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"You eating often?" Kaikara asked, looking up from her clipboard to see the smirk on her daughter's face. She shot her a bored look, absolutely fed up with her, "I'm talking about real food, not women."

"Of course I'm eating. Food is life." Kez expressed, wincing when her mum pulled the IV out of her arm.

"I don't know why you fainted. You're blood tests came back and everything looked fine. Nothing out of sorts." Kaikara explained, getting up from the stool. "Are you up for some scans?" She asked. "Just a quick CT, I don't have time for the others. I gotta pick Kaidyn and Hazel up from school."

"Can't Victoria do that?" She queried.

Kez shook her head in objection, "no, because I promised I'd watch the kids today so Vic and Lewis could have some private time before he has to leave for race weekend."

"Is Will not available to pick them up?" Kara pondered. "No, he's too busy with his new wife. Neela is in Washington with Diane so I don't have her either. It's just me right now." Kez muttered standing up and brushing herself off. "What about Tinashe? Can she pick them up and drop them off here?"

"Uhh no. We're going through a bit of a rough patch," Kez chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh my, I told you that would happen. She's a relationship person. That was doomed from the beginning," Kara scolded, her daughter casually checking her charts. "We'll move past it and become friends again. Don't worry yourself, Mama." Kez replied. "I do worry, because you are incapable of falling in love again. You need to settle again, child. You are better when you're settled."

"What's the point if I'm just gonna fuck it up? I always do. That's why I don't settle. That's why I don't apply labels. And it's working quite fine for me." Kez shrugged, tossing her chart back down as she tried to think of why she fainted. "You don't fuck it up. You just have trouble finding the right person for you. And I gotta say, the only person who seems to match your vibes is Kelsey. At least, from a mother's perspective."

Kez glanced up from her nails upon hearing the name, her mom hiding a smirk behind her mask. "Kelsey? What do you mean? What perspective?"
"Well, she's obviously in love with you and you are so obviously in love with her. It's been that way for a year but you both are too scared to say anything. You, because you're scared of settling. Kelsey, because she is scared of getting into another relationship, and because she knows you don't settle." Kara explained knowingly, smiling under her mask when she noticed how her daughter's eyes trailed off in thought.

Kez pursed her lips, tilting her head at her mother. "I'll think about it, if you answer me one thing. What makes you think she's any different from Tinashe?"

Kara smirked, pulling off her mask and crossing her arms, "does Tinashe know about Darien...and Kamari's real father?"

"Shit, you're good."

"I know."

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"What's up, Angel? This is my girl, Kelsey, and you already know Lewis. This is his girl, Victoria." Kez spoke, pointing to the women who accompanied her and Lewis. Their tattoo artist grinned at the sight, seeing as they hardly ever brought guests with them. "Damn, alright, what's good? Y'all all gettin' tats?" She asked, shaking their hands politely.

"Nah, it's just gon' be me, and Lewis," she confirmed.

"Sounds about right. You got your designs ready for me?" Angel asked, pulling open the door to let them through. "I always do. Is the ginger here today?" Kez asked, taking a seat on the table as Kelsey stood near her. The door opened and a tall lanky man walked through, his ginger curls pulled up into a bun, tattoos covering his skin. "The ginger has a name," he retorts, walking over to Angel, who was also his girlfriend.

"It's a forgettable name," Kez shrugged sheepishly. "That's just her way of saying she doesn't remember your name," Lewis added, laying down on the table, his hand holding onto Victoria's, the woman just flipping through other designs in a book set near the table. "It's Simon," the ginger says. "Haha, Simon says, I don't care, Ginger." Kez smiled sarcastically.

"He fucked up her tattoo like six years ago," Lewis explained to a slightly amused but confused Victoria. "In all fairness, I told her not to put her faith in me," Simon defended. "That doesn't make it any better," Kez scoffed, grabbing the tattoo book to check out their recent designs.

"Where are we placing this one?" Angel held up the design to Kez, it was gonna be in red ink because she loved to have colour in her tattoos.

Kelsey squints at the design, "why does that say my name?"

Kez glanced at her with a smile, "because it is your name. Are you okay with that?" Kelsey smiled, trying not to seem too excited about it, but it really meant a lot to her. "Yeah, of course I'm cool with it. It's gonna look so pretty on you." She grinned, leaning up to press a kiss to her lips. "I want you to choose where to put it," she insisted, zipping off her hoodie and tugging it off so her skin was actually visible.

"Are you sure?" She asked, needing some extra reassurance because she knew how important tattoo placement was. Kez nodded with certainty, "yeah, put it wherever you want, except for the obvious places."

"Is it bad that I know just the place?" Kelsey mumbled, looking her up and down with sheepish smile. She pushed Kez to lay down and walked around the table to get on her left side, Angel following to see. She tugged down Kezie's sweats enough so her v-line was visible and pointed just below it where she wanted the tattoo placed. It was Kelsey's name in Kezie's signature cursive font in between two pretty lines with sparkles that resembled the aces logo. "Damn girl, you really thought it through," Angel mumbled proudly.

