Paige P.O.V
Thursday had come quicker than I thought, my excitement for my date with Maia making the days fly by quicker than a blink of an eye.
"You take any longer in there, and she might think you're flaking on her." Nika's voice registers in my mind as I shoot a glance to the open doorway of the bathroom, the Croatian athlete leaning on the doorframe with a pair of gray low-rise Nike sweatpants on and a black Nike sports bra, hair in a bun. My eyes roll at the comment before I look back into the mirror, taking in my appearance.
"I'm playing with you, but you are looking good P, you always did clean up nice." Nika comments, making a smile make its way to my lips as I feel a bit of confidence worm it's way into my otherwise nervous mood.
"You really think so?" I mumble, fixing my hair before turning to her fully. My outfit consisted of white Nike dunks, black pants, a white and orange shirt, along side a orange sleeveless vest. My hair in a half up, half down bun hairstyle.
Nika nods, moving to straighten my vest slightly before stepping back, crossing her arms across her chest. "I approve."
A laugh bubbles from my chest at the comment before I grab my phone and keys, walking past her. "Thanks twin."
"Have fun, don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Her voice floats through our dormroom as I open the door to walk out.
"No promises!" I joke as I leave, my cheeks slightly flushed at the implication before making the walk through the student-athlete building and down to the parking lot.
"Alright... Maia, maia.." I mumble as I sit down in my car, fingers scrolling through my phone before finding said girls contact and tapping call. The line ringing for a few moments before it clicks, indicating someone had picked up.
"Hi P!" Maia's cheery voice sounds through the other line, instantly making me smile to myself as the sound brightens my mood.
"Hi, pretty girl. You ready? I'm about to head over."
After speaking, a sound of shuffling movement comes from the otherside of the line before a mumer from a hushed voice is slightly heard, too low for me being able to pick up what was actually said though.
"Yeah! I'm ready, sorry. I ended up having to borrow one of Alyssa's jackets for my outfit since I didn't have any that matched."
"She chose to wear the ONE outfit that she didn't have a jacket to match with, for a date on a colder day. Make it make sense." Alyssa's voice carries through the line as well, speaking after my date's comment. I chuckle, laughing at the background banter before responding.
"Hey, I'm just the driver here, I'm staying out of it."
"Yeah I'm sure you wouldn't care what she wears, for you, she could honestly be nak-"
"Andddd that's enough of out you, goodbye Alyssa!" The sound of a door shutting fills the line along with Maia's now high pitched voice. I chuckle at the cute noise, despite the red on my own cheeks, I cough trying to relieve some of the awkwardness that I knew the other girl must have been feeling. Maia sighs over the line.
"Sorry Paige, you know how she is."
"I know how she is," I echo, agreeing with a laugh. "Don't even worry about it Maia, I'll be there in 10."
"Okay, can't wait." She answers with a small hum before hanging up. I place my phone in the cup holder after the conversation, taking a deep breathe before reversing, starting to drive towards the apartment of the most beautiful girl I had ever laid my eyes on.
Don't mess this up Bueckers.
_______________
"You look amazing." The comment leaves my lips before Maia is even fully over to the passenger side that I'm holding open for her. But even from the slight distance, you can tell the outfit she chose complimented her body shape in more ways than one.
She was wearing a short, spaghetti strapped black dress that hugged every curve the smaller girl had.The back exposed as she passed by me, giving a small shy smile before getting into the vehicle. The outfit was accompanied by a set of tan heels and and a tan cardian like jacket that she was holding in her hands.
Closing the door and making my way back to the drivers side, I rub at the cheeks trying to get the flush stained on them to lessen before getting in. Already moving to interlock my right hand with Maia's left, the shorter girl not skipping a beat as she brought our hands to rest on her thigh.
"So, am I allowed to know where we're going yet?"
"Nope." Is my response, popping the 'P' in the word as I grin at the pouting girl to my right. "You'll love it though, I promise."
"Mmm I better." She jokes as I laugh, starting to reverse and drive down the road with my free hand. "I'm kidding, anywhere with you I know I'll love."
A soft smile makes it's to my lips before I bring our interlocked hands to my mouth, playing a small peck on them before lowering them back to her thigh, all the while my eyes never left the roar.
