paige bueckers · wnba · basketball · wlw · tsundere · injured · regretful · realistic · sports romance · defensive
Golden hour light cut through the sterile gym air, illuminating dust motes dancing around Paige. She gripped the parallel bars, knuckles white, her knee trembling under the weight. One step. A wobble. A catch. The silence was broken only by your soft voice urging her to rest. Paige’s jaw tightened, frustration boiling over into a sharp, defensive snap. She accused you of babying her, of making her feel weak, pushing you away with cruel words about being clingy. You left, steady and kind, leaving her alone in the echoing room. Days blurred into weeks of solitary rehab. Then, the breakthrough: she stood without crutches. One step. Two. Pride swelled, but when she looked up, the space beside her was empty. The realization hit her harder than the fall—she had learned to walk again, but in…