Hours compressed themselves into minutes before Stella stood up. Leaning against the wall, she brushed the dust off of her leggings using it as an excuse to not look at the hurt look on Keith's face. Satisfied she was dirt-free, Stella risked a glance at him. "I'm sorry," she mumbled when she decided he had composed himself. "I just don't feel ready for that." Her voice came out louder.

Biting his lip, Keith nodded his understanding.

The seconds ticked by. Stella wanted to reach out and touch him but some invisible force kept her hands firmly at her side. She kept watch, hoping that he would just glance at her. Every quick-thought idea that came to her was discarded just as quickly. She clenched her fist; there had to be something she could do that would make him feel better. Stella's eyes lit up as inspiration struck. "Wasn't there a basketball court on our way in?"

Keith looked at her, eyebrow cocked as if to ask where she was going with this.

"I was thinking we could play. Any time one of us makes a shot we get to ask a personal question about the other." Stella shifted her weight as she waited for a response. "It's not that I don't like you; I do. A lot." She looked down, willing the redness that spread to go away. "There's just too much emotion attached to all that." She gestured towards his hands, which he had shoved in his pockets at some point.

The smile that spread across Keith's face warmed her heart. "Don't you think I have an unfair advantage?" he asked as his eyes looked over her.

Stella grinned back at him. "Why? Cause you got about a good six inches on me?" she asked as she moved closer to him. "Didn't your partner ever tell you about the shorty who beats his ass at least once a month?"

"You know, he tells that the other way."

Caught between a witty reply and texting Howie to call him a macho asshole, Stella kept Keith's gaze. "Well, play me and see which one of us is the liar," she whispered.

"Do I still get my breakfast date?"

"Do I still get to do the boyfriend meet the fam dinner?" Stella countered. She noticed that his eyes weren't purely gray; there were flecks of greenish-gold scattered within.

"I think that's doable." His hot hands found their way around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

Stella replied with a smile before leaning forward to kiss him. His hair slid through her hands like water before she rested them on the back of his neck. That warm feeling spread throughout her body, only stopping when it reached her toes. She followed him as he pulled back, a low whine escaped when she couldn't stand any higher, not even on her toes. Stella could hear his heart thump as she leaned against him, the noise slowly helped her head stop spinning.

"Come on, we can continue later."

Peeling herself off of him, Stella moved her hand to caress his cheek. The beginnings of stubble scratched against her thumb, a sure sign that he'd need to shave soon. Keith's eyes crinkled with a smile at the touch as he covered her chilly hand with his. Without quite understanding how it happened, she found herself crushed against him. The smell of dirt and flowers permeated her nose, his laundry detergent a hidden note among them. Fingers wove through her braid as the other rested just above her behind. "You know, you're kind of cute."

"I got through two dates and one random meetup without you calling me that." She turned her head to rest her cheek against him. "I thought I finally managed to disabuse you of that idea."

"Not even close."

"Alright, basketball," she said as she pulled away from his warm body. Stella took his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"I still think I have an unfair advantage."

She rolled her eyes at his teasing tone. "If I can kick that beanpole's ass, I can kick yours too."

He let out a sound that was a cross between a disbelieving snort and a laugh. "I'll believe that when I see it." Keith eyed her up again, before guiding her towards the basketball court. "Shorty."

Unable to come up with a good enough response, Stella elbowed him instead.

It didn't take long for them to get to the court. She was relieved to find one empty, the other was filled with a few high schoolers playing against each other. "You know the standard rules?" Stella asked as she took a ball off the rack. Her fingers started to itch with the rubbery surface underneath them.

"Yep. You?"

She bounced the ball a few times. Satisfied that it was inflated enough, she nodded. "Wanna do a few free throws to see who goes first? First who misses is on defense?" Stella turned, still dribbling the ball, to face the net. She eyed it up, calculating the distance. It'd be a long shot, that much was certain.

"Sure."

A cheeky grin on her face, she threw the ball. It caught the rim, teetering for a second. Seconds dragged themselves into minutes as they both watched it. It tipped, the net swishing as the ball dropped through it. "Where'd you learn to play like that?" Keith asked as he picked his jaw off the ground.

"I was on my high school's team. Can't make a shot like that during a game, though." She bounded off to go get the ball from the corner it rested in. Returning with it, she held it out for Keith

His eyes flicked between her and the hoop. "You know, I'm not even going to embarrass myself by trying to top that one."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Your loss then."

Once they stepped onto the court, she took off. The ball smacked off the floor as she struggled to maintain a good speed; Stella wanted to do nothing more than to take off with it and run. Keith was on her before she could blink. He kept himself between her and the hoop, using his height to his advantage. Stella kept her eye on the basket. She put on a burst of speed. That bit of space between them was just enough for her to execute a hook shot.

The ball sailed from her hand and sunk into the net. "You were saying something about having an unfair advantage?" she asked as she grinned at him.

He picked the ball up from where it rested. "I'm not making that mistake twice. What's your question?"

"Who's your best friend?"

Keith blinked at her. "A guy named Carlos. Met him while on Parris Island." He shifted the ball. 

"Ready to answer one?"

"If you make a shot." Stella took her hoodie off, wiping the back of her neck and tied it around her waist.

She kept on him as he tried to head for the net. Keith used his longer reach to keep the ball away, but Stella was able to use her height to keep him off balance. Coach Cobb's voice echoed in her memory, reminding her to "keep up in their grill; it's one of the best advantages a short player has." She was close enough to smell his sweat and see it trickle down the side of his face. When he tried to take a shot, she was close enough to keep him from being able to complete it.

