Caitlin sat at the kitchen table, the smell of pancakes and fresh coffee filling the air. Her parents were bustling around, her mom flipping pancakes while her dad scrambled eggs. Colin, her younger brother, was already at the table, engrossed in his phone. Kate and Claire sat across from Caitlin, chatting about their plans for the day.

"So, what's on the agenda for today, girls?" Caitlin's mom asked as she brought a stack of pancakes to the table.

"We're all going to the state fair," Caitlin said, smiling. "Mom, you and Dad are still planning to go, right?"

"Of course!" her dad replied, as he made his plate. "Wouldn't miss it. It's tradition."

"Yeah, but we're taking our own car," Colin chimed in, not looking up from his phone. "I don't want to be stuck waiting on you guys."

Caitlin rolled her eyes playfully. "Don't worry, we won't cramp your style."

As they began eating, Caitlin's mom turned to her, her expression gentle but serious. "Caitlin, honey, have you thought about whether you're going to make a public statement about, you know, coming out?"

Caitlin paused, her fork halfway to her mouth. She had been thinking about it ever since she told her parents the day before. The relief of their acceptance still warmed her heart, but the idea of making it public was daunting. "I think I'm going to let it happen naturally," she said finally. "I don't want to make some big announcement. I just want to be myself and let people figure it out."

Her mom nodded, a soft smile on her face. "That sounds like a good plan. We're proud of you, Caitlin. No matter what."

Caitlin smiled back, feeling a swell of gratitude. "Thanks, Mom. That means a lot."

Kate and Claire exchanged a glance, their expressions supportive. "That's what happened with us, everyone saw us together and just figured it out. It worked out okay," Kate said, reaching over to squeeze Caitlin's hand.

Caitlin nodded, her heart feeling lighter as they finished their breakfast and prepared for the day ahead.

The car ride to the fair was filled with light-hearted conversation and laughter. Caitlin, Kate, and Claire joked about the things they wanted to do at the fair, from eating all the fried foods to seeing Caitlin's butter statue. The mood was relaxed, and Caitlin felt a sense of normalcy that she hadn't felt in a long time.

As they pulled into the parking lot, Claire turned to Caitlin. "So, what's the first thing you want to do?"

Caitlin grinned. "I'm thinking about trying every ridiculous fried food I can find."

Kate laughed. "Typical. Let's do it!"

The fair was bustling with activity, the sounds of laughter and carnival rides filling the air. After spending some time wandering through the food stands and sampling various fried concoctions, they came across the sky glider.

"Oh, we have to go on that!" Claire exclaimed, grabbing Kate's hand. "It'll be so much fun!"

Caitlin hesitated, looking up at the sky glider. The idea of being suspended so high above the ground wasn't the problem, it was that she'd have to sit alone. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to try that deep-fried Uncrustable on a stick," she said, pointing to a nearby food stand.

Kate and Claire exchanged a glance but nodded. "Okay, we'll meet up with you after the ride," Kate said with a smile.

As Caitlin walked toward the food stand, she tried to push away the slight pang of loneliness that hit her. She ordered the Uncrustable and took a bite, savoring the sweet and salty taste. But as she turned around, she nearly choked on her next bite when she saw Sam standing just a few feet away.

Sam was alone, casually glancing at the different food stands, seemingly lost in thought. Caitlin's heart skipped a beat as she debated whether or not to say something. Before she could decide, Sam looked up and their eyes met.

"Hi," Sam said, a bit surprised but not unfriendly.

"Hi," Caitlin managed to say after a moment, trying to collect herself.

"How are you? How's the Olympic break?" Sam asked stepping closer to Caitlin.

"Really good, actually," Caitlin replied, a small smile on her lips. "I definitely needed it."

Sam nodded, feeling a bit awkward but genuinely interested. "I'm glad to hear that. How's everything else going?"

"Good," Sam said, her expression brightening. "I'm going to be a PT intern for the volleyball team at Iowa. I'm really excited about it."

"That's great, Sam. You'll be amazing at it," Caitlin said, genuinely happy for her. As Sam talked, Caitlin couldn't help but notice how good she looked-just happy, the way she carried herself. It stirred something in Caitlin, a longing she hadn't quite been able to shake since they'd last seen each other.

