The smiling k

Breaking free

It was late in the evening when they returned to ZGDX house the next day. The post had gone viral. Jiyang was already waiting impatiently outside the ZGDX compound. Tang Yao got out of the car and hugged her.

Jiyang- " You are glowing. Are you sure you want to go inside and face all this drama? It will eventually fade ....like that hickey on your neck" she giggled.

Tang Yao's eyes widened and she blushed in embarrassment as she muttered exasperatingly, " Lao K " Jiyang continued to giggle and Lao K who was a few steps behind laughed as his neck grew hot.

Tang yao pulled her phone camera out and examined her neck. When had this happened and more importantly how had she not realized it. Her subconscious responded to her balefully,  ' You know when...You were so lost in him yesterday morning at breakfast' Seeing her panic, Lao K put his arm around her and whispered in her ear, " I am sorry ...I got a bit carried away ...and umm ...didn't realize."

She deflated but still blushed, ' Oh how he could make her feel things'. Jiyang handed her some concealer ," It is a rite of passage" and winked at her as she desperately dabbed some on covering it up.

Jiyang- " Do you want me to come inside with you? Ai Jia and I went through this recently. I'm here for you"

Tang Yao- " I'm not confessing to some crime you know ... I just fell in love ...", she sighed, " Anyway, I think its better if its just the team " and hugged her. Jiyang drove away as the twosome made it back to the house. Most of the team was lounging around the living room when they got back.

Chessman - " Little sister, you are back already ...wait, did you come back with our captain?"

Old Cat- " Did you come back from Beijing because of this post?"

Little Fatty -" Are the rumors true? Have I been wearing a green hat all this time and no one bothered to tell me?", he cackled.

Old Cat- " Don't tell me, you already visited the civil affairs bureau!"

Tang Yao was very nervous, she suddenly wished she hadn't dragged Lao K home. They could have stayed in their idyllic cocoon. Oh how she wished she hadn't turned his offer down of telling the team mates by himself. She took a deep breath and said, " Will you all sit down for a second, please?"

She took another breath to calm herself down while Lao K looked on amused. Lao Yue asked, " Why do you look like you are going to confess to some crime?" trying to put her at ease. He had guessed what she was going to tell the rest of them.

Tang Yao " What? No! Okay, look, when I came into this house, I had just finished college. All I wanted was to play LoL and have fun. I really was very uncomfortable with all the attention I got, and the gifts etc. It made me swear off of relationships. Never in a million years did I think, I'd fall for someone...and let alone have that person like me back. So, to answer your question... Lao K and I are together...we have been for sometime. I umm, didn't want any more attention, so we kept it quiet...I..we probably should have told you sooner .....This doesn't change anything ..I want you to know that we are all teammates and we still have a championship to win"

Old Cat exclaimed, " I knew it!! See, I told you guys. That day when they came back in matching clothes...Something must have been going on"

Chessman- " It wasn't that day..I think it was the day they went out to buy 'goldfish' all day"

Little Fatty -" No No...you are both wrong... it was the day he let her drive his Maserati. I have been his support for two years and he wouldn't even let me breathe on it. I tell you, they knew each other before she joined the team"

They all looked at her expectantly hoping she would clarify when they actually got together.Tang Yao blinked in surprise. The boys didn't seem to care too much about the fact that she was in a relationship with their captain, they seemed more interested in gossip about how they actually got together. " I ... You are all not upset or anything that we hid this from you?"

Lao Yue - " What did you hide? It was obvious to everyone. You wouldn't admit to it that's all" They all nodded.

Tang Yao- " Obvious?? ", she asked incredulously.

Lao K now laughed and added- " Yes, It was obvious to everyone except you! God , you were so oblivious that I wondered if you really didn't get that I was into you or if you played dumb to avoid me"

She opened and closed her mouth several times and got up saying, " I need a coffee" She made herself a cup aware of all the eyes on her.

Little Fatty turned to the captain and said, " Now that it is official I am wearing the green hat, at least tell me when you got together. It will settle a bet for us. Also, who finally admitted first?"

The captain laughed in a carefree manner, a first they had all seen him do. He said, " We got together sometime before the quarter finals officially ..until then, she refused to admit to herself that she liked me..so we were in a undefined state mostly. I finally had to tell her straight to her face, she never got any hints"

Lao Yue - " A girl making my brother work for her! That's a first. Sister in law , you are truly awesome. Of course, we all know that the queen's words are final in this house now"

Tang Yao refused to let them tease her incessantly , " When was it not? Someone needed to keep you toddlers in line! " arching her eyebrow.

They all burst out laughing and she joined in as well. Xiao Rui asked, " Do you want to make an official statement?" Tang Yao paused, smiling tightly considering it. Lao K took one look at her and all his joking demeanor vanished. " No. I don't think that's a good idea. Someone sent her blades when there was speculation. I don't want a repeat of that. I want her to be safe here."

Tang Yao- " How long can we hide Lao K? I am tired of it already. We are together, that's fact. If people can't deal with it, its their problem"

Lao K - " No ...absolutely not! We still don't know who sent that package. "

Tang Yao touched his arm and said calmly, " Weren't you the one who said, we have to live our life? Look, we don't have to make an official statement. But I also don't see the point in hiding. If people get to know, then they know. " He nodded acquiescing.

Lao Yue laughed, " Just like mom and dad. ..Queen's words are final. " Lao K threw his sandal at him  while Tang Yao said, " Lao Yue , when you have a bigger champion pool than mine or manage to graduate from college, you will have earned the right to say things like that. Until then, shut up"