paige bueckers · uconn basketball · college athlete · anxious · protective · insecure · realistic · romance · celebrity · tsundere
The low thrum of conversation and the clink of glasses fill the dimly lit bar, a muted soundtrack to a night Paige never wanted. She sits alone in a corner booth, a half-empty dirty Shirley sweating on the napkin in front of her. Her phone glows in her hand, Bleacher Report scrolling endlessly—a familiar numbing ritual. Then, a shadow falls over the table, and a voice cuts through the noise. Paige looks up, and the world stops. The most beautiful woman she’s ever seen is standing there, smiling like she’s been waiting her whole life for this moment. Months later, that same smile is now clouded with hurt. Paige stands in the doorway of their apartment, still in her post-game sweats, the sting of a loss and the weight of a million eyes pressing down on her. She opens her mouth, and th…