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“Captain Chu, do you have your eye on anyone special?”
Su Mucheng looked up at the TV and rolled her eyes with a sigh. Misty Rain’s press conference had started off normally. The reporters had initially asked questions about the match and how Chu Yunxiu felt about her team’s prospects for the rest of the season, but as always, the questions quickly diverged into topics that were more trivial. It seemed like no matter how well the goddesses of Glory played and to what heights they climbed, the men would always be staring down at them from atop the glass ceiling.
“Oh, there might be someone...” Chu Yunxiu twirled her hair and gave the camera a not so subtle wink.
This was far from the first time Chu Yunxiu had given a vaguely flirtatious answer to this question. She and the other female pros, Su Mucheng included, had long since turned these types of questions into a game. They figured that since they couldn’t put a stop to the ridiculous inquiries, they might as well play the field to their advantage. The fans and advertising agencies readily ate it up.
Su Mucheng shouldn’t have been caught off guard by Chu Yunxiu’s answer. She shouldn’t have found herself sitting at the edge of her bed, heart in her throat, the contents of her freshly opened bag of prawn crackers spilling all over the hardwood floor.
“Damn it.” Su Mucheng muttered as she crumpled up the now empty bag in her hands. She tossed it in the trash and grabbed the broom and dustpan from the corner of her room. The TV was still blaring—the reporters were now asking Chu Yunxiu about her ideal type, and she was really hamming it up.
Su Mucheng swept up the prawn cracker crumbs, half-listening to the rest of the interview. Her chest ached as Chu Yunxiu started describing her perfect date, and she reminded herself that Chu Yunxiu was probably just playing around. And even if there was some truth to Chu Yunxiu’s words, Su Mucheng knew she should be supporting her best friend, not selfishly wanting more.
She was better than this.
Su Mucheng turned the TV off as soon as the press conference was over. She wanted to take a walk outside to clear her head and buy a replacement bag of prawn crackers, but one look at the dark, twisting clouds out her window told her there was a storm brewing outside. Instead, she powered on her computer, splitting the screen between QQ and Glory; her usual evening routine.
Firebird Messenger: Sis Chu, are you being serious?
Red Leaves: @Windy Rain
Windy Rain: Maybe!
Red Leaves: Who?
Firebird Messenger: Who? +1
None Dare Attack: Who? +5
Windy Rain: Secret! 😉
As expected, the girls’ group chat was a mess of notifications. Usually Su Mucheng would be the first to join in on the teasing, but she found herself staring at the screen oddly quiet. She sent a quick message to Chu Yunxiu, congratulating her on the win before logging out of QQ and switching Glory to full-screen mode.
The remainder of the evening passed in silence, save for the pitter-patter of rain on the window and the tapping of Su Mucheng’s fingers on the keyboard.
For the duration of the season, the press continued to hound Chu Yunxiu with questions about her “secret someone”, but she didn’t let anything slip. The ladies in the group chat didn’t shy away from interrogating her either, but Chu Yunxiu nimbly dodged all of their questions as well. She was acting so secretive about it that Su Mucheng had a sinking feeling this was more than just a show for the fans.
Su Mucheng joined in on poking fun at Chu Yunxiu in the group chat, mostly so no one would think that anything was wrong. She kept up with messaging Chu Yunxiu privately too, but she didn’t dare ask about Chu Yunxiu’s crush directly. Instead, they talked about more mundane things, like the drama Chu Yunxiu recommended to her a few weeks ago. Chu Yunxiu was trying to convince her to binge watch it so they could watch the next season together when Su Mucheng went to visit over the summer.
The playoffs blinked by and the off-season arrived in a flash. That summer, like every other summer since they’d met, Su Mucheng went to stay at Chu Yunxiu’s place for a week. No boys, no press, no glory, just the two of them, a plethora of snacks, and way too many dramas.
Su Mucheng sat on the floor of Chu Yunxiu’s living room with her back leaning against the couch. Chu Yunxiu’s head was resting against Su Mucheng’s shoulder, her eyes fixated on the cheesy TV drama as she grabbed another handful of sunflower seeds.
Su Mucheng was only half paying attention. The drama’s plot was beyond predictable—the two main leads had been hopelessly in love with each other for years, but they were of course completely oblivious to each other’s feelings. Currently, a thunderstorm was forcing the two to huddle together under the small shop awning. It didn’t take a master tactician to know how this was going to end.
