The Love Score || Zhuo Zhi

42: Hey Stranger

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, but on the inside, I felt my heart skip a beat. I was at a loss for words as Zhuo Yu's sentence was the only thing playing through my mind.

Zhuo Zhi likes you.

I took in a sharp breath. I didn't know how to feel. Yes, I've had crushes before. But none of them had ever liked me back. I was just the girl admiring them from afar. Now that I heard this piece of news, how was I supposed to react? Heck, I didn't even know if my liking for Zhuo Zhi was real or just my fevered imagination. Moreover, it wasn't even said from Zhuo Zhi's mouth. I couldn't blindly assume that he did like me.

I felt lightheaded as my thoughts whirled around my head like a blizzard, my mouth agape as my gaze was fixed on a staring Xiao Yu. "Yue En?" Xiao Yu asked, looking concerned. "What-- you aren't in shock, are you?"

I shut my eyes and took in a slow, calming breath. Breathe. You're just overreacting.

"That's surprising news to me," I managed to say finally, after a pause. "But Xiao Yu, I doubt so. Senior Zhuo Zhi could never. And I d-don't like him back either." I recited my carefully thought-out words hastily, so quickly that Xiao Yu couldn't notice my stutter as I told my lie. I inserted my hands into my hoodie, clenching my fists tightly so that Xiao Yu couldn't see my nervousness.

Xiao Yu, thankfully, didn't notice anything odd and shrugged. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just saying what I think is going on, but I may or may not be mistaken," He pulled his tennis bag over his shoulder. "Are you going to leave yet?"

I swallowed, my throat dry. "Yeah. Are you staying?" I asked as we began making our way towards the exit.

Xiao Yu pointed his thumb in a direction, opposite to where I planned to head to. "I have to go back to Guo Zi to meet my teammates. The Regionals are coming next year and we all want to train early."

I forced a smile, waving gently as I walked away. "Say hi to Guan Yue for me."

Xiao Yu nodded, returning a smile as we turned in our different directions. I let my worries and thoughts cloud over my mind, rethinking Xiao Yu's words again. I had asked myself the same question numerous times, but I couldn't think of a valid answer. Neither could I determine how I should respond.

I drank another mouthful of my half-finished lemon tea, but the sweetness seemed sickening to me now. I threw it in the trash on the way out after contemplating whether it would be a waste but decided that I wouldn't end up drinking it anyway.

My footsteps felt heavy as I treaded on the sidewalk away from the tennis centre. Perhaps Xiao Yu made a mistake. Like how Zhuo Zhi mistook Xiao Yu for the same thing. But why had I felt the flash of hope in my heart when Xiao Yu mentioned it, unlike when Zhuo Zhi said so? I ran my tongue over my dry lips, the hairs on my head flowing amongst the gentle wind.

Will I be happy, if Zhuo Zhi says that he likes me? Or will it only make things awkward between us? What happens if Zhuo Zhi says no? Will I feel crushed and devastated? Would it be safer to just keep my feelings hidden from him at all?

I took in a frustrated inhale, then exhaled deeply. All these question marks piling up were bound to make my head burst. Why are feelings so goddamn difficult?

I spotted a familiar silhouette several metres ahead of me after I turned around a corner. Black shirt and grey shorts and a tennis bag over his shoulder.

I pondered over whether I should ask him. I rolled my tongue around at the back of my mouth as I kept my gaze on Zhuo Zhi's back. But if he says no...

Oh, come on, Yue En! You're not afraid of rejection, are you?

It's technically not rejection if it's just a curious question!