This is the last story of our
"Love Playlist" 💜💛
I'm getting emotional as I write this, because I feel I am closing something really important, which in recent months has occupied a big part of my days ❤️
I truly hope I have treated the extraordinary stories and edits of our fantastic writers and photo editors with due respect and have done a decent job.
Thanks again from the bottom of my heart to all the authors who participated in the realization of this project, dedicating us their time and their talent 🙏🏻
It was amazing to see the joy in the comments from our readers 🙏🏻
And thanks to you readers for the immense support you have shown each of us 🥺
Thank you, thank you, thank you ❤️
Take care of yourself and be happy, always ☺️
Until next time! 💛💜
Story by: Myhappyending95
Author of:
"Bad Neighbors",
"Kiss Me Goodnight",
"My Hands Are Stupid",
"Among Lu's Grocery Lists",
"Radio Rainbow",
"Caroling Caroling",
"I'm With The Sk8er Girl",
"DiYue Prompt - From Lu To Chya, And Vice Versa",
"Her Laughter",
"We Are Friends",
"True Colors",
"Who Cares About Who"
"The Boy Who Stole Her Heart" (collab),
"The Girl Who Stole His Heart" (collab),
Title of the story: "My Little LeBron"
Song: "Enchanted" by Taylor Swift
There I was again tonight
Forcing laughter, faking smiles
Same old tired, lonely place
Walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and vacancy
Vanished when I saw your face
All I can say is: it was enchanting to meet you
Your eyes whispered: "Have we met?"
'Cross the room your silhouette
Starts to make its way to me
The playful conversation starts
Counter all your quick remarks
Like passing notes in secrecy
And it was enchanting to meet you
All I can say is: I was enchanted to meet you
This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you
The lingering question kept me up
2 AM, who do you love?
I wonder 'til I'm wide awake
And now I'm pacing back and forth
Wishing you were at my door
I'd open up and you would say: "Hey"
It was enchanting to meet you
All I know is I was enchanted to meet you
This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
That this night is flawless, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you
This is me praying that
This was the very first page
Not where the story line ends
My thoughts will echo your name, until I see you again
These are the words I held back, as I was leaving too soon
I was enchanted to meet you
Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you
Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you
Wang He Di was one step away, or rather two, from shooting yet another basketball, when the cheerful voice of coach He interrupted the team's basketball training.
"Guys! Come here!"
Within seconds, the man was surrounded by eight tall, sweat-covered boys.
"News, coah?" asked Zhao Yi Qin, the captain.
For some months now, one of the best players of the team had moved to another city and left them in a disastrous situation. The three reserves tried their best to match him, but they were absolutely not up to him and this forced the rest of the team to work twice as hard to win.
"Very good news, in fact" smiled Coach He.
It had been a long time since they had seen him in such a good mood!
"Really?!"
"Really! I have finally found our fifth regular player!"
The boys exchanged a surprised and excited look.
Just at that moment, a girl dressed in the same uniform as them, entered the university gymnasium.
"Hi!" she greeted them shyly, waving a little hand.
"Um... Hi! Do you need something? Are you one of the cheerleaders?" Zhao Yi Qin asked her.
"Actually, I..."
"She is the new member of the team! Please welcome Shen Yue!" Coach He announced enthusiastically.
Everyone gasped, too shaken to be able to say a single word.
It was Wang He Di who broke the silence with a laugh.
"Funny, coach! Really funny!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands.
"I'm serious, Dylan."
The boy continued to laugh until he realized that Coach He's face showed no sign of amusement.
"What?! Are you kidding us?!" He Di exploded.
"No" the man replied calmly.
"But she's a girl!"
"I noticed".
"And she's so tiny! I could put her in my pocket! Come on, coach! Are you gone crazy?!"
"Wang He Di! Don't talk to the coach like this!" Yi Qin scolded him.
Coach He smiled and pointed to Shen Yue, who was watching Wang He Di with an amused grin.
"She's strong. Very strong. And she has talent. Let me show you... Who wants to play a one-on-one match with her?" he asked.
Nobody volunteered, everyone was afraid they might hurt that little girl. They weren't famous for their delicacy when playing. And even if only Wang He Di had expressed his skepticism, after all they were all of his own opinion.
"Captain?" coach He proposed.
Zhao Yi Qin nodded hesitantly.
He took a step towards Shen Yue and shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Zhao Yi Qin" he told her.