Then she saw her opening. He switched which hand the ball was in. Before he could gain control she swooped in. Spinning to face the net, Stella threw the ball. It bounced off the backboard, circled the rim and fell into the net. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Keith stared at it, lips parted. "How?" he finally asked.

"You'll have to score to get an answer," she replied with a cheeky grin as she jogged off to get the ball. Stella wiped her forehead when she returned, resting the ball against her hip. "So, what's Carlos like?"

Keith looked at her as if to ask if that was what she really wanted to know about him – his friend. With a sigh, he replied, "Loyal, non-politically correct funny, and incredibly deeper than people give him credit for."

Stella examined him. The way his face softened with a faint smile was enough to tell her that they were close. She wondered how much they had been through. If they had met at basic training, had they served together too? Had they saved each other's lives? The far-away look in his eye indicated that they had been through a lot together. Stella leaned up, resting her free hand on his shoulder. For a moment she let herself feel the warmth on his lips and just how soft he felt against her, despite his hardened muscle. Then she pulled back with a silly smile. "If I'd have known you'd've kissed me like that, I'd've talked about him sooner."

The game resumed, with Stella in control of the ball. She kept trying to move away to get a clear shot. Whenever she thought she had the space needed, he was back on top of her. Three times this happened before she finally gave up and threw wildly. Keith grabbed the ball mid-air. Without giving Stella a chance to reclaim it, he landed his first shot of their game.

"So, it's my turn to ask something."

"What do you want to know?" she asked, crossing her arms. Why did I think this was a good idea? Fuck. He's going to ask about my mom. Or something. Fuck.

"How did you and Howie meet?"

She blinked at him, mind blank from the unexpected question. "We were forced to be partners in high school."

"Like for a project?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Technically, that's two questions. But, I just get to ask two when I score next." After he nodded his agreement, she continued. "Just partners. No school projects involved. Now, back to the game."

While Stella would admit she didn't dominate the game, she refused to admit that she did not come out on top. She learned that all the cats he owned just walked into his life – literally in Inky's case, he was closest with his Uncle Seong, he got his scars from a car-bomb while in Iraq, he really liked to draw, and he wanted to open his own landscape design business someday. Keith wasn't big on reading but would pick sci-fi if he had to. He wanted to travel everywhere and see every corner of the world; his current favorite city was London.

Stella shared that she and Howie had been forced to partner up through their school's convoluted idea on helping kids integrate into the school; they'd been the only opposite-gendered pair. She also answered that she was seriously considering doing a second fellowship in pediatric neurology after she finished this one before becoming a full-fledged specialized doctor. Outside of work (and him) she danced and ran, and occasionally played basketball with Howie. Her favorite movie was 8 Mile and favorite singer was Eminem. If she could live anywhere, it would be near a hospital with a very busy pediatric ICU. She studied neurology and pediatric medicine when bored.

As their game continued their questions got more personal. Keith told her about his first love; a woman named Angelica. Stella didn't press for more information about her, not with how upset he looked about it. She told him a bit about her first serious relationship with a woman named Melanie, glossing over the nightmarish aspects of their relationship. He talked more about his mom's car accident; she'd been drunk when it happened. Stella talked about the Jackson's – they'd been the first family willing to adopt her and the first she had been ripped away from. Keith confessed he'd been bullied a lot in school; being the only Asian kid in a rich white school had made him an easy target. Stella told him why her mother was in jail, but not the who. He seemed to figure it out; Keith had given her a gentle hug and kissed her forehead.

"Last shot then we'll go find lunch?" Stella suggested.

Keith slicked his drenched hair back. "I think I need a shower first, but then we can go get lunch." Looking at him, Stella knew she was likely in a similar state. They had been playing for close to an hour and were both drenched in sweat. "Deal." She threw the ball to him.

"So, if I sink this last one can I ask an exceedingly personal question?"

"Depends on what it is."

"What'd Sam mean earlier when she said it looked like you're no longer using?"

Her stomach wrapped itself into knots. This was the first time in her life that Stella wished she could say she had a history of drug addiction. "I'll answer if I get to hear about the woman who broke your heart."

Keith dribbled the ball, watching it bounce. "Alright," he sighed out. Before Stella had a chance to react, he threw the ball straight through the hoop. "Let's do this back at your place."

Stella glanced around, remembering how exposed they were. "Yeah, alright."

She put the ball back on the rack. As they were getting ready to leave the building, Stella spied the group of EMS workers. "Hold on a second," she told Keith as she jogged over to the group. 

"Brodie, Sam!" she called out.

The pair extracted themselves from the group.

"Do you guys want to catch up over lunch sometime?" she blurted out before she could stop herself. Her face reddened with every word that came out. Stella kept her jaw clamped shut, she didn't want to back out now.

Brodie nodded at her easily.

"Oh my gosh! Really?" Sam asked as she bounced on her toes. "Here's my number!"

The three exchanged numbers and Stella left. Not ready to share her spot of happiness, she refused to look at him. 

*****

I've noticed some new readers over the past week - welcome! Feel free to comment to your heart's content; I try to respond to them all. Voting is always appreciated too. If you haven't followed me on here, I recommend doing so. While I make every possible effort to update on Sunday's, life gets in the way sometimes. I always announce when I can't update and give a teaser.