I didn’t know how the rest of the players felt about Eva and me being the so-calledChosen Two. We weren’t just teammates—we were the couple Briana had decided to sell. And I hadn’t had time to process any of it.
I felt Briana’s presence beside me, just out of my peripheral vision. I turned, and she gave me a small, sympathetic smile like she was about to drop something heavy.
“Lex,” she said, her tone clipped but not unkind. “Can we talk?”
I nodded, my heart already beating a little faster. She motioned for me to follow her away from the rest of the scrimmaging teams.
We ended up near the back corner of the gym, the sound of practice echoing faintly around us. Briana crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall. The energy from the rest of the gym still buzzed around us, but in this little pocket, it was just the two of us.
“You good?” she asked. Her voice was softer than usual, but I could tell she was sizing me up.
I shrugged. “Getting into the groove. First day and all that.”
She hummed, eyeing me like she was weighing her words. “Good. Because there’s something I need to be straight with you about—why you and Eva are on the same team.”
I braced myself, the words hanging in the air before she even said them. I forced out a breath and tried to swallow the rising discomfort. “You already said it—we’re must-see-TV.”
“Listen.” Briana unfolded her arms, stepping closer like she was trying to level with me. “I know you’re not here for the cameras. You’re a hell of a player, and you’re not someone who takes shortcuts. But this league? It’s not just about who can score the most points. It’s aboutthe storywe’re telling. It’s about who we are on and off the court and making people care. And Eva and you? You’ve got a helluva story.”
The weight in my chest tightened, and I could feel my jaw clenching. I wasn’t sure if I felt more frustrated by her bluntness or by the fact that she was right.
“So, you thought it would be good for the brand?” I asked, trying to keep my voice level, even as the words felt sour on my tongue. “To put us on the same team?”
“Exactly,” she said, unflinching. “It’s about drawing more eyes to the game. Eva’s star power is undeniable, and you’ve got the grit to make it real. Together, you’ll create something people can’t look away from. People will tune in just to see what happens when you two step on the court together.”
The thought of it made me feel small in a way I hadn’t expected. It wasn’t just about being an athlete anymore—it was about being a product.
“I didn’t sign up for a reality show,” I muttered under my breath.
“I get it,” she said, her tone softening a little. “But sometimes, reality makes for the best stories. People want to see therealyou. They want to see how you two navigate being teammates, being partners ... figuring out how to blend both of those worlds.”
I looked away, trying to focus on the sound of basketballs bouncing in the background. I wanted to disappear into that noise, where the only thing that mattered was playing ball. But I couldn’t.
Briana let the silence hang for a moment. “This league can’t fail, Lex,” she said. “Because if it does, weallsuffer—not just the women here.”
I finally met her gaze again. “Alright,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “Thanks for being straight with me.”
She gave me a half-smile, like she knew I was still processing everything. “You’ll see. You’ll get it when it clicks. We’re not just selling tickets, Lex.”
With those parting words, Bri turned to walk back to the court and her own team, leaving me standing in the corner, trying to shake off the unease swirling inside of me.
I watched her go and then glanced over at Eva, who was chatting with our new teammates, Arika and Rayah. The tension that had been building over the morning felt heavier now, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was coming—something bigger than the league, than basketball, than our relationship.
And, for the first time, I wondered if I was ready to face it.
Our assignedapartment felt like a world away from the practice facility. The door clicked shut behind us, and I tossed my gym bag on the floor. Eva walked to the refrigerator to fill a glass of water. Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy.
“So …” I rubbed the back of my neck, “same team, huh?”
She took a long sip from her water glass. “You don’t sound thrilled.”
I stepped out of my slides in the entryway. “I’m just… I’m trying to wrap my head around it. You know, being the center of attention because of our relationship.”
Eva turned to face me fully. “We could have stayed in Chicago, kept doing our thing.” Her voice dropped a little, but there was no mistaking the hint of challenge in her tone.
I opened my mouth to respond, but she beat me to it, her eyes narrowing slightly. “But you wanted this, Lex.”
I felt a flare of heat across my chest. She wasn’t wrong. The prospect of a low-key off-season had seemed a lot less appealing once Briana had sold me on the idea of doing something—being part of something bigger. But now, with our relationship under a microscope, I wasn’t so sure.
