Thank yall for hanging with this story!

The rest of the season in Rome breezes by for Tris. Her nights are filled with dubbed over episodes of American TV shows. Her time in Atlanta had made her realize just how lonely she was in Rome. She was happy that Christina and Uriah were officially together, She was happy when Marlene and Caleb announced they were having a baby, She was happy Zeke and Shauna were moving in together. She cried when Lauren and Harrison called to say that she was going to be an Aunt two times over. Even though she was happy for everyone but she realized that she wanted that for herself.

Just a few more weeks She told herself. She would have a week in Charlotte then it was off to Chicago for training camp for her season with the Sky.

Tris leads the Italian team to its first championship in 10 years and her popularity in Rome soared. Everything in her life was going right it seemed but her love life.

Tobias looks up at the scoreboard from his seat on the bench, the Hornets were actually up by 20 points. He hadn't been having a great season, he felt like his head was all over the place and he couldn't get focused. Will kept telling him to stop thinking so much but Tobias was starting to feel like his love for the game was dwindling. He couldn't explain. He used to love to play all hours of the day, but now not so much.

After the game, he and Will decide to head to the Epic Center right outside the Time Warner Arena. It was a great place to grab drinks and hang out. The fans in Charlotte were cool and everyone was especially friendly tonight because they had won. Since Tobias had joined the team, it had seen a slight upturn but they still had a lot to do if they wanted to make the playoffs.

"Damn T. check her out," Will says as he leans against the bar and takes a sip of his jack and coke.

Tobias looks at the beauty Will was referring to laughing and talking to her friends at a table near the bar. She was definitely something to look at with her cocoa skin. she was curved in all the right places with hips and an ass out of this world. He knew he could take her home and have fun with her, but he was starting to get tired of all the groupies, only wanting to get next to him because he was an NBA player, some of them only wanting to get in the circle to get next to a higher-paid player. There was never any conversation. He never thought he would see the day when he was just tired of random hookups. Yeah, they happened because he had needs but they were becoming less frequent.

When she comes to the bar and waits for the bartender Tobias decides to say what the hell and go for it. Since All-Star weekend in Atlanta, Tris had filled his thoughts. He needed a distraction, needed to get her out of his head. He had picked up his phone several times to text her but always chickened out. He'd accepted how much of a dick he was in college but he'd reasoned that he didn't want to lose himself in Tris again.

"Hey, Can I buy you a drink? My name's Tobias" He asks as he leans next to her by the bar flashing her a smile.

"Oh, I know who you are T Money. Thanks but no thanks, I can buy my own drink," She says with a no-nonsense look and hands the bartender her money. "Keep the change"

Tobias watches as she heads back to her friends intrigued by the interaction.

"How the hell did you mess that up," Will asks with his eyebrows raised.

"No, I didn't mess nothing up," Tobias replies in a low voice as his eyes follow her to her table. When she finishes her drink she and her friends head out the door of the bar without so much as a look in his direction. This girl was different. He needed different right now.

"Come on Nicole, Why are we leaving? You do know that was Tobias Eaton right?" Jasmine remarks looking at her friend like she was crazy.

"Yep" She replied popping the p as walked confidently towards the door of the bar leading the way.

"So why are we leaving?" Tina asks curiously as she throws her purse over her shoulder.

"Because he has probably never had a woman turn him down since he's been in the NBA and he's intrigued. I can tell. He's looking isn't he?." Nicole explains with a wicked smile.

Jasmine takes a quick glance swinging her waist-length braids over her shoulder as she grabs her purse off the hightop they were standing at.

"Damn you are good. He sure as hell is. What's your angle? You didn't even give him your number."

"I can tell by the way he was looking at all the women in here he wants something different. And I'm going to give him a different and trust me he'll find me."

"You are a piece of work, what happens when he finds out you are only aspiring to be an NBA wife and you aren't different" Tina implores knowing her friend really only desired to be a housewife to a famous athlete. She had a stint with a player from the Panthers that went south and was looking for her next come-up. The only reason she was in Charlotte was that Atlanta, Miami, and New York had too much competition.

"Oh trust me, I'll be three months pregnant with a ring on my finger before he figures it out" Nicole grins.

