Page 70 of Gamebreaker

"Routine that happens to involve your championship rings? Very humble."

"I never claimed to be humble about basketball."

"Finally. Honesty." She grinned, warm and teasing but not cutting. "See? You can admit to having an ego. That's growth."

"I don't have an ego. I have confidence earned through years of dedicated practice."

"That's literally what ego is."

"No, ego is unearned confidence. Mine is statistically justified."

"Oh my god, you just used statistics to defend your ego. That's the most Cam behavior I've ever heard."

I felt my mouth curve into an actual smile. "Is that a compliment?"

"It's an observation. Whether it's a compliment depends on whether you think being extremely yourself is a good trait."

"Do you?"

Harper's expression shifted into a more serious look. "Yeah. I do. Even when it's inconvenient."

The weight of her words settled between us. Acknowledgment of everything we'd been through, everything I'd confessed to her on that park bench, everything that had shifted between us in the past week.

"For the record," I said quietly, "I'm not ashamed. Of crying. Of asking for forgiveness. Of being honest with you."

"Good. You shouldn't be." She took another sip of her drink. "Vulnerability looks good on you, Captain. Even if it did take me completely by surprise."

"I surprised myself too."

"I noticed. You looked like you couldn't decide whether to keep crying or combust from embarrassment."

"Both. I was doing both simultaneously."

"It was actually kind of endearing. Watching someone's emotional walls collapse in real-time." She paused. “Also, you looked terrible. Have you been sleeping?"

"Better now. Some. I've been eating actual meals too, before you ask."

"Look at you, practicing basic self-care. I'm so proud." The teasing was gentle, affectionate even. "Next you'll be telling me you've taken up meditation or started a feelings journal."

"I'm not that evolved."

"Give it time. I'm wearing you down."

"Is that your goal? Wearing me down?"

"My goal is to make sure you don't self-destruct every time you have emotions. It's surprisingly time-consuming." She said it lightly, but I could hear the genuine concern underneath.

I took a sip of whiskey, letting the burn ground me. "Thank you. For that. For giving me another chance."

"You can stop thanking me now. It's getting weird."

"Alright."

We fell into comfortable silence for a moment, and I noticed that this—this easy back-and-forth—felt different from before. The edges had smoothed. The banter was still sharp, but no longer edged with insults. Playful rather than combative.

Like maybe we were figuring out how to be around each other without drawing blood.

"So," Harper said, leaning against the bar and making the fabric of her bodysuit shift slightly. "That step-back three in the fourth quarter? The one from way behind the arc?"