If you treat your #1 pick like they're nothing, don't be surprised when she loses her confidence and just stays quiet in the corner, because that’s exactly what you've trained her to do. You deserve the world azzi 😒🥹
Pazzi oneshot: Azzi has a problem: being in love with her best friend, whom she can't help but slip into bed with, on occasion. A terrible situation really.
Content: friends with benefits, references to sex
W/c: 13.5k | masterlist
Note: the amount of technical difficulties I have undergone trying to release this fic has been ridiculous. Please ignore how unedited this is. As always, let me know what you think. I love you all.
Song: Thinkin Bout You - KATIE
Azzi Fudd had a problem.
Which was kind of ridiculous if you think about it. Azzi Fudd. Number one recruit in her class. Perfect shooting form. The people’s princess. A guaranteed bucket. She was perfection personified, so it was only laughable that she had discovered that she had what could only be described as: a colossal problem.
She just couldn’t stop thinking about Paige Bueckers.
She couldn’t stop thinking about Paige Bueckers, the basketball star who could somehow sense where she was on the court at all times, who never made a bad pass. The girl who talked trash more easily than breathing air and always took a few too many risks. Couldn’t stop thinking about how she made stupid jokes just to see her teammates laugh, how she shouldered Azzi’s burdens with her, taking it all in stride with a smile.
She couldn’t stop thinking about her golden blonde hair that somehow glowed in the light, or the freckles that dusted the bridge of her nose, or even the curve of her lips, pink and bright. Azzi couldn’t stop thinking about her speckled blue eyes. The eyes that she swore softened, when they made contact with her own.
Paige was Azzi’s problem, and the universe must have some sort of vendetta against her. Yes, the universe had it out for Azzi because this was a problem that try as she might, she simply couldn’t shake off.
Even now, sheets wrapped around her bronze skin, sunlight peeping through the curtains, infiltrating her solitude to shine directly onto the sleeping girl beside her - Paige was Azzi’s problem.
She lay on her bare stomach, arms curled beneath her head. Locks of hair messy and free, a crescent moon around her face. Mouth ajar, her eyelids twitched every so often.
God she was gorgeous, and Azzi could only stare. She could only trace the thought into memory and drink the sight in.
She would let her eyes linger and her heart flutter in silence, for a moment. She would turn towards the ceiling and replay the scenes from last night, burning them into the back of her eyelids so that she would not forget. As if it were a one time thing. As if it wouldn’t happen again, and again, falling into each other like tidal waves, pulling and pushing as if by external force. She couldn’t help it really, the way she went so easily. The way one particular look from her best friend withered away any futile attempt at self control.
Paige drew people in, and Azzi was not immune to that, no matter how long she had known the girl.
So instead of regret, Azzi chose to guard what was left of her heart, after it had been hollowed out time and time again. She rolled over and swiftly picked up the items of clothing that had been strewn across the room in haste last night, before toeing the door open and fleeing the dorm room entirely.
She only hoped that Paige would wake up after the side of the bed had lost her warmth; as if she had never been there at all.
-
It hadn’t always been like this, tiptoeing around each other by day and entwined together by night. It used to be innocent, the friendship they had.
There’s a spark, a moment where you just know, that someone is going to become a large presence in your life. For Azzi? She felt it at fourteen, for the skinny, overconfident white girl that sat next to her on the airplane and just would not shut up. Born purely out of love for the game, the pair had bonded over their chemistry on the court, and eventually, their complimentary personalities off it.
By the time the plane touched down in Minnesota, the two girls had decided that they were meant to be.
Best friends, that is.
In between texts and constant video calls, late nights of whispered confessions and light hearted 'good morning' messages, Azzi had begrudgingly admitted that Paige had wormed her way into her heart, and taken home there, permanently. Now one of her favourite people, it wasn’t a question whether Paige would stay over at her place during quarantine. Of course she would, had to.
And so the excitement, and subsequent turmoil, began.
They had visited each other often, had slid into each other’s lives and grown into each other’s families in a way that felt easy. They had rooted themselves together, at their very core, touching at the places and hearts that meant the most, to each girl. There wasn’t a memory unshared, a story kept untold. They had grown so accustomed to each other, the ebb and flow of the familiarity they shared; that it felt as if a missing puzzle piece or an unfinished equation, when the other was apart.
Paige had all but dumped her bag by the door when she arrived, shrugged off her coats and a beanie without care, before tackling Jon and Jose and rushing over to squeeze Katie. Azzi was still catching her breath after racing down the stairs, when Paige fist bumped Tim and turned to her, all easy eyes and breezy hair. She had tried to look cool, nonchalant. But Azzi noticed the way she paused, gulped.
“Hey Az, miss me?”
And that’s all it took for Azzi to shake her head and crush her into a hug.
At first it had been normal, the routine they built during their time living together. Joint at the hip, they would wake up in tandem, Azzi first and then Paige, slowly dragging themselves out of bed to have breakfast with the family. Afternoons would be spent getting some shots up in the front yard, then joining in on whatever shenanigans Azzi’s brothers had gotten themselves into. By evening they would find themselves lying on the deck, whispering to each other about dreams and futures and other terrifying things that they weren’t brave enough yet to share with the world.
Paige would cross her arms behind her head, knees pulled up to face the sky as she talked about UConn, championships and the WNBA. She talked about how scared she felt, not knowing if she would get there, achieve everything she so badly wanted. Then she would turn to Azzi, eyes alight, and talk about playing together again, winning alongside each other, arm in arm. She would promise things like tiktoks together, and how she would only ever make masterful passes to her ‘back court twin’.
Azzi would smile back at her helplessly, the only thought in her head this: How did I get so lucky, to know you.
The change happened subtly. It began with Paige shifting closer to her during movie nights, blaming Azzi for stealing the blanket. Lingering eyes when she wore her bikini on pool days. Paige blushing beat red any time she did something thoughtful, Azzi whispering “thanks P” as she blinked up at the blonde through her lashes. The teasing that had always been a constant in their friendship had grown from some sibling kind of brawl to something softer, with undertones of tension.
Tension that wound so tight, it was only a matter of time before it simply had to snap.
They had been inside during a rainy day, strewn across the sofa, entangled. Azzi had been reading a sort of romance novel, the sappy kind with a plot full of holes. A guilty pleasure, but felt an adequate choice for the moment she found herself in, sneaking glances at the girl whose head rested firmly in her lap.
Paige had grown bored of gaming with Jose a while ago, and promptly decided that Azzi’s lap was the perfect place curl up to doze off. she had infiltrated Azzi’s peace, and slotted herself in between her legs on the small and rather cramped couch. Azzi hadn’t felt like denying her either, selfishly eager to indulge in the closeness it brought to her best friend. So instead, Azzi said nothing, only shifted to hold her book in one hand, leaving the other free to card through blonde streaks, as Paige sighed contently and drifted off into sleep.
The girl in question shifted slightly now, still entirely dead to the world, left forehead turning to be pressed even tighter against the flesh of Azzi’s upper thigh. Azzi’s shorts had ridden through the shuffling, and the contact caused Azzi to stall for a minute, suddenly aware of the compromising position she had found herself in. She tried to regain composure, tried to focus on her book, but Paige’s mouth had fallen open a little, and her breath was hitting the inner thigh in a way that made Azzi tingle all over.
Frustrated and entirely distracted, Azzi tried to shift herself into a more comfortable position, slowly, doing her best not to wake Paige.
Terrible mistake.
Paige’s head turned once again with azzi’s manoeuvre, lips grazing the meat of her leg. The tiny brush of skin sent Azzi off kilter. Her brain spun, her view slanted.
She promptly dropped her book.
Paige woke with a start, rubbing her head, disoriented. She opened her mouth, surely about to tell Azzi off for disrupting her dreams, when she caught it. The blush painted across Azzi’s cheeks. The way the younger girl had to look away, the way she swallowed roughly. Azzi could see from her peripheral vision as Paige put it together, looking down at where she lay moments ago, then up, gaze searching.
Paige reached out. Fingers grasped at Azzi’s chin as Paige steered her best friend towards her. They were inches apart now, Azzi’s chest still raggedly moving in and out with her unsteady breath. Her hands had gone clammy and her book had slid to the floor, forgotten. The one consolation was that Paige was blushing too, also clearly affected by the close proximity, but there was a determined look in her eye, one that caused Azzi’s heart to speed up, unsure of what came next.
Paige brushed her thumb over her chin, not even an inch from her lips. Azzi’s heart was erratic now. She could count Paige’s freckles from this close, one small lean in and she could kiss them, even. The thought only made Azzi more nervous, as Paige moved impossibly closer.
“Can I?” She asked, eyes on Azzi’s lips. It came out in a waver, unsure. Out of fear or anticipation, Azzi did not know.
Azzi couldn’t take the tension any longer. She didn’t bother replying, simply pulled Paige in by her shirt. And then they were kissing.
It was clumsy, tentative, at first. But Azzi’s chest felt like bursting when she felt Paige’s lips tangled up in her own. They tasted sweet, and so very soft, and oh wow how Azzi could drown in this forever. She never expected it to feel so right, and just so good, the way Paige’s hand cradled her neck, the desperate way her mouth explored Azzi’s own, hungrily. They couldn’t help themselves, from going back for more, and more. With each press of lips it became only more dizzying and difficult, to finally break apart.
After that, things changed rapidly. Whenever they found themselves alone, the pair would weave themselves around each other. What began as simple kisses turned into heated lips, short gasps and eventually, quiet whimpers. Clothes got lost in the night as they clutched each other close, names breathed out as promises they had no idea how to keep.
During the day, Paige would tease harder, argue more, just to get a reaction out of the younger girl. Tim and Katie exchanged knowing looks over the dining table, a tale as old as time unfolding before their eyes.
Paige had also taken to pulling Azzi close, alone and in public, resting her hand along her waist. It was a casual affection, but it seared through Azzi’s skin. The action felt intimate: the grip on her waist, the hand thrown around her so easily. It felt like she belonged there within Paige’s arms, and Azzi felt a sick sort of satisfaction, with the knowledge that she had captured Paige’s fleeting attention, for a while longer than most could.
It was a dangerous thing, this new development, tracing each other’s skin every night and tied together every day, because they had not spoken about it.
Neither girl had rushed to establish what exactly it was that was happening between the two. It was a fear that creeped up on Azzi when she had a moment alone, alarm bells clashing.
But Paige had begun to whisper “my girl” in Azzi’s ear, so she swallowed the feeling of dread and allowed herself to fall back into bliss.
-
Now, Azzi felt stupid. Stupid for thinking anything could have ever become of this, stupid for feeling special. Stupid for being so weak for Paige Bueckers, who didnt seem affected by their awkward tango in the slightest.
She shook herself from her thoughts as she jogged up to Jana, who was stretching out as the team wound down in the locker room together. The two talked and joked for a bit, making light of the gruelling practice they had luckily just survived.
She tried not to notice Paige - the player’s presence somehow always so easy to locate - to ignore how she laughed so easily with KK, probably about something silly and juvenile. Instead, Azzi turned to bother jana again, attempting to stretch a bright smile across her face. She was never too fond of acting.
Somehow, it worked, and Jana linked her arm as she rambled about how hungry she was. Azzi swore she was listening, and she definitely didn’t glance at Paige again as she left towards the dining hall, her mask brittle and her heart fragile.
She was still thinking about it after dinner, alone in her room, equipped with a makeup brush and lipgloss.
The problem was just that Paige made it look so easy, this thing between them.
It was as if she hadn’t noticed, Azzi slipping out at first light, or the bruises along her hips that Azzi had made sure to leave behind before her senses were returned to her with the morning birds. She never faltered, never looked back, never showed any sign that it had happened at all.
But the worst possible part? She was still Azzi’s Paige.
She was still the same girl who left Azzi’s favorite protein bar by her locker on game days, the same girl who knew what buttons to press to get the curly haired girl to roll her eyes. She was the best friend Azzi had always known her to be, teasing her to ease the stress she knew would build on Azzi’s shoulders as the season drew near.
And it was difficult, to reconcile that image. The same fingers that had unravelled Azzi and deemed her utterly senseless the night before, in broad daylight would be pressed into the crevices of her knees, gently massaging the phantom pain away as they argued over what show to watch. All casual, no feelings.
It sent Azzi reeling. But Paige? Well. It must be all routine by now.
The thought soured in Azzi’s mouth as she changed into her outfit; a simple black crop top and jean shorts. It fit her snugly, accentuated her curves. She had chosen it intentionally for tonight. A team night at Ted’s to celebrate the official start to preseason, and Azzi’s sophomore year.
Azzi wasn’t particularly looking forward to it, now that she knew how it would all go down, how the night would pan out. Exactly the reason she had to arm herself with a carefully curated outfit, dolled up in glimmering jewellery and makeup.
She knew how tonight would go.. if last year was anything to go by.
-
Azzi’s freshman year had been a turbulent one. it had been strenuous, tough, and sometimes even lonely. But that had been later.
Initially, she had been excited more than anything else, a buzzing in her blood as she got ready for her first night out as an official part of the team.
Aaliyah had texted her the plan of action that morning, some backhanded technique they used to get the freshman into the bar and drinks into their hands. Azzi would normally have been nervous to be so rebellious, especially in a setting she felt she had yet to prove her worth, but Paige had slung her arm over her shoulder and promised a night to remember and really, she couldn’t say no to that.
She had yet to get accustomed to being in close proximity to Paige again, having spent a year apart from her. Embarrassing as it was to admit, Azzi had never grown used to it, the distance, a small portion of herself that constantly yearned to be near her best friend; to see her, and talk to her, to bother her whenever she wished.
Azzi had been worried, truthfully, when Paige had set off to UConn, with her talks of making history and ‘letting loose’ in college.
Azzi had cursed their minor age difference then, wishing with every fibre of her being that she were joining in on the excitement of starting that new chapter of their lives. She never announced it, never shared with Paige or anyone else how she feared that the girl would move on, find other 'more fun' friends, and forget all about her. Or if Paige would become embarrassed, that her best friend was still only a high schooler.
Mostly she was worried about the distance, of losing the familiarity they currently shared. What if Paige found another girl to do all the things she did with Azzi? She probably could. Paige had a way with people like that, a certain charm about her that made everyone want to lean in, hear more. Want more. Everything felt a bit too little, too late. Their relationship was so brittle and unnamed, how could Azzi know if it meant anything to Paige at all? Maybe Azzi was a placeholder, for someone else more worthwhile.
Instead of voicing her tormenting thoughts, she just hugged Paige close on their last day together, and then let her go. Trying as hard as she could, to let her feelings go along with her.
Her worries dissipated slightly, the day she visited Storrs. The new friends she had heard so much about embraced her easily, pulling for her attention from the moment she arrived.
“Hey it’s Paige’s other half!” Paige’s teammate Nika called out, causing the whole team to burst into warm greeting, all of them talking at once excitedly, eager to meet the shy, quiet girl who had only just stepped foot into the room.
Azzi felt her nerves grab hold of her when Nika, still beside her, nudged her arm and fake whispered “She never stops talking about you”, while nodding at Paige. Somehow, this deflated Azzi’s anxiousness, if only for a while.
Paige said nothing, only rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as her team continued to cajole and tease them both.
It wasn’t until later, when the group had sat down to play a board game together, that the full account of Paige’s college life was revealed. It was Olivia’s turn, but she seemed distracted, glancing at her phone as it buzzed once, twice. After Aaliyah groaned that Olivia needed to hurry up already, she looked up and smirked at Paige.
“So Aaron just texted me about a party on Thursday. Guess who’s asking if you’ll come?”
Paige ran a hand through her hair, some strands that had come loose from her ponytail grazing the sides of her jaw. Azzi sat next to her on the floor, deathly still, as if to minimise her presence, as if it would make Paige forget that she could hear this conversation. They weren’t touching, but they had been close, and Azzi felt the sudden urge to put distance between herself and the blonde.
“Uh I dont know.. who?” Paige asked hesitantly.
Olivia rolled her eyes “Jade.”
Paige blinked.
Olivia tilted her head. “The girl from last week??”
Paige’s face remained blank, although her ears had turned a bright shade of rouge. Nika snorted. Aaliyah coughed. Evina muttered something under her breath that sounded like “she needs to keep track.”
“Cmon P! She’s in your family health class!”
“Oh! Yes, yes. Jade. Got it. Sounds fun.” Paige shifted uncomfortably before abruptly changing the subject. “Um anyway, y’all want take out? It’s on me.”
The room delved into chaos as the girls shouted over each other to put in their orders, but Azzi remained quiet. She wished the ground could open her up and swallow her whole, put her out of her misery. She had been naive to think, to hope, that whatever they had shared was something special. Of course Paige was out here in college, moving on and having fun.
Without Azzi.
She wasn’t waiting in bated breath, wasn’t itching for a moment they could spend alone together. On another level, Azzi felt that it was betrayal, in a way. When had they begun to store secrets, to omit things when they called to catch up? They were supposed to be best friends. Was this not the sort of thing best friends talked about? Relationships and love?
Then again, best friends definitely didn’t do some of the other stuff they had.