Tris has a great season with the Sky. They make it to the playoffs but get eliminated in the first round so she's encouraged for the next season. Zeke had done an amazing job of securing endorsement deals for her. The summer in Chicago was good for her, Uriah was there and they lived in the same building. Christina was there for a month during her summer break. Marlene came for two weeks while Christina was there and they all went to Seatle when Tris played Lynn to spend a few days with Lynn and Kima.

Before she knows it it's time to head back to Rome. Tris tried to prepare herself for the isolation again and decided to dedicate some of her evenings to learning to speak Italian. She figured she should start learning to speak Italian if she was going to be here for 6 months each year.

In the third week of the season, Tris walks into the practice facility expecting a regular practice. Her coach didn't speak English very well but a few of her teammates did. The first three games of the season had been more like a high school game for Tris, nowhere near the level of play she saw in the WNBA or even at Dauntless. Tris grabs a ball and dribbles before heading to sit with the rest of the team for a team meeting before practice. She laces her shoes since the conversation was being held in Italian.

"Hey, Louisa, what did Coach say?" Tris asks as she scoots down the bleachers to the next row to her one teammate she communicated well with off the court.

"He said there was a trade, "Sonya is going to Madrid and we get some girl named Jaunita, she's American so you may know her" Louisa relays with a thick Italian accent.

"I doubt it, thanks," Tris says as Louisa gets up and heads to the floor. Tris takes her ball wanting to get in some free throw practice before they run drills.

"Tris please come meet Juanita" The Assistant coach yells. Coach Feluic spoke some English and Tris nodded as she moved toward the exit.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Tris says under her breath. There walking in the gym was of all people Nita Rodriguez.

Nita and Tris circle each other awkwardly for the next week at practice only offering a hello and goodbye or a comment on the play strategy. The only time Tris had seen Nita since her freshman year was when her WNBA team met up with Nita's team the LA Sparks, Nita was out with a hamstring injury and hadn't been at the game. She literally hadn't spoken to her since her freshman year of college.

Their first game was good, Nita seemed to do well with taking on the role as shooting guard since Tris was the established point guard on the team which shocked Tris after on their history from college competing for the same position. After the win, they both ended up being the only two left in the locker room after getting iced up after the game then having to shower.

"Good game today Prior, I hate to admit it but you are a much better point guard than me," Nita says as she throws her stuff in her gym bag.

"Did that hurt just a little bit?" Tris teases with a smile at Nita's admission making a gesture with her thumb and index finger almost pinched together.

Nita lets out a hearty laugh and an eye roll and shakes her head.

"You are still a cocky bitch"

"Yeah only sometimes" Tris laughs out. She was glad she and Nita could joke like this now. She was still a damn good ballplayer.

"Do you want to go hang out, grab some dinner and drink?" Nita asks hesitantly. She would understand if Tris said no. She had been mean in college, she knew it but she respected all the hard work Tris had put in over the years.

Tris thinks about it for a second before smiling and saying yes. She had been lonely with no one from America to really talk to or relate to. Sometimes she went for a walk around the city after practice or a game but she usually went back to her apartment but most nights she went in and found a movie to watch on Netflix. She missed hanging out with her girls.

"Sure, you're staying in the same building as me right?" Tris asked as they walked out of the gym. Zeke had made sure to include in her contract that she would have housing in a building that the team owner owned. Tris wasn't shocked that Nita was in the same building, Tris figured that her agent had put the same clause in her contract.

They take the three-block walk to their building and Tris finds out that Nita is below her on the 4th floor. An hour later they are both headed down the cobblestone street to one of the few restaurants Tris frequented.

"You are so big time here," Nita says as she nudges Tris's shoulder as they walk and pass an ad on a building that had a picture of Tris drinking a popular Italian version of Powerade from one of her endorsement deals.

As if on cue a group of small kids runs up to Tris speaking Italian and holding out their arms.

"Ciao Tris, firmerai il mio braccio"

Tris grabbed a marker from one of them signing the arms of two of them and squatting down for selfies. Afterward, they scampered off across the street to their parents who gave a thankful wave.

