Nika's P.O.V
Hours later, close to 1 A.M I concede as I look at my phone and Alyssa's party was still going on, more so turning into a sleepover like hang out at Maia's fathers home. Alyssa's teammates had gone back to campus early in the day as they had last minute homework to do, the same with some of my own teammates.
Those who were left gathered in one of the guest rooms as we played Truth or Dare. Paige was settled in a big, red beanbag chair with Maia cuddled into her, Kk was sitting with Caroline, Ice, Quadance, Caitlin, Kate, Aubrey and Azzi on the floor while Alyssa and myself sat on the bed.
"When are you giving her the gift?" Caitlin had asked me a bit earlier on the day, knowing that I had the matching gift to her own, plus the thought behind mine. A small knowing grin on her face.
"I need to find a good time... You know how Alyssa is with the spotlight, if I give it to her in front of everyone, everyone's going to make a big fuss." Caitlin had nodded in acknowledgement, "You got this Muhl, don't overthink it."
"Oh how I'm overthinking it.." I mutter to myself as it was already 1AM, technically past her birthday, and I hadn't even given it to her.
"Did you say something?" Alyssa shifts next to me, moving as she extending her Legg so she wasn't sitting on her wrapped ankle, I shook my head, lying.
"Nothing important."
She raises an eyebrow and I give a weak smile, trying to convince her otherwise.
"Nika..." She says with a slight warning tone as I just softly laugh.
"It's nothing, promise." I speak in Croatian, my homeland accent instantly coming put to accompany the words. Alyssa's eyebrows furrow before she glances away, looking back towards the girls who were playing the game. Kk had currently been dared to give a dance routine to 'Get it Sexy'.
"BOW BOW BOW." Kk yells, dropping into her signature bounce and making the girls in the room laugh as she finishes, sitting back down before looking around the room.
"Alyssa, truth or dare."
Alyssa blinks, "Truth." She says with almost with no hesitation making Maia groan in Paige's lap.
"So boring."
"Shut it, Parker." Alyssa shoots back, before listening to Kk.
"If you could have a free fuck with anyone here, who would it be?" The room goes silent at the question as Kk has a big smug grin on her face.
"You know," Alyssa says, her face slightly red and voice a bit higher than usual. "I think I'm just going to drink for that one and not answer." That was also another rule we had, if you didn't want to answer a truth you'd take a shot.
"We're out of the bottle from earlier," Maia states, as at least everyone in the room had taken at least one shot by now.
"I'll go get another." The volleyball player quickly says, standing up from the bed and walking out the door and preassumingly downstairs to get another body.
"So... are you not going to go with her?" Quandance speaks up, looking at me as the rest of the eyes on the room does. I blushes, muttering how the whole bunch of them HAD to be praying on my downfall. I lock eyes with Caitlin before I exit the room, who just nods at me.
The pure size of Maia's father's gone alone was insane, it shouldn't have been such a surprise to me when the girl literally said her father covered their rent and more, I knew they had to be well off, but this was an entirely different level.
Walking down the stairs, I hear Alyssa singing to herself softly in the kitchen as she looks for another bottle of whatever she was going to choose.
"So the song is stuck in your head now too huh?" I comment as the lyrics of 'Get it Sexy' were now falling from her mouth instead of KK's phone. She jumps, knocking her head on the cabinet above her before moving her hand to cover the top of her head, grimacing.
My eyes widen as I instantly regret not making myself known earlier. "Shit, are you okay?" I walk over to her, starting to reach for the black-haired girls hair. "I didn't meant to scare you." Gently moving Alyssa's hand, I start checking the area she hit to make sure there wasn't a major injury.
"It's okay, I know you didn't mean it." Alyssa speaks, I can feel her gaze on me but I'm too preoccupied making sure that I didn't cause the girl I cared for to hurt herself. "How's it looking, doc?" She says, a joking shift of her voice.