"Can we add a kiss design on it?" Kelsey asked towards Kez, feeling like it needed more.

"Whatever you want," Kez nodded, placing a kiss onto her hand.

"You should do that for me," Vic said jokingly to Lewis, playfully poking his stomach. "Don't say that cause he actually will," Kez warned, and she wasn't wrong because he was seriously considering it. "Ginger, can you whip up some designs with Victoria's name?" Lewis requested. Vic blinked in shock, "no, do not do that! He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"I know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm getting a tattoo for Hazel, so what's wrong with getting a tattoo for Hazel's gorgeous mum?" Lewis smiled, pressing a kiss to her hand as she ducked her head, flustered by his words but that always happened anytime he spoke to her. "Okay, but it can only be my initial. No full names yet. I don't want you to regret it."

"I would never, but I'm good with anything as long as you're comfortable with it," Lewis assured warmly and Victoria smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"This is the only one we're getting today?" Angel asked, knowing the other two designs were for Lewis. "Yeah, my mum wouldn't approve of the other one I had so it's just one today," Kez chuckled. "What was the other one?" Victoria asked, resting her head against Lewis' shoulder. "Tramp stamp, and she wasn't the only one to disapprove of it. That tattoo was horrendous. We all hated it," Kelsey answered.

"It wasn't that bad," Kez mumbled, but she knew it was a terrible tattoo. She just told them she was getting it as a joke, because Mari told her to, and to record it so she could show her teammates.

"So, is this gon' be like a girlfriend tat or best friend kinda tat?" Angel asked as Kez tugged her sweatpants down to her thighs. "Girlfriend," Kez answered a bit too quickly, staring up at the ceiling to avoid Kelsey's shocked eyes. They hadn't ever put a label on their relationship so this was the first she even referred to her as a girlfriend. "That's so sweet. Who knew you were such a romantic, Kezie?" Angel chuckled, nudging her playfully.

"That's what happens when they stop actin' like hoes," Victoria comments, and the two bestfriends just smiled proudly, leaning over to share a fistbump. "You can be a hoe and still be romantic," Kez winked. "When are you ever romantic?" Kelsey scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Kez looked to her in offense, "excuse me? I'm very romantic..on occasions."

"See? You're only ever romantic during vacations, which isn't even that much in general," Kelsey mumbled bitterly, sitting down on the stool next to the table, her arms still crossed firmly over her chest. Kez sighed, a small smile etched up her lips, "Will you allow me to make it up to you later?" Kelsey pursed her lips in thought, a hint of blush creeping up her cheeks, "maybe, if you promise to be more romantic."

"I promise to be more romantic, darling," Kez smiled, taking her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles.

» » »

"House isn't a disaster. That's a good sign." Keziyah mumbled to herself as she stepped into the house, the four adults returning from the tattoo shop. She kicked off her sneakers and put on some slides. The left Kamari and her friends Hana, Amancia, and Jackie in charge of watching Kaidyn and Victoria's daughter Hazel. It wasn't a surprise that the house was quiet given Kaidyn was always huddled up in his playroom putting together Lego buildings with Hazel. He was non-verbal and did not like loud noises so Mari tried to be quiet a lot.

"Who's cooking tonight?" Lewis questioned, kicking his shoes off after shutting the door.

"Uh, I guess I will," Kez shrugged, pulling off her cardigan and hanging it up on the coat rack. "No, you're always cooking for everyone. I'll cook this time," Victoria insisted politely. Kez raised a brow, "are you sure? These kids eat a lot of food. It's like a cooking a feast every night." She smiled warmly, "I can handle that. I cook with my mom all the time. Lewis will help me. Won't you, baby?"

Lewis's eyes widened momentarily as he was never a big fan of cooking. He helped with prep and occasionally taste tested, but he never preferred to cook. "Uh, yeah, of course."

"Fantastic. I have everything prepped in the refrigerator. Let me know if you need any help. And don't let Lewis burn my kitchen down." Keziyah smiled, putting her arm around Kelsey and leading her down the hall. They could hear voices from the backyard so they walked outside to see if everyone was out there given the house was empty. Hazel and Kaidyn were sitting on a blanket in the grass with little scoreboards as Kamari, Dessa, and Hana were shooting free throws on the court. Clearly the two kids were the judges.

"Why do my children have little scoreboards?" Keziyah asked, squinting at the three girls. Her dog Sargeant barked cheerfully from where he sat next to the kids.

"They're rating our throws! And your child is totally cheating me! My half court shot should've got a ten not a seven!" Kamari complained, pointing an accusing finger at her baby brother. Kaidyn didn't make an expression so Hazel shot her a glare for him. "He's a professional. Maybe you should shoot better," Kez scoffed, quick to defend her little genius.

"I'd like to see you do better!" Kamari scowled, throwing the purple Wilson ball at her.

