Saturday Morning – The Game That Was Just Supposed to Be a Game

  Leo hadn’t been thinking about Ada.

  Not consciously.

  His mind had been fully occupied with the feel of the ball in his hands, the familiar rhythm of sneakers squeaking against the pavement, the satisfying weight of a perfect shot leaving his fingertips.

  Basketball was easy.

  No overthinking. No calculations. Just movement.

  It was one of the only things in his life that felt automatic.

  So when he heard someone approaching the court, he wasn’t paying attention at first.

  Just another weekend passerby.

  Until his instincts kicked in.

  Until he felt it.

  A shift in the air.

  A presence that was familiar in a way that made his skin tingle before his brain could even catch up.

  He turned his head—

  And there she was.

  Ada.

  Standing at the edge of the park, a tote bag slung over her shoulder, watching him.

  Leo caught the ball, tucking it under one arm.

  He had half a second to process the look on her face—

  Mild surprise.

  A little curiosity.

  And a flash of something else.

  Something she probably didn’t even realize she was showing.

  Leo grinned.

  Because this? This was interesting.

  Saturday Morning – The Shirtless Factor (A Fun Surprise)

  Leo jogged toward her, the heat of the game still buzzing under his skin.

  He was vaguely aware of how he must look—shirtless, sweaty, breath still slightly uneven from the last play.

  And the best part?

  Ada was aware of it, too.

  She was staring. Not obviously. Not in a way that someone else might have noticed. But he noticed.

  Her eyes flicked—just for a second—to his chest before snapping back up to his face.

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  Leo almost smirked.

  But he didn’t.

  Because this wasn’t a moment to tease her outright.

  This was a moment to watch.

  To see if she’d acknowledge it.

  To see if she’d flinch away from the fact that she’d just checked him out.

  She did. Leo bit back his grin.

  “Hey, Leo. Didn’t know you played basketball,” she said, tone perfectly even.

  He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his arm, not missing the way her breath hitched slightly. Still watching.

  Good.

  “What can I say? Gotta stay in shape,” he said easily.

  Ada, to her credit, recovered fast. “Right,” she muttered. “Looks intense.”

  Leo leaned slightly toward her. Just enough to make her notice.

  “You should join sometime,” he said, half-joking, half-serious.

  And then, because he knew exactly how to push her buttons—

  “Though I’m guessing you’re more of a… badminton person?”

  Saturday Morning – Playing the Game (Literally and Otherwise)

  Leo was expecting one of three things when he invited Ada to play.

  1. She’d scoff and call him an idiot

  2. She'd laugh and walk away

  3. She'd argue about how she totally could play if she wanted to

  Instead? She hesitated. And that was the moment Leo knew he had her.

  Hesitation meant she was considering it.

  And if she was considering it, she was already halfway to saying yes.

  So Leo smiled, pushed, making sure his tone was light enough to be a challenge, but not enough to scare her off.

  “Come on, I’ll make sure you don’t get run over.”

  Ada rolled her eyes. “You are the reason I’m going to get run over.”

  But she set her tote bag down. Leo grinned.

  Victory.

  Saturday Afternoon – The Tyler Incident

  Leo had been enjoying himself.

  Not just because he had successfully lured Ada into playing (though, yeah, that was fun), but because she was actually trying.

  She sucked.

  Objectively.

  She had no sense of direction, no control over the ball, and absolutely zero defensive skills. But she was laughing.

  And Leo? Leo was watching.

  Because this was new.

  This wasn’t Ada at work, trying to keep up.

  This wasn’t Ada overthinking everything.

  This was just her. Loose. Unfiltered. Letting herself be bad at something and having fun anyway.

  And then Tyler happened.Leo heard it before he saw it.

  Ada’s surprised yelp as Tyler nearly barreled into her.

  Leo turned just in time to see her stumble, Tyler’s hands already reaching out to steady her.

  And then Tyler’s next words landed.

  “Haven’t seen you around. Are you new here?”

  Leo moved before he thought, and draped his arm over her shoulders.

  Too casual. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

  Like it wasn’t deliberate.

  Like it wasn’t a move.

  But it was.

  Because his skin was still warm from the game. Because he knew she felt it. Because this was a message.

  Not to Ada.

  To Tyler.

  Leo kept his voice light, easy. “Tyler,” he drawled.

  Tyler, who was not an idiot, raised an eyebrow.

  Leo smiled. “Don’t you have a free throw to miss?”

  Tyler’s eyes flicked to Leo’s arm still resting on Ada. His expression was amused, but there was something sharp underneath it. Leo didn’t care.

  Tyler raised his hands in mock surrender, laughing. “All right, all right.”

  He backed off.

  Leo didn’t move his arm. Didn’t need to.

  Because Ada was already tense under his touch.

  Leo glanced down at her, lowering his voice.

  “You okay, Spoon Girl?”

  A beat. “Or do we need to teach Tyler some manners?”

  Saturday Evening – The Reflection That Wouldn’t Leave Him Alone

  Leo had done a lot of things in his life without thinking.

  Hell, half of his best moments came from pure impulse.

  But this? This was sticking.

  Not just the moment with Tyler.

  Not just the way Ada had tensed when he touched her.

  But the way she had looked at him.

  Not annoyed, not exasperated, not rolling her eyes.

  Just watching.

  And Leo?

  He didn’t know what to do with that.

  Because this wasn’t part of the game anymore.

  It had shifted.

  And the worst part?

  He didn’t want to shift it back.