I can’t believe I’m watching a rugby game. On a Friday night. I used to go out! I used to go to parties!
Who’d have thought my life would come to this?
I lock up my bike and jog across the street to where the field is. The crowd explodes in cheers as a guy in maroon and white gets pancaked like Beomgyu did two weeks ago, the ball tumbling out of his grip.
“You’re late,” a familiar voice calls out, Choi Beomgyu leaning against a huge oak tree, his arms crossed over his chest. “As usual.”
“I brought snacks,” I say, holding up a paper bag with the same kind of sugar cookie he bought that one time at the library before class. I don’t add the fact that I ate three on the way here.
“Way to show your school pride,” Beomgyu prods, pushing off the tree to inspect my all-black outfit.
He’s decked out in our university gear. Head-to-toe blue and gold.
He rolls his eyes and turns to face me, standing on his tippy-toes to wrap the scarf once, twice around my neck. “Well, you’re here now, so start acting like it.”
Our eyes lock as he tucks the corner in.
With him so close, I can’t help but think of that moment in the changing room. The way Beomgyu’s eyes… I clear my throat, and we move apart.
It was nothing. People look at me like that all the time.
Besides, I’m not his type at all, just like he’s definitely not mine.
“So, do you have any idea how a rugby game works?” I mumble to her as Huening Kai waves us over from the metal bleachers.
“Oh yeah,” he says as we climb up. “From my near-death experience after three minutes of play, I’m a certified expert.”
I chuckle as we slide into our spots, nodding hello to Huening Kai. “What’d we miss?”
“Not much,” he says. “No one’s scored yet, which is better than losing.”
I watch as the players on both teams pack closely together, arms over waists, the ball rolled into the middle as our school team gains dominance and pushes down the field with it. The people all around us go wild.
“Oh, what a scrum!” a guy on the bleachers calls, clapping loudly as our team manages to move the ball well over a few feet and gain possession.
A what now?
I raise my eyebrows at Beomgyu and he shrugs, reaching into the paper bag I’m holding to break off a piece of cookie. Crumbs tumble onto his faded jeans as he freezes, his eyes widening when he catches sight of Taehyun, jogging down the field like a tiny, graceful gazelle, sending a small wave in our direction as he goes. He has on a mustard-yellow sweatband and an aggressive amount of eye black, smeared messily down his cheeks like he’s heading into war.
Which is fair.
I’m not sure if I’m watching a sport or… a fight-to-the-death gladiator battle. Two guys are carted off by halftime, one with a concussion, the other with a broken nose. I wince and turn away at the sight of the blood dripping down her face, Beomgyu giving me an amused look.
“Thought you were going to be a doctor?”
I glare at him, chucking the rolled-up paper bag in his direction as we slide off the bleachers to stretch our legs for a few minutes.
“I’m gonna run to the bathroom,” Huening Kai says.
We watch him jog off, and I wait until he’s a safe distance away to say, “So, we should probably talk about step—”
Beomgyu smacks his hand over my mouth. “Nope. Not now.”
I furrow my eyebrows, wrangling out of his grip. “What? Why not?”
“I know you’re on a time crunch, but I’m not… ready. I mean, texting him is going so well, I don’t want to ruin it.”
I give him a look. “Beomgyu. You’re not going to ruin it. If anything—”
“I’m not ready, okay?” he says, cutting me off, his voice firm. I let out a long exhale, shaking my head. Time is running out, but more importantly…
“Listen, that’s cool with me, but just know, he isn’t going to wait forever.…” I nod behind him, and he spins around to see Taehyun on the bench, laughing at something one of his teammates is saying, his hand resting on their forearm. There’s definitely some flirty energy behind it.
I turn Beomgyu back around to face me before his gaping can become too obvious. “So, like, no rush. I don’t want to push you into something you’re not ready for. But don’t wait too long and lose your chance, okay?”
He nods, biting his lip.
When the game starts up again, we slide back into the bleachers, and I pull my phone out of my pocket and swipe into my text thread with my mom.
Hey. Hope your day is going well.
I tap send, adding another text to a sea of blue messages on the right side, the occasional one-word response appearing on the left. She’s been increasingly erratic about texting since our fight almost two weeks ago.
Luckily, our neighbor been checking up on her, and she says nothing seems super out of the ordinary, but… I’m still worried. And even though I feel guilty, I’m also the tiniest bit annoyed. I shouldn’t be sitting here worrying about my mom in the middle of a college rugby game.
The crowd begins to erupt in cheers, and I swing my head up to see a guy in blue and gold making a break for it, ball tucked under his arm. Even though I have no idea what’s happening, I get all swept up in it too. Everyone jumps to their feet, the stands shaking with cheers as he makes his way down the field, a defender hot on his tail.
Fifteen yards.
Ten yards.
Five yards.
He makes it to the end zone, slamming the ball defiantly into the ground, his teammates swarming him as the crowd goes wild all around me. I rip Beomgyu’s scarf off and swing it over my head as Beomgyu hops up onto his seat next to me. Huening Kai starts a “Let’s go, Panthers!” chant from his other side, and all of us join in.
Soon our cheering dies down as the game resumes, and everyone takes their seats. I watch as Taehyun jogs off the field, high-fiving his substitute as he goes.
There’s an unexpected feeling in my chest as Taehyun gives Beomgyu a small smile before taking the bench.
I rub the spot thoughtfully.
Probably shouldn’t have eaten three cookies on my way here.
YOU ARE READING
A PLAN FOR LOVE ✓
FanfictionYeonjun and Beomgyu made a plan to get their love of their life to fall for them, though, they both begin to wonder if maybe they're the ones falling for each other.