"I can! You forget I could be in the league if I wanted to," Kez chuckled, stepping onto the court. "How can we forget? You bring it up all the time! We get it, you're good at everything," Kamari frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's not true! She sucks at German!" Kelsey added, sitting down next to the kids and Hazel smiled, laying her head against her arm.

"Nobody likes German anyways," Jackie snickers, making Hana nudge her shoulder defensively. "Dude, my girlfriend is German."

"Yeah but it's not like she speaks German," Jackie pointed out and Hana pursed her lips in thought, "good point.

Kez got in the half court position and shot the ball into the hoop with precise form. It didn't bounce from the glass or hit the rim either. It just swished in. She grinned, hearing Hazel and Kelsey clapping as Kaidyn was conjuring up a score. "I'm half convinced she's an alien," Hana mumbled to Jackie as the clapped.

Kaidyn held up his little scoreboard with the number 10 on it and Kez smiled gleefully, using sign language to thank him. "That was...cool," Mari mumbled with a small roll her eyes. "Too easy," Kez shrugged, walking over to lean against the pole as Mari took the ball back so they could resume their free throws.

"Hey, where's Amancia?" Kez asked towards her daughter, not seeing the trackstar anywhere. "She's binge watching Killing Eve on your Netflix cause it has no ads. Roscoe is with her, too," Mari answered with a shrug. She shot a three and turned to the judges for their scores but only got two fives, making her visibly frown.

"Where's my mommy and daddy?" Hazel asked, looking up at Kelsey for answers.

"They're in the kitchen making dinner for us. Did you want me to take you to them?" Kelsey asked, brushing a loose curl away from her face. Hazel smiled softly, shaking her head and moving to sit on her lap. Kelsey smiled, putting an arm around her so she didn't fall as she the girl continued to score the free throws. Kaidyn decided to move closer to Kelsey as well, growing quite fond of her over the year she's been in his life. She set on a gentle hand on his back as he continued to give scores. He wasn't always the biggest fan of touch unless it was from the comfort of his mum or grandma, but he found Kelsey's touch comforting so he allowed it.

"You're staring," Jackie nudged the singer teasingly.

"Don't you have anything better to do? Like working on techniques to actually keep the ball instead of watching tiktok edits of Trent Alexander-Arnold?" Kez shot back to the Brazilian footballer. "How would you know anything about keeping the ball? You suck at football," Jackie retorts defensively towards her best friend's mum, who she always viewed as a mother figure. That didn't mean they didn't bicker on occasion. "I'm great at football. I just went easy on you all those years so I didn't hurt your precious feelings. The amount of times I let you guys win makes me wish I crushed all your little egos."

"Okay, that hurt, just a little bit," Jackie frowned with a slight roll of her eyes. Kez crossed her arms, turning to the younger girl to give her attention, "seriously though, Jackie, you need to practice more. You're going to Stanford now. I don't want you to lose that spot. You worked too hard for it."

"It's just difficult, leaving my grandma behind," Jackie mumbled sadly. Kez nodded in understanding, setting a hand on her shoulder. "I know how that feels, trust me. Leaving my parents and baby brother was the hardest choice I ever had to make. But if I never made it, I wouldn't be in the position I am today. Sometimes, leaving can be the best thing for you. Getting my family out of poverty was my motivation. It was my reason. So, just think of her and how proud you'd make her."

"That's good advice. Thanks, Keziyah." Jackie smiled gratefully. "That's what I'm here for, Jacqueline."

"Ew, don't say my full name," Jackie grimaced childishly. "Then don't say mine," Kez shot back. "Fine."

"That was a ten! This is rigged!" Kamari exclaimed at the 5's on the little scoreboards when she shot a three. "You're foot was on the line! It was two!" Kelsey defended the two little judges. "I stepped back!" Mari argued. "Then it was the shittest step back I've ever seen!" Kelsey shot back, Hazel and Kaidyn both nodding in agreement.

"You guys are the worst judges ever!" Kamari scowled.

Hazel frowned, tears pooling up in her eyes, "wait- no, Hazel, I'm sorry!" Mari quickly tried to backtrack but it was too late because the child was bursting into tears. "Not you making the poor girl cry," Hana said, nudging her friend's arm as Kelsey tried to comfort the child. "It's okay, don't listen to her. She's a sore loser. You're the best judge ever. I wish you could ref my games."

"Princess, you wanna go watch TV with Amancia? You like Aman, right?" Keziyah asked, hitting her daughter's arm as she made her way over to them. Hazel shook her head, holding onto Kelsey, "stay with Kelsey." Kez pursed her lips awkwardly, "okay that's fine, how about the pool? You wanna go swimming?"

Hazel perked up with interest, "Kelsey swim?"

"I like to swim. You wanna go swimming with me?" Hazel nodded at Kelsey's words eagerly, looking to Kaidyn who also seemed to like the idea of swimming. "Okay, let's go see where your mum packed your cozzie," Kez smiled, standing back up and extending her hand to Kelsey. She took it and pulled herself up, Hazel still clinging onto her with a smile.

