//

Haru entered the court with Minzy. The crowd was unbelievable. Supporters from Parish wore a yellow jersey, and the others wear blood red. She saw Kris, looking striking as ever, siting on the front row. They say that the love that last the longest is the one that is not returned. Haru waited to see him for days, but there he was, only a few meters away from her, but she did not felt her heart beating fast.

In fact, she felt nothing but admiration and respect. It is true that she moved on. But he’ll always be a part of her memory, her first love.

Just a couple of seats away from him, was sitting an attractive girl, who was just lovely as he is. Her pitch black hair matches her porcelain skin. She was dotting a plain shirt with a pair of blue skinny jeans. She looked effortless and she was truly a vision.

“She’s Yoona, from Parish,” Minzy said, after she caught Haru staring at her.

“Yoona?” Haru asked obscurely.

Minzy nodded. “Pretty isn’t she?”

“Yeah.”

**

“Today is the day, let’s give it our best! Team EXO for the win!”

The players cheered loudly in their locker room. Sehun looked extremely relaxed. He was doing some light stretching when someone tapped his shoulder. He turned and looked at Kris. Kris looked tall and broad shouldered. He was wearing a simple brown tee, and jeans.

“It’s been a long time,” he said warmly.

“Yes, it is.”

He was smiling and put his arm over Sehun’s shoulder and leaned towards his ear, “I don’t mean to pressure you, but you need to win this,” he said solemnly.

There was a pause, then Sehun looked up at him and smiled smugly, “Don’t worry, I’m better than you.” he said.  Kris laughed and punch Sehun in the chest.

“You are getting handsome, Kris.”Lay said, smiling broadly. “How long has it been?”he asked.

“Precisely, 7 months.”he chuckled. “I hope you guys have trained well.” he said after after an appreciable pause. “I hate to see their proud faces.”

“Don’t worry, we have the scoring machine here.” Baek Hyun joked, pointing at Sehun.

“She’s here.” Chanyeol said suddenly when he entered the room, “Yoona. And she wants to see you.”

Sehun was loss for words for a few seconds then sighed in frustration, “I’m busy. I cannot meet anyone now.”He said significantly.

**

Haru and Minzy managed to get seats on the third island, the closest to the exit but it was quite far from the floor, but yet the view is just clear as ever. The players from Parish entered first, then followed by EXO’s, a few minutes later.

Haru looked at Tao and the other Parish players, their jersey was yellow in color, with green strips and a small lion was on the sleeves. They all looked gigantic, and no one could have guessed that they were only 21 years old.

The EXO’s on the other hand, looked more calm and composed. They were wearing a red jersey with black stripes. Haru risked a quick peek at Sehun, but he didn’t seem to notice her presence. Instead, they were discussing something with themselves.

***

EXO’s are impressive, she thought.

Lay steals the ball swiftly and Sehun scores them. Kyungsoo, the point guard, handles and passes the ball diligently. It was the first half of the game, and Sehun’s team was in lead by 6 points. During the 10 minute break, the players grab themselves a bottle of water and quench their thirst with it. The team players from Parish was across and they exchange angry glances with the EXOs.

“What is your weakness?”Tao asked. His voice were dark and husky. He looked at Sehun menacingly, his eyes searching for a tiny bit of intimidation.

“Don’t have any.” Sehun replied, and then bend slightly to reach a small towel. “I don’t hold any grunge against you and this is not personal.” he said mildly.

“This is!” Tao glared, his voice slightly higher. “This is personal. Why do you think I want to win you so much. Because this, matters to me.”

Sehun was silent for a few seconds. “Fine. Hit me with your best shot.” he smirked arrogantly.

Haru couldn’t hear the conversation, but she could feel the bad tension between the two lead players. Tao looked clearly pissed when Sehun walked away from him. He turned his head in frustration, and caught a gaze of Haru. His facial expression changes into something softer, and Tao smiled faintly at her. Haru, in return, waved her hand and smiled back at him.

Sehun was leaning against the wall, drinking water when he saw Tao smiling almost fondly to someone from the seats. He his head casually.

He saw Haru.

There was a moment of confusion swarm into his mind. He stood there puzzled. She smiled back almost too comfortably, as if she knows Tao for long. For almost a minute, Sehun’s expressions were completely gratifying.

Is he being jealous? He asked himself.

He wasn’t sure of the answer, but he was clear enough that he didn’t like their interaction.   He don’t like her seeing him tenderly. Or even acknowledging him. Sehun glanced at them again.

His frowns deepened.

Don’t smile. It’s annoying.

