The movie ended later than expected.
By the time Ryan and Lia walked out of the cinema, the night air was colder and quieter.
Lia stretched slightly.
"That movie was so bad," she said.
Ryan looked offended.
"Excuse me? That movie was art."
Lia stared at him.
"The main character fell down the stairs three times."
Ryan pointed at her.
"Exactly. Emotional storytelling."
Lia laughed.
A real laugh this time.
Not forced.
Not small.
Ryan looked at her for a second and smiled without even realizing it.
They walked side by side quietly after that.
Sometimes talking.
Sometimes not.
But the silence didn't feel awkward anymore.
It felt easy.
At some point, Ryan looked at her.
"You feeling okay now?"
Lia nodded slowly.
"…better."
Ryan smiled softly.
"Good."
And for some reason…
That single word made her chest feel warm.
Outside Lia's apartment
Ryan stopped walking when they reached her building.
"You should sleep early tonight," he said.
Lia rolled her eyes slightly.
"Yes, dad."
Ryan frowned immediately.
"Absolutely not. Don't call me that again."
Lia laughed.
"Why?"
"I'm too handsome to be called dad."
Lia stared at him for two seconds.
"…confidence is scary."
Ryan nodded proudly.
"It's all I have."
Lia shook her head, still smiling.
Then she looked at him quietly.
"…thank you."
Ryan's expression softened a little.
"For what?"
"For today."
A pause.
"…I really needed it."
Ryan looked at her for a moment longer than usual.
Then he smiled softly.
"Anytime."
He waited until she entered the building safely before leaving.
And Lia noticed that.
She didn't say anything about it.
But she noticed.
#Basketball court
The entire school was excited.
Today's match would decide which team would represent the school in the next basketball competition.
And unfortunately for everyone's peace…
Ryan and Ethan were on opposite teams.
The basketball court was loud.
Students cheering.
Girls screaming names.
Phones recording.
Energy everywhere.
Ethan walked onto the court quietly.
And immediately girls surrounded him.
"Ethan good luck!"
"You better win!"
"You look so good today!"
One girl even tried fixing his hair.
But Ethan barely reacted.
His eyes were searching for someone else.
Then he saw her.
Lia.
Sitting on the other side of the court.
Next to Ryan's team.
Wearing Ryan's extra hoodie over her clothes because she said the gym was cold.
Ethan froze slightly.
Something about that sight hurt more than it should have.
Ryan noticed Ethan staring.
Then casually sat beside Lia.
On purpose.
Lia looked at him.
"You nervous?"
Ryan scoffed dramatically.
"Please. I was born talented."
Lia blinked.
"That explains why your math grades are crying."
Ryan placed a hand on his chest.
"Wow. Betrayal before the game even starts."
Lia laughed.
And Ethan saw that too.
That laugh.
That easy smile.
He hadn't heard it around him in days.
And somehow…
That hurt more than seeing her angry.
The game started.
Fast.
Intense.
Ryan and Ethan were both playing aggressively.
Too aggressively.
Because this wasn't just basketball anymore.
Not really.
Every time Ryan scored, Lia cheered loudly.
Every time Ethan looked toward her—
She looked away.
And he noticed.
Every single time.
Sweat ran down Ethan's neck as the game paused briefly.
Players moved to the benches.
Girls immediately rushed toward Ethan with drinks.
But he ignored them.
Because across the court—
Lia was handing Ryan a bottle of water.
Such a small thing.
So normal.
But Ethan couldn't stop staring.
Ryan took the bottle from her with a grin.
"What would I do without my emotional support water supplier?"
Lia rolled her eyes.
"Just drink the water."
Ryan smiled.
"Yes ma'am."
The girls around Ethan kept talking.
Laughing.
Touching his arm.
But none of it mattered.
Because the only girl he had ever truly wanted to notice him…
Was looking at someone else.
Smiling at someone else.
Taking care of someone else.
And for the first time—
Ethan understood something painful.
