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plot: in which unrivaled brings them back together, even if it's just for the summer

trope: exes to lovers

pairings: unrivaled investor! brazilian! football/soccer reader! x kayla mcbride

warnings: uh none

a/n: inspired by demi lovato's 'cool for the summer' 🙂‍↕️ i pictured her as brazilian and black btw <3

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"Hi! I'm so glad you could make it!" Phee walked over and brought y/n into a hug. "Me too! It's so good to see you!" Y/n grinned excitedly. She was a football player for Orlando Pride and now was an investor for Unrivaled. She loved basketball growing up, even though she chose football over it, the sport was still very close to her heart. She loved being able to support the new women's league.

"I'll give you a little tour."

She showed her around the unrivaled facility, and then brought her to the court where some players were getting ready for their games tonight. They had the Laces vs Phantom and Rose vs Lunar Owls.

Tip nudged Kayla who was shooting some corner 3s. "Isn't that your girlfriend?"

Kayla immediately turned to where Tip was and her eyes landed on her ex girlfriend. She was on the other side of the court talking to Sabrina and Satou. "Ex girlfriend," she corrected, even though she didn't want to. Tip grinned, raising a brow, "damn, you pulled that?" She teased.

"Should I go talk to her?" Kayla asked, contemplating it.

"You'll look desperate."

"I am desperate," Kayla mumbled, scratching her brow nervously.

"Why'd y'all break up?" Alyssa asked, deciding to be nosy today.

"Cause we were both going into different direction of our careers. I was goin' to Minnesota and she was going to Orlando." Kayla explained. She still didn't believe that was a good enough reason to break up but she didn't want to make the split worse for y/n so she didn't argue with her.

"Well, now y'all both in Florida...so, might as well reconnect. Unless you don't want her, cause I could always slide in-" Kayla cut her off with a glare and Tip chuckled, throwing an arm around her. "Chill out. I'm just messin' wit' you. Go get your girl back."

Kayla took a breath and made her way over. Y/n looked up from where she sat, smiling when her eyes were met with her favorite ball player. "I uh- I didn't know you were gonna be here. I just wanted to come and say hi." Kayla spoke as y/n stood to her feet.

"It's good to see you." Y/n brought her into a hug, a hug that lingered longer than it probably should've. When they pulled away, Kayla's hand stayed on her waist, "so, what are you doing here? Not that I mind at all." She smiled, brushing her braids behind her ear, "Phee and Stewie invited me. I'm an investor for Unrivaled. You know how much I love women's basketball."

"How could I forget? You beat me in a 1v1," Kayla chuckled.

"Bet I could do it again," she smirked arrogantly.

Kayla scoffed, shaking her head in denial. "In your dreams, pretty girl."

Her head fell, blush creeping up her cheeks, the name bringing back some memories. Kayla brought her closer, closing in the space between them. "Tell you what. If I drop 10 tonight. You gotta let me take you out."

Y/n couldn't lie and say she didn't like the sound of that. When she heard Kayla was gonna be in Florida, she did think of the possibilities of them getting back together, even if it was just for the summer. She missed Kayla. "10 is too easy for you. Drop 25 and I'll let you take me out tonight."

Kayla smirked, "you got a deal."

"Get back to practice," she nudged her along with a soft chuckle.

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Not only did the Laces win their game against the Phantom, Kayla dropped 28 points on them. She was getting that date.

That's how it ended up with Y/n walking out of the hotel building to Kayla's car. She always preferred to open her own door, that's why Kayla hadn't gotten out to do it for her. She was very strict about that. Kayla turned down her music to look at her, not at all being subtle about checking her out. "You look gorgeous."

She smiled, setting her hands on her lap. "Thank you." She cleared her throat, "so uh, why did you ask me to wear a swimsuit under my clothes?"

Kayla reached over to take her hand, "be patient, baby."

They got to a restaurant first, and it was on a rooftop. Kayla pulled out her chair for her and she sat down, a small smile gracing her perfectly glossed lips. "I uh, I was there when you won the championship last year." Y/n's eyes brightened, it was nice to hear she wasn't the only one following each other's career. "Really? Why didn't you come see me?"

"I didn't wanna bother you," Kayla shrugged.

She sighed, she couldn't exactly blame her for that. "I get it. I was also at your finals last year. I'm sorry you guys were robbed like that."

The finals were still a tough subject but she was mostly over it. Though, it was nice to hear y/n was on her side about it. "It's okay. I'm mostly over it- some of my teammates not so much, but it doesn't really bother me anymore. There's always next year. I'm just glad I got to be in finals."

"I know. 21 points overall. Really impressive." Kayla grinned, blushing at the fact that she remembered her exact points. She shrugs casually, waving it off in a cocky manner, "It was nothin'. I'm just like that."

"So humble you are," she teased.

