On The Rebound

by Alexandra Warren

  Snapping her head back, she whined, “Hey, we’re talking about my livelihood here.”

  “Shit, mine too,” I argued, legitimately having no idea how this would affect my entire situation as Bleu frowned to say, “But you weren’t even… nevermind.”

  The way she avoided my eyes after cutting herself off, I had a pretty good idea how that statement was going to end. But I didn’t even have it in me to hold it against her, instead pulling her under my arm when I said, “Bottomline is, we’re both being affected one way or another.”

  Nodding to agree, she peeked up at me and asked, “Has the organization said anything about getting you guys tested?”

  “Nah, they just told us to chill for now unless we start experiencing symptoms.”

  “Yeah, same here,” she sighed. “Which is crazy cause I’ve definitely been around four different teams in the last three days, but…”

  Once she said that, I immediately scooted my ass to the other side of the couch, Bleu responding with an amused shake of her head as she said, “A little too late to be tryna get away from me now, Kage.”

  “That shit wasn’t about to last another minute anyway,” I admitted as I made my way right back over and laid with my head on her lap, Bleu looking down at me with a smirk as I shared, “I can’t even lie, though. This shit is mad frustrating. I mean, I had one, maybe two more weeks before I was set to return. And now the season is just… gone.”

  Honestly, it didn’t even seem real that my last game of my second year in the league could’ve already happened, Bleu trying her best to keep hope alive when she gently rubbed my facial hair and insisted, “Gone for now, but not gone forever, babe. And besides, if nothing else, this gives you a little more time to make sure your ankle is really ready to go whenever things do start back up.”

  She was a lot more optimistic about it than I was. And for that, I was grateful, grinning as I snuggled against her titties and sighed, “You always know just the right thing to say to a nigga.”

  “It’s a gift,” she bragged teasingly. “That’s why they pay me the big bucks to run my mouth even though I don’t know what the hell is about to happen now. I mean, with no sports, that means there’s no sideline for me to work. And being around people right now for any sort of interviewing ain’t it either. Hell, just the thought of getting on the plane back to New York is already stressing me out.”

  “So why don’t you just stay here for a little while? With me?”

  The way her body tensed up at my suggestion, you would’ve thought I’d asked her ass to marry me. But knowing that wasn’t the case at all, I was quick to sit up and add, “Just for a couple days until we can figure out what’s going on and get you back home safely, baby.”

  Now that I’d framed it more innocently, I could see the wheels turning in Bleu’s head as she repeated, “Just a couple days?”

  “Or weeks. Maybe months,” I answered. “New Year’s Day 2021 don’t sound too bad either lowkey.”

  “You are crazy,” she giggled, gnawing at her lip before she asked, “You really want me to stay?”

  “Please?” I begged, giving her my best Poochie eyes and a poked-out bottom lip that I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist.

  Once she cupped my chin, I knew I was in there. Though I could’ve done without the way she squeezed it and cooed, “How could I say no to that face?”

  “The same way you did back in July, and September, and October,” I reminded her, Bleu almost immediately dropping my chin so that she could smack me in the shoulder. And even though I was laughing about that part, I was also deadass serious when I said, “But nah, me and Poochie would love to have you kick it wit’ us for however long is necessary. However long you feel comfortable.”

  I really wasn’t trying to pressure her into some shit she had no interest in. But I also couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to ask if there was even a chance that she was. And while she might’ve made me sweat for it as she bounced the idea around in her head, I was excited as fuck once she finally responded, “Only since Poochie asked so nicely.”

  Seventeen

  I was way too comfortable in Kage’s space.

  Somehow, his suggestion of me staying for “just a couple days” had turned into three and a half weeks of sharing meals, clearing out our Netflix lists, fucking like rabbits, and spending way too much money on stuff neither of us really needed.

  Oh.

  And I suppose I was “working from home” too, Kage lending me one half of his spare room to set up a makeshift studio where I could conduct all of my video calls and Zoom interviews. But that was only a small part of what the month had been for us so far, the fact that I was so content only making the entire thing that much crazier since I could’ve never imagined things playing out this way.

