves as the ball clears.
Paige cannot help the feral scream that tears out of her as she throws her arms above her head and spins in celebration. Azzi doesn’t react to her shot. She just turns and runs back down the court.
“Less celebrating, rookie,” Azzi snaps.
“So, she does speak.” Delightful.
Paige jogs to catch up to her. “I know you haven’t been around, but just so you know I am not a rookie anymore.”
Azzi ignores that completely. “I don’t need you calling plays for me.”
Paige stutters, gaping at her for a moment. She slows to a stop, the words catching up with her a beat late. What in—what the hell?
“You—no, I’m…that’s kind of my position.”
Azzi whips around to face her, and Paige thinks she’s going to add something snarky. Instead, she just looks at her, not bored, exactly, but something flatter.
“Bueckers. Fudd. Y’all going to join us?” They had stopped a quarter of the way back to their side, and the rest of the team was waiting.
Azzi turns back to the team, not looking at Paige, and starts walking back.
“You’re still a rookie here.”
…
A few media members linger by the entrance, filming the last bits of the day, already sending out punchy, headline tweets. Paige maneuvers herself into a blind spot between their cameras and the background of Cam and Kiki’s TikTok.
The end of a long day does not need to be filmed. And, well, it puts her right in line to walk towards Sabrina and Azzi, standing near the edge of the room, speaking lowly.
Paige’s mind drifts to practice, to the assists and to the horn flare. They had played brilliantly together; it’s probably that which fuels her confidence as she steps towards the duo.
“Hey.”
Sabrina smirks. “Hey, Paige.”
Paige daps her up, bumping her shoulder. She turns to Azzi. “It’s great having you on the roster.” She tilts her head down slightly and tries to soften her eyes. “Injuries are a tough break.”
“Yeah,” Azzi agrees. She looks over her shoulder, glancing towards players heading into the locker room. “It’s good to be back.”
The words feel stilted, but Paige doesn’t feel dejected. Spurred on by an endless supply of confidence, with a hint of delusion, she continues, “First time on the court together…not too bad.”
“It was fine.”
Sabrina coughs to cover up a laugh, and Azzi flashes her a warning.
“Well, that’s not exactly—”
“I gotta get going, sponsor dinner,” Azzi interrupts. She turns her shoulder to Sabrina. “I want to talk about those provisions more, text me later?”
“Alright, just know they’ll be the same no matter where you land.”
Azzi rolls her eyes, amused, and Paige feels restless. “Bueckers.” Azzi looks over and nods once before turning and walking towards the locker room.
“About that play earlier…” But Azzi is already halfway into the locker room. Sabrina huffs out an easy laugh and shakes her head.
“Don’t take it personally.”
Paige stands there like an idiot. Her brain lingers on fine. She wouldn’t say they were Steph and Klay, yet, but there was definitely something to consider.
“Paige!” A media member is waving frantically, camera already trained on where they had all just been standing. “Anything to say, about the first day of training camp?”
This isn’t new. Paige has been playing basketball at this level for longer than most people, and she can smile, and wave, and charm media in her sleep.
“Absolutely fantastic. Feeling incredibly grateful to be here.”
It is not a lie. USA Qualifiers. Her senior national team debut. Paige is grateful to be selected, and she feels fantastic about being able to play. These are the steps to greatness, to being the best, to winning gold.
The locker room echoes this energy back to her. First practice with her team for the next week.
She watches Kelsey slink over to Azzi who is shoving her gear into the USA team backpack.
“First day back, Fudd. Feeling ready?” Kelsey asks, falling easily into Azzi’s space with a casual confidence, the kind that makes Paige swim in envy. “Any of these youngins making you nervous…worried you might be replaced?”
Azzi exhales, but she doesn’t respond. She continues to dutifully pack her bag; her hand shoved deep into the backpack.
In a flash, she removes her arm, and chucks a blue foam stress ball at Kelsey, hitting her on the side of her head.
“Finally figured out why they gave us these stress balls.”
The locker room erupts in giggles; Paige cannot help but join in. Azzi’s eyes lift and meet hers like a car crash. A head-on collision. She actually thinks she takes a step back.
Those dark brown depths grow even deeper. And she watches them squint—twitch in the smallest of movements, almost too small to catch. Then Azzi resets her jaw, straightens her back leaning against the lockers, her right leg propped up on the bench. One of her hands seems to brush over her knee—another tiny movement Paige almost doesn’t notice. But she sees her fingers flick—jab—at the fabric over the skin for just a split second. It’s the last movement she sees before their eyes disengage and Azzi pushes off the locker, pulls her backpack on, slips around the edge of the door and leaves.
And for a moment, Paige is almost giddy.
Because Azzi is a great basketball player, and they were decidedly not fine today. Paige passed to open spaces only Azzi could find. And Azzi always returned the ball when Paige needed to relocate. And Paige is convinced, despite everything Azzi has done to pretend otherwise, that she knows it too. They could be exceptional together.
On the basketball court, of course.
And Paige is the kind of person who cannot walk away from the possibility of being exceptional.
Summary: Azzi Fudd is the darling of the WNBA: a former UConn star and number one draft pick, lethal beyond the arc. Quiet, effortless, unreachable. The People’s Princess and MVP favorite. Until a season-ending injury sidelines her for over a year, and she disappears from the spotlight.
Now she’s back, just as the league’s youngest star is becoming its new face: UConn’s latest number one pick and fresh off winning Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers.
Their first time sharing a court, and it’s the World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
a/n: In honor of the World Cup roster being released, I figured it’s time to finally post something, and my brain would not let this idea die. I have been slowly working on my brainchild pazzi story (which is not this), but this story won’t leave me alone. Sigh. Anyways! None of this is going to make sense, it’s just the prologue, so, I’ll go ahead and post the first chapter now. It still won’t make sense, but I will feel better about myself. Thx Jewels.
Word Count: 417
Prologue
“No one laughs at God from behind half court.”
Her words emanating from that perfect little mouth, as if she had just uttered them a moment ago, thud around Azzi’s head: over and over, incessant like the beat of a drum. In Azzi’s mind, they were back in the Heat’s gym. Paige was younger, and so beautiful despite standing against the bilious yellow walls with the waning light illuminating her pale skin and bright blue eyes. That seemed so long ago, and how things have changed. She was still beautiful, of course, perhaps more so, but there must always be a difference in the way one understands the beauty they possess and the beauty they covet from afar.
“No one laughs at God from behind half court,” Paige had said once. Her words ringing out internally against Azzi’s stapes. Azzi can’t help but smile, because of course, the blonde point guard was right. Paige loved to be right. With the ball leaving her hands forty-seven feet away from the basket, there was something bigger than Azzi. There was meaning and reason. Importance and truth. And something unexplainable; something beyond her, and them, and basketball.
She makes a mental note to tell Paige later. The threat of losing makes cowards of intellectual skepticism. It was irrational, she supposes, but that did not matter. And to be clear, she didn’t pray the ball would go in; this was no late stage development of divinity. Just a small acceptance that Paige Bueckers, on a few, rare occasions, could be right. How infuriating.
The reporter clicks her pen twice, indicating her draining impatience with Azzi’s delay and her penchant for vague and slightly philosophical answers. Fair. Azzi shrugs, there isn’t much more to say.
She expects the follow-up that will surely follow. It doesn’t come.
“She doesn’t love you,” the reporter barks out instead. Desperation leaking into her voice.
Apparently, no one laughs at God when they’ve lost the one they wanted either.
The words douse Azzi, soaking her to the bone. It must be true. “Maybe,” Azzi allows. Shrugging her shoulders she adds: “I guess that’s just something I am going to have to deal with on my own.”
The other woman pauses the clicking of her pen on beat at Azzi’s apathy. “It will never work out between you two.”
Azzi blinks slowly, recognizing her own warning flung back at her.
“I’ve made peace with that." And for once, Azzi truly believes that. She finally understands what it means.
Catholic!paige x rebellious!Azzi, catholic boarding school au
Warnings: angst, explicit sexual content
A/n: chapter three!! I love you all so much and I hope you enjoy! It’s a long one and very unedited so ignore mistakes!!! 🩷 see you Monday for chapter two of overexposed
Word count: 24k
A week had flown by since that morning, and Paige had spent practically every free second she had at Azzi’s apartment. It had become their new normal; a sweet, easy routine of shared dinners, late-night talks, and waking up wrapped in each other's arms.
Right now, they were back on the couch, the afternoon light spilling across the living room. Azzi was sitting directly in Paige’s lap, leaning back against Paige's chest while Paige’s arms were loosely wrapped around her waist, her chin resting comfortably on Azzi's shoulder.
"Hey, ma?" Paige asked softly, her voice low as she rocked her gently side to side.
"Hmm?" Azzi hummed, tilting her head back to look at her, her hand resting over Paige's on her stomach.
"I was thinking... when I get off work tonight, do you want to come spend the night at my place?" Paige smiled, brushing a soft kiss against Azzi's jaw. "You haven't even been over yet."
Azzi’s face lit up for a second before a small, slight hesitation settled in her eyes. "Oh, I'd love to, I'm just a little worried about Teddy. We've never really spent a night apart since I got him."
"Bring him with you, princess," Paige offered instantly, without even a second thought. "He's more than welcome."
Azzi giggled softly, shaking her head. "Baby, you don't have a litter box, or his food, or any of his toys. It'd be a whole ordeal packing his entire life up for one night." She looked over at the orange cat currently sleeping on the back of the couch, letting out a fond sigh. "I think he'll be fine for one night... I'm just kinda attached to him."
"Can't blame you, mama," Paige murmured with a quiet laugh, pulling Azzi a little tighter against her chest and kissing her cheek. "He's a good boy. But if you get worried at all tonight, we can always drive right back here, okay?"
"Okay," Azzi smiled radiantly, leaning back to press a sweet, lingering kiss to Paige's lips. "I'd love to spend the night with you, baby."
—
Paige stepped out of Azzi’s apartment, closing the door behind her with a quick wave. She’d told Azzi she had to run a quick errand to pick up some groceries for dinner tonight, but as soon as the door clicked shut, she pulled out her phone and speed-dialed Nai.
"Hey, P, what's up?" Nai answered on the second ring.
"I need you to meet me at the pet store near the shop in fifteen minutes," Paige said, her tone hurried as she jogged down the apartment stairs.
"The... pet store?" Nai sounded completely bewildered. "Paige, why are we going to a pet store? Did you get a fish?"
"Just meet me there, please! I'll explain when you get there," Paige pleaded before hanging up.
Twenty minutes later, Paige was standing outside the glass doors of the pet store when Nai pulled up. Nai hopped out of her car, squinting suspicious eyes at Paige as she crossed the parking lot.
"Okay, spill," Nai demanded, crossing her arms as they walked into the store, surrounded by aisles of chew toys and bags of dog food. "Why are we here? You don't have a pet, Paige."
Paige grabbed a plastic shopping basket, her face flushing hot. "Okay, I'm not giving you a ton of details right now, so just listen. I'm... seeing someone."
Nai’s jaw practically hit the linoleum floor. "You're what?"
"I'm seeing a girl," Paige continued quickly, her eyes darting around the aisle. "And she has a cat. I want her to come spend the night at my place tonight, but she was worried about leaving her cat alone. So I decided I'm just gonna buy everything the cat needs so he can come over too. And since you have a cat, I figured you could help me pick out the right stuff."
Nai stood frozen in the middle of aisle four, staring at Paige like she’d grown a second head.
"Wait, wait, wait... hold up," Nai said, her voice rising in absolute disbelief. "What the fuck? You're seeing someone?! Paige, what about Azzi?!"
Paige winced. "Nai, leave me alone about that right now, okay?" Paige groaned, her face burning red. "Just shut up and help me pick out the right litter so I don't ruin this."
Nai stared at her for three long seconds before letting out a loud, dramatic sigh, shaking her head as she grabbed a tub of litter. "You are insane, Paige.. Fine. But you owe me a massive explanation later."
Nai grabbed a litter box, turning it over in her hands as she dragged Paige down the next aisle.
"Okay, first of all," Nai said, tossing the box into their cart, "if you're getting a litter box, you need a litter mat. Unless you want cat litter tracked across your entire apartment floor."
Paige grabbed the rubber mat Nai pointed at without arguing, dropping it straight into the cart.
"Now," Nai continued, taking full command of the shopping trip like a drill sergeant, "you need food and water bowls. Stainless steel, not plastic; plastic holds bacteria. And if you're scooping litter, you need a scoop, and a little garbage pail that actually masks the smell, otherwise your whole place is gonna smell like a barn. Oh, and toys. If this cat gets bored at 3:00 AM, he will destroy your furniture."
Nai loaded up the cart with a sleek metal bowl set, a scented trash pail, a feather wand, and a three-pack of catnip mice, all while eyeing Paige like she’d completely lost her mind.
"I still cannot wrap my brain around this," Nai muttered, shaking her head as they moved toward the register. "You are buying a whole-ass pet setup... for one night? Paige, this is completely insane. Unhinged behavior."
Paige picked up a small scratching post, setting it firmly into the overflowing cart with a small, fond smirk on her face.
"Well," Paige said softly, her tone entirely unbothered as she thought about Azzi, "I want her to stay over more often. So really, it's just an investment."
Nai stopped dead in her tracks, staring at Paige in absolute, speech-less shock before letting out a loud laugh. "Oh, yep. You've officially gone crazy."
After checking out with bags overflowing with cat supplies, Paige loaded everything into her truck and turned to Nai in the parking lot.
"Come back to my apartment and help me set this up?" Paige asked, throwing her hands up in a pleading gesture.
Nai rolled her eyes, but a fond smile broke through. "Fine."
When they arrived at Paige’s place, Paige unlocked the front door and pushed it open, stepping inside first. "Okay, chill on how it looks, alright?" Paige warned, rubbing the back of her neck as Nai walked in behind her. "I literally haven't been home in a week."
"Clearly," Nai teased, setting down a box of litter. She strolled into the living room, glancing around, but as her eyes hit the coffee table, she froze.
Sitting right on the wood surface was the framed letter; the letter Azzi had written to Paige years ago.
Nai raised an eyebrow, pointing directly at it. "Paige... you definitely need to take this down before your girl comes over. Seeing a framed letter from your ex on the coffee table is red flag number one."
Paige grabbed the cat bowls out of a bag, not even looking up. "No. I'm leaving it."
Nai stared at her, completely flabbergasted, before throwing her hands in the air. "Okay, well! I think you’re gonna be single again by tomorrow morning, but whatever. It's your funeral."
Shaking her head, Nai helped Paige carry the supplies around the apartment. They decided the bathroom was the best spot for the litter box. Nai guided Paige on pouring the litter in and setting up the scent-proof trash pail right next to it, making sure everything was clean and ready. Then, they moved to the kitchen to set up the stainless steel food and water bowls in a quiet corner near the fridge.
"Okay, last thing," Paige said, picking up the woven basket filled with the new cat toys and feather wands. "I want to put the basket of toys in my bedroom."
"Your bedroom?" Nai asked, following Paige down the hallway.
Nai cut herself off the second she stepped into Paige's bedroom. Her eyes landed straight on the bedside table. Right next to Paige’s lamp was a framed photo of Paige and Azzi, wrapped in each other's arms, smiling at the camera.
Nai stopped in her tracks, her face turning dead serious.
"What the actual fuck, Paige?" Nai snapped, turning to face her with genuine frustration. "You have a framed picture of you and Azzi right next to your bed! You are not ready to move on. Why the hell are you playing with this girl's feelings?!"
"Calm down, bro," Paige said smoothly, completely unbothered as she set the basket of cat toys down by the foot of her bed.
Nai looked like she was about to blow a fuse. "Paige, you're literally inviting some random girl over to sleep in your bed while surrounding her with shrines of your ex!"
Paige turned around, leaning back against her dresser with a calm, amused smirk on her face.
"I'm seeing Azzi," Paige said simply.
Nai stood there in the middle of Paige’s bedroom, her hands resting on Paige’s arms as the full weight of the news settled in.
A quiet sniffle broke the silence. Before Paige could ask what was wrong, a warm tear spilled over Nai’s lash line, trailing down her cheek.
"Wait, Nai, are you crying?" Paige asked softly, her own smile softening into slight concern.
"Shut up," Nai laughed through a shaky breath, swiping at her cheek with the back of her hand, but the tears just kept coming. She stepped forward and threw her arms around Paige’s neck, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm just... I'm so happy for you."
Paige wrapped her arms firmly around Nai, resting her chin on her shoulder with a quiet, grounded smile.
After a long moment, Nai pulled back, wiping her face again with a light laugh. "Okay, come on. Let's go sit down."
They walked back into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. Nai pulled her knees up to her chest, looking over at Paige with a tender, nostalgic expression in her eyes.
"I was just thinking about when I first met you," Nai admitted quietly, her voice still a little thick with emotion. "You were so quiet, P. You were dealing with so much shit back then, and everyone at the shop used to worry about you constantly. We just wanted you to be okay, but you always kept this part of yourself completely locked away."
Paige looked down at her hands, listening quietly as Nai spoke.
"But," Nai continued softly, reaching out to bump her shoulder against Paige’s, "it was so obvious. To anyone who spent more than five minutes with you, Azzi meant the world to you. She was always the standard."
Nai smiled, her eyes brimming with warmth as she looked around the apartment; at the framed letter on the table, at the bags of cat food by the door.
"To see you like this now... it’s just really sweet, Paige," Nai murmured softly. "I'm just so glad you have her back. You deserve to be happy like this."
Paige swallowed past a knot in her throat, feeling a wave of gratitude for the people in her corner. She reached over, giving Nai’s knee a firm, affectionate squeeze.
"Thanks, Nai," Paige whispered, her voice low and full of quiet emotion. "It means everything."
Nai’s warm smile flickered slightly, a quiet, serious weight settling over her features as she looked at Paige.
"Does she know?" Nai asked softly, her voice dropping an octave. "Does Azzi actually know what happened?"
Paige stared down at the wooden coffee table, her thumb absently rubbing the seam of her jeans. "No," she whispered quietly. "All she knows is that I went missing back then... and that I don't see my family anymore."
Nai let out a long, slow breath, pulling her knees a little tighter to her chest. "Paige... you know you have to tell her, right?"
"I know," Paige said, her voice barely audible. A suffocating knot formed in her chest. "I know I have to. It's just... I'm terrified, Nai."
"Terrified she'll judge you?" Nai asked gently. "Because you know she wouldn't—"
"No, not that," Paige cut in quickly, looking up with raw, quiet desperation in her eyes. "I'm scared because if I tell her, she's going to blame herself. She's going to think it's her fault."
Nai frowned, her brow furrowing. "Why would she think that, P?"
"Because of how it happened!" Paige’s voice cracked. "My parents only found out about us because they went through my room and found the letters and pictures Azzi gave me. That's why they sent me to that facility in the first place. That’s why I was tortured there, Nai."
Paige swallowed hard, wiping a shaky hand across her face. "If she finds out that the love notes she gave me in high school are what triggered my parents to send me away... it will destroy her. She'll carry that guilt and it wasn't her fault."
Nai watched her best friend carefully. Aside from Nika, Nai was the only person Paige had ever opened up to about the full reality of what happened. Nai was like a big sister; almost a mother figure, to Paige, the person who had helped piece her back together when she was at her lowest.
"Paige, listen to me," Nai said firmly, shifting on the couch to grab both of Paige’s hands in hers. "You can't protect her from the truth forever. What happened at that place... they treated you so badly you almost died, P. You almost didn't make it back."
"I know," Paige choked out, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "I know how close it was."
"You were starving, Paige," Nai reminded her gently, her own eyes brimming with protective tears as she recalled the state Paige had been in. "You lost so much weight you looked like a ghost. You were having hallucinations from the trauma. You went through literal hell."
"And I don't want her to know that!" Paige sobbed quietly, shaking her head frantically. "I don't want her picturing me like that! I don't want her knowing about the hallucinations, or how thin I got, or how close I came to dying in that place. I'm just scared that once I say it out loud to her, it ruins everything. It makes it real for her, too."
Nai pulled Paige into a tight, grounding embrace, holding her firmly as Paige let out a quiet, trembling breath against her shoulder.
"It won't ruin her," Nai whispered softly, stroking the back of Paige's hair just like an older sister would. "It's going to break her heart to hear what you suffered through, yeah. Because she loves you. But keeping this a secret to 'protect' her is just going to keep a wall between you two. You don't have to tell her every graphic detail tonight, P. But you have to let her know the truth about your parents; and you have to make sure she knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that nothing those people did to you was ever her fault."
Paige pulled back slightly, wiping her cheeks with the sleeve of her hoodie. She looked over at the framed letter on the coffee table; the very same handwriting that had once brought her comfort, and inadvertently brought her nightmare.
"I know you're right," Paige murmured softly, her voice thick with emotion, but steadying. "I just... I need to figure out how to say it without breaking her."
"You'll find the right time," Nai said gently, giving her hand one last reassuring squeeze. "And when you do, she's going to hold you, Paige. She's not going to run."
Paige wiped her eyes with the cuff of her hoodie, letting out a long breath as the tension slowly left her shoulders. She looked at Nai, her chest swelling with a quiet, grounding warmth.
"Thank you, Nai," Paige whispered, her voice still a little raspy from crying. "Seriously... I love you."
"I love you too," Nai smiled warmly, leaning over to bump her shoulder against Paige’s. "Always."
Paige went quiet for a second, picking at a loose thread on her jeans. The nervous flush returned to her face, creeping up her neck. She cleared her throat, suddenly shifting uncomfortably on the cushion.
"Um... I actually have another question," Paige muttered, her voice dropping into a quiet, hesitant mumble. "I'm... kinda embarrassed to ask, though."
Nai raised an eyebrow, a fond, amused look softening her face. "P, we literally talk about everything. What could you possibly be embarrassed to ask me?"
Paige stared down at her lap, her face burning hot as she tried to find the words.
"It's just..." Paige swallowed hard, biting the inside of her cheek. "Back in high school... before everything happened... Azzi had already had sex with people. And I... obviously hadn't. We were together, but we never got the chance to do anything like that before I was taken away. And then... well, I still haven't been with anybody."
Paige squeezed her eyes shut for a second, rubbing the back of her neck as the embarrassment settled deep in her chest.
"I just... I feel stupid, Nai," Paige confessed quietly, looking up with raw, vulnerable hesitation. "I'm a grown woman and I've never slept with anyone. Azzi knows what she's doing, and I don't know the first thing about any of it."
Nai stared at her, her brows pulling together in genuine, deep confusion.
"Wait... you seriously don't know anything?" Nai asked, blinking fast as she tried to process it. She leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a dramatic whisper. "Like... have you ever even masturbated?"
Paige flushed a deeper, violent shade of red, looking anywhere in the room except at Nai. She shifted uncomfortably on the cushion, pulling her knees tight against her chest.
"Not... not really," she mumbled, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.
Nai’s jaw dropped, her mouth staying open in total disbelief for three solid seconds. "What the fuck, Paige?!"
"I mean, I have!" Paige hastily clarified, her voice rising an octave in pure panic as she waved her hands frantically in the air. "I tried! Okay? But it just... it didn't feel good! It was just awkward and weird, so I stopped trying! It’s not a big deal!"
