You sat in the bleachers of your school's gymnasium. This was the second time you came to watch the boy's volleyball game during after hours, and solely because of the reason your brother was on the team. He asked you to come and support him, so you agreed due to your free schedule and finished homework.
It was now 3:17 pm and both teams were warming up, practicing drills where the setter sets the ball for 3 rows of hitters spread across the court. You observed as the school's team -the wolves- do quite well in terms of skill and teamwork.
There you saw your brother, jumping off the ground and landing a powerful blow to the ball in front of him. He was a middle blocker and surpisingly well-rounded in all skills, both defense and offense. After falling back the his feet, he noticed you in the crowd and sent a smile and wave.
You gave him a thumbs up as he got back in line. Yep, that was your older brother. One year older than you and known for his sense of strategy and eagerness to win. A girl in the back of the bleachers gave a holler,
"MINHOO!! YEAH!!!"
You winced in the middle row, her voice directly behind you, but you were a little proud that people knew his name and his talent. The number 11 flashed on his back as he turned around to get in another line. Your eyes darted from player to player, recognizing a handful as you went to elementary school together. Number 1-Hwang Hyunjin. Number 5-Kim Seungmin. Number 4-Yang Jeongin. Number 8-Bang Chan.
Their jersey numbers weren't in order according to Minho, he said they just picked any number they liked other than their libero, which they only had the number 6 for because of the color difference.
Finally, a whistle blew, signalling the stop of flying balls and commencing the beginning of the game. Players put away the extra equipment and six of them shuffled onto the court, getting in position as the rest sat at the side bench with their coach.
The referee asked heads or tails to the team leaders-Bang Chan and the opposing schools'. He chose tails, so the other took heads. Up the coin went before landing on the side of: heads. The enemy got to serve first.
Another whistle blew, and the first rally had begun. You watched attentively as the ball flew between both sides of the court. Recieving, spiking, blocking, receiving, spiking again, until the wolves managed to earn a point. This continued on for about 10 minutes, with the points being evenly matched at 3:3.
There were some interesting actions happening, but nothing had really caught your eye until the a new player had been swapped in exchange for number 2. He had wore the number 15 and got into position swiftly. You did not recognize his face, not even from the first game you saw of the team.
But the moment players began to move for the ball, his figure shuffled around, and ran toward the net. Seungmin set the ball in his direction. His steps cease, and he jumps up, arm drawn back behind his head as two blockers from the other side attempt to stop him.
The spotlight shone down his face. His hair flew back and it almost seemed like his was soaring. In one sharp motion, he slammed the ball past the pairs of hands and straight to the floor. Your ears rung with the solid sound of a thud. You did not realize it, but you had not taken a breath, as if you did, you would miss the moment.
When he landed back on his feet, the brown freckles across his cheeks shined like stars, and the crowd cheered. It was all muted in the background as your focus was only on him. Then his eyes turned to the side, catching your parted lips and frozen face.
You blinked. Though you were several meters apart, you could see him so clearly on the court. He glowed under the lights, strikingly beautiful in a way. And that gaze he had on you was soft and tender. You couldn't feel more drawn into them.
There was silence between you both as the world outside was roaring with claps and shouts and pairs of feet banging on the bleacher steps. It was only you and him.
Suddenly, you were pulled back into reality when you noticed how long you were caught staring. You looked away.
What-What was that?
That short few seconds you shared had your heart doing weird things. It felt like it was trying to combust inside of your chest. The beating of it strung loud and clear, fast and ferocious, hungry and desperate for more.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
You turned your vision to him once more, but he was no longer paying you any attention. The whistle blew, and the opposing team called for a timeout. Both groups of boys huddled around their coaches. You were still thinking about him, your brother's teammate.
A switch in your head flicked. He was Lee Felix. You remember Minho telling you that despite being amazing at volleyball, there was one guy on the team that was better than him, and the name Felix resurfaced in your memory. From just a minute playing, you could feel the difference in skill.
Your eyes naturally lead themselves to the opposite side of the gym, where he was drinking water, chin tilted upward, and object awareness hinting at him that he was being watched.
Round 2. It was an unspoken staring contest, and neither of you broke away this time. You couldn't read the expression he had on. No, he wasn't smiling or anything, but once 60 seconds had passed and he got back into position, he let out a stiffled chuckle and sent you a wink.
