The Anticipation

The Iowa and UConn girls have both been back from vacation for about a week and a half now. So that meant they were half way done with the basketball summer camp. It didn't take long for everyone to get back into their old routines, ones they have sincerely missed. But on top of that, new routines were created as well.

Long distance between Nika and Kate was going great so far. They both kept their promise and texted or called whenever they could. They would always wish each other well and good luck before either of their days of camp started. They'd spend hours talking to each other about everything that has been happening in their daily lives. It brought comfort to both of the girls seeing one another. Even if it just meant seeing each other on a tiny screen.

Just like Nika had said, the next day after she proposed Kate to come to Connecticut and Croatia with her, she bought the tickets for Kate. Kate was feeling a word stronger than excited-like electrified. She was so happy to see Nika again and couldn't wait to get to cherish and spend every moment with her. The feeling was mutual between the two girls.

Kate had just exited the basketball facility when she FaceTimed non-other than Nika. Kate always initiated the call after camps because Connecticut was an hour ahead. It didn't take long for Nika to answer.

"Hey princess, how did your practice go?" Kate could already feel the blood rushing to her cheeks whenever Nika called her 'princess.' No matter how many times Nika called her that, her heart always seems to stop.

"It was okay. Drills were more of a bitch today than other days. Caitlin and Syd kept joking around with each other so we had to run suicides multiple times." Kate looked away from her phone for a moment before she heard the Croatian on the other end burst out laughing. "Babe, what are you laughing at? There's nothing funny about running suicides."

"I'm not laughing at anything princess. You just look like you wanna lay down on a highway right now." Kate rolled her eyes at the girl although she wasn't entirely wrong... Kate genuinely didn't know how much more of summer practice she could take. It didn't help that every time she walked out the basketball facility, she was met with the scorching sun reflecting on her skin. All Kate wanted to do was hop on a flight and be in the arms of Nika.

"Laying on a highway right now isn't the worst idea, apart from the melting black pavement. I look terrible right now though. I feel gross, worn out, and all sweaty."

"I think you look hot." Kate felt herself not being able to move. The girl on the other end of the phone had such a chokehold on Kate, Kate has never experienced before.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"I'm being dead serious baby. All I want to do right now is hop in a shower with you and get all that sweat and dirt off of you." Nika paused for a moment. "And do some other things."

woah

Nika noticed Kate trying to hide the red flush that was in her cheeks. There was a brief moment of silence between the two girls before Nika decided to speak up again. "Well, I'll let you go home and take a shower and whatever you have to do. Call me later okay?" Nika saw the blonde nod. "Call you later princess."

"Bye babe." Kate saw Nika wink and in the blink of an eye the FaceTime ended. Kate sighed and put on her playlist as she backed out of the facility. Kate was looking forward to tonight. Since it was 2PM, after her shower, her and Caitlin were going to go shopping for Kate's trip. There were also a few WNBA games on tonight that either dared to miss.

The car ride back to the apartment. The windows were halfway down with a slight breeze forcing Kate's hair to be pushed back a little and her baby hairs to curl up. The music was at the right volume to where Kate could manage to hear herself humming to the melody but not for it to overshadow it and her thumb tapping on the steering wheel along to the beat. Car rides like these were the ones Kate severely loved. She loved being alone but not lonely, and got to forget about the world for even just a minute.

Kate made her way up to her apartment and when she walked in the door, she saw nobody. It made sense though since practice had just ended prior. Kate walked into her bedroom to get out a black Iowa Hawkeyes shirt and beige cargo shorts. God she couldn't wait for it to become winter again.

Kate hopped into the shower, feeling the water meet her skin. The only noise there was, was the sound of the water hitting the shower floor. This was peace. For the first time in months, Kate was alone with nobody around to bother her. She had missed moments like these. During the vacation Kate was surrounded by people 24/7. As much as she enjoyed it, she missed having some time to herself.

As soon as Kate walked into the living room/ kitchen area, she saw Caitlin walk through the front door.

"Hey K, I'll be ready to go in a minute. I just need to use the bathroom real quick." Kate could tell Caitlin had showered and gotten dressed in the basketball facility. That was something Kate never felt comfortable doing. No matter how clean the bathrooms were, Kate would never want to shower there.

Kate and Caitlin hopped into Kate's car, on the way to find the first store that excited them.

"So are you excited to see your lover Ms. Mühl again?" Caitlin turned her head to face Kate with a smirk on her face.

"You already know the answer to that Clark so shut it. I just want the day to come already. Don't get me wrong as much as a crackhead that you are, I love spending time with you but I just can't wait to see Nika again."

"No offense taken. I see how happy she makes you K. That's all I've ever wanted for you. You know that." Kate couldn't wipe her smile off of her face. Caitlin really was a great friend she only wanted what's best for Kate. "I think Nika is great for you. If you told me two months ago you guys would've been in the spot right now, I would've believed you. I do wish you guys were taking me to Croatia with you. Do her parents know about you guys though?"