Sometimes you don't realize how important a person is…
Until they stop choosing you.
The whistle blew again.
The second half was starting.
Ryan stood up after drinking the water.
Then looked at Lia.
"You better cheer loudly," he said.
Lia crossed her arms.
"What if I don't?"
Ryan leaned closer slightly.
"Then I'll lose dramatically and blame you forever."
Lia laughed again.
"Go play, idiot."
Ryan grinned.
"Yes ma'am."
And across the court—
Ethan watched the entire thing silently.
His jaw tight.
His chest heavy.
Because no matter how loud the crowd was…
The only thing he could hear clearly—
Was her laughing with someone else.
The second half started rough.
Very rough.
The energy on the court changed completely.
This was no longer just a school match.
Everybody could feel it.
Ryan and Ethan were playing like they had something personal to prove.
And honestly?
They did.
---
Ryan grabbed the ball and ran forward quickly.
Two players tried blocking him.
He moved past them easily.
The crowd screamed loudly.
"RYAN!"
"GO GO GO!"
He jumped—
Scored.
The gym exploded with noise.
And without thinking he lifted lia up
She was shocked but smiled.
Ethan felt like he was going to explode
---
Ryan landed smoothly and immediately looked toward Lia.
Only Lia.
And she laughed, clapping for him.
That small smile on her face made him grin like an idiot.
He pointed at her proudly.
"Did you see that?"
Lia shook her head dramatically.
"No. I closed my eyes."
Ryan placed a hand on his chest like she had insulted his entire family.
"That's painful."
---
Across the court—
Ethan saw everything.
And something inside him became tighter.
Harder.
---
The game continued.
Ethan stole the ball aggressively this time.
Too aggressively.
He moved fast across the court and scored instantly.
Now his side of the gym screamed loudly too.
Girls rushed closer again.
"ETHAN!"
"That was amazing!"
One girl touched his shoulder excitedly.
But Ethan didn't even look at her.
His eyes moved automatically toward Lia.
---
For one second—
Their eyes met.
Lia froze slightly.
Then looked away first.
Again.
---
That hurt.
More than he wanted to admit.
---
Ryan noticed it too.
Of course he did.
And suddenly—
The game became even more personal.
---
A few minutes later, Ryan bumped shoulders with Ethan while passing him.
Not hard.
But enough.
Ethan stopped immediately.
Ryan stopped too.
The court became quieter for a second.
The tension between them was obvious now.
---
Ethan looked at him coldly.
"You trying to start something?"
Ryan held his stare calmly.
"No."
A pause.
"Are you?"
---
The crowd reacted instantly.
"Ohhhhhh—"
"Something's happening!"
Phones immediately came out.
---
The referee blew the whistle loudly.
"Enough. Play properly."
Ryan backed away first.
But Ethan's jaw stayed tight.
---
Later During Timeout
Ryan sat down breathing heavily.
Lia immediately handed him a towel this time.
"Here."
Ryan took it dramatically.
"Wow."
Lia blinked. "What?"
"You're upgrading."
Lia frowned.
"Upgrading?"
"First water," he counted on his fingers. "Now towel."
He looked emotional suddenly.
"At this rate, you'll start caring about me."
Lia almost laughed.
"Don't push it."
Ryan grinned.
Too late.
He already liked hearing her sound normal again.
---
Then Ryan looked at her carefully.
"You okay?"
That question softened her expression immediately.
"…yeah."
Ryan nodded slowly.
Good.
That was all he needed to hear.
---
Unfortunately for Ethan—
He saw that too.
Every single part.
---
The worst part wasn't Ryan touching her hand.
Or Ryan making her laugh.
Or even the cheering.
No.
The worst part was this:
Lia looked comfortable around him now.
Natural.
Safe.
---
And Ethan hated that feeling in his chest.
Because once upon a time—
That comfort belonged to him.
---
Final Minutes of the Match
The score was tied.
