16

Angel Reese

The sunlight creeping through my curtains made me squint, the sound of my phone alarm  buzzing beside me pulling me out of sleep. I rubbed at my eyes, blinking until the screen came into focus.

Jackie Young:

Morning, sleepyhead. You and your little twin had me smiling before sunrise. Hope y'all have a good day. maybe next time, I'll actually hang up before we both knock out lol

A soft laugh slipped out before I could help it. Ain't no way we really fell asleep on FaceTime.

Before I could even type back, tiny footsteps padded down the hall.

"Mommyyy I'm back," came a small, high pitched voice.

"Good morning, baby girl," I said, smiling as Arayah climbed up onto the bed, curls wild, paci still hanging from her mouth. She plopped onto my stomach, blinking up at me.

"I see my Jackie!" she said around her paci.

My brows pulled together. "You saw who?"I said as I pulled it from between her teeth. Lord knows I've been trying to wean her from them for the longest, yet somehow she always found a new one.

She whined for it before straightening up when i gave her a look.

I blinked, grabbing my phone and checking the screen. FaceTime: 7 hours, 12 minutes. "

"Oh lord..." I mumbled, shaking my head. "You just talkin' to whoever, huh? You like Jackie,"

Ray giggled, hiding her face in my shirt. "Her nice."

"She is," I said, kissing the top of her head. "Okay bubs. go sit in the living room,Mommy gon' make breakfast."

Once she hopped down and trotted off, I turned back to my phone and texted Jackie.

Angel: we really fell asleep on ft like some high schoolers 😭😭Baby girl said you told her hi this morning lol thanks for entertaining her

She replied almost instantly.

Jackie: 😂 she caught me off guard but she's adorable.I didn't wanna wake you tho. you looked peaceful.

My lips curved before I could stop them.

Angel: I'm sure that's a lie but I'll take it. you tryna make me blush before 8am

Jackie: if it's workin, I'm not sorry.

I rolled my eyes, laughing quietly. The woman was effortless. Before I could reply again, another text came through — one that made my heart skip a little.

Kaylen (target girl):

Good morning Love. Hope you have a great day. Looking forward to seeing your pretty smile in person again soon.

I stared at it for a second, smiling despite myself. Three weeks ago, I wasn't even thinking about dating anyone . especially not a woman. And now? I had two of them who both made me grin like an idiot.

"First world problems," I whispered with a laugh, setting the phone down and heading to the kitchen.

Ray was sitting on the couch humming to Bluey while I started breakfast — eggs, waffles, turkey bacon. I was mid-flip when my phone rang again, a random number lighting up the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Ashley calling from Venus et Fleur. We have a bouquet being sent to you, but we just need an address for delivery.  the sender opted for us to reach out to you to protect your address privacy."

"Uh, okay..." I said, rattling off my address. "Can you tell me who sent them?"

"I'm afraid they didn't give a name ma'am, but they're... quite a few roses."

"Alright, thank you."

An hour later, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and froze.

It wasn't just a few. It was massive—three bouquets of pink roses, soft and full, like something out of a movie. The delivery tag had a small card tucked inside:

The thought of you made me smile all week . Thought I'd return the favor.— Kay

"Mommyyy, flowers!" Ray's voice piped up from behind me, her little feet padding across the floor.

"I know, they're pretty huh, mama?," I said, smiling.

"Flowers for Ray?" she asked, eyes big and curious.

I laughed. "No, these are mommy's flowers. We'll buy you some princess."

I carried the flowers inside, setting them on the counter before snapping a picture, soft morning light spilling over the petals.

A minute later, I posted it to my story.

⸻

Jackie Young

The phone buzzed against the countertop, lighting up with a text from A'ja.

A'ja Wilson: pls tell me u didn't send all them flowers 😭A'ja Wilson: cuz babyyy they are pink as hell.

I frowned and unlocked my screen, confusion immediately replaced with curiosity.

A'ja had sent Angel's story. a perfectly angled photo of three huge bouquet of pink roses sitting on her kitchen island

The picture looked soft. Feminine. Romantic.

Definitely not something I sent.

Jackie: nah that wasn't me.Jackie: but damn... that's a lotta roses.

A'ja sent back about five laughing emojis before adding,

A'ja: oh yeah u got competition, lil sis 😂😂

I rolled my eyes, but my stomach knotted up all the same.Competition.

I didn't even know if Angel was mine to compete for, but the idea still rubbed me wrong. The thought of somebody else thinking they could just slide into her DMs and drop money on flowers like that — it sat heavy.

I clicked back to the story again. She looked happy. That same soft smile she always had when she wasn't trying too hard.

"Alright, that's how we playin' it," I muttered under my breath, setting my phone down.

If this other person wanted to send flowers, cool.But me? I'd do one better.

Something personal. Thought-out. Something that actually meant something.

⸻

A few hours later, after practice and ice baths, I was sitting in my car, scrolling through my contacts when I found the name I needed — Dearica Hamby.

The phone rang twice before De picked up. "What's up, Jackie?"

"Yo," I said, leaning back in the driver's seat. "You busy?"

"On the way to the arena, what's good?"

I hesitated, trying to sound casual. "Random question... what's Angel's favorite food?"

There was a pause, then a laugh. "You plottin', huh?"

I grinned. "Just answer the question."

"She's a pasta girl. Shrimp alfredo, extra garlic. And anything Cajun. Why?"

"Noted," I said, typing it into my Notes app like a damn detective. "What about her kid? Ray?"

Now De sounded really amused. "You tryna bribe the baby too?"

"Maybe," I said with a low chuckle. "Figure it's a package deal."

"Smart woman," De teased. "Let's see... Ray loves Moana. Like, obsessed. She can quote the whole movie. And she's picky about food—if it's not nuggets or mac & cheese, good luck."

"Got it," I said, smirking as the idea came together piece by piece. "Appreciate you, OG."

"Jackie Young, you tryna make somebody fall in love or what?"

I laughed quietly. "Nothin' like that."But even I didn't believe it when I said it.

⸻

Back at my apartment, I sprawled out on the couch, flipping through my Notes again.

Mission: Make an Impression. • Favorite food: shrimp alfredo (extra garlic). • Ray's obsession: Moana. • Keep it personal. Don't be corny. Don't overdo it.

Simple. Thoughtful. That's me.

I scrolled through my messages with Angel from a few nights ago — the late-night FaceTime that went way longer than either of us planned. The one where she fell asleep mid-laugh, still smiling.

I sighed, locking my phone again.

She deserved someone who showed up for her in real ways, not just with flowers and flirtation.

And if I had to drive six hours from Vegas to L.A. with a car full of pasta ingredients and a damn Moana necklace to prove that so be it.

Excuse all errorsAjah