I spent an entire day after the incident at the club, locked in my bedroom. I didn't want to see Avery. I didn't want to have to communicate with anyone, or honestly, to even feel a part of the world for a period of time.

After speaking with Harper, my mind settled a little, I felt calmer knowing she believed me, and my entire body began to slowly relax again from the tension it had held all day, awaiting her reaction.

Harper and Wren were all that mattered, and the rest of this trash fire, that I was living amongst, it could go fuck itself, until I got back to the safety of my family.

I stand up and pad over to the mirror, my reflection saying it all, puffy eyes, unruly curls and stained cheeks from tears. I reach for a face wipe and slowly drag it over my face, washing away the hell that had been obvious, and leaving me more pink cheeked, my features wiped clean.

My bedroom door knocks and I look over to it and ignore it. It was the evening after the night before. Avery had clearly, finally, left her room after a night and morning of extremely loud sexual antics.

"Teddy" Avery says quietly "are you okay" she asks

I ignore her, she knocks again but moves away from the door as last nights conquest appears beside her.

I can hear the back and forth.

"Last night was great...so was this morning " the girl says.

"It was...fun" Avery returns, sounding a lot more casual than the conquest did.

"I will call you...we should go out sometime" the girl suggests.

Avery's reply leads me to believe she wouldn't. "Sure" she says nonchalantly.

I think of the girl Avery had been seeing, this voice wasn't hers, which surprised me as I thought she was keen on her. Why did she bring home a random from the club when she liked someone else?!

When I hear the front door shut, I walk over and unlock mine. I walk out in my oversized basketball jersey and shorts, and pass by Avery into the kitchen, flicking on the coffee machine  for a much needed cup of the black stuff.

"Teddy" Avery greets coming up behind me "I saw the press. I hope you and Harper are okay"

I can't even look at her, my hands grab the kitchen side firmly. I am still so wound up after last night. I take a cup from the cupboard and place it into the coffee machine.

Avery walks over to my side and touches my arm "why aren't you talking to me" she asks.

I shrug her off "Teddy" she says annoyed by my silence.

"Avery, I don't want to talk about it" I return finally.

I watch the coffee machine spurt out steaming black liquid into my cup, and when it's stopped I lift the cup into my hands, nursing it.

"Why are you mad at me" she asks frowning

I move away from her and sit down at the small table in the living area.

"I don't know" I return.

"Is it because I brought a girl home last night? Or because you think it's my fault Harpers hurt, because I look like I'm kissing you online" she says slipping into the seat opposite.

"Why would I be mad you brought a girl home?" I ask like it's ridiculous.

Avery sweeps her fair hair over her shoulder and looks at me like she did at the club last night. I can't read her, what was this change in her attitude toward me?!

"Harper is fine by the way, she knows me better than that"

Avery raises her eyebrows "of course...well good I'm glad it didn't do any damage" she says and she stands and moves over to the coffee machine to pour herself a cup.

As she walked away, I finally looked at her, she was wearing the shortest shorts, the curves of her flesh revealed underneath as she moved, with a lacy cami that left nothing to the imagination either. I look away instantly, taking a gulp of my coffee and swallowing the warm liquid, the aromas of which are waking me up from the nightmare I've been in for almost an entire 24 hours.

"What happened with Isra" Avery asks returning to me and sitting down with a cup of coffee in hand.

I sip from my cup, looking at her over the rim "he backed me up against the wall when I left...nothing happened" I reveal.

"I think he needs to stop working with you... he clearly has a problem" Avery says aggravated by the thought.

"I have a meeting later with my management and coach. We only have a few weeks of the season left so I doubt they will remove him now, but I highly doubt he will be asked back next season... coach was furious"

"I bet she was, if he had thrown off her best players performance over this, she would have ended his career"

"I might be thrown off already" i confess.

Avery looks to me concerned "why" she asks.

"Because of you Ms Lane ..." I reveal honestly and irritatedly.

Avery's eyes widen with surprise.

And I continue, as she looks to me trying to understand how that can be "you are about to throw our whole vibe out of whack on court, all because you suddenly find me... i don't even know. Its like you suddenly find me vexing for some reason I can't fathom. So no... I don't think our game on court is going to run smoothly the next few weeks" I state standing up "do you" I ask agitatedly and I walk away, cup in hand and retreat back to my room.

***
Our next game is a a few days later. I have managed to completely avoid both Avery and
Isra. I had been spending quality time on FaceTime with Wren, watching her walk about like a little drunk person as she tried to figure out her balance and her feet.

