Betty’s dorm room was quiet, lit only by her desk lamp and the sliver of moonlight pushing past the blinds. She kicked off her heels and fell back onto her bed, laughing as I closed the door behind us.
I sat on the edge, unsure for a second. Not of her. But of how far we’d come. How close we were.
“You okay?” she asked.
I turned. “Yeah. I just… don’t want to screw this up.”
Betty crawled across the bed, fingers tracing the edge of my shirt. “Then don’t.”
She kissed me first. Bold. Certain. I cupped her waist, pulled her closer, and all of it—months of tension, regret, want—spilled over.
Her fingers tangled in my hair. My breath caught against her skin. Every inch of her was heat and forgiveness and the version of myself I’d almost given up on. She guided my hands. Whispered my name. And when we finally paused, she looked up at me, eyes glassy and soft.
“I never thought it’d be you,” she said.
I brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Me either.”
We laid there after, tangled and quiet. She traced lazy circles on my chest.
Then she sat up, smirking. “So... you wanna shoot the vlog, Betty?”
I groaned, burying my face in the pillow. “God, don’t say that during pillow talk.”
She laughed. “I’m kidding. Kinda.”
I pulled her back down beside me. “Let’s just stay here a little longer.”
“Forever okay?”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “Forever sounds about right.”
The next morning came quietly. Betty’s head was tucked against my chest, and I could hear her soft breathing against the rise and fall of my ribs. It felt easy in a way nothing ever had.
Later that afternoon, after coffee and a sleepy goodbye kiss, I met her just outside the showcase venue.
The crowd was smaller now—professors, program leads, a few scouts lingering. I pulled her aside, quieter this time.
“There’s something I didn’t tell you yet,” I said.
She raised a brow.
“I got the NBA offer. Full contract—after graduation.”
Her mouth parted. “Marcus—”
“I didn’t want to say it before your big moment. But now felt right.”
She blinked fast, then grinned. “So we both got what we wanted.”
I smiled back. “No. I got what I never knew I needed.”
She wrapped her arms around my waist. And I knew, with all the noise fading behind us, this was it.
A new season. A clean start.
For both of us.