"Can we go in the pool too?" Kamari asked, squinting at the sun through her glasses, her question causing Hazel to scowl at her.

"Ja, just keep your distance from Princess cause I think she may attempt to drown you," Kez smiled, taking her sons hand and leading them back inside. They walked into the kitchen as Kaidyn just ventured off into towards his room to change. "Hey, did you pack Princess a cozzie?" Kez asked towards Victoria who was rolling out some pizza dough.

"What's a cozzie again?" Victoria asked, looking up from the dough and smiling at her daughter. Lewis answered for her, a small smile on his lips, "swimsuit, and yes we did, it has a cute little mermaid tail with it. Just give her to me, I'll get her changed for you." He quickly washed and dried his hands before walking over and Hazel happily went into his arms with a small giggle.

"I want a mermaid tail," Kelsey mumbled, taking Kezie's hand into hers. "I played a mermaid before. It was fun but they didn't let me keep the prosthetic tail." Kez said, leading her upstairs to her room as she chuckled at how disappointed she sounded at the last part. She slid the door open and obviously took notice of Amancia and the bulldog Roscoe laying on her bed with Killing Eve playing on the TV. "The wifi works better in here," she mumbled, throwing some chips in her mouth.

"I imagine so," Kez snorts, walking towards her closet. She pushed open the doors and walked in, Kelsey stepping in after her and shutting the door. "You changed the sheets this morning, right?" She asked, sitting down on the little sofa in the corner as Kez pulled open a drawer to search through her many swimsuits. "Yeah, don't worry. I have them changed every night I'm here," she reassured.

She hums, pulling out her phone to check her messages. "...oh no."

"What?" Kez turned around, raising a brow of interest.

She pursed her lips awkwardly, "Syd is coming over." Kez hums, crossing her arms over her chest, "how does she even have my address?" Kelsey rubbed the back of her neck nervously, "uhh...I may have sent her my location yesterday, but I didn't think she was actually serious about coming here."

"Out of all of her teammates..she chooses to bother you? Is it your turn or something?" Kez questioned in disbelief, the timing just unbelievable to her. "Uhh, don't get mad, but I may have helped play a prank on her the other week so...it's probably 'cause of that." Kez nods slowly, taking in a breath, "...you think, Kelsey?"

Kelsey frowned, "I told you not to get mad."

"I'm not mad," she scoffed, turning back around. "Yes, you are. You say my full name when you're mad and you can't meet my eyes. Are you regretting the tattoo now?" She turned around quickly at those words of doubt, "don't say that. You know I don't carry regrets in my life, especially not when it comes to you. And I'm not mad at you. I just don't know what to do. Syd be testin' my patience."

"I know, it's kinda funny," Kelsey snickers.

"I have to get the guest room ready, so just take whatever swimsuit you want. I have dozens of them." Kez spoke, tugging off her sweatpants to put on a slim skirt, careful of her covered tattoo. "You got anything in green?" She asked, getting up and walking over to the dresser as Kez pulled her shirt off so she could put the matching top that went with the casual skirt. "Ja. I wear lots of green so you'll find all kinds of shades."

Kelsey kneeled down, pulling open the very bottom drawer. "Wait, don't open-" Kez paused, cringing as Kelsey pulled out a purple mermaid tail. "You liar! You had one this entire time!" She scoffed, using it to hit her arm. "It doesn't even fit! They got my leg size wrong!" Kez pointed out as if that was a good argument. "Keziyah, you do realize I'm shorter than you? This is gonna fit me. How dare you take away my dream to be a mermaid!"

"You're being dramatic. Mermaid tails aren't all that. It takes a lot of leg strength to swim in those. You would drown and I would have to save you." Kez scoffed, snatching it out of her hands. "Oh, well then it's a good thing you're a doctor!" Kelsey grinned sarcastically, snatching the tail back.

"I should just let you drown," Kez mumbled bitterly.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing!" Kez smiled awkwardly, grabbing her green cardigan and running out.

"She a runner, she a trackstar," Amancia mumbled in amusement seeing the singer running out of the room. "It's funny because I am a trackstar," she explained towards Roscoe, the bulldog just staring at her and turning back to watch the TV. "One more episode and we'll go outside with the others."

"Yoh, why she keep glarin' at me like I killed her dog?" Kamari mumbled towards Hana as they stood in pool watching Kelsey put some floaties onto Hazel, the girl just glaring at Mari from across. "Love how you just forgot when you made her cry," Jackie chuckled, sitting atop a donut float. "That was an accident, and besides, those little demons were giving me shit scores," Mari defended.

"Your throws were kinda off to be fair. It's not like you. It's almost like that final four messed your game up," Hana said, causing Mari to shoot her a look at the reminder of the game vs Iowa, a game they lost. "I can't believe you still refuse to talk to Hazel," Jackie added, referring to one of their best friend's who played for Iowa. Mari rolled her eyes, "we would've won had she not pushed me down. Fucking dirty playing ass bitch."