Azzi tried to salvage her plummeting mood, nodding along to whatever song Christyn had decided to play on speaker. Maybe when Azzi joins the team next year, things could finally change. Maybe by then, Paige would see it, this energy between them. Maybe she would come to her senses and realise that Azzi would treasure her, in a way she was sure no one else could.
Okay, admittedly, that one sounded ridiculous, but still. Azzi clung onto hope. Next year, when Azzi came back to UConn as a freshman, things would change, go back to how they used to be between them, and that would be enough.
And things really did change, a year later. Only not in the way Azzi had been anticipating.
Azzi found herself shivering in the cold October breeze, goosebumps running up her legs and arms that had deliberately been on display. She had dressed up purposefully, and even thrown on a pair of heels for this; for the irate person who dragged her out into this chill in the first place.
Ted’s had been alive and bustling, and Azzi had honest to God been enjoying herself, not worried about impressions, or team dynamics for once. Caroline and Amari had whistled when she walked in and directly ushered her to the bar.
They had been dancing altogether, drinks in hand, when Paige sauntered in. For a second, when she caught the tall figure make her way through the door, Azzi felt the room slow down. Heads turned towards the infamous teammate, weighted looks exchanged by lingering students nearby. Paige had always had a gravitational pull of her own, one that drew eyes and whispers wherever she went. She never needed to announce herself when she entered, a certain air about her that preceded herself.
Azzi turned back to her friends, determined to ignore the tug in her gut. It worked for a while, twirling around in her giggling trio, hips swaying to the dirty beat. They had only danced together for ten minutes, maybe fifteen, when Azzi noticed it.
Paige leaning against the bar, some electric blue drink in hand. Paige smiling as a girl next to her giggled, then ran her hand along her shoulder. The girl was pretty, tanned skin and brown curls. Cute smile too, Azzi could admit. But a furnace was bubbling inside at the sight of her, and the brewing heat only worsened as Paige pushed the girl's hair behind her ear, and whispered something lowly.
Azzi was tipsy, furious, and maybe a little reckless. She chewed on her lip, now stagnant on the dance floor. She shouldn’t. But she so wanted to.. Fuck it.
She made her way to the bar, wobbling slightly on her feet. Why on earth had she worn heels? It hadn’t gotten the reaction she had expected, wanted. In fact, even now, Paige hadn’t noticed her. She was still too busy flirting with the girl when Azzi reached the bar, and so the green headed monster took hold of the usually composed and rational girl.
Azzi reached in between the two bodies, forcing both of them to step back. She snatched Paige’s drink from her hands, leaning back against the sticky bar as she wrapped her lips around the straw. She knew Paige would track the movement, attention solely on her, finally. She took a sip, eyes locked on Paige’s. The blonde certainly acknowledged her now. She looked surprised, briefly, before schooling her expression into something more neutral.
“Hey Az.. what’re you doing?” Paige greeted, hesitation ringing in her voice.
Azzi smiled brightly, dangerously. Not the smile she usually wore, dimple popped and eyes crinkled. This was not her Paige smile. This was the smile that appeared during a tough game, when Azzi felt aggressive. It was the smile that appeared when Azzi wanted a win, badly.
“Hey P, just wanted to try your drink.” She shrugged, then turned to the girl Paige had been flirting with. “Oh hey, didn’t see you, sorry.”
Saccharine sweet, but Azzi was not sorry. Not one bit. She didn’t even pretend to be interested enough to ask for a name. Instead she turned back to Paige, who was still leaning over the bar, still looking at Azzi, questioning. It only emboldened Azzi’s actions, the warmth of her gaze. She brought her hand up to fix Paige’s collar, then slid her hands down the front of her shirt, above her chest.
She nodded to the drink still in her other hand. “Buy me one of these?”
It was possession, and Azzi knew it.
She knew she had no right, not really, but she was simply so confused. Paige had had her fun last year, messing around with all those other girls. She had sworn to Azzi during the summer, when they had tumbled into bed together for the umpteenth time, that they had only been brief and meaningless interactions, claimed that it was only some fun, something to do. She had insisted that none of them mattered anyway.
The inflection in her voice and weight of her hand in Azzi’s seemed to imply what she was not saying out loud. That this, they, were different. Or at least, that’s what Azzi had assumed.
But since arriving at Storrs last month, Paige had avoided her like a disease, only sending brief nods and customary encouragement her way. Azzi had tried to ignore it, the dread that she was losing not only the tense affection between them, but their friendship too. She could feel it slipping away right in front of her.
And so Azzi had made a bold move, albeit through alcoholic courage. Paige didn’t seem to appreciate it, as the girl she had been flirting with darted her eyes between the two before swiftly taking off towards the dance floor, without another word.
“Azzi, seriously. What the hell was that.” Paige was frustrated, but did nothing to remove Azzi’s arm from where it sat, where skin lay just shy of skin.
“What? Mad I lost you your girl for tonight?” Azzi challenged, leaning into Paige’s space even more.
Paige closed her eyes and breathed harshly, as if she were wrestling with her subconscious. Wrinkles formed in between her eyebrows with the effort of it, and Azzi had to stifle a giggle. Cute.
Maybe she was more drunk than she thought.
Paige must have won whatever internal battle she was fighting, because she suddenly stood tall, wrapped an arm around Azzi’s bicep, and escorted the younger girl outside. Azzi went easily, as she always did with Paige. Maybe it was trust, maybe foolishness.
And so Azzi found herself shivering in chilly air that whipped around them, as they faced each other by the brick wall outside the bar.
“Azzi, you can’t do this.” Paige started, distress evident in her voice as she rubbed her face, twice. “We can’t do this, anymore.”
“And what is this?” Azzi challenged, anger furling.
Paige scoffed, exasperated. “You know what I mean Az.” She looked around wildly to see if anyone was watching, then pulled Azzi closer. “We can’t keep fucking around like this. We’re on the same team. This is UConn, you know how strict the rules are here.. there’s no way that’s allowed. If we’re caught-“
Paige’s voice broke off. She took a deep breath before continuing. “What I mean is, we’re finally living our dreams Az, we can’t fuck it up now.”
Azzi said nothing. The rational part of her brain understood what Paige was trying to say, understood that the other girl only meant to protect them both. But there was something about the way Paige phrased it, the way she reduced their ‘relationship’ to “fucking up”, like it was insignificant, not even worth a name, a consideration.
Azzi saw red.
“Yeah, let’s not fuck it up Paige. Why would we fuck it up when you’ve got a good thing going. Don’t let me complicate your roster.”
Paige had the gall to look hurt for a split second, before her eyes narrowed.
“What the fuck are you trying to say Azzi?”
Azzi could feel the regret curdling in her stomach, but she had turned back towards the door already. “I’m saying, go find your girl. Sorry for interrupting.”
Then she stalked back inside before Paige could get another word in edgewise. She walked away, and with each step she felt her heart splinter. She ruffled through the mountain of coats that been piled onto a booth cushion, nabbed her own and headed out the door without another word. She shot Caroline a quick text, only half guilty for abandoning the group.
‘I’m tired, going home. text you when im there <3’
She set off back towards the dorms, carrying with her the chill that had infiltrated into her bones by now. Her eyes prickled, but she swallowed the tears back hard. She promised herself that this would be the last time she wrapped herself up in Paige Bueckers. That she would never again fall into the pretty point guard’s bed, and lose herself in her arms.
A well intentioned sentiment. Too bad it wouldn’t last long.
-
They had had sex many more times since that incident a year ago, and Azzi had lost the will to feel guilty about it, the broken oath to herself. All it took was a few sips of alcohol on a quiet night in, or layering exam stress, or the weight of a particularly bad practice, and before you know it, the two best friends found themselves entangled in one another, breathing each other’s air. Sinking into each others' skin, bruising the expanse of either’s neck.
Every time, Azzi would wake up first, leave before the other girl rose. Then they would both play pretend, honestly Oscar-worthy performances, until the cycle repeated, again and again and again.
So tonight - one year after they both decided to never to delve into each other again - when Paige tugged Azzi close in the middle of Ted’s and whispered “my place?” quick and frantic, Azzi could do nothing but close her eyes, nod, and allow herself to be dragged away, pretending this wasn’t exactly what she wanted.
She tried not to think of the fact that this had become a more frequent occurrence of late, as Paige pressed her against the wood of her dorm room door and melded their lips together, moving hungrily, but not urgent, never hurried.
Paige’s hands roamed, beginning at Azzi’s neck, then moved down, even further, grasping and touching in a way that seared into Azzi’s flesh. Paige touched her like it was worship, languishing in the contact. She mapped Azzi’s body as she tacked off one item of clothing at a time, breaking apart just long enough to catch her breath.
Paige took in the sight before her, as if it were the first time, as if Azzi were something otherworldly she couldn’t believe she got to hold in her arms. It made Azzi falter, almost shy. Which was ridiculous, because Paige had seen her in every form there was, every state of undress, had had that look in her eye many times before. It wasn’t new, but Azzi felt herself descend deeper in the pleasure of it all, ready to surrender at the hands that brushed over her now.
Paige continued her ministrations, slowly tracing her hands over the curve of Azzi’s hip, then waist, then higher, grazing her chest. Azzi moaned, her senses lit alive by all things Paige. Paige who touched her like she had all of the time left in the world. Paige who’s hot breath ghosted over the shell of her ear, whose perfume wafted into her nose and smelt like comfort, like home.
She kissed Azzi again, almost sweetly, then began pressing her open mouth along the side of her neck. Azzi’s head rolled back as she grabbed at Paige’s shoulders. She frowned when she found fabric there, and reached down to peel the shirt off. Paige shrugged it off, uncaring, before stepping back to peel off her pants off too.
She made quick work of it, and drew Azzi in again by the waist, walking them backwards until they hit the bed. The blonde sat at the edge, and pulled Azzi on top of her, who let out a short laugh with surprise. It was too easy, the way they molded together, the routine they formed years ago that still left the pair breathless by the end of the night.
Azzi could never get enough. She suspected Paige couldn’t either.
Azzi buried herself in the girl’s touches once more, and she tried very hard not to think of how they had been in this same position last night, and the night before. She tried not to think about how like those other times, they would never mention this moment again. She especially tried not to think about the other girls that had been here before, undone in the same way. The noises they made, the way they must have claimed this side of the bed afterwards. Would Paige have cuddled them too? Or had she just rolled over when they had finished, eyes closed and uncaring if they stayed or left.
Azzi selfishly hoped it was the latter.
In fact, Azzi had brought it up one day, both of them curled up on Paige’s bed, some plotless action movie laid out in front of them. Paige had been shovelling the microwave popcorn into her mouth, when the intrusive thoughts came spilling out.
“You change your sheets? Or am I sitting in the same spot a girl was in last night?”
She had tried to go for light hearted, joking. Not the pointed manner in which the words took hold. She expected Paige to laugh it off, make a joke about it before continuing to focus on the movie.
She hadn’t anticipated the way Paige turned to look at her, something serious and unreadable swirling in those blue eyes.
“Azzi..” She said, almost solemnly. “You know it ain’t been like that for a while.”
The sincerity in her tone had made Azzi want to squirm, but instead she rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, sure. Now stop stealing the blanket!”
She could sense Paige’s gaze lingering on her face as she grabbed more length of the blanket and turned towards the laptop screen, ears burning.
Azzi had dismissed it then, but she had kept track of the fact ever since that day. Paige’s words had rattled in her head many times, and Azzi found herself watching, quietly. She had begun to notice, the dwindling number of girls that snuck out of Paige’s room on early mornings, the way Paige had begun to stick to the team instead of wandering off on her own at parties to chat someone up.
In fact, it seemed that it was only Azzi, who had increasingly spent time alone with Paige; sometimes for sex, sometimes not. Either way, she had become aware of this new change, and now had no clue what to think of it.
She tried not to dwell on the matter, tried not to read into things. They were best friends, regardless of the.. thing between them. Of course, Paige would spend more time with her. Maybe she missed how they used to be, so inseparable as they were. Maybe she was just locked in on basketball, and Azzi was the only one who actually got it, the suffocating pressure of it all.
Or maybe… just maybe… she felt the same way Azzi did.
It was those thoughts that struck now, even after Paige had fallen well and truly asleep, sheen coated and glistening skin pressed close against Azzi’s bare figure. The warmth of their shared exertion still lingering in the air as Azzi allowed herself this one indulgence, let her mind wander where it really shouldn’t go.
She allowed herself to wonder, as her eyes closed, and her consciousness slipped away - her breath, body and senses humming with all things Paige:
If I gave you all my love would you keep it?
-
Azzi could tell something was not right, as she blinked her eyes open the next day. There was an air about the room, a stillness she was not used to. Still adjusting to the light, Azzi stretched her arm wide and ran her hands along the surface of the bed. Nothing but rumpled sheets were what greeted her, comforter thrown aside without care. Azzi grew more than awake at this fact, a drumming in her chest that felt damning as she took in the sight beside her.
The indent in the very vacant pillow.
Panic crept up on her fast.
This was so, so wrong. Paige never woke up first. It was always Azzi, the early riser, a fact they had discovered well before, another quarantine routine that had slotted itself in, a perfect harmony to their differing personalities.
Paige liked to lie in, wake well after the sun had, rolling around for an hour or two before begrudgingly exiting her cushioned haven. Azzi woke before her alarms, and would be stretched, showered and fed before Paige showed any signs of life.
Never once in all her time knowing the basketball player, had Azzi ever woken up after her.
So it was jarring to see the empty bed, coupled with the fact that, Oh god, how was Azzi supposed to sneak out now? How would she avoid the confrontation about what happened last night? A conversation she was truly not prepared for.
Heart hammering, Azzi threw on a t shirt that lay on the floor by the bed, without sparing it a second glance. It was oversized, and fell just a few inches over her thighs, enough to cover where her underwear began. It’d do, for Azzi’s super quick, super quiet mission to ascertain where the hell Paige had gone.
She opened the door and peeped out into the hallway, coast clear for now. Azzi stepped out, making it halfway down the corridor before she heard a steady noise. The low mechanical hum that came from the kitchen. She inched closer towards the entrance, curious now, until she reached the threshold.
The scene before her stilled whatever fears had bubbled up. There was Paige, back leaning against the kitchen counter, hand thrown over her mouth in mid yawn. It was still dark in here; shadows contrasted against the golden girl in grey boxers and rumpled white t shirt. The humming had come from the coffee machine brewing across from Paige, a mug awaiting the swirling hot liquid below.
Azzi watched silently for a moment more, as Paige stared off into space. She seemed deep in thought with the way she sat so still, the sleepiness not quite worn off on her, evident in the way her blinks came slow. The scrunch of her nose made Azzi want to bite it; a thought that flitted through her head without permission.
Before she could run away with her imagination, Azzi stepped into the kitchen.
“Morning.” It came out a rasp, and Paige’s head flicked up towards her, clearly shaken from her thoughts. Her blue eyes softened, as she took in Azzi’s figure, a little awkward in the revealing attire. This was probably a terrible idea, but Azzi didn’t know what else to do. There was no sneaking past Paige this morning and besides, it’s not like they had to avoid each other entirely. They were still best friends.
Paige was still looking at her, silently. Had she drifted off again, to whatever she had been contemplating before? Azzi cleared her throat, and that snapped the blonde out of her trance.
“Is that my shirt?” She asked Azzi cooly, teasing lilt in her voice, as if this were a normal morning for the pair of them. As if they were used to this, could joke about it.
“Uh..” Azzi looked down. It was indeed one of Paige’s old Hopkins t shirts. And well. They shared clothes all the time really, Azzi often being the thief that would charge in and demand Paige root through her closet for something cute she could wear. But this was a very different scenario.
“I can change if you want.. “
Paige shook her head. “nah, don’t worry ‘bout it. Looks cute on you too.”
She mumbled the last part, but Azzi had caught it. Great, now she was blushing. She moved to open a cabinet, to distract herself from Paige’s words and hide her burning face.
“You want some coffee too?” Paige asked, ever considerate.
Azzi shook her head as she rooted through the cabinets, pulling out a pan, then moving towards the fridge, placing various ingredients on the counter top. Paige watched her, eyebrow raised in question.
“I’m hungry.” Azzi shrugged, before getting to work.
Paige let her at it, coffee in hand as she retreated back into her room. Azzi let out a breath she wasn’t holding. This would be fine. She focused on the food in front of her, the crack and crunch of vegetables being chopped. Paige returned after a while, still sipping on the coffee, looking decidedly more awake. The older girl took a seat at the dining table, just across from where Azzi stood, scrolling on her phone absentmindedly.
There was a comfortable silence in the air, mingling with the wafting scent of caffeine and simmering eggs, wrapping the entire kitchen in a morning haze. It was soothing, in a way, and for once, Azzi simply let the dust settle, not allowing herself to overthink her interactions with Paige.
It was a nice kind of change. Too nice.
Paige perked up as Azzi plated the food. Two plates, naturally. The taller girl stood up, then made her way over to place her mug in the sink, and Azzi, too engrossed in adding garnish to her own plate, ketchup to Paige’s, did not see it coming.
