Jace pouted but didn’t object.
“Well, better than nothing, I suppose,” he grumbled. “Hey, I gotta head off to practice. You wanna come with?”
group
Amber chuckled at his reaction, then smiled wider at the question. “Of course! I’d love to come watch you.”
Jace grinned and pecked her on the cheek.
“Great! Let’s go, then?”
His happiness didn’t last long because the second they stepped into the gym, a basketball whizzed its way past him, barely grazing his cheek, slamming into the wall. Jace blinked, looking forward to meet the narrowed eyes of William.
“You’re late,” he said in an irritated voice. “Half an hour late. I do hope you’ve got a good enough excuse, Jace, for not informing us.”
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Amber raised her eyebrows and stepped back. She cleared her throat, moving back to Jace’s side as she raised a hand.
“That would be me. I didn’t realize that he had practice. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have agreed to going out with him at this time,” she explained, wrapping an arm around her boyfriend’s waist. She glanced up at him, giving him a look.
William locked eyes with Amber, irritation clear on his features. He picked up the ball he shot towards Jace as it rolled towards him, returning his gaze towards Jace.
“Not a good enough excuse,” he answered, causing Jace to fidget.
“I didn’t think we’d take long,” he defended himself, causing William to glare harder. “I promise I’ll be on time the next time we have practice.”
Before William could respond, their manager arrived, a notebook in her hands.
“Jace,” she addressed the younger player with a stern look in her eyes. “Be on time, or tell us before hand. It’s rather difficult coming up with a newer plan on the spot.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jace nodded. “I’m sorry.
Her gaze shifted to William. “Go back to practice, both of you,” she tapped the notebook with her pen, turning around to walk away. William looked at Jace again before he shook his head, following their manager and going back into the field where the other members were waiting. Jace turned towards Amber and offered an apologetic smile.
“Sorry about that,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “Anyway, you can stand with the manager on the bleachers. That way, you’ll be safe from the balls.”
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Amber smiled, nodding. “All right. Have fun, and don’t get hurt,” she wished him off with a soft kiss.
The boys began practicing, diving themselves into teams of two. William continuously tossed three-pointers, followed by Drew with his dunking. Both of them in the same team was rather terrifying, especially due to their teamwork and the way they were familiar with each other’s plays.
After successfully throwing a two-pointer, Jace turned towards Amber and sent a flying kiss her way, grinning brightly. William, who saw the exchange, snorted to himself. Half an hour later, the members were on the ground, breathing heavily. Their manager handed them water and towels, which Jace took before running up to Amber.
group
Amber laughed at the kiss he sent her way, waving a little back at him. When he came up to her, she stood and met him.
“Hey. You looked good out there. How’d it go?” she asked, smiling up at him.
Jace snorted, taking a mouthful of his water.
“I got my back handed to me out there,” he grumbled. “That’s how it went.”
William uncapped his bottle of water, taking a swig before he locked eyes with his manager, raising the bottle over his head. She shot him a glare and he responded by soaking himself with water, shaking his head after he was done capping it. Caroline clicked her tongue, his towel gripped in her hands. She walked towards him and handed it to him.
“You like making my job harder for me, don’t you?” She muttered, annoyance present in her usually blank face. “Dry yourself off. You’ll get cold.”
William offered her a rather calm look, setting the towel on his head. He bent down a little, eyes boring into hers.
“I suppose I’ll stay over and help you clean,” he murmured as she sighed and reached up to dry his hair, making sure to avoid his gaze. William’s expression softened, tilting his head lightly, never once removing his eyes from her. “Thank you, Caroline, for the extra attention.”
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(Kskdkdjdjdjdjdj
huffs)
Amber’s gaze caught the interaction between William and his manager. She watched for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing almost imperceptibly before she turned back to Jace.
“So, what are you doing now?” she wondered with a grin. “After showering, that is, I hope.”
Jace capped his bottle, looking over at Amber with a glint in his eyes, missing the look she casted over his teammate and manager.
“Well, I know what I’m going to do before showering,” he said to her. “You want to know?”