"See big time," Nita says as they walk up to the restaurant. Tris asks for a table and she and Nita settle into a small corner with a bottle of wine.

Nita tells Tris about her time playing in Spain, what she likes about playing for the Sparks in LA during the WNBA season, who they keep up with from college.

"You ever think about giving it up?" Nita asks quietly as she sips her glass of wine.

"Sometimes" Tris answers honestly "It's different here, I'm by myself most of the time. It can be a bit much but it's only my second year. I'm not sure how long I can keep up with both seasons, I don't know how you do it"

"Probably because I know it's not forever but basketball has been my life since I was 8. I know you should have a plan of what would happen if you couldn't play but I just haven't, I don't know what I would do"

She puts her glass down and furrows her eyebrows a bit as she traces the top of the glass with the tip of her index finger.

"Yeah, I feel you" Tris replies more to herself than to Nita, knowing she could never see her life without basketball.

Over the next few weeks, Nita and Tris spend almost all of their free time together when they aren't playing. They lift together, go out for meals, Nita even drags Tris shopping with her. Tris felt lighter and freer from having someone to talk to and hang out with. She had been contemplating not coming back to Italy for a third season but with Nita, it made it more much more tolerable.

When the team heads on a two-week road trip, Tris and Nita end up with their rooms next to each other. That day they had a tough game against France, the other team only managed to score with only a few seconds left on the clock to win the game. Nita pestered Tris until she convinced her to go with her to a club for a few drinks and some dancing to not wallow in defeat for the night.

"Come on Tris, you mean to tell me you've been here two seasons and you haven't sampled any Italian guys," Nita says with wide eyes as two guys walk past them at the bar and one of them shoots Tris a wink.

Tris shrugs. She hadn't been with anyone since she and Tobias had sex in the bathroom in Atlanta. She was still avoiding sorting out her feelings for Tobias but she and her vibrator were doing just fine.

"I can't believe it, I get so wound up after a loss or a tough game, I need an outlet" Nita sighs and goes to take a long sip of her cocktail.

After a few more drinks and Tris and Nita feeling tipsy and not thinking about the game from earlier anymore hail a cab back to the team's hotel. Leaning on each other they giggle and laugh all the way up the elevator to their floor. Since their rooms were next to each other Nita fumbles for her key as Tris laughs leaning against the wall.

"Come on Tris, one more drink" Nita whines as they walk in the door.

"Nita we are drunk as hell already" Tris giggles as closes the door.

"Come on, we aren't that drunk" Nita was feeling nice but not over the top.

"What do you even have in here to drink," Tris asks giving in as Nita bends over to look in her mini bar fridge.

"Ohhhhh, Yes, Minibar for the win! " Nita says triumphantly as she pulls out a small bottle of vodka from the fridge.

Tris kicks off her heels, she had gotten better about them since high school but still preferred a pair of Jordans over anything. Their rooms were suites with a small living area with a couch and television and bar. Through the door was a bedroom with a king bed and ensuite bathroom. Tris flops down on the couch in the living area.

Her short midi dress was feeling hot from all the alcohol. Nita handed her the bottle of Vodka and Tris took a swing and her face scrunched up at the taste causing Nita to laugh. Nita pulled her dress off leaving her in only her lacy bra and panties. Tris knew Nita was confident in her body, she never had any problems walking around the locker room in her underwear or just a towel.

"It's so hot" Tris whines fanning herself.

"Take off your dress, it's just us in here," Nita says as she takes another swig of the vodka.

Tris sighs and stands up pulling her dress over her head and tossing it in the direction of where she took off her shoes and dropped her purse.

"Damn Tris, I always knew you had a body under your uniform," Nita says with a smirk.

"Whatever", Tris says looking down at her small breasts. She had always had a little bit of envy for Nita and her curves.

"I'm serious Tris, your body is insane"

Tris shakes her head as she takes the bottle from Nita and takes another swig before flopping back on the couch laying her head against the opposite armrest Nita was laying against.

"You're the one with all the curves Nita, your breasts are perfect"

Nita rolls her eyes and sits up cupping her own breast pushing them together.

"I have to wear two sports bras to play, yours are just the right size," Nita says, moving her hands to cup Tris's breast through her bra.

