Rematch

It was Friday at 5 in the afternoon when I arrived at the sports hall. Everybody was already there, including Rui.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late. I missed my bus.”

David came out to greet me first.

“Hey Jinko, I’m glad you could join us again. We’re about to start, so go change and you can play the second game.”

“Okay.”

I noticed Rui looking at me, so I said ‘Hi’ to her, but she just turned away.

I know it was my idea, but it still stings a bit for some reason.

The day before, I called Rui and asked her to act less friendly with me during Friday’s badminton. The reason was simple. If she was suddenly super chatty with me, it could arouse suspicion and unnecessary questions, and I really didn’t want to deal with that.

I thought Rui would agree it was for the best, but she sounded a little angry over the phone. Or did the call make her sound that way?

I went to the locker room to change, and then went to play normally, like all those times before. I played some doubles and one singles match against David, which I lost, although closely, with the score being 8-11. I couldn’t really tell if he was holding back, but I had a hunch that he wasn’t, which made me feel really confident.

Then, I was paired up with Rita against Max and Asu.

Before the game started, I had to ask Rita the question that’s been on my mind for days.

“Hey, um, Rita? Did you tell anyone you saw me in Rui’s room? Because I can explain that.”

“It’s none of my business what you and Rui were doing there, and it's also not my place to be telling anyone about it.”

“Really? You didn’t tell anyone?”

“Well... I told Otto. He’s my boyfriend, and I had to tell someone, or it would eat me up from the inside. But I made him promise he wouldn’t tell anyone else.”

“I see... Also, it’s not what you think. I was sleepwalking and somehow ended up-”

Then, Max called out to us, urging us to start the game.

“Hey, you two, we don’t have all day. Are we playing or what?”

I served the first shot, and the game began. It was close the whole time, but we eventually ended up losing 11-13.

Even though it’s been a while since I played, I feel like I’ve gotten better. I was returning shots that I couldn’t catch up to before.

Even Max, who rarely complimented anyone, did so.

“Jinko, were you secretly practicing while you were absent? You’ve gotten pretty good.”

“Really? Thanks!”

I think this is the first time he complimented me without sarcasm. I must've really improved.

Otto then spoke up so everyone could hear.

“Do I spin the wheel again?”

Each time we played badminton, we usually spun the wheel to determine who would be playing against whom. We used a simple mobile app where we entered the names of everyone present that day, and it would randomly select four, six, or eight names to decide who would play. But if someone had already decided who they wanted to play with, everyone would usually let them. The wheel was used just as a backup.

Everyone agreed to spin the wheel to make the teams randomly, and Otto then announced the result.

“Court one will be doubles, with me and Rita playing against Max and David and on court two will be Rui and Jinko, playing singles. Is everyone fine with that?”

Nobody objected, and so we moved to our respective courts.

“Thanks again for coming and filling in the empty spot, Rui. Let’s have a good game.”

“Mm.”

She still sounds pretty annoyed. I can’t tell if she’s acting distant because I told her to or if she’s actually mad at me right now. I’ll ask her after the game just in case.

But I didn’t need to, because right as the match started, I had my answer. She beat me 0-11 again, but even faster this time. I could see in her eyes that she was trying to destroy me as badly as she could.

“...Thank you for the game.”

“...”

Rui didn’t even answer me and just went away to drink water.

I thought I’ve gotten pretty good, but I yet again stood no chance against her. It felt like facing a professional at nationals. I can tell she didn’t hold back even a little bit, which means she was holding back when we played back then...

Otto spun the wheel again. This time, I was selected to play, but Rui wasn’t, so I took the opportunity to switch with Max, who happily agreed to take my place.

“Hey, Rui?”

“...What?”

She’s cold towards me, like when we were here previously. Did I really make her upset somehow?

“Is everything okay? I know I said we should act a little more distant, but I feel like you’re overplaying it.”

“Huh?! So first you say not to be friendly with each other when others are around, but now you decide you don’t like that, so you want to take it back?”

“I thought you would be more comfortable that way... since they might start suspecting something. I just didn’t want your secret to get out.”

“And you thought not being friendly was the best option?”

“No, no, I didn't mean it like that. It was meant to be for only while we’re here.”

“...So, you didn’t want to stop being friends with me?”

“F-friends? Are we friends?”

When I said that, Rui looked dejected and sad, but also really embarrassed, something I had never seen before.

“N-No... I just thought that since we talked so much and... N-never mind, it’s fine. Of course I didn’t t-think we were friends...”

“Wait, wait, wait! That’s not what I meant! I’d love to be friends with you!”

“R-really? Ah...”

Rui looked past me, showing an expression of surprise, embarrassment, and awkwardness. I looked behind me and saw everyone, including the people who were supposed to be playing, staring at us with their mouths open.

Did everyone just hear that? I was too loud, wasn't I?

“A-ah, sorry for distracting you, everyone. I’ll keep my voice down, hahaha...”

People went back to playing, and the others started minding their own business, but I still felt some of them occasionally stealing glances at us.

“My bad, I didn’t mean to be that loud.”

“...”

“...I’m sorry.”

“About what?”

“That I made you think I didn’t want to talk to you anymore. I shouldn’t have told you to be less friendly with me.”

“Thank you.”

“So, can we be friends?”

“We can.”

“Okay, awesome...”

“Yeah...”

Yet again, another awkward silence fell between us, this time, it was even more uncomfortable. I glanced at Rui, her face slightly red, and broke the silence.

“By the way, I still haven’t been able to fall asleep.”

“I know, you told me over the phone yesterday.”

“Haha, you’re right...”

It’s getting even more awkward. I should say something, but I can’t think of anything.

So, I just said the first thing that came to mind.

“Are you free tomorrow?”

Wait, what?

“I am. Why?”

“I thought maybe we could go somewhere for lunch or dinner... to discuss my situation and what to do next.”

Huh?! Did I really just say that? It’s as if random words are just pouring out of my mouth uncontrollably.

“Okay. Where would you like to go?”

“I haven’t thought of that yet. Do you have a place in mind where you would like to go?”

“How about the restaurant I work at? It’s pretty expensive though.”

Expensive? I don’t work anymore so I don’t know if I’m comfortable enough to pay for an expensive meal. My parents won’t pay for that either.

“Sure, that works for me.”

Why would I say that?!

“You can text me the details when you get home, I’m free whenever.”

“Okay.”

What have I gotten myself into? Will I even be able to afford it? At least she looks a little cheered up now.

“Alright everybody, since we don’t have enough time for another game, let’s call it here.”

Following Max’s announcement, we all picked up our things and went to change before heading home. Even after that small scene where I talked louder than I should have, nobody asked me any questions about me and Rui. I didn’t know if nobody thought something was weird, or if everyone knew but just chose to ignore it.

On my way home, I spent the whole time thinking about my last conversation with Rui and what I said.

Why did I say all those things? It’s not like I don’t want to go to that restaurant with her, but...

No matter how I thought about it, I always came to the same conclusion.

I actually asked her out on a date, didn’t I?