Chapter 17

PAT‘s POV:

The final buzzer echoed through the stadium.

And then everything became noise.

Cheers. Shouting. My teammates screaming. The crowd standing.

The feeling of relief crashed into me all at once.

We won.

After months of training.

Months of sacrifices.

Months of pain.

We won.

Before anyone could stop me, I was already moving. Past my teammates. Past the coaches. Past everyone trying to celebrate.

I only had one destination.

Kat.

She was standing near the barrier separating the audience from the court, smiling.

The same smile I had been missing for months.

The same smile that somehow made every difficult day worth it.

“Pat!”

I heard her call, and before I could think about it, I wrapped my arms around her.

The hug was so sudden that she froze for a second. Then slowly, I felt her arms wrap around my neck, holding me just as tightly.

“You won.” She laughed softly. “You actually won.”

I smiled against her shoulder.

“We did.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

“Missed you.”

I felt her tighten her hold.

Just slightly.

“Missed you too.”

For a moment, neither of us let go.

Honestly, I didn’t want to.

Then my teammates started shouting from behind us.

“Oy!”

“Get a room!”

“Tricia!”

I immediately stepped back while Kat looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

“Your teammates are annoying.”

I laughed.

“They really are.”

After a few more minutes of celebration, I headed back to the locker room to change.

For the first time in months, everything felt right.

When I walked outside again, Kat was waiting on a nearby bench scrolling through her phone.

The moment she saw me, she smiled.

And somehow, that smile still affected me.

“Food?” I asked.

“Please.”

I laughed.

“That tired?”

“You have no idea.”

So we left the stadium and found a restaurant nearby.

And somehow, nothing felt awkward.

Not even after months apart.

We talked about everything.

Her nursing duties.

My training.

Her classmates.

My teammates.

Hospital stories.

Basketball stories.

The professors we hated.

The people who annoyed us.

The food we missed from San Juan.

Everything.

And nothing.

It felt like we had never been apart.

Like no time had passed.

Like we were still those two kids walking home after school.

“Remember when you failed cooking class?” I asked.

Kat gasped dramatically.

“I DID NOT FAIL.”

“You literally burned the pan.”

“That happened once.”

“Twice.”

“Pat.”

I laughed.

And hearing her laugh again made me realize how much I missed this.

The simple things.

Just being with her.

Eventually, we returned to the stadium because there was still one game left.

Matthew Villanueva’s game.

The men’s finals.

The stadium was even louder now.

The pressure heavier.

The crowd bigger.

“You’re late.”

I looked up and saw Mat approaching us.

“We were eating.”

His eyes immediately landed on Kat.

“Hi, Kat.”

“Hi.”

She smiled politely.

And just like that, the game started.

Fortunately for him, they won too.

The entire stadium erupted in celebration.

Players screaming.

Students cheering.

Another championship for Raven.

After the awarding ceremony, Mat immediately suggested food.

“We should celebrate.”

“We?” I asked.

He looked offended.

“Yes. We.”

Then he looked at Kat.

“You too.”

A few minutes later, the three of us were sitting inside a restaurant.

Well.

Mostly Mat and Kat were talking.

“How’s nursing?”

“Tiring.”

“What hospital do you rotate in?”

She answered patiently.

Again.

And again.

And again.

I sat across from them trying not to roll my eyes.

Because somehow, Mat always found another question.

Another topic.

Another reason to keep Kat talking.

And Kat, being Kat, answered every single one.

By the time we finished eating, it was already close to eleven.

The streets outside were quieter.

The night colder.

Kat checked her phone and frowned.

“I think I missed the last trip.”

My eyebrows immediately furrowed.

“What?”

“The buses.”

She looked around.

“I don’t think there are any available anymore.”

I checked the time.

11:03 PM.

Way too late.

“Then stay with me.”

The words came out naturally.

Kat blinked.

“What?”

“Stay at my place.”

Before she could answer, Mat immediately agreed.

“Yeah. It’s safer.”

I glared at him.

“What?”

He laughed.

“I’m right.”

Annoying.

But true.

Kat hesitated.

“I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You won’t.”

I answered immediately.

A small smile appeared on her face.

“Okay.”

And for some reason, my heart felt lighter.

The ride back to my condo was quiet and comfortable.

The moment we entered, Kat looked around.

Then looked at me.

Then looked around again.

“Pat.”

“What?”

“You cleaned.”

I immediately looked away.

“So?”

She pointed around the unit.

“YOU CLEANED.”

I groaned.

“It’s not a big deal.”

“It is a big deal.”

I rolled my eyes.

Because unfortunately, she was right.

I had spent an entire week preparing.

Not because she asked.

Because I wanted to.

I bought an extra toothbrush.

The exact brand she liked.

The soap she always used.

A new towel.

Extra pillows.

Extra blankets.

I even cleaned places I normally ignored.

And now she was looking at everything suspiciously.

“You planned this.”

She accused.

“No.”

“Pat.”

“Maybe.”

She laughed.

The kind of laugh that made her eyes disappear.

And suddenly, all the effort felt worth it.

My condo wasn’t big.

Just a small unit.

A living room.

A kitchen.

One bathroom.

Two bedrooms.

Enough space for two or three people.

Nothing fancy.

Nothing special.

But when Kat walked inside, it felt warmer.

More alive.

More like home.

She wandered around the place like she owned it, opening doors and inspecting everything.

“Not bad.”

I snorted.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

She laughed.

“I like it.”

For some reason, hearing that made me happier than winning earlier.

Maybe because this place was mine.

Built from scholarships, savings, and sacrifices.

And somehow, hearing her approve of it mattered.

A lot.

Later that night, as she stood in the middle of my living room smiling at me, I realized something.

After months of phone calls.

Months of waiting.

Months of missing her.

Katherine Reyes was finally here.

And for one night…

I didn’t have to miss her at all.