Nita was leaning across her and for a moment. Tris swallowed and held her breath as Nita's face hovered above hers and her hand was still on her breast. She sees what she thinks is desire in Nita's eyes. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the stress from the loss that day but when Nita moves in to kiss her Tris doesn't stop her. They move together, their kiss slow and sensual, Tris feeling how soft Nita's lips were, the contrast of her muscles with the softness of her hips and behind.

Nita settles on top of Tris and sits back and unclasps her bra before going back into the kiss.

Tris had never even thought about kissing another woman before but Nita and her lips were insistent as she pushed her tongue inside of Tris's mouth. Nita lets out a moan when Tris lets her hands wander to Nita's breasts and caresses her now hardened nipples.

"Tris, I'm so wound up I need to let off some steam," Nita says as she pulls back breathlessly and runs her hands down across Tris's defined abs. "Do you want to do this?"

Tris felt her heart pound in her chest. She could feel the ache between her legs and all she could think about right now was getting off.

"I've never done this before, but yeah, I want to"

Nita grins and gets up pulling Tris by the arm and sauntering into her bedroom. She ditched her panties and Tris followed suit dropping her panties and bra before climbing into the bed.

As they start to kiss again, this time slower than on the couch. After a while Nita lets her head dip low and she moves to take one of Tris's nipples in her mouth, licking and sucking as Tris moaned wildly at the sensation.

Nita had long curly hair like Tris and she puts her hands in it as Nita moves down her body to spread her legs.

Tris gasps as Nita licks and sucks, blowing and nipping at every part of her womanhood.

"God Nita, that feels so good" Tris moans out as she lifts her hips towards Nita's face, enjoying the feeling and appreciating how talented Nita was with her tongue. Nita hums in response and wraps her arms around Tris's thighs for better control. Tris looks down with only the bedside lamp for light but she felt her orgasm approach as she looked Nita in the eyes as she pleasured her. Tris lets out a high-pitched scream of pleasure as she throws her head back and grips the sheets.

Nita moves back up kissing Tris slowly as Tris hums at the taste of herself on Nita's lips.

"Do you want me to? I've never done it before" Tris whispers and Nita shakes her head. She rolls onto her back and guides Tris's hand to her center. Tris gets the message and plays with her opening with her fingers.

"Don't tease me Tris" Nita whines and Tris smiles as she rubs over her bundles of nerves enjoying the reactions she gets as Nita gasps and arches her back.

Tris moves her fingers inside, finding a steady rhythm as she leans down and takes one of Nita's nipples in her mouth.

Nita pants and moans while holding Tris's head to her breast and encouraging her to suckle harder as she moves her hips against Tris's hand.

When she finally climaxes, Tris falls back on the bed as Nita continues to breathe hard.

Tris sits on the floor of her apartment between Nita's legs as she helps her take out her braids. It was getting close to the holidays and Tris really needed to wash her hair. Lauren had just had her baby two weeks ago so her family wasn't coming for the holidays. She had been over the moon when Caleb and Marlene Facetimed to tell her they were expecting as well. Tris was glad she had Nita since she would be alone for the holidays this year.

"I'm so glad you are here to help me do this" Tris says as she works at unbraiding the front section she could reach,

"What did you do last year?" Nita asks as she works on the braids in the back.

"My family came for a visit halfway through the season so my sister redid them while she was here. She's very pregnant right now so she can't come this season. I was going to look a hot mess until I got back to the states"

"You are lucky I know how to braid," Nita says massaging Tris's scalp causing her to let out a satisfied moan. She knew Nita would have them wrapped around each other at a moment's notice and she really needed to get her hair finished.

It had been two weeks since they had slept together in Paris. Tris had thought it would be awkward but it wasn't. She had worried about their chemistry on the court but it was very in sync. They hadn't lost a game since France. Off the court, they still hung out, shopped, went to dinner. For Tris is was a comfortable friendship that ended up most nights with them having sex. Tris also had to admit Nita was very skilled in the bedroom and the sex was really great but was this another situation like Zeke? Did she want to be in a full-out relationship with Nita? She had some serious thinking to do.

