“Ella, look,” Chun started, the minute he settled in his car. He looked at Ella intently, watching how her chest went up and down and again and a couple more times. ‘She must be feeling furious now,’ he thought. “I’m sorry,” he apologized and started the engine, ready to take her home, realizing that he just wouldn’t easily get anything from her in this means.

‘I’m sorry!?’ Ella furiously thought in mind, her expression still blank despite the furious range her heart was feeling now. ‘I’m sorry is all that he can say despite the fact that he kissed me?’ she asked herself and raised her right palm to her forehead, feeling her perspiration because of all the nervousness she just felt after the kiss’ aftermath.

“I really didn’t mean it… No, wait, let me paraphrase that…,” he started again, pulling the car to a stop at the nearest sidewalk. “I mean I meant it, okay? But…,” his words trailed off, realizing that he didn’t know what to say next or that he just felt so embarrassed confessing to her that he had… per chance… a little admiration towards her. He studied her facial expression again after a couple of minutes, yet it seemed that nothing’s changed. It was still same as before - the time they left the basketball court.

‘He meant it,’ she thought and didn’t know whether she should feel elated or mad just because she just couldn’t say it directly to her. She really didn’t know what she felt at the moment in time. Hell, they barely knew each other. They officially just met the other day, but first met digitally a couple of weeks ago. ‘Should I feel happy?’ she asked herself, and shuffled herself in the passenger’s seat as if she’s feeling so fidgety, so restless.

Before they knew it though, Chun’s yet again pulled the car to a stop right in front of Ella’s house and she’s off to go.

He watched as Ella quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, probably still ignoring him because she just couldn’t look at him - not even a glance and he, Wu Chun, felt utterly ignored that he was starting to pity himself.

And then she slammed his car door shut and ran immediately towards her front door house, grabbing her keys. She glanced back quickly and then back again, afraid that he would see her looking.

Little did she know that she unfortunately left her mobile phone on his car that was settled just on top of the compartment and he saw it. “Ella…,” he muttered, but she was nowhere in sight. Until an evil thought occurred on his mind, ‘If by any means, she wouldn’t want to see me again, then I’d have an excuse to see her again.’

--

Then as Ella entered her house, she thrashed all the other scraps of paper that still weren’t fixed from the other day’s happening. She sat uncomfortably on the couch and got a bolster to cover her face as she lay down. She decided that she wasn’t going to see him anymore. And. That. Was. Final. But what if she knew that she left her mobile phone in his car? Would she change her mind?

Attention grabbed by the slamming of the front door, Selina made way down the guest room of Ella’s room upstairs. She stopped midway on her tracks when she saw her friend who lay down the couch uncomfortably with a bolster covering her face. ‘Did she have a rough day?‘ that was the first thing she asked as she observed her uncomfortable stirring on the said couch.

“Jia Hua!“ she then unexpectedly called out.

“What?“ came Ella’s reply, voice crumbling.

“What happened to my friend Ella?“ Selina enquired and took a seat in front of the couch Ella lay on.

“Jia Hua and Ella are the same, stop acting Selina,“ and then assuming that Selina was sitting right across her already, she stirred on the couch sideways as for Selina not to notice that she was… unexpectedly crying already at that point in time.

“Then perhaps tell me what’s wrong,” Selina requested, sitting down on the cold floor as she tapped her friend’s back.

“Chun,” Ella’s voice crumbled. “He…” she cut her sentence off and continued with, “Never mind.”

“That jerk!” Selina exclaimed. “What’d he do?” she asked, immediately grabbing a baseball bat out of nowhere.

“He offended me,” Ella replied.

“By what means?” Selina enquired. “Did he verbally insult you or did he do something to you by physical means?”

“Physical means,” Ella replied, her voice gradually softer. “He kissed me.”

--

“Hey man, why looking so down?” Arron enquired as Chun stepped in his own residence just to see the two, Jiro and Arron, playing on his PS3.

“Where’s Calvin?” he enquired, leaving the first question hanging and trying to change the topic, indirectly.

“I believe we did ask you first,” Jiro in, moving outrageously as he controlled the car he was racing with in the game with Arron. “Oh, this is fun. I’m beating you, Arron,” and then he looked at Arron who was starting to get up from the game, about to turn off the power of the game they were playing. And when he finally did so, all hell broke lose…

“WHY DID YOU TURN THE POWER OFF FOR, YA LUN?!” Jiro exclaimed outrageously.

“Chun…,” was the only thing Arron could whisper, watching his dear friend go up to his room without saying another word.

“Something’s wrong with him,” Jiro noticed.

“I know that,” Arron agreed. ‘Tch, so much for losing. I was getting tired of the game, anyway. Good thing Chun came.’

--

"I believe that's good," Selina exclaimed and smiled a wide smile, completely showing it to Ella. "I'm on his side and I'll definitely support him."

"So much for having you as my friend!" Ella reiterated and stuck out a tongue at Selina as she stood up from the couch and threw a pillow at her.

-------------------------------------
a week after
-------------------------------------

He was now standing right outside her door, holding onto her dear cell phone. He rang the doorbell a couple of times and opened the message he sent to her when it was too late that he realized that she left her cell phone in his car.

