My Own Two Eyes

It had become quite common that Ria would show up at the dorm room late after our games since she’d become the captain, but something seemed different tonight.

“Oh, hey Tea.” She said, trying and miserably failing at a composed and casual greeting.

Her tone was a mix of giddiness and, maybe relief?

It was hard to tell, even despite how well I knew her, which meant this was a result of something she hasn’t experienced too often.

I halted her as she tried to slip by me in the narrow entrance way, and the door slowly shut behind her, trapping my best friend.

Taking my time, staring her up and down and adding up the pieces in my head, I tried to quickly figure everything out.

I knew that she’d had an interview after the game, as was customary. I also knew that Liam was attending, and that she would have been excited about it.

Still, this was too much for a mere interview, even if he’d praised her throughout. Something was afoot.

She looked away from me, looking awkward as she accepted my investigation. If she’d wanted to, she’d easily be able to get past me with her agility, but I knew she’d end up sharing the details later, and wanted to try to guess first.

“You talked with him after…” I pondered aloud, quickly shaking my head.

“Just talking wouldn’t do this.” I concluded.

I looked into her eyes as I said that, noticing her slight hint of surprise and assuming I’d guessed right.

It wasn’t just some random talking, it must have been a serious conversation.

“He didn’t propose, did he?”

Ria coughed and waved her hands in a clear ‘no’. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked that after she took a sip of water.

“And you didn’t sneak off anywhere?” I didn’t even try to hide my suspicious gaze as her face blushed and she adamantly refused the notion.

“Did you kiss in public then?”

I doubted that Ria was the type for making public displays, but to my surprise, she gave the tiniest of nods.

I instantly grabbed her shoulders and guided her to one of the chairs nearby.

“Spill.”

Normally I would let her shower before anything else when she got home after a match, but today was not normal.

After all of her worries, requests for relationship advice both before and after asking him out, and dates full of inaction, she’d finally kissed the guy.

For most people, it might not mean as much, but I knew that for Ria this alone meant far more than anything she’d ever done in any prior relationship.

Ten minutes later, I let a low, smooth whistle fill the silence that followed her recounting of the post-interview interaction.

“Look at you go! A declaration of love and a first kiss on the same night?” I exclaimed.

No wonder she’d had that giddy expression on her face, forget a step forward, this was a big leap for those two in their relationship.

And it was more ammo with which to mess with him when we meet, which reminds me.

The question isn’t even halfway out of my mouth when Ria read my mind, her face turning into half amusement, and half horror.

“Are you both free this Sunday?”

She sighed and agreed to check with Liam before I finally let her take a shower and relax. I’d put her through enough interrogation for one day.

While I did want to mess with the two of them of course, there were a couple much more important reasons that I wanted to meet him.

Firstly, I wanted to cook for a date of theirs, even if they wouldn’t consider it a date with me there.

And secondly, and perhaps most crucial of all, I wanted to see it with my own two eyes.

My best friend, in love.