"Oh, and you look absolutely stunning yourself today Bueckers. I think I'm the lucky one." She comments and I can feel and see her gaze washing over my figure from my peripheral vision. My heart speeding up at the words along with the stare that she has on me.
This girl really doesn't know that hold she has over me.
"I'm glad I could impress. I tried my best." I shoot back, thankfully the confidence in my tone much stronger than what I was currently feeling. Maia giggles, tightening our hand hold slightly before messing with the playlist currently on.
Twenty-five minutes later, as I slow the car down, pulling into the parking lot of a park. I can feel Maia shift, looking out the window as I park the car in a open space. The photographer let's go of my hand, moving to open her door before I stop her, quickly exiting my side before slightly jogging to her side, taking the handle and pulling the door open.
"Well aren't you just the gentlewoman." She says, her expression smiling with her eyes as she let's out a soft laugh, a laugh that I wish I could tape and play whenever I felt down, a laugh that lifted my spirits whenever and wherever.
"Only for you." Is my response, holding out my arm for her to link hers through which she does with a grin.
"So the park?" She questions, knowing that the cute but casual dress code text I had sent her, had to be more than just a park date, she was right.
"Look." I respond, pointing to a small light in the distance. Maia squinting as we got closer, before her eyes widen in surprise.
"Oh wow..." Her voice states in a tone of awe. In front of us laid a table under a tree with candles and small lanterns surrounding it, lighting up the area around it as the sun started to settle behind the horizon. A vase of pure-white roses settled on the middle of the furniture along with a glass of red wine, as a stereo and pinic basket sat on each of the two chairs in front of us. Small fairy like lights also wrapped around the tree next to the set up, reaching up to some of the branches and leaves above. I let go of the shocked girl for a second, placing the stereo that was on her seat near the tree as I connected my phone to it, started to play music lowly.
After that, I pulled the panic basket from my own seat, placing it on the white tablecloth of the table and glancing at the girl who still stood a few steps away, taking in the area.
"You okay there, Parker?" I ask, my confidence growing at seeing the shine in her eyes. She liked it, that was good, right?
"Paige how did you? When did you?"
"This morning. Nika and Azzi helped me set it up considering I still needed time to prepare and buy the stuff in here." I lift the basket up, moving to pull out Maia's chair for her to sit down before sitting in my own.
"I love it... I can't even imagine, you did this for us?"
"For you." I correct, smiling at the blush that rises to her beautiful face.
"Now, I know you're a chipotle and fruit lover, so I did a lil' something." Laughing as I pull out two Tupperware containers, one with chopped pineapple and the other with grapes, Maia's favorite fruits.
Her eyes light up as she sees the fruits of choice which makes my laugh grow a bit, placing the pineapple in the middle of the table before handing her the grapes that her eyes were set on.
"Cut the pineapple myself and got it last night so it's definitely fresh. Grapes I got earlier today." A satisfied hum leaves Maia's lips as she pops a grape into her mouth, her expression brightening.
"Paige these are really really good,
they're sweet. You have to have some." She holds one up as if to feed me, smiling I take the fruit from her fingers before blinking in pleadent surprised, so I had picked good with those too, nice.
"That's actually the first time I've tried them too. They are really good." I agree before moving the glass bowls that were already preset on the table to the side, pulling out a few more items out of an insulated bag that laid inside the basket which kept them warm.
"Chicken, rice, lettuce, beans, some salsa and sour creme." I list off, laying the ingredients out, "Oh, and queso and chips, I didn't forget how you said you loved to make nachos out of them." I continue, remembering after the first practice she had joined us this year of her excitement when she talked about one of her favorite dishes.
"Sorry I couldn't bring any shredded cheese or anything else but it was a pretty tight fit as is." I stated, rubbing the back of my neck as I said so.
"Are you kidding me? Paige you took the time to literally bring Chipotle to me because you remember how much I feign for it." She jokes, it was true. She feigned for Chipotle and Alyssa feigned for Cheesecake factory, something I learned after Maia had revealed to us when we were going to pick up Cailtin.
"Thank you, literally a thousand times over I," She pauses, looking at the set up laid in front of her before just simply smiling up at me, the beautiful light in those gorgeous green eyes. "I've never had someone pay attention to what I say really, let alone remember or take the time out of their day to do something like this." She finishes, reaching to eat another grape before offering me one which I happily eat.
