16. Indy

Indy arrives courtside at the Devils game with Stevie and Zanders, thrilled to watch Ryan in his element. She observes Ryan’s solitary, disciplined warm-up and his unflappable demeanor despite fans and trash talk from rival point guard Connor Easton. Indy is openly attracted, but Ryan remains laser-focused.

Throughout the game, Connor harasses Ryan, yet Ryan answers with calm play and big shots. During an inbound near Indy’s seat, Ryan briefly teases her about checking him out, breaking his stoicism for a moment. The tension builds as the Devils trail late.

In the fourth quarter, a dead ball near the sideline leads Connor to dive pointlessly into the crowd, landing in Indy’s lap and spilling her drink. Ryan shoves Connor and curses, earning his first technical foul, then checks that Indy is unhurt. The game resumes, and with clutch threes from Ethan, the Devils win by one.

Outside the players’ lot, Indy is blindsided by ex-boyfriend Alex, who speaks casually and implies her travel caused his cheating, then mentions bringing a date to their friends’ upcoming wedding. Reeling, Indy is near tears when Ryan appears, reads the situation, and strides over.

Ryan kisses Indy deeply, introduces himself, and pointedly calls Indy his girlfriend in front of Alex and friends, even signing jerseys to underline his status. He ushers Indy to his car, checks on her, and—despite the electrifying kiss—tells her it was acting, repaying her for rescuing him earlier and calming the scene, leaving Indy both steadied and heartbroken.