"Not a big deal?" Nai repeated, rubbing her temples as a look of concern washed over her face. "P, you're going into this completely blind! I am deeply concerned for how your first time is gonna go if you don't even know what feels good on your own body. You're gonna be sitting there like a deer in the headlights while she's trying to touch you."
Paige groaned loudly, throwing her head back against the couch cushions, wanting the floor to open up and swallow her whole. "Nai, please. I am already dying over here, don't make it worse."
"Okay, okay," Nai said, though a wicked, mischievous glint instantly sparked in her eyes. A slow grin spread across her face as she bumped Paige's shoulder, throwing her arm around her in a mock-comforting way.
"Look on the bright side" Nai cooed teasingly, nudging her. "Some girls find it, like, really hot when their partner is inexperienced. They get to teach you everything. I mean, Azzi’s experienced, right? She’s gonna love playing teacher."
"Oh my god, stop!" Paige shrieked, her face burning so hot it felt like it was on fire. She buried her face entirely into a pillow, muffling her embarrassed groans while Nai burst into a fit of laughter that echoed through the entire apartment.
Paige slammed the pillow down into her lap, glaring at Nai through bright blue eyes that were practically watering from mortification.
"Seriously, shut up!" Paige pleaded, her voice cracking as she slapped Nai’s arm. "Just stop laughing and actually tell me what to expect!"
Nai took a deep breath, wiping away the lingering tear of laughter from the corner of her eye. She cleared her throat, shifting her weight on the couch to face Paige directly.
"Okay. Okay, fine. I'm being serious now," Nai said, placing both hands on her knees like a doctor preparing to deliver a diagnosis. "First of all, you need to get out of your own head. Sex isn't like a test you can study for. When it's with someone you love, it just... flows. It's built on communication."
Paige pulled her hoodie sleeves completely over her hands, hiding her nose behind her collar. "Easy for you to say. You know what you're doing. What if she starts touching me and I just freeze up?"
"If you freeze up, you tell her!" Nai sighed, throwing her hands up. "If she touches you somewhere and you don't like it, or if it feels too fast, you say so. And when something does feel good, you let her know. A groan, a shift in your hips, a little tug on her hair—"
"Nai, please," Paige whined, her voice muffled by her hoodie as her face flushed bright crimson again. She squeezed her eyes shut and slid lower onto the couch, practically trying to vanish into the cushions. "Do you have to use words like hips and groan?"
Nai stared at her, her jaw dropping as her expression flattened into total disbelief. She sat up straight and smacked Paige’s leg with an open hand.
"Paige! Are you serious right now?!" Nai yelled, pointing a finger dramatically at Paige's midsection. "Girl, you literally have two hip tattoos! You sat in a chair for hours getting inked right above your pant line; as if you can get more inherently sexual than that, and now you're squirming over the word?!"
"Those are art!" Paige protested defensively, her face burning even hotter as she pulled her hoodie down tighter over her waistband.
"You and I both know you didn’t get it cause it’s art!" Nai countered, shaking her head in utter disbelief. "You are a grown ass woman! Twenty-three years old, and you are acting like a twelve year old in health class!"
"I am not!" Paige whined weakly, peeking one eye out from over her collar.
"You literally are!" Nai scolded, throwing her hands in the air. "You asked me for advice! I am trying to give you actual advice so you don't pass out from panic when Azzi takes your shirt off tonight, and you are sitting there hiding in your hoodie like a toddler!"
Paige groaned, sitting back up slowly, though her cheeks were still burning hot. "It's just awkward hearing it from you, okay? You're like... my sister. It's weird."
"It's only weird because you're making it weird," Nai said, crossing her arms and leaning back. "Look at me. Look at my face."
Paige reluctantly dragged her eyes over to meet Nai's stern, loving gaze.
"Sex is hot," Nai said plainly, leaving zero room for argument. "You are going to be nervous. That is completely normal for your first time. But Azzi loves you. She is going to be gentle with you, P. She's not gonna expect you to know everything. She just wants you. All you have to do is breathe, focus on how much you trust her, and let her take the lead. Can you do that?"
Paige swallowed hard, the deep blush on her cheeks finally settling into a soft, nervous pink. She rubbed the back of her neck, taking a slow, steadying breath.
"Yeah," Paige murmured softly, looking at Nai with genuine, quiet appreciation. "Yeah, I can do that."
"Good," Nai said, her tough exterior instantly melting back into a soft, proud smile. "Now grow up, put your big-girl pants on, and go get your girl."
—
After Nai headed out, Paige took a deep breath to steady her lingering nerves, picking up her phone to call Azzi.
The screen clicked open, and Azzi’s glowing face appeared on the FaceTime call. She was sitting at her kitchen island, a pair of readers resting on her nose.
"Hey, baby," Azzi smiled warmly, her voice instant comfort through the speaker. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's great," Paige said, rubbing the back of her neck as she paced her living room. "Hey, ma... bring Teddy tonight."
Azzi blinked, pulling her glasses down slightly. "Wait, bring Teddy? Babe, I told you, he doesn't have any of his—"
"Just trust me," Paige cut in with a soft, secretive grin. "Bring him."
Azzi looked totally confused, but a fond smirk tugged at her lips. "Okay... if you say so, baby. I'll see you soon."
An hour later, the doorbell rang. Paige practically leaped to open it, revealing Azzi standing on the porch, holding a distinctly annoyed, heavy orange cat in her arms.
Before Azzi could even ask a question, Paige reached out, wrapping her hand around the back of Azzi’s neck and pulling her into a warm, lingering kiss right on the doorstep. Azzi melted into it with a soft sigh, resting her free hand against Paige's hip.
"Hi, gorgeous," Paige whispered against her lips as she pulled back.
"Hi, baby," Azzi beamed, stepping inside.
As Paige closed the front door behind them, Azzi turned around to walk into the living room; and froze dead in her tracks.
Sitting neat and ready near the hallway was a set of stainless steel food and water bowls neatly filled up in the corner of the kitchen.
Azzi’s mouth fell wide open. Her eyes darted to the food bowls, and then back to Paige, total disbelief spreading across her face.
"Paige..." Azzi gasped, her voice thick with sudden emotion as a radiant, gorgeous smile broke out. She set Teddy down on the rug; who immediately sauntered over to inspect his new territory, and turned around to throw her arms around Paige’s neck.
"Baby, what is this?!" Azzi exclaimed, kissing Paige's cheek, her chin, and then her lips again in quick succession. "You didn't need to do this!"
"I wanted to," Paige said smoothly, her arms wrapping tight around Azzi’s waist, pulling her close. "Told you he was welcome here, mama. His toys are in my room, and the litter in the bathroom. Now you both can stay as long as you want."
They walked over to the living room together, Azzi’s hand comfortably entwined in Paige’s. As Paige sat down on the couch, Azzi’s eyes caught the small wooden frame sitting right in the center of the coffee table.
Azzi paused, reaching down to pick it up. Her breath hitched. Inside was the delicate, handwritten letter she had poured her heart into years ago, preserved as if it had been written yesterday.
Holding the frame against her chest, Azzi turned and settled sideways into Paige’s lap, draping her legs over Paige’s thighs. She looked down at the paper, total shock softening her features.
"You kept this?" Azzi whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
"Of course I kept it," Paige said softly, wrapping one arm firmly around Azzi’s waist to hold her steady. "I kept it everywhere with me, ma."
Azzi’s thumb gently traced the glass over her old handwriting. As her eyes scanned the familiar words, memories of their youth rushed back all at once; the overwhelming depth of their love, the quiet moments tucked away from the world, and the certainty she had felt when writing every single line. Tears welled up in Azzi’s eyes, spilling over her lashes and trailing down her cheeks.
"I meant every single word," Azzi choked out, her shoulders shaking as she let out a quiet, tearful breath.
Paige’s heart squeezed. She reached out, gently taking the frame from Azzi’s trembling hands and setting it back down on the table. She wrapped both arms around Azzi, pulling her flush against her chest. Paige began stroking long, soothing lines up and down Azzi’s back, pressing a gentle kiss into her dark curls.
"I know you did, baby," Paige murmured against her hair. "I know."
They stayed like that for a few minutes, listened to the quiet hum of the apartment while Teddy lazily explored the hallway. Gradually, Azzi’s breathing evened out, her sniffling fading into a soft, quiet calm against Paige's neck.
Paige took a slow, heavy breath, knowing this was the moment she couldn't run from anymore. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but she held her composure, keeping her voice completely gentle.
"Azzi?" Paige asked softly, her thumb lightly rubbing through the fabric of Azzi’s shirt on her back. "Is it okay if... is it okay if we talk about what happened back then?"
Azzi went still for a fraction of a second. She didn't look up, but she gave a slow, deliberate nod against Paige’s collarbone.
Azzi shifted, curling her body even tighter into Paige’s space; tucking her head right under Paige’s chin and clinging to her shirt with both hands as if she were anchoring herself for a storm. Paige felt the subtle tremor in Azzi’s frame, the quiet, undeniable fear radiating off her.
Paige tightened her grip, resting her cheek against the top of Azzi’s head, her heart aching as she prepared to open the door she had kept locked for so long.
Her hand continued its slow stroke up and down Azzi’s back, anchoring them both in the present moment.
"I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to tell you everything right now," Paige began softly, her voice low and thick with quiet weight. "It's... it's a lot, ma. But before I say anything else, I need you to listen to me really carefully, okay?"
Azzi didn't pull away, but her grip on Paige's shirt tightened just a little more.
"None of what happened was your fault," Paige said firmly, her tone leaving no room for doubt. She tilted her head down, pressing her lips against the crown of Azzi’s head. "Absolutely none of it. You have always been so perfect to me, Azzi. Not once; not for a single second, did I ever blame you. I need you to know that."
Azzi let out a quiet, trembling exhale against Paige’s neck, her heart hammering against Paige’s ribs.
Paige swallowed hard, staring blankly ahead at the far wall as the memories started slipping through the cracks she’d kept sealed for years.
"You remember that day we went to the mall together?" Paige murmured quietly, her voice dropping to a near-whisper.
Azzi gave a tiny, subtle nod against her collarbone.
"While we were out," Paige continued, her thumb tracing small circles on Azzi's waist to keep her grounded, "my parents went through my room. They found all your letters... and all the pictures you gave me."
"When I walked through the front door that night," Paige whispered, "they had every single one of them laid out on the dining room table."
Azzi’s breath hitched, a fresh wave of tears soaking quietly into Paige’s shirt as she held on tighter.
"They screamed at me... pretty bad," Paige murmured softly, her voice remarkably calm despite the nightmare she was describing. "They told me I wasn't allowed to stay there anymore. I went upstairs to pack a bag with just the necessities, but..." Paige swallowed past the lump in her throat, a small, tender smile briefly tugging at her lips. "...I managed to sneak three things into my bag. One of your letters, a picture of us together, and that selfie of you that I always kept under my pillow. The one they never found."
Azzi let out a broken, quiet sob, pulling back just enough to look up at Paige through tear-filled eyes. The grief on Azzi’s face was almost too much to bear.
Paige immediately leaned down, gently cupping Azzi’s jaw and pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her lips, catching a salty tear with her thumb.
"It's okay, baby," Paige whispered against her cheek, holding her close. "We can stop right here. We don't have to talk about the rest tonight."
"No," Azzi choked out, shaking her head as she wiped her eyes, her hand resting over Paige's heart. "No, Paige... please. I want to know."
Paige took a deep, steadying breath, resting her forehead against Azzi’s for a brief second before pulling back slightly.
"I had no idea where they were taking me," Paige said quietly, looking down at their joined hands. "They just put me in the car and drove for hours. We ended up at this place... I don't even know how to describe it, ma. It felt like an insane asylum. Cold, sterile, hidden in the middle of nowhere."
Azzi’s hand trembled in hers, but she kept her eyes locked on Paige, listening intently.
"On my very first day there, they put us in this circle for a group therapy session," Paige continued, letting out a faint, dry laugh at the memory. "They were asking everyone basic questions, and someone asked what my favorite book was. I was so disoriented... I didn't fully understand what kind of facility I was actually in yet. So I mentioned my favorite book, and then... I mentioned that I had a girlfriend."
Azzi’s eyes widened slightly through her tears.
"Looking back, saying that out loud in a place like that was probably the dumbest thing I could have ever done," Paige admitted, her eyes softening as she looked at Azzi. "It made my treatment there get so much worse... but it was also the absolute best thing I've ever done. Because Nika was in that circle."
A soft, genuine warmth flickered in Paige's chest. "Nika heard me say that, and right after group ended, she came up to me. She told me she had a girlfriend too. That's the moment we became friends."
Paige’s thumb stroked rhythmically over Azzi’s wrist, but her voice began to lose its steady rhythm.
"Everything was fine... well, as fine as it could be. It was manageable," Paige said, her eyes fixed on a quiet corner of the living room floor. "Until one night. I was lying in my bed, holding a picture of you."
Paige stopped. The words hung suspended in the air.
Feeling the sudden shift in Paige’s posture, Azzi looked up, her tear-stained face filled with raw, patient worry.
Before going any further, Paige leaned down. She pressed her lips to Azzi’s forehead, then down to her cheek, and finally against her lips in a soft, slow, protective kiss; trying with everything in her to pour comfort into Azzi.
"I'm sorry," Paige whispered against Azzi’s cheek, cupping her face tightly. "I just... I need you to know I'm okay now."
Paige took a deep, shaky breath, letting her hand slip down to hold Azzi’s again. "Two of the staff members came into my room. They caught me with the photo. They yanked it out of my hands, and they... they started saying awful things, ma. Horrible things about you."
A dark shadow crossed Paige’s eyes as the memory surfaced; the s rage that had snapped inside her that night.
"I lost my mind," Paige confessed quietly, her voice cracking with a deep, lingering shame. "I got violent. I fought them with everything I had. I put hands on them, I threw things, I fought until they pinned me down and dragged me into isolation."
Azzi’s breath hitched, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks as she squeezed Paige’s hands tighter.
Paige swallowed hard, looking down because she couldn't bear the thought of Azzi seeing the disgrace in her eyes. "I'm so ashamed of it," Paige whispered, her throat tight. "I hated myself for letting them break me down so badly that I acted like that. I had never been a violent person, Azzi... but after that night? It didn't really stop there. Every time they pushed me, every time they tried to take another piece of you away from me... I just kept fighting."
Paige’s breath suddenly hitched, a sharp wave of panic cutting right through her. The weight of her own words hit her like a blow, and her eyes darted to Azzi’s face, wide and frantic with fear.
"Azzi," Paige stammered, her voice rising in a rushed, desperate pitch as she grabbed both of Azzi’s hands, holding them almost too tightly. "I'm not a violent person. I swear to God I'm not. I would never do anything like that now. If I get mad, or upset, or overwhelmed, I don't... I would never hurt anyone, especially not you. You know that, right? You know you're safe with me."
The sheer horror in Paige’s chest was transparent; she was terrified that by admitting she had lost her mind and fought back, she had just turned herself into a monster in the eyes of the girl she loved. She was terrified Azzi would look at her with fear.
Azzi’s heart shattered at the desperation in Paige's voice.
Azzi shifted up in her lap, framing Paige’s face with both hands and forcing Paige to look directly into her eyes. There was no fear in Azzi’s expression; only endless, overwhelming love and sadness for everything Paige had been forced to endure.
"Paige, stop. Look at me," Azzi said softly, her thumb gently wiping a tear from Paige’s cheek. "I know. I know who you are, baby. I don't think you're violent, and I have never felt safer with anyone than I do with you."
Paige let out a long, shaky breath, her shoulders sagging as the crushing panic slowly drained out of her, replaced by raw relief.
"It's okay," Azzi whispered, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to Paige’s forehead, leaving her lips there for a moment. "It's okay, baby. Take a breath. You can keep going when you're ready."
Paige took a slow, grounding breath, squeezing Azzi’s fingers before finding her voice again.
"I... I don't even know how long I spent in isolation," Paige murmured, her voice hollow. "It all just blurred together. But Nika somehow managed to blackmail one of the guys who worked there into letting her come see me. She was always taking care of me."
Azzi listened intently, her thumb softly running over the back of Paige's knuckles, offering a steady, quiet warmth.
"Every day after that, they forced me into these therapy sessions," Paige continued, a bitter, faint scowl touching her lips. "Except it wasn't therapy. It was just some woman standing over me, screaming at me for hours on end, trying to tear down every single piece of who I was."
Paige paused, letting out a dry, quiet breath. "And the worst part was my very first day there... they brought in this doctor. She sat across from me and looked so kind. She told me she understood my pain. And I was so dumb, Azzi... I actually believed her. I practically begged her to let me leave, to let me just go home to you."
Azzi’s breath hitched, fresh tears brimming in her eyes.
"She just sat there, looked me in the eye, and told me I was clinically insane," Paige whispered, her throat tight. "She said I was a danger to myself and that I was living in total delusion. Because of that diagnosis... because of her... I thought I was never going to leave that place. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life there."
Azzi squeezed her eyes shut, a soft, broken sob escaping her lips as she leaned her forehead against Paige’s shoulder.
"And... a lot of my more violent moments?" Paige added quietly, her posture growing rigid again. "It was because of the lies."
Azzi pulled back slightly, looking up at Paige through tear-stained lashes. "What do you mean, baby? What lies?"
Paige stared at the coffee table, her jaw clenching. "They used to come into my room and tell me they talked to you. They told me you told them you hated me, that you said our entire relationship was just you manipulating me because I was an easy target."
Paige's voice cracked, anger flaring briefly in her eyes before fading into deep sorrow. "I knew it was bullshit. I knew you loved me. So I would snap and lose my mind on them because I couldn't stand hearing it."
As the truth hung in the air, the sheer weight of her trauma seemed to press down on Paige all at once. The steady, protective front she had been putting up began to falter.
Without realizing it, Paige regressed completely; falling right back into the timid, clingy girl she used to be when they first fell in love in high school. Her confidence completely dissolved. She leaned forward and tucked her face into the crook of Azzi’s neck, her hands timidly knotting into the fabric of Azzi’s shirt. She held on with a soft, desperate tightness, seeking refuge from the memory, looking for the safety she used to find in Azzi when they were teenagers.
"Azzi..." Paige mumbled, her voice timid and muffled against Azzi's neck, so small it sounded like a little girl's. "You still love me, right? You're not going to leave?"
Azzi felt her heart break into a million pieces. She immediately wrapped her arms fully around Paige, kissing the side of her head over and over, holding her like the most precious thing in the world. "I love you so much, Paige. I am right here. I am never, ever leaving you again, baby."
Hearing the pain and trembling sorrow in Azzi's voice hit Paige softly.
She felt the quiet vibration of Azzi’s chest and realized how much pain her words were bringing her. The lingering fog of her ptsd began to clear. Paige gently shifted, softening her hold on Azzi.
Paige slowly raised her head, her eyes clear again, filled with a quiet, tender warmth. She gently reached up with both hands, using her thumbs to softly wipe away the fresh tear tracks on Azzi’s cheeks.
"Hey..." Paige murmured, her voice smooth and grounded, pressing her forehead softly against Azzi's. "I'm sorry, ma. I just got scared for a second, I didn't mean to make you worry."
Azzi let out a long, trembling breath, resting her forehead against Paige’s for a moment longer. The air in the room was thick with years of unspoken pain and emotion, and Azzi could see the faint exhaustion tugging at the corners of Paige’s eyes.
"Hey," Azzi whispered softly, her hands sliding down to cup Paige’s face with infinite gentleness. "I think... I think it’s time for us to take a break from this conversation. Just for a few minutes, baby."
Paige blinked, a flicker of relief washing over her face before she nodded softly. "Okay."
Azzi leaned in and pressed a slow, sweet kiss to Paige’s lips, lingering there until she felt Paige’s body fully relax against her.
"Why don't we find something to order for dinner?" Azzi suggested, a soft, encouraging smile gracing her lips as she gently wiped the remaining moisture from her eyes. "It'll be a good distraction. I'm starving, and I know you need to eat."
Azzi pulled out her phone and tapped into DoorDash, wiggling herself back into a comfortable spot on Paige’s lap while opening the app. "Okay, what are we thinking?"
"Indian," Paige said instantly, resting her chin on Azzi’s shoulder to look at the screen. "Chicken tikka masala, garlic naan, samosas... come on, ma, you know you want it."
Azzi scoffed, scrolling past the Indian restaurants without missing a beat. "Paige, no. I want sushi."
"We had sushi like three days ago!" Paige protested, laughing softly as she reached around Azzi to try and grab the phone. "Indian is way more comforting!"
"And sushi is fresh and delicious, and I am the one holding the phone," Azzi countered playfully, holding the screen out of Paige's reach while tapping furiously. "Plus, I just cried for twenty minutes, so I deserve it."
Paige let out a dramatic, exaggerated groan, flopping her head against Azzi’s shoulder. "That is emotional manipulation and you know it."
"Stop acting like you don’t like it," Azzi grinned, turning her head to kiss Paige’s cheek before hitting the final checkout button. "There. Sushi is ordered. It’ll be here in thirty minutes."
Paige shook her head, unable to hide the fond, warm smile breaking across her face as she wrapped her arms tighter around Azzi’s waist. "You're terrible."
"You love me," Azzi murmured, leaning back into her chest.
—
Once the order was placed, the comfortable quiet settled over the living room again, but the unfinished weight of the past still hung gently between them. Paige took a slow, deep breath, her fingers lightly tracing pattern lines over Azzi’s arm.
"Azzi..." Paige murmured softly, her voice taking on that quiet, steady gravity again. "I... I think I want to finish telling you."
Azzi turned slightly in Paige's lap, her eyes filled with gentle, unwavering attention. She reached up to hold Paige's hand, nodding softly. "I'm listening, baby."
Paige swallowed past the dryness in her throat, looking down at their entwined fingers. "Part of... part of why that doctor diagnosed me as insane was so they had an excuse to medicate me. They started giving me all these drugs, Azzi. I don't even know what most of them were. High doses of sedatives, antipsychotics... every single day."
Azzi felt a cold shock run straight down her spine. "Paige..."
"It made me so sick," Paige whispered, her voice cracking slightly as the phantom taste of the pills hit the back of her tongue. "I was constantly dizzy. Drowsy, nauseous. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't fight back."
Azzi had been trying so hard to stay strong, to be the anchor Paige needed right now, but hearing that broke something deep inside her. A choked, painful sob tore from her throat, and she buried her face in her hands. The image of Paige being pumped full of unknown chemicals and rendered helpless in a cold room was too much to bear. Tears spilled uncontrollably through her fingers.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry," Paige murmured tenderly, wrapping her arms tight around Azzi's shaking shoulders, kissing the top of her head.
"Don't apologize," Azzi wept, her voice broken as she pulled Paige's hands to her mouth, kissing her knuckles frantically.
Paige stroked Azzi's hair, taking another shuddering breath before pressing forward. She knew this next part was going to hurt the worst.
"Because of the drugs... and the isolation... my eating habits got really, really bad, Azzi," Paige admitted quietly. "I ate probably once or twice a week, whenever I’d try it would just come back up."
The moment those words left Paige's mouth, Azzi went completely pale. Her entire body began to visibly shake.
