Hate the Game ( Urban Sports Romance )

Fridate

Friday, February 7th

"How did you find this place?" Sabrina asked in awe as they walked inside the large bookstore in downtown. It was midday, but there weren't a lot of people inside.

"One of those Hidden Gem Instagram pages." He replied as he ducked through one of the passageways. With his 6'4 stature, some of the paths made him have to bend down to walk through to get to the larger rooms. To the store's defense, Sabrina had to do the same on some sections in all of her 5'7 glory.

Some parts of the store had books that looked like they were flying, pages that went on and on, and multiple places for photo ops. They took turns getting silly photos of each other and sometimes propping the phone up with the self-timer to take pictures of the both of them.

One of Sabrina's favorites was a picture of Amir lifting her up so she could reach one of the books high up on the shelf. She saved that one as Amir's contact so it would pop up when he called.

A little over two hours later, Sabrina's arms were heavy with books. Amir tried to carry them for her, but she was too stubborn. Amir also had books, along with a few comics and three vinyls for his ever-growing record collection. They put everything on the counter and checked out. A few hundred dollars later, they were off.

Spending time with Amir felt so natural to Sabrina. It was as if they'd known each other forever. They enjoyed the same things and had similar personalities. Sabrina didn't feel like she had to be someone else around him. Their natural chemistry had her feeling safe and comfortable with him.

On the ride back to Amir's penthouse, she got a call from Nick's phone. She quickly answered knowing it was Niko.

"Hello." She answered it on speaker.

"Hi, mommy." Niko's tiny voice said through the phone causing Amir to smile.

"Hey papa, what you doin'?"

"I'm going to the field with daddy." He told her.

"You gonna play some football?"

"Yeah, daddy's gonna throw the ball really high and I'm gonna catch it." He said confidently.

"Ask him to get some videos for me okay?"

Niko told his dad immediately, "Mommy said take a video."

Nick responded in the background, "Let her know I will, son." He chuckled because he already heard her since his phone was on speaker as well.

"Alright baby, have fun. I love you."

"Ok, mommy. I love you. I'm gonna hang up." He said before the call ended.

"That was cute," Amir said, still smiling.

"That's my boy. I'm so glad I got a son first."

"Why's that?" He asked, not mentioning her saying first as if she's thought about more in the future.

She laughed, "Have you met me? A little girl like me would be a handful. I'm dramatic as hell."

"Dramatic? I wouldn't say that." He teased, "now stubborn..."

She playfully rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Stick around long enough, you'll find out." She smirked.

"I plan to."

Amir arrived at his apartment building and parked in the underground garage.

"Imma take this stuff upstairs, then we'll walk down the street to one of the restaurants next to the arena." He told her as they walked to the elevator.

"Okay." She replied, just happy to be with him.

Sabrina entered his penthouse apartment and immediately became lost in the view. It was on the 40th floor and she could see everything. She could stare out those windows all day.

They took the elevator back downstairs and walked outside the building to the busy streets.

"I see why you don't wanna give that place up." She said, as they walked together.

"It's decent as hell. I can walk home from games on some nights." He said as he took her hand, then crossed the street.

"I get it. I like downtown, I just hate the traffic, one-way streets, and crazy drivers." She laughed.

He switched sides, with her on the inside of him, holding her other hand now as they walked on the sidewalk, "What are you in the mood for miss lady? There's a few places over here. Sushi, burgers, steak."

"Ooo. Let's do burgers." She said, just thinking about a big fat bacon cheeseburger.

"This was such a good idea," Sabrina, said after taking a long pull from her cookies and cream milkshake.

Amir nodded in agreement, tossing a tater tot in his mouth. "I'm glad you not shy to eat wit me cause shorty, I eat." He chuckled.

"Boy, I ain't got this weight from nowhere. Baby don't miss no meals." She did a little dance in her seat making Amir laugh. Why women dance when they get food, the world will never know.

As he predicted after their first phone call, he enjoyed being around Sabrina. It didn't matter how busy he was, he'd make time for her. That was one thing he was sure of.

He drove Sabrina home, but before she got out of his truck, they decided on which of their books they would read together. They settled on a black contemporary romance.

"You have fun with me today?" Amir inquired, with a smirk, already knowing the answer. Dimples, dimples, dimples.

She tried to suppress her smile, "Yes. I hope you don't treat all the girls like this. I might get jealous."

He shook his head, chuckling as he leaned over, "Nah, just one. She be playin though." He quickly pecked her cheek.

"Let me know you got home safe." She told him before finally getting out. Neither of them wanted to leave the other, but neither of them spoke on it. Not wanting to push their luck.

Fear of rejection maybe.