Booked & Busy ? Devin Booker

Chapter 6: Bridging the Divide

Talking to the media had left her with a profound sense of pride and motivation. This was her last chance to leave Paris with something to show for all her hard work and she might not have the same opportunity at the 2028 LA Olympics. She needed to stay focused on the task ahead and could figure out everything else afterward.

Later on, Whitney found herself standing by the Seine, taking in the city one last time before the biggest match of her life. She couldn't remember being this nervous during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but she had been younger then, just 23, and ranked number 2 in the world—the highest ranking of her career. As she stared into the polluted water, she thought about what it would mean to win another Olympic medal.

"Wyn?"

Whitney closed her eyes, hoping the voice she'd heard was an illusion. It was just her luck that the person she wanted to see the least was the one who was constantly popping up. She'd seen Devin more in the last week than she had in the entire eight years they lived in the same city. It was as if the universe was playing a sick joke on her. That or he was stalking her.

She turned slowly, her heart racing as she watched Devin approaching her with his hands shoved into his pockets. They stood in silence for a few moments, the sound of the river and the bustling noise of Paris filling the air between them. Finally, he spoke.

"Did you like Tyrese's video?" he asked, breaking the silence. His tone was casual but the undertones were unmistakable.

"It was nice," she replied curtly, refusing to give him anything more.

"The guys have been teasing him about his crush but he's taking it like a champ," Devin went on, clearly trying to keep the conversation light.

Whitney didn't react. No smile, no nod, nothing. She knew he would cling to any small movement she made and she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday," he finally said. "I shouldn't have said those things. I was out of line."

"Then why did you say them?" she asked, her voice as cold as ice. She hadn't intended to be so icy but she didn't care. "It's like you were trying to make me feel like I don't deserve to be here."

Devin let out a breath, his gaze dropping to the ground. "Whitney, no. Of course, you deserve to be here. I've seen firsthand how hard you work, and I just... It's complicated."

"Okay."

"I don't want it to be like this," he continued, his voice softer. "But I don't know how to fix it. Every time I see you, I always find myself saying things I don't mean."

"Well maybe don't say them."

"Whitney..."

"I don't want to keep fighting with you," she added after a moment. "But just because you apologized doesn't magically make everything okay."

Devin's eyes flicked to the river and then back at her as if he were searching for something in her expression. Regret? Forgiveness? Reassurance? Or maybe he just wanted a sign that things weren't as bad as they seemed. She didn't want to give him any of those things.

"Do you ever think about how things used to be between us?" he asked quietly.

Whitney blinked, caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean?" she asked, even though she knew exactly what he meant.

"Before all this... When things were just... simple."

Simple? It was never simple between them, even before their rivalry.

"No," she lied after a long pause. "I don't."

Devin nodded as if he expected that answer. "I think about it sometimes. Well, every time I've run into you in the past ten years actually," he admitted. "I know it was only a short time but I miss it."

The sincerity in his voice tugged at something deep inside Whitney. She and Devin had spent two weeks together during their freshman year in college and somehow they still clung onto those memories from 10 years ago. But that didn't make her any more willing to engage in a conversation with him now. Too much has happened.

"I do too," Whitney confessed. "I'm getting so tired of this back and forth dynamic."

Devin looked at her, his expression a mix of understanding and regret. She knew his words were sincere, and she appreciated his apology, but she couldn't just brush aside all that he'd said and done to her. Not this easily. They were too old to keep doing the same things over and over.

"Do you think we can pull off being friends?"

Whitney hesitated, the answer caught in the back of her throat. The truth was, she wasn't sure. She couldn't even fathom how they could be friends when there was so much unresolved between them. "I don't know, Devin. I really don't"

He nodded.

"But I'm willing to try if you are," she added quickly.

A small smile tugged at his lips but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "That's all I needed to hear, Wyn."

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Up Next

Chapter 7: Unexpected Bonding - After Whitney's bronze medal match, she finds herself unexpectedly bonding with Devin. They share a rare moment of understanding, but the reasons for their past conflict remain unspoken.

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