  I mean, shacking up with Kage like we’d even been dating all that long.

  Sharing a puppy baby like we were practicing for children.

  Me practically living in his t-shirts and forever borrowing his big ass Nike slides to make random trips in.

  The two of us sleeping together every night and waking each other up early in the morning for sex.

  Okay, maybe it was just me who always wanted morning sex.

  More than anything though, I was just glad that the both of us were staying safe, and that all of our people were staying safe, Ms. Jeanine keeping herself occupied with her “Tikky-Toks” and her cookbooks that always had her making way more food than any single person could eat. But as one of the main beneficiaries of all her leftovers, I wasn’t complaining, happy to go and pick up the perfectly packaged meals she’d leave for Kage and I at the end of her driveway in an effort to social distance.

  Things were a little different when I stopped by today though, the truck parked next to her mailbox with the Connecticut license plates catching me a bit off-guard since I knew Ms. Jeanine had been very strict about who she’d let get anywhere near her. But it made sense once I saw her waving at me through the glass door and pointing at Coach Joe who was standing next to her with a big ol’ grin, the fact that they’d been able to reunite warming my heart as I waved back and shot her the ASL sign for “Thank you” before getting back in my car.

  Not my car.

  Kage’s car.

  The way I’d been pushing his Maserati and even had the Bluetooth synced to my phone, you would’ve thought it was mine. But really, it was just another example of how comfortable I’d gotten around here, the fact that Kage seemed to love the energy only making it that much harder for me to find an issue worth checking myself over and furthermore, a reason for me to go home.

  Eventually, I would have to. But for now, I was pulling into his parking spot back at the condo, taking a second to slip my mask on just in case I happened to run into any of his neighbors on my way to his place.

  With the city on lockdown thanks to the governor’s “Safer at home” order, the majority of people in his building were only leaving for essential reasons; myself included since Ms. Jeanine’s lasagna was definitely vital to my well-being. But somehow, I still ended up sharing the elevator with a stranger who damn near had me holding my breath until I made it to Kage’s floor, using the access code to gain entry to his unit only to walk in on the most adorable sight ever.

  Kage and Poochie napping together on the couch.

  The movie they were supposedly watching, watching them.

  It was so cute that I couldn’t help letting off an audible “awww” that was just loud enough to make Kage stir awake. And when he realized I was back, he shot me a sleepy grin as he instructed, “Go wash your hands.”

  “I’m about to,” I whined, setting the food down on the counter and pulling my mask off before I moved to the kitchen sink to give my hands a timed scrub. Then, after putting the food away in the fridge, I made my way over to the couch to dish out proper greetings, giving Poochie a scrub to her head and Kage a peck on the lips before I asked, “Did you know Coach Joe was in town?”


  “Yeah, he told me he was coming down here,” he grumbled, the fact that he was all frowned up about it only confusing me until he sat up and continued, “Crazy, cause I’ve been tryna get his ass to come visit me for the longest and finally got him after a whole season and a half. And now this nigga making trips all willy-nilly, driving fourteen hours just cause Ms. J wanted some company.”

  Hearing that only made the whole thing that much sweeter to me, a grin on my face as I told Kage, “I think it’s kinda romantic.”

  “Yeah, his ass is most definitely whipped,” Kage groaned, his attitude about the whole thing making it easy for me to press him on it when I crossed my arms over my chest and asked, “So you’re saying you wouldn’t drive fourteen hours to come see me in a pandemic?”

  With a grin of his own, Kage pulled me down into his lap and sang, “I will cross the ocean for you. I will go and bring you the moon...”

  “I will be your hero, your strength. Anything you needdddd,” I sang back, using the remote as a microphone to give my best Monica impression when I finished off the lyrics to “For You I Will” only to be met with Kage’s raised eyebrows.

  “Baby, you might wanna leave the singin’ to me before you start scaring Poochie.”

