Chapter 11

Jason was proud that he finally made up for his earlier faux pas. Somehow, he’d managed to do it sober. He glanced down at his plate and quickly scoffed down another bite. Somewhere deep in his heart, he hoped Michelle would pick up on his feelings and reciprocate them.

Michelle, meanwhile, began to overanalyse his words, trying to decode whether there was any additional meaning behind them.

‘Did Jason just offer to spend more time with her? That was the second time. First was walking Oscar.’

Michelle racked her brain for everything she knew about Jason. He was always pulling pranks, and this was probably another one of them. She wouldn’t fall for it.

“I would, but I know you plan to sneak in cauliflower,” she replied smugly.

Jason stared blankly at her. He had forgotten how much of an airhead she was.

“I thought broccoli was your arch nemesis.”

“Tch… tch… tch...” Michelle wagged her finger at Jason. “I have a life outside of broccoli, you know.”

Jason could no longer tell whether his headache was from the hangover or just Michelle.

They finished eating, and Jason got up to clean the dishes. Michelle followed closely behind, offering to help. Something he would never allow a guest to do, let alone someone as clumsy as her. He handed Oscar a slice of leftover tenderloin, which he gently took and ran off to eat on his bed.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Any time,” he replied, whilst thinking about how he was the one who should be grateful for her spending time with him.

“Umm…” Michelle shuffled about nervously.

“Umm… what?” Jason asked, trying to encourage her to finish her sentence.

“Well, I got something I wanted to give you!” She blurted out. The bridge of her nose was warm, almost as much as her cheeks.

“Something for me?” Jason was beginning to worry. He suspected she was about to pull some sort of antic that would leave him with a migraine. He was beginning to develop a sixth sense for this sort of thing.

“You see, since I got to the next round…”

Jason began to feel a migraine coming on.

“Yes, that’s why you are here… to celebrate this achievement.”

“Right…” she mumbled, acting more of a scatterbrain than she normally was. She reached into her designer bag and retrieved a piece of paper. “Well, anyway… I have some tickets and was wondering if you wanted to come see my match live.”

Jason stared blankly at her, trying to process her words.

“Did you invite me to see you play?” he asked, confirming his ears hadn’t deceived him.

“Yes.”

“That’s what I thought you said.” Jason gulped. He’d always wanted to see her in a proper match, in person. But he figured he’d never get the opportunity. He’d resigned himself to enjoying watching Michelle perform drills with her coach and the ball machine. “

Michelle was desperately searching for a way out of the situation. She could feel her heart rate skyrocket beyond what her fitness band could register. She glanced around his apartment, looking for anything that could justify her action.

“Well, you let me play with Oscar, so I thought I should do something nice for you as well.”

Michelle didn’t even stop to think of a more believable excuse. Meanwhile, Jason was trying to tame his own emotions, meaning he didn’t pick up on this logical fallacy.

“But won’t people get the wrong idea?” Jason asked, worried about how Michelle could be dragged through tabloid magazines from this misunderstanding.

“And what idea would that be?” Michelle replied mechanically, pretending she had no idea how an outsider would interpret the situation.

Jason should have picked up on her obvious attempts at lying, but he was so focused on trying to hide his own that he missed these not-so-subtle cues.

Oscar chewed on the tenderloin. He had no idea why these two humans couldn’t detect each other's feelings. They were stupid. He continued to chew the meat.

“But aren’t those seats usually reserved for family and…” Jason began to ask before trailing off, unable to bring himself to finish the sentence. He looked away from Michelle and bit the back of his hand, trying to regain some composure.

“Yeah… I mean… no… I mean…” she replied on loop, as if her brain had short-circuited.

Jason felt his heart twist.

On one hand, he was honoured. He really wanted to go. Even if it was just a faux event, he could pretend he was her partner. But on the other hand, he was worried it would stir up trouble. That she would become the centre of rumours because of his presence. A distraction that she really didn’t need at such an important moment in her life.

Jason turned away, unable to face her. Probably because his facade would crumble if he did.

“I’d like to go, but I worry it may start some wild rumours. Your success is more important, so I shouldn’t go.” It pained Jason to say this. He knew that the moment Michelle left, he would shed some tears.

“I don’t mind,” she replied, avoiding direct eye contact with Jason.

Jason flicked her forehead.

“It’s that carelessness that will land you in trouble one day.” He let out a heavy sigh and ran his hand through his hair. “Some paparazzi would love to snap a photo of you with a guy. I’m sure that would cause all sorts of problems. You are a professional; you need to focus on your work.”

“So?” she tilted her head as if she was not understanding the gravity of the situation.

“So… as much as I would love to go, I think you should save these kinds of tickets for someone special.”

Jason was beginning to struggle to talk without stuttering. Having to explain everything to Michelle, who didn’t seem to understand the issue with her request, was beginning to take a toll on him. It made him have to face his own feelings. He turned his head away, no longer looking at Michelle, lest his feelings be exposed.

In contrast, Michelle was beginning to feel frustrated. She tried so hard to work up the courage to invite Jason to her match. She thought she was going to faint at any moment. But despite working up the courage, Jason just kept turning it down.

‘How much clearer did she need to be? Michelle didn’t care about what some tabloids said. Who reads magazines and newspapers these days anyway?’ Michelle’s eyes widened as she realised something. There was only one person old-school enough to read such outdated media.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about what it must be like to read articles about yourself. But you don’t have to worry, you are the only one who will ever read it,” she commented, giving him a light pat on the back.

To an outsider, this might’ve sounded like a profound statement about the constant desire and need for others' approval for instant gratification. But Jason knew Michelle well enough to know she was saying something profoundly stupid.

Jason closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, unable to deal with her antics any further.

‘What was he going to do with her?’

He felt something nudge at his sleeve. Glancing down, he saw the slender fingers he had come to love, lightly pulling at it.

“Still, as awkward as it might be for you. I want you to come,” she mumbled out. Her voice was so soft. So sweet. So cute.

How could Jason refuse her when she was so cute?

“Alright, I’ll go,” he replied, resigning himself to a fate he knew he would personally enjoy.

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End of Chapter 11