Page 48 of Full Court Crush

“Sorry,” Amelia blushed again.

“Where’d you go?”

“Oh, I was just thinking… about what it would be like to live abroad,” she sidestepped. “I’ve never done it.”

“It’s pretty cool. I was lucky. Sonia was a relative local by the time I arrived, so she showed me around and helped me get a real feel for the place quite early on. She's the one who introduced me to Korean food. It became easy to immerse myself. It really felt like home, for a while.”

Sonia. Of course, it was Sonia.

“For a while?” Amelia asked, trying to stop getting distracted.

“Yeah. I mean, it felt less like home once college was done and I wasn’t getting any interest from the WNBA. It would seem that sense of home was contingent on being successful, and once I graduated, I wasn’t. I was just average, working a regular, low-paying job. I floated around for a few years, and then my Dad was ill, so it made sense to come home. Where I’m still average, but at least my family’s here.” Keira laughed.

“Don’t do that.” Amelia lowered the slice of pizza that had been halfway to her mouth.

“Do what?” Keira asked, a crease forming in her brow.

“Don’t put yourself down like that. Saying you’re just ‘average’. You’re amazing,” she said softly.

Keira blushed, then, as if distracting herself, she took an extra large bite of pizza.

Amelia sat in silence and waited.

“We’ll see how this season goes before I agree with that,” Keira finally mumbled.

“Is that all you think you’re good for? Basketball?”

Keira shrugged and leant forward, closing her pizza box with two slices left in it.

“You’re good for more than basketball, Keira.” Amelia took her hand and waited for her gaze to meet her own. “You’re kind and compassionate and funny, and I can think of a few other …talents… you have that I’ve recently experienced.” Amelia tried to lighten the mood, but her cheeks heated as she spoke, and Keira’s eyes darkened.

“Wanna take this upstairs, so I can continue to show you how talented I am?” Keira asked teasingly. Amelia didn’t reply. She simply stood up, helped Keira to her feet, and led her by the hand towards the door.

Chapter 14

Keira

Keirastirredunderanunfamiliar duvet, waking with a deep, shuddering breath and stretching her legs. She lay on a plush super king bed, a luxury compared to her single bed at home. Every corner of her body ached. She slowly blinked her eyes open, allowing the room to come into focus. The room was painted navy blue, with silver-framed art decorating the walls, and a white architrave running around the ceiling. A three-pronged light fitting hung from the ceiling, and the mahogany dresser and wardrobe matched the deep umber tones of the bed frame. She blinked a few more times, then turned on her side. The other half of the bed was empty.

She propped up on her elbows and looked around the room, taking in the décor and the hastily discarded clothes she and Amelia had left strewn across the floor. She leant out of the bed, grabbed her jeans and dragged them towards her, retrieving her phone from the pocket. Her eyes went wide when she saw the time. She never slept past ten. She always had to be up early to make her dad’s breakfast since he couldn’t take his medication on an empty stomach. Her screen also displayed a notification that she had a text from Amelia.

I’m so sorry, I got called into the hospital. There’s a spare key hung up by the door – can you lock up after you leave? Help yourself to coffee and whatever you can scrounge for breakfast x

The annoying little voice in Keira’s head piped up. Why didn’t Amelia wake her and say goodbye? Was she avoiding her? Would she see her before the next training session, or would the awkward first conversation have to happen there?

A second message was from her dad; he’d gone to stay with Frank for the night. At least he hadn’t been alone while Keira had been…busy.

She tried to clear the negative thoughts from her mind, dragged herself out of bed, and got dressed. After checking the room to make sure she had everything, she headed downstairs. She paused in the hallway. Normally, she'd just leave. She looked between the front door and the doorway into the kitchen. If she left, the bubble would burst. Plus, a small part of her wanted to have a proper look around, to help her understand Amelia a little better. She turned and entered the spotless kitchen, filled with real wood and clean lines. She searched the cupboards for instant coffee, not wanting to touch the fancy, expensive-looking coffee machine that sat pride of place on the counter. She carefully closed each cupboard door after herself, but the sound still echoed around the empty house. Briefly, she raised her arms in defeat. Checking her phone once again, she found, yes, Amelia had actually said there was coffee in the house. The cupboards turned up some expensive granola and other foods she didn’t recognise. In the back of one cupboard, she spotted a box of kid’s cereal and smiled, standing on her tiptoes to reach it.

A few minutes later, badly made mug of fancy coffee and cereal in hand, she retreated to the sofa in the living room. She looked around, observing the room properly. The room seemed colder this morning, the greens no longer warm and inviting. The space barely looked lived in. She thought of her own living room, less lavish, but filled with warm memories and homey touches. She couldn’t see any other photos of Amelia’s family, other than the one from her tween years. Perhaps not surprising, but there weren’t even any photos of Amelia with friends, either. The only photos were official Blizzards team shots from previous seasons. It was like she was scared to settle in to her own home.

Keira walked over to one of the bookshelves, running her finger along the spines of the books. Most of them were medical textbooks, some of them she wasn’t even sure she could pronounce the title. There were medical journals, too. There was also a shelf dedicated to basketball. Books on tactics, biographies, and autobiographies of famous players, as well as books on leadership. She wondered if Amelia ever read for fun. She tried to imagine her sitting on a beach at some resort, reading a romance novel while catching a tan. Even imaginary Amelia looked twitchy at the concept.

After washing up her mug and bowl, and gathering her things, Keira exited the house, dutifully locking up and posting the key back through the letterbox. She hadn’t really noticed the rest of the street the night before in the dark, but now in the daylight she could see large houses on each side, and expensive cars parked on the street or in short driveways. This place was far away from the small, terraced house she shared with her dad.

Keira stepped into the chill of her empty house, an icy contrast to the warmth that had enveloped her at Amelia’s place. The silence was disconcerting. Darkness filled every corner, leaving only vague silhouettes of familiar furniture to guide her. She frowned and hesitated in the doorway.This feels weird. She shook off the eerie feeling and flicked on the light switch. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been home alone. If her dad went out, to hospital appointments or to the supermarket, or to visit a friend, she always went with him. She understood how he might feel she was treating him like a child, but he was her dad. She’d never forgive herself if something happened because she wasn’t there.

“Hello?” she called out, just in case. No response came, only the faint echo of her own voice bouncing back at her. She closed the door behind her, attempting to seal the cold outside, with limited effect. Their old, terraced house wasn’t well insulated. Keira shrugged off her coat and hung it up, before glancing into the living room. A thin layer of dust coated the surfaces, and she could see where her father had attempted to tidy up in his own way—his magazines shifted from one spot to another, rubbish collected into one spot, and his blanket carefully folded on the back of the chair. His limited energy meant even that would have been an effort for him.