"Where's all this hate towards Caitlin Clark? She also kept fouling you if you don't recall," Jackie pointed out knowingly. "It's not the same," Kamari muttered stubbornly. "Does your mum know you're not talking to her anymore?" Hana asked, knowing Kez would not be okay with that. "No, and don't say anything, not in front of her, Kelsey, or Lewis."

"Kez, someone's at the door!" Lewis shouted so she could hear him from down the hall. "On my way!" Kez flipped the lights off and ran down the hall. She walked down to the front door and pulled it open only for all of Kelsey's teammates to shout surprise at her. "SURPRISE!!"

"Is her eye twitchin'?" Chelsea squinted, studying the singer's void expression.

"Syd...you said it was just you," Kez spoke sternly.

"Yeah, I lied. Can we come in now? It's hot out here," Syd replied, pushing the other door open to let herself inside. "Where KP at?" A'ja asked, walking inside as Kez was still processing this. "Holy shit, we're gonna have to make a lot more pizzas," Lewis spoke, watching all the women walk inside the house. "Ouu, we havin' homemade pizza tonight?" Syd grinned excitedly.

"What's with all the shouting-" Kelsey pushed open the screen door, freezing at the sight of her Aces teammates. Her teammates shout, running over to her, surrounding her in a jumping group hug. All except for Jackie Young who just stood next to Lewis with the normal blank expression on her face. Hazel giggled, still in Kelsey's arm so she was having a blast with the group hug.

"Am I trippin' or is that Victoria Monet's kid?" Syd asked, the girl just giggling as she reached for the rookie Kate Martin. "No, that's my baby, alright," Vic smiled, moving to stand with Lewis, still very confused about the whole basketball team being in Kezie's house. "Can I hold her?" Kate asked, smiling at the child. "Of course," Vic nodded. Kate grinned, taking the child into her arms, Hazel giggling as she touched her nose.

"This is a nice house you got here, Kez." Alysha said, looking around at the scenery in awe. "Thanks, Lysh. Uh, is everyone staying the night or...?" Kez asked, more focused on the sleeping arrangements because having guests was fine. "Yeah, we gon' sleepover," Syd nodded, going to sit on the couch until A'ja grabbed her. "No outside clothes on the couch."

"Y'all are gonna have to share rooms though," Kelsey added.

"I'll share with A'ja!" Syd grinned, and the taller woman just shot her a dirty look. "No, you are not."

"Okay uh, everyone just choose a partner and follow me," Kez shrugged, walking down the hall. A'ja immediately grabbed onto Jackie before Syd could get her. Alysha and Kate partnered, Sydney and Chelsea, Megan and Tiffany, and Kiah with Kierstan. Once everyone got to their rooms, they decided to take some time to freshen up.

Kelsey pulled Kez into the laundry room as she was on her way to the kitchen. "You're cool with all this, right? I don't want my friends to be a bother." Kez smiled at her concern and took her hands, "it's not a problem. I love being around friends and family, especially yours. They make you happy. Who am I to be against that? I'm just wondering if we'll have enough food. I should run to the store, right?"

Kelsey chuckled softly, leaning up to press a kiss to her lips, "maybe I should get your name on me next."

"I mean...only if I get to choose the placement, and that's gonna take a little exploring to find the perfect spot," Kez smirked.

"You're so nasty," Kelsey laughed, playfully smacking her shoulder.

"I'ma run to the store real quick, text me a list of what your friends want." Kez rushed out, pressing a quick peck to her lips before rushing out. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed Lewis's keys on the counter. His car was far less noticeable than hers. "Aye Kez, I'm gonna call one of your private chefs for some help, okay? I don't think we got this," Lewis spoke, looking up from his phone.

"Ja, that's fine with me. I'm running to the store so let me know if you need more stuff for dinner." Kez nods, patting his shoulder before walking out. "Can I go with you?" Amancia asked, standing up from the couch. "Uh sure, put some shoes on. Hurry up." Kez nodded, pulling up the front door and walking out. Amancia grinned, running over to slip on her shoes and walk out.

"Wait- you said Kate Martin is here? Like she is in my house?" Kamari squints at her little brother who just nods his head, sitting at the edge of the pool with his feet dipped in the water, Hazel right beside him waiting for Kelsey to come back so she could swim. "The whole team is here as a surprise to mommy's girlfriend," Kaidyn signed to his big sister.

"He's fucking with us," Jackie said, knowing the kid played jokes on them all the time just to get their hopes up. He once said Jude Bellingham was coming over. Kaidyn just shrugged, finding it hopeless for them to believe him. Luckily, Kate and Alysha both walked outside towards the pool area, causing their jaws to drop, and their eyes growing wide when Syd, Chelsea, Tiffany, Kiah, Megan, and Kierstan came out right after them.

