“Yep. Hey, why don’t you come?”
“What?”
“We’re having our team dinner at Stuart’s bar. You could come and hang out with him. When we’re finished I’ll join you,” Ariana said.
“Yeah, I can see the pictures on social media now.Nicole Neal crashes New York team dinner to get the inside scoop.”
Ariana laughed. “It’s the perfect cover for our secret.”
Nicole’s laughter through the phone caused a tingle to hum through Ariana’s body.
“Okay, basketball buddy, the game is starting,” Nicole said.
They watched the game and commented on the plays. Ariana told Nicole things she saw the other players doing and Nicole praised her observations.
“You’re getting good at this, Ari.”
“I can’t wait to watch a game together. In person,” she added.
“You know, maybe we could do that Sunday.”
“We’replaying Sunday,” Ariana said. “We have a one-on-one game, remember.”
“Oh, I remember,” Nicole said.
Ariana could hear a beeping through the phone. She looked at her screen and only saw Nicole’s picture. “Are you getting another call?”
“Yes, it’s Shea. I’ll call her later,” Nicole said. “I meant to tell you that my conversation with her went well. No more setups and my love life is now my own.”
“Good for you.”
“Thanks for suggesting I wait to talk to her when I wasn’t so upset.”
“I’m glad it worked out,” Ariana said. “When you texted me earlier I must have been smiling because Rae and Nia were full of questions.”
“Uh oh.”
“It’s okay, I told them if they wanted me to keep playing as great as I have been then they wouldn’t get in my business,” Ariana explained.
“Oh, nicely done,” Nicole said.
Ariana chuckled. “Yeah, maybe our love lives are our own now.”
“I don’t know about you, but I have confidence we can take care of ourselves and we know what we’re doing.”
Ariana thought about this for a moment. Maybe Nicole knew what she was doing, but Ariana wasn’t so sure. There was something about Nicole Neal and all Ariana wanted was to spend more and more time with her. Whenever she thought about it, though, all she saw were obstacles. Nicole couldn’t go out with her, so why even think that way. Maybe being friends would be enough.
“What a play!” Nicole exclaimed.
Ariana sighed and put her focus back on the game.
“What’s wrong?” Nicole asked. “Don’t worry, you wouldn’t let that pass make it over your head like Preston did.”
“You have a lot of confidence in my abilities,” Ariana said, amused.
“I’ve been watching you play for years,” Nicole said. “I know you as an athlete, Ari, and I like the person I’m getting to know.”
“Isn’t that funny,” Ariana said. “I’ve been listening to you for years, but the more we talk the more I want to know. Going for that ball and landing in your lap was the best save I’ve ever made.”