The next home game for the Hornets the following week after walking away from Tobias at the bar Nicole goes back to the same bar to have a drink with her friends. She had been confident in her strategy that Tobias would come back after his next home game hoping to find her. She made sure she went lowkey on her makeup but still picked a pink dress that made her pecan tan skin pop and hugged her hips just right. This type of move had worked in her favor before. She smiles when she sees Tobias walk in after the game, his eyes scanning the crowding. She plays the game and continues her drinks with her friends laughing and having a good time but as they walk out of the bar, she hears a deep voice behind her.

"So I know you can buy your own drinks but maybe you can tell me your name."

"Look, I've done the whole date a ballplayer thing, I'm good" she rolls her eyes for emphasis and turns around.

"How about you let me take you on a date and I can show you I can be different?" Tobias asks hopefully. Normally he would move on to the next woman he saw that caught his attention but for this woman, he wanted to get to know her, see why she turned him down.

Nicole gives a sigh as if she's pretending to weigh her options. He was absolutely gorgeous no doubt about it. Even though this was part of her plan to hook him, she was interested to see how he would impress her.

"Come on, one date," Tobias says giving her a smile that made Nicole realize just how charismatic he was.

Trina and Jasmine head to the parking garage to keep from laughing while Nicole and Tobias exchanged phone numbers. Tobias Eaton had no idea what he was getting into.

Tobias and Nicole start off hot and heavy, moving 100 miles an hour. After only two months he had moved her into the condo he was renting in downtown Charlotte. When he brings her to a cookout his mother has Hana, Natalie, and Eveyln all agree she is just an opportunist but it was as if Tobias had blinders on. When Uriah comes to town for the Bulls to play the Hornets he can tell immediately that Nicole isn't good for Tobias.

"So what's up with you and this girl?" Uriah asks as he, Will, and Tobias grab a bite to eat together after the game.

"Ummmm, I think I'm tired of running the streets. Nicole is different" Tobias defends as he takes a swig of his drink.

"How? What's different about her?" Uriah challenges as Will snickers. Tobias had just dropped a load of money in Prada the other day for her and she had picked out a BMW SUV to lease after Tobias decided he wanted to upgrade his Range Rover.

"Ehhhh, she just is…" Tobias didn't want to get into this with Uriah because he knows his friend and he didn't want to answer the question about Tris even though he was wondering when she was coming home from Italy. He hadn't seen her since that night in Atlanta the year before for All-Start Weekend. He knew Nicole was excited about going to Houston for All-Star Weekend and it was going to be awkward if Tris was there too.

"And what about Tris?" Uriah pushes.

"What about her?"

"You just going to fuck at All-Star weekend and not even consider getting back with her?"

Will looks between Uriah and Tobias, amused at how things were going.

"We didn't..."

Uriah gives Tobias a look and purses his lips.

"Okay we did but it's just complicated Uri. I'm not sure if Tris and I need to open that door again"

"Cut the bullshit T. Nicole may be different, but you know as well as I do you and Tris had something special. Don't be a dumbass again and throw it away for a slim waist and a fat ass" Uriah counters.

That night as he lies in bed he looks over at Nicole who was fast asleep. What if Uriah was right? How was Nicole different? She started out that way but as the months went on she sure as hell didn't turn down a damn thing he offered to buy and recently she started asking for things. Uriah had told him over dinner how excited he was for Christina to be graduating from UGA and they were planning on her moving to Chicago finally but Chris had been determined to pay her own way through school.

Tobias shakes his head and rolls over to try and get some sleep. He didn't want to think about Tris, but somehow at times like this, she would wander into his thoughts before he went to sleep. Things were just different with Tris, how he felt when they made love, how their push and pull annoyed him but excited him at the same time, how he felt when he made love to her. Nicole was his first real relationship after Tris, maybe he just needed more time with Nicole.

He gets up and goes into the kitchen for a drink of water since he couldn't sleep. He leans against the kitchen counter scrolling on Instagram. He smiles as he sees a picture of her smiling in front of the Colosseum in Rome. She looked so carefree and happy. Before he can think about he likes the pic. He sighed no matter how hard he tried to push Tris out of his mind, he just couldn't.