"I love famous people mansions." Syd grinned, looking around the very large backyard that included a basketball court, soccer/football field, a garden, and a bar near the pool and outside grill. It also had a tennis court to left if you followed the path down the stairs. Which all made sense given Kezie's LA mansion was her biggest home property.

Kamari wasn't given much time to ponder when Kelsey was running through the door trying to get away from A'ja who had a nerf gun she found in the guest room. Her teammates were laughing as Kelsey ran towards to pool, jumping inside to avoid being shot with the fake bullets. A'ja fell to the grass laughing, Syd catching everything on video. "This is goin' on my Twitter," she mumbled.

"I want to play mermaids," Kate exclaimed, picking up the mermaid tail laying on the pool chair.

"Mermaids!" Hazel giggled excitedly.

Kelsey climbed out of the pool, grabbing the towel Chelsea tossed her. "I have to take orders so you can use it," she said, and Kate cheered to herself, sitting down and pulling the tail on her legs. "This is so cool. I feel like I'm in a barbie movie." Alysha chuckled at the blonde's words, stepping into the pool and deciding to help Hazel into her little mermaid tail. "Did your mom buy this for you?" She asked, trying to make conversation with the little girl. "No, my dad Lewis buy it," Hazel giggled.

"Lewis is her dad?" Kierstan questioned, looking to Kelsey who was typing in a list as Syd and Tiffany were adding things to it. "Uh yeah, her step dad technically," Kelsey confirmed, glancing up from the phone to keep an eye on the kids who seemed well content. Especially Hazel, the girl having the time of her life playing mermaids with Kate and Alysha.

"Your girl gots a sick bar!" Syd grinned, pulling open the fridge and grabbing the bottle of champagne inside. "Just don't touch that green drink, Syd," Kelsey warned. "Which green drink?" She mumbled, settling the champagne to the side and searching around for the green drink she mentioned. "This one's locked!" She complained, tugging on the handle of the locked up cabinet.

"I know where the key is!" Kamari pulled herself out of the pool and grabbed a towel before running off to the house to grab the key. "Something tells me it's locked for a reason," A'ja said, walking over to sit at the bar. Mari returned with the keys and reached up to unlock the cabinet. Syd pulled it open and grinned at the sight of the green liquid inside a clear glass. "Why is it unlabeled?" A'ja wondered.

"I got no clue," Mari shrugged, setting the keys into a drawer before going back over to the pool.

Kelsey quickly got up and ran over, snatching the bottle from Sydney's hand. "What did I just say? Don't touch the green drink." She scoffed, placing it back into the cabinet. "What's in it?" Syd asked with a roll of her eyes. "You think I would know that? Kez just said it's off limits. She won't even let me drink it." She shrugged, pouring herself a glass of champagne.

"That just makes me wanna drink it even more," Syd smirked, going to reach for the cabinet door until Kelsey smacked her hand away. "Don't even try it. She'll know. She has cameras everywhere." Syd frowned, looking around for the cameras but not seeing any in sight. "So, who's idea was it to bring the entire team to Keziyah's house?" Kelsey questioned, looking between Syd and A'ja because they were the ones who planned stuff like this all the time.

"So basically, it's so funny, but I was gonna come visit by myself and Syd found out and decided it would be funny if we all just showed up at your girlfriend's front door." A'ja explained, sharing a smile with the woman. "And this has absolutely nothing to do with Keziyah having a concert tomorrow?" Kelsey asked with a knowing look in her eyes.

"What?! She is?! That's so crazy. What a coincidence," A'ja chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. Chelsea walked over, putting an arm around Kelsey's shoulders, "what she means to say is- can we get tickets?" She queried. "Wow. So, y'all are just using me to get free tickets to my girl's concert? Some friends you are." Kelsey spoke sarcastically but they were just looking for the yes or no. "Fine, I'll ask her."

"Yes!" The three shared a high five in triumph as Kelsey just rolled her eyes, a hint of amusement in them.

"Make sure you sweet talk her," Syd added.

"I don't think that's necessary. She'll do whatever I say." Kelsey shrugged nonchalantly, turning in the stool to keep an eye on the kids. Kaidyn also seemed to be having fun as he attempted to teach the other Jackie sign language. She knew he was non-verbal so she wanted to try and communicate with him through the silent language.

"Wait- I'm sorry, what? Did I hear that right? You got the Keziyah, whipped?" A'ja questioned, looking shocked but also impressed. "Remember how I told you I was going to the tattoo shop with her?" She nodded in reply, growing more interested. "She designed a tattoo with my name and let me choose the placement literally wherever I wanted on her body. I also have a feeling she's gonna ask me to be her girlfriend, officially."

"Oh, my god. I can't even say I'm surprised. It's about time," A'ja grinned, pulling her into a hug.

» »

Kez pulled open the drawer near the door and set her keys inside, only to pause when she seen the keys to her alcohol cabinet missing. "Strange." She mumbled, replacing her shoes with some slides and walking further into the house. She knew a few people were in the kitchen, Hazel and Kaidyn back in the playroom building Legos and everyone else was outside in the backyard, music blasting from a speaker.

