After the game, Aileen and I wrapped up our girls' day with popcorn and painting our nails. Nicole didn't show up. When I was in bed, something didn't let me sleep, something Aileen said about how Alex could've easily scored 15 points more. So I started checking compilations of him on our university website and YouTube. It soon became obvious he only threw for two points in the last six games, while previously he did his signature cocky move from the three-point line and scored almost every time. Something was off, even I could see that despite not knowing much about basketball. 

So I started comparing the two Alexes on my screen, the one from last winter and the one that has been playing now. The only other constant appearing on both screens was another player; I Googled him. Matthew, or Matty as Alex still called him. Everything slowly started falling into place. Alex was always on the spot for the three-point throws; even now, he just didn't throw them. And Matty? Well, Matthew was a step behind him in the last six games, in all of which Alex didn't even try throwing for the three-pointers. It clicked. 

After I figured it out, I went to bed determined I would talk to Alex about it, about his perception of the basketball court and his decisions on throwing or lack of it. 

Sunday morning was spent in the apartment. Aileen and I still haven't heard a word from Nicole, and we were getting worried. The morning was magically long, long enough for me to make breakfast or brunch, long enough for a shower, long enough for a little journaling and even long enough for a morning walk to the nearest park, where I could read a little with Aileen. The perfect morning slowly transitioned into the afternoon.

While we were getting back from a perfect reading session in the park, we were planning on what we would make for lunch. When we came to the apartment building, two figures were leaning in front of our entrance. Both were tall, one with a grey beanie on top of the head. They were both engrossed in a conversation. Aileen turned to me with a troublesome look. However, when one of the figures turned towards us, I was surprised; I hadn't recognised them sooner.  

"Hey," Dylan smiled and embraced me in a friendly hug, while Alex stood tensed beside him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked as I was fumbling for my keys to let them all in. 

"We just left off, Nicole," Dylan said in a self-explanatory matter, which made all the alarms go off in my head. I already imagined how something bad could have happened last night with Nicole or all the nights before when she didn't come home. I was angry and disappointed with myself because I wasn't there to fix it, to be a rock for her if she needed me. 

"What happened? Is she okay?" I didn't care if my voice was laced with worry and how obvious it might have become that I was drifting slowly into a panic state. Not when something might have wrong, extremely wrong. 

"She's okay, it's just..." Dylan sounded embarrassed before he confessed, "We had a fight." 

A fight my, head spun around this new piece of information as I strode into our apartment, getting my shoes off. I heard a noise coming from the living room, so I made my way towards the kitchen, which was connected to it. I spotted Nicole on the couch in front of the TV. I still hadn't put two and two together. 

"What is he doing here?" Nicole pointed her gaze furiously at Dylan. 

"I want to talk, duckling," Dylan said in a voice that showed more emotions than would be fitted for only the voice of a friend. 

Aileen and I looked at each other as things clicked. Then I looked at Alex, who was watching all of it unfold with such calmness that could have meant only one thing. He knew it all along. 

Aileen took the lead "So you two are an item?" She pointed her burgundy-coloured nail in the middle of Nicole and Dylan.

"No." Nicole almost shouted at the same time as Dylan seriously and quietly said "Yeah." 

They stared at each other with annoyance before Dylan calmly but menacingly said "What do you mean, we are not an item? I have taken you on a date. You have met my friends. We aren't seeing anybody else. You practically moved in with me."  

I noticed Alex making his way towards the kitchen, he didn't want to be a part of this. Aileen was following his suit. In the end, I was the only person in the middle of a fight ready to explode. 

"You know, I don't date. Like ever. I must say I like you, it was nice being with you for the last couple of weeks, but that doesn't mean we are a couple." Nicole shrugged and turned towards me.

Her eyes met mine as to ask, "What to do, you know I don't date." I knew it, of course, I did. She made that abundantly clear last year. However, I have seen in her eyes that only her pride in that rule of no boyfriends was staying between her and Dylan. I have never seen her with the same boy for more than a week. She didn't want to catch feelings, but with Dylan, I guess she did, even if she wasn't ready to admit that. 

"You two should talk," the words came from my mouth before I could stop them. "we are going to my room. We'll watch a movie. And when you guys figure it out, we can all go for lunch." 

I said matter of factly before I turned on my heel and went upstairs, not wanting to turn and check if Aileen and Alex were following me. Not wanting to cut the effect of my words on the new couple. I opened my door and made my way towards the little puffy chair in the corner. I noticed Alex sprawled himself over the chair behind the desk, and Aileen jumped on my bed. 

"We were worried for nothing," she said and laughed a little after I closed the door.  

"How long have you known about this?" I looked at Alex. 

He lowered his eyes a little before answering slowly "For a while."

"How long is a while?" It was Aileen's turn to ask the hard questions.

"For his first date with her, I helped him. He asked me how to wow a girl, that can't be swiped off her feet. After the date, I cornered him into telling me who it was and how it went. It was a week before I met you." he looked me in the eyes guilt pouring from his chocolate eyes. 

"I thought you knew about it," his fingers went through his hair, his leg was fidgeting. And at that moment, I noticed how small my bedroom was for three people. His legs were touching my bed, and Aileen was feeling a little bit overwhelmed by it all. 

"No, we didn't know." I answered feeling a little bit betrayed by the lack of trust Nicole had towards us, "Nicole hasn't said anything." 

I moved from my chair towards the bed, so I could give Aileen room for her to move. She noticed and switched positions. She gave me a thankful half-smile. Alex didn't notice anything, if he did, he didn't mention it.