Azzi knew about Paige's eating disorder; she knew how fragile her relationship with food and her own body had always been. Knowing that the facility had triggered that exact nightmare, weaponizing it against her while she was alone, sent a wave of horror crashing through Azzi.
"No..." Azzi gasped, her breath coming in short, ragged hitches as she looked at Paige with wide, devastated eyes, holding onto Paige like she was terrified she might disappear right into thin air. "No, no, no... Paige, please..."
The breath completely left Azzi’s lungs, replaced by a sound so raw and broken it tore straight through the apartment.
She collapsed entirely against Paige, her face burying into the crook of Paige’s neck as deep, wracking sobs took over her whole body. She wasn't just crying anymore; she was weeping with a grief that had been building up for years.
Every shuddering breath Azzi took felt like a wave crashing over them both. The image of Paige; sick, drugged, starving, and entirely alone, was a nightmare Azzi couldn't shut out.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Paige whispered desperately, her own eyes filling with hot, stinging tears as she felt the violent tremble running through Azzi’s frame. Paige wrapped her arms tight around Azzi’s waist and shoulders, pulling her flush against her chest, rocking them back and forth in a slow, steady rhythm. "I'm so sorry, Azzi... I shouldn't have said all that, I'm sorry—"
"Stop... please," Azzi choked out, her voice barely a thread, ragged and ruined by the force of her tears. She shook her head violently against Paige’s skin. "I can't... I can't listen to any more right now, Paige. I can't... I can't take it..."
"Okay. Okay, baby. We're done," Paige said instantly, her voice dropping into a whisper. She cradled the back of Azzi’s head with one hand, threading her fingers through her curls and holding her close. "We're done talking about it. I'm stopping right now. Look at me, ma. It's over."
Azzi couldn't look up. She just buried herself deeper, her shoulders heaving as she let out small, painful gasps for air.
Paige squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her lips against Azzi’s hair, her forehead, her cheek, leaving a trail of soft, warm kisses wherever she could reach. She shifted her weight on the couch, pulling Azzi entirely into her lap, wrapping her legs slightly around Azzi’s to enclose her completely in a protective shell.
"Listen to my voice, Azzi," Paige murmured, her hand moving in long, firm strokes up and down Azzi’s back, grounding her, reminding her of the reality they were sitting in. "I am right here. Feel my heart. Feel me breathing."
Paige took a deep, exaggerated breath, letting her chest expand firmly against Azzi’s cheek, over and over, until Azzi’s gasps slowly tried to match the rhythm.
"I am healthy," Paige whispered softly into the quiet room, her voice steady and solid despite the tears slipping down her own cheeks. "I am eating. I am safe. Nobody is ever going to lock me away again, and nobody is ever going to hurt us again. It's all over with, ma. We made it out."
"They hurt you so much," Azzi wept, her hands trembling as she brought them up to grip the sides of Paige’s neck, finally pulling back just enough to look at her through blurred, tear-filled eyes. "They took so much from you... and I wasn't there to stop it..."
"No, no, look at me," Paige demanded gently, cupping Azzi's face in both hands, using her thumbs to wipe away the endless stream of tears. "You saved me. Do you hear me? Your letters, your face, the thought of coming back to you. You carried me through it, Azzi. You were right there with me the whole time."
Azzi let out a long, shuddering exhale, her forehead dropping forward to rest against Paige’s. She kept her eyes closed, feeling the heat of Paige’s skin, the strength in her hands, and the steady beat of her pulse.
"I'm right here," Paige repeated, soft and sweet, pressing another gentle kiss to the corner of Azzi's trembling lips. "I'm safe, baby. You have me. We're okay."
Slowly the tension drained from Azzi’s body, leaving her completely exhausted, resting all her weight against Paige, who held her like she was the most fragile, precious thing in the world.
A sharp buzz from Azzi’s phone signaled the driver's arrival, followed a moment later by a quiet knock at the front door.
"Hey..." Paige whispered gently into Azzi’s hair, her hands stroking her back. "Food’s here, baby. I have to grab it real quick."
Azzi made a small, protests-filled sound, her fingers tightening momentarily in Paige's shirt as if refusing to let go. Paige pressed a sweet, lingering kiss to the center of Azzi’s forehead, gently unweaving Azzi's hands from her fabric.
"I'll be five seconds, I promise," Paige murmured softly.
Very carefully, Paige shifted Azzi off her lap, easing her back onto the couch cushions. Azzi curled inward immediately, pulling her knees to her chest and wiping her blotchy, tear-stained face with her sleeves.
Paige hurried to the front door, tipped the driver, and took the bag of sushi. Setting it quickly on the kitchen counter, she grabbed a couple of bottles of water and practically sprinted back to the living room.
She slid back onto the couch, pulling Azzi right back into her arms without a second of delay. Azzi collapsed into her, burying her face into Paige’s neck again, her breathing still hithed with lingering, quiet hiccups.
Paige held her tight, wrapping both arms around her and resting her chin on Azzi's head, rocking her gently.
"Listen to me, ma," Paige said, her voice dropping into a soft, steady hum. "I know hearing all of that hurts. I know it's horrifying. But that was years ago, Azzi. It's in the past. Look at where we are right now."
Paige reached down, taking Azzi’s hand and lacing their fingers together, lifting them so Azzi could see.
"I am right here with you," Paige whispered, pressing her lips against Azzi's cheek. "I’m not hurting. I’m so, so happy now, Azzi. Having you back in my life, getting to hold you like this, getting to wake up and know you're mine... I have everything I ever wanted. I'm okay. I promise you, I'm okay."
Azzi took a deep, shuddering breath, the sincerity in Paige's voice slowly sinking past her grief. She squeezed Paige's hand tightly, feeling the warmth and life radiating from her.
"You mean it?" Azzi choked out, her voice raw and small.
"I mean it with my whole heart," Paige promised, kissing her forehead, her nose, and then softly pressing their lips together. "Now let me take care of you."
Gradually, the trembling in Azzi's shoulders began to fade. She let out a long, quiet exhale, her body finally relaxing out of its terror. She pulled back slightly, using the back of her hand to wipe the dampness from beneath her eyes, offering Paige a small, exhausted, but deeply loving smile.
"Okay," Azzi murmured, her voice raspy. "Okay. I'm sorry for breaking down like that."
"Don't apologize," Paige smiled gently, reaching over to grab the bag of food from the table. "Now, come on. Let's eat."
Azzi let out a quiet, wet laugh; the sweetest sound Paige had heard all night, and leaned her head against Paige's shoulder as they unpacked the food together.
—
After they finished eating and cleared away the empty containers, Azzi set her water bottle on the coffee table and turned back to Paige. The emotion from earlier had settled into a quiet, determined resolve in Azzi's eyes.
"Paige," Azzi said softly, her tone gentle but firm. "I want you to keep going."
Paige hesitated, her hand pausing mid-air. "Are you sure? I don't want to push you—"
"I'm sure, baby," Azzi interrupted gently. She climbed back onto the couch, turning and settling herself directly into Paige's lap again, wrapping her arms loosely around Paige's waist. "I need to know everything. Please."
Paige took a deep breath, cupping Azzi's face in both hands and searching her eyes carefully. "If it gets too much, you tell me, okay? We stop the second you need to."
Azzi nodded against her palms. "I promise. Go ahead."
Paige wrapped her arms firmly around Azzi, drawing her close and resting her chin on Azzi's shoulder before looking out at the living room.
"Okay," Paige began quietly, her voice steadying. "So... after everything else, my parents actually came to the facility. They set up this huge meeting with my counselor and me."
Azzi went still, listening closely.
"During the meeting, my parents started listing off everything we had done," Paige continued, her brow furrowing at the memory. "They told the counselor that you and I had kissed... that we were being intimate. And according to the facility, that meant I wasn't just 'confused' anymore, it meant I was extra sick. Severe case."
A low, bitter breath escaped Paige's nose. "I lost it. I just started screaming at my parents, calling them every name in the book. Honestly... I kind of blacked out for the majority of what happened next. I don't remember all the details, bu I assume I tried to fight someone, because the next thing I knew, they dragged me out of isolation and threw me into this intensive therapy unit down in the basement."
Azzi’s grip on Paige’s shirt tightened, but she kept her composure, letting Paige speak.
"That was the lowest point for me," Paige whispered softly. "I just remember feeling weak. Exhausted. Defeated in a way I'd never felt in my entire life. I thought that was it, they had finally broken me for good."
A tender, faint smile touched Paige's lips, softening the memory.
"But Nika..." Paige murmured, shaking her head in quiet awe. "Nika somehow found out where they put me. She got herself assigned to the same unit just so she could be down there with me."
Paige leaned her head against Azzi's curls, letting out a long, quiet exhale. "It was the first time in weeks I didn't feel completely isolated. It was just... it was really, really nice to not be alone down there."
Paige went quiet, her body growing unnaturally still beneath Azzi. Her pulse hammered against Azzi’s back, fast and shallow.
"Azzi..." Paige began, her voice dropping so low it was almost a whisper, thick with fear. "The next thing... the next thing I'm about to tell you is going to be really, really difficult. It's upsetting. If you don't want to hear it, I completely understand. We can stop right now. We can stop the conversation, turn on a movie, do literally anything else. You don't have to hear this."
Azzi shifted on Paige’s lap, turning her head to look Paige dead in the eye. Though her own face was pale, her expression was filled with unshakeable determination. She reached up, framing Paige's face in her hands.
"I'm not going anywhere," Azzi said firmly, her voice steady. "Keep going, baby. Please."
Paige swallowed hard, a single tear escaping her eye before she could stop it. She nodded slowly, taking a deep, ragged breath that rattled in her chest.
"They... they took me to this room," Paige squeaked out, her voice breaking immediately as the memory flooded back. "It was dark, cold... and they strapped me down to a metal chair. They put these... these sensors, attached them directly to my wrists..."
Paige’s entire body began to violently tremble. A broken sob tore through her throat, and she buried her face into Azzi’s neck, the weight of the triggering memory crashing over her like a tidal wave. She was a sobbing, hysterical mess, gasping for air, but through the agony of it, she forced herself to keep speaking, desperate to lay the truth bare.
"They forced me... forced me to look at a screen," Paige wept hysterically, her fingers digging desperately into Azzi’s waist. "My parents... they gave them all our pictures, Azzi. Every picture of us together. And every time a picture came up... they shocked me."
Azzi’s breath hitched in horror, a cold shockwave paralyzing her whole body.
"I tried to stay strong," Paige sobbed, her chest heaving as she rocked herself in Azzi's arms. "I tried so hard, ma! But then... then they put up a picture of us kissing. And I just... I freaked out. I screamed at them with everything I had left. I lost my mind, I pulled with all my strength and ripped the sensors off my skin; I smashed the machine, I broke it all to pieces..."
Paige’s voice dissolved into raw, agonizing weeping. "...and that's... that's how my scars started. That's where they came from."
Without saying a single word, Azzi pulled back slightly. Tears were streaming silently down her own face, but her movements were completely deliberate. She reached down and gently grabbed both of Paige’s wrists, lifting them between them.
Paige gasped, flinching instinctively; she had always been deeply, intensely sensitive about the pale, jagged lines marring the soft skin of her wrists.
But Azzi didn't let go. With infinite tenderness, Azzi ran her thumbs over the raised, scarred tissue, tracing the faint lines over and over, surrounding them with gentle warmth. She leaned down and pressed a long, soft, reverent kiss directly against the scars on Paige’s left wrist, and then her right.
"They didn't break you," Azzi whispered fiercely against Paige's skin, her voice thick with weeping as she held Paige's wrists tight against her heart. "They tried to make you hate me, and you fought them until you bled. You protected us."
Paige took a deep, shuddering breath, her body still trembling violently as Azzi’s thumbs continued their soft, grounding circles over her wrists. The warmth of Azzi’s skin against her scars was the only thing keeping Paige tethered to the present, giving her the final, raw burst of courage she needed to lay the rest of it out.
"Nika..." Paige choked out, her voice barely a rough whisper. "Nika found me after that first time. She cleaned me up as best as she could... she put bandages over my wrists and stayed with me. She tried so hard to keep me calm."
Azzi’s tears fell silently onto Paige's hands, listening with a terrifying, heart-wrenching stillness.
"But they came back for me," Paige sobbed, her throat tight as the nightmare replayed behind her closed eyes. "They dragged me out and drugged me again; so heavy I couldn't even stand, and they took me right back to that chair. They didn't even bother taking the bandages off, Azzi. They just put those sensors directly over the cuts."
Azzi let out a tiny, strangled gasp, her grip tightening on Paige’s wrists as her chest heaved.
"And they just... they kept going," Paige wept softly, a deep, hollow exhaustion bleeding through her words. "They kept shocking me, over and over. The pain was unbearable, but... because of all the sedatives they pumped into me, combined with how weak and malnourished I was... my mind just snapped."
Paige looked up at Azzi through blurred, ocean-blue eyes, her voice dropping into a small, terrifyingly quiet whisper.
"Everything went quiet, ma," Paige murmured, her chest rising in a slow, faint breath. "I stopped fighting. I stopped screaming. I think... I think I just lost myself in that chair, like my brain finally gave up."
Paige knew what was coming next; the absolute darkest, most shattered piece of the puzzle. It was the part she was most terrified to utter out loud, the part that made her feel so broken.
"Azzi..." Paige stammered, her voice trembling so violently she could barely form the words. She swallowed hard, tears spilling continuously down her pale cheeks. "This next part... it’s the worst part. I’m so scared to tell you, ma. I’m so scared... but you deserve nothing but the truth from me. You deserve to know all of it."
Azzi’s heart squeezed with unbearable grief, her own tears blurring her vision, but she kept her hands wrapped fiercely around Paige’s wrists, holding her steady. "I’m right here, baby. I’m right here with you."
Paige squeezed her eyes shut, a broken, agonizing sob tearing from her lungs. "That night... after everything they did... I started having hallucinations. Really, really bad ones."
Azzi’s breath hitched, her voice thick with choked tears. "What... what do you mean, Paige? What did you see?"
"I thought you were there," Paige wept hysterically, her head dropping forward until her forehead rested against Azzi’s shoulder, her fingers clutching at Azzi's waist in desperation. "I thought you were in bed with me. I could hear your voice so clearly... I could feel you wrapping your arms around me, cuddling me, holding me tight... but you weren't there. You weren't there, and my brain was just... it was just playing tricks on me because I was so broken."
Azzi let out a shattered, sobbing gasp, burying her face into Paige’s neck, the horror and tragedy of it hitting her like a blow. They were both sobbing uncontrollably now, holding onto each other as the weight of Paige's coping mechanism hung raw in the air.
"The next morning..." Paige choked out through her ragged breathing, trying desperately to stay grounded against Azzi's warmth, "...I told Nika about it. I told her you slept in my bed."
Paige took a shuddering breath, her voice barely a thread. "Nika looked at me, and I could tell... she could tell I had lost my mind. She knew I had finally snapped. But she was just a patient too, Azzi... she couldn't do anything to stop them. She was helpless."
Azzi wept quietly, stroking Paige’s hair with trembling fingers as Paige forced herself to finish.
"That same day... they made me go through two more of those shock sessions," Paige whispered, a quiet, hollow horror taking over her tone. "My wrists... the skin started to blister and burn under the wraps, and my whole body was in so much constant, excruciating pain. And when I wasn't locked in that chair..."
Paige shook her head, tears soaking into Azzi’s sweater. "...I was just lying on the bathroom floor, throwing up over and over again until I had nothing left inside me."
"Nika knew it, too," Paige said quietly, her voice thick and beginning to waver again. "So that night, she went back to that staff member she’d been dealing with, the guy she had leverage over. But... it wasn't just blackmail, Azzi. The guy had this massive crush on Nika."
Azzi looked up, her eyes wide through her tears, hanging on every word of their escape.
"Nika got him to unlock the back doors and sneak us out in the middle of the night," Paige continued, tears pooling in her eyes as her voice cracked. "He drove us all the way to the train station himself, and before he left, he handed her five hundred dollars in cash. But..."
Paige stopped, a silent sob catching in her throat. She looked down at Azzi, her face twisting with an agonizing mix of sorrow and gratitude.
"I know how that world works, ma," Paige wept softly, a tear spilling over her cheek. "I... I personally think Nika was doing him favors. Like... sexual favors."
Paige choked back a breath, burying her face briefly against Azzi’s shoulder before looking back at her. "She’ll never admit it. If you ask her, she’ll take it to her grave and pretend it was just blackmail. But she sacrificed so much for me."
Azzi’s expression softened completely, profound respect and gratitude shining through her tear-stained face. She reached up, gently wiping the moisture from Paige’s cheeks.
"Nika seems like such an incredible woman, Paige," Azzi whispered softly, her heart swelling for the friend who had taken care of Paige when she couldn’t.
Paige let out a long, quiet exhale, leaning into Azzi’s touch with a small, deeply genuine smile.
Azzi’s heart overflowed with a love so overwhelming it nearly drowned out the lingering ache in her chest. Azzi framed Paige’s face in her hands. She leaned in and pressed a tender, lingering kiss to Paige's left cheek, right over a stray tear track.
"You are so strong, Paige," Azzi whispered against her skin, her voice full of devotion.
She shifted, pressing another soft kiss to Paige's right cheek, then to the tip of her nose, and then up to her forehead, holding her lips there for a long moment while Paige closed her eyes, letting out a soft, shuddering breath.
"Look at me, baby," Azzi murmured gently.
Paige fluttered her eyes open, meeting Azzi’s tear-shimmering gaze.
"I am the luckiest girl in the world," Azzi said, her voice ringing clear, steady, and filled with unwavering truth. "I am so, so lucky to be loved by you. You fought through literal hell, Paige. And you still stood there and protected our love with everything you had left."
Azzi lowered her face, pressing small, sweet kisses all over Paige’s jaw, her temple, and the corner of her soft, smiling mouth.
"I am so proud of you," Azzi whispered, resting their foreheads together, her hands dropping to cup Paige’s neck, feeling the steady rhythm of her pulse. "I am so beyond proud to be yours. You survived it, Paige. You brought yourself back to me, and I am going to spend the rest of my life making sure you never feel alone, or unloved, or unsafe ever again."
A soft, breathless sob escaped Paige's lips, but this time, it wasn't born from pain or trauma. The weight of Azzi’s words; the life, love, and healing being spoken directly into her soul, washed over her like a warm tide, melting away the last remnants of the cold, dark room.
Paige wrapped her arms tightly around Azzi’s waist, burying her face into the crook of Azzi’s neck, letting out a deep, cleansing breath as she finally, truly felt at home.
—
They were in the bedroom getting ready for bed, the low glow of the lamp casting gentle shadows across the room. Paige was pulling a hoodie over her head, pairing it with sweatpants.
Paige popped her head out of the collar, smoothing her hair back before turning to look at Azzi. "Hey... do you want to come to work with me tomorrow? Since it's Saturday."
Azzi, who was standing by her nightstand, didn't even hesitate. "Yes. Absolutely, yes," she said instantly, a bright smile lighting up her face.
But as she looked Paige over, her smile softened into a sly, knowing grin. She crossed her arms, taking in the wall of fleece Paige had just wrapped herself in.
"Paige..." Azzi hummed teasingly, stepping closer. "You're doing it again."
Paige paused, holding her waistband. "Doing what?"
"Wearing a full winter snowsuit to bed," Azzi pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "I feel like you're still trying to hide your tattoos from me, even though I've already seen literally all of them."
"I am not!" Paige protested quickly, throwing her hands up defensively. "I'm just... cozy!"
"Riiiight," Azzi smirked, stepping right into Paige's personal space and looking up at her. "Tell me the truth, then. What do you actually wear to sleep when I'm not around?"
Paige shifted her feet, biting the inside of her cheek before muttering quietly, "A sports bra and boxers."
Azzi gasped, pointing a finger right at Paige's chest like she’d just caught her red-handed. "See?! You are hiding from me!"
Paige rolled her eyes, a helpless, affectionate grin cracking through her stubborn expression. "Okay, fine, big head."
Without another word, Paige grabbed the hem of her hoodie and pulled it off over her head, tossing it onto the chair. Then she slid her sweatpants down, stepping out of them until she was just standing there in her black sports bra and grey boxers.
Paige put her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrows down at Azzi. "There. Are you happy now?"
Azzi didn't answer right away. Her eyes slowly traced down Paige’s body, taking in every inch of bare skin. Azzi herself was wearing a silk-trimmed lace nightgown that clung perfectly to her curves, her long dark hair falling over one shoulder.
Stepping forward, Azzi wrapped her arms tight around Paige’s bare waist, pressing her cheek directly against Paige’s chest.
"So happy," Azzi whispered softly, looking up through her lashes with a wicked, playful smirk. "Because my girl is sexy as fuck."
Paige let out a quiet laugh, the warmth blooming right under Azzi’s cheek as she wrapped her arms around Azzi’s shoulders, pulling her flush against her. "Shut up."
They settled under cool sheets, Azzi immediately shifted until she was lying half on top of Paige, resting her chin comfortably on Paige’s chest, one leg hooked over Paige’s thighs.
Paige’s arm was draped lazily around Azzi’s back, her fingers gently playing with the thin straps of Azzi’s nightgown.
"Hey, Az?" Paige asked softly. "What's your favorite tattoo on me?"
Azzi didn't answer right away. She slid her hand up from Paige's waist, her fingertips softly tracing the vines inked right along the curve of Paige’s hip bones, dipping just slightly beneath the band of her boxers.
"Besides the ones you got for me..." Azzi murmured, her voice dropping into a low hum as her fingers lingered over the ink, "...definitely these."
Paige let out a low, amused laugh, feeling Azzi’s nails against her skin. "You just think they're attractive."
"Because they are," Azzi stated matter of factly, slowly dragging her palm upward, rubbing in long, warm strokes up and down Paige’s stomach and bare sides. "You should get more stomach tattoos."
Paige raised an eyebrow, looking down at her. "More? I literally have my ribs done, Azzi. That shit hurt."
"Still," Azzi grinned teasingly, resting her cheek back against Paige’s stomach, continuing her soothing, slow rubs. "It’d look hot."
Paige looked down at the top of Azzi’s head, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes. Since Azzi was lying right over her, perfectly positioned, Paige decided it was the prime opportunity to mess with her.
Paige slid her hand down the smooth silk of Azzi’s nightgown, letting her fingers rest right at the base of Azzi’s spine; the exact spot on her lower back where a tramp stamp would traditionally go. She began lazily rubbing small circles into Azzi’s lower back, lowering her voice into a deadpan, entirely serious tone.
"You know..." Paige drawled out, "speaking of tattoos... you’d look really good with one right here."
Azzi hummed, enjoying the touch. "Yeah? What kind?"
"A nice, big cursive script," Paige murmured, stroking the spot again. "Right across your lower back. Just saying Paige Bueckers. Maybe put a heart around it or something."
Azzi froze for a fraction of a second before bursting into a loud, uncontrollable laugh.
"Oh my god, you are so stupid!" Azzi wheezed, immediately pushing herself up off Paige’s chest and rolling onto her own side of the bed, grabbing a pillow to shield herself. "I was being romantic and appreciative, and you ruined the moment!"
Paige collapsed onto her back, laughing hard, her chest heaving as she reached out to tug at Azzi’s waist. "What?! It shows commitment, ma!"
