Chapter BGM:
"Lover" – Taylor Swift(Sometimes, falling begins with a shared dessert and a memory that still glows.)
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"Sometimes, falling begins with a shared dessert and a memory that still glows."
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After their casual lunch, Celeste and Nolan found a quiet outdoor café nearby. The sunlight filtered through tree leaves, dancing across the table between them. Celeste ordered a mocha. Nolan went for a bold espresso. The air smelled of roasted beans, sugar, and something like the start of something new.
Celeste tilted her head back slightly and closed her eyes, basking in the sun. "I love this kind of weather," she said with a lazy smile.
Nolan watched her quietly. The golden light painted her skin, her long red-brown hair glowing at the edges. She leaned back, looking completely at ease, like a cat in the afternoon warmth. He hadn't stared at anyone like this in a long time.
She opened her eyes and caught him looking. He didn't look away.
"Want another cup?" he asked casually, tapping the side of his espresso.
Celeste shook her head, smiling like she'd just woken from a dream. "Nope. I'm already too full of caffeine and sunlight."
Nolan hesitated, then finally said what he'd been holding in. "Celeste, I know I haven't been here long. But being on the same team with you—it's an honor."
She blinked, surprised by his sincerity.
He meant it. Even though he'd just joined as an exchange player, he remembered the sting of that pre-winter scrimmage they'd lost. He hadn't played, but he saw how the team fell apart.
She wasn't just a team manager—she was the soul.The one who spoke when no one else could. The spark that kept them burning.
The reason they believed they could win, even when the scoreboard said otherwise.
The glue that held them together. The spark that kept them burning.
Their secret weapon, hidden in plain sight.
Nolan still remembered that night.
After the unexpected loss, the locker room was silent. Heads down. Words stuck in throats.
Then came the sound of two sharp claps. Celeste.
"Come on, don't mope like we lost the championship," she said, tone light, but eyes clear.
"We've still got funds. The year's not over yet. So dinner's on me—karaoke included. New year, new win."
A pause. Then a snort. Then laughter, rolling through the room like someone had opened a window and let the air back in.
What they didn't know was—she'd already booked the city's best restaurant. A private room. Every detail arranged.
She handed out red envelopes like she was dealing cards in a casino. "Don't look at me like that. Just a little something. Use it to buy snacks. Or sneakers. Or… whatever makes you feel like all this effort is worth it."
Some joked. Some unwrapped theirs right away. A few quietly tucked them into their jackets with oddly serious expressions.
Then someone shouted, "Song! Boss Celeste, give us a song!"
She didn't even blink.
Got up, mic in hand, and launched into a Minnan folk tune—Rise Again from the East—a song about resilience after loss. —In perfect dialect, with exaggerated gestures and gleaming eyes.
It was ridiculous.
And it worked. Laughter shook the walls.
By the time she raised her glass and toasted their newest teammate—him—Nolan found himself clinking glasses with strangers who suddenly felt like brothers.
That was the night the team became a family.
That was the night Nolan realized—this girl wasn't ordinary.
She was the kind of person who could turn a loss into a memory worth keeping.
Who could make people believe again.
Back at the café, she laughed. "So you do remember that dinner. That was just me trying to make sure no one broke down."
He smiled. "It worked."
Her eyes narrowed playfully. "You're kinda mysterious, though. What's your story, Nolan B?"
He sipped his coffee and answered.
A small shrug. "My family's from the south. Generations ago, they were stationed in Nanyang. Then went into business—Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore. My grandfather studied in Japan before the war. My parents moved to Canada. I was born there."
Celeste's eyes widened. "Whoa. That's… intense. So why come all the way back here for school?"
He smiled sheepishly. "To catch up. My Mandarin and math are… not great."
She laughed. "Wow, so honest. You and Jett must get along great. Neither of you does homework."
"His dad and mine were on the same basketball team, once."
"His mom and my mom were college roommates!" she grinned.
Just then, the server came by. Nolan glanced at her. "Dessert?"
Celeste pretended to hesitate. "Only if we share. I don't trust you with a whole cake alone."
He didn't even flinch. "Whatever you want."
So she ordered… everything.
He watched with a faint smile as she tried each dessert like a kid at a birthday party—mochi, tarts, cream puffs, lychee jelly. She made even cake look dramatic.
"I like this," she said, licking whipped cream off her spoon. "Not just the food. Just… this."
"Yeah," he said, softly. "Me too."
They talked more—about the team, the city, the childhood, Jett's ridiculous playlists. It was easy, like a long walk you didn't know you'd needed.
By the time they left the café, the sun had begun to dip. Outside, she bumped into a few old classmates.
One of them invited her to join a party that evening.She hesitated, then glanced sideways at Nolan. "Maybe next time."
They offered to include him, too. He stood there quietly—one hand in his pocket, the other holding his wallet, listening. The light hit his cheekbone just right. She thought, Damn. Even just paying the bill, he looks like a magazine cover.
As they walked down the street, he turned to her."Could you show me more of the city? Maybe grab dinner too?"
"Sure," she said easily. But when she saw the price tags on the menu he'd picked later, her eyebrows rose.
"This place is kind of… luxury," she whispered. "I brought my regular card today. Not the battle one."
He laughed. "It's on me. Thank you—for today."
"Hmph. Fine. Then dessert's on me," she said, crossing her arms. "I'm not the type to pretend I don't care."
His eyes softened. "You don't have to. You're..." He paused. "You're someone I really want to know."
That shut her up for a second.
She looked away, biting her lip, then smiled slowly.
Celeste glanced up at him, lips still curved from the last joke. She didn't know what to say—so she said nothing.
But Nolan did. He watched her face in the fading light, and wondered— If he told her everything… would she still stay?
She didn't see the man across the plaza.
But he did.
His smile didn't waver.
His fingers, however, were already near his wallet—just in case.
Because sometimes, falling in love is easy. Trusting the world around you—that's the hard part.
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As they crossed the street, Celeste didn't notice the man across the plaza—head down, pretending to scroll.
But Nolan did. His fingers instinctively brushed against his wallet. Just for a second. Old habit.
A low voice crackled through the man's earpiece. It was Mai.
"Keep them safe. If anything happens to Nolan—"
"Losing my job's nothing. We could lose lives."