The urge to tell Sam about her coming out surged within Caitlin. She wanted Sam to know that she had finally done it, that she had taken that huge step. But just as she was about to speak, a girl walked up to Sam, slipping her arm around Sam's waist and handing her a deep-fried Uncrustable.

"Babe, I think Cait-" The girl stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening as she recognized Caitlin. "Oh my god, you're Caitlin Clark!"

Caitlin smiled awkwardly, caught off guard. Sam looked a bit uncomfortable as well as she noticed Caitlin's eyes where on these girls arm around her waist. "Caitlin, this is Sarah," Sam introduced, her tone neutral. "Sarah, Caitlin and I were friends in college."

The word "friends" hit Caitlin like a punch to the gut, knowing how much more they had been to each other. But she kept her smile in place, even as she felt the sting of the words.

"Well, I should get back," Caitlin said, forcing herself to sound casual. "It was nice seeing you, Sam."

"You too, superstar," Sam replied, her tone warm but distant, with a familiar nickname.

Caitlin turned and walked away, feeling Sarah's excited chatter fade into the background as she tried to keep her emotions in check. As she walked, she heard Sarah say, "I can't believe you know the Caitlin Clark!"

All Caitlin could think about was how Sam knew her-not as "the Caitlin Clark," but as Caitlin, the girl she had once loved.

Caitlin rejoined Kate and Claire after their sky glider ride, doing her best to appear upbeat. She didn't mention running into Sam, not wanting to dampen the mood.

"Okay, can we go see Caitlin's butter statue now?" Kate asked, grinning. "I've been dying to see it."

Caitlin laughed, grateful for the distraction. "Sure, let's go."

They made their way to the butter sculpture display, where Caitlin's likeness had been immortalized in dairy form. The girls laughed and took pictures with the statue, enjoying the light-hearted moment. But underneath her smile, Caitlin couldn't shake the encounter with Sam, the emotions it stirred up still simmering just below the surface.

After a few more hours at the fair, they decided to call it a day and head home. They all had early mornings the next day, and Caitlin was grateful for the excuse to leave, not running to run into Sam again.

As they drove back home, the sun setting behind them, Caitlin finally spoke up. "I saw Sam at the fair today," she said quietly, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled in the car.

Kate and Claire exchanged a glance, both knowing she would be there but didn't tell Caitlin. "Did you talk to her?" Claire asked gently.

"Yeah, just for a minute," Caitlin replied, her voice tinged with sadness. "She was with someone... a girl. I didn't tell her that I came out."

"Do you wish you had?" Kate asked.

Caitlin sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know. Part of me wanted to, but then she introduced me to this new girl and as just a friend. It hurt, so I just... walked away."

Claire reached over and squeezed Caitlin's hand. "I'm sorry, Cait. That must have been hard. But if it makes you feel any better Sam hasn't told me about this girl."

Caitlin looked at Claire with a puzzled look. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"The day Sam meet you, no the minute she left practice after meeting you, she called me talking about this really pretty basketball player she had just met. She talked about you nonstop from the day you met."

Caitlin nodded, feeling a mix of happiness and sadness bubbling up inside her. "I guess that does make me feel better, but it doesn't take away from the fact that she's moving on, and i can't blame her."

Meanwhile, still at the fair, Sam was wandering through the crowded paths when she unexpectedly ran into Caitlin's dad. He looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

"Hi, Sam," he said, his voice a bit awkward as he gave her a small nod.

"Hi," Sam replied, her voice uncertain. An awkward silence stretched between them, both unsure of what to say.

Finally, Caitlin's dad spoke, his voice hesitant. "I, uh, I'm sorry about you and Caitlin," he said, his words stumbling out as if they'd been bottled up for too long.

Sam blinked, caught off guard. "You knew about us?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. It was a question she'd never thought she'd ask, especially not to Caitlin's father.

He nodded slowly, his expression filled with regret. "I had my suspicions back then. But I didn't handle it well. I was too focused on what I thought was best for Caitlin's career, too worried about what the world would think. I told her she had to end it. I didn't realize how much pressure that put on her... and on you."

Sam swallowed hard, feeling a lump in her throat. "She never told me about that," she said softly, still processing his words.

"It's my fault she never felt comfortable being herself and I have to live with that. It's my fault she felt like she had to hide her sexuality. And i'm truly sorry for the pain I caused in y'all's relationship." Brent said, he could see how much they two loved each other and hoped this would bring Sam back to his daughter.