She walked down to the pool area and went to the bar, reaching up and opening the unlocked cabinet. She grabbed onto the half empty bottle with the green coloured alcohol. "Does 'do not touch' mean anything anymore?" She mumbled, staring at the bottle in her hand. She glanced up, noting the fact that Kelsey, Sydney, A'ja, Kate, Alysha, Chelsea, and Jackie weren't there with the others. "Kamari, where are they?" She questioned.

Kamari and her three best friends snicker from where they sat by the pool, "they're on the tennis court."

"Do they even know how to use a tennis racket?" She pondered aloud, pouring herself a glass of wine before heading over to the tennis court. She walked down the steps and reached the court, seeing Kate and Alysha playing up against A'ja and Sydney. It was terrible to watch if you were a tennis lover. Sydney went to hit the ball back only to completely fall over the net, making everyone hunch over to laugh. "I guess that solves the mystery of who drank my special alcohol," Kez mumbled.

"Baby! You're back!" Kelsey quickly got up from her chair and ran towards the singer. Kez smiled, almost stumbling back from how powerful she ran into her. "I was only gone a few hours," she chuckled, letting Kelsey tug her along to sit down. "It felt like you were gone all day." She said, pushing the singer to sit down so she could sit on her lap, something she definitely welcomed.

"Well, you guys sent me the longest list ever so that's probably what took so long," Kez shrugged, sliding her hands around her waist to tug her closer. "That's not my fault. Syd took my phone and kept adding things to see if you'd buy it." Kelsey explained. "I figured that when I seen a MacBook on the list," she snickered in amusement.

Kez smiled to herself, leaning in to press a kiss to Kelsey's neck. "You smell like my flowers. Are you high right now?" She questioned with a knowing look behind her eyes. Her lips curled up into a smile, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth, "only a little bit." She chuckled softly, thankfully able to tell that it was a little buzz. "Did you also happen to share any of it?"

"...maybe," Kelsey mumbled with a sheepish smile.

Kez leaned closer to her ear, "can I tell you something?"

Kelsey nodded eagerly, turning in her lap, "anything."

"Can you come to the garden with me? I'll tell you there." Kelsey nodded, getting up and taking Kezie's hand. "Where y'all goin'?" Syd asked, watching them walk to the stairs. "We'll be right back!" Kelsey shouts before jogging up the stairs, forcing Kez to run after her, ignoring the teasing comments from her teammates. "How are you so fast?!" She laughed, chasing after the athlete. She finally caught her, wrapping her arms around her with a laugh.

"I can't believe you can run that fast in a skirt," Kez comments, leading her through the garden. "It's a flexible skirt," she shrugged, tugging on the band of it. It was just one of Kezie's long skirts that went over her bikini when she lounged about. Kez had lots of them in many different colours and textures. "Yeah, I love how long it looks on you." She teased, making Kels smack her arm in offense. "Hey! Don't make fun of my legs. Not everyone is a skyscraper."

Kez just laughed lightly, pulling Kelsey closer as they stood in between the lavender flowers planted into the rich soil. "So, what did you want to tell me?" She asked, sliding her hands under the soft cardigan the singer wore. "Well, first, I wanna start with saying, I'm sorry." Kels face fell, really hoping this wasn't going bad. "I'm sorry for making you wait so long. I know that wasn't easy for you, and it wasn't fair to you. Recently, I took some time to ponder on my feelings, and I'm sorry for not telling much I love you sooner."

"Are you being serious? This isn't a joke?" Kelsey breathed out in shock, looking around to see if anyone was hiding about with a camera, ready to pop out and announce it was just a prank. Kez frowned in confusion, cupping her face gently with both hands, "what kind of cruel person jokes about that, baby? I'm serious. I love you. I've been in love with you for months already. And if you say yes, I'd hope you'd be my girlfriend."

"Yes, yes, yeah, I want to be your girlfriend." Kelsey rushed out almost immediately, bringing Kez to bring her into a hug, holding onto her with the same amount of relief. Despite how calm she acted, that was one of the most nerve-wracking things she had ever done. She had never asked the question, it was always the opposite, or she'd trick a person into asking because she was deeply afraid of rejection.

She pulled back and connected their lips softly. It didn't need to be rushed, or sloppy. They just wanted to savor each other in the moment. It was almost unfortunate that they needed to pull away in order to breathe. Kelsey smiled softly, seeing her girlfriend needed a little more reassurance even if she was scared to admit it. "I love you too, Keziyah." Another one of the things Kez loved about her was how much she paid attention, even to the littlest of things.

"I got you something, and I know you don't like me giving you tons of gifts, but it would feel wrong not to get you something. So, spare my feelings and just take it." Kez rambled as she reached into the pocket of her cardigan and pulled out a little box. "If this is more than ten grand, I'm gonna kill you," Kelsey mumbled, taking the box with a small smile.

