The Prince(ss) Of Tennis

True Feelings Come to The Surface

(TRIGGER WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MILD SEXUAL CONTENT. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.)

Aifang did her morning stretches, reaching over to her toothbrush, she hit the pain barrier, and with satisfaction straightened her back. Her frothy mouth fell upon recollection of what happened the previous night. After confessing her love and crime to Siyang, he admitted to having known the latter part and remained silent over the first. Aifang started ugly sobbing over the phone, not bothering to hang up. 

"Come to the lounge." he'd told her.

The moment she saw him, she did an even more embarrassing thing—she ran straight into his arms as if it was a mere habit. He had the common courtesy of wrapping his arms around her and rubbing soothing circles on her back. For five minutes straight, nothing was said. When Aifang disentangled herself, that familiar expression of anguish paired with sadness reappeared on his face. 

Aifang spat out a wad of toothpaste and looked at her reflection in the mirror, what she remembered next mortified her the most. His pockets were emptied of tissue and instead carried his glasses now, as he had taken them off. Aifang dabbed at her eyes and pinched her nose with the tissue. When she was done, she found him looking at her expectantly, "Liu Aifang, I want to kiss you right now, can I?" He said it all in one breath, with no hesitation, no shame of any kind, like someone who has thought things through and knew exactly what he wanted. This confidence infected Aifang, and she did precisely what her heart, not mind, told her. She stood on tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck— 

Aifang was now pounding her fists on the basin, wishing to bury the memory deep into the nether. Things had just got more complicated for them—and the entire team. Her back comically slid against the bathroom wall, and she flopped into a sad little bundle on the rug, toothbrush still in her mouth.

~~~~~~~

Wedding planning catalogs, mood boards, and bridal photographs were strewn across the coffee table. Aifang's mother was trying to get her interested in the family business aka wedding planning for influential families. Children of conglomerates, celebrities, athletes, and the like. The only thing on Aifang's mind was the kiss. She picked up a photo of a bride and a groom set against the background of autumn with falling leaves all around them, no doubt taken in a park, the bride had her arms around the groom's neck, and they were locked in a passionate kiss. A sly memory slithered into her mind, and she tossed the photo away, heat rising on her cheeks and neck. Her mother laughed, "Her dress is awful right? You'd think a multi-millionaire actress would dress better at her wedding." 

Aifang giggled distractedly, instead of the actress's dress, she was imagining herself and Siyang in their place, what would it feel like? She turned to her mother, "How did you feel on your wedding day?"

Her mother wasn't expecting this question, she placed her work iPad aside and turned to face Aifang, her face taking on a wistful look, "First thing in the morning I had a little altercation with your grandma over flower chandelier displays, she canceled the arrangement I wanted because she was our wedding planner. It was her way of saying 'I'm in charge.' you know how your mother is, so I gave her a piece of my mind. I said, 'Once we leave this venue, JinJi and I will be a family, and I won't let you be a puppeteer over OUR family, so enjoy what little authority you have over the flower arrangements.' We threw some more back-and-forth acrid remarks, but when the time came for me to walk down the altar and I saw your father at the other end in his black tux, I forgot it all, grouching mothers-in-law and flower arrangements were all at the back of my mind. I just---"