There it was again. That damned fuzzy sensation on your skin and in your heart. What was he doing to you? Why were you so interested in him? Why did his actions make you feel so hot?
Could it be those three stimulative chemicals mentioned in science class you paid no attention to? That fairy tale of unbelievable blossoming emotions?
Did you really just experience love at first sight?
How stupid. That stuff couldn't possibly exist outside of books, dramas, or TV shows. You didn't believe it. Yet somehow, your brain said otherwise-your heart felt otherwise. Perhaps it wasn't completely stupid, just strange. Very strange that it was happening to you of all people, and now of all times.
But of course, he probably didn't feel anything. It was just you. Just your head that was overthinking all these crazy thoughts.
As the game continued, the wolves eventually won the first set. The more you watched them play, the more your attention kept placing itself back onto the blonde-haired boy.
You noticed every little quirk about him. From the way he would pull up the hems of his shorts when getting ready for the other team to serve, to his habit of biting his bottom lip as a concentration method, or maybe it was just to tease you because you always caught his sly smirk afterwards. Whatever it was, he never failed to look attractive. You hated it-what he did to you within a few minutes of meeting him, however, it left you wanting more.
Why did he have to glance at you every now and then with a smile so perfect it never failed to give you butterflies every time you saw it? How could you have fallen this deep into the man??
Felix recieved the ball flawlessly before immediately spiking it over once it was set to him again. He was good at it all. And that passion burning in his eyes made it all the more attractive.
This time when he earned a point, he blew you a kiss before giggling at your reaction afterward. Your ears must've turned red because he tugged at his own to signify it.
You couldn't believe him. He was flirting with you, while dealing with a volleyball game in front of many others. However, he seemed sweet despite the seduceful actions. That smile was all it took to tug at your heart and play with your emotions like he knew he could affect you in that way.
And before you could realize, they had won the second match, thus handing them the victory. The team cheered and congratulated one another. As the audience began to leave, you were stuck sitting there wondering what to do now. Of course, you had to wait for your brother to walk home together 'cause why go separate? You might as well talk about the game on your way back.
So, getting up from your seat, you stood in the hall outside of the boy's locker room since Minho had entered inside to change. When you heard the door opening, you looked up, expecting him to appear.
But instead, it was Felix. He wore a baggy white tee and grey sweatpants, forehead damp with sweat that he was currently drying with a towel. You sucked in a breath as you took in his figure.
Damn... How can he look so hot in casual clothes?
"Oh, it's you."
He walked towards you and you unconsciously took a step back against the wall. Seeing him so up close made you nervous.
"How was it?" he asked with a grin.
"H-how was what?" You asked back, swallowing.
"I don't know. Did you enjoy the show?"
Felix laughed, tilting his head to the side and leaning closer to your face where he continued to take in your features.
"Umm... y-yeah, I did. Wait, you're talking about the game right?"
You couldn't focus due to the jumping of nerves inside your body. It certainly did not help when he placed a hand beside your head to corner you even further.
"Yep, but you could consider the little thing we had going on apart of it. Did you like it? Trailing your innocent eyes over me from head to the entire time? I bet so. I sure did."
He caressed your cheek so gently it felt like the touch of only a feather. His fingers stopped at your chin and held it with utter care, yet still intense enough to make you go crazy. His lips were an inch away from yours. You could even smell the scent radiating off of him-a mix of dark cherries and fresh citrus. Addicting.
"You-you played well on the court. I don't think you need me to tell you that, but you were really cool..." you breathed out, aware that your cheeks were burning by now.
"Thanks." His breath fanned against your skin. "I'm glad you got to watch me. Was this the first-"
"Y/n! Oh, hey Felix," Minho greeted skeptically, noticing the previous position you two were in before the said boy backed away and gave your lungs some actual air. "Do you need to talk to my little sister?"
Felix thought about it but shook his head, hands dug into his pockets and feet already beginning to walk away from the scene.
"Little sister, huh? I'm fine, we don't need to discuss any further."
He waved behind him at you both before disappearing past a corner. You wondered if he was just playing with you for fun and that none of it mattered to him since the start, but once you got back home, you found a tiny piece of paper hidden inside your sweater's hood. Written inside was an Instagram username, a phone number, and a short message.
"Cheer for me next time too, okay? I'll be waiting until we meet again, my princess <3"