Late that evening, the streets were quieter than usual and the buzz of the city dulled under the soft glow of streetlights. Cherry walks out of the mall with a small paper bag, jacket wrapped tight around her. She stops in her tracks wen she sees someone across the street.
"Fernando!"Cherry called out surprised but excited
"Cherry?" Fernando said as he turned and blinks in surprise
"Yeah, wow. What are the odds?" She said hurrying across the road with a grin
"Didn't expect to see you out this late." He laughed slightly
"Late-night snack run. I was craving spicy chips and sour candy. Don't judge me." She hold her bag up to how him
"I'd be more worried if it wasn't you." He smirked
"Okay, rude. But fair." She laughed
They walk side by side down the side walk, unplanned but comfortable.
"So... how's everything? You've seemed a little... I don't know, off lately." He said
"Probably just tired of pretending I don't notice when someone calls me 'Cupcake' and then avoids eye contact for three straight days." She shrugged
"That? You weren't supposed to hear it." He chuckled, a little embarrassed
"But I did. And honestly, I didn't hate it." Cherry teased
He glanced at her. She's smiling, but there's something soft behind her eyes.
"You're dangerous, you know that?" He said
"Me? Dangerous?" Cherry said grinning
"Yeah. The kind of dangerous that sneaks up on you. Makes you think about stuff you probably shouldn't." He said
"Then maybe don't think. Just feel. For once."Cherry said before she went quiet for a moment.
They stop walking. Silence falls between them, the world suddenly narrowing to the small space between their bodies. The street light cast a soft glow around them. Fernando looks at her like he's still debating whether to run or stay.
"Cherry, I don't want to mess things up. With anyone. Or with you." Fernando said in a low voice
"You're not messing anything up. Unless you don't want this." Cherry said as she stepped closer, titling her head up to meet his eyes.
He doesn't respond, but his hand reaches up gently, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Their faces are inches apart now. Her eyes drop to his lips, and he notices. She leans in just slightly, and he starts to do the same... But a sudden car honk blares nearby, snapping them both out of the moment. The pull back instinctively, flustered.
"That... that almost happened."Fernando said rubbing the back of his neck trying to calm the heat in his face
"Almost." She said smiling, trying to hide her disappointment
"Maybe it's good it didn't."
"Or maybe it's just bad timing." Cherry looked at him and they was a bit of silence.
"Good luck tomorrow" Cherry said softly stepping back
"Thanks, Cupcake." Fernando said smiling faintly
She chuckles and cross to the other side were her driver parked that car waiting for her to return. He waved at her as she whined down and looked at him before the car zoomed off.
Kiara got a message from Kelvin if he could see her the next day but she said she had plans for that day so he just asked her to be his date to the party, Kiara hesitated at first but if she didn't go with him who would she go with. She signed before replying yes to his text.
The next day, everyone sat in the stadium awaiting the football match of the century. The guys were in the changing room, the coach came to give the final speech when they were dressing but Fernando, Jason and Peter weren't concentrating at all.
" Captain" the coach called multiple times but Jason was lost in thought
" Jason" Peter tapped him and he came back to reality
" What's up?" He asked
" Coach is talking to you" Peter said
" You good?" Coach asked
" Yes," Jason said
" We going out there to win this match, we have trained for months just for this so go out there and show them who you are" coach said
" Yes coach!" The boys chorused as they went out to the field.
The sun scorched down over the field as the whistle blew and the crowd erupted in cheers.
Jason, team captain, led the squad onto the field, chin up, jaw clenched. His eyes scanned the stands, but his mind was still on the fight with Leon and everything that came after as they tried the match
As the ball rolled his way in the first quarter, Jason charged it ,too fast, too hard, clashing with an opposing midfielder. The ref blew the whistle. A yellow card.
"Get your head in the game, Captain!" the coach shouted.
But Jason couldn't. Every play, every glance from his teammates reminded him that they were wondering what the matter was.
Fernando, normally solid as a rock in defense, kept stealing glances at the stands, looking for Victoria but he saw cherry cheering for him so loudly instead
Their moment last night outside the mall, the way she'd looked at him under the streetlight, the way their faces had gotten so close…
"What's wrong with him, why was he giving Cherry mixed signals knowing well he like Victoria, why did he almost kiss her last night" he paused as the thought cross his mind
He snapped back to reality too late, an attacker breezed past him and it was a goal. 1-0.
Peter ran forward during a fast break, eyes on the goal but his mind wandered again to kiara
"Was it him? Or had he just been a rebound?. Was she really interested in the music guy, has she lost interest in him, did she even have interest in him to begin with or she was just using him to get over Dylan" was all he could think of when he saw Kiara sitting close to the guy
He hesitated on the shot. The goal keeper caught it effortlessly. The crowd groaned. He stood frozen, fists clenched, hating himself for losing his edge.
Jason barked orders, but no one responded the way they used to. His voice cracked with strain, not confidence. He missed two more passes, shoved another player, nearly drawing a red card and finally hung his head. The final whistle was blown and they had lost 2-0 to thru rival. The football match was a total disaster.
