Anticipation.
 

Beads of sweat. Jagged breaths. Weary joints. The game had reached its peak. Every spectator held their breath as the final minutes counted down.

10... 9... 8...
 

You can anticipate a whole manner of things...
 

TAO had twisted his ankle, Chen was left with a pretty bad bruise from a rather nasty collision and Lay's arm was bandaged up to his elbow. The opposition weren't left uninjured either; GD's lip was bust, T.O.P was practically grasping like it was his left breath and Taeyang's throwing hand was suffering from a sprain. It was rough. The toughest opponents either team had encountered yet.
 

whether they be good or bad.
 

7... 6...

Two all. The first shot they scored was a lucky break, YG were all distracted when Sehun bolted, stole the ball from Daesung and miraculously dribbled the ball half way across the court without any interception. The game seemed to run smoothly from there until the second half where YG seemed to make a comeback, scoring twice in a matter of minutes.

5... 4...

For me? I wasn't sure how things would end.

Jessica bit her lip. Her hands clasped together as she unconsciously raised them to her chin. Her legs were shaking as she watched the blur of activity on the courts. The squeak of rubber soles against the tarmac only emphasised how frantic and sporadic each movement was. The flurry of events paired with the adrenaline pumping through her veins made Jessica feel dizzy.

But I had to trust that things will change. I had to believe it.
 

She felt a warm hand grasp her shoulder and she turned to her left were her eyes met Kai's comforting smile. Kai always had a calming effect on her. Immediately her shaking ceased and she could only express her gratitude towards her dark haired friend by briefly laying her head on his shoulder and patting his leg twice as a thank you.
 

And they do, you know?
 

As she raised her head Luhan threw two thumbs up at her. It was his way of saying 'Kris will be okay. He can do it. Jessica couldn't help the warmth that shot through her as she sat between her two close friends. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so... accepted. As her eyes wondered however, her gaze met another pair of eyes looking in her direction.

It was Donghae. He sat next to Yoona who was engrossed in the game, mouth open and eyes transfixed before her. Her left hand tightly grasped Donghae's. His attention however was clearly focused elsewhere. Jessica suddenly felt like she was suddenly enclosed and the air around her had suddenly turned heavy. His stare made close up. Sadness, jealously, guilt, shame... she couldn't really make out the emotion behind his eyes. Suddenly, she felt a little sick. She didn't want to be reminded. She didn't want to be rejected again, not after being so openly accepted.

3... 2...

"GOAL!"

Jessica's eyes widened. Could it be? Before she could comprehend the events which occurred within the time of her brief distraction she suddenly felt her feet being lifted from the ground. Kris's joyous laughter immediately filled her ears - it was so rich that it was practically dipping with emotion. She was being spun in his arms. His grip on his waist was almost suffocating but the only thing Jessica could feel was the feeling of warmth as the world merged into one big blur around her.
 

Because...
 

Soon she couldn't help but laugh along with him. Her arms instinctively found themselves wrapped around his neck and soon they both harmonised into a chorus of laughter.

As the confetti fell around them and the celebrations continued, Kris and Jessica slowly came to a halt. Kris set her down gently on the ground, still taking long grasps of air to fill his oxygen deprived veins and a grin toothier than any other Jessica as ever seen still gracing his glistening face. At that moment Jessica prepared for him to pull away, leave her, perhaps into the arms of another of whom she did not know. He didn't. Instead he still held her with his forehead resting on hers as he composed himself. He pulled away as soon as his breath steadied, keeping his arms securely around her petite frame. As Jessica looked into his eyes she couldn't help but notice how easily she could read him. His eyes conveyed so much emotion flooding the chocolaty depths.

Everything will fall into place.

Her eyes suddenly flickered and met the eyes of her old love that was now stood up amongst the crowd. Unlike everyone else his eyes weren't creased in happiness nor was he cheering with pride but instead he looked on towards her with a sort of gaze Jessica could not place.

As the rainbow of brightly coloured paper rained down upon them and the music played, Jessica could only bring her focus back onto the person before her. Her heart ready to burst as she placed her hand on his cheek, cold from the frosty winds, as he leaned into his touch.

"You are my lucky charm, Jung Jessica." he said, just loud enough for her to hear.

Slowly, he leaned in, foreheads touching again. Her heart was pumping harder than ever before and she was sure that by now she must have looked more flushed than he was. A short pause followed as his eyes flickered from her eyes to her lips.

"You are my lucky charm..."

His voice was so smooth like velvet and his breath tickled her neck in such a way that she couldn't help but shiver.

And there under the starless sky, the blinding court lights and the amongst the roar of cheers was where they kissed for the very first time.



Kris had scored.


EXO had won.
 

 Everything works out in the end.
 

Together, they were victorious.