After an amazing dinner, Kayla had her take off her shoes in the car and brought her down to the beach. She knew how much y/n loved the beach. She was obsessed with the water, and really everything about it. "So, this is why you asked me to wear a bikini." Kayla smiled, holding onto y/n's hand, "I figured a walk on the beach is the perfect way to end a date."

Y/n nodded slightly in agreement, but some part of her didn't want it end here. She stopped in her steps to pull off her clothes, a simple black bikini under it because she wanted it to blend in with her dress. "Would it be crazy of me to get in the water right now? 'Cause I'mma do it!" She grinned, running towards the water.

Kayla chuckled in amusement, watching her dive under the water and come back up. "In another life, I was a mermaid," y/n comments. "Do I exist in this other life?!" She asked, not getting too close to the water. "That depends. Are you coming in the water?" It was tempting...she was tempting.

"Don't spash me though." Kayla pulled off her shirt and stepped into the water, hesitant to get in deep. Y/n swam over and stood up, taking her hands to pull in her in. "See? It's not so bad." She guided her hands around her neck and settled hers on Kayla's waist.

"You didn't answer the question."

"I think you'll always exist in my life. In every universe, whether I'm a mermaid or a footballer." Her words brought a smile to Kayla's face. The whole night was filled with the brightest of smiles. She took a soft breath, "Is it too soon to say I missed you?"

She didn't respond yet, inching closer and closer to her until their lips finally connected. It wasn't anything messy, just a gentle kiss filled with the same love they left behind. Pulling away, she smiled up at her, "it's never too soon for that."

On their way to the car, fingers intertwined, Kayla not ready to let her go just yet. "You wanna go back to my place...?"

Y/n smiled softly, pausing in her steps to face her, taking her other hand. "How about we do that on our next date?" She blinked in shock, still a little surprised she got this far. "Next date?" She chuckled, reaching up to press a kiss to her cheek. "Only if you want to. I can understand if you want to use your off season to focus on Unrivaled-"

"What? No- no, I will be happy to take you on another date. How does Friday sound?" She grinned happily, eyes filled with excitement, "Friday sounds wonderful."

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Y/n decided since she was gonna be in Miami, she might as well make herself useful. So, when Napheesa asked if she was open to volunteering at Unrivaled, she said yes. She joined different teams for practice, filling in for someone who couldn't be there. When she managed a clean steal off Natasha Cloud, they suspected she was better than she was letting on.

"Hold up- time out!" Tash called, stopping practice to approach Y/n. "Where'd you learn how to steal like that? Did Kayla teach you that?" She asked, aware of who she was like any women's sports fan would. She just wasn't aware she played basketball, let alone that she was good at it.

"No, I just used to play when I was kid." She shrugs meekly, a little flustered with all the attention on her.

"Yo, Sab. She's like the opposite version of you!" Tash grinned excitedly, the blonde jogging over with a smile. "Ooh, really?"

"You played football?" Y/n asked, not knowing much about the blonde other than the fact that she was really good at basketball. She nods confidently, "yeah, I used to play. You used to play basketball?"

"Still do from time to time, just never went pro." She answered, tucking the basketball under her arm. "Would you say you're any good at football?" Sabrina pursed her lips, not sure she wanted to tell a professional footballer that she kind of sucked. "Um...yeah, I was pretty good for the short time I played. Probably wouldn't too good now though so please do not issue a challenge. I would prefer to keep my dignity."

She giggled, nudging her shoulder playfully, "you're funny."

What she didn't know is that the Laces had come onto the practice court for practice and Kayla immediately recognized her girl's giggle. "What the fuck was that?" She looked around frantically, spotting y/n chatting and giggling with Tash and Sabrina. Even Marina entered the conversation, apparently saying something so funny she hunched over to laugh.

She didn't even have to jealous, truly. Sabrina was married. Tash had a girlfriend. And Marina...well, she was just there. It shouldn't have bothered her. Y/n was having a good time. But it wasn't with her and that made her a little jealous. She was allowed to be just a little jealous. Tip nudged her, moving her eyes to where she was looking, "Ooh, how's that going?"

She shrugs, following AT towards the other half of the court. "I don't know. I guess we're cool for the summer."

Alyssa glanced over her shoulder, raising a brow, "like friends with benefits?"

Her lips pursed, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. "Uh- not exactly. We haven't got there yet." Jackie nudged her forward, "go talk to her." She sighed, taking a breath before making her way over to the group. She cleared her throat, gaining their attention, y/n smiled at her, "hey, are you here for practice?"

Tash pulled an arm around Sab and Marina, awkwardly smiling, "yeah- we just gon' leave y'all to it." She pulled the two blondes away, the two very confused but Tash knew about the history between Kayla and Y/n so she didn't want to get in the way of that.