"You're ridiculous," Azzi laughed, trying and failing to hide her bright, fond smile as she swat Paige’s hands away. "No tramp stamps are going on my body, Paige."
Paige turned onto her side, resting her head on her hand and looking down at Azzi with a much softer, still playful, expression.
"In all seriousness, though," Paige said, her tone shifting into a smooth, genuine coaxing as her fingers idly twirled a strand of Azzi's l hair. "You really should get a tattoo, ma. You are dating a literal tattoo artist; you could get whatever you want, whenever you want."
Azzi rolled her eyes, a fond smile tugging at her lips as she adjusted her pillow. "Paige, please. I wouldn’t even know what to get. If I get something put on my body forever, it has to be right. I can't just pick something random."
"It doesn't have to be some deep, life-changing thing," Paige countered effortlessly, dropping her hand to lazily trace light, feather-soft circles over the lace on Azzi's shoulder. "It can just be pretty art that you like looking at."
Azzi hummed, her eyes fluttering shut for a second as she thought about it. "I mean... I really like orchids. I've always thought they were pretty."
Paige's eyes lit up instantly, a confident, crooked grin spreading across her face.
"Say less," Paige said, leaning down to press a firm, sweet kiss right against Azzi's lips. "You’re getting tatted tomorrow."
Azzi’s smile softened into something far more tender, far more serious. She shifted on the bed, reaching up with both hands to frame Paige’s face, her thumbs gently stroking the curve of Paige’s cheekbones.
Paige’s crooked grin faded into a slightly confused expression, her brow furrowing just a fraction as she searched Azzi’s eyes.
"Okay..." Azzi whispered, her voice dropping into a soft, steady cadence. "I'll do it. But... I have a question first."
"What is it?" Paige asked, her heart giving a sudden, nervous thud at the shift in energy. "Are you okay?"
"I'm better than okay," Azzi murmured, her eyes shining. She held Paige’s gaze, completely unhurried, holding her face like she was the only thing that mattered in the whole world. "Paige... will you be my girlfriend?"
The breath hitched in Paige’s throat. For a second, the apartment went entirely silent, the weight of the question settling over all the pain, all the lost years, and all the healing they had just fought through to get to this very bed.
A radiant, beautiful smile broke across Paige’s face, completely lighting up her eyes.
"Yes," Paige breathed, not waiting even a fraction of a second. "God, yes, Azzi. Absolutely."
Paige leaned down immediately, closing the small distance between them and capturing Azzi’s lips in a deep, passionate kiss. Her arms wrapped tightly around Azzi’s waist, pulling her flush against her bare skin as Azzi let out a quiet, happy hum into the kiss, her fingers tangling into Paige’s hair, holding her close as the rest of the world melted away.
—
They were out on the road. The rumble of Paige’s truck filled the cab, standard weekend traffic humming around them as Paige navigated toward the tattoo shop, one hand casually resting on the steering wheel and the other firmly laced with Azzi’s across the center console.
Paige glanced over at Azzi, a sudden, fond spark of nervousness popping up in her blue eyes.
"Alright, fair warning before we pull up," Paige began, chuckling softly. "All my friends are going to be completely out of their minds excited to finally meet you. I've talked about you... a lot."
Azzi smirked, squeezing Paige’s hand. "Oh yeah? Good things, I hope?"
"Only everything," Paige smiled, before her tone shifted into a deadpan chuckle. "But seriously, especially Kelis. She has no idea we're back together yet. So when she sees you walk in... she is probably going to act a little crazy. Just prepare yourself."
The glass front door swung open, setting off the quiet chime of a brass bell that was immediately swallowed by the ambient hum of buzzing needles and hip-hop playing over the shop speakers.
They barely took three steps past the front desk before a tall girl with braided hair came striding out from the back, looking directly at who was standing beside Paige.
"Paige, thank god you're here, I need you to look at this stencil, and also, we need to have a serious, serious talk," Kelis began, her voice already ramping up into full lecture mode. "I know I said you need to get back out there, but bringing random girls to the shop? Absolutely not. You know you're still completely in love with Azzi, so don't be dragging some poor rebound in here trying to act like—"
"I'm Azzi," Azzi interrupted smoothly, offering a small, amused wave.
Kelis froze dead in her tracks. Her eyes went huge, dropping from Paige to Azzi. Her mouth flapped open once, twice, before she let out a loud screech.
"Shut up! No way!" Kelis squealed, completely abandoning all composure as she threw her arms around Azzi in a tight, breathless hug. "Oh my god, hi! Okay, scratch everything I just said, Paige is still obsessed with you!"
Azzi laughed, hugging her back as KK wandered over from her station, wiping ink off her gloved hands with a paper towel.
"Ignore her,“ KK grinned warmly, stepping up and offering Azzi a gentle, welcoming hug. "I'm KK. It is so, so good to finally meet you."
"Nice to meet you," Azzi smiled, feeling the warmth of the room instantly.
Before KK could even step back, Nai appeared, leaning against the doorway with a wide, bright smile. "Move out the way, let me get in here," Nai said, stepping up to Azzi.
Nai wrapped her arms around Azzi in a lingering hug. Azzi was a little caught off guard but Nai held on for a solid five extra seconds, swaying slightly before finally letting go with a satisfied grin.
"Okay, okay, clear out," Paige chuckled, stepping in and pulling Azzi slightly back toward her hip, her hand resting protectively on the small of Azzi's back. "I gotta head to my station and set up the stencil for her tattoo."
"Oh, tattoo day?" Nai’s eyes lit up. As Paige turned toward her booth to start drafting the design, Nai smoothly slid her arm through Azzi’s, her friendly expression hiding a sudden, deliberate shift in her eyes.
"I'm gonna steal your girl for a second, Bueckers!" Nai called out over her shoulder, offering a light wave as she led a slightly surprised Azzi toward the back.
—
Nai pulled out one of the plastic chairs in the break room, motioning for Azzi to take a seat across from her.
"Sit," Nai said, her smile warm as she leaned against the counter. "I feel like I already know you, honestly. Paige has talked about you endlessly. I hope your cat enjoyed his night, by the way—I actually helped Paige pick out all that stuff at the pet store the other day."
Azzi’s eyes widened, a bright, relieved smile breaking across her face. "Oh my god, thank you! I was wondering how Paige knew all the right things to get. He loved it."
"Of course," Nai chuckled softly. But then, her expression shifted.
"Listen... before you came over to Paige's place," Nai began quietly, "her and I had some pretty difficult conversations."
Azzi paused, picking up on the sudden weight in the room.
Nai looked at her gently. "Did you two talk about anything... heavy last night?"
Azzi swallowed hard, her pulse picking up slightly. "Do you... do you mean what happened to her? At that place?"
"Yeah," Nai said softly. "That."
A sudden, hot sting hit the back of Azzi’s eyes. A tear slipped down her cheek before she could even stop it. "I'm sorry," Azzi whispered quickly, wiping her face with her sleeve. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"Hey, don't apologize." Nai interrupted firmly, reaching across the small table to gently place her hand over Azzi’s. "That's actually the exact reason I wanted to pull you back here and talk to you."
Azzi looked up, her eyes glossy as she listened.
"I remember how I felt when Paige finally opened up to me about it," Nai said, her voice laced with empathy. "I was heartbroken. And I'm just her friend. I can't even begin to imagine being in your position, Azzi. Being the person she loves most in this world, hearing all of that."
Nai squeezed Azzi’s hand softly, holding her gaze.
"I know how people operate when they love someone who's been hurt," Nai continued gently. "I know you probably feel like you have to swallow your own pain, keep your composure, and just be strong for Paige. But you don't."
Azzi let out a quiet, trembling breath as Nai’s words pierced right through her defenses.
"Paige isn't fragile anymore, Azzi," Nai spoke with absolute conviction. "She can handle your heartbreak. She can handle all the confusing, mixed emotions you're holding onto right now. Because the reality of it is... what happened to her was evil. It was torturous, monstrous abuse. No one, absolutely no one, should have to sit there and listen to the person they love describe going through hell, and feel like they aren't allowed to break down too."
A ragged sob escaped Azzi’s throat as the weight of keeping it together finally cracked, Nai’s quiet validation giving her the exact permission she didn't realize she so desperately needed.
"She’s changed so much," Azzi choked out, wiping at her eyes as the tears kept coming. "Since... since we were together before. The way Paige handles her emotions now, it's so different. It’s a good difference but last night... it was so terrifying. I didn't know how to react, or what the right thing to say was. I broke down a few times, it’s hard not too but I felt guilty for it."
Azzi took a shuddering breath. "I just love her so much. And seeing how much pain she's still holding onto, seeing how obvious it was while she was talking about it... it was just so hard."
Nai immediately stood up, stepping around the table to pull Azzi into a warm, protective hug.
"I know," Nai murmured softly, rubbing Azzi’s back as Azzi let the tears fall. "I know. But listen to me... I want you to know we took real good care of Paige while you weren't around. And after Nika left for Florida, we made sure she was never alone. Everything is okay now, Azzi. You're both safe, and I am so, so happy you two are getting this second chance."
Before Azzi could even respond, the break room door swung open.
"Alright, babe, I got the orchid design ready to go—" Paige cut herself off mid-sentence, her eyes widening as she walked in. She froze, taking in the scene of Nai holding a visibly crying Azzi.
A flash of utter confusion washed over Paige’s face. "Wait... what?"
Without missing a beat, Paige crossed the room in two big strides and wrapped her long arms around both of them at once, pulling them into a tight, messy group hug.
"What is going on in here?" Paige blurted out, her tone a mix of concern and gentle humor as she squeezed them tight. "I can't have both my girls crying in the break room right now!"
Nai let out a wet, breathless laugh, gently tapping Paige’s shoulder as she stepped back from the embrace to give them space. "I'm gonna go prep my station. Take care of your girl."
Nai shot Azzi a soft, reassuring smile before slipping out the door and closing it quietly behind her.
The moment they were alone, Paige’s playful energy softened completely. She framed Azzi’s face in her hands, her thumbs gently brushing away the fresh tear tracks on her cheeks, her eyes filled with pure, tender worry.
"What’s wrong with my baby, huh?" Paige whispered softly, resting her forehead gently against Azzi’s. "What happened?"
Azzi let out a quiet, shaky laugh, leaning into Paige’s touch and wrapping her arms tightly around Paige’s waist.
"Nothing bad, I promise," Azzi murmured, taking a deep, steadying breath as the warmth of Paige’s chest grounded her completely. "Nai and I were just... we were talking about some things. It just made me a little emotional. But I’m okay."
Paige’s expression softened into an ocean of quiet understanding. She didn't press, didn't panic, and didn't shut down.
"Were you guys talking about me?" Paige asked softly, her voice barely a whisper against Azzi's temple.
Azzi gave a quiet, lingering nod against her chest.
Paige pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "About... what I told you last night?"
Azzi nodded again, a fresh, hot tear spilling over her lashes. "I'm just... I'm just so heartbroken, Paige. For everything you went through."
"I know, I know," Paige whispered gently, her eyes brimming with absolute tenderness. She brought her hands up to cup Azzi's cheeks, using her thumbs to swipe the moisture away. "It's okay to feel all of that. But look at me... I'm right here. Everything is okay now."
Paige leaned in, pressing a long, warm, lingering kiss right to the center of Azzi’s forehead, letting her lips rest there until she felt Azzi’s body fully relax against her.
"Now," Paige murmured softly, pulling back with that familiar, crooked, devastatingly charming grin returning to her lips. "Enough crying in the break room. It’s tattoo time."
—
Paige wiped down Azzi’s inner forearm with an alcohol pad, the cool liquid raising slight goosebumps on Azzi's skin. Carefully, Paige pressed the blue stencil paper onto her soft skin, smoothing it down before peeling it back to reveal the clean, delicate outline of a small orchid.
"Take a look in the mirror, ma," Paige said gently, holding out a hand to help her up for a second.
Azzi looked down at her arm, a soft smile breaking through as she admired the design. "It's perfect."
"Alright, sit back and get cozy then," Paige instructed, adjusting the armrest so Azzi’s arm was resting comfortably at a slight angle. Azzi settled into the chair, as she watched Paige snap on a pair of black gloves and pour small drops of black ink into tiny plastic caps.
The low hum of the tattoo machine vibrated through the small station. Paige picked up the machine, looking over at Azzi with a soft, affectionate glint in her eyes.
"You nervous?" Paige asked, her voice dropping into a quiet, reassuring murmur.
Azzi let out a small, breathless laugh, her eyes flicking from the needle back up to Paige’s face. "Yeah... a little bit, honestly."
Paige leaned over, pressing a sweet, lingering kiss to the side of Azzi’s jaw before placing her gloved hand gently under Azzi’s elbow.
"I promise you, I’m going to be so, so gentle with you," Paige whispered, her thumb stroking the side of Azzi’s arm to keep her grounded. "And because it’s nice and small, it’s only gonna take about fifteen minutes, tops. You’re gonna do great."
—
The low hum of the machine was the only sound in the station, Paige’s absolute focus dialed in as her steady hand guided the needle, laying down crisp, delicate lines over the orchid stencil.
About ten minutes in, Azzi was sitting totally relaxed, the initial sting having faded into a dull, easy warmth. She looked down at Paige; the way her eyes were narrowed in intense concentration, her sharp jawline set, and gloved hands holding the machine with effortless precision.
Azzi couldn't take it anymore. She reached across with her free hand, her fingers sliding gently up into the soft hair at the back of Paige’s neck, lightly running her hand through it.
"You look so hot right now," Azzi murmured softly, her voice dripping with affection.
Paige’s hand went instantly still. The machine paused its buzzing as Paige lifted her head, a crooked grin spreading across her face.
"Oh, yeah?" Paige hummed, leaning over the armrest without dropping her gear and capturing Azzi’s lips in a deep kiss.
Azzi hummed happily into the kiss, her fingers tangling further into Paige's hair as Paige leaned into her, completely forgetting they were in the middle of a full shop.
Ten solid seconds of soft, breathless kissing passed before a loud, exasperated sigh broke through the air.
"Oh my god, you two are disgusting!" KK’s voice cut through from the next station over, holding a bottle of green soap and glaring at them with a smirk. "Bueckers, you have a needle in your hand! Be professional for five minutes! Save the make-out session for the truck!"
Paige pulled back slowly, a bright, cheeky laugh bursting from her chest as Azzi ducked her head behind her free hand while laughing uncontrollably.
"Alright, alright! My bad, KK!" Paige grinned, shaking her head as she readjusted her gloves and brought the needle back down to Azzi’s forearm. "Back to business, ma. Before KK writes me up."
Paige wiped away the last bit of excess ink with a soft paper towel, spraying a cool mist of witch hazel over Azzi’s forearm before applying a piece of clear second-skin bandage over the fresh tattoo.
"All done," Paige murmured, setting her machine down and peeling off her gloves. She leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Azzi's wrist. "Look at that. Perfect."
Azzi held up her arm, admiring the delicate lines. "I love it, Paige. It's beautiful."
"Good," Paige smiled, checking the digital clock on the wall. "Listen, ma... I have another client coming in about thirty minutes. A full sleeve session, so it's gonna take a couple of hours. Do you want me to drop you back at the apartment, or do you wanna hang out here?"
Azzi didn't even have to think about it. "I'll stay here. I like watching you work."
The next few hours passed in a comfortable rhythm. Azzi chilled in the shop, talking with Kelis and KK, sipping coffee, and watching Paige completely zone in on her client's tattoo. But by the time Paige wrapped up, cleaned her station, and they finally walked out to the truck, the energy shifted.
—
The drive back to Paige's apartment was strangely muted.
Paige kept one hand on the steering wheel, her eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead. Usually, her hand would be resting on Azzi's thigh, or she'd be singing along to whatever song was playing, cracking jokes, or teasing Azzi. But now, Paige was entirely silent, her jaw set, lost deep in her own head.
Azzi glanced over at her from the passenger seat, her brow furrowing slightly in confusion.
When they got inside the apartment, Paige tossed her truck keys onto the kitchen counter with a soft clink, still not saying a word. She walked straight toward the living room, running a hand through her hair, looking heavy with thought.
Azzi crossed her arms, watching her closely. "Paige?" she asked softly, stepping into the living room. "Hey... what's going on? You've been super quiet since we left the shop."
Paige didn't answer right away. She just reached out, took Azzi by the hand, and gently murmured, "Come with me to the room."
Azzi complied without a word, her heart pounding a little faster as she followed Paige down the hallway. The second the bedroom door clicked shut behind them, Paige turned around, grabbed Azzi by the waist, and pulled her in, her lips crashing onto Azzi’s in a deep, hard, desperate kiss.
The intensity took Azzi completely by surprise. Her breath hitched against Paige’s mouth, but after a second of shock, Azzi’s hands found their way to Paige’s waist, melting into the kiss and matching her heat.
Paige pulled back, her chest heaving as she let out a shaky breath.
Paige turned around and sat down on the edge of the bed, burying her face in her hands.
Azzi stood there for a beat, completely baffled, before walking over and softly sitting down right beside her. She placed a gentle hand on Paige's knee. "Paige? Baby, what is going on? You're confusing me."
Paige slowly lifted her head, her eyes wide, vulnerable, and swirling with an overwhelming mix of desire and anxiety.
"I'm nervous," Paige admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Nervous?" Azzi repeated softly. "About what?"
Paige swallowed hard, her cheeks flushing slightly as she lifted her hands, awkwardly making a subtle, unmistakable hand gesture between them. "I... I want to, you know. With you."
Azzi’s breath caught in her throat.
"I wanted to last night," Paige continued, her voice trembling slightly as she looked down at their laps. "I wanted you so bad. But then... the moment died after everything we talked about, and... and now I'm just scared, Azzi."
Azzi couldn't help the warm, breathless chuckle that bubbled up in her chest. The tension in the room instantly evaporated into something sweet and comfortable.
Reaching out, Azzi gently pulled Paige back onto the bed until Paige was leaning comfortably back against the headboard. Azzi shifted, draping herself lazily across the mattress so her body stretched over Paige’s, her hands propped up on Paige’s thighs as she looked up into those wide blue eyes.
A fond giggle escaped Azzi’s lips. "Is that really what you were stressing out about the whole ride home?"
Paige flushed a deeper shade of red, bringing a hand up to cover her embarrassed face. "Yes," she groaned out, her voice muffled behind her palm. "Shut up, don't laugh at me. It's serious!"
Azzi pushed Paige’s hand away gently, leaning up to press a quick, firm, reassuring kiss right to her lips.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Azzi smiled, her eyes filled with warmth. She rested her chin on Paige’s chest, looking up at her. "Let's just talk about it then. When you think about sex... what do you actually think you’d like? What feels good to picture in your head?"
Paige bit her lower lip, staring at the ceiling for a second before looking back down at Azzi, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I don't even know, Az."
Azzi nodded softly, stroking Paige’s side through her shirt. "That's okay. Would it be easier, or maybe a little more helpful, if I just tell you what I like first?"
Paige let out a quiet sigh of relief, instantly nodding her head. "Yeah. Please."
Azzi smiled, her fingers tracing slow, comforting circles over Paige’s hip.
"Okay," Azzi began softly, keeping her voice low and intimate. "First off... I really like being in control. It might end up being different with you but it takes a lot for me to feel comfortable receiving."
Paige swallowed hard, a tiny wave of nervousness fluttering in her chest.
"And..." Azzi continued, a slow, sultry smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she leaned a little closer to Paige's ear, "I like when we're making out and you get a little rough with it. When your kisses get heavy, and you start biting my lip just a little bit."
Paige’s breath hitched, her fingers tightening slightly against the mattress.
"Oh, and I really like having my tits played with," Azzi added smoothly, her eyes flicking up to catch Paige’s reaction. "Kissed, touched... all of it."
As Azzi spoke, the reality of the moment slammed into Paige with the weight of a freight train. This wasn't just hypothetical anymore. They were lying in her bed, safe, whole, and completely devoted to each other. Hearing Azzi lay out exactly what turned her on, knowing Azzi trusted her this deeply, made the quiet room feel suddenly charged, hot, and intensely tight.
Paige looked down at the girl draped over her chest, taking her in. The last remnants of Paige's fear completely melted away, replaced by an overwhelming, agonizing ache of how badly, how desperately, she wanted Azzi.
"Azzi..." Paige whispered, her voice husky and entirely stripped of hesitation. She reached down, her fingers sliding up to frame Azzi's jaw, pulling her up just enough so their breath mingled. "You're killing me right now."
Azzi hummed softly, her eyes glittering as she caught the shift in Paige’s expression. She leaned in, her cheek brushing against Paige’s jaw as her fingers slowly traced the waist band of Paige’s pants.
"Do you want me to keep going?" Azzi whispered against her skin.
Paige swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling heavily. "Yes," she breathed out, incapable of saying anything else.
"Okay..." Azzi murmured, her voice dropping into a thick, syrupy register that made Paige’s toes curl.
"I love when girls are sensitive," Azzi purred, her fingers dragging lazily, feather-light down the bare skin of Paige’s side, making Paige shudder at the delicate sensation. "Where even the softest, smallest touch makes you whine and moan because your skin is just buzzing."
Paige let out a sharp, ragged intake of air.
"And I love eating a girl out," Azzi continued, completely relentless as she leaned down, pressing her lips to the hot skin of Paige's neck, her words vibrating right against her pulse point. "I like sliding my tongue over you real slow until you're dripping, and I love when it gets so overwhelming that you clamp your thighs tight around my head, trapping me down there so I can barely breathe, but I just keep licking through it while you squirm."
Paige’s head fell back against the headboard, a low, helpless groan bubbling up from her chest.
"I like sliding two fingers deep inside you while my thumb works your clit," Azzi whispered dirty, sweet poison into the quiet room. "I want to hear you loud, Paige."
Azzi shifted her weight, her hand sliding down Paige’s pants to rest and warm right over the front of her boxers, pressing in just enough to send a jolt straight to Paige's core.
"I like watching the exact moment your eyes roll back," Azzi murmured against Paige's lips, her fingers flexing softly against the fabric. "It’s so pretty."
Paige was practically paralyzed beneath her, her breathing coming in shallow, heavy hitches. Beneath the thin fabric of her boxers, Paige could feel herself becoming a soaking mess, the heat and friction building up to an unbearable, desperate ache.
"Azzi..." Paige choked out, her hands flying down to grip Azzi’s shoulders, her knuckles turning white as she tried to pull her closer, completely undone. "Azzi, god... please..."
Azzi’s gaze darkened with satisfaction at how thoroughly undone Paige already was. She slid her knees up on either side of Paige’s hips, pinning her beneath her, her palm still over Paige’s dampening boxers.
"I think I’d like overstimulating you," Azzi whispered, leaning in so close their lips almost touched. "Taking you past your limit, over and over. Getting you to come once, feeling your body shatter, and then keeping my fingers moving right through it while you're too sensitive to even be touched. To see how many orgasms I can wring out of you even when you're exhausted."
Paige let out a high, desperate whine, her hips subconsciously twitching upward against Azzi's hand.
"Maybe even making you work for it," Azzi whispered dirty into the quiet air, her thumb pressing firmly against the center of Paige’s heat through the fabric. "Making you ride my fingers maybe. Watching you roll your hips, rolling your eyes back, practically sobbing while you beg me to let you come... and me telling you no."
