Ch- 10: The Match
After the Jealousy and comfort Arc, they both came closer but as mentioned before two boys text
RIKO AND JAYDEN SAME TOPIC: Basketball
LILY's P.O.V.
I was refreshed after the previous moment with Riko but then I got a text from two guys, My boy and My best friend boy.
Both had basketball competition and both were components of eachother
The messages were:-
> Riko: "Don't you dare cheer for anyone else except me."
I smiled without even realizing. Typical Riko. Over-confident, a little dramatic, but the kind of guy who makes your heart warm just by texting.
Seconds later—
> Jayden: "It's been forever since you've seen me play. You'll be proud, promise."
And just like that, my smile faded. My chest tightened with that weird mix of nostalgia and guilt.
He was my childhood best friend. I knew him before crushes, before high school, before Riko.
So why did everything suddenly feel like a competition now?
---
The next morning, I stood in front of my closet, holding two shirts—one red, one blue.
Red for Riko's team.
Blue for Jayden's.
Both waiting to be chosen like it was some kind of loyalty test.
Rhea popped her head into my room.
"Girl, what's with that face? You look like you're about to choose who lives or dies."
I groaned. "Because I literally am."
She smirked. "Ahh, the 'two hot boys fighting over me' situation. A classic."
"Stop," I said, laughing but also dying inside. "It's not like that!"
She raised a brow. "You sure? One calls you his girlfriend, and the other acts like your bodyguard."
I went quiet. She wasn't wrong.
---
By noon, the school gym was already packed. The sound of sneakers squeaking against the floor, whistles, and students shouting filled the air.
I sat in the bleachers with Clara and Rhea, clutching my water bottle like my life depended on it.
And then they entered.
Riko in red, confident, sharp eyes scanning the crowd until he spotted me. That tiny smirk—yeah, the one that always makes my stomach flip.
Jayden in blue, all charm and easy grin, waving up at me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Dang," Clara whispered. "If looks could kill, Riko just murdered Jayden right now."
Rhea snorted. "Nah, Jayden's fighting back with the pretty-boy smile attack."
I hid my face in my hands. "Please stop narrating my emotional breakdown."
The whistle blew, and the game began.
---
Riko started strong—his focus was insane. Every time he scored, he'd glance up at me for half a second, like he needed to make sure I was watching.
Jayden noticed. Of course he did. So he upped his game too, throwing in fancy moves that made the crowd go wild.
It wasn't just a match anymore.
It was them—playing for the same ball, but fighting for something much deeper.
And me?
I was sitting there, cheering, but my heart was racing for all the wrong reasons.
---------- -----------
Clara leaned closer, voice barely above the cheers. "I still don't get how you haven't decided who you're cheering for. Like, you literally have a boyfriend down there."
Rhea smacked her arm lightly. "Sshh! He's freaking out, look at him!"
I blinked. "Wait—who's freaking out?"
Rhea's cheeks went pink. "Noah."
Both Clara and I turned our heads so fast we almost bumped into each other.
"You're dating Noah?!" I whisper-screamed.
Rhea covered her face with her hands. "Not officially! I mean—okay, maybe. Kind of. Whatever. Just—watch the game!"
Clara grinned, shaking her head. "Oh my god, you two are such disasters."
Rhea-" On, don't even talk about it, You're also dating Haru, Don't blame us.
Clara was found speechless...
Me: "Congratulations we are taken by the guys we hated at first!"
Clara: "...Yeah!"
Rhea:"I can't believe either!"
I couldn't help but laugh. The chaos on the court, my heart going wild, and now this? Yeah, this day was officially too much.
__________
The scoreboard blinked — 36 to 34.
Riko's team was barely ahead, but Jayden wasn't backing down. Every time Riko got the ball, Jayden was there, blocking him, eyes locked, not just on the ball—but on him.
Even from the bleachers, I could feel that heat.
This wasn't just basketball anymore. It was war.
The gym echoed with sneakers squeaking, the thud of the ball, and the crowd's cheers. My friends were shouting, but all I could hear was the pounding of my heartbeat.
Riko moved fast—too fast. He spun around Jayden, jumped, and scored again.
The crowd roared.
My lips curved into a proud smile before I could stop it.
But when I looked back down, Jayden was staring straight at me.
Not with anger. Not exactly.
Just… hurt.
I swallowed hard and looked away.
Half-time came. The players grabbed water bottles, towels, and quick breaths.
Rhea leaned over. "Girl, your love life looks like a sports anime right now."
I elbowed her lightly. "Shut up."
Clara giggled. "She's just mad we're right."
Before I could answer, I noticed Riko walking toward the benches — rubbing his arm.
He had collided with Jayden just before the whistle blew, and it didn't look good.
"Wait, is he okay?" I said, already standing up.
"Lily—don't!" Rhea hissed, but it was too late.
I jogged down from the bleachers, ignoring the curious stares.
"Riko!"
He looked up, surprised. Sweat dripped down his temple, and his hair stuck to his forehead.
"Why are you here?" he asked, trying to smile. "It's just a scratch."
I frowned, taking his wrist gently. "You're bleeding."