The girl smiled and made a small bow.
"The pleasure is mine, captain."
"Shall we start?"
"Ok!"
The two positioned in the center of the field and as soon as the coach whistled, they began to play against each other to see who would score first.
Every single jaw in that gym fell to the ground.
"She's very fast! The captain can't keep up with her!" exclaimed Caesar Wu, one of the players.
"And look how she masters the ball, how she moves!" added Darren Chen, another member of the team.
"She has the total control of the situation. Her mind is lucid and calculating... This puts our Yi Qin in trouble even more than her speed" Coach He said, satisfied.
Wang He Di remained silent to observe. Probably the captain was taking it slow... They all knew he had a kind heart, after all.
After only five minutes of play, it was Shen Yue who threw the ball into the basket. The boys were impressed with her uplifting ability. Although her legs were very short, they seemed to be able to fly.
As soon as Yue and Yi Qin returned to the others, the captain bowed before her and said: "Welcome to the team, Shen Yue."
At that point the boys approached her enthusiastically to shake her hand and introduce themselves.
Everyone, except Wang He Di.
***
It was the day of the game against the Zhìhuì school basketball team. The first game since Shen Yue became a member of the team.
An excellent relationship had been created between her and the others, who already treated her as "one of the boys".
They spent most of their time in the gym practicing, so a brotherly relationship was established between them.
The only person Shen Yue couldn't make friends with was Dylan. Those two did nothing but fight and make fun of each other.
They were always, constantly, competing.
"Ok, guys! Here we are! Go out and destroy them!" Coach He encouraged the team before the game.
As soon as the referee blew the starting whistle... It was a disaster.
More than once Dylan had found himself in the position of not being able to do anything but pass the ball to Yue or make a mistake... And each time he had decided to make a mistake.
The same was true of Yue.
The other guys were at the mercy of that game in the game and didn't know what to do to make up for the mistakes of those two.
The coach and the captain had lost their voices from yelling at them.
The result was tragic. They lost miserably against the other team.
He Jiong was known in all universities as the calmest and most patient coach, but that afternoon his guys saw for the first time the angry version of him.
Gathered in the men's locker room, where Shen Yue was exceptionally present, they listened in silence to his outburst.
"YOU ARE TWO IDIOTS!" he yelled at Dylan and Yue.
"Coach..."
"DON'T SAY A WORD, WANG HE DI! NOT A SINGLE WORD! IF WE LOST THIS MATCH IT WAS ONLY YOUR FAULT! YOU ARE OF THE SAME TEAM, DAMN! YOU MUST PLAY TOGETHER, NOT ONE AGAINST THE OTHER!"
"But it's her fault! She didn't want to pass the ball to me!" Dylan exclaimed, pointing to the girl.
"What?! YOU ignored me throughout the game! I could have made at least ten baskets if only you had passed me that damn ball!" Yue exploded.
"Thats enough! From now on, after each training, you will have to train for another hour alone and then clean the gym. If things don't improve, you can forget about playing in the next game".
That said, Coach He left the locker room slamming the door behind him.
"It's not fair!" Dylan yelled, angry.
"Yeah, go cry to mommy" Yue snorted as she gathered her things to leave.
"Guys, seriously, the coach is right. You cannot continue with this attitude. You will destroy all the efforts of the team" Zhao Yi Qin scolded them.
Shen Yue rushed in front of him and bowed.
"You are right, captain. I apologize to everyone" she said.
Dylan rolled his eyes and shook his head. That fool treated the captain like a god... She always turned into a little lamb when she talked to him.
Yi Qin patted her head affectionately.
"We know you understood your mistake. Now let's just think about winning the next game" he smiled at her.
"Right! Let's do our best!" Caesar exclaimed, patting her on the shoulder.
Darren and the two reserves also approached to cheer her up.
Wang He Di was indignant. Why were they leaving him there alone in the corner?!
"Hey!" he called them, annoyed.
"Uh, Didi! I don't seem to have heard your apology" Darren said.
"I don't have to apology to anyone! It was all that gnat's fault! "
"Who is the gnat?!" Yue replied, turning to him.
"You! It's you!"
"If I'm a gnat, you're a stink bug!"
"What?! Did you say something?! I only hear a very annoying bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!"
"Don't you hear me? Well, now you will hear my fists!"
The girl approached him threateningly, ready to beat him, but the boys grabbed her just in time.
"Guys, come on! What did we just say?!" Caesar complained.