Paige’s hands gripped Azzi’s wrists, her knuckles white, her body completely alive and buzzing with a desperate, agonizing need. She was completely wide open, soaked through her boxers, her chest heaving as tears of frustration and desire prickled at the corners of her eyes.
Azzi paused, her voice dropping into a thick, tender tone as she looked straight down into Paige’s glazed eyes.
"Paige... is that something you’d want?" Azzi asked softly, her thumb making one slow, agonizing drag over Paige’s swollen core. "Do you think having me do all of that to you... is what’s gonna make you feel good?"
Paige couldn't even form real words. She nodded frantically, her chin quivering, her back arching off the mattress as she practically begged.
"Yes," Paige choked out, her voice cracked and completely wrecked. "Yes, Azzi, please. I need it. Do it to me. Please."
Azzi’s eyes burned into Paige’s, satisfied with the breakdown she had just brought out in her. She leaned down, pressing a hard, possessive kiss to Paige’s mouth before pulling back slightly.
"Take off all your clothes, Paige. Everything except your boxers," Azzi instructed softly, her voice thick with authority. "I'll be right back."
"Azzi..." Paige whined, but Azzi was already slipping off the bed, leaving Paige shivering in the sudden absence of her body heat.
—
Azzi stepped out to the bathroom, leaving the bedroom door cracked. A few minutes later, the faint sound of running water faded, and the door opened again.
Azzi stepped back into the dimly lit room. She had changed into a soft, light pink silk nightgown that draped delicately over her hips, her dark hair tossed up into a loose, messy high bun with a few stray curls framing her neck.
As she walked toward the bed, her eyes flicked down to the floor, where Paige’s black tank top, jeans, and socks were scattered in a hasty pile. A small, knowing smirk tugged at Azzi's lips.
Then she looked at the bed.
Paige was sitting there, but she had pulled the comforter all the way up to her chin, clutching the fabric tightly with both hands, trying her best to hide her exposed skin under the sudden weight of her vulnerability. Her eyes were huge, watching Azzi approach.
Azzi didn't say a word at first. She just climbed up onto the mattress, sliding under the sheets right beside Paige and settling her weight comfortably next to her.
"Sit up for me, baby," Azzi murmured gently.
Paige complied, her heart thumping hard against her ribs as she sat up straight against the headboard, still holding the blanket tight to her chest.
Azzi shifted closer, reaching her hands up behind Paige’s head. With practiced, gentle fingers, she slid the hair tie out of Paige’s low, messy bun and tossed it onto the nightstand. She ran her fingers slowly through Paige’s soft hair, smoothing the long strands down over her bare shoulders.
Azzi’s hands slid down to wrap around Paige’s wrists, resting over the blanket Paige was clinging to.
"Let me see you, Paige," Azzi whispered, her voice a mix of commanding firmness and absolute softness. "Drop the blanket for me."
Paige swallowed hard, taking a long, shaky breath. Slowly, her grip loosened. She let go of the fabric, letting it slide down her chest and pool at her waist, exposing her bare skin.
Azzi’s eyes softened completely, taking her in with absolute reverence. She reached out, running a warm palm gently over Paige’s stomach, her thumb tracing the lower curve of her ribs.
"Good girl," Azzi praised her softly, leaning in to press a lingering kiss to Paige’s collarbone. "Look at you... so beautiful for me."
Azzi’s palm slid upward over Paige’s ribcage, her touch deliberate and intoxicatingly slow. Her fingers cupped the soft weight of Paige’s chest, her thumb brushing over the sensitive peak of her breast.
Paige gasped, a sharp, high-pitched whine slipping past her lips as her back immediately arched off the mattress. She fit perfectly in the palm of Azzi’s hands, every tiny spark of friction sending a jolt straight to Paige's core.
Azzi’s eyes flashed with pure delight, a low hum of satisfaction rolling through her chest.
"You're so responsive," Azzi purred, her hands gently massaging and rolling Paige’s nipples between her thumbs and forefingers, using just enough pressure to make Paige squirm helplessly beneath her touch.
Paige let out quiet, needy whine, her hands reaching up to desperately clutch at Azzi’s waist, her body buzzing with sensitivity.
"Look at you... making those sweet noises for me already," Azzi whispered, leaning forward to capture Paige’s mouth in a deep, wet kiss, drinking in every gasp Paige made into her mouth.
Azzi pressed her weight down slightly, her hand sliding up to cup Paige’s cheek while her other hand kept up a slow, agonizing rhythm over her chest.
"Lay back for me, baby," Azzi murmured gently against Paige’s lips, her voice a commanding murmur. "Lay all the way back."
The lingering hesitation in Paige’s eyes had completely vanished, replaced by an open, desperate need.
Azzi swung a leg over Paige’s lap, straddling her thighs, her nightgown bunching up as she settled her hips firmly over Paige’s boxers. Paige let out a breathless gasp at the contact, her hands flying up instinctively to grip Azzi’s waist, her knuckles white against the fabric.
Then, Azzi leaned down and took Paige’s mouth.
It was a deep, possessive kiss. Azzi tilted Paige’s head up, her fingers tangling into the hair at the back of Paige’s neck, pulling her in until there wasn't a speck of air between them. Her tongue slid past Paige’s parted lips, taking her time, tasting the sweet, hot weight of Paige’s gasps.
Paige completely unravelled. A broken, high-pitched moan echoed off the walls of the bedroom as Paige’s hips instinctively twitched upward, trying to press her soaking core closer to Azzi.
Azzi pulled back just a fraction, a grin spreading across her face as she looked down at the absolute wreck she was making of Paige. Paige’s cheeks were flushed crimson, her lips swollen and shining, her chest heaving violently as she whined at the sudden loss of Azzi’s mouth.
"So perfect," Azzi murmured, her voice low and dripping with pride. "So eager for me, Paige. So noisy."
"Azzi... please," Paige whimpered, her hands sliding up Azzi’s thighs, her thumb dragging over the hem of the nightgown, practically begging for her to come back down.
Instead of giving in immediately, Azzi hovered right above her, her eyes drinking in every inch of Paige's trembling frame. She rolled her hips forward in one slow, deliberate grind, pressing her pelvis down hard against the front of Paige's boxers.
Paige threw her head back into the pillow with a loud, desperate moan, her back arching completely off the mattress as the friction hit her right where she needed it. Tears of pure overstimulation prickled at the corners of her eyes.
"Good girl," Azzi praised her, her thumbs sweeping over Paige’s jaw line, soothing her while simultaneously driving her insane. "You're taking this so well for me, baby."
Azzi captured her lips again, harder this time, her tongue setting a slow, agonizing pace while her hips kept up a steady roll. Every time Paige whimpered into the kiss, Azzi ground down just a little harder, drowning out Paige’s moans with her own mouth, flooding Paige’s mind until there was nothing left in the world except the heat, the skin, and the girl sitting over her.
Azzi eased up slightly, relinquishing a bit of the control she held, her eyes searching Paige's flushed face.
"Paige... look at me, baby," Azzi murmured softly, her thumb gently tracing Paige's swollen bottom lip. "What do you want me to do next?"
Paige whimpered, her hands trembling as her fingers tightened on Azzi's hips.
"Touch me," Paige choked out, her voice cracked and desperate. "Please, Az... just touch me."
Azzi’s heart swelled at the honesty in her voice. She slowly slid off Paige’s lap, moving down between Paige’s legs, kneeling on the mattress over her boxers.
"Can I take these off for you?" Azzi asked quietly, her fingers hooking into the waistband, keeping her gaze locked onto Paige’s eyes, waiting for permission.
Paige nodded frantically, her chin quivering. "Yes. Yes, please."
Slowly, deliberately, Azzi hooked her fingers under the band and pulled the boxers down, sliding them over Paige’s long legs and tossing them onto the foot of the bed.
The moment Paige’s bare skin was exposed to the cool room air, Azzi’s breath hitched. She leaned down over Paige’s thighs, her eyes taking in the sight before her with absolute reverence.
"God, Paige..." Azzi breathed out, a low, prideful hum vibrating in her chest. "You are soaked for me, baby."
Paige let out a high, humiliated whine, bringing her forearms up to cover her flushed face.
"Hey, no, don't hide," Azzi praised her softly, gently pulling Paige’s arms back down to the mattress so she could see her. "It’s so pretty."
Azzi hovered her hand just above Paige’s slick, swollen core, letting the radiating heat warm her palm before making full contact. She looked up at Paige with a steady, deeply grounding gaze.
"Now listen to me," Azzi said gently, her tone completely loving and clear. "You tell me what feels good, okay? And if anything doesn't feel right, or if it's too much, you tell me right away."
Azzi took her time, letting her fingers find a gentle, lingering rhythm against Paige’s core. She kept her gaze drifting between Paige’s flushed face and the ink tracing the sides of her hips, watching every twitch, every shiver, and every breath.
Paige didn't hold back. Now that she felt safe, she was incredibly vocal. A soft gasp would turn into a sharp "yes, right there, Az" when Azzi’s thumb hit the right angle, or a breathless "a little softer, please" when the sensation got a little too sharp. Azzi listened to every single sound, adjusting her pressure immediately.
After a few blissful minutes of slow friction, Azzi’s fingers paused.
"Paige?" Azzi murmured softly, her fingers resting lightly over Paige’s thigh. "Can I use my mouth now? I really want to taste you, baby."
Paige’s head rolled back into the pillow, her hands clutching the bedsheets so tight her knuckles turned white. "Yes," Paige gasped out, a helpless whine escaping her throat. "Please."
Azzi didn't wait another second. She slid lower down the bed, parting Paige’s legs and leaning down until her warm breath brushed right over Paige’s slick, sensitive center. She dipped her head, her tongue taking one slow, long, uninterrupted drag from bottom to top.
Paige’s hips immediately bucked off the mattress. "Azzi!"
Azzi let out a low moan right against Paige's core, drinking in the sweet taste of her. She pulled back just a fraction, her lips resting right against Paige's throbbing clit.
"Fuck, Paige..." Azzi groaned out against her skin, her breath hot over her wetness. "You taste so fucking good."
Paige groaned loudly, her back arching, her hands flying down to grab at Azzi’s hair as her hips tried to squirm away from the intensity.
"No," Azzi said firmly.
Without breaking her rhythm, Azzi reached up with both hands, wrapping tight over the tattoos etched into Paige’s hip bones. She pressed her weight down, pinning Paige’s hips flat and firmly against the mattress, completely immobilizing her.
"Hold still for me, baby," Azzi murmured before flattening her tongue and taking Paige back into her mouth.
Azzi’s mouth was ruthless in its tenderness. She took long, sweet, deliberate laps over Paige’s swollen clit, swirling around it before sucking gently, driving Paige straight over the edge.
Paige completely lost control. Her hands tangled tightly into Azzi’s bun, her fingers pulling at the curls as her hips violently twitched against the firm pressure of Azzi’s hands holding her hips down.
"Azzi! Azzi, please!" Paige sobbed out, her voice entirely wrecked.
Azzi sped up her pace, her tongue working in tight, agonizing circles.
It was too much. Paige threw her head back into the pillows, a high, shattered scream ripping from her throat as her entire body locked up. Wave after wave of a violent, shattering orgasm ripping through her chest and straight down her legs. Her back arched completely off the mattress, her toes curling, overwhelmed as Azzi ate her through every single second of it, not letting up until Paige’s body finally collapsed back onto the sheets, trembling and gasping for air.
Slowly, Azzi pulled up from between Paige’s legs. She crawled up the mattress, her nightgown slightly rumpled, her eyes brimming with affection.
She leaned over Paige, framing her flushed, tear-stained face in her hands, and pressed a long, sweet, lingering kiss to her swollen lips, tasting herself on Paige's mouth.
"You are so perfect," Azzi whispered against Paige's lips, brushing a stray strand of hair away from Paige’s forehead. "So perfect for me, baby."
Paige let out a weak, breathy whine, her eyes glazed as she lazily wrapped her arms around Azzi’s waist, completely spent, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
Azzi stroked her cheek, keeping her voice low and gentle. "How are you feeling, my love? Are you too tired, or do you want to keep going?"
Paige swallowed hard, looking up at Azzi. Despite the exhaustion buzzing in her limbs, the sight of Azzi hovering over her sent another fresh wave of heat pooling right back in her stomach.
"Keep going," Paige whispered, her voice raspy. "Don't stop, please."
Azzi’s eyes flashed with a slow, predatory warmth. She sat up slightly, straddling Paige’s legs once more, and pulled the hem of her nightgown up, hiking it over her hips until she was completely bare underneath. She looked down at Paige, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Do you want to ride my abs, Paige?" Azzi asked softly, her voice dropping into that thick, commanding register. "Hmm? You wanna sit up on my lap, wrap your legs around me, and grind yourself right over my stomach while I hold you?"
The mental image hit Paige like a blow. A high, pathetic whimper escaped Paige’s throat, her hips twitching against the sheets at the thought of it.
"Yes," Paige choked out, her eyes wide and pleading as her hands reached up to grab Azzi’s waist. "Right now."
Azzi reached down and pulled the nightgown over her head, tossing it onto the floor beside the bed. She sat back, clad only in a lace bra and matching underwear, her smooth, toned stomach and abs fully exposed.
"Come here, baby," Azzi murmured, her voice smooth as silk.
She shifted into the middle of the mattress, extending her legs flat out in front of her and leaning back slightly against a stack of pillows propped against the headboard. She patted her lap, eyes locked on Paige.
Paige didn't hesitate. She scrambled up, her legs straddling Azzi’s thighs. Guided by Azzi’s hands on her waist, Paige lifted herself up and settled directly over the firm expanse of Azzi’s lower abs.
Paige gasped at the initial contact; the contrast between her slick heat and the taut skin of Azzi's stomach made her head toss back instantly.
"Hold onto my shoulders," Azzi commanded gently.
Paige nodded, her arms wrapping tightly around Azzi’s neck, burying her face into the crook of Azzi’s throat as her body trembled.
Azzi’s hands slid firmly down to grip the sides of Paige’s hips. With steady pressure, Azzi began guiding Paige’s lower body, dragging her back and forth in a slow roll across her stomach.
"Ah, god, Azzi!" Paige cried out, the friction hitting her swollen clit with every upward slide, making her hips stutter and shake against Azzi's abs.
"That's it, take it," Azzi hummed into Paige's ear, her own breath hitching as she felt the slickness of Paige tracing lines over her stomach. Azzi’s grip tightened on Paige's hips, controlling the speed.
Azzi reached up with one hand, her fingers tangling into the hair at the back of Paige’s neck, gently pulling her head back just enough to catch her lips.
"Kiss me, baby," Azzi whispered right against Paige’s mouth.
Paige didn't need to be told twice. She brought her lips crashing down onto Azzi’s, taking the kiss deep and desperate as her body kept up the relentless rhythm over Azzi’s stomach. Their breath mingled, hot and frantic, filled with wet kisses and heavy gasps.
Azzi kept her grip firm on Paige's hips, her thumbs dragging over those hip tattoos as she matched Paige’s frantic energy.
"Fuck, Paige... look at you," Azzi hummed into the kiss, her voice dripping with praise. "You look so beautiful."
Hearing those words drove Paige crazy. The approval in Azzi's voice gave her a second wind.
As Paige rolled her hips down hard, her clit caught on something cold, smooth, and rigid right above Azzi's navel. A sharp gasp ripped from Paige's throat; it was Azzi’s belly piercing, the jewelry pressing and rubbing directly against her clit with every single downward stroke.
The friction sent a blinding, shock straight to Paige's core.
"Oh! Oh, god!" Paige sobbed out against Azzi’s lips, her rhythm devolving into a frantic, chaotic grind directly over the metal.
It felt ten times better, ten times more intense. Paige completely lost her mind, abandoning all control. She buried her face into the side of Azzi’s neck, her voice echoing loudly in the quiet bedroom as she whimpered, moaned, and cried out without an ounce of restraint.
"Azzi—Azzi, fuck!" Paige wailed, her hands clutching at the lace of Azzi’s bra, her whole body shaking violently as she rode the piercing. "Mommy, please! Mommy, it feels so good!"
Hearing that word slip from Paige’s mouth made Azzi’s breath hitch sharply. A low, possessive groan ripped from deep in Azzi’s throat. Her hands tightened on Paige’s hips, locking her down and driving Paige's core flat against her stomach piercing.
"That's it, baby," Azzi whispered into Paige's ear, her tone completely dark and commanding. "Loud for mommy. Ride it, Paige, come for me."
The friction of the piercing was the final straw. Paige’s body snapped, a shattered scream ripping from her throat as a second, even more violent orgasm swept through her. Her muscles clamped tight, her hips shuddering helplessly against Azzi’s stomach as the wave rode out.
Completely spent, Paige’s strength gave out entirely. She collapsed forward, burying her flushed face into the crook of Azzi’s neck, her chest heaving violently as she gasped for air.
Azzi’s arms immediately wrapped tight around Paige’s shaking body, holding her close against her chest. She reached one hand up, her fingers gently threading through Paige’s hair, softly scratching her scalp in soothing, slow glides.
"I've got you, baby," Azzi whispered lovingly, her breath warm against Paige’s ear. "You did so good for me. So good. I love you so much."
Paige whimpered softly into Azzi's neck, her body melting into the comfort of Azzi’s hold. They stayed like that for several long, peaceful minutes, the silence of the room filled only with the sound of their breathing.
Gradually, as the room stopped spinning and Paige’s heart rate began to settle, she shifted slightly. She lifted her head from Azzi’s shoulder, her glazed eyes searching Azzi’s face.
"Az?" Paige murmured, her voice raspy and soft.
"Hmm?" Azzi hummed gently, her fingers still trailing lazy patterns over Paige’s back.
"I... I want to make you feel good now," Paige whispered, her hands sliding down to rest against Azzi’s waist. "I want to take care of you, too."
Azzi smiled, a deeply fond, tender expression softening her features. She brushed a stray hair from Paige’s forehead. "Baby, I'm okay. Seriously. Tonight was all about you, getting you comfortable, taking care of you."
"Please, Azzi," Paige pleaded softly, a sweet, pouty note in her voice as her fingers clutched at the waist of Azzi’s underwear. "I really want to. Please let me."
Azzi looked down into Paige’s wide, earnest eyes, her heart completely melting. A slow smirk played at the corners of her lips as she relented.
"Alright," Azzi whispered softly, her eyes flashing with a spark of mischievous heat. "Only on one condition."
Paige blinked, leaning in closer. "What condition?"
"You only get to touch me," Azzi murmured, her hand sliding down Paige’s spine to rest possessively over the curve of her hip, "if I get to keep my hand between your legs the entire time."
Paige didn't hesitate for a single second. "Yes." she breathed out, a sudden burst of fresh energy humming through her veins at the thought of finally taking care of her girl.
"Take your bra off for me, Az," Paige demanded softly, her fingers already reaching out to trace the lace cups.
Azzi smiled, a low, pleased hum vibrating in her chest as she reached behind her back. With an easy flick of her wrists, the lace bra unclasped. Azzi slid the straps down her arms and tossed the lace onto the growing pile of clothes at the foot of the bed.
The moment Azzi’s chest was bare, Paige leaned down, hovering over her with hungry eyes. She didn't wait another beat, she immediately took one of Azzi’s nipples into her mouth, pulling it deep and swirling her tongue over the peak with a firm, eager rhythm.
Azzi gasped, her head falling back into the pillows as a sharp spike of pleasure shot straight through her. True to her word, Azzi reached down with one hand, her fingers sliding effortlessly into the slick, wet warmth between Paige's legs, instantly finding her clit and applying a slow, steady pressure that made Paige shudder right against her chest.
Azzi’s other hand reached up, her fingers tangling into Paige’s hair, gently cupping her head as Paige sucked and teased her chest.
"Fuck, Paige..." Azzi groaned out, her fingers threading deep into Paige’s scalp, guiding her rhythm. "Your mouth feels so good, baby."
Paige pulled her mouth away from Azzi’s chest, panting softly as her gaze dropped down to the last layer of fabric separating them. Keeping one hand grounded on Azzi’s hip, she reached down with the other and hooked her fingers into the band of Azzi’s underwear, slowly dragging it down over her thighs and ankles until Azzi was completely bare beneath her.
Azzi let out a quiet sigh, her bare body stretched out, fully open and vulnerable.
Paige sat back on her knees, her eyes scanning Azzi’s soft skin. Her confidence evaporated, replaced by a sudden flutter of anxiety. The pressure of being the one in charge hit her again, and her breath hitched as her hand hovered above Azzi’s inner thigh.
"Az..." Paige whispered, her voice faltering slightly. "I... I don't really know what to do next."
Azzi’s eyes softened instantly. Without a word of judgment, she reached out, taking Paige by the wrists and gently pulling her down. "Come here, baby."
They settled on their sides, laying face to face in the middle of the bed, their knees tangled together, chest to chest. Azzi kept her left hand resting on Paige’s side, her fingers lingering near Paige’s hip.
"Look at me," Azzi murmured, her voice steady and deeply reassuring. "We’re going to do this together. Just match my movements, okay? Whatever I do to you, you do right back to me."
Paige swallowed hard, nodding. "Okay."
Slowly, Azzi reached down, her fingers sliding between Paige’s legs to rest right against her core. Paige took a shaky breath and mirrored the action, reaching down between Azzi’s thighs, her fingers carefully finding Azzi’s dripping heat.
Azzi began a slow, deliberate circle with her thumb, applying just enough pressure to make Paige’s hips twitch against the mattress.
Paige focused entirely on the feeling, carefully matching the circle on Azzi's center.
A sharp, hitching breath escaped Azzi’s lips, her eyelashes fluttering shut for a brief second.
Seeing that tiny break in Azzi’s composure ignited a spark inside Paige’s chest. She wanted more of it. She wanted to undo Azzi the exact same way Azzi had to her.
Paige shifted slightly closer, her thumb pressing down just a fraction harder, mimicking the exact firm rhythm Azzi used on her earlier.
"Like that, Az?" Paige murmured, her voice dropping into a raspy, low register as she leaned in, her warm breath brushing over Azzi’s lips. "You like when I touch you right there?"
Azzi let out a soft, sweet groan into Paige's mouth, her hips rolling forward just an inch to meet Paige's hand. "Fuck... yes, Paige. Just like that."
Hearing Azzi groan; hearing her actual voice break, sent a surge of pure power straight to Paige's head. The hesitation completely melted away. Paige kept her hand moving in that steady circle, while her other hand reached up to cup the side of Azzi’s neck, her thumb resting against Azzi’s thumping pulse point.
"So good," Paige whispered, trying out the dirty talk, her eyes darkening as she stared straight into Azzi’s glazed gaze. "So wet for me, ma... you feel so good around my fingers."
Azzi’s breath hitched violently, her grip on Paige’s hip tightening as a flush crept up her neck. "Paige..."
"Tell me how it feels," Paige whispered, pressing her thumb firmly over Azzi’s clit while two of her fingers slid shallowly inside her, matching the slow, pulsing tempo Azzi was keeping up against her own center.
"It feels... incredible," Azzi choked out, her head rolling back into the pillow as Paige kept up the dual rhythm. Azzi’s own hand on Paige faltered for a second as a high, breathy moan ripped past her lips. "God, Paige... you're doing so good."