Arms snaked around her waist, light and brushing. Azzi let out a gasp, air escaping her entirely with the touch. Paige’s front flush against her back, chin resting lightly on her shoulder.
“Smells so good Az.” Paige whispered, so close, and Azzi really believed the universe must hate her.
It took every fibre of her being, every ounce of self control, not to turn around and pounce on the girl behind her. Instead Azzi resolved to steady herself. She closed her eyes, took a breath, and yeah, maybe savoured this moment just a little.
She detached herself from Paige and handed her the plate, before picking up her own, along with forks, and making her way to the table. Paige followed behind her, taking a seat at the table once again. Azzi waited patiently as Paige tried her food, eyes lit up as she took her first bite.
“Mmmh. did your big one on these Az. Swear they’re the best i’ve ever had.”
It’s obscene, the way Azzi’s mind seemed to live in the gutter, face burning and almost choking on her own food as Paige moaned in delight. About the eggs. Decidedly not a sexual matter.
She tried her best to cover for herself, rolling her eyes at the girl in front of her. Then, an idea.
“I do know how you like it, P.” Azzi said, sly as ever.
It was Paige’s turn to splutter.
Azzi faintly thought it was cute, how affected Paige seemed, splotchy red in the face, eyes wide. But almost immediately, her expression morphed into something shy, maybe even affectionate, as she shook her head at the curly headed girl.
“Yeah. Yeah you do.”
-
The breakfast incident set off a chain reaction it seemed, where soft affections and quiet spaces filled the previous fiery tension between the two friends. If their teammates had noticed a difference they did not utter a word, did not mention how the pair hat had begun to orbit each other even more, even closer, than they previously had.
Paige had begun walking with Azzi to practice, from practice, even seeking the younger girl out during lunch times when they were both free of classes. It wasn’t as if they had never hung out together before, but the amount of which had increased, with Paige’s newfound clinginess. Not that Azzi was complaining of course.
Azzi just observed pleasantly how sweet Paige had been, seemingly having grown more considerate than she usually already was:
It was an evening after practice, and Azzi sat defeated in the locker room, duffel bag limp by her feet. This one had been tough for her, the frustrating kind of session, where none of her shots were falling, where she just constantly felt a little bit too slow on her feet. Geno had even shouted at her, a true rare occasion, and it followed the perfectionist through recovery and bothered her even after she had changed out of her sweaty clothes.
Azzi was staring at the floor in dismay, wrapped up in her mistakes, when she felt a presence take a seat next to her.
“Hey.” Paige started, tentatively, as if Azzi were easily scared. Azzi just sighed, and looked up tiredly at the hopeful expression on her face, not finding the strength to deal with Paige’s antiques just yet. “What do you want P?”
Paige frowned, mock offensively. “Woah, slow down princess. Ever think maybe I’m not here tryna bother you?”
Azzi stared at her, deadpan.
“Okay.. fair.. but really this time, I got sumn that’ll cheer you up.” She cracked a smile, excitement twinkling in her irises now. Azzi stifled a grin, mood having already lifted slightly. Paige just had that effect on her.
“Well what is it then?” Azzi asked, not in the temperament to drag the answer out of her.
“Me. You. Ice cream date.”
Azzi wishes the context was different. The pair had a tradition, when either felt the need to comfort the other, to share in the misery without explicitly laying it out and dealing with it.
They would go to their favorite ice cream parlor downtown, and order the biggest size possible, filling the tub with as many new and whacky flavors as they could order. One of them would pay, and they would share the treat, laughing and talking for hours, until whatever had bothered them simply withered away and the only thing that was left was an icy sweetness on the tongue. Their ‘ice cream date’.
It was silly, and young, but so incredibly special. Just the thought of memories made from these little excursions brought a smile to Azzi’s face.
But it had been a long time since their last one, and there was a dull ache with the knowledge of why. When had the two girls begun to tiptoe around each other so much? Had it almost been a year?
So despite the fact that it was not a real date with the best friend she was hopelessly in love with, Azzi felt a giddy sort of glee at the idea. Paige seemed to catch this switch of mood as her face also lit up, and the two girls walked out of the locker room together.
Their arms brushed, just a bit, and Azzi could swear there were sparks dancing on her skin.
Another day, it had been legos that started it. It was a slow weekend in the dorms, the girls gathered together in an effort to play some board games and take their mind off of final exams that loomed around the corner. Throughout the afternoon however, they had each picked off into smaller groups, engrossed in their own activities.
Together, but separate, in a way.
Paige and Azzi, of course somehow the pair within the larger group, had found a new lego set that hadn’t been built in one of the tv cabinets, and set out to construct it. As always, they had started a competition, on who could build their section quickest.
“Hey you’re stealing my pieces!” Azzi cried indignantly, head swivelling as she looked around for the red brick piece she had just seen beside her crossed legs, a few moments ago. Paige scoffed dramatically, nose upturned.
“No I haven’t bro you’re just slow and tryna cover for it.”
Azzi glared at the girl beside her, who only grinned cheekily back. Paige looked unfairly pretty for the menace she was, strands of hair falling to her chin where it came undone from her bun. Damn Paige and her golden hair. Azzi shook herself out of distraction. Or well, she tried to. She couldn’t help that her eyes had a mind of their own, and were wandering over the older girl’s figure, just once, when something red caught her eye, peaking out from the pocket of Paige’s sweatpants.
“Liar!” Azzi exclaimed triamphuntally, reaching over paige’s lap to collect her rudely confiscated brick piece. Her arm brushed Paige’s chest as she leaned over, and she felt Paige stiffen slightly.
Huh.
She slowed her actions, just a little bit, pushed a little more purposefully against Paige, just to see, what would happen.
Paige stayed deathly still, not a breath between them, as Azzi finally retrieved her stolen piece. She was about to move away, back to her place on the floor, when she felt Paige touch her arm gently, her voice a rasp and low, lips grazing the shell of her ear.
“You’re distracting me baby” Paige whispered in her ear, and Azzi shot back as if she were burned. Paige simply sat there smirking, clearly satisfied by the effect she had on the younger girl. Smugly, she claimed “I can play dirty too”, before turning back to the puzzle strewn across the carpet before her.
Yeah. Azzi needed to take a quick dive off a cliff.
The final straw came the night after her accounting exam.
Azzi hated accounting. She hated the class and she hated the professor and she especially hated the long, tedious exams. She was exhausted, and so naturally, she found herself at Paige’s doorway, slouched and bag falling half off her shoulder already. She found that she always reached for Paige, in moments where she needed consolation, warmth. She would seek that wry smile, soft hands, the girl with even softer words, especially when it came to Azzi. It was natural. It was home.
Paige was distracted, headset on and controller in hand. Aubrey or Dorka online, chatting with her through the headpiece.
She waved Azzi in, before unpausing the game and picking up right where she had left off. It wasn’t her fault really, nothing personal. Paige simply had a tendency to get sucked in, into whatever she was doing in the moment, but Azzi felt dejected anyway. The weight of the day had caught up to her, and so Azzi slumped. She made her way wordlessly to Paige’s bed and nestled beneath the covers.
Paige must have sensed that something was wrong, by Azzi’s quieter-than-usual demeanor, because she called out “hey Az, is everything okay?”
Azzi didn’t reply. She just shifted under the duvet, turning to face the wall, decidedly away from Paige. She figured Paige would go back to her game, and Azzi would take a nap here, enveloped at least, by the comfort of Paige’s scent. She had closed her eyes for five minutes, when she felt a dip in the mattress beside her, and an absence of keyboard clacking.
Fingers smoothened through her hair, and Azzi fluttered her eyes open with the sensation. “What’s wrong baby?” Paige asked, so incredibly gently, enough to make a heart bleed out. Azzi turned on her side, so that they could be face to face now, anger towards the blonde dissipated, almost entirely. Concern was stretched across Paige’s forehead in lines, clear and troubling in the scrunch of her eyebrows.
“I hate accounting.” Azzi said as if it were simple, and maybe it was. Maybe it was simple, because Paige nodded knowingly, and went to switch off her monitor and headset. She turned off the overhead lights and switched the bedside lamp on. Warm yellows and greys danced around the room now, the space becoming even cozier than before. Azzi felt as if her mind itself were being wrapped in a blanket, so carefully.
Paige slipped in to join Azzi in bed, nudging her so she would move over and lean against the headboard. They were close now, touching, and Azzi felt the anticipation building up. But Paige did not pull Azzi in to straddle her legs. Nor did she lean over the younger girl as she usually would, pressing open mouth kisses into her neck until Azzi forgot all about her stupid exam.
Instead Paige opened her arms and tilted her head, as if to say: come here.
Azzi felt confused. Maybe she did want Azzi on top? She must have hesitated too long, because Paige rolled her eyes and drew her near. Azzi’s head now lying on Paige’s chest, her arm slung over her waist. They were still half sitting up, and Paige rested her head on top of Azzi’s own. She ran her free hand along Azzi’s back, tracing her spine soothingly. Azzi’s eyes fluttered shut at the unexpected affection, content, and maybe just a little bit deeper in love than before.
“Tell me about it?” Paige asked, and oh yeah. The exam. Azzi began to ramble, about the exam, the class, the shitty weather they had today. She tried not to let her heart soar as she felt the upturn of paige’s lips as she spoke, pressed into the curls on her head.
-
It was 4 o’clock in the morning, and Azzi couldn’t sleep. The problem? Paige Bueckers, again. It had almost been a month now, since the last time Azzi had felt Paige’s tongue, trailing down her body to where was most sensitive. To where she ached for it the most.
She reflected on everything that had happened, the subtle changes that had occurred since the breakfast together, the new closeness they seemed to share. The cuddling. Azzi would be lying if she said that it hadn’t come as a surprise. They hadn’t done this, affection without sex, before. It was foreign, but oh so good.
A small scared part of her wondered however, why so much had changed. Was this the beginning of the end? Had Paige grown sick of the sex? Was this her way of letting Azzi down easy, hoping she’d take the hint?
Was she misreading the signs, that seemed to point her towards a more dangerous, more enticing conclusion?
Because as far as Azzi was aware of, Paige hadn’t been caught up elsewhere. She hadn’t been swamped with assignments, hadn’t been seeing other girls. Not a single girl had been brought home at night, and the jokes of ‘player Paige’ had almost completely vanished from their friends’ vernacular. That, combined with the thickening.. something.. between both of them, the sweet gestures and pet names and prolonged glances…
Nah. Azzi was simply imagining things. Surely. The lack of sleep had gotten to her and now she was delirious. And maybe a little horny.
Sue her! But it had been that long for Azzi too, who now only seemed to have memories left where Paige used to satisfy before. She replayed the many times in her head, thinking about all the ways she wanted it now, the way Paige would have given it to her, relentless, unforgiving.
In her imagination she could almost feel Paige’s touch, the pads of her rough fingers, gliding. Paige’s lips, melting into hers, wrapped around her neck, bruising and sharp.
The pulse between Azzi’s legs grew stronger, unavoidable, desperate for attention as she reminisced. It wasn’t without guilt when Azzi slipped her hand down there, finally pressing into where she needed it, simply couldn’t control it. Her back arched off the mattress as her mind swirled, all milky white skin and electric blue eyes. Echoes of her voice, low and murmuring, were enough to tip Azzi over the edge, groaning, one hand fisted in the sheets.
It wasn’t Paige, but it would do, and maybe once the dopamine died and her heavy breathing slowed, Azzi could find it in herself to admit that none of this was normal; whatever this push and pull between them was. That it was doomed to crash and burn, if it hadn’t already done so.
-
Azzi had to move on. She needed to move on, for the sake of her own sanity at least. She had no idea what Paige was doing anymore, what this twisted and convoluted game of silence was between them, but Azzi knew she couldn’t take much more of it.
She had considered confessing to Paige, in hopes that once she let it out, that Paige would say she felt the same. But it was a risky move, because as far as she knew, Paige was still same old Paige, only with less hook-ups and more accidental touching. She wanted to grab her best friend by the shoulders and shake her.
if you feel the same then say so.
But ultimately, it was too risky of a gamble for Azzi to make. She’d rather go about it more quietly, preserve their friendship instead of her manic feelings.
So she enlisted Caroline’s help, in finding a distraction.
Luckily, Carol knew a guy. Quite literally. Apparently, some football guy had been crushing on Azzi, some open secret that had spread through the athletic department like wildfire, somehow dodging Azzi in the process.
His name was Isiah apparently, and he had been eager when Carol had passed him Azzi’s number.
Now Azzi didn’t know football like that. In fact, she could maybe name about five players total, and absolutely zero of those names played college football. Not to mention Azzi had no idea if she even liked men, spending most of her formative years pining after the same tall, charismatic girl she called her best friend. But what was the harm, simply talking to the guy? She’d see where it led, and maybe, worst case scenario, she’d make a friend out of the whole endeavor.
And so they had met up, a couple times over the last few weeks, grabbing a bite to eat or simply a stroll around the campus.
Azzi had to admit, Isiah was a nice guy. He was chill, with a sense of humor, and easy to get along with. Azzi found herself relaxed in his presence, splitting fries between them as they chatted about balancing college and sports. Caroline and Amari had poked at her relentlessly, teasing Azzi about her new boy crush, and Azzi laughed it off easily, shaking her head at their prodding questions.
Yeah, Isiah was cool. Azzi liked to hang out with him. They even had an ongoing text thread that spilled from one day into the next, seemingly never ending.
But he wasn’t Paige.
And thats what it all broiled down to at the end of the day. No matter how hard Azzi laughed at this guy’s jokes and complimented his hair, he simply wasn’t Paige.
He wasn’t the girl Azzi’s mind wandered to, when she was left alone and unoccupied. He wasn’t the girl that Azzi felt possessed to watch, whenever she was in the room. He wasn’t the girl that took Azzi’s breath away, with a simple touch. He couldn’t make Azzi feel what she already felt, for that stupidly kind and loving girl she had spent most of her life with.
Even now, after all this, Azzi just couldn’t stop thinking about her.
But still, Azzi was resolved, and so she pushed the doubts down and nodded yes, when Isiah grabbed her hand in the hallway after a lecture and asked if they could have a study date.
She sat in the study hall, Isiah sitting right beside her, pen tapping on wood. She was bored, honestly. He kept cracking jokes, and Azzi felt an overwhelming sense of dread wash over her with each one.
God what was she even doing?
She wanted nothing more than to wrap up this study session, accounting work still unfinished, pack her coloured pens away and bolt. Isiah's hand kept brushing hers on the table, and the poor guy really must have thought he was being sweet. Azzi smiled at him, though it was unsure in how it sat on her face.
What Azzi seemed to miss however - mind turning on how to escape this scenario entirely - was a certain golden-haired basketball player that paused on her way past the study hall, peaking in through the window. She didn’t see how Paige’s brows wrinkled, how her mouth turned down at the site of the younger girl, smiling at the man who leaned into her space.
-
Things between Paige and Azzi only grew more weird after that. Which was saying a lot, since they had already been in a slightly awkward position previously too. They still hung out, and Paige still slung her arm around Azzi’s shoulder as they made their way from the locker room, through the tunnel and onto the court. But there was a difference, a subtle sort of space that had erupted between them.
The type of space that could only be a result of deliberate avoidance, though Azzi just couldn’t grasp why.
Why would Paige have taken another step back? It’s not like they had even been physical with each other lately.
A chasm had cracked open, a division cut clean through the middle of the two so inseparable girls, though it would have been hard to tell at first glance. Azzi had noted it in the way Paige had begun responding to her texts more infrequently, the way she had begun to sit at a further distance than before, preferring Nika’s company, or Evina’s, sometime’s even Caroline’s, than Azzi’s own. It had been little incidents like that, too small to make complaints about, too significant to wave off entirely.
But isn’t this what she wanted? Hadn’t Azzi set out for distractions, in her need to distance herself from the pull, the wanting, the all consuming humming in her bones, that seemed to call for Paige? So now that she had it, Azzi ought to feel glad, relieved even. Instead, she felt stupid, for wishing that Paige would push a little. Close the gap. Do something, say something.
Just anything at all.
The team had been running drills on court, breaking off for a water break, one that was definitely earned after that particularly brutal session.
Azzi walked towards the bench, muscles aching already as she gulped down her water, trying to replenish her energy before the team scrimmage started. Her phone lay face down on one of the chairs beside her, entirely forgotten by the curly haired girl, until Paige marched over, face red and shining with the beginnings of sweat beading at her forehead.
The taller girl nodded in acknowledgement, before she bent down swiftly and scooped the phone up. She turned to Azzi with a sly grin then - the first time she had addressed Azzi personally all practice, in ways that wasn’t simply bellowing encouragement or calls to position - waving the phone around as if to punctuate her question:
“Yo let me queue something, please?”
Paige was referring to the music that had been echoing through the gym, not moments before. It had been Azzi’s turn on aux this time, and she had been under strict instruction by the coaches to cease all music by the time the end of practice scrimmage came around.
They had maybe three minutes, or four, before the game started, but honestly with the way Paige was looking at her right now, head tilted, eyes wide? Pretty pink lips all pouted? How could she say no?