**

It all happened suddenly, and the next minute, the EXO’s were holding the champions cup. The supporters soared loudly. The cheerleaders looked very excited over the win, and the team players were hugging each other.

The Parish players on the other hand, clearly defeated, sulked and refused to stay until the end. Some of the were glaring, looked very pissed, although there were a few members congratulated the winning team. Tao looked exhausted, and Haru felt pity for him.

“Aren’t you going to congratulate Sehun?” Minzy asked, holding Haru’s hand.

“No.” Haru shakes her head. She made a big effort not to think hard about it.

“Are you still not over it yet?” Minzy mocked. “He was rude to you, yes, and he apologized to you. So why are you still avoiding him?”

“I’m not.” Haru replied, exasperated.

“You are.” She observed, in a tentative way.

Haru looked at Minzy in annoyance. “Why do you support him so much?” she asks disapprovingly.

“We put strong locks on our gates, so that we can stay unhurt and safe. Isn’t that natural?” Minzy asked, “You do that yourself sometimes, so why can get mad when someone else does it?”

Haru looked at Minzy in confusion. She mulled over until she read between the lines, “I don’t agree with you mostly, but some things you say do struck a chord.” She admitted.

Haru didn’t think Minzy cared for Sehun that much, but she always wanted Haru to see him beyond his demeanor.

**

“We are having a bash tonight. We gonna get so wasted!” Baek Hyun said, laughing, while holding the cup high in air. “What happened Sehun? You were like beast in human skin.”

“Nothing.” Sehun cleared his throat. He didn’t look like the victory was amusing at all, in fact. He looked rather troubled.

“I have to meet someone.” He said bluntly, pulling his sweaty jersey over his head. He quickly reached for a clean shirt, that wasn’t his, it was Suho’s, and wear it on him. “I”ll be back,” he said hastily.

Haru gasped and jumped out of her seat. Sehun was running towards her, and she looked down, trying to figure out a proper reaction.

“Hi,” he greeted, his voice raw, raspy and sore.

“Hi.” She greeted back, lowly. “Congratula-”
”I’m sorry.” he said quickly. “I’m so sorry” he apologized profusely. “But can I talk to you a while, alone?” he asked.

Haru widened her eyes. Sehun isn’t a person to ask for permission, she thought. The world was really turned upside down.

“Yes.” She nodded slightly.

He led the way first, to the corner of the court, quite hidden from the sight. It was quiet and secluded.

”Congratulations.” Haru smiled brightly. “The game was good.” she added. She shook her head when Sehun doesn’t respond back. “So what you want to talk about?” She asked, still  smiling.

“Don’t smile.” He said, slightly irritated. Then his face softens and he looked vulnerable. “I told you I’m difficult,” he started quietly. “I get triggered easily. I get angry and mad easily, but there are nights I sleep on the cold floor of my room and went on for days not talking to anyone. So I want you to keep talking to me. I know I’m a lot and I sound needy. But don’t do this. Don’t ignore and don’t avoid me. I don’t-”

“I miss you too.”Haru said suddenly.

Sehun looked startled and looked as if he heard her wrong. “What?” he stammered.

“We got close so fast in a short while. We speak to each other like almost everyday. I even wanted to ask you about the book. Then suddenly you wanted nothing to do with me. I was hurt too.” she said, looking at her shoes.

He stood silently for a moment. “I’m sorry.” he said.

“If you’re sorry buy me coffee.” She reassured him, and smiled encouragingly.

“I”ll buy you dinner.” he offered enthusiastically. He broke into a huge grin, “There’s a place near the city quart, the new French restaurant.” he said, shoving his hands in shorts. “I’ll pick you up at 8?”

“No way.” Haru said, sounding shocked. “It’s expensive.” She dismissed, “And I think you might  want to celebrate with your teammates.”

“No. We’re celebrating this weekend.” He lied. “I’m totally free tonight.”

Haru wanted to insist on only getting the coffee, but he sounded so eager. “Fine. Let’s meet at 8.” she said, “In front of the convenience store near the bookshop.” she agreed.

***

Sehun looked radiant. He was whistling when he entered the locker room.

“What happened to you?” Kyung soo asked, smiling.

“The bash, sorry I can't make it tonight.” Sehun chuckled.

“Why not?”

“I have an appointment.”

“As expected, talking to her changes your entire mood.” Baek Hyun joked, “So what did Yoona said?” he asked curiously. “You meeting up with her tonight?”

“I’ll tell you guys later,” Sehun said, avoiding the mention of Yoona.