"It's her fault!"
"It's his fault!"
***
The next day, after training with the entire team, Wang He Di and Shen Yue were left alone in the gym to continue practicing together.
"Please, no homicides. I don't have time to look for other team members" Coach He told them, before leaving.
"Damn" Dylan snorted.
"Come on, let's get started" Yue sighed.
"What do we do?"
"Let's play".
"Me against you?"
"Do you see other people here?"
"I have no intention of wasting energy playing against you, gnat."
"The coach said we need to train together. I think it's a good way to start, right? "
"No, thank you".
"I see... You're afraid of losing against me" Shen Yue teased him.
"What?! Afraid of you?! The other guys have put some strange ideas into your head, letting you think you're a good player, but I wouldn't go easy " Dylan replied.
"Show it to me".
And so the boy finally decided to accept the challenge.
They played against each other for a whole hour.
When their strength left them, they both collapsed on the cold gym floor, breathless.
Dylan was furious: Shen Yue had won. She had scored double his points!
"I let you win" he told her, out of breath.
Yue rolled her eyes and sat up to look him in the face.
"Yeah, sure. Do you want to know what your mistakes are?" she asked him.
"I don't make mistakes" he replied.
"Oh yes, you do. You could have won, but you have a terrible flaw: you don't use your head. You are a war machine, you rely only on your strength and your determination. Your goal is to reach the basket, but you don't analyze what's going on around you. A little while ago you could have blocked many of the actions I did, but you failed because you just tried to stop me by force. Maybe it can work with someone who plays like you, but not with someone like me... I'm too agile, I can easily escape you. My height in this case also helps me" Yue explained.
Dylan blushed and looked away. These were all things that Coach He had already explained to him a lot of times.
"Are you finished, teacher? I didn't ask for your opinion" he muttered.
"Tsk. I really don't understand! What have I done to you? Why are you so angry with me? "
"Because you don't deserve to be on our team!"
"Just because I'm a girl?! Does it bother you that I play better than you?"
"Leave me alone".
"Put your soul in peace, Wang He Di. Like it or not, I'm on the team just as much as you are. Come on, let's start cleaning the gym and let's go home." Shen Yue sighed sadly.
Dylan watched her for a few moments, disturbed by that sudden change of mood.
He was used to a Shen Yue angry at him, but not sad.
***
In a month of training together, the quarrels between Dylan and Yue didn't diminish. If possible, they increased.
But both coach He and their teammates had noticed a great change in the way they played.
The change seemed to be brought primarily by Shen Yue.
When they all played together, despite Wang He Di still trying to hinder the girl's play, she did her best to help him reach the basket.
Her tactics had become clear to the coach: she was using her brain to guide Dylan in those patterns that he couldn't or didn't want to follow.
She ran like lightning across the field to create the perfect playing conditions for him.
The funny thing was that Wang He Di didn't seem to notice.
Coach He was smiling thinking about all this, when suddenly he heard a scream coming from the center of the field.
"Yueyue! Are you ok?!"
All the boys rushed to Shen Yue, who was lying on the ground with her eyes closed, her face very pale.
She nodded, but she didn't move.
"Are you dizzy?" the coach asked.
Again, Yue nodded with her eyes closed.
"Yi Qin, take her to the infirmary."
The captain was about to obey, but Wang He Di preceded him and rushed out of the gym with the little girl in his arms.
***
Coach He was leaning against the corridor wall outside the infirmary watching his boys. They were waiting for Yue to wake up... Fortunately it was just a sugar drop, nothing serious.
Their faces were all tense with worry. He knew how fond they were of Shen Yue. But there was one of them who seemed particularly distressed.
"Didi, can I talk to you for a second?"
The boy looked up at the coach.
"But Shen Yue might wake up..." he replied, hesitantly.
"Caesar will come to tell us as soon as she does."
He nodded and together they entered an empty classroom not far from the infirmary.
"Didi, I have to ask you a favor."
"What is it, coach?"
"Here... I can't ask you to get along with Shen Yue. Obviously I can't. But lately she has been helping you a lot..."
"I know".
"You know?"
"I'm not that stupid, coach."
"Tsk, you are. Anyway... Since you know this, could you try to help her too? Don't ignore her during games. Don't tease her. She's been getting too tired lately".
Dylan sighed and scratched the back of his neck.
"Ok. I'm sorry" he said.
Coach He smiled.