“Yeah sure, make it quick though.” Azzi conceded, turning away to put her water bottle down, wiping the sweat from her neck away with a towel. When she still didn’t hear any music playing, she turned her head back, expecting to see Paige scrolling through the music app.
Instead she came face to face with a startled version of the basketball star, phone still in hand. She had frozen, figure completely still, eyes narrowed at whatever she had spotted on Azzi’s phone that had clearly offended her.
Azzi frowned, never glad to see this girl she cared so much for in such distress. “What’s wrong P?” She tried, which only caused Paige to click the phone off, before tossing it back to the bench, music forgotten. Paige grumbled something below her breath that sounded a lot like “forget it”, before she stalked away, without any further explanation.
Azzi was baffled, by the sudden lousy mood that seemed to have taken over Paige. She snatched her phone, eager to know what it was that Paige had seen, when she came face to face with text notifications. From Isiah.
‘wanna grab food w me after?’ The text read, and honestly, it did nothing to clear Azzi’s bewilderment. It was a rather innocuous text, nothing scandalous in content. It was a simple question to eat together, after practice was up. Why would a text like that bother her teammate so badly?
Paige was so dramatic.
Azzi huffed, before switching off her phone and making her way to the pregame huddle. She tried to catch Paige’s eye, twice, but the girl dodged her, looking away, or gazing at the floor as if it was oh so interesting.
Azzi’s frustration was building now, because could she really not just reel in her temper for one minute? As the group split apart, and the game began, Azzi tried to shrug the uneasiness off and lock in.
Everything got left behind, once they were on the court. The only thing that mattered was basketball. This could wait.
The scrimmage went well, despite the widening rift that had seemed to grow between Paige and Azzi. The newbies looked good, keeping up with the more experienced players. The energy was up. Paige still passed perfectly to Azzi, without looking, always knowing where the other girl was at all times. It eased Azzi’s mind to know that this was still theirs. That no matter what happened, their chemistry on court remained intact, in sync.
The relief was short lived however, because the extra stuff, the non-basketball plays, the quick interactions during a game, seemed to have fallen through with the breakage.
Paige didn’t shout “Yes Azzi! Like that!” any time she drained a three, she didn’t tap Azzi’s waist in acknowledgement when she got hit with a particularly rough screen. It was little things like that, small things, almost unnoticeable really, but somehow built up and weighed on Azzi as the game wore on.
By the end, Azzi was utterly pissed off.
She had done nothing wrong!
Paige had no right to treat her so coldly, to almost ignore her completely. Azzi was thoroughly annoyed at the older girl, but even still, as the team headed into the locker room after practice wound down, Azzi couldn’t help but notice Paige linger behind.
She watched as Paige picked up a basketball from the rack, making her way to the free throw line. She made one shot, then another, and continued on like that, only breaking away to chase after the loose ball. Azzi could see the tenseness in her shoulders, the pent up energy there.
And against her better judgement, despite her foul mood towards the blonde, Azzi couldn’t help but turn around, and make her way back onto the court, back towards the girl she loved.
Paige whipped around as Azzi’s footsteps grew near, mouth opening in protest when she spotted who it was. Azzi cut her off before she tried to begin.
“Shut up. I’m rebounding.”
And so Paige shut up and resumed her shooting.
Azzi, dutifully, rebounded for her, and a silence enveloped the two girls, nothing but the swish of the net and the squeak of sneakers on the floor between them. Azzi’s eyes traced the way Paige bounced the ball twice, the way her shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath. Eyes closed, then open, before shooting the ball and holding the pose, arm in the air, as she watched it fall through the net.
Paige had always shot free throws like this, in this same manner, ever since they had met. It was nothing new and yet, there was something captivating, or maybe comforting, in seeing it over and over again, throughout the years and also now.
They continued that way for a while, Azzi silently passing to Paige, who barely spared her a glance as she let the ball fly. Eventually, Azzi had enough. She waltzed up to Paige, and motioned for her to move.
“My turn.” She said simply, turning on the line to face the basket. Paige watched her quietly for a moment, before moving to take Azzi’s place, out of bounds.
Azzi had made four shots - Paige staring off towards the back of the gym, determinedly avoiding Azzi’s gaze - when she decided to steel her courage, and ask what had been on her mind.
She caught the ball Paige threw her, and placed it on her hip, one handed. “Paige.” She started. “What’s going on?”
Paige sighed, expression unreadable. “Nothing Az. Just shoot.”
“It’s not nothing! Why are you mad at me Paige? What the hell did I do today? Why have you been sulking all practice?” She implored, voice rising with each question. She dropped the ball now, letting it bounce and roll on the floor, away from her.
Paige tracked the movement, avoiding eye contact once again. “I wasn’t. Well I was, but I’m just tired. ‘m not mad at you. ” Paige mumbled the last sentence.
Azzi’s anger was rising. She could tell Paige was lying, by the way her hands twitched by her sides and how the girl still refused to look at her.
“You were, don’t lie. I just don’t get it. Was it the text from Isiah?”
Paige’s eyes finally darted to hers at that. She said nothing, but Azzi was on a roll now.
“It was, wasn’t it. Why Paige? What does it matter who I’m texting? Why do you even care?!” Her voice had climbed loud enough to echo against the four tall walls. Paige looked alarmed, eyes wide and teeth chewing on her lip before replying.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked, voice quiet, almost embarrassed.
“What?”
“Why didn’t you tell me, you and him were…”
Azzi stopped her short. “We aren’t anything. We haven’t done anything. We just hung out a couple of times. It’s nothing, really.”
Azzi had no idea why she felt the need to explain herself to Paige, to reassure her that her interest in Isiah was minimal, if anything at all. All she knew was Paige’s face lightened slightly, in a way that could be mistaken as hopefulness, after Azzi had finished. The sight of Paige, so thrown off in this way, so tormented by Azzi simply talking to a guy, caused Azzi’s mind to wander into familiar dangerous territory.
There was something about Paige’s nervous demeanor that made Azzi want to tell her the truth, for once. To be vulnerable. It made her think, maybe, she had been wrong this entire time. Maybe, just maybe, Paige saw her as something more.
It made her want to grab Paige by her shoulders and spill her guts out, until she was bare.
If you feel the same then just say so.
“I didn’t think you’d care” is what came out instead, too quiet. Azzi watched as the older girl’s face softened further.
“Of course I care.”
Azzi looked away now. Eyes burning.
“Of course I care.” Paige repeated, “Az, I care about you. I care about you so much, I don’t know what to do with myself. I dont know how to-“ her voice broke off.
Paige took a breath in, then started towards Azzi, something painful swirling in her expression as she approached closer, and closer, until they stood not even a foot apart.
“Don’t date him.” She begged, blue eyes searching the warm brown ones in front of her, desperate. “Please.”
Azzi couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. She had no idea what Paige was asking of her. she opened her mouth to argue. “What? But Paige, why? It’s not like we’re.. you know..”
Azzi wasn’t able to finish, to put what had been unsaid between them for so long into words, as if it could encapsulate all that they were. Are.
Together, dating.
Neither word came close to describing their magnetic draw to one another, the years of grasping, for whatever piece of the other’s heart they uncovered.
She was shaken from her thoughts by Paige’s voice, trembling.
“I know. I know, it was my fault and I was scared. I thought I’d screw it up, with you, and then it would screw with the team. Thought if we stayed like this, stayed friends, maybe it could work out. But I was stupid. I was stupid and I screwed it up anyway.”
Azzi said nothing, the words churning and digesting within her slowly. Paige took a shaky breath in, before continuing.
“I thought that if I could get over you, find someone else, a distraction, anything, maybe it would be enough and we’d go back to being friends. But it didn’t fucking work.” The words just spilled out of her now, any filter she had being tossed aside.
“I can’t get you out of my head, Az. I just can’t stop thinking about you. No matter what I did, it was you I wanted to be with, be near to. All the time. All the fucking time.” The words landed soft.
Always soft, when directed towards Azzi.
Azzi felt herself trembling, the words hitting her like a brick wall. Was this really happening? Or had she dreamt this entire scene up, conjured it in her head out of sheer desperation?
Paige continued.
“And I didn’t want you to think it was just the sex, because it wasn’t. The sex is great I mean, obviously, but that wasn’t the only reason. I thought maybe, if I proved myself to you, if we stopped the sex and just.. I dont know… maybe you would see it too. I mean, I get it, I fucked up last year. You’ve probably moved on, I’m sure that Isiah dude is great-“
“I haven’t.” Azzi’s voice came as a surprise to herself, as she interrupted Paige’s rambling.
“What?”
“I haven’t moved on.”
Paige’s mouth twitched upwards at that, and she stepped even closer, right into Azzi’s space. “Good.” She whispered, under her breath, but Azzi could hear it.
There was a hair of space between them now, and Azzi could see each indent on the pale face in front of her. Each mark and bump, every crevice and freckle.
Paige must have uncovered some newfound self confidence because she raised a shaking hand and placed her palm along Azzi’s cheek, tilting her head upwards slightly, so that their noses were almost touching.
She ran her thumb along the apple of Azzi’s cheek, eyes warm and boring into Azzi’s own. The touch felt like fire, like feathers. Azzi could only melt into it, give herself over completely to the girl she had known, even at fourteen, would own pieces of her forever.
“I’ve wanted you so bad, Az. I want you so bad, it terrifies me. I want you all the time. I want you next to me in games, on the court, on the bench. I want you when I’m bored, when I can’t stand anyone else. I want you when you’re mad at me, when you’re sick of me. I want you at every birthday, every celebration in my life. I want you in my bed, in my room, in every thing I do."
"I want you to be the first thing I wake up to. I want you and your smile, the dimple on your left cheek, the way you look at me. I want anything, everything, about you.” Paige finished, breathless.
The air out of Azzi’s lungs had escaped her, tears prickled at the corners of her eyes with one singular thought.
Finally.
Paige lifted both of her hands to catch the tears, droplets caught on her fingers before they could threaten to fall. She cradled Azzi’s face, gently, so preciously, as if she were holding the world in her palms.
“Azzi, baby.”
Azzi’s stomach flipped. She watched Paige’s lips as she formed the word, Baby. She yearned to taste it, the way it sat in Paige’s mouth before it fell off the tongue, plump and rich and oh so sweet.
“You’re everything, to me. The best person I know.”
Paige paused, and Azzi just knew what came next.
“I’m in love with you, Azzi.” Paige breathed, as if it was reverent. As if she had repeated those words in prayer in her mind, over and over, until they sounded sacred, aloud. “I love you.”
Azzi couldn’t hold back any longer. She surged forward, closing the remaining space between them. She kissed Paige hard, allowing it to convey the wild mix of emotions that had consumed her entirely.
She broke apart from Paige momentarily, eyes shining as she revelled in the fact that the girl was hers, and hers alone, after all this time.
Paige pulled her back in by the waist, and Azzi went easily, the urge to be as close as possible, to meld each others’ skin together. They walked backwards together, until Paige was pressed up against the wall, still tugging at Azzi, wanting more, closer.
Someone cleared their throat.
The two girls scrambled apart, tugging their shirts down, fixing fly away hairs that had twisted askew. KK watched them, amusedly, the embarrassment evident on their flushed faces as they panted slightly.
“Hey y’all,” she said coyly, “we’re leaving now so, like, wrap it up and finish this back home okay?” She gave each girl a pointed look, then burst out into a grin, before turning on her heel and heading back towards the lockers.
Paige groaned, dropping her head onto Azzi’s shoulder. “I’m never hearing the end of this” she muttered, and the younger girl just laughed at her dramatics. Azzi ran her hands through the golden locks that fell off her shoulder, pushing them back. She raised Paige’s chin now, forcing Paige to look up at her sheepishly, smile still stretched across her face.
God she was so in love with this girl.
And so it was out of Azzi’s control really, that she started peppering Paige’s face in quick kisses, little presses of her lips along Paige’s nose, the expanse of her cheeks, on the tips of her eyebrows, across her forehead. Paige’s eyes fluttered closed in pure content, and so Azzi had to press her lips there too; one for each eyelid.
“I’m so in love with you, Paige.” She said, as sure about it as anything in the world.
Sure, they had a long way to go; they had to figure out the logistics, had to break the news to the rest of the team and oh god, their families too.
They still had the overlaying problem of being teammates, of having to keep this quiet, their newfound relationship, for real this time.
But for once, Azzi didn’t much mind whatever problems tagged along with loving Paige Bueckers.
The shining smile that lit up her girl's face as Azzi breathed the words “I love you” felt worth the trouble anyway.
Priscilla Da Silva, known as Labubu, a 39-year-old compulsive liar who has been harassing girls for months, and who, once she was discovered, made all her social media accounts private she's the one who spread all the nasty rumors about Paige and azzi @angellabubu @labubuangel @gabkossatz
So can we keep the pazzi tag strictly pazzi related? Love Nai and im devastated that she's been traded but this has no business being in the pazzi tag? 🫶🏻
in which a devastating car accident results in azzi losing any and all memories she has of paige and their relationship. refusing to give up on their love, paige sets out to win her heart all over again, despite the many challenges that arise. as azzi struggles to reconcile the gap between the past and the present, both she and paige must confront what it truly means to love unconditionally.
content/themes:
memory loss, car accident, sorta ptsd, slow burn, probably a lot of frustrating moments, angst, some fluff, a little smut, alcohol consumption, smoking, etc.
Not the kind of quiet that meant peace. Not even the kind that meant someone had gone to bed early. This was the kind of quiet that pressed against your ears like cotton and crept into your chest like cold water. The kind that swallowed whole the echoes of what used to be there.
Paige hated it.
She sat at the kitchen table with a fork in her hand and a plate of microwaved spaghetti she had no intention of eating. The noodles clumped together, stiff and curling at the edges. The garlic bread had gone soft and sad on the napkin beside it. Her dad had left it on the stove with a sticky note in all caps: “DINNER. EAT.”
It was the first thing he’d said to her all day.
Not that she expected more. These days, his communication came in two forms: passive-aggressive notes and disappointed silences. Sometimes lectures. She preferred the silences. At least they didn’t lie about what he felt.
The chair across from her stayed empty. It always did. That was where her mom used to sit before she left for Montana. Before she started a new life. Before she got a new husband, a new house, and new children ones who probably didn’t miss meals or get glared at for being too much.
Paige swallowed hard and pushed the plate away. Her stomach turned. She hadn’t been hungry in weeks.
She stood slowly, the kitchen chair scraping against the floor as she grabbed her basketball from the corner. The back door creaked open, letting in the thick Minnesota air, wet and heavy from the earlier rain. The sky was still pink at the edges, and the driveway glistened where the puddles hadn’t fully dried.
The hoop stood crooked near the garage, held together by rust and habit. The net was frayed and dangling from three of the hooks. But it was still standing. Still hers.
She stepped into the familiar rhythm: bounce, gather, rise.
The first shot clanged off the rim. She chased it down, shaking out her arms. Again.
Bounce, gather, rise. Swish.
She stayed like that for an hour. Maybe more. She didn’t track time anymore, not really. Not since everything stopped feeling real.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She ignored it the first two times. By the third, she wiped her hands on her hoodie and checked the screen.
Azzi 💗
1 Missed Call
2 New Messages
hey did you eat?
facetime me when you’re done. I miss your face.
Paige’s chest tightened.
She thumbed over to the camera icon and hit call. It only rang once before the screen lit up with the soft, familiar light of Azzi’s bedroom.
“Hi,” Azzi breathed, eyes soft, cheeks round from smiling.
Paige melted instantly. “Hey.”
Azzi was lying in bed, her hair pulled back in a loose bun, hoodie stretched over her shoulder from how she’d clearly been curled up for hours. The blue glow from her salt lamp made her look like something out of a dream. Soft. Safe. Real.
“Did you eat?”
“…No.”
Azzi gave her the look. The one that said I’m worried but I know you hate when I say it out loud.
“I wasn’t hungry,” Paige added. “I shot for a while.”
“In the dark?”
“I like the quiet.”
Azzi sighed, but she didn’t press. She never did when Paige was like this. She just tucked her chin into the pillow and said gently, “You look tired.”
Paige cracked a small smile. “You always say that.”
The word made Paige close her eyes. Baby. God, she could live in that word. She could drown in the way Azzi said it so easy, so certain. Like it belonged to her. Like Paige did.
“I’m fine,” she mumbled, though even she didn’t believe it.
Azzi didn’t argue. Instead, she said, “I made a playlist. For you. For tomorrow’s game.”
“Yeah?” Paige sat down on the back steps, holding the phone up so Azzi could see the sky behind her. “What’s the vibe?”
“Angsty. Empowering. Slightly… lovey.”
Paige let out a rare, full laugh.
“There’s a little Drake, some Marvin, a surprise track I refuse to tell you because you’ll judge me.”
“I never judge you.”
“You absolutely do.”
“That’s fair.”
Azzi giggled, and for a moment, the world was perfect again. Just the two of them, suspended between states, hanging on a call like gravity hadn’t split them into two people in two places.
Paige hated that they didn’t go to the same high school. Hated that their story had to live between FaceTime calls and weekend visits and whispered promises. But more than that, she hated how close they were to something real something permanent and how fast it all felt like it could slip.