Harper calls me every morning and every night when our time zones match up okay, and honestly, her voice, her face on the video calls, she is a dream. I could look at her all day. I wasn't sure why it had taken me so long to see Harper in this way, perhaps I did, and I successfully ignored it as she was younger than me, but it was beyond obvious now. Harper was everything I wanted and needed and if I could kiss those lips for a lifetime, I would gladly do so. There was this particular way that  Harper looked at me, her hazel eyes studying mine, it honestly made my heart beat out of sequence. She saw something there in me, that perhaps I didn't even see in myself, and I loved that she could, that she drew it out and brought me back out into the light, her blindingly beautiful light.

***
I am working out pre game, in the public gym, it resides in the same building as our team one. I wasn't using our team gym or changing rooms, alone, ever again. I was getting a few looks from the public using the facilities, like they knew I was in the wrong place but they were enjoying having one of the team to observe for a while. I am sweating as I step off of the treadmill and make my way to the next area, boxing.

I stop and take a sip of water, running my towel over my body and around my neck, before chucking it all down beside me and pulling gloves on.

"Want me to assist" Tasia asks, finding me about to begin punching the shit out of this poor bag.

I turn around finding her there and smile softly "I got it thanks Tay... how did you find me" I ask.

She grabs the back of the punching bag and holds it steady as I begin to hit it with a fury.

"Ted, this is a lot of built up tension" she observes, as she is pushed back slightly by my punches connecting with the bag in her hands. . "I heard chatter in the hall about Isra and I knew you were here, our driver said he brought you up early. I figured you wouldn't want to be anywhere near that douche bag alone"

I stop punching and look to her, slightly out of breath, sweat running down the back of my neck. "Is he here" I ask.

She nods regretfully "He's warming up the girls"

I throw an intense punch in response that send the bag flying out of Tasias hands.

She raises her eyebrows in surprise at the force and holds it firmer "we are kind of waiting on you down there Ted...but I know when the girls hear about Isra, they will back me up on removing him as our PT immediately"

I shake my head "no don't tell them... I don't want a fuss. I just want to get my contract completed and get the hell out of here Tay"

"Okay" she says begrudgingly and she pulls my gloves off of my hands and throws me my towel "let's get down there then... but Teddy I won't let you ever be alone with him again... I promise"

I lean forward and hug her "thanks Tay" I say and we walk out of the gym, my entire body already worked out, perhaps too much before a game.

***
I shower quickly and throw on my gear, tying my hair up out of the way and slipping my feet into my sneakers. I had got this pair made specially, with Wrens name on the sides.

The other girls are all waiting as I pop up ready and we make our way out onto the court.

Avery is up ahead, we haven't spoken and the tension is building. I already knew this game would suck as we completely disengaged from each other. I had begged coach to move one of us. I could play anywhere on court quite happily but coach wouldn't change my position, nor Avery ,so on her head be it as we began the game and it all fell apart in dramatic fashion.

Avery missed passes, she lost possession the majority of the time that she had the ball, and she hadn't kept the opposing team away from the basket either.

Avery completely flopped.

I had to work twice as hard in my position to keep the pressure on our side, but it was almost impossible with Avery not even working at twenty percent of her ability. As the second quarter was called, coach looked angry as she pulled her aside. The team and I walk over to the bench and rehydrate as we walk back to the changing rooms to talk over the second half's plan of attack. Coach comes in with Avery behind her, looking a little upset as she avoids anyones eye contact and sits herself down with a drink.

"I'm swapping out Lane" the coach announces. "Zehra you are off the bench second half"

Ray moves over to sit beside Avery, offering words of comfort I assume, and I should be too, but I honestly didn't know what the hell to do with Avery. Somewhere along the line, things seem to have got slightly blurred, perhaps we should never have shared an apartment to keep a degree of separation between games. I wasn't sure if this was to do with our spat or if she had something else going on that I didn't know about, but this is exactly what I knew would happen if things had progressed further.

The ball began rolling to this moment, the first night we had hooked up here in Turkey, we had got pretty hot and heavy before ending up in the bedroom. Although I had pulled away half way through, stuff still happened that night... we were intimate way beyond friendship and even though it meant nothing to me, it was all from a place of heartbreak and willing myself to forget Harper, I think for Avery it was something more. Perhaps I should have been more aware of that, removed myself from her in all other ways so she didn't fall into something with me.

I honestly really liked Avery, she was great, and we had good energy before this week. Our on court relationship was absolute fire, and off the court we were good friends, but somewhere along the line I missed something, perhaps a moment she looked at me a little differently, was that at the club?! I didn't know, but it was new and uncharted territory. I had to try and make it right. I felt awful that I was potentially now messing up her game.

I stand up and walk over to her.

Ray sees me and moves aside "can we speak" I ask.

She shakes her head "Avery please" I beg.

She stands up begrudgingly as we walk into the shower room, and I close the door.

"What is going on" I ask.

