I stepped out of the hotel lobby, the cool Sacramento night air hitting me as I pulled up my phone. Asher's message, an address.
I ordered an Uber, leaned back in the seat.
The ride wasn't long. About ten minutes later, the car pulled into a dimly lit parking lot.
I spotted Asher leaning against his car, arms crossed, scrolling through his phone. As soon as he saw me, he put it away and stepped forward.
I walked up and checked him up.
"You played good tonight, bro." I told him, nodding.
He smirked, shaking his head. "Yeah? My coach said the same thing."
I leaned against his car, arms crossed, as we let the night settle around us.
Asher exhaled, shaking his head with a small smirk. "Man, it's crazy. Who would've thought? Us, in the league, playing against each other like this."
I chuckled. "Yeah, I ain't gon' lie, it's surreal."
He nodded, rubbing his chin. "It's been a wild ride, bro. But I'm tryna build something more stable now. Basketball's dope, but I gotta think about life outside of it too."
I gave him a look. "What you mean by that?"
Asher glanced at me, then let out a breath before saying it straight up. "I'm thinking about proposing to Paige."
That made me pause for a second. "Damn, for real?"
He nodded. "Yeah, man. We been through a lot. She held me down during the G League grind, supported me when I didn't know if I'd even get a shot in the NBA. I feel like it's the right time, you know?"
I studied him for a moment.
"That's big, bro. You sure you ready for all that?" I asked, not on some doubting shit, just making sure he had thought it all through.
He smirked. "Man, when you know, you know. I ain't saying it's perfect, but I know she's the one."
I nodded, dapping him up. "Happy for you, my guy."
We both laughed, just two old friends catching up, talking about life, and the future.
"Aight, enough about me, bro. What about you? You got a girl or what?"
I scoffed, shaking my head with a smirk. "Nah, that's not for me right now. I just got a few… situations, you know how it is."
He raised an eyebrow, grinning. "You've been like this since College. You ain't never just tryna settle down?"
I chuckled, rubbing my chin. "Man, you know me. I just be chilling."
Asher paused for a second, studying me like he was tryna figure something out. Then he asked. "Don't you get tired of it?"
I shrugged. "I mean… sometimes? But at the same time, I don't really see the point." I shook my head.
He nodded slowly, but I could tell he wasn't fully convinced. "I hear you… but at some point, all that shit gonna get old. You just gon' keep running through girls forever?"
I leaned back against the hood of his car, letting out a short breath as I looked up at the Sacramento night sky.
"Nah, but look." I said, shaking my head slightly. "If I really wanted a girl, I should've focused on that before all this. Now? I'm too known to even tell who's really here for me."
Asher nodded, arms still crossed, processing what I was saying. "Yeah, I see what you mean," he admitted. "Once you're at the top, it's hard to know who's real. But at some point, bro, you're gonna have to get past that. You can't dodge it forever."
I smirked, knowing he wasn't wrong but not ready to admit it. "And what, just take the risk and hope for the best?"
He chuckled. "Worst case, you only date celebrities. At least they understand the life."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Man, that ain't a guarantee either. You know how these Hollywood relationships go. They look all perfect, then next thing you know, TMZ got 'em breaking up in 6 months."
Asher shrugged. "Still better than some clout-chasing random trying to finesse you."
I let that sit for a second. He had a point, but I wasn't about to overthink all that right now. "Yeah, maybe." I finally said. "But I'm good where I'm at. No stress, no drama."
He gave me a knowing look. "For now."
I just smirked and dapped him up. "For now."
After our conversation, we decided to grab something to eat before I headed back to the hotel.
"You hungry?" Asher asked as he got into his car.
"Always."
He nodded with a grin. "I know a spot not too far from here. Nothing fancy, but the food's solid."
We drove through the quiet streets of Sacramento, the city having a different vibe compared to New York or Orlando, calmer, more laid-back. When we arrived at the spot, we found a table and ordered some food.
We kept talking while eating, just regular conversation.
After we finished, Asher drove me back to my hotel.
"Bro. Keep this up."
He chuckled. "Yeah, Frank."
We dapped each other up.
"We'll catch up soon." I said as I stepped out of the car.
"For sure."
I watched his car pull away before heading inside. The second I hit my bed, I was out.
The Next Morning...
Waking up was rough, but no choice, I had a flight to catch. The team and I were heading back to Orlando, and we had to be at the airport early.
After a quick shower, I threw on a tracksuit and headed downstairs to meet the rest of the team in the hotel lobby. Some guys were still half-asleep, others were glued to their phones, probably watching last night's highlights.
Derrick Rose walked up beside me, a coffee in hand.
"You get any sleep?" he asked.
"A little, but I'm good."
Once our luggage was loaded, we all got on the team bus headed for the airport. I put in my earbuds, hit play on a chill playlist, and stared out the window as the city passed by.
A few hours later, 5, we landed back home. Time to get back to work.