The Boy in Blue

Chapter 9

The broad daylight didn't reach the room quite yet, the sun not quite at its highest. The hanging lights above the eccentric island lounge casted a little glow, the aura of the room heavenly. They were indistinct conversations between one friend and another, quite unable to comprehend the word silence, although, when you thought about it, nothing ever was silent in the room.

Eden, Hong and Lucas were sitting in front of the big glass windows that looked onto the courtyard. Lucas sat on the island lounge, sitting upright and tense while the other two sat on the floor in front of him. Hong shifted his seating positions tensefully as he moved his pawn on the black and white board. Eden was there for moral support, Hong dragging her to the library as soon as classes were over.

Eden snuck out a piece of her mandarin from the container she had hidden in her blazer pocket. She gave the piece to Hong, along with a quick thumbs up after he made his move on the black and white board. Eden didn't know exactly who's side she was on, but based on all the losses he had endured as of far, she felt Hong needed the support.

The atmosphere tensed up once again, Lucas making his moves, Hong waiting in excitement and Eden munching on mandarins, waiting in anticipation.

The game was getting very close indeed, and Eden found herself drawn in almost as much as the other two.

She was snapped back into reality when Hong moved again, a look of pure terror on his face as he made the daring move towards Lucas.

The game only intensified from there, mandarin pieces forgotten and out in plain sight for the librarian to catch and confiscate.

All track of time was lost, until the librarian interrupted the atmosphere and alerted them that there was 10 minutes to go till period 5. The game picked up pace as the two boys made moves to try and attack each other.

If the game was captured as a TV drama, there would be very dramatic background music, flashing lights, maybe even a dramatic host to dramatically retell the events.

It was a very close game, with mere minutes to spare till the next lesson started. But alas, whether for good or for bad...

Hong had finally taken the win.

Eden slumped on the floor, semi relieved the game was over. The tension melted out of the air.

Hong had stood up, almost to the point of animatedly weeping tears of joy. He started prancing around happily, sitting back down eventually and inwardly screaming to himself when he became far too hyped.

Eden turned back around and exhaled, looking up at Lucas from where she was sitting. He was packing away the board. She wondered how he felt after losing to Hong for the first time, and she was almost about to ask him, when she realised.

She noticed the flawless warm skin and the dark eyes that shone brightly. She watched him move silently, there was something of a warrior in him combined with a gentleness that made her heart reach out.

She bit her lip, how could she ask something like that yet?

Then in that instant he turned and caught her eye; before she could turn away with shyness a small smile spread across his face, turning it from handsome into divine. In that moment she felt her body flush warm. She returned the smile, and in a quick second his attention was off of her and back onto the board which was currently being placed into a box.

Eden shivered and looked away, feeling a little like a creep. He was doing the good of packing up for them and here she was ogling him down.

"Hong, you did good for once in your life"