Recalling the past basketball match…

.
.
....................{
Slowly, he reached out both of his palms to the level of her cheeks and said, “Why are you so curious anyway, huh?” and then he firmly cupped her cheeks and gave her a light kiss on the lips.

Immediately, her eyes shot wide.

“I hate you!”
....................}
.
.

Upon seeing who the visitor is, she closed the door, until she just surprised herself that his strong hands blocked the very few inches until the door is completely opened. He held her phone, and she saw it. She didn’t successfully get it from his grip, so she released her hold on the door and read the message on her cell phone screen instead.

“That, I haven’t forgotten,” she smiled, but removed it after a while that she realized that she was doing so.

“Go with me,” he held out his hand to hers. “Play basketball with me for one last time.”

In her mind, she was hesitating. Her left hand forming to balled fists as she put her balled fists in her pocket. Her heart gradually raced faster. Only then when she agreed did she feel more comfortable and walked with him to his car, his hand still on hers.

“You can let go off my hand now,” she said, after he ushered her to his car and opened the passenger seat car door for her. She figured sooner that he wasn’t to let go, and so she alerted him.

He didn’t blush, didn’t feel anything at all. He was shocked, in fact, and the sad expression on his face showed up after analyzing the situation that they weren’t going to see each other again after this… or maybe, in some other circumstances, but most definitely would ignore each other.

The drive to the court remained silent. No one talked neither did he, Chun, turn on the radio to perhaps lighten the mood. The fresh air naturally made Ella’s raven-black hair sway as Chun observed every other time that he would glance at her. The window’s were left open for fresh air to come through. Anyway, Taipei was environmentally clean and safe, perhaps. After a little while, without Ella noticing, Chun smiled a very delicate smile almost as if he wanted to blurt out that he was thinking about just how cute she is when her hair sways with the wind, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Not now

…that she wasn’t in the mood for pranks. Even though he isn’t joking.

Arriving on the venue, Ella immediately jumped off from Chun’s car and grabbed an unknown owner’s ball. She was so ready to shoot some hoops or… even throw the ball she was holding at him, but she didn’t so, pushing herself back from the trouble ideas she’s got up her sleeve.

Then, without her notice, he stepped beside her and mussed her hair up.

“Why’d you do that for?” she enquired, all the same that she put on up a weird expression for his also weird actions.

“I was just trying to be nice, because there seems to be a fallen leaf right on top of your head,” he replied, slowly bringing his hand back on its place and at the same time showing what mess he’s gotten out of her hair.

“Thanks,” she smirked, trying hard not to smile.

“You must not thank me,” he sincerely said. “Right now, I’d like to apologize in advance.”

“Why is that?” she enquired, sighing and smiling at the same time.

“It isn’t because I want to play ball with you for the last time that I brought you here,” he confessed.

“But why?” she asked. “Why are we here?!” she asked again, frantic this time.

“I brought you here to talk to you one-on-one that I am not going to give you your phone back if you aren’t giving me a second chance, because if you don’t, that would be very sad that you wouldn’t have your phone back,” he quipped. “Or maybe you’d like us to exchange cell phones? I’d give you mine, so that I’d text my phone through yours whoever has texted you.”

“Wait, what?” Ella asked in pure confusion. “I didn’t understand a single thing you said.”

“Simple as it is, I wouldn’t give you your phone back if you’re considering the plan of not seeing me after this game anymore,” he explained clearer this time.

“Were we even official to speak of?” she questioned.

“It counts because I kissed you,” he reiterated.

“So?” she asked and then remembered that she was being reminded of the stolen kiss he gave her a week back. “But it‘s not like we‘ll not ever see each other again. We may probably still do, only that we‘ll ignore each other.”

“That is why,” he stressed. “I don’t want you ignoring me after this.”

“No,” Ella raised her hand to shoulder level with her palms wide open in a ‘NO’. “Who would want to talk to you knowing that you’re a man with airs who kisses anyone randomly?”

“Are we going to argue again?” he asked. “And hey, I don’t kiss anyone randomly.”

“Ohh, of course you do!” she exclaimed. “It‘s not as if you like me anyway, so why did you kiss me for?” she asked. “And in regards to your question… No, we aren‘t going to argue again for I was just planning to shut up.”

“Really, now?” he teased, getting her to speak again.

“Really!” she exclaimed and walked a few meters away from him.

“And you just said that you were planning to shut up,” he said.

“Well, I didn’t say at what particular time, so I could probably still speak at this time of day,” she proved her point and crossed her arms.

“Now, seriously, are we just going to endlessly argue right here?” he asked in pure confusion so, biting his lower lip in the process.

“No,” she promptly replied. “I’m going home.”

“Call me when you get home,” he said and brisk walk to catch up to her to hand over to her a phone and it wasn’t just a phone… a cellular phone.

“What are you giving me this for?” she enquired. “This isn’t mine!” she exclaimed, attempting to throw the cell phone at him, only that he held her hands and stopped her from continuing so.

“That’s the only reason now that you’ll get your own cell phone back,” he said, as a matter of fact, out of the blue.

“You’re just so weird,” she mentally rolled her eyes and spun herself around to continue walking. In the process so, pocketing the cell phone on her back pocket.

“I know,” he whispered, and watched as she left.

--

This chapter is just mainly about the exchange of phones that occurred. See what happens next. *wink*