Paige let out a quiet, triumphant smirk against Azzi’s jaw, her tongue licking a sweet path up Azzi’s neck before her fingers worked faster, deeper, completely focused on wringing every single sound out of her.
Paige’s heart hammered in her chest, a wave of heat drowning out any lingering anxiety. She looked up through her lashes, her eyes fixed entirely on Azzi’s flushed, beautiful face.
"Azzi..." Paige whispered, her hand pausing briefly over Azzi's center, her breath coming in shallow hitches. "I want you inside me. Your fingers."
Azzi’s eyes widened slightly, a deep seriousness overtaking her features.
"Are you sure, baby?" Azzi asked softly, her hand coming up to cup Paige’s cheek, her thumb gently wiping away a stray bead of sweat from Paige's temple.
"Yes," Paige choked out, nodding earnestly. "I want it. I want to feel you."
Azzi leaned forward, pressing a slow, grounding kiss to Paige’s forehead. "Okay," Azzi murmured gently, keeping her voice completely calm and low. "It’s going to hurt a little at first while your body adjusts, okay? But I'm going to go as slow as you need. You just focus on breathing, and keep touching me if it helps."
Paige nodded, taking a deep, shaky breath as they stayed lying on their sides, face to face.
Azzi brought her hand down between Paige's thighs. Slipping a finger past Paige’s outer lips, she lined it up at Paige's entrance. "Relax for me, my love. Just let me in."
Slowly, deliberately, Azzi pushed the tip of her finger inside.
The immediate stretch made Paige gasp, a sharp, low groan of pain tearing from her throat as her eyes shut tight. Her body instinctively tensed, every muscle locking up against the unfamiliar intrusion.
"I know, I know... I've got you," Azzi whispered soothingly, halting her hand completely. She didn't push any further, just held herself steady inside, letting Paige's body register the presence.
Paige whined softly, her forehead pressing against Azzi’s collarbone. To distract herself from the ache, Paige focused all her energy on her own hand, keeping her thumb moving in a tight, firm circle against Azzi’s clit.
Hearing Azzi let out a quiet, hitching gasp at the touch gave Paige something to hold onto. Slowly, after a few long seconds of deep, steady breaths, the sting began to dull, blooming instead into an intense fullness that made Paige's core ache with a completely different kind of heat.
"Better?" Azzi whispered, kissing Paige’s temple.
"Mhm..." Paige breathed out, opening her eyes. "You can... you can move now."
Azzi slowly began to curl her finger, sliding in and out with painstaking gentleness. The pain dissolved entirely, replaced by a sudden, intense sensation that made Paige’s hips twitch forward. Azzi picked up a steady, rhythmic curl, her thumb resting over Paige's clit to ease her into the feeling.
"Look at you," Azzi purred softly, watching the pain wash off Paige’s face, replaced entirely by pleasure. "You're taking me so well."
As Paige got used to the motion, her own hand worked faster over Azzi, her fingers sliding deeper into Azzi’s heat, driving a loud, shuddering moan out of Azzi's throat.
Feeling Paige loosen up completely around her, Azzi slicked a second finger. "I'm going to add one more, baby. Just breathe through it."
Azzi slowly worked a second finger inside alongside the first. The stretch made Paige gasp again, a sharp huff of air escaping her lungs, but this time her body yielded almost instantly, wrapping tight around Azzi’s hand.
Azzi began to move both fingers in a deep, perfect rhythm. The fullness, combined with the pressure of Azzi’s thumb against her clit and the sight of Azzi squirming under Paige's own hand, pushed Paige right back over the edge.
"Azzi—oh god," Paige cried out, her back arching off the mattress, her fingers clenching tight over Azzi’s hips as the familiar orgasm began to crash over her again. "Azzi, I'm... I think I'm gonna come again."
The second finger was the tipping point. The intense, deep fullness shattered whatever strength Paige had left, sending a third, overwhelming wave of an orgasm crashing straight through her. A ragged, broken sob tore from her throat as her body clamped impossibly tight around Azzi’s fingers, her back arching, her entire frame trembling violently against the sheets.
As the peak slowly crested and washed over her, both of them let their movements grind to a complete halt. Azzi slid her fingers out gently, immediately wrapping her arms tight around Paige’s shaking form and pulling her close, resting Paige’s head directly over her heart.
The exhaustion, combined with the wild peaks of sensation and emotional intensity, finally broke through Paige's dam. Tears began to spill silently over her eyelashes, hot and fast against Azzi's chest, her shoulders shaking as she let out small, shuddering hiccups.
"Hey, hey... shh, I've got you, my sweet girl," Azzi cooed softly, her heart breaking at the sweet sound. She tangled her fingers into Paige’s hair, gently scratching her scalp while her other hand rubbed long, soothing circles over Paige's bare back. "You're okay. I've got you. You did so, so good for me."
Paige buried her face deeper into Azzi’s neck, her arms clinging desperately to Azzi’s waist.
"I'm sorry..." Paige choked out, her voice entirely wrecked and wet with tears, a hiccup interrupting her breath. "I'm... I'm so sorry you didn't get to finish..."
Azzi pulled back just enough to frame Paige’s face in both of her hands, wiping the tears away from her flushed cheeks with her thumbs. Her eyes were filled with nothing but devotion.
"Hey, look at me," Azzi said, her tone gentle, leaving zero room for doubt. "Don't apologize for a single thing. Are you kidding me?"
Paige sniffled, blinking up through her eyelashes.
"Paige, that was literally the best sex I've ever had in my entire life," Azzi whispered, leaning in to press a tender, lingering kiss to Paige's forehead, then to her nose, then to her swollen lips. "Watching you... seeing how trusting and incredible you were for me tonight... I don't care about anything else."
Azzi held her tight, pulling the covers up over both of their bare bodies, bundling them together into the warmth of the bed.
"You are so amazing, Paige," Azzi murmured into her hair, kissing the top of her head as Paige’s breathing finally began to slow down. "I love you so much."
Paige let out a long, shuddering sigh, the tension completely draining from her limbs as she melted into Azzi’s warmth. "I love you too, Az..." she whimpered softly, closing her eyes and falling fast asleep right against Azzi's chest.
—
Azzi laid in the dark for a few moments, listening to the steady, peaceful rise and fall of Paige’s breathing. Gently, so as not to startle her, Azzi eased herself out from under Paige’s arm and slipped out of bed.
She picked her nightgown up off the floor and slid it back over her head, letting the soft fabric settle against her skin. She tiptoed across the room into Paige’s bathroom, turning on the tap until the water ran warm. She soaked a small washcloth, wrung out the excess, and carried it back into the bedroom. Passing by Paige’s closet, she reached in and pulled one of Paige’s oversized t-shirts off a hanger.
Carrying both, Azzi walked back to the side of the bed.
"Paige... baby," Azzi murmured gently, sitting on the edge of the mattress and placing a soft hand on Paige’s shoulder.
Paige let out a tiny, unintelligible whine, her eyes barely fluttering open, completely heavy with sleep.
"I know, I'm sorry to wake you up," Azzi whispered, her voice a comforting hum. "Just gonna clean you up real quick and put a shirt on you, okay?"
Paige barely managed a tiny, drowsy nod, her limbs totally heavy and useless.
Azzi carefully lifted the edge of the comforter. Holding the warm, damp cloth, she gently wiped in between Paige’s thighs, cleaning away the dried slickness with slow, delicate strokes. Paige let out a quiet, satisfied sigh at the warmth, her head lolling back into the pillow as she practically drifted right back off.
Once Paige was clean, Azzi gathered the t-shirt and helped Paige sit up just enough to guide her arms through the sleeves and pull the cotton down over her bare torso.
Paige didn't even open her eyes. The second the shirt was on, she flopped forward like a ragdoll, burying her face right into Azzi’s chest and wrapping her arms and legs around her, completely taking over Azzi’s space once again.
Azzi laughed softly under her breath. She adjusted the pillows, leaned back, and pulled the covers up over both of them, wrapping her arms securely around Paige’s sleeping frame.
Paige let out one final, soft exhale against Azzi’s neck, completely at peace, and fell right back into a deep, dreamless sleep.
—
Late morning light flooded the bedroom, painting warm golden stripes across the messy sheets. Paige stretched lazily, shifting against the mattress, still lingering in the sweet haze of the morning they had just spent together.
Azzi had only left twenty minutes ago for a rare, mandatory day in the office. They’d spent hours tangled up in bed, sharing sleepy morning kisses, soft quiet laughs, and endless gentle touches before Azzi finally forced herself out of bed, leaving behind a cozy, well-loved scent on the pillows.
Paige rolled onto her stomach, kicked her feet up in the air, and practically scrambled across the mattress for her phone. She didn't even think; she just hit Nika’s name on FaceTime and waited, her body practically humming with electric, giddy energy.
Nika’s face popped onto the screen, sitting at her kitchen table with a mug of coffee in her hand.
"Paige? Hey, what's up—" Nika paused, squinting at the screen.
Paige was sporting a grin so wide her cheeks were literally turning red. She couldn't stop kicking her feet softly against the sheets. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a high-pitched, breathless squeak.
"Uh... Paige?" Nika asked, brow furrowing in complete confusion. "Are you okay? You look insane right now."
"Nika..." Paige wheezed, her voice cracking. She bit down hard on her lower lip, trying desperately to pull herself together, but a burst of giddy laughter erupted out of her instead.
"Okay, you're scaring me," Nika said, setting her mug down, thoroughly bewildered. "What is happening? Did you win the lottery?"
"Guess what happened last night," Paige squealed, her face burning hot.
"What?" Nika asked, leaning closer to her camera. "What happened?"
Paige opened her mouth. 'Azzi and I had sex.' The words were right on the tip of her tongue, but the second she tried to form them, a wave of intense blushing hit her so hard her entire face, neck, and ears turned bright red. She gasped, let out another embarrassed giggle, and buried her face straight down into the pillow, hiding from the phone screen.
Her shoulders shook with silent, helpless laughter as she kicked her legs in the air, totally overwhelmed by her own giddiness.
On the other end of the line, silence stretched for two full seconds. Then, Nika’s eyes went wide as saucers.
"Wait..." Nika’s jaw dropped. "Wait a minute. Paige."
Paige slowly lifted her head off the pillow, her long hair messy, her face redder than a tomato, eyes bright and shining as she squeezed her lips together, trying, and failing, not to smile.
"Oh my god!" Nika screamed into her phone, almost knocking her coffee over. "Oh my god, you and Azzi fucked?!"
Paige let out a loud, embarrassed whine and hid her face right back in the pillow, her cheeks burning so hot she felt like she was going to spontaneously combust, completely undone by the sheer joy of it all.
Paige finally lifted her face from the pillow, her hands coming up to cup her bright red cheeks.
"Nika, it was... so good," Paige gasped out, a helpless smile spreading across her flushed face. "Like... I can't even... it was so good."
Nika lost her mind on the other end of the screen, clapping her hands together frantically. "Shut up! Shut up! Oh my god, Paige!" She pointed a stern finger at her phone screen, leaning in close. "I need to know every single detail. Respectfully, of course."
Nika paused, her eyes narrowing with curiosity as she lowered her voice slightly. "First question, did you finish?"
Paige’s face somehow turned an even darker shade of red, looking like a literal strawberry. She bit her lip so hard it was almost white, and without saying a word, she just gave a slow, timid, ridiculously giddy nod.
"Yes!" Nika cheered, throwing her arms in the air. "Okay, yes! My girl!" Then Nika stopped, squinting at Paige’s ridiculously smug, blush-tinted face. Something about Paige's expression made Nika’s jaw drop again. "...Wait. Is there more? Is there more?!"
Paige let out a high-pitched, embarrassed giggle, hiding her eyes behind her hands, completely unable to contain the pride buzzing in her chest.
"I came three times, Nika," Paige squeaked out through her fingers. "Three. Times."
Nika literally gagged, her hand flying to her chest as she stumbled back in her chair.
"Holy fuck! What the hell?!" Nika screamed, her voice cracking in utter disbelief. "Three?! Paige, are you kidding me?!"
Paige buried her face back in the mattress, her legs kicking air as she laughed hysterically at Nika’s reaction.
"Okay, nope. Change of plans," Nika declared loudly, grabbing her coffee mug and settling firmly back into her chair, staring dead into the camera with determination. "We are going over everything. Start from the beginning right now."
Paige turned onto her side, resting her head on her hand as a dreamy, shy smile took over her face. The initial wave of giggles settled into a soft, warm glow.
"Okay, so... at first, I was terrified," Paige admitted softly, her eyes dropping to the bedsheets as she traced a loose thread. "I was so nervous, Nika. My heart was pounding out of my chest."
"Right, totally normal," Nika nodded sympathetically, leaning her chin on her hand. "So how'd you get past that?"
"Azzi," Paige breathed out, her blush creeping right back up her neck. "She could tell I was in my head, so she just... she started talking to me. She started going into detail about what she likes during sex, and Nika... god, it was hot as fuck."
Nika’s jaw dropped as she slammed her hands on her kitchen table. "Hold on, hold on! What does she like to do?! Paige, do not leave me hanging!"
Paige’s face exploded into a bright, flaming red. She hid behind her hand, letting out a soft, embarrassed whine. "I can't! I literally cannot say it out loud, Nika, it was so dirty, I'll die!"
"Paige!" Nika groaned, clutching her head.
"Listen, listen!" Paige squeaked, waving her hand to quiet her down. "That wasn't even the best part. After she said all this... she stopped. She got all soft-spoken and whispered, 'Is that what you want? Do you think that will make you feel good?'" Paige’s voice dropped to a quiet, breathless murmur as she mimicked Azzi, her heart fluttering all over again just repeating it. "And she waited for me to answer."
On the other end of the screen, Nika went completely silent for two seconds before letting out a high-pitched, unintelligible squeal. She flopped back in her chair, kicking her feet up wildly under her table, practically squealing into her hands.
"Oh my god!" Nika shrieked, kicking her legs in pure, ecstatic excitement. "Paige! Are you kidding me?!"
Nika pointed at the phone, her face lit up with absolute glee for her best friend. "I think you had the best first time ever."
Paige buried her face back into her pillow, laughing softly, unable to deny a single word.
Paige tucked her hair behind her ear, her face still glowing with a shy, unstoppable grin as she pushed herself up on her elbows.
"Okay, so right after that," Paige started, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper, "Azzi told me she’d be right back, and she told me to take my clothes off while she was gone."
Nika’s eyes went wide. "Right"
"So she leaves," Paige continued, biting her lip, "and when she walks back into the room, Nika... she was wearing a lace nightgown. Like, I almost forgot how to breathe."
Nika gasped loudly, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. "Oh that’s so hot."
"Right?!" Paige squeaked, giggling as her face burned hotter. "So obviously, because I was still super nervous, I panicked a little and pulled the blanket all the way up to my chin to cover myself. I was literally hiding under it."
"Of course you did," Nika hummed, leaning closer to the camera, completely hooked on every word. "So what did she do?"
"She didn't even get mad or anything," Paige breathed out, her eyes going all soft and dreamy. "She just climbed onto the bed, made me sit up, and then she took my hair out of its bun. And then she just... started slowly fixing it, running her fingers through my hair, talking to me so sweetly. Nika, it was so fucking hot. The contrast was crazy."
Nika was practically vibrating in her chair, holding her coffee mug like a microphone. "She was prepping you! Go on!"
"Then," Paige whispered, her cheeks flushing a bright, deep red, "she softly told me to drop the blanket. I still had my boxers on, so I dropped it... and Azzi just leaned in and started making out with me while touching me through them."
Nika let out a low, dramatic groan of excitement, throwing her head back against her chair. "I actually can’t believe this shit"
Paige took a deep breath, her eyes practically sparkling as she leaned closer to the screen.
"So then... Azzi reached down, pulled my boxers completely off, and just... started using her mouth and her hands on me," Paige squeaked out, her voice dropping to a scandalized whisper. "Nika, I swear to god, I felt like I was literally going to die right there on the bed."
Nika had her mouth agape. "No way."
"Yes way!" Paige giggled, burying her face in her hands for a second before looking back up, cheeks flushed bright pink. "So obviously, I came—like, immediately. And I thought we were taking a break, right? But literally right after, while I was still gasping for air, Azzi looks up at me and goes... 'Do you want to ride my abs?'"
Nika threw her head back and let out a dramatic gasp. "Oh my god! Paige, what the actual fuck?! Ride her abs?!"
"Nika, wait, it gets crazier!" Paige squealed, kicking her legs furiously against the mattress. "Azzi has a belly piercing, right? So when I was... you know... riding her stomach, I could literally feel the metal rubbing against me every single time. It felt so insane."
On the other end of the screen, Nika collapsed sideways against her chair, holding her stomach like she was in pain. "Paige what the fuck."
"I came a second time just from that!" Paige confessed, blushing so hard her ears were red. "And then after, I wanted to make sure Azzi felt good too, so I tried to touch her. But Azzi was like, 'The only way you're allowed to touch me is if I get to keep my hand on you at the same time.' So we were side by side touching each other, and then... Azzi put her fingers inside me for the first time, and Nika... I just couldn't help it. I came. Third time."
Nika was practically dying on the phone, making high-pitched wheezing noises, completely undone by the sheer intensity of the story. "Three times... three actual times..."
Paige's expression softened, a sweet, slightly guilty pout touching her lips. "I did feel kind of bad that Azzi didn't finish, though... but I was just so exhausted, Nika. I fell asleep almost immediately after. But Azzi was just so sweet... while I was half-asleep, she went and got a warm washcloth, cleaned me all up, and put a big t-shirt on me so gently."
Nika slowly sat back up, wiping a literal tear of laughter and shock from her eye, looking at Paige with absolute awe.
"Unbelievable," Nika breathed out, shaking her head in complete disbelief. "She sounds amazing. You’re officially the luckiest girl on the planet."
Summary: Azzi loved weddings, had loved them since she was a kid and religiously watched ‘say yes to the dress’ with her sister Olivia.
And now this time next year, Olivia would be getting married. Azzi should be thrilled, should be over the moon really. She loved her sister, and she loved her soon to be brother-in-law, Jared, almost as much. So why wasn’t she excited?
The answer was three words. Paige fucking Bueckers.
Paige - - Azzi’s infuriating, arrogant, utter arch nemesis that she couldn’t even stand to be in the same room with. Also known as Jared’s sister/best woman.
So, also known as the best woman opposite her maid of honor, meaning she would be impossible to ignore in the entire team leading up to the wedding.
Forced to co-host events, an unresolved past history, their families about to become one and confusing feelings that arise only when the two girls are around one another. What could possibly go wrong?
… or, the enemies to lovers fic that i randomly got inspo for :)
-----------
a/n: officially back from vacation and was able to lock in on this chapter! definitely had some writers block, but i was eventually able to get it done (with some needed motivation from @emeqem 🤗)
once again, thank you all so much for the support!! it has helped so much to push me to keep writing, and i am super grateful! hope you love this one too!!
wc: 10.1k
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‘the feeling’ - steve lacy
“i often wonder where your head is, so confused…”
eight: the second time & the wedding party drama
i. the second time
Azzi had always felt things deeply. She’d been that way for as long as she could remember. She associated albums with specific times of her life - - what she was going through when certain discographies of music came out, and what that felt like. She looked back on every phase of her life with sickening nostalgia. She took on the pain of those closest to her as her own.
And she was horrible, like truly awful, at compartmentalizing.
So, with her imminent wrist injury being the cherry on top of a pretty shitty past couple months, she chose to give herself grace for the fact that she was actually relieved knowing that Paige was on her way.
She changed into a set, nothing crazy, just a black tank top and pajama pants set she had been gifted by a brand a few weeks prior. She tried to force herself to eat something, but the food in her fridge was beyond unappetizing, and she didn’t have enough of a stomach to justify doordashing.
She wanted to pass the time by reading, but after getting overstimulated from trying to flip pages with the temporary brace on her wrist, she opted to throw on an old episode of friends instead. Thankfully, it took Paige less than half an hour before she was back at Azzi’s apartment
paige bueckers 😾🤮💩
let me up?
i hejesnjjj goodies but i firgfnas ba
azzi fudd
r u having a stroke?
paige bueckers 😾🤮💩
Bro I can’t type. Now I’m using voice type. Please let me in.
azzi fudd
lol
should be open now
She knew Paige had reached her door when a loud thud sounded from the hallway, followed by a booming “Ouch!” The commotion prompted a much needed smile to break across Azzi’s face, and she rose from the couch to let Paige in.
When she opened the door, she quite literally couldn’t contain her laughter at the sight in front of her - - Paige, attempting to pick up what appeared to be a bag of tru fru, while also trying not to drop several other items that were tucked between both arms. “Um, need some help?”
“Nah, nah.” Paige huffed, apparently choosing to just kick the loose bottle of advil into Azzi’s apartment, with the bottle stopping once it reached Azzi’s bare foot. “Don’t pick that up, you’re hurt. I’ll come back and get it.”
Like the wave of high energy that Paige usually emitted, she brushed past Azzi so quickly that the brunette barely registered any form of movement. “I have one good hand, by the way.” Azzi grumbled, ignoring Paige’s previous remark and picking up the bottle of advil.
When she rounded the corner back into her apartment, Azzi once again tried to stifle a laugh from how utterly distressed Paige looked. She was, rather ungracefully, trying to lay out whatever items she had been holding on Azzi’s kitchen counter.
“Can’t believe I forgot New York doesn’t have grocery bags.” Paige said, exasperated, finally setting down the last item. “That’s what I was tryna text you, that I got some necessities, or whatever, but I didn’t have any bags.”
“Where’d you go? Most places have bags you can buy.”
Paige’s head snapped up almost as fast as she charged into the apartment. “They do?”
“Uh, yeah.” Azzi giggled, entering the kitchen fully to get a better look at whatever Paige had bought. “It’s like fifty cents too.”
“Damn, I didn’t see that.” Paige sighed.
Azzi shook her head in amusement, starting to sort through the miscellaneous items. There was the previously dropped bag of tru fru, a container of cottage cheese (the wrong brand, but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless), and other pain relievers.
She grabbed the Tru Fru and cottage cheese, intending to put them away herself, only for Paige to steal both items directly out of her hands. “Um, rude?”
“How about ‘thank you so much for getting these care items for me Paige!’” Paige spoke sassily, turning to open the door of the refrigerator. “Like God forbid a girl gets a ‘thank you.’”
“Thank you so much, Paige!” Azzi put on the fakest, cheeriest voice she could muster, dragging out the words enough to prompt a snort from the other woman. She backed away from the counter, deciding it probably wasn’t worth fighting Paige over who got to put away her own ‘care items’. “Imma go back to my room then, I guess.”
“‘kay, I’ll be over in a second.”
It dawned on Azzi, as she made herself comfortable back inside her bed, that they were behaving bizarrely. There were mounds of things that they should probably address, but once again, both women were following the unspoken agreement to pretend that all of this was normal.
Paige walked back in after a few minutes, placing the bottle of advil, a celcius (a little too late for Azzi to be drinking that, but she still appreciated the thought), and biofreeze on her nightstand. “I left everything else in the kitchen, but I can get ‘em whenever.”