Sam shocked by his words, was quiet not knowing what to say, still confused. "Wait... did she tell y'all?"

"She did," he admitted, with a look that Sam could only describe as a proud dad, almost the same look he had when he watched her play. "She told us yesterday, actually. She finally came out to us."

Sam's eyes widened in surprise, and she felt a mix of emotions swirling inside her-relief that Caitlin had finally taken that step, confused that caitlin didn't tell her, sadness that it had taken so long, and a lingering ache for what they'd lost in the process. "I'm glad she did," Sam said quietly, meaning every word.

Caitlin's dad sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I really am sorry, Sam. I realize now that the way I reacted back then, the things I said, it's my fault that she felt she had to hide... and that you both had to keep things a secret."

Sam shook her head, her heart heavy. "It wasn't just you. Caitlin and I... we made our own choices. But it's good that you're here for her now. She needs that."

Caitlin's dad nodded, the weight of the conversation settling over them both. "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry. I hope things can be different for you and Caitlin now. I wish I'd been a better father, that I'd made it easier for her to be herself."

Sam offered him a small, sad smile. "I appreciate that. Really, I do."

There was a long pause, the noise of the fair continuing around them, oblivious to the heavy conversation taking place in its midst.

Finally, Caitlin's dad cleared his throat, straightening up as if to regain some semblance of composure. "I should probably get back to Anne and Colin," he said, his voice softening. "But if you ever need anything, Sam, don't hesitate to reach out. I know we didn't really know each other back then, but... I'm here."

Sam nodded, touched by his offer. "Thank you, Mr. Clark."

"Brent" He said as he gave her a final nod before turning and walking away, leaving Sam standing there, the conversation replaying in her mind. She watched him disappear into the crowd, her thoughts drifting back to Caitlin. She hadn't expected to run into Caitlin today, much less have that conversation with her father. It left her feeling raw, her emotions a tangled mess.

As she stood there, alone in the midst of the bustling fair, the full weight of Caitlin's struggles began to sink in. The pieces started to fall into place, and for the first time, Sam truly understood why Caitlin had been so afraid to be open about their relationship.

It wasn't just about Caitlin's career or the fear of public scrutiny-those were just the surface reasons. It was about the deep-seated fear instilled in her by her father's earlier reactions, the pressure to live up to everyone else's expectations, and the crushing weight of feeling like she could never truly be herself without losing everything.

Sam had always been frustrated, thinking Caitlin was just too scared to take a stand, too worried about what others might think. But now, she realized it was so much more than that. Caitlin had been protecting herself from the pain of disappointing the people she loved most, from the fear of rejection that had been seeded into her.

A wave of regret washed over Sam. She Caitlin had told her, that she had known what Caitlin was truly grappling with. Maybe things would have been different if she had. Maybe she wouldn't have pushed so hard, or maybe she would have been more patient, more understanding.

But there was one thing Sam knew for sure now-no matter how hard she had tried, she could never truly get over Caitlin. No one else had ever made her feel the way Caitlin did. The connection they shared, the way Caitlin had always understood her, the love they once had-it was still there, buried beneath all the pain and misunderstandings.

All Sam wanted now was to see Caitlin again, to ask her why she had never told her about her father's reaction, about the pressure she'd been under. More than anything though, she wanted to hold Caitlin, to tell her, "I get it now. I understand." She wanted to tell Caitlin that she was ready to fight for them, that she wasn't going to let fear or misunderstandings keep them apart any longer.

Just as Sam made up her mind, Sarah appeared beside her, her voice pulling Sam back to the present. "Sorry, the line for the restroom was long. Are you ready to head back to Iowa?"

Sam blinked, the weight of her thoughts momentarily forgotten as she looked at Sarah. She forced a smile, nodding. "Yeah, let's go."

But as they walked toward the exit, Sam's mind was still racing. She knew what she had to do. Before she could even think about running back to Caitlin, she had to take care of things with Sarah. She had to be honest, not just with herself, but with Sarah too. It wasn't fair to either of them to keep pretending that she could move on from Caitlin when, deep down, she knew she couldn't.

As they left the fairgrounds, Sam felt a renewed sense of determination. She wasn't going to let this opportunity slip through her fingers again. She would deal with Sarah first, and then, she would find Caitlin. She had to, because Caitlin was the one person she could never let go of, no matter how hard she tried.