“Come this weekend,” Azzi said suddenly, as if reading her mind.
Paige hesitated. “You know my dad won’t let me.”
“Sneak out. Like last time.”
“Az—”
“Please.”
Paige looked at her. Really looked at her. At the curve of her bottom lip. The dimples. The softness she only ever showed her. She wanted to say yes so bad it hurt.
But her father had been worse lately. Short-tempered. On edge. The military pamphlets were still sitting on the counter, staring at her like a dare.
“I’ll try,” she whispered.
Azzi nodded, but her eyes fell. She knew what “I’ll try” meant. She always did.
They talked for another hour. About nothing and everything. Paige listened to Azzi read her part of the new playlist. Azzi made Paige promise to eat something before bed. Paige rolled her eyes and pinky-promised across the screen.
“I love you,” Azzi said softly, right before they hung up.
Paige hesitated for half a second before replying, “I love you more.”
She stared at the black screen for a long time after the call ended.
And then she turned off her phone. Not because she was done talking but because the silence after Azzi was always the loudest thing in her life.
⸻
The yelling started the next morning.
Paige came downstairs to find her dad pacing the living room, coffee in hand, already shouting into the phone about insurance policies and deadlines. She tried to slip past him, shoes barely tied, backpack slung low. But his voice followed her like a knife.
“Where do you think you’re going dressed like that?”
She paused at the door. “School?”
“You’re not wearing that. Jesus, Paige.”
She looked down. Hoodie. Joggers. Nikes. The same thing she always wore.
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“You look like you’re going to a damn rap battle, not class.”
She clenched her jaw. Bit back the scream burning at the back of her throat. “I’m going to be late.”
“Good. Maybe a little discipline would fix that attitude.”
Paige didn’t answer. She walked out and slammed the door behind her.
⸻
School was a blur. Practice was worse. She dropped three passes and clanked free throws she could usually hit with her eyes closed. Her coach gave her the look half concern, half get your shit together.
She didn’t have an answer for either.
After practice, she sat in the locker room with her hoodie over her head, scrolling through old pictures of Azzi. There was one from their first USA camp Paige with her arm around Azzi’s shoulder, both of them sweaty and smiling. That was the day they realized they couldn’t be just teammates.
That was the day Paige fell.
Azzi didn’t even know. Not at first. Paige had kept it hidden for months, unsure what it meant, afraid of what it might ruin. But it didn’t ruin anything. When they finally kissed on the floor of a hotel room, laughter turning into silence turning into breathless it was the most natural thing in the world.
It had always been Azzi. From the first pass. From the first glance.
Paige’s chest ached.
She missed her so much, even when they talked every day.
That night, she snuck out. Caught the last flight to D.C. Her dad would be furious in the morning. But right now? She didn’t care.
Because Azzi opened the door in pajamas and sleepy eyes, and Paige fell into her arms like she was gravity again. Like the sky could wait.
⸻
They lay in bed hours later, forehead to forehead, sharing a single pillow. Azzi’s fingers traced patterns on Paige’s hoodie sleeve. Paige pulled her in. Holding her close. Feeling Azzi’s heart beat against her own.
“You’re quiet tonight,” Azzi whispered.
Paige didn’t answer.
“Did something happen?”
“Just the usual. My dad. Life.” Paige said burying her face into Azzi’s chest.
Azzi leaned in, kissed the spot behind her ear. “You don’t have to carry it all alone.”
“I know.”
“You never talk about your mom anymore.”
“She doesn’t talk to me.”
Azzi went quiet. She knew not to push.
Paige opened her eyes looking up slightly. “You’re the only thing that feels real.”
Azzi blinked. Her voice was a whisper. “You’re real to me too.”
Azzi holding paige's arm with one hand and basically holding her had with the other 🤭 we got ourselves a stage 5 clinger (God, they're so gay I love them)
Summary One-Shot: One party. One kiss that wasn’t supposed to mean anything. Paige and Azzi try to laugh it off—until they can’t.
Word count: 8.6k
Warnings: alcohol use, sexual content 18+
a/n: This one comes from a prompt here. Thanks for the idea, hope you enjoy this one! And in honor of All-Star Weekend this weekend, I have some more fics coming out! Stay tuned!
Masterlist
—
The house was packed shoulder to shoulder with athletes, the air heavy with heat and beer and that distinct tang of cheap cologne. Music pounded from a speaker in the corner, rattling the floorboards of the old off-campus house the men’s team had rented for the night.
Paige lingered near the kitchen doorway, sipping something suspiciously neon from a red Solo cup and watching the chaos. It wasn’t really their scene.
But they’d promised.
All week the women’s team had been giving Nika shit about showing up for her boyfriend’s big party, and somehow it turned into a pact: no one goes alone, no one bails early, and no one lets anyone wander off alone.
So here they were.
Paige leaned against the doorframe, eyeing the crowd. Across from her, Nika was perched on the counter, legs swinging.
“You see Caroline?” Paige asked after a minute.
Nika jerked her chin toward the drink table. “Mixing death in a cup with Azzi. Don’t worry, I made them promise to buddy system.”
Paige snorted. “Good.”
They watched the swirl of bodies for a while, the thud of bass filling in any need for small talk. Paige didn’t mind—Nika was quiet too, tapping out a text to her boyfriend, who was busy playing drunk host.
When Caroline finally wandered back, her hair a little damp from humidity, she was alone.
Paige frowned, scanning the crowd automatically. Azzi was her best friend. Not her responsibility—but also kind of her responsibility.
“Where’s Azzi?” she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.
Caroline shrugged, pulling a face. “Said she was coming to find you. Probably got distracted. She’s fine, Paige, chill.”
Paige frowned, scanning the crowd automatically.
“It’s a zoo in here,” she muttered. “We literally made a rule about this.”
“God, Mom,” Caroline teased, rolling her eyes.
Paige ignored her. She was already pushing off the doorframe, craning her neck.
It wasn’t possessive. It wasn’t weird. It was just… the pact.
No one left alone.
Paige’s heart gave a weird lurch the second she spotted Azzi across the living room. She was standing with one of the guys from the men’s team—Kenny something—and he was leaning in way too close, hand braced against the wall beside her head like he thought he was in a music video. Paige slowed, watching them for a second from across the room.
Azzi was smiling politely, nodding at whatever he was saying, but her eyes kept darting away. Paige could read her body language like a damn textbook. Shoulders slightly hunched. Arms folded loosely under her chest, not hugging herself exactly but not open either. Defensive. She looked like she was trapped.
Paige felt something ugly twist in her gut.
She glanced back toward the kitchen where Nika and Caroline were talking to a few guys, clearly distracted. No help there. Paige set her jaw, shoved her half-finished drink onto the nearest windowsill, and started moving.
She didn’t think about what she was going to say.
Didn’t plan it at all.
She just saw Azzi’s face—the relief that flickered and was quickly suppressed when she noticed Paige coming—and acted.
Paige walked right up without breaking stride, planted herself beside Azzi, and slung an arm around her waist in one smooth motion. Her hand splayed against Azzi’s hip possessively, fingers curling to hold her in place.
She felt Azzi tense for half a heartbeat before melting, practically sagging into Paige’s side with silent, blessed relief.
Kenny blinked, clearly thrown off. Paige didn’t give him a chance to recover. She turned her head, pressed her mouth to Azzi’s, and kissed her.
It wasn’t a peck.
It wasn’t chaste.
It was a claim.
Azzi’s breath stuttered, caught between surprise and something else Paige didn’t dare examine too closely. But she didn’t push her away. She kissed her back.
Their mouths moved together for a second longer than was strictly necessary, enough that Paige felt her own pulse spike alarmingly, before she pulled back just enough to breathe.
She didn’t move her arm. She didn’t let Azzi step away.
Paige turned her head to glare at Kenny, who was standing there looking like he’d just witnessed a car crash in slow motion.
“You ready to go, babe?” Paige asked, voice steady and cool, though her heart was trying to punch through her ribs.
Azzi blinked up at her, still stunned, lips parted and wet from the kiss. Then, like she was waking up, she nodded quickly. “Yeah,” she said, voice scratchy but sure. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Paige didn’t wait for any further discussion. She turned them both smoothly, arm still around Azzi’s waist, and walked them away without another word. She felt Azzi’s hand come up to rest lightly at her back, fingers curling in her shirt for balance.
They didn’t speak until they were halfway back across the living room toward the rest of their team.
Paige exhaled hard, pulse still thundering in her ears, and finally found her voice.
“Shit. Sorry. That was… uh. Impulsive.”
Azzi let out a choked laugh, breathless but not angry. Paige felt her body relax just a fraction under her arm.
“You think?” Azzi muttered, the corner of her mouth twitching like she was fighting a smile.
Paige’s cheeks burned. She rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. “I just—he was being a creep. And you looked like you wanted out. I couldn’t think of anything else. Sorry if I overdid it.”
Azzi’s eyes flicked up to her face, softening noticeably.
“No, Paige,” she said quietly. “It’s okay. That was...actually pretty funny.”
Paige huffed out a laugh she didn’t feel, trying to ignore the weird way her stomach was twisting. “Yeah. Anytime, Fudd.”
They made it back to the kitchen in an awkward shuffle that neither tried to fix.
Paige dropped her arm from Azzi’s waist, shoving her hands deep in her pockets, but she could still feel the warm imprint of her. Azzi was pink-cheeked and breathing just a touch too fast, but she didn’t move away.
The girls barely seemed to notice the weird tension at first. Caroline was busy rolling the sad, foamy keg on its side with a scowl. Nika and Aaliyah were laughing at something on Nika’s phone. Ice and Jana were arguing with some dude about who would win beer pong between them.
Caroline straightened just in time to spot Azzi and Paige standing too close but acting like they weren’t. She squinted.
Azzi let out a sharp, quiet breath, folding her arms and glaring lightly. “Thanks for ditching me, by the way,” she muttered, voice low but pointed.
Caroline blinked, innocent as a cat. “Excuse me? I thought you were going to find Paige.”
Azzi’s lips twitched, biting back something between a laugh and a groan. “Yeah,” she deadpanned. “Well. She found me.”
Nika made an intrigued noise from the side but didn’t jump in. Paige shot her a glare that said don’t even start.
Caroline snorted, clearly fighting a smile, and wiped her palms on her jeans. “Whatever. You survived.”
Azzi rolled her eyes but didn’t answer, her gaze darting sideways to Paige and then away just as fast.
Paige felt heat crawl up her neck, the words You’re welcome dying on her tongue. She wished she had a drink to fidget with, but she’d abandoned hers god-knows-where.
The group fell into a clumsy lull that settled, eventually, into semi-normal banter. Nika cracked open another cheap beer. Aaliyah started telling a story about their last away game that had everyone snorting.
Paige forced herself to laugh at the right spots. Azzi loosened up, joining in with quiet quips that made Caroline roll her eyes and nudge her shoulder. It wasn’t normal, but it was enough to pass for it.
But Paige kept stealing glances. Kept catching Azzi’s fingers fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. Kept feeling that damned phantom pressure of her mouth pressed to Azzi’s.
The room felt too warm.
Azzi’s laugh, low and husky, felt like a goddamn brand every time Paige heard it.
About a half hour later, Paige was trying to focus on a conversation about whether they should just leave and get pizza, but she couldn’t sit still.
Her stomach twisted. Her head buzzed. And worst of all—she really had to pee.
She rocked on her heels and finally blurted, too loud, “Okay. I gotta piss.”
Nika raised an eyebrow. “Wow, classy.”
Paige flipped her off without looking at her, pushing off the counter. “Yeah, yeah. Who’s coming with me? I’m not getting murdered in the hall bathroom alone in this frat house nightmare.”
Caroline immediately jerked her thumb at Azzi with a lazy smirk. “Azzi’s going. Obviously.”
Azzi made a face but didn’t argue. “Cool,” she sighed, resigned. She gave Caroline a dirty look she didn’t mean. “Thanks for volunteering me.”
Caroline’s grin widened. “Anytime, babe.”
Paige didn’t trust herself to look at Azzi directly. She just jerked her head toward the upstairs hallway. “Let’s go.”
Azzi fell in step behind her without another word, close enough Paige could feel the heat of her.
They didn’t talk as they pushed through the half-drunk clusters of people. Didn’t talk as they squeezed down the narrow hall and up the stairs, ignoring the couples making out against the walls.
But Paige felt every single inch between them shrink with each step.
And she knew—God, she knew—this was about to be a problem.
—
Paige jiggled the old brass handle and made a face at the complaining creak of the hinges.
The bathroom was even smaller than she’d expected—some half-assed renovation with cracked linoleum floors and a mirror that looked like it hadn’t seen Windex since before they’d graduated high school.
She flicked on the overhead light, squinting as it buzzed to life in a harsh, yellow glare.
Azzi stepped in after her, the door barely clearing her back. She took one look around, scrunching her nose with an unimpressed huff. “Luxury,” she deadpanned, voice dry as desert heat.
Paige let out a short, huffing laugh, locking the door with a flick of her thumb. The muffled thump of bass-heavy music outside dropped to a low, pulsing hum that made the silence between them feel stark, almost fragile.
She didn’t think about that. She didn’t want to think about anything.
They’d done this a hundred times before, after all. House parties, bars in town, late nights in the dorms when they dared each other to chug Red Bulls at 1 a.m. Always together. Always safe.
She didn’t even pause before unbuttoning her jeans. “Turn around,” she said, tone automatic, half a joke and half the usual rule.
Azzi snorted, but she obeyed, rolling her eyes as she faced the door, her thumbs hooking into her back pockets in that lazy, unbothered way.
Paige focused on doing what she needed to do as fast as humanly possible, grimacing at the state of the toilet and muttering under her breath about people who couldn’t even clean before throwing a party.
When she flushed and adjusted her clothes, she caught Azzi’s reflection in the mirror over the sink. She was standing too still, her head bowed just slightly, curls brushing her shoulders. Something about it prickled under Paige’s skin.
She turned on the sink with a squeak, the water sputtering before running steady. The soap smelled cheap and medicinal. She scrubbed harder than she needed to. “Your turn,” she said over her shoulder, voice pitched lightly, like this was all fine.
Azzi didn’t move.
“Don’t need to,” she mumbled.
Paige frowned, glancing back, catching the stubborn line of her friend’s jaw. She forced her own voice to stay casual. “Az,” she tried, her heart thumping weirdly. “You good?”
Azzi’s head jerked up at her voice, eyes meeting Paige’s in the cracked old mirror. For a split second they were wide, startled, unguarded in a way Azzi never was. Then she snapped on a too-bright smile.
“Yeah. Fine.”
Paige didn’t buy it—but she didn’t call Azzi out, either. She rinsed her hands in silence, movements stiff, the air between them suddenly too loud.
The paper towel scratched her skin as she dried off, then crumpled in her fist before she tossed it at the trash can.
When she turned around, Azzi was still there. Leaning against the wall now, phone in hand, but clearly not reading whatever was on the screen. Her thumb just dragged over the glass like it was something to do.
The music from the bar outside felt like it belonged to another world.
Azzi let out a breath. “Wait—my hands are actually sticky,” she muttered, eyes still averted. “Probably someone’s drink.”
She brushed past Paige, their shoulders bumping as she moved toward the sink.
Paige’s skin sparked at the contact.
The space was small. Too small.
Azzi stood right beside her at the sink, their arms touching, hips nearly aligned. Paige leaned back against the wall to give her room, even though there wasn’t any to give.
Azzi’s hair smelled like coconut and vanilla. Paige caught herself breathing it in.
Neither of them said anything.
Azzi washed her hands slowly, like she was stalling. Her brows were drawn, her expression unreadable, focused on the swirling soap and water like it held answers.
Paige’s heart thudded hard, uneven in her chest.
Something was happening. Paige could feel it. And maybe—maybe Azzi did too.
She glanced at Azzi’s face in the mirror.
Their eyes met.
Paige didn’t look away. She couldn’t.
Azzi’s lashes flickered, but she didn’t back down either.
Paige’s tongue darted out to wet her dry lower lip, and she watched Azzi’s eyes track the movement before flicking back up.
The heat hit them both at once—sudden, stupid, impossible.
Paige felt her mouth go dry. She tried to speak, voice catching on the first syllable. “Azzi—”
Azzi tore her gaze away, shaking her head minutely like she was trying to dislodge the thought. She shut the sink off with a too-hard flick, the water spattering onto her wrists.
Paige blinked. The moment snapped like a taut rubber band.
Azzi snatched a crumpled paper towel and scrubbed her hands, eyes on the sink.
“Ready?” she mumbled, voice low, scratchy.
Paige’s mouth opened, closed. She nodded instead.
They both reached for the doorknob at the same time, fingers brushing.
Azzi froze.
So did Paige.
They were close enough now to feel each other’s shallow breathing, to see the dilation in the other’s eyes.
Somewhere below them, the party roared on, muffled and irrelevant.
Azzi’s fingers trembled slightly on the brass knob.
Paige felt her own breath stutter.
“Paige,” Azzi whispered, barely audible, like she hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
Paige felt something snap inside her.