"When she auditioned to join the team, I asked her who was her favorite player among you guys. Guess what she replied..."
"Captain Zhao Yi Qin, of course" Dylan snorted.
The man laughed and shook his head.
"No, my dear. She said Wang He Di".
"WHAT?! It's impossible!"
"Trust me, she said it!"
"And... Did she say why?"
Coach He loved seeing Dylan so insecure!
"Ask her" he replied with a grin, then he left the room.
"COACH! HEY! COACH!"
***
When Shen Yue opened her eyes, she looked around and she remembered being taken to the infirmary after nearly fainting.
"Damn, I interrupted the training" she muttered, distraught.
She tried to get up, but Wang He Di's voice as he entered the room stopped her.
"Slowly, you fool!" he scolded her.
"Dylan?"
The boy walked over to her bed and studied her carefully.
"How do you feel?" he asked her.
"Well... I think" she replied, still a little stunned.
"Here, the nurse told us to make you drink this as soon as you woke up. You had a drop in sugar... You need to eat more".
Yue took the cup from Wang He Di's hands and took a sip of the sugary drink.
She noticed that the boy continued to stare at her and she blushed.
"I'm sorry I caused trouble for the team..." she whispered, thinking he was angry.
Unexpectedly, Dylan put a hand on her head and leaned over slightly to look straight in her eyes.
"Don't make us worry like that anymore, ok?"
Yue blushed even more.
"O... Ok" was all she could say.
Dylan smiled at her and then sat down in the chair next to her bed.
"Shen Yue... Who... Who is your fav..."
Before he could finish the question, Zhao Yi Qin entered the room.
"Yueyue! You're awake! Why didn't you tell us, Didi?!"
Yue sat up in a hurry.
"Captain! Sorry for what happened!" she hastened to say.
"Don't be silly, it's okay" the boy replied.
Wang He Di focused on Yue's face, which oozed admiration from every pore of her as she talked to Yi Qin... And suddenly he thought about the reason why he didn't want her on the team...
One year before...
Dylan was looking forward to training a little after having struggled to pass the math test that day.
He quickly changed and ran to the gym.
Before entering, however, he heard the sound of sneakers whistling against the floor and a bouncing ball.
He tried to peek inside the gym and was surprised to see a girl playing all alone.
She was so tiny...
Wang He Di couldn't take his eyes off her. He was fascinated and impressed by how swift and decisive that girl was in her movements. When she jumped, she looked like she had a pair of wings that sent her flying up to the basket.
And then, suddenly, he could see her face... She was beautiful. Extraordinarily beautiful. She had huge, deep, chocolate brown eyes, super long lashes, a lovely little nose and heart-shaped lips. Some moles on her perfect face made her even more charming. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, while her bangs covered her forehead.
"Wow" Dylan whispered, spellbound.
He wanted to come in, get close to her and introduce himself, meet her... But suddenly he felt so shy that all he could do was run away.
He went back there the next day, at the same time, and then also the next day and the next one again... He remained outside the door to admire that little creature playing.
He felt stupid, but he couldn't help it.
One day when he came to the gym door, he didn't hear any noise and he got worried.
He tried to enter, but the girl was not there.
Dylan could have taken the opportunity to play alone for a while, but he didn't want to anymore.
He just wanted to see his little LeBron.
He took his things and left the university.
And there she is... She was playing in the schoolyard basketball court with some boys.
She was good even at team play, Dylan realized.
She was impressive.
But he gasped even more when he saw her challenging the boys in an "all against one" and win.
At that point, his heart was hers.
Months passed and Dylan still hadn't found the courage to introduce himself to little LeBron.
Then, one day, as he was playing an important match with the team, Wang He Di looked up at the bleachers and saw her.
She was cheering for them like a crazy girl.
From then on, Wang He Di scored a disproportionate amount of points, leading the team to victory.
At the end of the game, he finally decided to go to her and talk... But before he could reach her on the bleachers, he saw her running towards Zhao Yi Qin and shyly handing him something, with her red cheeks.
Dylan felt so disappointed and angry... Hadn't she seen how well he had played? He was the hero of the match! Why hadn't she run to him?!
As a proud and touchy person like he was, he decided that the girl didn't deserve his attention.
"Didi? Didi!"
Zhao Yi Qin's voice brought him back to the present.
He looked around and only then realized that the other team members and Coach He had entered the room as well.
"Are you ok?" Caesar asked him.
