Lean On Me (Chaelisa)

10| Winner Takes It All

"THE WINNERS OF THE WOMEN'S COLLEGE FOOTBALL CONFERENCE", boomed the announcer, "THE TITAN TIGERS TAKE THE CROWN AFTER TWENTY YEARS!"

It had been a non-stop fight till the very end. Lisa worked harder than she had throughout all of the tournament, heart pumping in her mouth through every nerve-wracking minute of the match, giving her all and sweating blood and tears to break through the opposing team's ranks.

Her team had her back and they all worked seamlessly like a slick well-oiled machine tuned to perfection. Despite all the pressure and hype, the Tigers' pulled through even when the situation turned dire. They were firing off on all cylinders, the crowd going crazy, the screams fading to a distant hum and all that mattered was the scoreboard, counting down to the end.

And then it was over and Lisa stood for a few seconds, letting all the tidal wave of emotion take her under as she collapsed on the grass, soon buried under the rest of her squad screaming like banshees and hugging each other as best as they could, as many as they could, arms and legs tangling in one colossal pile.

"We did it bitch! We did it!" Jisoo sobbed against Lisa's chest.

Lisa cried too when she was handed the coveted trophy and lifted up into the air as the stadium erupted in ear-splitting cheers.

People invaded the pitch to celebrate with the players. Lisa glimpsed Jennie running full tilt into Jisoo's arms, with Jisoo hoisting her up from her hips and whirling them around and around, laughing together.

"Lisa!"

Her heart pounded so hard she thought it was going to burst out of her chest at the sight of Chaeyoung running straight towards her, eyes gleaming like precious gems, arms reaching for her.

Lisa dropped her helmet and ran, harder than ever. She couldn't wait another moment without telling Chaeyoung that she was in love with her.

They collided in the middle, with Chaeyoung leaping into her arms and Lisa catching her and twirling them in the air, both laughing and gasping together.

And then Chaeyoung took Lisa's face in her hands and kissed her.

Everything ground to a halt around Lisa. All that existed were Chaeyoung in her arms and Chaeyoung's lips tenderly pressing against hers, and her coconut scent engulfing her wholly.

Before Lisa could fall back to earth, Chaeyoung had pulled away, her face practically glowing. Lisa was utterly starstruck as she gazed up at her in a daze, open-mouthed.

"I've been meaning to do that for a while," Chaeyoung said breathlessly, "please tell me I didn't read this wrong. Please tell me that you feel the same because I've wanted to kiss you for so long and—"

Instead of talking, Lisa showed her by pulling her down from her neck to kiss her deeply, like she had daydreamed since she saw her that first time under the elm.

Chaeyoung's hands grasped Lisa's face even more tightly now as they poured all their months of longing and desire into the kiss, little chuckles escaping both of them while eyes fluttered, meeting shyly before lips connected again, moulding seamlessly like puzzle pieces always meant to fit together.

Lisa heard the whooping from her teammates and Jisoo's proud hollering but she didn't care. Nothing mattered other than Chaeyoung kissing her right out in the open without a care in the world.

"Chaeyoung, are you sure?" Lisa rasped, momentarily drawing back. She was desperate for the taste of her lips again but wanted to be certain she wasn't pushing Chaeyoung out of her comfort zone. "Your parents...Jaehyun..."

Chaeyoung smiled, stroking her face tenderly. "That's what I wanted to tell you before but then I thought I better leave it till after the match, so you can focus. I came out to Alice the other day, and she was awesome about it. Now she's gonna talk to our parents. I'm going to talk with them tomorrow on Facetime. As for Jaehyun..."

She glanced aside and Lisa followed her gaze, landing on Jaehyun watching from afar. He merely tipped his head at them, his eyes on Lisa. Lisa nodded back. Jaehyun gave a tight-lipped smile and moved along, leaving Lisa exhaling in relief.

A rivalry finally and peacefully put to rest.

Chaeyoung's fingers dug into her shoulders, bringing her attention back to the blonde.

"Come what may, I want you to know that I've fallen in love with you, Lalisa Manoban. And I'm not going to give you up that easy," Chaeyoung whispered for her ears only. "I want you."

Lisa felt the tears well up in her eyes, turning her vision blurry. "I've fallen in love with you too, Park Chaeyoung. From the moment I saw you, I knew I wanted to be in your life somehow." And then on sudden inspiration, she added: "Can I be the shoulder you lean on from now on?"

Chaeyoung beamed, understanding Lisa's implied question perfectly. Her answer was simple, without any complications at all: "Yes."

And as people rushed around them cheering and yelling, Lisa and Chaeyoung gazed at each other, identical smiles on their faces as they leaned in and softly kissed again with nothing holding them back, hearts overflowing with happiness and ready to face the world together.

The End