“Yeah,” she rasped.
Azzi’s lips parted, breath shaky.
And then she just leaned in.
Their mouths crashed together in a clumsy, heated press of lips, no finesse, just confusion and need they hadn’t known how to admit.
It was short. Just a few seconds. But enough.
They both jerked back like they’d been burned.
Azzi’s eyes were huge, pupils blown wide. Paige’s lungs felt like they’d emptied all at once.
Silence roared between them, thick and heavy and undeniable.
Neither of them knew what the hell to say.
Azzi’s mouth dropped open, breath hitching. For a moment she just stared at Paige like she’d never seen her before.
Her cheeks were flushed, lips wet and parted, eyes blown so dark it was impossible to tell where pupil ended and iris began.
Then she blinked rapidly, coming back to herself with a visible shudder, and shook her head like she was trying to clear it.
“Oh my god,” she burst out, voice cracking painfully. “Shit—Paige. I—I didn’t mean—”
Paige was breathing like she’d run suicides. Her lungs burned. She could taste Azzi on her lips—sweet, sharp, and a little dizzying.
Her brain was refusing to come up with any words that made sense. She felt her heart hammering so hard it hurt.
Azzi stumbled back half a step, hands lifted between them as if to hold Paige off, even though Paige hadn’t moved. Her fingers were trembling. She opened her mouth again and the apology spilled out in a panicked rush.
“Fuck, I’m sorry. That was—I don’t know why I did that. God, that was so fucking weird. I don’t want you to think—”
“Azzi.”
Paige’s voice was rough as gravel.
Azzi froze.
Paige sucked in another unsteady breath, trying to make sense of the chaos in her chest. She looked at Azzi—really looked at her—and something in her stomach twisted so hard it nearly dropped her to her knees.
Her friend. Her best friend. The girl she’d known since they were kids, who knew every secret that mattered, who laughed at her dumbest jokes, who’d been there for every win and every heartbreak.
Azzi was standing there like she’d just been flayed open, raw and embarrassed, breathing like she couldn’t get enough air.
Paige’s own fingers twitched at her sides. She didn’t remember deciding to move.
One second there was space between them, and the next her hands were on Azzi’s waist, pulling her back in, eliminating every inch of distance that had existed.
Azzi let out a tiny, wrecked noise—somewhere between a gasp and a sob—and Paige didn’t give her time to say anything else.
She kissed her again.
This time there was nothing accidental or startled about it. Paige crashed their mouths together with bruising force, swallowing Azzi’s shocked cry.
She felt Azzi’s fingers clutch at her shoulders, scrabbling for purchase, dragging her closer, closer.
Their teeth knocked once in their desperation before they both slowed, settling into something that was still hungry but less chaotic.
Paige angled her head and deepened the kiss, tongue brushing Azzi’s lower lip, coaxing a soft, breathy moan from her friend’s throat that went straight to Paige’s core.
Azzi opened for her without hesitation, kissing her back like she’d been starved for it, like she’d been waiting her whole life.
They broke apart only when breathing became impossible, both of them gasping, foreheads pressed together. Paige’s fingers flexed hard against Azzi’s waist, and she realized she was shaking.
Azzi’s eyes were huge and unfocused, pupils swallowing the warm brown. She looked terrified and wild and like she might kiss Paige again at any second.
Paige licked her lips, tasting Azzi there. Her voice came out hoarse, barely recognizable.
“Azzi,” she whispered.
Azzi shuddered at her name. Her hands slid under the hem of Paige’s tee, palms hot against her back, fingers curling like she didn’t want to let go.
Paige’s stomach twisted with something electric and terrifying.
She glanced around the cramped bathroom, feeling the walls closing in on them with nowhere else to go, so she gripped Azzi’s waist and lifted her easily onto the narrow countertop.
The old porcelain creaked faintly under the shift of weight. Azzi didn’t even flinch. Instead, she exhaled a shaky breath that trembled into a whimper and instinctively wrapped her legs around Paige’s back, hooking her ankles to pull her in even closer.
Paige pressed in, their hips meeting, her hands braced on either side of Azzi’s thighs as she kissed her again—slower this time, deliberate and thorough, tasting the last of Azzi’s startled laugh.
Azzi melted at the contact, breath catching, her fingers tightening in Paige’s hair like she never wanted to let go.
When they finally pulled back, they didn’t go far. Azzi’s forehead rested against Paige’s, their noses brushing with every shaky exhale.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence was heavy, vibrating with all the things they couldn’t say yet.
Paige felt her own heart stuttering, threatening to tear itself apart. She swallowed hard, trying to make sense of what had just happened—what it meant—what it could mean.
But nothing coherent came.
Finally she forced her mouth to work, voice breaking.
“We should—”
Azzi’s breath hitched, and she let out a sound that was half a laugh, half a sob. She closed her eyes tight for a second before opening them again.
“Yeah,” she whispered back, voice wrecked. “We should go.”
Paige didn’t move. Couldn’t. Her fingers were still buried in Azzi’s shirt, holding her there like if she let go everything would shatter.
Azzi reached up and pressed her hand to Paige’s cheek, thumb brushing a smear of smudged mascara she hadn’t realized was there. Her touch was unbearably gentle.
“Paige,” she said again, more firmly this time. “We have to go.”
Paige sucked in a ragged breath. She felt like something inside her was being ripped open.
But she nodded. Slowly.
“Yeah,” she rasped.
They didn’t speak as Azzi gently hopped off the counter, fingers lingering on her wrist for one last second before falling away. She turned to the door, unlocking it with shaking fingers, and pulled it open.
Paige followed her out into the hall, blinking against the sudden brightness, the muffled thump of music from downstairs. She watched Azzi’s back, the set of her shoulders tight, like she was holding herself together with duct tape and prayer.
Paige forced herself to walk. To keep breathing.
They didn’t say anything.
They didn’t have to.
The silence between them was deafening.
By the time they got back to the group, Paige had let her arm drop, but the phantom warmth of Azzi’s waist still burned against her palm.
She flexed her fingers like she was trying to shake it off, forcing a crooked smirk when Nika immediately turned and fixed them with an all-too-knowing stare.
“Well look who finally made it back,” Nika drawled, leaning heavily against the kitchen counter with a red Solo cup dangling from her fingers.
She raised an eyebrow, her dark hair falling across one cheek in the too-messy-to-be-accidental way she’d perfected. “Thought you two got lost. Or distracted.”
Paige snorted, shooting her the finger with no heat. “Cute. Real original, twin.”
Azzi made a show of rolling her eyes, but the pink on her cheeks hadn’t fully faded. She busied herself straightening the hem of her black UConn hoodie, fingers worrying at a loose thread.
She didn’t say anything, which was unusual enough that Caroline’s gaze flicked back and forth between them, narrowing slightly.
Caroline crossed her arms, smirking. “Uh huh. Well. We were just about to go find you, actually.”
She gestured at her empty cup. “This keg is dead and Kenny’s trying to convince Jana to play beer pong with him like it’s the Olympics, so we were gonna dip.”
Paige forced a laugh she didn’t feel. “Good. This place blows anyway.”
Azzi’s eyes flicked to hers at that, grateful. She gave Paige the tiniest smile—private, conspiratorial.
Paige felt something stupid and warm crawl up her neck at that smile, something she buried in the same pit where she shoved everything she didn’t want to examine too closely.
Ice drained her cup dramatically and dropped it in the trash. “Thank God. I need pizza and my bed in that order.”
Aaliyah gave them all her lazy grin. “We ordering it to the room? Or…?”
Paige cleared her throat, scratching at her jaw. “I’m just gon’ head back to the apartment. Nika, you crashing at Josh’s tonight?”
Nika raised a brow and shrugged. “Maybe. Why?”
Paige glanced at Azzi before she could stop herself. “Just…figuring out who’s going where.”
Caroline’s mouth curved. She didn’t say anything, but the look she gave Paige was nothing if not pointed. Paige tried to ignore it, shifting her weight from foot to foot like she was fifteen again.
“Yeah,” Azzi finally mumbled, voice low but steady. “I’ll just go with Paige. That okay?”
The words hung there for a beat too long.
Nika’s grin sharpened, but she didn’t tease. She just winked. “Cool. I’ll text you tomorrow, twin. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Caroline snorted, rolling her eyes. Aaliyah and Ice were snickering off to the side.
Paige managed a weak glare that didn’t land. “Fuck off.”
They all laughed, the easy familiarity smoothing over the tension just enough to pass for normal.
They all started shuffling for the door in a loose, loping herd of half-buzzed college athletes, nudging shoulders and chirping insults in that low, bone-deep way only teammates could.
Paige walked a half step behind Azzi. Watched the way her dark curls bounced against her back. Watched her fingers clench and unclench at her sides like she didn’t know what to do with them.
Paige wanted to reach for her again so badly her fingers actually twitched.
She shoved her hands in her pockets instead.
Outside the air was colder, cutting through the stale beer stink and sweat of the house. Paige took a deep breath, filling her lungs with it, willing it to clear her head.
Azzi turned just slightly as they walked, shoulders brushing Paige’s. Their eyes met in the orange glow of the streetlights. Azzi’s pupils were still too big, dark swallowing brown, her lips still pink and a little swollen.
She didn’t say anything. Neither did Paige.
But they didn’t fall out of step with each other, either.
When they finally reached the door to the small athlete apartment building, Paige fumbled the keycard once before getting it right. She felt Azzi watching her then, but she didn’t look up.
Inside, the air was warmer, quieter.
Paige’s apartment was on the second floor, and they trudged up the narrow stairs in silence. The whole place smelled faintly of detergent and stale pizza—Nika’s idea of air freshener.
Paige unlocked her door and swung it open, stepping aside. “Go on,” she muttered, voice scratchy.
Azzi walked past her without a word. Paige watched the back of her hoodie ride up over her waistband, revealing just a sliver of skin at her waist. She swallowed hard, jaw clenching.
The apartment was dim, just the glow from the little lamp Nika had left on in the living room. The couch was a mess of tossed blankets and textbooks. A few stray water bottles were stacked on the coffee table like a sad trophy collection.
Azzi dropped her shoes by the door, finally exhaling in a tired rush. She rubbed the back of her neck, avoiding Paige’s eyes.
“Um,” Paige started, licking her lips. “You want… water or something?”
Azzi shook her head immediately. “Yeah, sure.”
Silence again.
Paige felt the weight of her keys in her hand before she remembered to set them on the little table by the door. She forced herself to take a steadying breath.
It shouldn’t have felt this weird.
They’d been here a hundred times.
Hell, Azzi’s spare toothbrush was in Paige’s bathroom.
But tonight the air between them felt too heavy. Electric.
Paige cleared her throat, scrubbing a hand down her face. “You wanna, uh… get ready for bed?” she offered, voice trying for normal. “Bathroom’s free.”
Azzi nodded stiffly. “Yeah. Thanks.”
She turned and headed down the short hallway toward the bathroom, her steps slow, deliberate.
Paige watched her go.
The second the door clicked shut, Paige let out a strangled noise and scrubbed both hands over her face.
Jesus.
Her lips still tingled.
That stupid, clumsy kiss.
Her body felt hot all over, a dull ache settling low in her belly she was trying really hard not to think about.
They were friends.
Best friends.
What the hell was that?
She let out a low breath, raking her fingers through her hair, before she shuffled to the fridge. She grabbed two waters automatically and stood there with the door open, cold air spilling over her ankles.
She tried to remember how to be normal.
How to be just friends.
When she heard the bathroom door open again, Paige quickly shut the fridge and turned, schooling her face.
Azzi had washed her face and changed into one of Paige’s old t-shirts. It was oversized, hitting mid-thigh, and her hair was damp around the edges from where she’d splashed water on her neck.
Paige’s mouth went dry.
Azzi wouldn’t meet her eyes. She just gave a tight, polite smile and padded over, grabbing the water Paige held out like they hadn’t just made out in someone’s bathroom like horny teenagers.
Paige lingered a second longer, then turned back into the bathroom to change. Her pants were stiff with dried sweat and spilled drinks, her shirt stretched awkwardly from where Azzi had grabbed it earlier.
She peeled it all off, swapped it for a soft tee and old gym shorts, then splashed some cold water on her face just to steady herself.
By the time she stepped out, Azzi was already in the bedroom.
They’d shared that room a million times. Always platonic. Always easy. But tonight, the second Azzi sat on the edge of Paige’s bed, she hesitated.
Paige saw the way her friend’s fingers twisted in the hem of the borrowed shirt, saw her swallow hard.
Paige’s own heart thudded uncomfortably.
She walked over, set her water on the nightstand, and cleared her throat. “Scoot,” she muttered.
Azzi obeyed immediately, shifting so Paige could pull back the covers. They both climbed in, each careful to face away at first, pretending this was normal.
Paige could feel the heat radiating off Azzi’s body.
The way their legs brushed under the blanket.
Her own heart wouldn’t slow down.
It was silent except for their breathing.
Outside, a car drove by, headlights sweeping shadows over the walls.
Paige squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip so hard it almost hurt.
They lay like that for what felt like an hour.
Paige on her back, staring at the ceiling, trying to count the little glow-in-the-dark stars she and Nika had drunkenly stuck up there last semester.
Azzi lay on her side, back to Paige, one knee drawn up, breathing slow and deliberate.
But neither of them slept.
Paige could hear Azzi swallow. Could hear the soft, almost shaky exhale that gave her away.
Paige’s heart felt like it was trying to dig a hole through her ribs.
She flexed her fingers where they rested on the blanket, fighting the insane urge to just reach out. Touch her. Make it less weird. Or more.
She wasn’t sure which was worse.
Azzi’s hair was spread over Paige’s pillow, curls still damp, smelling like that coconut shampoo. Paige was dizzy with it, even from a foot away.
She tried to focus on breathing evenly.
In. Out.
Don’t think about her lips.
Don’t think about how soft they were.
Don’t think about how Azzi had kissed her back.
Jesus Christ.
A creak from the mattress as Azzi shifted, drawing in a deep breath.
“Are you awake?” she whispered, voice ragged.
Paige’s whole body went stiff. She wet her lips, debating lying, but then she sighed, voice cracking.
“Yeah. I’m up.”
Silence fell again, thicker than before.
Azzi let out another slow breath, her shoulders slumping.
Finally, she turned over, rolling onto her back. The mattress dipped, jostling Paige slightly. Paige turned her head to look at her, breath catching.
Azzi was staring at the ceiling now too.
She looked lost.
Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of the big UConn shirt she was drowning in.
Paige couldn’t take it.
“Azzi,” she rasped.
Azzi blinked, eyes flicking over. Their gazes met and held.
“What the fuck was that?” Azzi blurted, voice cracking halfway through.
Paige let out a laugh that sounded like it was being dragged from her chest. It wasn’t amused. Just... defeated.
“Okay. So we’re just gonna dive right in, huh?”
Azzi’s eyes flashed. “Um, yeah? How can we not?”
Paige scrubbed a hand over her face, groaning. “Jesus, Azzi. I don’t know. I don’t fucking know.”
Azzi sat up slightly on her elbow, hair falling around her face, eyes shining in the dark. “You kissed me first. At the party. Paige. You kissed me in front of, like, everyone.”
Paige winced. “Yeah. I know. I’m... sorry.”
Azzi blinked. “Why?”
Paige’s mouth opened. Then closed. She shifted onto her side to face Azzi, her knees bumping Azzi’s under the blankets.
“I don’t know. It was... impulsive. He wouldn’t leave you alone. You looked annoyed. I couldn’t think of anything else to get you out of there.”
Azzi’s eyes searched hers, dark and fathomless. “So that’s all it was?”
Paige’s chest ached. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “It was just supposed to be an out. I didn’t... I didn’t think it through.”
Azzi swallowed, biting her lower lip so hard it went white.
Silence beat between them, thick with confusion, with want, with fear.
Paige’s voice cracked when she spoke next.
“But you kissed me. In the bathroom.”
Azzi’s face flamed red even in the low light. She sucked in a shaky breath. “Yeah. I did.”
Paige’s eyes bored into her. “Why?”
Azzi’s mouth opened. Closed. She let out a strangled noise, flopping back onto the pillow with a dull thud.
“Jesus, Paige. I don’t know.”
Paige watched her chest rise and fall. Watched her swallow.
Azzi’s voice cracked as she tried to explain, her words tumbling out in fits and starts like she could barely keep up with the messy thoughts tangling in her head.
She clenched the blanket in her fist, eyes darting away, then back to Paige with something raw and unsteady.
“You kissed me first,” she admitted, her voice so quiet it almost didn’t make it across the small space between them.
“And I couldn’t stop thinking about it. My head was all… loud. Like it wouldn’t shut up. And then we were in that stupid bathroom. And you were so close. And I just…” She broke off, chest heaving, like finishing the sentence would be too much.
Paige felt something heavy and jagged lodge itself behind her ribs at the confession. She hadn’t realized how badly she’d wanted to hear it until now.
Her own voice felt like it scraped her throat raw when she spoke, brittle and ruined. “Yeah,” she rasped, breath shaking. “Same.”
