Game Changer | Petalz 🌸🍃

Chapter XXIII

"Do you still want to watch the movie?" Kazuha asks when Sakura leaves her lap and tucks herself under her arm instead.

As much as she doesn't mind sitting on the couch and talking, or even just in silence, a happy ending is exactly what she needs to see right now. Also, she feels bad for ruining their evening with her sudden breakdown, so she wants to salvage as much of it as she can.

"Let's watch it," she says, and Kazuha smiles, reaching to press the spacebar on the laptop and resume the movie.

All throughout it, she holds Sakura close against her side, checking on her from time to time. And each time Sakura reassures her with a smile that she's okay, even if she isn't, because she has never been okay to begin with. But as she clings to the girl, her warm body and her sweet jasmine scent keep the dark thoughts at bay.

"Saachan? " Kazuha's voice gently breaks the silence between them when the ending credits start to roll.

"Hm?" Sakura peers up at her.

But Kazuha hesitates again, biting the corner of her lips. Sakura reaches for her palm that rests on her lap and, lacing their fingers together, gives it a gentle squeeze. That seems to do the trick.

"Do you want to maybe sleep in my room tonight?"

Smiling, Sakura languidly blinks her eyes in approval.

Kazuha beams. "You really are like a cat sometimes," she says, caressing Sakura's cheek with her thumb.

Sakura nuzzles against the touch, confirming the allegations.

Later, when she's lying in Kazuha's bed, waiting for the girl to finish showering, she notices the photo they took in Seoul. It stands framed on the nightstand, next to the photo of their current squad. They all look so happy in it, so carefree. And maybe it's childish and naive, but she really wishes they could all stay like this forever.

The sound of Kazuha leaving the bathroom interrupts her thoughts. There's a barely contained grin on her face, like she doesn't quite believe that what she's seeing is real, and her cheeks are a pretty pink. Sakura wants to kiss them and watch them turn an even prettier red.

"Why are you standing there? Come here. It's cold." She beckons at the girl, and she isn't even joking about it being cold. Kazuha isn't using the heater in her room, even on a chilly night like this one.

The girl bounds to the bed and jumps under the covers, facing Sakura. Her body is still warm from the shower, and Sakura scoots a little closer to her, their noses almost touching.

"So, how do you feel about playing against Osaka tomorrow?" Sakura asks quietly, trying to distract herself from the dizzying thoughts about how she's in Kazuha's bed with the girl lying just a breath away from her.

Needless to say, it's hard. Really, really hard.

Kazuha frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's your hometown's team. And you played there as a junior. I thought you may feel a bit bad about it?"

Kazuha's lips break into a grin, and she nudges her nose against Sakura's. "But thanks to a certain charming and insanely talented striker, I've always been an F.C. Tokyo's supporter," she says with all the pride of a true fan.

Feeling her cheeks heat up, Sakura rolls onto her back and stares at the ceiling.

"Honestly, I couldn't care less about who we're facing," Kazuha adds. "I'm just excited to be playing again. I have a feeling I'll score a hat-trick."

Sakura glances at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What? You don't believe me?" Kazuha shifts onto her side, head propped on her hand.