"Uh, yeah. I was uh- thinkin' maybe you wanted to join our practice?" Y/n smiled and nodded, "yeah, I'd love to." She joined her on the other side of the court, immediately greeting her Laces teammates. She was very bubbly and energetic, the polar opposite of Kayla. Tip nudged Kayla's arm to grab her attention. "I like her."

"You ain't the only one."

"My body is very fragile, so can I ask to guard anyone but AT?" Y/n requested with a nervous chuckle. She knew how strong Alyssa was and she preferred to keep her body standing...rather than sprawled out on the floor.

Alyssa just smiled in amusement, watching Kayla and Tip argue over who got to be guarded by y/n. "When's she rubbing up on you, you're gonna be distracted." Tip argued, and Kayla scoffed, shaking her head, "no I won't." Tip smirked, holding her hands up in mock surrender, "fine. But if I'm right, we switch."

"Fine." Kayla shrugs, moving to get in position.

Y/n was always pretty good with defense, especially when she went up against Kayla because she knew all her moves. As she turned, y/n pushed up against her back, ready to block the layup. Tiffany was completely right. It was distracting. She turned for the layup, throwing up the ball but missing terribly.

She rubbed her neck awkwardly out of embarrassment, Tip smirking victoriously. "Uh, Tip, you wanna switch?"

"I'd love to," she smirked smugly, switching positions with her.

Y/n frowned, looking between them in confusion. "Did I do something wrong?"

Kayla was quick to reassure her, setting her hands on her shoulders. "No, no, you were perfect. It's my fault. I just...I got a little distracted by you...you know, 'cause you're pretty, makes it hard to focus." She smiled, growing flustered by her sweet words.

"I'll uh..I'll try to tone down the prettiness," she joked.

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It was Friday. Y/n was standing outside her hotel, patiently waiting for Kayla to pick her up. It was two minutes before she pulled up, getting out of the car to open the passenger door for her. She took her hand, taking a glance over her body, "you look really beautiful." She smiled brightly, leaning over to press a kiss to her cheek. "Thank you."

They drove down to a pier, and got out, the breeze flowing through her braids. Kayla took her hand, leading her down some stairs, a bunch of fancy boats parked in the water. Her eyes widened slightly when Kayla led her onto a yacht. "How did you do this?" She asked in shock, following her as she looked over everything.

"Steph said I could borrow it for the night." Kayla explained, having y/n take a seat. "Wait right here. I'll be back." Y/n nods, looking around, moving onto her knees to look at the ocean. She was bubbling with happiness. Seconds later, the yacht started moving. She grinned, hoping she'd get to see some dolphins in the water.

She came back, two drinks in her hand, one of them being a piña colada, y/n's favorite. "Ah, you remembered." She took it into her hands, immediately taking a sip. "How could I forget? You made me remake the piña colada in 13 going on 30 five times for you." She giggled, having fond memories of that night.

"Still the greatest rom com ever made," she stated.

"Can't argue with that." Kayla took her hand and pulled her up, "come on. We gonna watch the sunset."

She squealed, eyes sparkling with anticipation, following her up to the front. She sat down on the cushions, one hand still in Kayla's as they watched the sunset. She leaned over to rest her head on her shoulder. "Even if this is just a summer thing...I want you to know I still love you." She glanced up at her, surprised to hear that. "I never stopped loving you."

She smiled softly, leaning in, "neither did I." That was more than relieving to hear. A part her always hoped she still thought about and loved her the same way she did when they first met.

She set her drink down and set her hand on her cheek, gentle with her actions as she bought her in, enveloping their lips softly. She could taste the cherry chapstick on her lips. The same chapstick she used on their first date. Some things never changed.

They only stopped when they heard sounds of water splashing. Y/n squealed, getting up to look over the railing, Kayla immediately grabbing onto her waist for precautions. "It's dolphins! Oh, my gosh. They're so cute!" She took Kayla's hand to pull her over, "look look! Aren't they so sweet?"

"More of a sea turtle person," Kayla mumbled nervously, her grip tightening around y/n's waist.

She giggled, leaning over to press a peck to her lips. "You're so cute."

They moved back to their spots, Kayla a lot more calmer now that they were away from the edge. Y/n moved to climb over her, straddling her lap. "Can you take a picture of me, amor?" Kayla gulped, nodding slowly, attempting to keep calm at the beauty above her. She took the phone and turned on the camera, snapping some pictures of her.

"Obrigado, meu amor." Kayla nodded, setting her hands on her waist, the ocean breeze flowing through her braids, looking like a literal goddess.

A small smirk pulled at the corner of her lips as she pushed her braids over her shoulder. She leaned down to connect their lips, starting slow, savoring it, hearts racing with every movement. All rational thought retreats. Kayla moved her hand up to gently pull down the strap of her dress. Her kisses moved down her neck to her shoulder, not rushing it. She took her time.

"I think I might extend my stay in Miami," she whispered softly, breathing deepening with every little kiss.

"Sounds good to me."

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