“I’m good for now, thanks.” Azzi said, a little shy.
Paige didn’t move, and from where Azzi was laying, it almost looked like she was concerned, with blue eyes locked on Azzi’s injured wrist. “What’d they say? Is it broken?”
“I dunno, I’m ‘sposed to get a call in the morning.”
Paige nodded, her face solemn. “You sure you don’t want nothing else?” Before Azzi could respond, a knock sounded from her front door. “Are you expecting anyone?”
“Not that I know of.” Azzi pushed herself out of bed, trying to think of who could possibly be stopping by this late. “Stay here, I’ll be back.” She made sure to close her bedroom door behind her, not particularly interested in whoever was visiting to find out that her supposed mortal enemy was behind it.
Her jaw nearly dropped when she finally opened the front door. “Liv? What’re you doing here?” Azzi tried to hide the panic in her voice, keeping the door open only a crack and not letting her sister in.
Olivia gave her a confused look, “I wanted to check on you.” She gestured toward the door, “Can I come in?”
Azzi contemplated her options. On the one hand, she could turn her sister away entirely. And even though this would look insanely suspicious, it was an option nonetheless. Or, she could close the door, race inside, and tell Paige to hide.
Deciding the second choice was her safest bet, she muttered, “Yeah, hold on.”, then closed the door quickly. She sped-walked to her bedroom, taking note of the way Paige had made herself at home on the typically un-used side of Azzi’s bed. “Paige,” She started, out of breath. “Liv’s here. You needa stay in here, ‘kay?”
“Oh, shit. Okay.” Paige dropped her phone against the comforter and sat upright. Her eyes widened when Azzi reached for the door again. “Wait, what happens if she tries to come in here?”
“I’ll try and make sure she doesn’t, but if you hear anything, lock yourself in the bathroom.”
“Fuck.” Paige glanced toward the attached bathroom as if mapping out her escape route. “Okay.”
Back in her living room, Olivia had let herself in despite Azzi closing the door on her when she left. She was on the couch, her legs tucked beneath her, a small tote bag at her side. It was only then that Azzi realized Liv was yet another person who had shown up bearing ‘goodies,’ as Paige had called them in her undecipherable texts. Olivia’s version of a care package was considerably different, though. Instead of Advil and Biofreeze, she had brought the blanket she’d stolen from Azzi’s apartment months ago, a giant box of Goldfish, and a blunt she was currently in the process of rolling on the coffee table.
Realizing she needed to put on her best acting skills to try and get Olivia to leave, Azzi sat on the arm of the couch and began to stretch dramatically. “I’m sorta exhausted, I might just go to bed honestly.” She feigned a yawn to try and reiterate her point. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow, though.”
Olivia frowned, holding up the now fully-rolled joint. “You don’t wanna smoke? Can pretend it’s medicinal, or whatever, for your wrist.”
Azzi snorted at that, “I’m alright. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Okay, well ‘m still staying that night.”
“Liv, you really don’t have to - -“
“I’m not leaving, so the sooner you accept it, the better.” Olivia warned, her voice firm. She was like this sometimes, inherently stubborn to the point where Azzi knew there was no point in arguing with her.
Despite having been looking forward to another, well - - moment alone, let’s say - - with Paige, Azzi knew the least suspicious thing she could do was to allow her sister to spend the night. “Fine,” Azzi conceded, trying desperately not to glance toward the hallway. “But I really am going to bed.”
“You do you, ‘m smoking this and then I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Lock the door to the balcony when you're done!”
Olivia essentially paid her no mind as she turned on the television. “Yeah, yeah.”
*
Back in her bedroom, Azzi was listening to a long-winded rant of Paige’s, trying not to think too hard about the fact that the pair were now going to have to quietly spend the night together.
Considering Paige had purposefully excused herself to the couch the night prior, Azzi was a little uneasy about sharing a bed with her.
But there was also, quite literally, nothing they could do about it. Olivia had planted herself on the couch, Paige couldn’t exactly sneak out without risking being seen, and Azzi definitely wasn’t about to make her sleep on the floor. So, once again, she was attempting to act nonchalant about the entire thing. She started her nighttime routine at her vanity while Paige remained sprawled out her bed, phone in hand, filling the silence with a story that had apparently been occupying Paige’s evening.
“The windshield of my truck cracked last week. ‘Was so fucking annoying, a piece of wood fell off a construction truck and sliced my windshield on the fuckin’ highway.” Paige huffed, still typing on her phone as she recounted the story. “Anyway, it was ‘sposed to be done tomorrow, but they jus’ said it’s gonna be another whole week.”
Azzi glanced at Paige through the reflection of her vanity mirror. “Wait, I didn’t know you drove a truck.” She kept her voice quiet, mindful of how close her bedroom door was to the vanity, and, more importantly, the fact that Olivia was right on the other side of it. She squeezed some moisturizer into her palm before beginning to work it into her arms. “What kind?”
“Dodge. Well, a Ram.”
“2500?”
“1500.” Paige answered. Then, she finally took her attention off her phone, brows furrowed as she looked over at Azzi. “You know trucks?”
“Mhm.” She switched to her fenty body cream, absentmindedly rubbing the shea butter into her collarbone. “Used to be obsessed with them when I was a kid. A 1500 was my dream car actually.”
A literal squeak exited Paige’s mouth, the blonde gawking at her and sitting up fully in Azzi’s bed. “And you’re telling me no one ever thought you were gay?”
“Will you keep your voice down?!” Azzi whisper-yelled, gesturing toward the bedroom door. Paige slapped a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter, which only made Azzi roll her eyes as she screwed the lid back onto her body cream. “Why would people think ’m gay from that anyway?”
“Um, I dunno.” Paige lowered her hand, though the stupid grin remained on her face. “Your dream car was a fucking Ram truck. That’s pretty gay.”
“So you’re calling your own car gay?”
“Yeah, since I’m gay.” Paige shook her head with a laugh. Her expression softened a little when Azzi slid into her side of the bed, careful to keep a respectable distance between the pair. “You sure you don’t mind me sleeping in here?”
Azzi’s back was turned to the other woman as she leaned over to plug her phone in. “No, you’re good. ’S not like you could go anywhere else either.”
“I could sleep on the floor or somethin.’ I don’t mind.”
Trying not to let the insecure part of her brain convince herself that Paige didn’t want to sleep in the bed with her, Azzi shook her head. “Nah, don’t needa hear you complaining about your bum back.”
“God forbid an athlete is open about her pain.” Paige grumbled. She pointed toward the bedside lamp, which was the only source of light left in the room. “Should I turn this off?”
Azzi nodded, “Yeah, but use the switch.” She slipped completely beneath the covers while Paige did so, laying flat on her back and staring up at the ceiling in the dark.
Azzi’s heart began to beat erratically as she considered everything that could possibly go wrong in this moment. Her rival turned whatever they were now was sleeping in her bed for the first time. Her sister was asleep on her couch just a room away. The only thing separating this secret arrangement and Olivia was the lock on her bedroom door. Her wrist was in a temporary cast, and she would be finding out in the morning whether or not it was broken. Safe to say there was a lot on her mind.
She hadn’t realized that Paige had also maneuvered herself beneath the covers until the mattress shifted beside her. The comforter tugged slightly across Azzi’s body as Paige rolled onto her side, turning to face her. “Can’t believe your dream car as a kid was a Ram. Like I seriously can’t get over this.”
Azzi rolled her eyes even though Paige couldn’t see her. “There was a reason, at least.”
“Yeah?” Paige adjusted beside her, propping her head up with one hand, her elbow sinking into the mattress. “What was it?”
Azzi, who was still laying flat against her pillow, allowed herself to meet Paige’s gaze. Her breath caught involuntarily, unprepared for how easily she could make out those bright blue eyes, even in darkness. Feeling rather exposed like this, Azzi opted to also sit slightly upright, mirroring Paige’s positioning of resting on her elbow. “I was obsessed with drive-in movies. And my dad took us a couple times as a kid, but it’s not the same as in a truck bed, y’know? And getting to watch one of your favorite movies like that - - it just has always seemed really cool to me.” Azzi felt herself starting to ramble, but chose to lean into it rather than get embarrassed. “I’ve never gotten to do that, but it’s on my bucket list.”
Paige nodded once. “Like the scene in Grease?”
“Well, sort of. But that was a convertible.”
“Nah, pretty sure it was a truck.”
“Bro,” Azzi rolled her eyes, biting back a smile. But then she looked back up at Paige’s face, and she felt her own fall. “Wait, are you being deadass right now? You think they were in a truck?”
Paige reached over and flicked Azzi on the shoulder, her demeanor still serious. “I don’t think, I know.”
“Paige!” Azzi whisper-yelled, still mindful of her sister sleeping in the living room. “You swear you’re not rage baiting me right now?”
“I swear!” Paige shifted toward the nightstand, unplugging her phone rather aggressively. “Gonna google it right now and prove you wrong.”
“Go for it.” Azzi said. Excitement was beginning to simmer within her, because she knew she was right. Her and Olivia had seen Grease probably a hundred times growing up, and she was extraordinarily well-versed in the classic drive-in scene from the film, in which Sandy rejects Danny and he sings that overdramatic ballad. And she knew it took place in his notorious convertible. A solid thirty seconds had passed since Paige first opened up safari, and she had yet to say anything as she continued to scroll. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
Paige shut her phone off, placing it face down on top of Azzi’s comforter. “Whatever.”
“Told you!” Azzi teased, poking Paige in her cheek. The scalding glare she received in return was totally worth it. “I should’ve bet money on that, damn.”
“Whatever.” Paige repeated, flopping down on the bed so she was laying flat. She threw her forearm over her face, “So this is what it’s like to be wrong, huh?”
“Oh yes, because this is the first time you’ve ever been wrong.” Azzi deadpanned. She laid her pillow flat again, following Paige’s lead and lying down fully beneath the covers. “You’re such a baby.”
“Shut up.” Paige grumbled.
Silence fell after that, and Azzi did her best to shut her eyes, hoping for sleep to come. Her mind was too doubt-consumed, though, processing every little thing about her surroundings. There was a decent amount of space between them, and Azzi had no idea why, but she was nervous. She couldn’t regulate, couldn’t get her heart rate to calm down, and she knew damn well she wasn’t going to rest any time soon. “Paige?” The name escaped her lips before she could stop herself.
“Yeah?” Paige’s voice was soft, and it relaxed Azzi more than she cared to admit. When Azzi didn’t respond straight away, Paige turned on her side again. “You good?”
Azzi exhaled once. Her chest wouldn’t stop rising and falling, and she was suddenly too hot. She folded her comforter abruptly, leaving her midriff and up exposed fully. “If - - if we’re quiet… can we, y’know…? Again?” Paige chuckled, which only agitated her further. “Okay, fine! Laugh at me, that makes me feel great.”
“Whoa, chill out.” Paige slid closer toward her, pale fingertips finding the exposed strip of stomach between Azzi’s tank top and pajama pants. Goosebumps began to litter across the skin there, making Azzi’s cheeks flush. Paige brought her lips to hover near Azzi’s ear, “You really think you can be quiet?”
Azzi nodded. With a boost in confidence prompted by Paige not flat-out rejecting her, she brought her good hand to rest on one of Paige’s shoulders. “I can. Please, Paige.”
Paige leaned down, connecting their lips in a soft, barely there kiss. When she pulled back, their lips brushed as she said, “Okay.” Then, she slung a strong quad over Azzi’s waist, now straddling Azzi fully. “But if you get too loud we have to stop, alright?”
“Okay.” Azzi breathed out.
Paige kissed her again. “And be mindful of your wrist, yeah? Jus’ lemme do everything, and keep it still.”
Azzi smirked, liking the way Paige was staring down at her with that look of desire in blue eyes. She reached for the collar of Paige’s tshirt, tugging the older woman down so she was flush against her. “Now make me feel good.”
“You got it, princess.”
And then Paige’s lips were on her neck, and it felt so good that she almost let out a low moan from the feeling. Key word being ‘almost’, because she bit down hard on her lip to stop any sound from escaping. Her hands began to roam up and down Paige’s back, and she could physically feel the muscles there flexing. She decidedly liked that feeling, liked that she caused that feeling. She tugged loosely on the material, pushing Paige off her neck. “Take this off, please.”
“Mhm.” Paige rushed out. She reached behind her, shrugging the shirt off from behind in a way that should not have been as attractive as it was. Surprisingly, Paige was bare beneath her shirt (Azzi wasn’t entirely sure why she was surprised - - she just sort of assumed Paige would be the type to sleep with a bra on), and she watched as Paige’s nipples hardened from the cool air of the bedroom. “You too,” Paige said, her fingers twisting against the hem of Azzi’s tank top like she wanted to remove the material for her.
Azzi engaged her abs to help hold herself upright, lifting her arms to assist the rest of the way. Paige tossed the tank top in the same general direction she had her tshirt, then brought both of her hands to brace at Azzi’s ribcage. “Y’know you’re beautiful, right?”
For someone typically so impulsive-mouthed, Paige always seemed so sure of the things she said to Azzi when they were like this. Granted, there hadn’t been too many exchanges like this before, but each time she made Azzi feel wanted in a way she had never felt before.
Feeling herself begin to blush, Azzi grabbed at Paige’s forearm, putting on her best seductive voice. “Less talking, more doing.”
“She’s bossy today.” Paige muttered. Azzi resisted the urge to slap her, which was pretty easy considering right after that, the blonde attached herself to one of Azzi’s breasts, her free hand palming the other one. The dual sensation of Paige’s mouth tonguing one, and her warm hand gripping the other felt electrifying.
Paige shifted herself so that one of her legs slipped between both of Azzi’s, and as she switched to latch her tongue to Azzi’s other breast, her knee slotted in that waiting spot between Azzi’s legs. The friction caught her off guard, and once again Azzi had to bite down on her lip to stifle a sound from slipping. Paige’s lips continued sucking at her skin, this time kissing in a straight line down her belly. She stopped just above the waistband of Azzi’s pajama pants, her hands rough at Azzi’s waist as she began the motions of sucking a hickey there.
Briefly, Azzi considered telling Paige to stop. There was a potential chance someone could see a mark there had she worn a sports bra or if her jersey were to become untucked. But, then she thought about how slim the odds were on that anyway, and she really liked the idea of having physical evidence of their encounter etched into her skin.
A few minutes or so later, Paige removed her lips from Azzi’s lower stomach with a popping sound, a small smirk etched into her features as she admired the purple mark she left. Then, she dipped her fingers just beneath the waistband of cotton pajama pants. “Can I take these off?”
“Yes.” Azzi whispered, her body remaining perfectly still.
Paige didn’t take the item of clothing off right away, though. Instead, she rolled off the side of Azzi’s bed quickly, grabbing Azzi by her hips and turning her so she lay horizontally across the mattress. She watched as Paige grabbed her pillow, stopping next to her to ask, “You still want this?”
“Uh,” Azzi said, caught off guard. She cleared her throat quickly, then nodded. “Yeah, actually. Thanks.” She lifted her head so Paige could place the pillow beneath her, then watched as the blonde lowered herself to her knees on Azzi’s bedroom floor.
Paige helped her get situated, pulling her hips so her ankles were planted against Paige’s shoulders. Then, Paige hooked each of Azzi’s legs over broad shoulders, warm palms holding caramel thighs in place. “‘Sure you’re good?”
“Yeah,” Azzi breathed out. She was struggling in numerous aspects; struggling not to act desperate, not to squirm beneath Paige’s hot touch, not to make noise. Propping herself up fully on her elbows and foregoing the pillow behind her, Azzi looked down at Paige. “Please touch me.”
Paige’s grip on her thighs tightened, her jaw hardening in a similar manner. “Patience, baby.”
There was the pet name again, and even though Paige had tossed it around last time, it still sent a shiver down her spine all the same. She felt, rather than fully saw, Paige start to nip and suck at the skin of her inner thighs. Her eyes shut in ecstasy from the feeling, her chest rising and falling in big breaths from where she remained perched at the edge of the mattress.
Then, not expecting anything to happen so soon with her underwear still on, Azzi let out a shaky moan when she felt Paige’s tongue slide along her clothed cunt. “Hey,” Paige warned, pulling back. “Gotta be quiet, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah. Sorry. I’ll be good.” Azzi rushed out, too turned on to second guess her obvious desperation.
Paige kissed her inner thigh once, “Good girl.” Azzi had to squeeze her eyes shut again at those words, and she was almost positive another gush of wetness just exited her already dripping pussy. Carefully, Paige slid her shoulders out from beneath Azzi’s thighs. “Gonna take this off now.”
It was more of a demand than a request, which Azzi didn’t mind. She merely lifted her ass off the mattress, helping Paige slide the soaked material off her legs. Once Azzi’s dripping cunt was fully exposed, the blonde looked fucking smug, her mouth agape as she took in the sight of Azzi’s open legs. And although there wasn’t much light in the room save for the nightlight of the bathroom, similar to last time, she knew it must have been real fucking obvious how wet she was.
“Shut up.” Azzi groaned, covering her eyes in embarrassment.
Paige chuckled, reaching for Azzi’s thighs to return them to where they previously rested against her. “Didn’t say nothin.’” Azzi sat as upright as she could, once again resting her weight against her forearms, allowing herself to have a better visual of Paige on her knees. Paige kissed just to the right of Azzi’s throbbing clit, then to the left. “So pretty.”
Azzi blushed, a small smile escaping as she tucked her chin to her sternum. “Shut up.” She repeated, bashful.
Paige managed to use one of her hands to split open Azzi’s folds, taking another moment to just stare. And then, in a movement that felt un-fucking-real, Paige sucked her clit, full and all consuming. Azzi’s breath caught, her hands fisting the sheets at her sides. “Fuck,” She said, voice barely audible.
Azzi was out of it, to say the least, as Paige started fully eating her. And she loved it, loved how numb her mind became, yet how in tune she felt to the crests of pleasure wafting through her. She was able to keep holding herself upright for maybe a minute before it became too much, her back collapsing back against the pillow Paige had set up for her.
Her lip was permanently caught between her teeth now, painted toes curling as Paige licked through her with nothing but precision. She felt that skilled tongue alternate between licking up and down her entrance, circling her clit, and dipping inside. It didn’t take much to get Azzi worked up, and she felt herself getting closer to that point with each passing second.
Azzi sat back up again, her legs involuntarily tensing and pushing Paige closer to her cunt. “Fuck, Paigeuh.” Azzi moaned, somehow keeping her voice quiet. “Holy-shit-holy-shit.” She babbled.
Paige was relentless, continuing her movements with few breaths between. Her breath was ghosting Azzi’s clit when she pulled away, ever so slightly, to say, “Taste so good, Azzi.”
“I’m close.” Azzi rushed out, biting her lip again when Paige returned her mouth to Azzi’s pulsating bundle of nerves. “‘M gonna - - fuck, ‘m cuming - -” Azzi breathed out, her thighs tensing and head tipping back as white hot pleasured coursed through her.
She came hard, having to bring her non-braced wrist to her mouth, biting down on it to keep from moaning loudly. It felt other worldly, possibly better than the last time. Because Paige continued to lick her through it, and from where she was perched against the blonde, she felt zero shame or remorse. She allowed herself to enjoy it, allowed herself to ride out the high that Paige had so earnestly crafted for her.
“Too much,” Azzi whispered, pushing gently at Paige’s forehead.
Paige listened instantly, sliding Azzi’s thighs from her shoulders as she stood. Azzi scooched further back against the bed to give her room, and Paige followed, planting her forearms on either side of Azzi’s frame as she hovered above her.
“You okay?” Paige asked, searching her face. “It felt good?”
“Yes, Paige. Trust me.” Azzi let out a breathy laugh at the genuine concern in her voice. She brought a hand up to cup Paige’s jaw, pulling her down enough to place a soft kiss against her lips. “Just needed a break.”
“Gotcha.” Paige smiled against her mouth. She lowered herself onto the mattress this time, and the two of them stayed like that for another moment, exchanging lazy kisses while they caught their breath. It was a little too domestic, a little too casual given that they weren’t in the heat of the moment anymore, but Azzi couldn’t bring herself to care. “Alright, we should prolly, like, get clothed again,” Paige said, rolling away from Azzi and off the bed.
Azzi felt her brow furrow, a mixture of confusion and rejection settling inside her nervous system. “Wait,” Azzi blurted before she could psyche herself out. Paige glanced back at her. “Do you want me to, y’know…”
“Oh, uh,” Paige started, moving to sit back on the edge of the bed. “That’s okay, ‘m good.”
“Do you like to be touched?” Azzi asked, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. “It’s okay either way, I just wanted to ask.”
She would probably die a little inside if Paige was a touch-me-not, because even though she’d like to tell herself this weekend they’ve shared would be a one time thing, she was starting to believe in their facade less and less. And she really wanted to touch Paige too.
Paige’s cheeks warmed noticeably, her gaze dropping toward her lap. “Yeah, ‘s not that. It’s just, uh...” She rubbed a hand against the back of her neck, “That time of the month.”
“Oh,” Azzi had to stifle a laugh from how damn awkward Paige could be sometimes. “Okay, got it.” She slipped out of bed and started toward the connecting bathroom, only to stop once she reached the doorway. “Sorry if it was weird that I asked, I just… I dunno, but, yeah. Sorry.”
“Hey, no.” Paige’s voice came out slightly muffled as she attempted to pull her tshirt back over her head. Once she emerged from the fabric, she looked toward Azzi. “That’s okay. It’s definitely good to talk about shit if we’re gonna keep being ‘intimate’ or whatever.”
“You and that damn word.” Azzi laughed, rolling her eyes. Realizing that she was still very much naked and in need of a cloth between her legs, Azzi gestured toward the bathroom. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Only when the door shut did Azzi let the full smile she had been concealing take over her features. She felt almost giddy that Paige insinuated there would be a next time. And even if that was a little pathetic, and a lot confusing, considering the blonde still drove her insane half the time, she let herself feel it anyway.
She had pretty much gathered herself after peeing and cleaning herself off when another realization hit. She hadn’t brought her fucking pajamas with her.
As if reading her mind, a soft knock sounded a second later. “Yo, Fudd.” Paige whisper-shouted through the door. “You want some clothes?”
“Yes, please!” She whisper-yelled back. “Can you bring me the pajamas I was wearing?”
“And what’s the magic word?”
“Paige.”
“Yeah, yeah.” It took a few seconds, but the door was opening a moment later, Paige’s arm sticking through with a pile of Azzi’s pajamas. “Here.”
“Thanks.” Azzi said, taking it from her.
As she went to put on her pants, Azzi realized there was no shot she could wear her underwear from earlier, so she was simply going to have to sleep commando. But, when she went to lay out the individual articles of clothing on the bathroom counter, she realized Paige must have thought of the same thing, because a new, folded pair of her underwear that had been in her dresser was mixed into the pile.
The simple gesture sent warmth to her cheeks, choosing not to really consider the ramifications of it as she got dressed.
When she re-entered her bedroom, Paige had partially reassembled the bed, and was beneath the covers. “Gotta leave here by nine ish. You think Liv will be gone?”
“Definitely, she usually gets to the bakery by nine the latest, so.” Azzi responded, tucking herself back beneath the comforter.
