Chapter 38

Caitlin’s Pov :

It’s been three weeks since that night with Sienna – the night after dinner with my teammates. Three weeks, and yet every detail still lingers in my mind as if it happened only hours ago.

I can still feel her lips against mine – soft, warm, and searching – like she was memorizing the shape of me. The faint taste of wine and mint still haunts me, sweet and intoxicating. I can still feel the way her body moved beneath mine, the slow rhythm of our breathing syncing as if we were made to find each other in that quiet darkness. Every sound she made – the breathless sighs, the way my name fell from her lips – it’s etched into me.

But it wasn’t just desire that night. It was something deeper, something that caught me completely off guard. Somewhere between her laughter and the softness of her touch, I felt something I hadn’t expected to feel – love.

It hit me when I looked at her afterward, lying there beside me. The dim light barely touched her skin, but her eyes… her eyes still shimmered, green and endless, like they held entire galaxies I wanted to spend a lifetime exploring. She smiled at me then – that teasing, gentle smile – and joked about owning half of my ridiculous sneaker collection. I laughed, and for the first time in a long time, it felt easy.

Sienna Callaway wasn’t just beautiful; she was breathtaking in a way that felt dangerous. She was a goddess in her own right – and somehow, she chose to see me.

And in that moment, lying there beside her, I knew.
I was in love with her. And I wouldn’t change a single thing.

“Hello, Caitlin – earth to Caitlin Clark.”

Lexie’s voice pulled me back to reality, her hand frozen midair from waving in front of my face. I blinked a few times, trying to shake off the haze of my thoughts. Sienna’s name, her face, her voice – they’d been looping in my mind again.

Lexie tilted her head, her brows knitting together slightly, concern softening her sharp features. We were in my apartment – the faint hum of music playing from the speaker, the smell of popcorn in the air. It was supposed to be a relaxing day. Coach had given us time off, and I’d invited the rest of the team to hang out, but everyone else had plans. Lexie, being Lexie, was the only one who said yes without hesitation.

“Hey, Cait,” she said again, her tone gentle this time. “You alright? You were totally zoned out there. Wanna talk about it?”

Her words were light, but her eyes were steady – patient, kind, the way they always were when she sensed something was off. She gave me that smile, the one that could calm a storm if it tried hard enough. Her famous Lexie smile – genuine, warm, untouched by the world’s harshness.

I couldn’t help but smile back, though it was small. There was something comforting about her presence – the way she carried this quiet strength, even after taking elbows and falls on the court that would send anyone else straight to the locker room. She’d just dust herself off, flash that soft grin, and keep going.

“I’m fine,” I lied, fiddling with the hem of my hoodie. “Just… thinking.”

Lexie raised an eyebrow, settling on the couch beside me. Her knee brushed mine as she leaned back, crossing her arms. “About basketball or about someone?”

She always saw through me – like she had this radar for things I didn’t say.

I chuckled weakly. “Since when did you become a mind reader?”

“Since you started smiling hard every time your phone buzzes,” she said, a teasing lilt in her voice. “And since you’ve been smiling at nothing for the last fifteen minutes. I might not be a genius, but I can connect the dots.”

I looked away, heat crawling up my neck. Maybe I wasn’t as subtle as I thought. My eyes drifted toward the window, the sunlight spilling across the floor, and for a moment, I saw her again – Sienna. Her green eyes. Her voice. The way she whispered my name like it was something sacred.

Lexie nudged me gently. “It’s her, isn’t it?”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t have to.

Lexie sighed softly, but it wasn’t judgmental – it was knowing. “You really like her.”

I swallowed hard, my chest tightening in that way it always did when I thought about Sienna. “Yeah,” I murmured. “I do.”

And saying it out loud somehow made it feel more real – and more terrifying.

I let out a soft exhale, my gaze drifting toward the blank TV screen in front of me. My reflection stared back – tired eyes, messy hair, and a heart that felt too heavy to hold in my chest. I turned to Lexie, who was already watching me with that knowing grin, the one that said I already know what you’re about to confess.

I sighed, my throat tight, and before I could talk myself out of it, the words slipped out. My voice trembled, quieter than I intended.

“Lex, I don’t think I just like Sienna anymore,” I admitted, my fingers twisting nervously in my lap. “I more than like her. I… I love her, Lex.”

The room went still after that. My voice cracked on the last word, and I blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears burning behind my eyes. My chest felt like it was caving in – not from pain, but from the sheer truth of it. Saying it out loud made it real, and suddenly it was terrifying and freeing all at once.

Lexie didn’t say anything right away. She didn’t need to. She just leaned forward and pulled me into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around me in that protective, grounding way only she could. Her embrace was warm, steady – like she was holding me together while my heart spilled open.

“Oh, Cait,” she murmured against my shoulder, her voice soft but full of warmth. “I’m so happy for you. I knew this was coming.”

I pulled back slightly, wiping at my eyes with the sleeve of my hoodie, trying to laugh through the emotion clogging my throat. “You knew?”

Lexie grinned, her blue eyes twinkling with amusement. “Of course I did. The way you look at her, Cait…” she said, shaking her head with a teasing laugh. “You look at her like she’s your whole damn world. Like you’d drop to your knees if she so much as breathed your name.”

“Lexie!” I gasped, my cheeks burning.

She only giggled harder, covering her mouth like she was trying to keep it down. “What? It’s true! I’ve seen you. Every time her name comes up, you get that look, – that soft, lovesick, totally whipped expression, you even had that same look that night- during dinner.”

I couldn’t even argue. I buried my face in my hands, groaning. “God, you make it sound so obvious.”

“Because it is obvious,” she said lightly, patting my knee. “You’re in love, Cait. The real kind – the kind that makes you nervous and brave at the same time.”

Her words hung in the air, soft and honest. I leaned back against the couch, my heart still fluttering from saying it aloud. I loved Sienna. There was no denying it now.

And even though the thought scared me – the thought of wanting someone that much, of being that vulnerable – it also made me feel alive.

I looked at Lexie again, her gentle smile reassuring me that maybe, just maybe, falling for Sienna Callaway wasn’t a mistake.

Authors Note :

Hey darlings, sorry for my lack of updates, I’ve had no motivation and I’m really busy preparing for finals, school finally finishes next month after my finals and than I’m free from the shackles of studying and boring exams…. please don’t be silent readers and give up on me so easily, sorry for this short filler chapter….I promise next chapter will be better. Until next time lovelies, stay safe.

XoXo V 💜💜💜