Coach's Daughter

✨5✨

When she finishes putting the weights on the bar, I see a quick glimpse of her black sports bra where the cut outs of her muscle T go down just far enough to see her ribs.

She then goes to lay down on the bench under the weighted bar and lifts it off the rack to do chest presses.

"So," she speaks up after her first press, "Is having Geno as a dad fun?" she asks curiously.

I clear my throat as I walk further into the work out room. "Well, yeah, I guess. He's a good dad. He probably would've liked it better if I were good at sports though."

Paige laughs as she continues to push the bar up and down, "What are you good at? Like, what do you like to do?"

"Uh, I used to dance in high school. And musical theater, I still dabble in that here, and I like yoga and baking and drawing and painting and," I realize I'm ranting on a bit and stop myself. "That's all, really."

"Wow. So you're multi-talented." she comments, impressed.

"Not really." I brush it off, embarrassed.

"And humble." she says, looking over at me with a grin, "And bashful."

"Do you read?" She asks me after a moment passes. Does she read too? I never saw her as the type, but it would be wonderful if we had it in common.

"Yes! Do you?" I ask her excitedly.

She huffs a laugh and says, "No. I just thought you'd be the type. My best friend Azzi reads."

"Really? What does she like?" I ask curiously.

"I don't really know." she says, "But she's been into this one author lately, Colleen Hoover, I think?"

"Oh, I'm not really into her." I say.

"How come?" Paige asks, slight strain in her voice from her arms getting tired as she presses up.

"Her books are just too.... I don't know. He was a boy, she was a girl."

She lets out another small huff, "You don't like romance?"

"No!" I defend myself immediately, "I love romance." I feel my face heat up. "Novels."

"So you don't like boys and girls together then." she smirks as she puts the bar back on the rack.

If my cheeks weren't red before, they definitely are now.

"It's........ a bit overdone." I say unsure, looking at the ground to hide my embarrassment.

Paige rests her hands on her stomach as she looks over at me. "You could've played basketball if you wanted to. You're pretty tall and look athletic enough. But, I bet you get that a lot."

I look at her looking at me as I think. "Yeah, I do, especially my dad being the coach and all. He tried to teach me how to play a lot when I was little and I even did a like, little league type thing once, but I hated it. It was like a chore. It was never fun to me." I tell her honestly. "I also sucked, which contributed. I was never good at the getting aggressive thing. I didn't like getting all up in people's space. Not to mention I wouldn't be caught dead in basketball shorts. The jerseys aren't my style either."

Paige laughs at that. "You don't like basketball shorts? I feel personally attacked."

"No! I like them on you-other people. Just not myself." God, could I be more awkward right now?

"Oh, sure." she teases.

"I'm dead serious." She has no clue how serious I am. Like, even in the baggy fit of those shorts, they still manage to let her butt look so cute.

"But you do come to, like, our games often, don't you? Does Geno make you?"

"No," I feel my face heat up again. "He doesn't make me, but I just like being a supportive daughter. And I do actually enjoy watching basketball." I tell her, leaving out the part that basketball girls are my favorite thing to look at and that she's my favorite basketball girl.

"I've always loved it." She says, looking up at the ceiling now. "It's been my dream since I was a kid, getting to play at a good college. Get all the awards and just being the best at what I love most." She turns her head to look at me quickly, "I'm not saying I'm the best, I'm just saying I strive-"

"You are kind of the best though." I cut her off smiling at her sweetly. "I mean, you did get Women's Player of the Year as a Freshman."

I think I see her blush a little this time as she grins and shakes her head. "Whatever. Hey, can you get the ten pound weights and put them on here real quick?"

I go over to the stacks of circular wights and find two ten pound ones. I carry them both over to her and lay one on the floor as I put the other on the bar. I make the mistake of looking down at Paige as I slide it on. She was already looking at me. The corners of her pretty mouth turn up slightly as she says, "Thanks," in a quiet voice. I think my cheeks have been stained pink this whole time, so she probably thinks it's just the color of my face.

"No problem." I whisper back.

I bend down to get the other weight and go to the other side. I feel her gaze on me as I walk around her. Just as I go to put it on the bar, the door opens.

"Oh, hey Paige. And.....Y/n?" the tall one, Amari says as she comes in. I suddenly feel even more out of place than before.

"Hey," Paige says casually, not explaining why I'm here, as if me being here is completely normal.

"Is coach making his kid your personal slave or something?" Amari asks as she goes over to one of the machines.

"Nah, she's here willingly." Paige says as she starts to lift the now twenty pound heavier bar.

"Yeah," Amari says giving Paige a weird look, "I bet."

Paige smirks to herself as she continues to slowly pump the weight up and down. I can't help but watch. She's so hot. Her arms are so hot. I want to touch them. I can see the veins in her forearms. I can also see her shoulder muscles and biceps and triceps and every other cep in her arms.

There is an awkward silence for a little while before I decide I should leave.

"Well, I'm just gonna go now," I announce kind of awkwardly.

"Cool, see ya!" Amari calls out from the peloton.

"Wait!" Paige exclaims and I hear the bar hit the rack with a slight clang.

I turn around to see her sitting up. "Why do you have to go?" she asks and I feel my heart clench in guilt. I come up with something on the spot, "I should get back to Steve and Laura."

"I'm sure they are fine without you right now," she says convincingly.

"I have an internship with them and I really should be there right now." I tell her truthfully.

Paige sighs, "I guess you'll just have to tell me when you aren't interning," the grin on her face getting wider.

Was she flirting with me right now?

"Um, my shift today is over at six."

"I'll see you then," she says smoothly and all I can do is back up until I reach the door.