Her eyelids finally felt heavier in her post-head state, and she smiled shyly to herself at the thought. She made herself comfortable, mindful to keep a distinguished space between her and Paige. She turned to face the wall, trying to demonstrate how much she totally didn’t care that Paige was in her bed to actually sleep for the first time, and shut her eyes fully. “G’night Paige.”
“Night Fudd.”
———-
That God-awful standard Apple alarm woke Azzi some hours later. She groaned at the noise, blindly reaching toward her own nightstand before realizing, through her half-asleep haze, that it wasn’t coming from her phone. “Paige,” she grumbled, rolling over to find the blonde somehow still completely asleep beside her. “Oh my God, you’re the worst.”
The alarm continued blaring without so much as a twitch from Paige, forcing Azzi to lean across her body to reach the phone sitting on the opposite nightstand. “‘Cause how are you still asleep?”
She stretched as far as she could with her good hand, practically laying sideways across Paige’s chest in order to reach said device, and silenced it. She exhaled, grateful the ruckus had stopped.
Then, purely out of annoyance, she shoved at Paige’s chest. Paige winced, her face twisting before blue eyes reluctantly blinked open. “Um, hello?”
“You slept through your alarm, idiot. I jus’ turned it off.”
“Oh, sorry.” Paige’s voice was thick with sleep, but it only took a few seconds for her to register the position they were currently in. One brow raised as her gaze dropped pointedly toward Azzi, who was still sprawled horizontal across her chest.
“Like whatcha see?” Paige asked, voice smug.
Azzi turned her head to hide her blush. “You wish.” Azzi pushed herself off Paige’s chest, and then off the bed entirely, sleepily making her way toward her bathroom.
Inside, she brushed her teeth and went through the motions of her typical morning routine, confused as to why she felt so tired after actually getting a decent sleep. (It did not go unnoticed that she slept through the night for the first time since she hurt her wrist months ago, but Azzi decided to merely shove that thought into her subconscious). Paige followed shortly after, taking over the bathroom and leaving Azzi to climb back into bed and check her phone.
When the bathroom door eventually opened again, Azzi turned on her home screen and gave Paige the nastiest look she could muster. “Why the fuck did you set your alarm so early? Thought you said you had to leave at nine?”
Paige noticeably avoided her gaze, instead zeroing her focus in on shoving her toiletries back into her duffel. “Uh, so I could get ready?”
“It jus’ took you ten minutes to get ready! And it’s fucking seven thirty!”
Before Azzi could even process what was happening, Paige abandoned the duffel and climbed back onto the bed. Except, rather than returning to her side, she moved directly over Azzi, settling comfortably across her lap. “Okay,” Paige admitted, looking entirely too pleased with herself. “Maybe I wanted to make out a little.”
Azzi raised her brows, momentarily stunned by how forward the other woman was being. She liked it though, liked that some of the awkwardness between them was fading with time. Feeling rather confident herself, Azzi let a smirk pull at her lips. Her non-braced hand found Paige’s jaw, thumb brushing along the curve of it. “Just make out?”
“I mean, I could fuck ya, but we don’t have that much time.”
Azzi was stunned at how forward the other woman was being, her moment of confidence lost entirely. Thankfully, the sound of her phone ringing at her side interrupted the moment, saving her from having to think up a decent response to that. “I should take this, ‘s the orthopedist.”
Paige nodded, but made no point to move. “Um.” Azzi glanced pointedly down at their bodies before looking back at her. “‘M trapped now.”
“I’m chilling here. Take your call.” Paige beamed down at her with an almost childlike smile, resting back on her heels and pulling out her phone casually.
“Fine.” Azzi huffed, then accepted the call. “Hello?”
“Hi, Azzi, it’s Dr. Rivera. I’m calling with the results from the imaging we did on your wrist.”Azzi remained silent on the other end. “So, unfortunately, the imaging from your team does confirm what we were concerned about. There is a fracture.”
Azzi went still beneath Paige, her fingers tightening slightly around the phone. “Okay.”
“The good news is that it’s stable, so at this point I don’t see anything that would require surgery. We’ll get you into a more permanent cast and monitor the healing closely.”
“Okay,” Azzi repeated, considerably quieter this time. Her eyes dropped toward the temporary cast around her wrist. “And, um... what does that mean for playing?”
“That’ll depend on how you heal, but realistically, I’d prepare for about four to six weeks before you’re cleared for full basketball activity. We can reassess as you heal, but I don’t want you planning around an earlier return and risking making the injury worse.”
“Right.” Azzi nodded despite the doctor not being able to see her. Paige was staring at her now, all traces of her previous teasing gone. “Okay. Yeah, I understand.”
“We’ll have the office reach out today to get you scheduled for the cast and your follow-up. In the meantime, keep it immobilized and continue with the instructions we gave you yesterday.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Dr. Rivera.” Azzi ended the call, allowing herself to get lost in thought.
“Broken?” Paige asked after a moment, her voice soft.
Azzi sighed, her head tipping back against her pillow in defeat. “Broken.” She answered. She felt mostly numb, because she really had expected that answer, but the confirmation still felt like a blow to the chest. “I get my cast tomorrow.”
“You should get it in purple.” Paige joked, poking at Azzi’s hip.
“I’m obviously getting pink.”
“Can I sign it?”
“Fuck no.”
“Whoa, shots fired.” Paige clutched at her chest dramatically. Then, her face softened again. “Can I do anything to help?”
Azzi looked up at Paige from where she was laying, an enticing idea coming to mind. “I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to that make out.”
Paige laughed, then rolled off Azzi’s lap and back to the other side of the bed. “C’mere, I’ll distract you.”
Azzi listened, lifting herself and moving so she was straddling the blonde. Paige was sitting upright, her back against the headboard, both hands resting almost at Azzi’s knees. Azzi kept her injured wrist at her side, her good hand cupping Paige’s jaw again. And then she kissed her.
Paige’s lips were warm against hers, and she was perfectly content to let Paige set the pace once again. Her tongue slipped past Paige’s lips, dipping inside and exploring, Paige letting her.
Wanting more contact, Azzi found where Paige’s hands were resting at her knees, grabbing them and placing them flat on her ass. She initiated a break of a kiss, moving her lips to ghost Paige’s jaw instead. “Like these here.” She whispered.
“You’re so lucky we still have to be quiet.” Paige grunted, her fingers digging into the flesh of Azzi’s ass. Paige turned her head, finding Azzi’s lips again and kissing her roughly.
Her hands were all over Azzi’s ass, and Azzi loved it. Loved the way her fingers kept squeezing and flexing, kept pushing her down to help Azzi search for friction.
And then, because it could never be easy between them, a knock at Azzi’s bedroom door jolted them apart.
“Azzi?” The knob twisted, and Azzi had never been more grateful that she remembered to lock it. “Az, wake up!”
“Shit.” Azzi murmured, quickly sliding off Paige’s lap. Her eyes scanned the room in search of anything that could possibly give them away. The only thing that stood out was Paige’s clear-covered phone case on the opposite nightstand. Azzi lunged across the bed, grabbed it, and tossed the phone several feet toward where Paige was now standing. Paige barely caught it against her chest. “Go in the closet and be quiet.”
“Why not the bathroom?” Paige whispered back, glancing toward the closet with a grimace. “The closet’s small!”
Azzi practically shoved her toward it, shutting the door behind Paige (the door of a spacious-for-New-York walk-in closet, mind you) before she could argue any further. Gathering herself and making her way toward the door, Azzi took a final deep breath before opening it. “Morning.”
“Hey.” Olivia said, brushing past Azzi and beelining for the connecting bathroom. “Can I use your face wash? I didn’t bring mine.”
And that was why she told Paige to hide in the closet, because she knew her sister far too well. “Yeah, go ‘head.”
Olivia left the bathroom door open as she stood at the sink, wetting her face before reaching for Azzi’s cleanser. “Have you heard from the doctor yet?”
“Yeah,” Azzi said solemnly. “She said it’s broken.”
Olivia’s movements stilled. “Oh, Az. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine, I knew that was gonna happen.” Opting to change the subject, she asked, “Are you doing anything tonight?”
“Jared and I are going to mom and dad’s for the night if you wanna come.”
“Yeah, might as well.” Azzi glanced down at the temporary brace on her wrist. “It’s not like I have to be back for lift tomorrow anymore.”
“Perfect.” Olivia finished up whatever she was doing in the bathroom, then reentered the bedroom. “Can I borrow a sweater? It’s ‘sposed to be cold today.”
“Yeah sure - -” Azzi stopped mid-sentence as Olivia started making her way toward the closet. Her eyes widened in realization. “Wait!” she blurted, rushing forward and grabbing her sister’s wrist before she could get any closer. “Don’t go in there.”
Olivia looked down at Azzi’s hand in confusion, then slowly lifted her gaze back up. “Um… why not?”
“Cause it’s a mess!” Azzi rushed out, internally cringing and picturing Paige laughing at her behind the closer doors. “My dirty practice clothes are in there, so it definitely smells.”
Olivia sighed, sassily planting her hands on her hips. “Well I need something to wear to work!”
“Okay, okay.” Azzi reasoned. “I’ll get something from my dresser.” She opened the drawer where she kept a few sweaters folded, and cursed herself, because she knew the only way to keep Olivia out of her closet would be to lend her the brand new pullover she had just purchased from Alo. “You can wear this.”
“Really?” Olivia’s face brightened as she took the fabric from Azzi.
“Yes, but I want it back. I literally just bought it.”
“Deal.” Olivia smiled, then threw the cream-colored pullover on over her tank top. “You’re the best! I’ll see you later.”
Azzi put on her most convincing smile as she said, “Yeah, see ya.”
Olivia crossed the room toward the door, and just as Azzi thought she was in the clear, she watched her sister freeze. “Is that yours?”
Her sister was pointing at the large duffel bag that, in fact, did not belong to Azzi. Paige had left it right beside the door, and thankfully the giant ‘Los Angeles’ emblem was pressed against the wall, otherwise they would have been totally fucked. “Yeah, it’s old though.”
“Oh, got it.” Olivia nodded, mostly to herself, then opened the door. “See you tonight!”
Azzi waited until she heard her sister’s footsteps disappear down the hall, then the distant opening and closing of her front door. Only then did she allow herself to relax. “Coast is clear!”
Paige stepped out, and naturally let out a dramatic exhale as she did so. “It’s stuffy in there.”
“Oh hush, you were fine.” Azzi waved her off, “You want something to eat?”
“A bar would be good if you have one.”
“Yeah, come on.”
The two women made their way to Azzi’s kitchen, with Paige trailing slightly behind as she slung her extremely large duffel bag over her shoulders. Azzi dug through her pantry and pulled out the two kinds of bars she had, placing both on the counter for Paige to choose from before moving toward the fridge. “You want coffee?”
“Nah, ’m good. Thanks, though.”
Azzi hummed in acknowledgment, grabbing the bottle of ‘stok’ cold brew. She poured herself a glass before retrieving the pre-made egg bites from the fridge, plating them, and taking the stool beside Paige. For the first minute or so, neither of them spoke. Paige ate her bar while scrolling through her phone, and Azzi did the same between bites of her breakfast.
Paige was the first one to break the silence. “So, who d’you think will start for you since you’re out?”
Azzi tensed at the question for several reasons. The biggest being the reminder that this was Paige of all people, and despite them being on separate teams regardless, she still didn’t trust the blonde with any insider information. She probably never would.
Azzi stood abruptly, pretending to make herself busy by placing her plate in the sink. “I dunno.” She could practically feel Paige watching her, but she kept her back turned, rinsing the plate despite there being almost nothing on it that required rinsing. She coughed into her hand once, “You should probably go soon, right?” When Azzi turned, she watched as Paige’s face fell, and though she tried to recover quickly, Azzi still took note of the shift.
“Yeah, you’re right.” She tossed her empty wrapper into the trash, standing awkwardly next to where Azzi had yet to move from. “Well, thanks for having me. It was… nice.”
“Mhm.” Azzi muttered back.
“Um, okay.” Paige nodded in Azzi’s general direction before picking her duffel off the ground. “I can let myself out.”
“Okay.”
Paige nodded again, her shoulders hanging loosely. She walked toward the door, not looking back as she opened it.
Then, because she wasn’t a full on monster, Azzi called out, “Paige,” At the sound of her name, the older woman looked back over her shoulder. “Text me when you land, yeah?”
“Sure thing, Fudd.”
ii. the wedding party drama
A few weeks later found Azzi in a routine of trying to stay in shape while being mindful of her broken wrist, trying to keep up with her social life in order to not let her mental worsen - - and, as her fans liked to say, ‘serving face’ on the bench.
Tonight, she sat at a nice italian restaurant uptown across from Olivia, who insisted they meet for dinner so she could rant about new ‘damaging’ details that had emerged about the wedding. Expecting another issue with her caterer or with the piano-player she was struggling to book, Azzi was astonished when Olivia informed her the drama had to do with Paige.
“Paige just, like, fucked up the whole wedding. And I’m pissed.”
Azzi practically saw red, her good hand forming a fist so strong it hurt. “She did what? How?” She could feel the anger coursing through her, and despite how much better things were between her and Paige as of late, she would throw that away in a millisecond if she found out Paige had fucked over her sister.
Olivia sighed, anxiously playing with one of her curls from across the table. “She got into a huge fight last night with one of Jared’s groomsmen, and now says she won’t be ‘best woman’ if this guy is still in the wedding.”
The reminder of the night prior, in which Paige went out and stopped responding to her completely, only amplified Azzi’s anger. “Wait what? Which groomsman?”
“His name is Vinny, you’ve never met him. He’s their friend from home, and he lives out in LA too, so I guess he met up with Paige last night and shit went down.”
“But you don’t know what exactly happened?”
Olivia shook her head, then took a long sip from her wine glass. “Jared doesn’t know either, he just got, like, a frantic call from Vinny last night about it. And then Paige texted him this morning.”
“Saying what, that she wouldn’t be in the wedding if he was too?”
“Pretty much.” Olivia clarified. “But Jared tried calling and she won’t tell him what happened, so right now all I have to go off of is that she’s making shit difficult.”
Azzi, truly, wished she could say her response had been impulsive. Except it had been anything but that. She gave herself a solid few seconds to contemplate whether or not to say how she felt, and ultimately decided to fuck it and be transparent for once. “Maybe she has a good reason.”
“What?!” Olivia quite literally gasped at that, her jaw dropping in shock. “Are you seriously defending her right now?”
“No, not at all!” Azzi said cautiously. “I just wouldn’t put all the blame on her until we know the full story.”
Olivia scoffed, rolling her eyes with more anger than Azzi had seen in a long time. (Wedding planning was bringing out a side of her sister that Azzi hadn’t been privy to since high school, and she was not a fan.) “Of course the one time I need you to be mad at her is the time you choose the high road.”
“Liv, that’s not what’s happening. I just find it hard to believe that she would do all this,” Azzi gestured dramatically, “if there wasn’t a valid reason.”
“Whatever, ‘m over this.” Olivia stood abruptly, grabbing her purse from where it was hanging on the chair. “Venmo request me for whatever I owe you, I'm leaving.”
“Liv, wait - -“
“No, I need to go before I say shit I regret.” Olivia interjected. “I’ll call you once I’ve calmed down, okay?”
“Okay.” Azzi nodded, her voice incredibly small.
She watched as her sister briskly exited the restaurant, her own appetite now entirely lost. After waving down the waiter and requesting their check (which she obviously was not going to venmo request her sister for, she wasn’t a damn monster), she did the next logical step.
Paige answered on the second right. “Sup, princess.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Okay, so Azzi may have just defended Paige to Olivia, and the two sisters might be in the middle of a stupid fight over that decision, but she was still mad at Paige. Because if this really was some petty bullshit, and she really did just give Paige the benefit of the doubt for no reason, so help her God.
Paige let out a long exhale on the other end. “So, I take it you heard about my night.”
“Yeah, and not from you, by the way.” So maybe she was also mad about the fact that she hadn’t heard from the other woman in almost twenty four hours, sue her. However, knowing this was not the time or place, Azzi brought her palm to her forehead, a flush of embarrassment wafting over. Trying to move on from that as quickly as possible, she added, “But what the fuck happened?”
“Listen, ‘s stupid petty drama, that’s all.”
“You’re basically ruining their wedding over ‘petty drama?!’” Azzi scoffed, doing everything in her power not to raise her voice in public. “Why didn’t you tell Jared the full story then?”
Paige cleared her throat, somehow staying (annoyingly) calm. “Fudd, I really would tell both of you if I felt like I could. But, I think it’s better for everyone if it stays between Vinny and I.”
“Bullshit.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said ‘bullshit.’” Azzi dug into her wallet with aggression, dropping a wad of cash that should more than cover her bill, deciding she needed to get the hell out of the restaurant before she made a scene. She stood quickly, starting to weave her way through tables. “I can’t believe I thought you changed, Paige. But you’re still doing the same selfish shit!”
Paige, finally, seemed to lose her tempter too. “Selfish?”
“Yes, selfish!” Azzi pushed through the restaurant doors and stepped out onto the sidewalk, the noise from inside replaced by the sounds of the city. “You’re disrupting an entire wedding over something that apparently isn’t even worth explaining to everyone? That’s insane!”
“Oh it’s selfish for me to defend - -“ Paige abruptly cut herself off with a huff, “Nevermind.”
Something about the sudden retreat only irritated her more. Azzi quickened her pace down the sidewalk, dodging around a group of people walking considerably slower than she was. “No, finish what you were saying. Defend what?”
“Nothing, jus’ forget it.” The anger had disappeared from Paige’s voice almost entirely, replaced by something more defeated. It gave Azzi pause. “Can you just trust me on this?”
Azzi let out a long breath, slowing as she approached a crosswalk. She ran her free hand through her curls before coming to a stop with the rest of the crowd waiting for the light. “I wish I could,” She admitted, “But not when it’s affecting Liv like this. She comes before basically everything, y'know that.”
There was a pause on the other end, and Azzi waited, watching cars move through the intersection in front of her. For a second, she wondered if Paige had hung up entirely, the only indication that she was still there being the faint sound of her breathing through the phone. Eventually, though, Paige did speak again. “He said something, like, misogynistic. And I really didn’t fuck with it, so we fought.”
Azzi’s brow furrowed, “Like physically fought?”
“Sort of.” She could practically hear Paige’s cocky smirk as the blonde added, “I won, though.”
Azzi snorted, still not over her frustrations, but some of her resolve had faded. “I needa see what Vinny looks like before I give you any compliments.” The crosswalk signal changed, and Azzi started across the street with everyone else. “You promise what he said was worth all this?”
Azzi couldn’t believe she was, but she did trust Paige. She trusted in the fact that she knew her, and she believed that Paige wouldn’t do all of this over nothing. So, she said, “Okay. I believe you.”
She really wished she could have physically seen Paige, because deep down she questioned if it was worth it to even admit that aloud; if it was worth it to give Paige that satisfaction. Especially when all Paige had to say in return was, “Think you can make your sister not wanna send a hit out on me anymore?”
Azzi smiled despite herself, most of her previous anger gone. “You’re on your own with that one, dude.” A silence fell again, far more comfortable than the first time, as Azzi continued to walk the familiar path to the subway. She considered ending the conversation there, but in the interest of being honest, she allowed herself to have one more vulnerable moment. “Sorry that I yelled at you.”
Paige let out a mocking gasp on the other end. “Wow, not the Azzi Fudd actually saying sorry?”
“Don’t make me take it back, Bueckers.”
“Alright, alright.” Paige laughed in that dorky way that Azzi was learning to like. “I’m sorry I made you mad in the first place.”
—--
Azzi was seated in her therapist’s office, criss-cross on the rather comfortable couch and debating on whether or not she should unleash the bomb waiting to implode from inside of her. Sandra, her therapist of over a year now, was waiting patiently for Azzi to answer a question that shouldn’t be too difficult - - “what’s new with you?”
There were mounds of things new with Azzi. For starters, her dad was still sick. Even though he had completed his first round of chemo, and was discharged from the hospital weeks ago, he was still bed ridden. She had a broken wrist that would most likely keep her out for the rest of the season, unless the Liberty managed a deep postseason run without her.
But they had discussed those subjects tirelessly in their weekly encounters. Sandra was more than familiar with all of that. What she wasn’t familiar with, what no one was, had to do with a certain woman who at one point had been the bane of her existence.
Azzi had entered the appointment today prepared to finally talk about what had been going on with Paige. However, her anxious brain had to make some clarifications first. “Listen, I know I’ve been seeing you for awhile now, and, like, there’s confidentiality and all that,” Azzi started, fidgeting with the cuff of her sweatpants from where her legs were crossed. “But like, you really won’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you, right?”
Sandra shook her head roughly. “Of course not. Patient confidentiality prohibits that on a legal standpoint, but regardless I hope you know that this is a safe space. You can trust me with anything.”
“I know, and I do trust you. It’s just… what ‘m about to tell you is like insane if you follow women's basketball at all. And you could make a major profit from, y’know, selling the story or something.”
“Azzi, I seriously swear I will not say a word to anyone. But if you’d feel more comfortable with me signing a non-disclosure agreement, I’d be more than happy to.”
Shit, Azzi hadn’t even thought of that. It would make her feel better, but in hindsight she really did trust Sandra. Plus, she didn’t think she could wait seven more days for their next session, or however long it would take for a lawyer to draft an nda. So, she settled on, “That’s okay, I think I feel good.”
“Okay, that’s good to hear.” Sandra offered her a reassuring smile. “Is there anything else I can do to make you more comfortable?”
“No, ‘m good.” Azzi took a deep breath to regulate herself. “Okay, ’m just gonna go for it.” She rubbed her palms against her thighs, already regretting every decision that had led her here. “So, do you remember my sister’s fiancé’s sister?”
Sandra thought for a second before recognition crossed her face. “Paige, right? The one you can’t stand?”
“Right. Well, she still bothers me. Like a lot.” Azzi muttered the latter more to herself than anything. “But things have kind of changed between us recently.”
“How so?”
Azzi let out a long exhale, brown eyes looking anywhere but at the other woman. “We’ve been hooking up.” Sandra, honest to God, laughed. Now, the therapist and patient were close in age, and had crafted a very casual dynamic, but to hear her laugh threw Azzi off completely. “Oh, so this is funny?!”
“It’s not!” Sandra tried to collect herself, stifling her laughter with her hand. “I think I’m just in shock. How did this even come about?”
“‘S a long story.”
“Good thing we have another forty minutes then!”
“Lucky me.” Azzi grumbled, though she already felt much better after finally admitting that aloud to someone. Her therapist's lack of judgement, so far at least - - who knows what she’ll say after hearing the full story - - was also easing some of her worries. “I have no clue where to start, if ‘m being honest.”
Sandra leaned forward in her chair across from Azzi. “Why don’t you take me back to when you two first met? I’m assuming it was through your sister?”
“Actually, no.” Azzi clarified. “Paige and I knew each other first, before our siblings ever did.”
Sandra clicked her pen once, her brows raised in surprise. “Really?”
Azzi sighed, making herself comfortable. It was going to be a long session.
“So, the story really started eight years ago…”
TO BE CONTINUED
“i'm not scared to bleed, you know our history…”
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a/n: thank you sm for reading! nowwww stay tuned for the flashback chapter, coming soon :)