Azzi blinked, eyes wide and liquid in the dim light. The air between them felt like it thickened and pulsed with something heavy, their silence stretching out but never comfortable.
Paige watched the way Azzi’s tongue darted out to wet her lower lip, the skin glistening, trembling with nerves she wasn’t bothering to hide anymore.
Her hair spilled over her shoulder in soft, dark curls, catching on the pillow, framing her face like some half-lit portrait Paige couldn’t stop staring at.
Azzi inhaled sharply, like she was bracing herself. “Paige…” she whispered, and it wasn’t just her name—it was a question, a plea, a warning all at once.
Paige swallowed hard, throat clicking, her pulse roaring in her ears. She couldn’t look away from Azzi’s mouth even if she wanted to. Her voice came out low, almost broken. “Azzi.”
Azzi’s breath hitched at the sound, her whole body tensing like Paige had reached out and physically touched her.
They stared at each other, caught in that space between wanting and terror, both of them breathing in ragged, unsteady pulls like they’d just sprinted drills back-to-back in practice.
Paige felt her grip on restraint slipping, fraying, unraveling entirely.
She didn’t think. Couldn’t.
She moved, closing the small gap between them in a rough, desperate surge, needing to erase the distance before she had time to regret it.
And Azzi didn’t hesitate—didn’t even blink—before surging up to meet her halfway, lips crashing together in a kiss that felt like it had been building for years.
Paige’s fingers tangled in Azzi’s hair, pulling, desperate. Azzi moaned into her mouth, clutching Paige’s shirt so hard it bunched in her fists.
Paige rolled them, hovering over her, pressing them down into the mattress. Azzi’s legs parted instinctively, letting Paige settle between them.
They broke for air, gasping, foreheads pressed together, noses brushing.
Paige’s voice was wrecked. “Az, I can’t keep kissing you.”
“If we keep doing this, I’m not gonna be able to stop.”
Azzi whimpered, eyes so dark Paige could drown in them. She wrapped her legs around Paige’s hips, dragging her closer.
“What if I don’t want you to stop?”
Paige made a broken sound, grabbing Azzi’s chin, forcing her to meet her eyes.
“Say it,” she demanded, voice shaking. “Azzi. Say it.”
Azzi’s breath hitched, eyes huge and shining.
“I want this. I want you, Paige.”
Paige felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her pulse roared in her ears. She blinked at Azzi, eyes burning, heart squeezing so tight it hurt.
God, she wanted her.
But the words lodged in her throat, thick with fear she hadn’t even admitted to herself yet.
She felt her hand tremble against Azzi’s waist. “Azzi…” Her voice cracked. “This… we’re friends. Best friends. If we do this—”
She swallowed hard, shaking her head a little like she could dislodge the panic. “I don’t want to lose you.”
Azzi’s expression softened, so achingly tender it made Paige’s chest ache. She lifted one hand and cupped Paige’s cheek, thumb brushing away the single tear Paige hadn’t even realized fell.
“You’re not gonna lose me.” Her voice was quiet, sure. “Paige. Look at me.”
Paige dragged her gaze up, meeting those deep, dark eyes that had always been her anchor.
Azzi’s voice dropped, husky with want but steady with conviction. “I’ve been yours since I was fifteen. I’m not going anywhere.”
Paige made a tiny, broken noise. Something between a laugh and a sob. She let out a shuddering breath, pressing her forehead against Azzi’s.
“Fuck,” she whispered. “Azzi, I want you so bad.”
Azzi’s lips curved in the ghost of a smile, eyes glinting wet. “Then have me.”
Paige shattered.
She crashed their mouths back together, swallowing Azzi’s answering moan, hands tightening with something possessive, desperate, like she was trying to pull Azzi inside her own skin.
And then there was no more talking.
Just hands. Mouths. Clothes hitting the floor.
Azzi’s breath was hot against Paige’s lips, fast and shaky, and Paige couldn’t tell if it was fear or want making her tremble.
She braced one hand on the mattress beside Azzi’s head, the other cupping her cheek with startling gentleness, her thumb brushing the soft skin beneath Azzi’s eye.
Azzi blinked up at her, lashes wet. She looked so open. So unguarded.
It undid Paige completely.
“Azzi,” she whispered, voice cracking like glass.
Azzi swallowed, her throat bobbing. She didn’t look away.
Paige leaned in and kissed her—not like before, not rushed or frantic or trying to drown out the confusion—but slow. Careful. Like she was memorizing the shape of Azzi’s mouth.
Azzi made a small, wounded noise, her fingers twisting in the hem of Paige’s shirt.
Paige felt it like a punch in the heart. She pulled back just enough to look at her, brushing her nose against Azzi’s.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Azzi as she stood to take off the last of her clothes, fingers fumbling a little in her haste.
It wasn’t new, being half-dressed around each other—they’d shared countless locker rooms, hotel rooms, late-night study sessions where they crashed in sports bras and shorts.
But this? This was new.
This was Paige standing at the foot of her own bed, heart hammering, breath stuttering as she took in all of Azzi.
Not a glimpse, not a quick change of clothes. But Azzi offering herself—every warm, flushed inch, bare and vulnerable.
Her dark skin glowing in the lamplight, the soft swell of her breasts rising and falling with uneven breaths. Her hair was wild, curling in disarray on Paige’s pillow. Her lips were kiss-bruised and wet.
Paige felt the breath punch out of her chest. Her mouth went dry. She’d known Azzi was beautiful. She’d known it forever.
But she’d never seen her like this. Not like something sacred. Not like something she wanted to devour.
Azzi’s gaze met hers and didn’t waver, though her cheeks were a deep, telling red. Her eyes flicked lower—taking Paige in just as shamelessly.
Paige wasn’t immune to it. She felt suddenly too big for her own skin, aware of every hard-earned muscle, the taut lines of her abs flexing with each shaky breath.
She watched Azzi’s eyes go heavy-lidded as they followed the slope of her shoulders, the play of her biceps as Paige shifted.
Paige swallowed hard. She’d stripped in front of Azzi a thousand times for games, ice baths, late-night laundry swaps.
But not like this. Not shaking. Not wanting.
Azzi licked her lips, her voice cracking just a little when she finally spoke. “Paige…”
Paige’s hands trembled at her sides. She wanted to reach out and cover Azzi up, protect her from the chill of the room, from the weight of this moment. But she also wanted to touch. Everywhere.
She exhaled unsteadily, voice raw. “You’re… you’re so fucking beautiful.”
Azzi’s eyes fluttered, lashes lowering as a shiver ran over her exposed skin. She didn’t hide. Didn’t cover herself. Just looked right back at Paige with that kind of hungry, awed wonder that made Paige feel split open.
When Paige hesitated, Azzi’s hand lifted, beckoning her forward. That simple, trusting invitation broke something in Paige.
She climbed carefully between Azzi’s open thighs, the mattress shifting under them. The moment she was close enough, Azzi’s hands rose to cup her face, thumbs brushing her cheeks.
Paige leaned down and kissed her, slow and deep, lips pressing and sliding as their noses bumped. She felt Azzi exhale shakily against her mouth, her fingers tangling in Paige’s hair.
Paige’s hand roamed, gliding over Azzi’s ribs, feeling her shiver and gasp at the contact. She palmed Azzi’s breast gently, thumbing the nipple until it stiffened, earning a soft, desperate moan.
Paige broke the kiss just to watch Azzi react, eyes half-lidded, mouth falling open as her back arched slightly off the bed.
Paige couldn’t resist ducking down, taking the hardening nipple into her mouth, sucking slow and firm until Azzi whimpered.
Azzi’s hands twisted in the sheets, knuckles white.
“Paige,” she gasped, voice strangled.
Paige lifted her head, panting. “Yeah?” she rasped, voice cracking with need.
Azzi swallowed, dark eyes glinting with heat and something like fear. But she didn’t look away. She licked her lips.
“More.”
Paige felt it all the way down to her spine. She kissed Azzi hard, teeth clashing, tongues sliding together wetly.
She let one hand drift down Azzi’s stomach, feeling every tiny tremor of muscle, pausing at her hip as if to give her a final out.
Azzi only pushed her hips up, breath breaking in a pleading whine.
Paige’s fingers slid even lower, finding Azzi wet and hot, slick in a way that made Paige groan helplessly.
She felt Azzi jolt, a strangled gasp tearing from her throat, legs falling open wider. Paige pressed a slow, testing circle around Azzi’s clit, watching her eyes flutter shut, mouth dropping open as she moaned.
“Jesus,” Paige breathed, her own thighs clenching.
She pushed a finger in, slow and careful, feeling Azzi stretch around her, so warm and tight it made Paige’s vision swim.
Azzi made a sound Paige had never heard before—high and desperate—and Paige felt her entire body tense, her hips jerking reflexively.
Paige whispered against her cheek, voice thick and trembling. “Okay?”
Azzi blinked up at her, lips wet, breathing ragged.
“Yeah,” she gasped. “God, yeah.”
Paige added a second finger, easing it in while Azzi whimpered, hands flying to clutch at Paige’s shoulders.
Paige kissed her again, swallowing her noises, her own hips rocking involuntarily with every thrust of her fingers. She set a rhythm, slow but deep, curling just right, and Azzi started to unravel.
Azzi’s nails dug into Paige’s back, breath hitching on every exhale.
Paige could barely breathe. She watched Azzi’s face, watched every flutter of lashes, every shake of her bottom lip, feeling Azzi tighten around her fingers.
“Fuck—Azzi,” she rasped. “You’re so perfect.”
Azzi moaned, breath catching. Paige pressed her forehead to Azzi’s temple.
“Can I—” Paige could barely get the words out, her voice raw. “Can I taste you?”
Azzi’s whole body shuddered. Her eyes flew open, wide and glassy. She nodded frantically, biting her lip so hard it went white.
“Yes,” she managed. “Please. Paige—please.”
Paige didn’t need more encouragement. She withdrew carefully, kissing Azzi breathless before starting a path down her body.
She kissed over the swell of Azzi’s breasts, the line of her ribs, the dip of her navel, paying homage to every inch.
Azzi’s hands were everywhere—her hair, her shoulders, clenching and releasing, her breath growing ragged.
Paige settled between Azzi’s shaking thighs and looked up one last time. Azzi was flushed to the chest, breathing in broken gasps, pupils blown wide with want.
Paige smirked, lowering her mouth to press a slow, wet kiss to Azzi’s inner thigh.
When her tongue finally found Azzi’s clit, Azzi let out a strangled cry that echoed off the walls.
Paige moaned in response, lapping and sucking, the taste of Azzi making her dizzy. She pressed her fingers back in, setting a deep, firm rhythm as her tongue worked relentless circles.
Azzi lost it completely. She bucked hard against Paige’s mouth, whimpering, begging without words.
“Fuck—Paige—oh god—”
Paige pulled back just enough to rasp, voice wrecked, “How have we never done this before?”
Azzi actually let out a broken laugh that dissolved into a sobbing moan. “You—never asked—”
Paige chuckled darkly, diving back in with renewed focus. She felt Azzi clenching around her fingers, her thighs shaking uncontrollably. Paige sucked hard, fingers curling just right.
Azzi screamed her name, coming hard, body convulsing, nails leaving angry red lines on Paige’s shoulders.
Paige slowed, working her through it, licking gently as Azzi trembled and whimpered, finally going boneless.
Paige kissed her way back up, tasting sweat and Azzi’s orgasm on her lips. She hovered over Azzi’s flushed, wrecked face, brushing sweaty curls away from her forehead.
Azzi blinked up at her, breathing in short, broken gasps. Paige kissed her forehead, then her nose, then her lips.
“You okay?” Paige whispered, voice so hoarse it hurt.
Azzi blinked slowly. Then she smiled, small and real, voice weak.
“Yeah,” she breathed. “Jesus, Paige.”
Paige let out a ragged laugh, pressing their foreheads together. But even as Azzi tried to catch her breath, Paige squirmed, whining.
“Azzi,” she gasped, voice cracking. “Please. I need—fuck—I need you.”
Azzi’s dazed eyes sharpened. She seemed to realize at once that Paige was shaking.
Azzi’s hands slid to Paige’s hips, rolling them until Paige was on her back. She straddled her carefully, leaning down so their noses brushed.
“What do you need?” she whispered, voice low and rough.
Paige moaned, eyes fluttering shut.
“Your fingers,” she panted. “But stay close. I want—” She broke off, shaking her head.
Azzi pressed her lips to Paige’s. “Tell me.”
Paige swallowed hard.
“I want you on me. Your face close. I want to feel you.”
Azzi’s eyes went dark. She kissed Paige slow, wet, and deep.
Azzi settled between Paige’s spread thighs, leaning over her so their chests brushed. She slid a hand down, fingers finding Paige soaked and pulsing. Paige jerked, gasping, hips canting up.
Azzi rubbed teasing circles and Paige sobbed.
“Please—no teasing,” she begged. “Please, Azzi.”
Azzi’s mouth curved against Paige’s throat.
“Okay, baby,” she whispered.
She pushed two fingers in deep, feeling the slick heat of her, watching Paige’s eyes flutter and roll back, pupils blown wide with raw need.
Paige let out a strangled cry that wasn’t even a word, fingers digging into Azzi’s back like she needed something to hold her to earth.
Azzi bit her lip, feeling the tremor in Paige’s body vibrate into her own chest.
Azzi set a slow, deliberate rhythm, each thrust measured, curling her fingers just so, feeling Paige clench around her.
Paige arched beneath her, chest rising sharply with every shuddering inhale, the flush high and blooming across her collarbones.
Azzi couldn’t look away from her face—the way her lashes trembled, the way her mouth fell open on broken, gasping moans.
Paige was so raw, so unguarded, her usually confident smirk replaced with something so vulnerable it made Azzi ache.
She leaned closer, foreheads brushing, breathing the same stuttering air, watching every twitch of emotion chase across Paige’s features.
Her free hand slid up to cup Paige’s jaw, thumb brushing her flushed cheek with aching tenderness, grounding her, holding her in this moment.
She felt the tears that gathered at the corners of Paige’s eyes as she tried to hold back the sobs that built in her chest. Azzi kissed her temple, her hairline, whispered for her to let go, that she was here, that she wouldn’t leave.
“Come on, Paige,” she murmured. “Let me have you. Let go.”
Paige finally broke. She sobbed her name like it was the only word she knew.
Azzi kissed her through it, slow and gentle, swallowing every ragged sound, every desperate plea, fingers never stopping their steady, careful rhythm as she gave Paige everything she had to give.
Azzi slowed, eased out carefully, then collapsed on top of her, both of them shaking, panting.
They didn’t speak for long minutes. Just breathing.
Finally Paige let out a cracked laugh, pressing her face into Azzi’s hair.
“Holy fuck.”
Azzi snorted wetly, her voice muffled.
“Yeah,” she whispered.
Paige felt Azzi’s breathing start to slow against her chest, warm exhales brushing the damp skin of her collarbone.
She didn’t loosen her grip. She didn’t dare. One arm banded tight around Azzi’s back, the other hand gently combing through the sweat-damp curls at the nape of her neck.
“Hey,” she rasped softly, her voice torn and ruined from all the groaning and gasping, from saying her name like a prayer. She pressed her lips to Azzi’s temple, lingering there. “You okay?”
Azzi hummed, too tired to lift her head, her cheek pressed against Paige’s collarbone. She shifted just enough to hook a leg tighter over Paige’s hip, as if refusing even an inch of space.
“Yeah,” she whispered, voice raspy and worn. “Better than okay.”
Paige felt a shaky breath leave her. She forced herself to keep stroking Azzi’s hair, her fingers gentle, careful, even though every nerve in her body felt raw. “Need anything? Water? Food?”
Azzi let out a sleepy huff of laughter, muffled against Paige’s chest. “God, you’re such a mom right now.”
Paige snorted, though the sound caught in her throat like a sob. She pressed another kiss to Azzi’s hair, tightening her arm so their ribs were pressed together.
“Yeah, well. Gotta make sure you’re good.” Her voice cracked at the end.
Azzi went quiet. Paige could feel her breathing, slow and deep, the rise and fall of her chest syncing with Paige’s own.
Finally Azzi whispered, voice thick and sleepy, “We’re gonna have to talk about this, you know.”
Paige closed her eyes, her hand stilling in Azzi’s hair. Her heart thudded painfully. “Yeah.” She swallowed, feeling the exhaustion creeping in, heavy and relentless. “Yeah. We will.”
“Tomorrow?” Azzi mumbled, sounding like she was already halfway asleep.
Paige’s mouth curved, bittersweet. She blinked hard, fighting the burn behind her eyelids. She pressed one last kiss into Azzi’s curls and let her eyes close.
“Tomorrow,” she promised.
Silence fell. Heavy. Safe.
Outside, the campus party was probably still raging, music pounding behind frat house walls, but in that cramped little room it was quiet except for their breathing.
Their limbs tangled. Their hearts beating out this brand-new, terrifying, perfect thing they’d just let loose.
Neither of them said “I love you.” Not tonight.
But Paige could feel it in the way Azzi’s fingers flexed on her back even in sleep.
