Page 12 of His Starr Player

“You’d take her side over mine?”

She nodded confidently. “Absolutely, big brother.”

“You can walk home then.” I unlocked the doors.

She tossed her head back with a loud and obnoxious laugh. She slapped my arm and sat back with a grin. “You wouldn’t dare make me walk. I’d call my daddy, and you know he don’t play about his baby girl.”

“If I told him you’d disgrace the family, he might change his mind.”

She waved me off. “Anyway, if y’all get married, I better be your best man.”

“I don’t think?—”

“You heard me.”

I shook my head. “We’ll see what happens when it happens.”

She didn’t say another word as I pulled out of the garage and sped down the feeder street. My mind ran a mile a minute. I had askedtheAva Starr to go out with me, and she said yes. Was it fate?

I had to consider a lot of things as I headed to Nay’s house to drop her off.

A few weeks later

I watched her tug on the light pink dress as she got out of her car. I’d pulled up about thirty minutes prior to her and waited for her to arrive. I parked on the street while she’d pulled up to the valet. When she got out, I watched the shock on the guy’s face.

“Oh my gosh! You’re Ava Starr. I’m a huge fan. I can’t wait to see what you do for the Vipers this season. We’re all rooting for you.” The guy spoke to her with pure joy in his actions.

She smiled politely. “Thank you.” She held the keys out for him, but he continued to talk to her unprofessionally.

“Do you think you’ll be able to take us to the championship again this year? The last three years have beensostressful, but I know this current roster with a healthy Hastings will give us the juice we need to get the ring.” He continued to babble about basketball.

I saw the smile fade from her face for only a moment before her media training kicked in. I decided to relieve her from the conversation and hopped out. My strides were calculated and powerful. I slid beside her and played my role.

“Baby, our reservation was at eight. Why are you still out here?”

Both of them looked toward me as I grinned. My attire for the evening was something slight. I wore a vintage anime graphic tee, black jeans, and designer sneakers that cost more than some people’s rent.

“Sorry, I lost track of the time. I had a great conversation with…” She looked at the valet guy.

“Calvin.” He filled in the silence.

“No worries. Thank you, Calvin. Make sure my lady’s car gets parked securely.”

“Will do.”

I held my hand out for her to take, and she happily slid her fingers between mine. We entered the elegant anime bar. I could tell from the excitement in her eyes she’d never been here before.

“The decor is breathtaking,” she commented as we were escorted to our table near the waterfall wall.

There was a gold and black theme with cherry blossoms decorating the tables. There was a bar and grill in the center. There were classic anime scenes adorning the walls as well. It was a nice vibe.

Once we were seated, our orders were taken, and our first round of drinks were distributed. We ordered grape Soju, strawberry Ramune, and iced water. For our appetizers, we ordered crab puffs and fried calamari. For the main course, we both opted for a spicy miso ramen. I opted for two extra eggs, an extra fish cake, and no seaweed. She’d gotten almost the same thing but added extra seaweed and requested no bamboo shoots.

While we waited for our ramen bowls, I started up a conversation.

“You don’t fuck with calamari?” I asked as I popped one of the circular fried pieces into my mouth.

“Nope. I’m big on textures, and it’s like eating a rubber band. I can’t do it.”

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