Eternal Fantasies (FTM x Fem)

Chapter Eight

RAZIEL

"About time you woke up," Zamira says, her eyes locked on the 4K TV. I had slept longer than I anticipated. Even after freshening up, the spirit of grogginess presses on me. "You were snoring so hard that I thought we were experiencing turbulence."

I kiss my teeth as she grins at the animated screen. "Come on, I wasn't snoring that loud," I say. An elvish smile plays at the corners of her lips as she plays NBA 2K. Her dexterous thumbs execute an ankle-breaking cross-over on Steph Curry. Jayson Tatum hits an open rainbow three, then blows a kiss to TD Garden. "Don't tell me you're a Celtics fan," I groan.

"I am, and don't start that hating mess. We both know that your Knicks will never live up to the legendary history of my Celtics," she claims.

The Warriors call a timeout with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Zamira's kicking their ass by ten, all while sitting crisscrossed on the couch. She takes a second to peek at me and giggles when she notices the vexation I'm struggling to conceal. "You're such a diehard Knicks fan," she teases. "That's so cute, booski." She says the last sentence with an endeared cadence and pinches my cheeks. Under her New Orleans charm, my serious expression transforms into a fool's grin.

"How did you become a Boston Celtics fan?" I ask as she refocuses on the game.

Straight out of the timeout, she steals the ball and then commits a murderous poster slam on Draymond Green. "On yo' head, you l'il bitch!"

Her outburst causes me to flinch, but then a chuckle launches from me. She sounds like me and Soul when we're playing against each other. Dating a woman who's into video games has never been something I've pictured, but witnessing her intensity for a virtual basketball game is undeniably attractive.

"Sorry. What were you asking me, Raz?" she asks, her voice softening dramatically.

I emit a chuckle, relishing her adorable aura. The hood of her black anime hoodie hangs loosely over her head, adding a touch of mystery to her already captivating presence. "I figured you'd be a Pelicans fan, not a Celtics. How'd that happen, mamacita?"

"Oh..." Her sculpted cheekbones frame a gentle smile that spreads across her face. "My dad. He's a personal trainer. Sometimes, he gets the chance to train with pro athletes during their off-seasons. Some of them are so grateful that they offer him the best seats at their games. Dad took me to a few, but the one at TD Garden stands out the most. We had courtside tickets, and let me tell you, the atmosphere was absolutely electric. It was a game against the Lakers, so you can imagine the intensity and competitiveness in the building. I was a middle schooler who enjoyed watching basketball, but I saw it in a new light that day. That's when I became a Celtics fan. They played a phenomenal game and gave me autographs afterward."

"I guess I can't hate on that," I admit. "We'll have some shouting matches during the playoffs, but–"

"Why would we have shouting matches? Knicks aren't making it past the first round."

"Nah, we'll see ya'll in the Eastern Conference Finals," I declare with a firm head nod.

Zamira sends me an abasing laugh and shakes her head. "Sure, baby."

"Don't do that."

She sets aside the controller after she beats the Warriors by fifteen. "Don't do what?" She cocks her head to the side, fluttering her lashes.

"Don't talk about my team. Your latest rosters can't get a chip to save their life."

"Aw." Her sympathetic pout, tinged with insincerity, strikes me. "But my team makes it further than your team every year. We're the favorites to win the championship. Meanwhile, no one's thinking of The New York Bricks. Oops, I mean Knicks."