"Uh? Yes, of course" he replied, embarrassed.
"Didi was so worried about you, Yueyue! As soon as he saw you on the ground he picked you up like a prince charming and ran here at the speed of light!" Darren teased him.
"Really?" Yue asked, amazed.
"It's not like that" Dylan muttered.
Yue gave him a big smile.
"Thanks" she whispered.
Wang He Di blushed abruptly and looked down.
That gnat was driving him crazy.
***
The miracle had happened: Wang He Di and Shen Yue had stopped fighting on the basketball court.
And not only that! The two turned out to be a winning couple in the game!
Dylan had Yue's back and vice-versa.
Coach He understood that the new game schemes had to take that affinity into account in order to be able to win the next games.
"Guys! Today's training was perfect! Well done! I want you to play like this even during tomorrow's match! Tonight fried chicken for everyone, I'll offer!" the man exclaimed at the end of training.
The boys cheered and ran to take a shower.
"Um... Coach... Didi and I have to train together again today?" Yue asked, timidly.
"Obvious! You can join the game tomorrow, but your punishment is not over yet. Join us at the Crazy Chicken when you're done" the coach replied.
Yue and Dylan nodded, disappointed. They both loved fried chicken and felt their bellies growl at the very thought.
Wang He Di noticed Yue's little pout and smiled.
"Come on, let's get started" he told her.
She smiled back and followed him to the center of the field.
They played three games against each other, all won by Yue.
"ARRRRRGH!" Wang He Di yelled, lying on the ground exhausted.
"What was that animal sound?" Yue laughed.
"How the hell can you be so fast?! It's frustrating!"
The girl handed him a bottle of water and she sat down next to him.
"Next time I'll let you win, ok?" she teased him.
"Tsk".
"It's not your fault... I'm just better than you."
Dylan turned to her and noticed her amused grin.
"Better, huh?"
He stood up and slowly walked over to her.
"Hey! Stay away from me!"
Before she could escape, he managed to grab her hand and pull her towards him.
He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and squeezed her lightly to hold her still.
"Tell me, who is better? Me or you?" he asked, amused.
"Me!"
"Excuse me?"
"Me!"
Yue tried to free herself by kicking, to no avail.
Suddenly, Dylan felt her drop against his chest and his eyes widened, surprised.
He turned her towards him and sought her eyes.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked her, holding his hands on her arms.
Yue raised her head with a big smile and pinched his nose with two fingers.
"I'm better than you" she said.
Wang He Di's heart began to beat very fast.
She was so close... And he loved that smile.
"Shen Yue..."
"Yup?"
"Who is your favorite player?"
"LeBron James" the girl replied immediately, amused by that sudden question.
I love her, Dylan thought.
"No, I mean... of our team".
He felt his cheeks on fire...
Yue looked him straight in the eyes.
"I guess Coach He told you" she snorted.
"No..."
"Yes, otherwise you wouldn't have asked me. I can see it in your face".
"I swear he didn't tell me anything!"
"Ok. It's Darren".
"WHAT?! IT'S NOT TRUE! YOU TOLD THE COACH THAT YOUR... "
"AH! I was right!" Yue exclaimed, pointing a finger at him.
Dylan scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.
"Ok, he told me, but..."
"Let's go to the Crazy Chicken! I'm hungry!" she interrupted him.
She escaped from him and ran into the women's locker room.
***
Arrived at the Crazy Chicken with a taxi, Yue and Dylan joined the team and sat next to each other.
"Here are our lovebirds!" Caesar teased them.
Dylan took a napkin and threw it in his face.
"Shut up" he snorted, but unable to hide a small smile.
"Hey, Yueyue! It's so strange to see you in your casual clothes! You are really pretty!" Darren exclaimed.
"Uh... Thanks!" the girl smiled happily.
Yue heard Wang He Di mutter something and she turned to him.
"What's up?" she asked him softly.
"Nothing".
"Tsk".
Yue turned her attention back to Darren and started chatting with him.
Dylan, meanwhile, was trying to catch her attention by filling her plate with chicken wings.
"Are you going to fatten me? Are you the witch of Hansel and Gretel?" Yue laughed, amazed.
"You need energy" he replied sulkily.
Yue looked at him and smiled.
The night passed like that, with Yue laughing and joking with everyone, while Dylan continued to fill her with food.
When it was time to go home, Darren and Yi Qin offered Shen Yue a ride.