Kate huffed. Nika has talked to Kate about her parents only a few times. From what Kate's heard though its seems like Nika's parents are supportive. "Uhm, I actually don't know. I think they support women loving women but I don't know if they actually know about us. I haven't done much studying on how supportive Croatia is towards gay people. In full honesty, the only Croatian studying I've really done is how to say 'this is really good food Mr. and Mrs. Mühl' in Croatian." Both of the girls laughed at that statement.

"Well I'm sure everything is going to be fine. I don't think Nika would've invited you to Croatia if her parents weren't supportive." Caitlin had a point there.

"I don't know man." Kate put her right blinker on and turned into a shopping plaza. The plaza consisted of many stores that both of the women liked shopping from such as Nike and a Target right next to it.

Kate and Caitlin decided to walk into Target first. The Red and White theme of the Target was overtaken by the amount of Iowa merch people were wearing. Hawkeye fans did not play about there favorite college. There was Iowa merch everywhere you looked. Including a Iowa Themed bottle you could buy at Starbucks.

Kate and Caitlin were walking down each aisle, Kate pondering what to get. "So what kind of clothes are you looking for K? Isn't the weather the same in Connecticut and Croatia this time of year?"

Kate's fingers kept on tracing the shirts stacked on the hangers as she answered Caitlin. "I guess more of what I have now. More cargos and t-shirts I guess. Less Iowa merch no offense. I don't really care for what I wear in Storrs its just I want to be at my best appearance when meeting her family. I don't want them to think I'm some lazy snob."

"You're not some lazy snob K. You're one of the most dedicated people I know. And don't change yourself because it might be easier for others. Do whatever is easy for yourself. You don't have to pretend that you're from the fucking Royal Family or something with wearing a long puffy dress or pretending you're from the Victorian era. Just wear what you normally would on a day-to-day basis. The outfits and personality that made Mühl fall in love with you."

That hit hard. Since Kate was a child all she ever wanted to do was fit in. She tried and tried but it never worked. She always like dressing in more masculine clothes but she wanted to fit in with the 'girly girls' but they just pointed at her. "Nika isn't in love with my Clark. We're just dating."

"K, I know I'm dumb but I ain't stupid. I see the way she looks at you. Hell, I don't even see her looking at anything else but you. When you're near her its like everyone else is tossed to the side and we simply don't exist. That girl is in Love. With a hard L."

Kate stopped in her tracks for a moment. Was Nika really in love or falling in love with her? Kate sure was, but was the feeling mutual?

"I don't know Clark, I think you're reaching. We're not even girlfriend and girlfriend yet. I find it hard to believe someone's in love with someone else who they're not even in a relationship yet. Crushes don't count on that though."

Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. "Guess you got to ask her to be your girlfriend then."

Kate rolled her eyes then flipped off Caitlin. "Well see what happens in Croatia."

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Kate and Caitlin had arrived home a few hours later just in time for them and Gabbie to watch the WNBA games that were on tonight. Two of the three games that started that nigh began at the same time. They decided to mainly watch the Sun vs Lynx game and flip to the Mystics vs Sky game when it was commercial break.

They had invited all of the girls over but only a few decided to come since they had camp the next morning. As soon as the 3 of them sat down on the couch, their front door opened with a few people walking through it.

"We're here!" Sydney was leading the pack with blankets in her hand while Molly, AJ, and Kylie trailed behind. "Lynx is gonna kick some Sun butt!" Sydney hollered, as her voice echoed throughout the room. Gabbie was quick to object.

"Aw hell no Ms. Sydney Affolter not on my dead body. If you really think the Lynx are going to beat the Sun then I don't know Syd. You're out of your mind." Everyone but Molly boo'd Gabbie. Everybody beside those two girls were Lynx fans. They were probably biased because Minnesota was a state above them.

The first two games were done by a blink of an eye. Gabby and Molly cheered and laughed in everyone's faces as the Sun beat the Lynx. "You guys actually thought Lynx were going to win." It was impossible for Molly and Gabby to contain there laughter seeing how frustrated and mad everyone else was throughout and when the game ended.

"Shut up Molly we're going to beat you next time. Trust."

"We'll see about that Caitlin."

The Mystics vs Sky game finished a minute after the Lynx and Sun game ended and the Mystics game out on top. Caitlin immediately flipped to the Fever vs Storms game.

"It's crazy how in a year from now you're going to be playing for one of these teams, making a huge difference while I'll be an old Joe Schmo." Kate turned to Caitlin who waved her off, but everyone agreed with Kate.

"Nah I won't be making a difference. I'll probably be the worst on the team if I'm being completely honest."

"I'm calling it right now Clark, you're going to be the number 1 draft pick."

Once again, Caitlin waved her off. Caitlin couldn't fathom being the number 1 draft pick. She found it incredibly hard to believe she would be the number one pick. "I doubt it K. What about you though? Don't you want to play in the WNBA?"

Kate sighed. "It would be my dream to play but I don't think I'm good enough for it."

Gabbie put a hand on Kate's shoulder. "Kate stop bull shitting. You'll be drafted next year. You're going to keep getting better. You're the glue, you're a breath of fresh air. Anytime would be lucky to have you." Kate smiled.