Last thirty seconds.
The gym was losing its mind.
Everyone was screaming.
Phones recording.
Students standing.
---
Ryan had the ball.
One last chance.
Ethan blocked him immediately.
Their eyes met again.
Tense.
Competitive.
Personal.
---
Ryan smirked slightly.
"You guarding me or guarding your feelings?"
Ethan's expression darkened instantly.
"Shut up and play."
Ryan laughed softly.
"Oh. Definitely feelings."
---
The buzzer rang loudly.
Game over.
---
The gym exploded.
Students rushed the court screaming.
The final buzzer rang loudly across the gym.
The score was tied.
Students groaned dramatically.
"No way!"
"A tie?!"
"That last shot almost went in!"
Players breathed heavily across the court.
Sweaty.
Tired.
Still full of adrenaline.
Ryan bent slightly, catching his breath.
Across from him, Ethan wiped sweat from his forehead silently.
Neither of them looked away first.
The tension between them was still there.
Strong.
Personal.
Then the coach finally stepped forward.
He looked annoyed.
But also impressed.
"I've watched enough," he said loudly.
The gym slowly quieted down.
The coach crossed his arms.
"I was supposed to choose one team."
A pause.
"But clearly that's impossible."
Students immediately started whispering excitedly.
The coach pointed toward Ethan first.
"You're skilled."
Then toward Ryan.
"And you're skilled too."
Ryan grinned proudly.
Ethan stayed quiet.
Then the coach sighed dramatically.
"So congratulations. You've both become my problem."
The students laughed immediately.
The coach continued:
"I'm merging both teams."
The entire gym exploded.
"WHAT?!"
"NO WAYYY!"
"THIS IS ABOUT TO BE CRAZY!"
Ryan blinked.
"…with him?"
Ethan looked equally unimpressed.
"With him?"
The coach pointed aggressively at both of them.
"Yes. With each other."
Then he added:
"And if either of you bring personal drama into my basketball court, both of you are running fifty laps."
Ryan muttered under his breath:
"…worth it."
Unfortunately—
The coach heard him.
"Make that sixty."
The gym burst into laughter.
Even Lia laughed.
And Ryan looked personally betrayed.
"Wow," he said. "No support from my own emotional support person."
Lia shook her head, smiling.
"You did that to yourself."
Ethan watched them quietly again.
That smile on her face.
That soft look in her eyes when she talked to Ryan.
It was becoming harder to ignore.
The crowd slowly started leaving the gym.
But students were still talking loudly about:
Ryan and Ethan
the tension
Lia
the videos
the cheering
Ryan lifting her earlier
Everything.
Ryan grabbed his bag and walked toward Lia.
"Good news," he said.
Lia blinked. "What?"
"I survived."
Lia nodded dramatically.
"Barely."
Ryan placed a hand on his chest.
"You wound me."
Then he leaned slightly closer.
"But did you see my moves though?"
Lia looked at him for two seconds.
"…you almost fell twice."
Ryan gasped loudly.
"Fake news."
"I literally saw it."
"That was artistic balance."
Lia laughed again.
And Ryan smiled immediately after hearing it.
Like he was getting addicted to that sound.
Not far away—
Ethan stood silently holding his water bottle.
Watching.
Again.
Always watching now.
And every time he did—
It hurt more.
Because Lia wasn't forcing those smiles.
She was happy around Ryan naturally.
And Ethan didn't know how to deal with that.
Then suddenly—
Lia looked up.
And her eyes met Ethan's.
This time she didn't look away immediately.
The noise around them faded for a second.
Just silence.
Heavy silence.
Ethan wanted to say something.
Anything.
But Ryan stepped beside her again before he could move.
And the moment broke instantly.
Ryan looked between them briefly.
Then casually placed Lia's hoodie hood over her head.
"You'll catch cold," he said simply.
Such a small action.
But Ethan's chest tightened anyway.
Because once upon a time—
That used to be him.