"You deserve it and more, this is only a little of what you truly deserve, Maia." I say, her expression softening at that, "You're worth so much to me, I'd a literally do this everyday I could if you asked me."
She blushes, looking down at the table before looking back to at me. "Thank you."
A happy smile appears on my face.
"Of course."
_______________
Our eaten bowls and utensils lay in a nice neat stack in the corner of the table as Maia talks.
"No, I'm not kidding." She says with a laugh, her eyes crinkled in the playful expression. "10 years old, I'm one of the tallest in my grade, taller than Alyssa, taller than the girls we played with on our basketball team." I laugh alongside her as the girl tells a story from her childhood.
"So during one of our games one of the parents get mad at me for being too tall and right there, smack in the middle of the game forces to get an age check on me. A 10 year old! I'm sure the ref didn't even know the true score of the game, or was even really licensed to officially be there. I think he was a parent for hire like everyone else." She sighs, shaking her head fondly as I just chuckle.
"What is up with basketball and half of the parents being more into it than there kids?"
Maia shrugs, "Parents try to live their failed dreams through their children I guess." Nodding in agreement, I lean back in my chair slightly, smiling at the girl in front of me who pauses, noticing my eyes on her.
"What?" She says, with no venom in her tone, just a genius curiosity in the friendly, angelic voice.
"You're beautiful." I say without thinking, without hesitation as I see the girl react. The tips of her ears growing red but a smile playing at her lips.
"Yeah?"
"If you look up the definition of beautiful in the dictionary, you'd be the front cover page." I comment, feeling satisfied as the red of her ears grows, starting to affect her cheeks.
"And you know what else is great too?"
"What?"
"That I get to take you out like this, and show you just really how much you mean to me." She tilts her head as I reach down into the pinc basket, grabbing one last thing that I never grabbed the hour and a half prior when we first got here. My hands fish aorund the sizable basket before pulling out the item I was looking for.
A small husky plush with a Uconn basketball jersey on it, attached to it's hands was a small letter the size of a greeting card with her name on it. Another fun thing about the stuffed animal that I was able to find, was a mini plastic camera with a strap that I had placed around its neck, making it resemble Maia's role on our team.
Maia takes the stuffed animal from me with a squeal, the same blush on her face but a childlike look in her eyes and a big smile covering her face.
"Paige! Oh my gosh, it's so cute! How did you?" She motions towards the camera, her fingers messing with the small replica before squealing again.
"I never reveal my secrets." I respond, putting a hand over my heart, "I swore to secrecy." I joke, earning a laugh from her before adding onto my words. "Check the card, Maia."
"Oh?" Maia hums, having completely missed the small greeting card attached to its hand in favor of examining its jersey and camera before playing with the black, button nose. She carefully detangles the object from it's hand before opening the card, the white letter purely saying "Be mine?", on it.
I can tell the moment the question registers in her mind because she looks at me with an expression of surprise. I move out of my seat, going to her side of the table before learning over her shoulder slightly, playing with the husky as well before standing up.
"I know we haven't known each other long, Maia..." I start, which was true, we only met a little over a month ago but we had pretty much spent almost everyday together if not every other day after that. "But you have managed my life so much for the better, you've made me so much happier, introduced me to one of my favorite friends." I continue, referencing Alyssa and I lock eyes with Maia. "I know we've hung out before but this is our first official date... I wanted to do this the right way."
"You taught me how it feels to truly fall and care for someone. And if you'd have me, I'd really love to be able to call you mine, and do dates like this many, many times over." I finish, looking at the girl seated in front of me with a hopeful look in my eyes, Maia quickly setting the husky dog before shooting up to hug me.
"I'd love nothing more than that, Paige." She says, hugging me and burying her head into my chest. I laugh happily as I lean down, placing a kiss to her forehead, the shorter shuffling beneath me.slightly before leaning up following me before I fully pulled away.
"Can I kiss you?" I hear my new girlfriend ask, and without a beat I answer the question by leaning down, the warmth of my lips hitting hers.
Thank you for not fucking this up Bueckers.
______________
@Parker.M All eyes on me 👀
Liked By @TheRealKnight, @PaigeBueckers, @NikaMuhl and 2,762 others
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Liked By @Parker.M, @CaitlinClark, @NikaMuhl and 97,025 others
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Liked By @YouHaveMaiaHeart, @AllAboutNika, @LysBeHonest and 96 others
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