Synopsis: Azzi can't sleep. She calls Paige. R-rated things happen. Or, in other words, the phone sex fic
Notes: this was very much awaited by a few of you, so i hope you enjoy. as always, PLEASE tell me what you think, it's very much appreciated
Azzi lies awake in her bed, the thick, humid air of early July making the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stick there with sweat. She glances over at the half-packed suitcase on her floor. Her flight to Dallas leaves early tomorrow morning, and she should probably get to sleep, but the excitement of being temporarily finished with grueling conditioning, mixed with the fact that she gets to surprise her girlfriend at her game tomorrow, is keeping her wide awake. And even though she gets to see Paige less than 24 hours from now, Azzi finds herself reaching over, grabbing her phone, and hitting Paige’s contact on FaceTime.
It takes Paige not even two rings for her to answer her call, her face flooding Azzi’s phone screen. It’s later in Dallas, and you can tell. The only amount of light in the room coming from Paige’s phone. She’s also lying in bed, strands of blonde hair falling out of her bun to frame her face. Azzi rolls over, propping her phone up against the water bottle on her nightstand. Paige looks soft like this. Sweet Azzi thinks.
There’s a beat before either girl says anything. Paige speaks up first, “Hey baby, I missed you. Whatcha callin’ for?” she says, voice light and airy.
Azzi sighs, shifting uncomfortably under the covers. God, this heat is really getting to her. “I just couldn’t sleep. Too hot.”
“Yeah, you are,” Paige quips, waggling her eyebrows as a small smirk forms on her lips.
“Paige,” Azzi whines, annoyed.
“What? I’m just stating the obvious,” Paige replies snidely. She opens her mouth to continue her teasing until Azzi shuffles on screen, wiggling out of her already tiny pajama shorts, leaving her bottom half bare. And that shuts Paige up. When she sees Azzi slipping back under the covers, Paige speaks up again, “Wait, what are you doing?”
Azzi gives Paige a questioning look, “Taking my shorts off…? I told you I was too warm.”
“Yeah, but why are you getting back under the covers? I don’t get to see?” Paige asks in mock innocence.
“I didn’t know you wanted to see,” Azzi replies, pushing the covers off her legs, angling herself in such a way to the camera, giving Paige a better view of her naked lower half.
Paige sucks in a breath at the sight trying to keep her composure, “I always wanna see.”
Azzi hums in response to Paige’s statement. Her hands coming to rest on her bare thighs. “So, you want me to just lie here or…?”
“What do you wanna do, baby?” Paige asks, voice coming out more raw than she anticipated.
“Well, first, I think it’s only logical that you take something off, too. It has to be hotter down in Dallas than here,” Azzi suggests before continuing, “Shirt. Off.”
Paige smirks and obliges, pulling her old UConn T-shirt over her head, revealing taut lines of her abs and bare chest. She repositions herself in front of her phone to give Azzi a better view. “What are you thinkin’?” Paige asks, voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m wishing I were with you right now. I wish I could kiss you, touch you, taste you, feel you…” Azzi's response trails off, knowing that her wish would become a reality in a matter of hours.
Something in Paige’s gaze changes before she speaks again, “Ion’ know… I can maybe think of something of a compromise…”
Azzi immediately understands what Paige is implying. However, she raises a brow in slight mock confusion anyway—playing along, “And what might that be…?” she asks suggestively.
“I wanna watch you touch yourself,” Paige whispers bluntly.
Azzi’s breath picks up at Paige’s response, “Yeah? How so? Tell me what to do.”
“Reach under your shirt f’me, play with your tits,” Paige instructs softly.
Azzi does as she’s told. Her hands slowly trail upward under her shirt until they meet her breasts. Rolling both nipples between two fingers she sucks in a breath, eyes fluttering closed momentarily.
Paige hums in approval, grabbing her phone off the nightstand where it was resting to give herself a better look, “Good, keep doing that. Gotta get you all warmed up first.”
Azzi continues to ghost her hands up and down her torso, as Paige watches on the other line. After what feels like a near eon to Azzi, she drags the pads of her fingers over her nipples once more, forcing herself to suppress a whimper—instead a small “Shit” escapes her lips.
Picking up on Azzi’s sounds, Paige begins again, “It’s okay baby, I wanna hear you, be loud for me.”
With that, Azzi lets out a frustrated breath, “Please, Paige. I need my fingers, please.”
Hearing Azzi beg to touch herself causes heat to pool low, between Paige’s legs. “Go ahead, baby.”
It takes Azzi no further instruction for her to immediately bring her hand down her center, pressing two fingers against her clit, letting a low moan slip from her lips. Fingers then moving in slow, tight circles around her bud.
The sight has Paige’s boxers soaked in a matter of minutes. Setting her phone down on her stomach, Paige hooks her fingers into the waistband of her sweats, pulling both them and her underwear off, kicking them to the foot of her bed.
Paige picks her phone back up to see Azzi, lying on her back, eyes closed, right hand moving in controlled circles between her legs. “Fuck, Az. Look at you, doing so good f’me,” Paige groans, her own hand slipping down between her thighs to drag a finger through her wet folds.
At Paige’s words, Azzi opens her eyes and looks over to her phone, still perched on her bedside table against her water bottle. She sees the way Paige's face has contorted, brows knitted, mouth slightly agape, and instantly clues in to what the older girl must also be doing out of the view of the camera. “Fuck—Paige. I—I wanna see you. I wanna see you finger yourself,” Azzi gasps out as she finally lets herself slip her fingers inside her core.
Paige doesn’t have a response for Azzi’s request. Without another thought, she finds herself flipping the camera to capture her fingers sliding in and out of her core, the two digits becoming more covered in her slick with each thrust. “Shit—this is what you do to me Az.”
“Yeah, that’s it,” Azzi drags out. She silently hopes to herself that her and her phone’s volume are both quiet enough for her roommates not to hear. The last thing she wants is for Ice to confront her tomorrow morning about still “hearing Paige’s moans even when she’s in Dallas.”
Azzi’s free hand comes to glide along her tits again, and the sensation combined with the sounds coming from her phone speaker have her very quickly barrelling towards the edge. “Ah—Paige. Fuck, I’m close.”
At this point, Paige is fully entranced with the sight on her screen. She can see all of Azzi. The way Azzi’s mouth is ajar, breathing frantic coming out in short gasps, her hand palming her boobs, Azzi fucking herself with her fingers. And all of it combined is almost too much for Paige to handle, bringing her to the brink of her climax concerningly quick. “God, me too, Az,” Paige gasps, flipping the camera once more, allowing Azzi to see her face again.
Azzi lets out a whimper, tethering on the edge, she brings her hand away from her tits and presses the heel of it into her clit. And with one roll of her hips she’s tumbling over the edge. A wave of pleasure crashing over her, she lets out a moan that’s borderline pornographic—no—definitely pornographic. The obscenity of the sound being what pushes Paige to her climax as well, camera work becoming shaky, hips shuttering.
The pair both let out matching groans as they come down from their highs together. Azzi rolls over, pulling the covers over her, looking at her phone, she sees Paige—face flushed, hair disheveled, a laugh escaping her lips. “That was better than I’d thought it be.”
“You’ve thought about having phone sex?” Paige asks jokingly.
“Shut up. You look more fucked out than I do. Someone definitely enjoyed themselves.”
“Yeah, yeah, still not better than the real thing though. Man, I wish you were here.”
“Sometimes things have their own way of working themselves out,” Azzi says vaguely.
Paige sits up a little at what Azzi said, “Wait, whatcha mean by that?” she questions.
Azzi reaches over for her phone, laughing, “Goodnight, Paige.”
“I—goodnight. Love you,” Paige responds suspiciously.
“Love you too, Paigey,” Azzi replies before hanging up the call, snuggling farther into the covers.
As Paige’s screen goes dark, she sits there in silence for a moment, her mind hung up on what Azzi had said. Then deciding to not waste anymore energy on what her girlfriend had meant, Paige shuffles her way fully under the covers, letting sleep take her away.
Azzi walks along the floor of the College Park Center, finding her seat in the middle of the courtside row beside Maddy’s mom. The game’s tip off is soon, teams still retreated to their locker rooms after warm ups.
Azzi’s flight had gotten in early evening, Dallas time and she’d let herself into Paige’s apartment with the key she’d given her in May to drop her things off knowing Paige would be at the arena already.
She settles into her seat just as the Wings players are running through the tunnel. Her head snaps up, instantly locking eyes with a particular blonde. Paige looks shocked to say the least, but also lighter, less tense than she’d seemed in the last game. A smirk starts to form on the older girl’s face.
And Azzi “wonders” what Paige did to help release that tension between the previous game and now.
Synopsis: Azzi can't sleep. She calls Paige. R-rated things happen. Or, in other words, the phone sex fic
Notes: this was very much awaited by a few of you, so i hope you enjoy. as always, PLEASE tell me what you think, it's very much appreciated
Azzi lies awake in her bed, the thick, humid air of early July making the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stick there with sweat. She glances over at the half-packed suitcase on her floor. Her flight to Dallas leaves early tomorrow morning, and she should probably get to sleep, but the excitement of being temporarily finished with grueling conditioning, mixed with the fact that she gets to surprise her girlfriend at her game tomorrow, is keeping her wide awake. And even though she gets to see Paige less than 24 hours from now, Azzi finds herself reaching over, grabbing her phone, and hitting Paige’s contact on FaceTime.
It takes Paige not even two rings for her to answer her call, her face flooding Azzi’s phone screen. It’s later in Dallas, and you can tell. The only amount of light in the room coming from Paige’s phone. She’s also lying in bed, strands of blonde hair falling out of her bun to frame her face. Azzi rolls over, propping her phone up against the water bottle on her nightstand. Paige looks soft like this. Sweet Azzi thinks.
There’s a beat before either girl says anything. Paige speaks up first, “Hey baby, I missed you. Whatcha callin’ for?” she says, voice light and airy.
Azzi sighs, shifting uncomfortably under the covers. God, this heat is really getting to her. “I just couldn’t sleep. Too hot.”
“Yeah, you are,” Paige quips, waggling her eyebrows as a small smirk forms on her lips.
“Paige,” Azzi whines, annoyed.
“What? I’m just stating the obvious,” Paige replies snidely. She opens her mouth to continue her teasing until Azzi shuffles on screen, wiggling out of her already tiny pajama shorts, leaving her bottom half bare. And that shuts Paige up. When she sees Azzi slipping back under the covers, Paige speaks up again, “Wait, what are you doing?”
Azzi gives Paige a questioning look, “Taking my shorts off…? I told you I was too warm.”
“Yeah, but why are you getting back under the covers? I don’t get to see?” Paige asks in mock innocence.
“I didn’t know you wanted to see,” Azzi replies, pushing the covers off her legs, angling herself in such a way to the camera, giving Paige a better view of her naked lower half.
Paige sucks in a breath at the sight trying to keep her composure, “I always wanna see.”
Azzi hums in response to Paige’s statement. Her hands coming to rest on her bare thighs. “So, you want me to just lie here or…?”
“What do you wanna do, baby?” Paige asks, voice coming out more raw than she anticipated.
“Well, first, I think it’s only logical that you take something off, too. It has to be hotter down in Dallas than here,” Azzi suggests before continuing, “Shirt. Off.”
Paige smirks and obliges, pulling her old UConn T-shirt over her head, revealing taut lines of her abs and bare chest. She repositions herself in front of her phone to give Azzi a better view. “What are you thinkin’?” Paige asks, voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m wishing I were with you right now. I wish I could kiss you, touch you, taste you, feel you…” Azzi's response trails off, knowing that her wish would become a reality in a matter of hours.
Something in Paige’s gaze changes before she speaks again, “Ion’ know… I can maybe think of something of a compromise…”
Azzi immediately understands what Paige is implying. However, she raises a brow in slight mock confusion anyway—playing along, “And what might that be…?” she asks suggestively.
“I wanna watch you touch yourself,” Paige whispers bluntly.
Azzi’s breath picks up at Paige’s response, “Yeah? How so? Tell me what to do.”
“Reach under your shirt f’me, play with your tits,” Paige instructs softly.
Azzi does as she’s told. Her hands slowly trail upward under her shirt until they meet her breasts. Rolling both nipples between two fingers she sucks in a breath, eyes fluttering closed momentarily.
Paige hums in approval, grabbing her phone off the nightstand where it was resting to give herself a better look, “Good, keep doing that. Gotta get you all warmed up first.”
Azzi continues to ghost her hands up and down her torso, as Paige watches on the other line. After what feels like a near eon to Azzi, she drags the pads of her fingers over her nipples once more, forcing herself to suppress a whimper—instead a small “Shit” escapes her lips.
Picking up on Azzi’s sounds, Paige begins again, “It’s okay baby, I wanna hear you, be loud for me.”
With that, Azzi lets out a frustrated breath, “Please, Paige. I need my fingers, please.”
Hearing Azzi beg to touch herself causes heat to pool low, between Paige’s legs. “Go ahead, baby.”
It takes Azzi no further instruction for her to immediately bring her hand down her center, pressing two fingers against her clit, letting a low moan slip from her lips. Fingers then moving in slow, tight circles around her bud.
The sight has Paige’s boxers soaked in a matter of minutes. Setting her phone down on her stomach, Paige hooks her fingers into the waistband of her sweats, pulling both them and her underwear off, kicking them to the foot of her bed.
Paige picks her phone back up to see Azzi, lying on her back, eyes closed, right hand moving in controlled circles between her legs. “Fuck, Az. Look at you, doing so good f’me,” Paige groans, her own hand slipping down between her thighs to drag a finger through her wet folds.
At Paige’s words, Azzi opens her eyes and looks over to her phone, still perched on her bedside table against her water bottle. She sees the way Paige's face has contorted, brows knitted, mouth slightly agape, and instantly clues in to what the older girl must also be doing out of the view of the camera. “Fuck—Paige. I—I wanna see you. I wanna see you finger yourself,” Azzi gasps out as she finally lets herself slip her fingers inside her core.
Paige doesn’t have a response for Azzi’s request. Without another thought, she finds herself flipping the camera to capture her fingers sliding in and out of her core, the two digits becoming more covered in her slick with each thrust. “Shit—this is what you do to me Az.”
“Yeah, that’s it,” Azzi drags out. She silently hopes to herself that her and her phone’s volume are both quiet enough for her roommates not to hear. The last thing she wants is for Ice to confront her tomorrow morning about still “hearing Paige’s moans even when she’s in Dallas.”
Azzi’s free hand comes to glide along her tits again, and the sensation combined with the sounds coming from her phone speaker have her very quickly barrelling towards the edge. “Ah—Paige. Fuck, I’m close.”
At this point, Paige is fully entranced with the sight on her screen. She can see all of Azzi. The way Azzi’s mouth is ajar, breathing frantic coming out in short gasps, her hand palming her boobs, Azzi fucking herself with her fingers. And all of it combined is almost too much for Paige to handle, bringing her to the brink of her climax concerningly quick. “God, me too, Az,” Paige gasps, flipping the camera once more, allowing Azzi to see her face again.
Azzi lets out a whimper, tethering on the edge, she brings her hand away from her tits and presses the heel of it into her clit. And with one roll of her hips she’s tumbling over the edge. A wave of pleasure crashing over her, she lets out a moan that’s borderline pornographic—no—definitely pornographic. The obscenity of the sound being what pushes Paige to her climax as well, camera work becoming shaky, hips shuttering.
The pair both let out matching groans as they come down from their highs together. Azzi rolls over, pulling the covers over her, looking at her phone, she sees Paige—face flushed, hair disheveled, a laugh escaping her lips. “That was better than I’d thought it be.”
“You’ve thought about having phone sex?” Paige asks jokingly.
“Shut up. You look more fucked out than I do. Someone definitely enjoyed themselves.”
“Yeah, yeah, still not better than the real thing though. Man, I wish you were here.”
“Sometimes things have their own way of working themselves out,” Azzi says vaguely.
Paige sits up a little at what Azzi said, “Wait, whatcha mean by that?” she questions.
Azzi reaches over for her phone, laughing, “Goodnight, Paige.”
“I—goodnight. Love you,” Paige responds suspiciously.
“Love you too, Paigey,” Azzi replies before hanging up the call, snuggling farther into the covers.
As Paige’s screen goes dark, she sits there in silence for a moment, her mind hung up on what Azzi had said. Then deciding to not waste anymore energy on what her girlfriend had meant, Paige shuffles her way fully under the covers, letting sleep take her away.
Azzi walks along the floor of the College Park Center, finding her seat in the middle of the courtside row beside Maddy’s mom. The game’s tip off is soon, teams still retreated to their locker rooms after warm ups.
Azzi’s flight had gotten in early evening, Dallas time and she’d let herself into Paige’s apartment with the key she’d given her in May to drop her things off knowing Paige would be at the arena already.
She settles into her seat just as the Wings players are running through the tunnel. Her head snaps up, instantly locking eyes with a particular blonde. Paige looks shocked to say the least, but also lighter, less tense than she’d seemed in the last game. A smirk starts to form on the older girl’s face.
And Azzi “wonders” what Paige did to help release that tension between the previous game and now.
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