Chapter 194 One Last Game
Chapter 194 One Last Game
Marcus POV
Game day arrived with a strange feeling.
Marcus woke before the alarm and stayed still for a moment. Simone slept beside him, one hand resting near his pillow.
The apartment was quiet except for the distant sounds of Philadelphia waking up outside.The wedding was only days away.
Another game waited that night.
For the first time, both felt connected. Simone stirred and opened her eyes. "You're awake."
"Yeah."
She turned toward him."Nervous?"
"Not about the game."
A small smile touched her face."Then what?"
Marcus looked at the ceiling."Everything is happening at once."
"The wedding?"
"The wedding. The season. Everything that happened before I got here."
Her hand found his."You don't have to prove anything anymore."
"I know."
"Good. Then go play."
He looked at her.
"I'll be watching."
Marcus leaned over and kissed her."I'll see you after."
By the time he reached the arena, the building was already alive. Fans crowded the entrances. Music played through the halls. Staff moved between the locker room and the court.
His name stood above his locker.The sight still caught him sometimes. Not because it surprised him anymore. Because he remembered when having a locker in an NBA arena had felt impossible.
Marcus changed and joined the team for warmups. The starting point guard passed him the ball."Big night."
Marcus caught it."Just another game."
The point guard laughed."Keep telling yourself that."
The game started fast. The opposing defense had prepared for him. Every time Marcus came off a screen, a defender followed.
When he drove, help arrived early. They forced him into difficult shots and made him work for every opening. Marcus didn't fight it. He moved the ball.
A pass to the corner created an open three. A cut behind the defense led to a layup. On the other end, he stayed attached to his assignment and fought through every screen.
The game stayed close. Midway through the third quarter, Marcus drove toward the basket and took a hard hit. He landed awkwardly. Pain shot through his knee.
Marcus grabbed it. The arena fell quiet.
For one second, everything disappeared.
The crowd. The game. The lights. All he could hear was the memory of doctors telling him what his injury could cost.
A trainer ran toward him."You good?"
Marcus took a breath and moved the leg.
He stood. His knee held. The crowd erupted. He nodded toward the bench.
"I'm good."
Coach watched him closely."You sure?"
Marcus nodded."I'm sure."
Back on the court, he didn't test the knee with anything reckless. He trusted it. He trusted the work that had brought it back.
The fourth quarter became a battle.
Philadelphia trailed by two with less than a minute left. Marcus received the ball near the top of the key. Two defenders moved toward him.
A year ago, he might have forced the shot.
Tonight, he saw the open man. Marcus passed. The ball swung once before reaching the corner. The shot went up. Three points.
The arena exploded. Philadelphia took the lead. The opponent had one final possession. Marcus switched onto the ball handler, stayed in front, and forced a difficult shot.
Miss.
Kevin grabbed the rebound. The buzzer sounded. Philadelphia had won. Marcus stood near half court while his teammates celebrated around him.
The feeling wasn't the same as his first win after returning. That night had felt like survival. Tonight felt like belonging. In the locker room, music filled the room. Players shouted and laughed. The rookie grabbed Marcus around the shoulders.
"Another one."
Marcus laughed."Good team win."
The head coach walked over once the noise settled."You've become exactly the player we hoped you'd be."
Marcus nodded."Thank you, Coach."
The coach smiled."Enjoy the next few days. You've got something more important coming."
Marcus laughed."Everybody keeps saying that."
"Because everybody knows."
Darius called while Marcus was leaving the arena."You finally have a bigger event than basketball to worry about."
Marcus laughed."I guess I do."
"Don't mess it up."
"I won't."
"Your mom's coming. Iris is coming. My cousin is coming. We're all going to be there."
"I know."
"Good. Then I'll see you soon."
Marcus ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket. When he reached the apartment, Simone was waiting by the door in a simple dress.
He stopped."What's this?"
She smiled."We're going out."
"Now?"
"Now."
"Where?"
"One last date before the wedding."
Marcus smiled."One last date?"
"Before everyone starts giving us advice."
He laughed."Fair enough."
She took his hand. They left together. The restaurant was small and quiet. No cameras waited outside. No reporters followed them inside.
For a few hours, Marcus wasn't an NBA player returning from a scandal. He was just a man having dinner with the woman he loved.
They talked about the wedding. They argued over who would cry first. Simone insisted it would be him. Marcus disagreed."You'll cry."
"I won't."
"You already cried when I said yes."
"That was different."
"How?"
"I had a ring in my hand."
She laughed. Dinner stretched longer than either expected. When they finally walked back outside, Philadelphia had settled into the night.
Simone slipped her hand into his."Are you thinking about tomorrow?"
Marcus looked at her."About everything."
She squeezed his hand."Tomorrow isn't about looking back."
"I know."
"So what are you thinking about?"
Marcus looked at her for a moment."How lucky I am."
Her smile softened."You're not the only one."
They returned home and stood together in the quiet apartment. Marcus placed his watch and phone on the table. Simone reached for his hand.
Tomorrow, their families and closest friends would gather. The next day after that, they would stand together and make promises neither of them planned to break.
Marcus looked at the woman beside him.
The comeback had brought him back to basketball. Simone had given him something bigger to come home to.
He squeezed her hand. She squeezed back.Then they turned off the lights and went to bed.