"I'll take her home" Wang He Di replied, glaring at them.
His friends held back a laugh. That boy was more transparent than glass.
"Didi, you don't have a car..." Coach He grinned.
Dylan blushed and looked down.
"It's ok, we can walk! I need it after everything I've eaten!" Yue smiled.
He looked at her and as usual he gasped.
"Ok, ok, we'll leave you alone... Lovebirds!" Caesar exclaimed.
***
On the way home, Yue noticed that Dylan was unusually quiet.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked him.
"Um... I have two questions" he replied hesitantly.
"Ok, shoot".
"Is Darren really your favorite player?"
Yue was tempted to tease him again, but seeing his puppy expression she decided to hold back and be honest.
"No".
"So... Is it me?"
"Yes, you idiot."
His face lit with joy warmed her heart.
"I knew it!" Dylan exclaimed, victorious.
"Ok, ok. What is the second question?" she giggled.
"Why am I your favorite? I mean... You keep scolding me... And we know very well that I'm not the best in the team..."
Yue took a moment to think about the answer.
"You are my favorite because you play with your heart. True, sometimes you push your strength forward rather than your head, but that's just a small aspect of you. You pay attention to your teammates... If you see someone in difficulty, you run and try to help them. And you are also good with your opponents... If one of them gets hurt, you are the first to go and check that it's nothing serious. If someone falls you hold out your hand to help him get up.
I like how you always do your best to win the game. I like how excited you get when that happens. I like the light in your eyes while you play... It's a light that shines so much only in your eyes" she said.
Dylan was speechless. His heart was completely mad.
"Do you think... Do you really think this about me?"
Yue laughed and nodded.
"Now I have a question for you... Why did you care so much if you are my favorite?"
"Because you are my favorite player" he replied without hesitation.
This time it was Shen Yue's turn to be speechless.
"What?! Are you feeling sick?!" she exclaimed, rising on tiptoe to touch his forehead.
"I mean it, Shen Yue. The way you play... It's incredible! You are fast, decisive, lucid. You never make a mistake. I admire how you manage to make your way in a world of men who most of the time laugh at you before seeing for themselves how strong you are and so much better than any of them. You are amazing".
Yue stopped short and Wang He Di did the same. They had arrived in front of the girl's house.
Dylan nearly passed out when she hugged him tightly.
"Thank you" she whispered, without letting him go.
He wrapped his long arms around her and closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of her hair.
He loved the warmth of her small body against his. He loved that sense of protection he felt towards her, but also that she made him feel.
"I have a second question" Yue said suddenly.
"Uhm?".
"Why didn't you want me on the team? When did you change your mind about me?"
Dylan pulled away just to look into her eyes.
"Before answering, I need to ask you another thing" he said.
"Hey! You said two questions!" Yue complained.
"I'm letting you hug your favorite player! You owe me a third answer!"
"Ok, ok! What a windbag"
"Do you like Zhao Yi Qin?"
The question was so quick and direct that Yue was blown away for a moment.
"WHAT?!"
"You look at him with heart-shaped eyes! And last year, after an important match, you gave him a gift!" Dylan exclaimed, indignantly.
"Last year... Last year? A gift? Uh! I understand! It wasn't a gift for him... They were sweets for the whole team. I was a crazy fan of yours, you know? That was an important match and I wanted to give you all a gift. They were cookies made by me... Didn't Yi Qin give them to you?"
Suddenly Wang He Di remembered that after seeing Shen Yue give the package to Zhao Yi Qin, he came home angry, refusing to join the party with the rest of the team.
"Oh... Damn" he whispered.
"And I don't look at him with heart-shaped eyes! I admire him, that's all. You know... I met him in middle school... One day he saw my male classmates bullied me because they didn't want me to play with them. Being a girl isn't easy, you know? Even though we didn't know each other, Yi Qin gave them a lesson and then told me that I can do whatever I want. From that day on, my teammates started asking me to play basketball with them every day. The memory of our captain is really similar to that of a squirrel: when I arrived here at the university, I realized that he had completely forgotten about me. But I'm grateful to him for what he did back then..." Yue explained, giggling.
Wang He Di watched her closely, calling himself stupid for coming to hasty conclusions.
"But... Didi... Apparently you have a long memory if you remember me and that episode!"
"I... Well... That day I wanted to talk to you, but I saw you with him..."
"You wanted to talk to me? But you didn't know me... "
"I knew you. I have seen you play many times alone and with your friends ".
