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"Thank you. I work very hard at it."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I'm taking it as one anyway. Can't stop me."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both. I'm multi-talented."

This time Cam did smile. Actually smiled. Not big, not uncontrolled, but real. It reached her eyes, made them lighter, transformed her whole face into something open and almost... playful.

My heart did a complete backflip.

Oh no.

I looked away quickly, focused on helping a kid with her dribbling, trying not to think about how Cam looked when she smiled for real.

The clinic continued. More demonstrations, more banter, more of Cam slowly, incrementally, letting her guard down with the kids. She high-fived them when they made baskets. Encouraged them when they struggled. Crouched down to their level, patient and present in a way I'd never seen her be.

And she started smiling more. Still controlled, still careful, but genuine. Like she was letting herself enjoy this.

By the end, when the kids were packing up, she was almost relaxed. Laughing at their jokes. Ruffling their hair. Being a whole person instead of a carefully managed brand.

I watched her more than I should have. Noticed more than I wanted to.

The girl with braids approached me, grinning. "Harper?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you Coach Cam's girlfriend?"

I choked on air. Literally choked. "Absolutely not."

"Oh." She looked disappointed. “You guys just seem like you like each other. You were smiling a lot."

"We were being civil. For the children."

"Uh-huh." She did not sound convinced. "Well, if you were dating, that would be cool. You both have good energy."

She ran off before I could form a coherent response.

Cam walked over, started collecting basketballs. The ease of teaching the kids was fading, replaced by that careful control.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Kid stuff. Don't worry about it."

"Harper,” she pressed.

“Okay, fine. She asked if we were dating," I said flatly. "I said absolutely not. Because we're not. Obviously."

"Obviously," Cam echoed, but her voice was weird. Cautious.

Awkward silence. We collected basketballs like our lives depended on it.

"You were good with the kids," Cam said finally.

I looked up, surprised. "Yeah, well. You were really good at teaching. Like, you clearly love this."