Fernando sat on the cold bench, staring blankly at the empty field as the final whistle echoed around the stadium. They had lost. And it wasn't just the game that weighed on him it was everything else.
"Hey, Fernando!" one of the players called out, but he barely heard. His thoughts were tangled he had just let that last goal slip through his side and now the taste of regret was bitter.
Jason's mood was darker. His fists throbbed from the fight he'd lost earlier with Leon, the argument over Nancy turning physical far too quickly. He hadn't expected to lose—losing wasn't in his nature—but Leon's strength and anger had overwhelmed him. What hurt more was loosing to the team they always won against and especially after all the years of training
As the crowd dispersed, the players retreated to the locker rooms, their minds heavy. No one spoke as they filed back into the locker room.
The coach slammed his clipboard down.
"Jason, you're the captain. You're supposed to lead. And today, you were the first to crack." Coach said
Jason didn't argue. He just sat there, silent, drenched in sweat and guilt. Then the coach faced the team.
"Fernando, off your game. Peter, distracted. You're all letting outside drama tear this team apart. Fix it. Or don't bother showing up to the rematch." The coach said and left
They was a bit of silence in the room as everyone just sat down disappointed.
Jason nursed his bruised pride and unresolved feelings and decided to just let go, then he looked up at Fernando, then at Peter and the rest of the team
"This one's on me. I let you all down." Jason said getting up
" It's not your fault, we all had our faults" Peter said
" Peter's right" Fernando said
" The rematch is coming, we shouldn't let anything get in our way, we would come back better and stronger and we would win this tournament" Jason said and the team cheered
Peter, torn between hope and suspicion, tried to decide if he should confront Kiara or let silence fester.
Tiffany and Douglas sat in the restaurant, they were have the dinner just as they said. To Tiffany, it felt like their first date and to Douglas he felt like he was just getting to know her.
The candlelight flickered between them as soft jazz played in the background. The plates had been cleared, the wine glasses nearly empty, and the sky outside the window had turned a deep violet. Tiffany leaned forward with that spark in her eyes, the kind that could melt steel.
"So… was this worth being dragged out in a suit and tie?" she asked
Douglas chuckled, loosening the tie she'd made him wear.
"I wouldn't say 'dragged'… more like guilt-tripped." he said
"That's just my charm working." she smiled
She waved the waiter over and handed over her platinum card without letting Douglas speak.
"Come on, Tiff. At least let me cover dessert or something." he said
"Nope. You didn't invite me out. I invited you. You're my guest tonight. Let me appreciate you, okay?" she said
Douglas looked at her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"You do know I'm not used to this kind of thing, right? Crystal glasses, French food with names I can't pronounce…"
"I know. That's why I brought you here. I wanted you to see my world and I wanted to see if you'd still be you in it." she said softly
Her voice lowered as she leaned in across the candlelight.
"And you are. That's what I like most." she said
The comment hung in the air longer than either of them expected. Douglas's smile faded into something softer, more uncertain. He looked at her, really looked at her. Tiffany in that off-shoulder black dress, the way she tilted her head when she smiled, the unguarded truth in her eyes.
"Tiffany… why me?" he asked and she blinked, taken aback.
"Why not you?" she asked
"You're… rich. Gorgeous. Everyone wants to be around you. I'm just… a guy from the other side of town who makes sandwiches and rides a beat-up bike." He said
"And yet, you're the only one who talks to me like I'm human — not like I'm a status symbol. You don't care about my last name. You don't try to impress me. You don't chase me." she said without hesitation
She reached out and brushed her fingers gently over his knuckles on the table.
"That's why I'm chasing you." she said
His breath hitched slightly at the touch. The restaurant noise faded around them.
"I don't want to be your project, Tiffany." he said
"You're not. You're the one thing in my life I'm not trying to fix. I just want to hold on to you... before someone else does." she said
There was a beat of silence full of warmth, nerves, something unspoken yet undeniably felt.
Tiffany stood, slowly walking around the table until she was beside him. She reached for his hand.
"Walk me to my car?" she asked
He nodded, almost reluctantly, and stood. They stepped outside into the cool night, walking slowly, hand in hand now. When they reached her car, she turned to him, heart racing just a little.
"Tonight meant a lot to me. Even if you didn't say much." she said
"I didn't need to. You said enough for both of us." Douglas said quietly and they was a pause between them
She leaned in slow, tentative with her hand brushing his cheek. And just before their lips could meet… Douglas pulled back ever so slightly.
"Tiffany…"
"It's okay. You don't have to feel everything I feel. Just… don't shut me out, yeah?" Tiffany said softly
He looked at her, really looked and then nodded.
"I won't." Douglas said
Tiffany smiled, brushing a kiss gently against his cheek instead. It was soft. Patient. Hopeful.
"Goodnight, Doug." Tiffany said as she slid into her car, giving him one last glance before pulling away, leaving him standing in the moonlight, heart racing for reasons he didn't fully understand.