I glance at her and smile at the girls humor, rubbing the girls scalp gently where she had hit it before pulling my hand away, not missing how Alyssa seemed to try and follow my touch before stopping. I tilt my head before deciding to ignore it, answering her joke from earlier.
"Looks all good to me. Seems like your hard head is good for something after all." I gasp in fake shock as the girl slaps me softly against the shoulder with the back of her hand, before starting to laugh as said girl rolls her eyes at me. "Hey, that was a good one."
"Hey that was a good one." She mocks on what I assume to be her try at my own voice which only makes me laugh louder. "Whatever Nika." She says but I can tell in her voice that she's not really upset.
I hum lightly, leaning against the counter separating us as I watch her go back to looking for the bottle, making a content noise.as she pulls out what she was looking for. I squint my eyes trying see the label. "Tequila?"
"Tequila." She confirms with a happy nod, opening up the bottle and taking a shot glass to take the shot she owed, quickly downing it.
"What would the world think to awe little ol 20 year old Knight used to shots."
"I'd tell them to fuck off and mind their own." She responds joking, glancing at me with a spark of light in her eyes. The shot having been her first of the night. When she starts to move to take the items upstairs, I stop her causing her to look my way with a confused expression.
"One second." I say, going into the living room and digging through my purse that I had brought, grabbing a long black box before making my way over to Alyssa again, making her put the bottle and glass down on the counter before handing her the gift.
"Your surprise."
Her eyes light up, remembering the bet from earlier and she works on opening the box. Her eyes start to widen as she sees a shimmer of gold peaking through. I smile softly.
"Caitlin told me she told you before you guys came over... But I'm the matching girl." I reveal with a short laugh, watching as the athlete pulls out the golden, diamond necklace. Her initial covered in small diamonds, with a second charm attached to the chain itself, a small golden circle with the girls birth date engraved on the back of it.
"Nika..." I can hear the awe in her voice, and pride swells inside my chest at the realization that I did good.
"Do you like it?"
"Like it? Nika I love it." Her fingers glide over the A before seeing the charm with her birthdate on it, her eyes starting to water as my pride quickly falls, starting to turn into work before she hugs me tightly, head buried in my neck.
"Thank you." She says, her voice so quiet as I instantly wrap my arms back around her.
"Your welcome."
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Third person, one week earlier
"When she was little, before her mom passed, she used to have a gold necklace with her inital on it." Caitlin spoke to Nika as they walked in the mall, showing Nika and picture of it from when the girl was 15.
"The one she got on her ninth birthday right? The year before she passed."
Caitlin blinks, seemingly surprised that Nika knew the information, but she just nods.
"Shes told you?" Nika nods in response, the Croatian rubbing her arm as the pair continues in the direction of the jewelery store they were going to.
"A bit yeah, she told me how it was super important to her, and how baggage claim lost it on one or her out of state volleyball tournaments when she was 16. She never told me much else."
Caitlin hummed, pocketing the device in her sweatshirt again before responding, "I'm surprised and not at the same time."
Nika looks at her confused, "What do you mean?"
"I was going to say I'm surprised she told you, talking about her mother always takes a toll on her, and she doesn't just tell that information to just anyone. But then I shouldn't be surprised because both you and I know that you guys mean a lot to each to each other."
Nika stays quiet at the girls words, opting to the just continue walking as she looks up at the store's sign that they were trying to find, glancing back over at Caitlin.
"Do you think this would be a good gift idea from me then?" She asked, wanting to get a replica made.
"It's an amazing one Muhl, she'll love it."
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Nika's P.O.V
"How did you know how it looked?" I can hear the tears in the girls voice as she pulls away, staring at the necklace in her head, I'm sure memories surfacing.
"Caitlin showed me the pictures... I tried to get it made as closely as possible. I know how much it meant to you by the way you talked about it when you told me." I say softly, lifting a hand to wipe at the tears falling down her cheeks.
Alyssa freezes slightly at my touch before laughing slightly, bringing up her free hand to wipe at her opposite cheek. "I didn't even know I was crying."