  Giggling, I gave him a little smack to the chest as I muttered, “Oh, shut up.” And when I climbed off his lap, I noticed a fresh stack of packages sitting nearby, the fact that we stayed in the UPS, FedEx, and Amazon delivery rotation making it a serious question when I asked, “What’d you order now?”

  “Just a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ for us to try out later on,” he responded with a grin that left me curious until he mentioned, “I think that other box is for you, though.”

  Frowning confusedly, I told him, “But I didn’t even order… oh, wait. Yes I did.”

  Shaking his head, Kage watched as I grabbed a pair of scissors to cut open the box and pulled out three different two-piece sets from my favorite online boutique Mali’s Closet, the fact that I now had an entire new wardrobe at his place only making it even more comical once he asked, “Bleu, why you keep buyin’ whole ass outfits like we can even go anywhere?”

  “Maybe if somebody didn’t continually insist that I extend my stay, I wouldn’t have to keep buying clothes to wear on-camera,” I reminded him with a sarcastic grin, the mention of his role in all of this only making him grin back once he offered, “In that case, you wanna use my credit card next time?”

  “Cause I wasn’t supposed to use your credit card this time?” I asked, giggling as I patted him on the thigh and told him, “I’m kidding. You know mama has her own.”

  “And daddy still loves to foot the bill,” he insisted near my ear, my shoulder immediately moving upwards to block any further advances as I groaned, “Ew. I can’t call my daddy daddy and have you be daddy too.”

  “Aight, how about papa then?”

  My phone buzzing in my pocket saved me from having to give any definite answer as I hopped off the couch and told him, “Let’s revisit this another time,” before taking the call with a casual, “Hey Kat. What’s up?”

  “Oh, nothin’. Just checking in to see if you’re still in my city playing house with A.S.D.”

  Her reply had me glad that I’d gotten out of Kage’s earshot when I did, a tight grin on my face as I made my way down the hall towards the spare room while responding, “Yes, I’m still in Nashville, Katianna.”

  It was no surprise when she went on to tease, “You couldn’t wait to get out of here after the Trojans won that championship, and now look at you. Getting dicked down on the regular at the honky-tonk.”

  Laughing, I clarified, “First of all, I left Nashville for a much better, more lucrative career opportunity. Not because I didn’t like the city. And second of all, New York’s COVID numbers are absolutely insane right now, so I’m really in no rush to get back there any time soon.”

  “And third of all, Kage got that thang on ‘em,” Kat added to the list, a fact I couldn’t even pretend to deny when I told her, “He sure the hell does.”

  “Must be nice.”

  The somberness in her tone made it clear that the isolating conditions of the pandemic might’ve been starting to affect her a bit, my lips pouting on their own as I sighed, “Aww, Kat. I told you I’d come visit you out at the palace if you needed some company.”

  “And risk catching the ‘rona cause I don’t trust that Kage has been wearing a mask, and I know for a fact the two of y’all hot asses haven’t been social distancing from each other?”

  With a giggle, I shared, “Kage’s ass hasn’t even been anywhere to need a mask. Hell, he won’t even take Poochie for a walk cause he’s so scared of the virus.”

  It was one of the more interesting things I’d learned about Kage since being on lockdown together, that unpredictable circumstances like this really freaked him out. And even though it was justified since it wasn’t like the country had a handle on things from a safety standpoint, the fact that the only fresh air Kage ever took in was when he cracked the sliding glass door to let Poochie go pee on the porch potty was starting to get a bit worrisome. Though Katianna saw it differently when she suggested, “Alright, well he can come, and you can stay back. I mean, you don’t mind sharing a lil’ wee-wee with an old friend, do you?”

  “Girl, fuck you,” I barked, Katianna cracking up laughing at my visceral reaction as she groaned, “Wow. Never thought a little dick would come between our almost decade-long friendship.”

  “A little dick wouldn’t.”