Su Mucheng’s gaze wandered from the screen, falling on the woman leaning against her shoulder. A pit in Su Mucheng’s stomach formed when it crossed her mind that this might be their final summer together like this. If Chu Yunxiu really did have her eye on someone, it was only a matter of time before she started spending all every minute of her free time with that person.
“Mumu,” Chu Yunxiu said, playfully jabbing Su Mucheng in the ribs to snap her out of her daze. “Wanna get more snacks?”
Chu Yunxiu tilted her head to the side as she held up her empty bag of sunflower seeds. Her face was lit up in a grin, but there was a trace of worry in her eyes. Su Mucheng forced her mouth into a smile, not wanting to cause her friend to worry.
“More snacks!” Su Mucheng nodded, standing up and pulling Chu Yunxiu to her feet. “I’m always game for more snacks!”
Now wasn’t the time to get bogged down by maybes and what ifs. If this were to be their last summer together, that was all the more reason to make the most out of every moment.
The wind rumbled the moment they set foot out the door; the air thick and heavy with the scent of rain. Dark clouds billowed above them, threatening to open up at any moment, but neither paid it much mind. Summer rainstorms weren’t a rare occurrence in S City, and the convenience store was just a few blocks away from Chu Yunxiu’s apartment.
After a few minutes of walking down the road, the first drops of rain burst from the sky. Chu Yunxiu reached into her bag for her umbrella, and froze in her tracks.
“Mumu, I left my umbrella at the apartment.”
Su Mucheng was about to tell her not to worry, that they could just share hers, when it dawned on her that she’d never unpacked her own umbrella from her suitcase after arriving at Chu Yunxiu’s place.
“Oh no, me too!” Su Mucheng laughed helplessly. The rain drops pelted the ground with increasing intensity, the small dots of rain on the pavement joining forces to form huge puddles beneath their feet.
“Run!” Chu Yunxiu giggled, latching onto Su Mucheng’s hand. Su Mucheng gripped it back tightly, and the two sprinted down the road as fast as their feet could carry them.
They were both soaked from head to toe by the time they made it to the convenience store, earning them a few looks from their fellow customers. They were still holding hands, and Su Mucheng swallowed, trying hard not to stare at the way Chu Yunxiu’s shirt clung to her skin as they walked through the aisles. Chu Yunxiu grabbed a few bags of sunflower seeds, only letting go of Su Mucheng’s hand when she started struggling to balance all of their snacks in one arm.
They piled their snacks and one clear plastic umbrella on the checkout counter. The cashier rang them up and divided their snacks into two plastic bags. Su Mucheng picked up the snacks and Chu Yunxiu took the umbrella.
It was just drizzling outside when they left the convenience store, but Chu Yunxiu opened up the umbrella anyway and held it over the both of them. Su Mucheng felt the color rise to her cheeks as Chu Yunxiu wound an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.
Su Mucheng struggled to keep her legs steady when Chu Yunxiu whispered a soft, “We need to protect the snacks,” in her ear.
They took a nice, leisurely pace back, and by the time they arrived at the apartment, the rain had come to a complete stop. In fact, the sun was starting to peek through the clouds, with a faint rainbow glimmering on the horizon.
“I feel like the main character in a drama!” Chu Yunxiu said as she shook the rain off her umbrella.
“All that’s left is the big kiss!” Su Mucheng said, swaying towards Chu Yunxiu and bumping one of the plastic bags against her friend’s leg.
Chu Yunxiu didn’t say anything as she bent over to set the umbrella by the door. Chu Yunxiu’s brows were knitted together, and Su Mucheng thought she might have taken things too far. She was about to clarify that she was just kidding when Chu Yunxiu turned to look her in the eyes.
“Can I?” Chu Yunxiu’s voice was soft, yet resolute. “Can I kiss you, Mumu?”
The sunlight shone at just the right angle, framing Chu Yunxiu’s face in a myriad of hues. Su Mucheng’s breath caught at the sight, and she felt the two bags of snacks slip between her fingers and clatter to the ground.
“Yes,” Su Mucheng answered, shakily raising a hand to stroke Chu Yunxiu’s cheek. “Yes, Yunxiu. Yes.”
Chu Yunxiu leaned in, and Su Mucheng met her halfway, their kiss wet and electric like a summer storm.
The following season, when the press switched targets and started badgering Su Mucheng about Chu Yunxiu’s “special someone,” Su Mucheng just laughed and coyly answered with, “Oh, I don’t know anything about that.”