"Thanks Gabs, how about you though? Are you going to declare for the draft?"

Gabbie paused for a moment. "I don't think so to be honest I wanna get my masters." Everyone looked at Gabbie with wide eyes. "I'll tell you guys more details later lets just watch the Fever vs Storm game."

"Well, if you had to play for any team in the league, who would you wanna play for?"

Gabbie pondered thinking really hard about who she would want to play for. She never though about it just because she knew she wasn't going to declare for the draft. But it would still be fun to think about it incase she ever did. "I don't know, I don't want to be biased because I like them but I can see myself in a Suns jersey. What about you Kate?"

"I'd say maybe the Sparks. I don't know why I just think they're a great team. Or maybe the Aces but they're the best team in the league right now. They're going for that back-to-back championship and with how they're playing now, I think that's possible. Them too man, they just seem like an all around genuine team. I think they have a very healthy and fun environment and I think that's important for a team."

The two girls looked over to Caitlin to ask her the same question because it was obvious she was going to be drafted. But Caitlin was too focused on the game.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Storrs, Connecticut

Paige, Nika, and Aaliyah's Apartment

A few days had passed and it was now officially Friday. Because it was summer break, the only parties that were available were outside campus. But Storrs was pretty isolated so there were not many parties to go too. Instead the girls decided to just go out to eat.

In full honesty, all Nika wanted to do was just stay in her room until Kate came here from Iowa. Nika hadn't really understood how excited she was for the blonde girl to come until she realized she actually was just staring at a blank wall for hours on end just waiting for it to be the day Kate arrives already.

All of the UConn girls decided to go out to eat. It was a good excuse for them to still learn more about the freshmen. Although they had been with them the past week, they hadn't really get to learn more about them outside of their basketball lives.

Despite the sun starting to set, Nika decided to wear sunglasses, a black crop top blue UConn sweatpants.

When Paige, Azzi, Nika, and Aaliyah arrived at dinner, they were greeted by all of the girls who had already sat down.

"There's a seat here just for you girly pop!" Nika looked down at KK who was patting the seat down next to her for the Croatian to sit.

"Thanks KK." Nika gladly accepted the seat next to KK. Nika poured water into her glass as the girl on her right began talking again.

"Okay so boom, Ms. Nika Mühl, tell me more about yourself. Like are you a drinker, you being from Croatia, literally anything in the world. It could be about how painful your period cramps are too. I really don't care." Nika eyes continued to widen as KK kept talking.

Nika now realized that, KK really was that girl. She had this energy about her you could only find once in a life time. And Nika enjoyed that.

"Uh I'm not the biggest drinker. I can be sometimes, but mainly I'm not although I'm European. I played basketball since I can remember and without Grandpa Geno, I wouldn't be here right now. What about you KK?"

"Okay so I was born and raised in Wisconsin, way better than Minnesota but don't let Paige here that. I felt so honored that the show Liv and Maddie was set in my home state, only to find out it was a whole lie the whole time. Like I really thought Dove Cameron was that close to me. Like Dove Cameron is a baddie and you're telling me I ain't actually live that close to where she was so many years ago? Damn that's annoying."

Nika was impressed with how much the girl could yap. Nika kept on nodding because everything kept going in one ear than going out the other.

"So I get it you're a big fan of Dove Cameron than? Can't complain though she's gorgeous"

"Oh hell yea Nika. If I could marry the girl I would. She been and always will be the love of my life. I just need to find a way to impress her and I'm sure she'll be piling up my DM's. What about your love life though. I see you posting Ms. Money Martin I know there's something going on with you guys." KK smiled as she lightly pushed Nika's shoulder making the Croatian jokingly roll her eyes.

"Yea me and Kate been going out for like a month now. She's actually coming for a day next week than I'm flying her out to Croatia with me."

"Damn! Girly pop is going to Croatia with you? You guys are in a serious relationship right?! I'm tryna find me a lover like that." Nika laughed at KK's surprise and excitement.

"No actually, I mean I want to be. I want to ask her to be my girlfriend but I'm kinda scared like what if she says no." KK put a hand on Nika's shoulder.

"Girl boo, you're literally taking her to Croatia with you. She obviously wants to get in a relationship with you. Maybe she's scared to ask you the same question because she's scared of what you'll say. I'm not tryna invite myself but let me come over to your apartment one day and we can plan."

"Thanks KK. You're a great friend."

"Just doing my duties."

KK was right, Kate agreed to go to Croatia with her for a few weeks. That's not something you would do unless you're in or want to be in a serious relationship. Maybe Kate was waiting for Nika to initiate the first move. But there's another week left until Croatia. So Nika will have to wait and see.

Authors Note:

Hey y'all im tryna post more b4 school comes back

Thanks for the prayers bc my crush I've had for 5 yrs (dont judge)

finally in one of my classes for the first time in 4 years

Also yall I think Im going to my first UConn game this year

Once again hope yall enjoy

Sry I aint rlly proof read it I have somewhere to be literaly rn as im typing this