  “Okay, okay. We get it. Kage Steele doesn’t have the name of a pornstar for no reason. You don’t have to rub it in,” she groaned, her claims making me laugh just as hard as she had been when I realized, “Oh my God. His name does kinda sound like a pornstar.”

  “Just one reason for you to make sure you give him a girl instead of a junior,” she insisted. “I hear the name Katianna is getting popular again.”

  Giggling, I was quick to assure her, “No one is having anyone’s baby any time soon. We’re just doing a lot of very... mostly safe practicing.”

  The mention made me realize I was just about due for another menstrual cycle, adding tampons to my mental Instacart list as Katianna asked, “So I shouldn’t place my wager that y’all will be responsible for the next Trojans baby?”

  “Only if you wanna lose your money.”

  “Eh, what the hell. I got a few dollars to spare.”

  With a huff of a laugh through my nose, I shook my head and groaned, “Anyway. I gotta let you go cause I need to get all set-up for my interview with Ava Daniels.”

  Since the pandemic hit, I’d been tasked with all sorts of odd virtual interview jobs for the network. But this was the first time I’d be filming an actual B.T.B. Sunday Segment, the name drop of this week’s subject enough to grab Katianna’s attention as she squealed, “Ooh. If she’s interested in a new team, feel free to put in a good word for me cause we are still struggling to solidify this year’s roster for the season we may or may not even have.”

  It had just recently been announced that the WNBA would be postponing the start of their regular season until further notice. And with the cancellation of the March Madness tournament which was typically the ultimate final scouting opportunity before the draft happening in a few days, the leadership team over at the Nymphs hadn’t exactly been able to figure out who’d be the best fit for their returning-championship squad; especially since it was pretty much a guarantee that whenever a season did come about, that their star player was more than likely still going to be out on maternity leave.

  Yeah, Selena Samuels soon to be Samuels-Leonard was leaving some big ass shoes to fill.

  Still, her absence didn’t keep me from believing that a season would be played one way or another, sharing that same sentiment with Katianna once I expressed, “It’s gonna happen. I mean, there’s already rumors of the NBA doing some sort of isolated bubble situation. I can’t imagine a reason why the W wouldn’t be
able to do the same.”

  Actually, there were some reasons - mainly financial - that I was sure Katianna, as an owner, didn’t want to get into. And since I didn’t really have time for that conversation anyway, I was perfectly fine with her wrapping up our call on a semi-optimistic note when she said, “Well for now, I’m just gonna focus on the draft and hope for the best.”

  Of course, she couldn’t help getting a few more jokes off at my expense before really ending the call. But once I got off the phone with her, my mind was already in interview-mode as I changed out of my athleisure into a cute little wrap dress, got my hair and make-up together, made sure my lighting and sound was all set to go, and then went to go peek in on Kage who was sitting at the computer with his headphones over one ear and his electric bass guitar - one of those wild pandemic purchases - in his lap, trying to mimic some dude’s YouTube tutorial of… wait.

  “You’re learning how to play my song?” I asked amusedly once I caught what sounded like the chords that matched the lyrics of “Situationship”.

  Peeking back at me over his shoulder, he asked, “You can actually tell? Cause this shit is way harder than I thought it would be.”

  Chuckling, I rested a hand on his shoulder when I told him, “Well good thing you literally have all the time in the world to keep practicing.”

  “I’d rather be practicing somethin’ else,” he suggested with a smirk as he removed his guitar strap and set his instrument to the side so that he could turn around and occupy his hands with my ass instead. And while that was often all it took for a condom to get found or a pull-out plan to get made, I could only bite my lip as I let him have his way for a second before responding, “No time. My interview with Ava is in like, twelve minutes.”

  “Just enough time for you to put this in then,” he decided, reaching towards the back of his computer to unplug a cord that was connected to a…

  “Kage, what the hell is this?” I asked once he handed the sex toy my way, the fact that he’d had it charging in the computer USB port of all places tickling the hell out of me as I corrected, “I mean, I know what it is, but…”