"You were great last night," Aileen started "Your throws were good, the ones for two points at least. The next time just try to get more room on the left side of the court and try shooting a little earlier so you can score for three." 

Oh no, I thought. Aileen has already analysed the whole game and when our conversation died down she was ready to keep it going. Except I didn't have the slightest idea how Alex would react. He might have thought Aileen was a little cocky or he might find her trying to help genuien. 

"Oh, so you know something about basketball." he teased. 

"As a matter of fact, she does." I heard myself say with some annoyance in my voice. That was the second time in an hour that words had slipped out of my mouth unintentionally. I have to let other people fight their own battles, I know that, but sometimes I want to shield the people closest to me, like Nicole and Aileen.

"My dad, he is a basketball coach, kind of. He's retired." Aileen cut in before I could dig my grave even more and for that I was grateful. She told him about her father the way you would've told something to a friend over a cup of coffee, which I took as a sign she might have warmed up to Alex. 

"Oh, nice. So you liked the game? What else should we try to change before our game next Saturday?" Alex was getting intrigued. 

Aileen continued listing her observations and comments on the game with more confidence "I think you shouldn't let Ross play in the first quarter. Maybe in the second or third, but definitely not the first or last. How does one put it nicely? ... He doesn't play nice, he plays rough. I know he is supposed to be the power forward, but still..."

"That's true, coach is always nagging him about that." Alex agreed.  

"Yes, because there isn't just the risk of you getting fouled due to him, but he also portrays your weaknesses more explicitly."

"What do you mean by that?" 

"Well Ross knows where your team is the weakest and he tries to cover that up by half-guarding the weakest spot. He tries to be at two places at the same time and with that, he doesn't properly play on his position." Aileen really showed off her knowledge and I was so proud, that somebody besides Nicole and me could see how much she had to offer.  

I could see wheels turning in Alex's head. "So you think we should put somebody else instead of him?"

Aileen beamed, "Exactly."

"Who would you suggest?"

"I haven't seen all of the players on the court or in the game. But from what I have gathered Gray seemed more than capable of being the power forward. He should do the job just fine before you find somebody better or before he gets used to playing that position. If you want to win the title that is." she coyly smiled. 

Alex returned it before turning to me and crossing his arms, "How about you, did you watch the game?"

I nodded still thinking about everything that Aileen pointed out, "Yes, we've watched it together." 

"So?" 

I was shy to voice my opinion, compared to Aileen I was a newbie. My comparison of the two Alexes didn't seem as helpful or enlightening as it did the previous night. "I noticed you don't try to score three-pointers anymore?"

Alex untwisted his arms and leaned back on his chair, "Yes, coach says that I am in the right position to score them, however, I don't see it when I am playing."

"Oh," if the coach saw it, then maybe I couldn't help him anymore, "Well I noticed that the players around you have changed in the last six games, Matthew being the only constant as the point guard."

Alex's eyes flickered at the mention of Matthew, somewhat signalling me to carefully choose my next words, so I did. "What I noticed was, that you play the same as you did before, but Matthew is a step behind you, which he wasn't last year."

"Huh?" Alex went with his fingers through his hair, not getting my point. 

"Wait, let me show you." I rummaged around my bed for the computer and then I searched my history for the videos I watched. I played them side by side while explaining what I thought might be the problem. Alex was attentively watching himself and Matthew side by side on the screen while Aileen was looking through my books on the bedside table. 

Alex rubbed his chin, his five o'clock shadow showing a little, "So you think my perception of the game is flawed all because I subconsciously put one of the markers on Matty for my three-pointers?"

I nodded, "Yes, in a lot of sports that can happen, football, hockey. So you need to make a new marker, substitute the old one for a new one. Preferably choose something as your new marker that will stay in the same position during every game you play." 

"Okay, I'll talk about that to the coach, we'll try to figure something out. Thanks, you've both given me some things to think about before our next game." he sighed, "You noticed a lot, you should come next Saturday to watch us play. You can give us more pointers."

Aileen's head sprung up from the book in her lap at the mention of the invitation "No sorry, I don't do games or parties." 

"Come on. It will be fun." Alex insisted. "You should both come." 

Aileen turned her face toward me to ask me what should she do. 

"I don't know. We'll see." I answered for both of us. It was a half-accepted or half-denied invitation. I would like it to stay that way, I thought to myself. 

"Oh, bo hoo," Alex rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair to put more space between us, "you won't come if you say so. Just like you didn't come yesterday." 

There it was the awkward phone call from yesterday.

"Then why didn't you say you wanted me there?" I asked our stares determined, determined of what I didn't really know. 

"Because I don't ask, I don't do begging. If you wanted to come, you would've," he admitted hurt reflected in his warm eyes. And at that moment I knew I made a mistake by not going to his game the day before.

 "Maybe this friendship, " he gestured between us, "means more to me than it does to you." 

I was baffled. He didn't know how his words sounded out loud. He didn't have even the slightest idea, not even when Aileen made a whistle-like noise. I could already see what was going through her head. Her never-ending romanticism took off into my world, my life and I guess now into my relationship with Alex.

"Don't say it like that," I whispered as I was looking at him, despite him trying to avert his eyes. "If I knew you expected or wanted me there, I would've shown up, without any second thoughts. I didn't know if I was welcomed or if we were close enough for me to be there."

I was feeling very exposed admitting that to him. More so being in front of Aileen. My confession brought out my low self-confidence,  however I was saved by a knock on my bedroom door. It was Nicole's voice coming from the hallway "We have talked about it and we have to tell you something."