"It's okay." I respond instantly, gazing at the girl infront of me, "It's just me, it's more than okay to cry and feel things." I state, knowing the girl had a habit of trying to hide emotions or look tough, I did exactly the same thing.
"It looks just like it..." She says quietly, still looking at the necklace before looking up at me. I give her a smile.
"I guess I did good then, huh?" I say softly, gesturing towards the necklace, "Can I see it?"
She nods, giving me the necklace as I motion for her to turn around so I can put it on her. She follows my instruction, lifting her hair as I clasp the jewelery around her neck. She turns back around, a hand coming to wrap around the charm on her chest before suddenly hugging me again. "Thank you so much, Nika. You have no idea what this means to me."
I blush as I can feel the younger girl's breath on my neck as she buries her face back into the crevice there, causing a laugh from me as she comments again. "You smell good."
"I try?" I joke, arms wrapped around the emotional girl, rubbing her back. "And you're welcome Lyz. I'm glad you liked it."
"Loved it." She corrects in my native tongue, her voice slightly muffled as she was still cuddled into me, I could feel the girl's stature relax.
"Come on now Alyssa, you can't fall asleep yet." I laugh, hand still rubbing circles on her back.
"M' happy... and comfy." She pulls away slightly to look up at me before laughing quietly, the necklace around her neck glinting from the kitchen light. My chest warms at the cute sight.
"You've got to at least get back upstairs first."
"Carry me, you won't." She dares, but is already pulling away as if the challenge was fake. However, crush or not I wasn't backing down, a smirk making its way on my face as I suddenly scoop her up, one arm under her legs and the other around her back. She yelps as I suddenly pick her up bridal style, arms wrapping around my neck to steady herself.
I don't think she ever figured out I was the one who carried her back when she fell asleep in the gym, so it was probably a shock with how easy I could lift her.
"Holy shit." The girl states before laughing, leaning into my chest as I start to walk. "You're insane, Nika."
"I don't back down from a challenge." I respond, starting to walk up the stairs. Who knows the amount of teasing I'd get for this in the morning but it was definitely worth it. Walking into a free guest room, without the noise of the other rambunctious girls I place her down on one of the beds while laughing at the girl who was still holding onto me.
"The Muhl express is now closed for business, hope you enjoyed the ride." I comment, before blinking to myself at the way the sentence could have been taken. Before I could even open my mouth to clear up the meaning, "Alyssa?"
"Stay with me?" She says quietly, still having a hold on my arm. I blink down, looking at the girl who suddenly seemed exhausted again, yawning quietly.
Oh yeah I was getting the absolutely living shit teased out of me tomorrow
"You sure?" I question and the tired girl nods. "Then of course, whatever you want Lyz." I say softly and truthfully, already in pajamas as I walk to the otherside of the bed, climbing under the covers with the other girl, who instantly turns to face me.
My heart speeds up watching the volleyball player watch me. She continues looking at me, aa if thinking about something before shuffling towards me, wrapping her arms, starting to cuddle into me like before, head on my chest. "Is this okay?"
My heart skips a beat at the feeling, and as I hear my voice I hum, bringing my own arms around the girl.
"More than okay, goodnight Lyz.."
A yawn and another shuffle as she cuddles closer to me. "Goodnight... Nika..."
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@TheRealKnight 11 years ago, my mother gifted me with a necklace with my initial and birth date on it, 10 years ago, my mother passed away from an auto immune disease, 4 years ago while travelling, the airport had lost my luggage, along with my mothers last gift to me, and on my birthday, @NikaMuhl gifted me with an exact replica of my long lost mothers memory. I cannot express the love, and thankfulness I feel towards her who's quickly become one of my best friends in more ways than one, Thank you Nika. I love you. and Mom? I miss you.
Liked by @NikaMuhl, @PaigeBueckers, @Parker.M and 13,259 others.
@NikaMuhl Anything for you Lyz <3
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@BucketNIce 30 minutes later into the disappearance and we've found the sleeping princesses !
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