"10k? That's cheap. Come on, you know me better than that." Kez scoffed, almost looking offended at the low price.

Kelsey rolled her eyes playfully, opening up the box, and freezing at the sight of a gold diamond ring. "Do you like it? I was starting to think they'd never finish making it." Kez spoke, almost going off track into a different topic but she held herself back because now was not the time for nervous rambling. "I love it, babe. It's beautiful. Now I feel bad cause I didn't get you anything."

"I've already got everything I could ever want right here. You're never required to get me anything, unless it's like my birthday or something." Kez joked, poking at her waist playfully. Kelsey laughed lightly, and the singer took the box and pulled the ring out. She held out her hand and the girl slid the ring onto her finger, sighing in relief because she was worried about the size. "How'd you get my ring size?"

"Uh, I kinda just guessed by taking measurements in my head. Photographic memory tends to be quite useful." Kez shrugged, taking her hand to press a kiss to it. "You're such a nerd. It's really cute." Kelsey grinned, poking her stomach playfully as Kez grew flustered. "Don't call me cute. I am not cute. I am hot."

"You're hot..and cute. Don't fight it." Kelsey responded, walking over to check on the strawberry bushes she helped plant.

Kez paused, raising a brow at her girlfriend, "we have fresh strawberries in the kitchen, Kelsey." She frowned, pointing down at the berries with soft eyes, "but I want these ones. Can you pick them for me? Please?" Kez sucked in a breath, she couldn't say no, it almost felt forbidden to deny her anything. "Fine." Kez huffed, going off to grab a basket and coming back with it. "You should grow plums. Just sayin'." Kelsey added.

"I usually just steal them from my neighbors tree," Kez snickered, picking out the fresh strawberries.

"Does your neighbor know that?" Kelsey laughed. "No, but I do know that their little demons steal oranges off my trees," Kez scowled, standing back up with the basket of strawberries in her hand. "I was wondering why they kept disappearing," she mumbled, putting her arm around her waist as they walked out of the garden.

They noticed everyone at the basketball court now and it looked like some kind of game was going on funnily enough. "I call Keziyah on my team!" A'ja said very quickly, causing everyone on Mari's side to groan. "I'm very confused. What's happening?" Keziyah questioned, looking at the groups in confusion. "We playing five on five. Team A'ja versus Team Kamari. I'm the coach, obviously," Syd explained, holding a white board and a timer in her hand to seem more professional.

"Okay uh, can we change first?" Kez asked, seeing as she couldn't play basketball in a skirt and slides. "Of course, but hurry up cause I need Kelsey on my team," Kamari said, causing A'ja to shoot her a glare for stealing her teammate, again.

They returned a few minutes later with better clothes and shoes. Kamari had Alysha, Tiffany, Kiah, Megan, and Kelsey. A'ja had Kate, Jackie, Chelsea, Kierstan, and Keziyah. Sydney was the coach for Team A'ja and Jacqueline for Team Kamari. Amancia and Hana were the referees. It was surely gonna be entertaining. "Whoa, where you get that rock at?" Tiffany asked, taking Kelsey's hand to bring it closer so she could see the ring.

"Keziyah." Kelsey smiled, pulling it off so she wouldn't lose it during the game.

"All right, listen up team! And just so we don't confuse me and the other Jackie, you can call me JJ. If anyone calls me Jacqueline, I will respectfully have to fight you," the Brazilian girl stated, getting some chuckles from the girls. "Now, Kelsey, I'm sorry but you're gonna have to guard Keziyah. Do not let your personal feelings get in the way of our goal. Winning." Kelsey nodded, still fighting the urge to laugh because of how unserious all of this was.

"I love how concentrated they look. It's adorable." Kez mused, spinning the ball on her finger as they waited for her daughter's team to join the court. They finally joined, and Kiah was gonna do the jump ball against Keziyah. Amancia threw it up and Kiah reached it first, getting it to her team. Tiffany passed it to Kamari and she shot a quick three to get the first points.

Keziyah got the ball and smiled as she tried to keep it away from Kelsey. She passed it to Jackie and then she passed to A'ja who shot a two. Kez smiled, setting her hands on Kelsey's waist and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Hey! Whoa! That is illegal!" Kamari exclaimed, calling Hana to blow the whistle. "What? I can't kiss my girlfriend?" Kez scoffed in disbelief as Alysha and Kamari pulled Kelsey out her hands.

"She is not your girlfriend. She is your competitor! That should count as a foul!" Kamari argued.

"You're so dramatic," she chuckled, shooting her girlfriend a wink.

"Aye, yoh, that's not allowed either! No winking at my teammate!" Kamari scowled.

"She doesn't seem to mind," Kez shrugged her shoulders.

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a/n: this was such a fun chapter to write 🤭 y'all the next chapter is the last one 💔 i loved writing this lil book sm and i might even come back to write some bonus chapters

we need a ship name for them tho

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