William closed his eyes when Caroline dabbed at his face before pulling back. He opened his eyes, tilting his head again, curious until he caught the look she was giving him.
“Caroline?” He quirked an eyebrow, unamused. She furrowed her eyebrows at him before shaking her head, turning towards the other members who remained unbothered as if the interaction was normal.
“Go home,” she said to them as they stood up, stretching. “Be here at eight thirty in the morning for a meeting. Do not be late.”
The members on the court obeyed, stretching as they walked themselves out before turning back to William, who remained rooted to his spot.
“Oh, you’re staying back again?” Parker questioned. “Good thing the manager has a little brother like you around, huh? Help her well! We’re out.”
William looked a little annoyed at the term Parker used, but didn’t bother correcting him. The others exited the gym, excited chatters getting quieter the farther they got.
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Amber raised her eyebrows at Jace’s words. “Oh? And what would that be?” she asked curiously.
Jace spread his arms and pulled Amber into a hug, crushing her against his chest.
“This!” He exclaimed. “A hug~“
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“Noooooo… Jace, c’mon…” Amber whined, trying to hold in her laughter. “That’s so gross…”
Jace nuzzled her neck, his grin getting wider.
“Is it, though?” He laughed at her reaction. “You love it, admit it!”
He paused right when he caught the manager’s orders, the last line specifically directed at him.
“Well…” he started, not letting go of Amber still. “I suppose I should drop you off at home, right? William’s staying, it seems, and even if he wasn’t, I don’t want you both walking together.”
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“You’re sweaty, Jace… I want to be able to hug you back,” Amber pouted, not wrapping her arms around him. “But, yeah, that’s probably a good idea. You could come pick me up after your shower, if you want. I could give you that kiss you’ve practically been begging me for, then.”
“A kiss?” Jace echoed. “Well, that’s certainly something I can’t say no to. I’ll have to go back to my dorm for the shower, though. You sure you can survive without my kisses for too long?”
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Amber smirked up at him playfully. “I’m sure I’ll survive. What about you? Think you’ll survive without me for a bit?”
“I frankly remember someone saying she wanted to kiss me more the day we got together,” Jace shot back with a smirk of his own. “And the fact that my kisses made her numb.”
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“I was drunk! It doesn’t count!” Amber protested, her smirk falling into a pout. “C’mon, Jace…”
“Of course it doesn’t count,” Jace poked her nose. “I’ll meet you after my shower, all right? What will you be doing till then?”
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Amber shrugged, a soft blush coating her cheeks. “Probably studying… Studying and eating something quick.”
(Goddammit Jace, you’re not supposed to be this loveable!)
Jace nodded.
“All right, then,” he linked their fingers together. “Let’s go now? Before the manager becomes cruel and assigns me to cleaning duty?”
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Amber chuckled and pecked his nose. “Yeah, let’s go. Wouldn’t want you to have to stay any longer than you need to.”
“Definitely not,” Jace agreed. Finally, they began to walk out with the rest of the team.
Once they were gone, William dropped his act and turned towards Caroline. “We should start cleaning now, shouldn’t we?”
She chewed on her bottom lip before sighing. “Thank you for staying over again, Will, but you don’t have to. I can take care of this myself.”
William looked at her, their eyes locking before he rolled his eyes.
“By the time you’re done with everything, it’s going to be night out,” he said rather softly. “I’ll walk you home, too.” The manager didn’t refuse.
Jace, finally done with his shower, stretched before he knocked on Amber’s dorm’s door. Though they’d just parted about fifteen minutes ago, he wanted to kiss her again. And see her. He didn’t think it was possible to like someone this much, but it appears it was. Amber was just… very much likeable.
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“Just a sec!” Amber called from the kitchen, where she was just finishing up washing her dish. She set it away before grabbing a towel and going to open the door. Seeing Jace standing before her, she smiled and stepped aside. “Hey. Long time no see.”
Jace walked in, immediately wrapping an arm around her and resting his head on her shoulder.
“Mmm,” he hummed in content. “I missed you.”
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Amber smiled, kissing his cheek before pulling away gently. “I missed you, too. Just let me go put this rag away before I come back, okay? It’ll just take a second.”
