ooo
Puzzle Pieces
[Chapter 2]
it's the little moments that matter
*.*.*.*
She stretched her arm out as far as possible, but her racket didn't make it in time. The ball dropped inside of the white line just beyond her.
"30-40, match point!"
He watched her grit her teeth as she strode to the back of the court to serve.
"Arngh!" she grunted with force.
The ball flew across the net only to be rallied back to her side of the court with ease. Taichi's eyes followed not the ball going back and forth, but his best friend as she dove this way and that, determined to not lose the last point.
He may have been appalled that fateful day she uttered the words "I quit the soccer team", but damn he had to admit she looked good in her tennis outfit.
"Game, set, match!"
Taichi did a double take.
He glanced over at the chair umpire who was descending from his seat. Confirming that the match had just been called, he turned back to Sora and heaved a sigh. It was hard to miss the disappointment in her face as she walked up to the net to shake her opponent's hand.
Spectators around him bustled about, but Taichi stayed put. Absentmindedly he stared up at the clouds, idly playing with his jacket strings as people descended from the stands. Stealing glances Sora's way every minute or so, he waited until he saw her bow to her coach to rise from the bench and make his way down to the court exit. His long legs got him to the gate first, and as she approached, he met her gaze and gave her a sympathetic smile.
"You still rock in my books, Takenouchi."
"At least I almost won the last game. That counts for something, right?" Her expression didn't match the light-hearted tone of her comment.
Turning away from the courts, he guided her through the gate and they commenced the usual, short trek toward her apartment.
"That's now my third loss in a row."
"I told you, you should have stuck with soccer."
"At the rate I'm going, I think I might have to agree with you. I'm surprised I'm even still on the team."
"Everyone has bad days. You just happened to have three inconveniently consecutive ones."
She laughed. "I should have told that to Coach while she was telling me off just now."
"I would have paid to see that," he chuckled back before they fell into a comfortable silence.
As they walked, he felt the temperature considerably drop and he turned to the redhead next to him. His eyes furrowed in concern; she was still sweaty from the match.
"You're gonna catch pneumonia in this weather, Sor. Here, take my jacket," he stated casually as he stripped himself of his zip-up.
"Thanks, mom," she rolled her eyes. "It's not even that cold yet."
They continued walking, but almost immediately a shiver betrayed her as a gust of wind blew between them.
Grinning, he swung his arms around and draped his recently shed jacket over her frame. He squeezed her shoulders and held her a few seconds longer than he probably should have, but she didn't seem to notice.
"You're the worst liar. You're lucky chivalry isn't dead," he jibed.
"Ever the gentleman," she smiled at him playfully. "They grow up so quickly."
"Always at your service, m'lady."
She tugged at the sleeves and burrowed herself into the soft fabric, resuming her pace as Taichi followed suit.
Moments later, they neared her apartment steps and she turned to him to ask, "Are you eating with us tonight?"
"Sadly, I can't," he politely declined. "I promised Koushiro I'd help him with birthday plans over dinner. For someone who keeps saying the party is unnecessary, he's being incredibly particular about it all. I should have known he'd get all controlling, he just can't leave anything to the experts, huh?"
She giggled as she peeled off his jacket. "Oh, so you're an expert now, are you? Well, count your blessings, it's my turn to cook, anyway."
Still smiling, she held out his jacket letting him grab it from her. "Thanks again, Taichi" she expressed, motioning to the article of clothing now draped over his arm, and he nodded in response.
"Alright, well I'll see you later then," she said as she moved toward the entrance of her apartment. "Good luck with the planning and say 'hi' to Koushiro for me!" And with a wave, she shut the door behind her, leaving Taichi to turn and head home.
Making his way to his car, he absentmindedly slung his jacket over his shoulder and caught a whiff of something floral with a hint of cinnamon.
He couldn't help but smile.
*.*.*.*