"It's nothing. I've had worse."
"Because it's you, idiot," I muttered, grabbing a tissue from my pocket and dabbing at the cut.
His eyes softened instantly.
"You worry too much."
"Someone has to," I whispered.
For a second, neither of us said anything. It was quiet, just his breathing and the pounding of the crowd behind us.
And then I caught a glimpse of Jayden, standing a few feet away, watching us.
His jaw clenched. His knuckles tightened around the basketball.
He turned away before I could say anything.
My stomach twisted.
I didn't even know what I was feeling anymore.
The second half started rough. Jayden was faster, sharper, like he had something to prove. Riko didn't back down either. Every pass, every block—it was personal.
They weren't just playing to win the match.
They were playing to win me.
And honestly?
It was terrifying.
Every second felt heavier than the one before. The crowd screamed with every move, but all I could hear was the sound of the ball bouncing — fast, furious, like my heart.
Riko dribbled past two defenders, eyes focused, until Jayden blocked him again. They were face to face now, breaths heavy, shoulders tense.
"Move," Riko muttered.
Jayden smirked, "Make me."
The tension was insane. You could feel the crowd holding their breath, waiting.
Riko faked left, dashed right — Jayden caught him halfway, and the two crashed, the ball rolling away. Both hit the floor. The whistle blew, but no one moved.
They just… glared.
Not as teammates, not even as rivals — but as two people fighting for the same heartbeat.
"You don't deserve her," Jayden said under his breath, voice low enough that only Riko could hear — but I saw it. I saw the words form on his lips.
Riko froze. His jaw tightened, eyes darkening. "You don't know her like I do."
He pushed himself up and walked away, shoulders stiff. Jayden's gaze followed, and for a second, it wasn't a game anymore. It was something raw. Real.
The rest of the match went by in flashes — shouts, passes, timeouts — but my mind stayed stuck on that moment.
Those words.
That look.
And then the buzzer rang.
Final score: Riko's team — 58, Jayden's — 55.
Cheers erupted everywhere. People rushed the court, congratulating players, snapping photos, throwing confetti.
But Riko didn't smile.
He didn't even look at the scoreboard.
He looked straight at me — expression unreadable — then turned and walked out through the side exit.
I didn't even think.
I ran after him.
Riko stood beside me under the dim streetlight outside the gym, his jacket draped over my shoulders because I "looked cold," even though he was the one still in his sweaty jersey. Typical him.
"You'll get sick," I muttered.
He shrugged, smiling faintly. "Worth it."
For a moment, neither of us said anything. The quiet between us wasn't awkward anymore — it was just... heavy with everything we hadn't said yet.
"I'm sorry," I whispered finally. "For making things messy. For not realizing how it looked. For—"
He cut me off softly. "You don't have to apologize for being you."
I looked up at him. His hair was damp, his eyes tired but still warm — that same look that used to make my stomach flutter when we first met.
"But I hurt you," I said.
"Yeah," he admitted, his voice low. "But that's what happens when someone matters."
That made my chest tighten. I didn't even know how to respond. So I didn't. I just stood there, staring at the rain pooling near our shoes.
"I'm sorry," I said finally, my voice barely above the sound of the rain. "For all of it. For… not realizing how much it was hurting you."
He looked down at me, his eyes softer than ever. "Lily, you don't need to apologize for caring about people. That's what makes you –you.–"
"Yeah, but I made you feel like you didn't matter."
He took a small step closer, shaking his head. "You didn't. You just didn't know how much you mattered to me."
And that— that hit hard.
"Riko…" I whispered.
He tilted his head a bit, rain dripping down his hair. "Hmm?"
"I don't want to keep pretending like this doesn't mean something," I said, my voice trembling a little. "You came into my life and just— flipped it upside down. And I tried so hard not to fall for you, but I did anyway."
He blinked, like he wasn't sure if he heard me right. "You… fell for me?"
I nodded, barely breathing. "Yeah. I did."
Something in his expression changed then — like the walls he'd been holding up finally cracked.
He reached up, his hand cupping my cheek so gently that I almost leaned into it without thinking.
"Say it again," he murmured.
I laughed softly through my nerves. "You really need to hear it again?"
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Just once more."
I looked up at him through the rain, heart beating so fast it almost hurt.
"I fell for you, Riko."
He smiled — that small, shy smile he never showed anyone else — and before I could even process it, his lips were on mine.
It wasn't a normal kiss, It was a kiss where time stopped. A type of kiss that tasted like every unspoken word we'd been holding back, every fight, every stare, every almost. Where all the jealousy, fight burner.
When we finally pulled away, he kept his forehead pressed against mine, both of us trying to catch our breath.
"I guess I won this match too," he whispered.
I laughed softly, pushing his shoulder. "You're insufferable."
"Yeah, but you kissed me anyway."
"Don't remind me," I said, grinning.
He smiled again, then kissed me once more — softer this time, rain still falling around us.
And right then, for the first time in a long time, everything felt right
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Next chapter sneak peek:
"I didn't meant to like you"
Next Chapter-: "The Silent Couple"