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. You've been my favorite player ever since."
Yue's eyes widened, confused.
"I saw you playing in the gym one day and... Well, you charmed me. I used to come to watch you play every day, hoping to find the courage to talk to you, but I couldn't. By the way, it's true that you look pretty dressed like that, but when you wear the basketball uniform you become even more beautiful. You look so proud when you wear it! Anyway... Ahem... The day of the match I saw you in the bleachers and I had decided to finally come to you to introduce myself... But then I saw you run to Yi Qin and ignore me..."
"Was that why you didn't want me on the team? You were mad at me because of this?"
Wang He Di blushed abruptly and looked down. It was time. He had to be brave.
But just as he was about to answer her, his cell phone started ringing. It was his mother.
He answered and when the call ended, he turned sadly to Yue.
"I have to go..." he sighed.
"Sure, go! See you tomorrow at the match" the girl smiled at him.
He nodded and, hesitant and unwilling, walked away.
***
The next day, as the team was in the locker room to hear Coach He's encouraging speech, Wang He Di couldn't take his eyes off Shen Yue.
He was bitter for not being able to tell her everything the night before...
And frightened because he feared that telling her everything would do no good.
He wasn't sure if she reciprocated his feelings.
The game was about to begin, so they all headed to the gym.
The first part of the game was really chaotic.
Yue was exhausted, because Dylan was doing nothing but screwing up and she was doing everything to help him.
All of a sudden, she saw one of the opponents push him forcefully during a game action and Didi fell to the ground holding a hand on his shoulder.
At that point her always rational mind during the games clouded.
The referee whistled to stop the match and while the others checked that Dylan was okay, she ran to the boy who pushed him.
"Are you stupid?!" she asked him angrily.
"Hey! It was an accident, calm down" he replied, with a grin.
"Accident my ass! You could have really hurt him!"
"But it didn't happen, did it? Get out of the way ".
Yue was about to approach him to hit him, but a hand grabbed hers before she could do it. She turned around. It was Dylan.
"I'm fine" he told her, with a small smile.
She looked at him seriously.
"You're not focused" she scolded him.
"You're right... Sorry... I..."
"Didi. I like LeBron James. I really like LeBron James. I like him so much... " she cut him off.
From Dylan's red face she knew that he had caught the hidden meaning behind her words.
"Me too" he replied softly.
From that moment on, the "idiot couple" became unstoppable... And the game ended in a great victory.
Yue was busy jumping and screaming with joy with the other teammates and coach He, in the background the applause of their school. Suddenly a voice in the center of the gym managed to overwhelm all that din. "HEY, LITTLE LEBRON!"
Everyone fell silent and turned to Wang He Di.
Yue met his deep look and her heart stopped for a moment.
"I LOVE YOU, LITTLE LEBRON!"
Shen Yue's eyes became bright, her cheeks red, and a huge smile spread across her face.
She ran to him and as soon as she reached him she whispered: "I love you, big LeBron."
A great applause erupted so loud it boomed throughout the gym.
Dylan let out a cry of joy and then hugged her tightly.
Yue laughed because that was the same enthusiasm that she used to see in her Didi when he won a game... The same enthusiasm that had made her fall in love with him.
"Can you be my girlfriend, please?" he asked in a whisper.
That "Please" made her melt.
"Only if you admit I'm better than you" she grinned.
Dylan pulled away from her, sulking.
"You know I won't" he muttered.
"Didi!"
"I never will. I'll never admit you're better than me. I have my pride to defend, you know! BUT! I can admit that I hate the fact that I can never win against you... That I die of envy for the way you move on the basketball court... That my heart bursts with pride when I see you playing... And that since you have been on the team, I play much better" he replied fondly.
And after less than half a second, he felt Yue's cold little hands on his face and her warm lips against his.
When they parted, Dylan sought her eyes.
"So..."
"Be my boyfriend" Yue said quickly.
He laughed and nodded, his eyes full of light.
And as everyone else went mad with joy around them, their lips returned to play the most wonderful team game ever.
Author's Note
Ciao!
This is a very simple story, but I hope you enjoyed it ☺️
I've been thinking about writing something like this for some time... Who knows, maybe one day it could become a multi-chapter fanfiction 😄
I think that in many small aspects it's a mix of some of my old stories ☺️
Thank you very much for reading 💜💛
A big hug,
Lucrezia