She walks away and pulls herself up onto the unit, beside the mirrors, and looks back to me. Her blonde hair is pulled into a high pony tail, her brown eyes finally look into mine with her fair brows raised, as if she is ready for a spat.

"I'm throwing off our vibe... clearly" she states sarcastically.

I shake my head "Avery why are you so annoyed with me"

She looks away from me and jumps back down onto her feet "I don't want to talk about this now...we have to go back out for the game"

"Yes, the game, you can't even play in it because you are so consumed by whatever it is going on" i state grabbing her hand and pulling her back.

She yanks her hand away from me and looks to me with frustration. "Teddy just leave me alone"

I shake my head completely at a loss.

"I don't know what I did but I'm sorry Avery...I thought we were friends... good friends and yet I've got lost somewhere along the line. What happened to me being your work wife and finding a, what was it? home slice? I thought we had decided to just kill it on the court and leave it all behind us?"

"It's not that easy for me apparently" she confesses

I am taken aback as it hits me "that's what it is..." I ask,  realising once and for all, that it was true, she felt more.

She opens the door and looks back to me "I'm
Moving up to Rays apartment" she announces.

I shake my head in disbelief "it's come to that now" I ask.

She nods "I need space"

Wow

As the door swung shut I looked back to myself in the mirror and shook my head "I don't have the mental strength for this"

I dragged myself back into the room with the team and listened to the coach as she shouted out a few home truths and sent us out with a new plan of attack.

The second half of the game was more positive and as if I had a point to prove, I laid it down. Zehra and I managed to scramble some pretty sweet baskets and plays together, bringing our team back to a more respectable loss by the end.

I have never left the changing rooms quicker as I did that day, when I took off and went home. I removed everything of mine from the apartment and left Avery a note to "please stay and have some space to herself"

Tasia welcomed me with open arms, and I took the spare room in hers.

The last weeks here would be spent just as we were, separate. Lane did play better with the space, coach moved her, and we all played back to a level that could get us a chance at coming in high in the league by the end of the season.

The seasons end was so close you could almost touch it, and soon I would be home, but the sting of another relationship burned by casual sex was another nail in my coffin. Therapy had been the best place to let it all go.

Avery and I would finally speak on our last few days here, and we would make it right before we left for home.

***
"Teddy" Avery greets, walking toward me where I was sat, at the lockers.

I turn surprised to have her finally talking to me.

"Hey" I say with a smile "am I dreaming"

She smiles in response "no it's me... approaching you...and managing to look at you without the love goggles on"

"And how do I seem? Less attractive? Zero personality? now that the cool aid wore off?" I ask jovially lightening the mood.

She walks over and hugs me, taking me completely off guard "Teddy I'm so sorry I behaved that way and made you move out... honestly I lost my head there" she confesses leaning back. "I just got a little too used to having you to myself and then Harper came back into your life. I got jealous, of this thing you have together, because it's clearly great, and it's going somewhere and I really didn't want it too" she says honestly and she slips her blonde hair nervously behind her ears as I look to her and listen. "And it made the small feelings I had for you just double up and become something overwhelming. That night at the club when you touched me by accident, god the sensations that washed over me, and it wasn't what I wanted. I want to be your friend more than anything, and take back our court vibes... please? If you will have me?" She asks.

"Work wife..." I ask.

She nods with large puppy dog eyes "please will you be my work wife again" she pleads "I have had strong words with myself and honestly it's a crush, it's nothing crazy. I just ... I want our friendship much more than I want more with you. I promise. I am a hundred percent team Harper... I swear...it literally took me a week to come down from this crazy thought process and realise what an idiot I had been"

I take a moment to process and then I smile relieved "I missed you"

She releases a breath and her lips lift into a slight smile "me too... not in an inappropriate way either" she says holding her hand up in protest.

"Let's talk to coach and see if we can get us playing side by side tonight... it's the semi finals and we need some double up action" I suggest.

Avery grins "let's fucking destroy them" she agrees.

I laugh a little and hold my hand up for a high five "that's more like it lane"

She lifts her hand to mine and slaps them together "let's go" she urges.

We both stand up and head to coach to make our plea.

And as Lane said, we fucking destroyed them, taking us with ease into the final as Lane and I went back to our vibing on court. It would be the only place for it, the electricity of our game play absolutely unmatched to anyone I had played with before, and the scouts were watching as always. Lane and I would be a couple on court for years, almost a decade, and as years passed, our friendship grew strong. Neither of us could imagine a time we had ever crossed a line together, because we went so far the other way into a sisterhood instead.

Avery Lane, work wife, sounding board, work out buddy, but most importantly my best friend in the entire world. One day she would even be the godmother to more Nomikos babies, whom were at this moment in time, only a glint in their mama and mommy's eye.