CHAPTER 30: Lovers

7:00 P.M.

I was sitting in one of the courtside seats lined up inside the arena. I sat right at the front, my eyes fixed on the court. Yuan was currently playing and it was the third day of the PBA games, and his team had already made it to the semifinals.

It was already the third quarter, with the score sitting at 84 to 65. Yuan’s team was leading by a wide margin, probably because he was in peak physical condition today. How could he not be, after finishing several times earlier? The bastard didn't even give my hands a rest. Fucking dickhead, he was really so annoying!

I originally had no intention of watching today's game, but he forced me to come, claiming he needed me here. In reality, he just turned me into his personal caddie, though it was actually my job. He made me carry his tumbler, towel, shoes, clothes, and whatever else was stuffed inside his duffel bag.

When a timeout was called, I saw Yuan jogging over in my direction instead of heading straight to his team bench. His teammates called out to him, but he completely ignored them, and kept his eyes locked onto me.

The corner of his lips curled upward as he approached. And once he reached me, he suddenly rested both of his hands on my shoulders.

"Hey, you were watching me play, right? How was it? Wasn't I amazing?" he blurted out instantly while breathing a little heavily.

"Huh? Were you playing?" I asked, playing dumb.

He immediately scowled and ruffled my hair. "You've got some nerve, huh? You really weren't watching me?" He pointed at the scoreboard.

"Look at how far ahead we are from the opposing team, and that's all thanks to me."

I crossed my arms and shot him a playful, mocking look. "That was just pure luck," I countered.

He sat down beside me and grabbed his tumbler. "Well, I really felt great today. It feels like I was reborn," he said before taking a long swig of water.

"Of course you do. After cumming so many times earlier—"

I couldn't even complete my sentence before he suddenly spat out the water he was drinking.

I grimaced as I stared at him. "Are you okay? Drink slowly, the water isn't going anywhere," I said, my tone sounding like a stern lecture.

He just shot me a glare. "Your mouth really has no filter."

I rolled my eyes. "Why? It's the truth, isn't it?" I snapped back. "And you know that wasn't part of my job description as your assistant. So you better double my pay, because next time, I'll crush your dick myself," I blurted out unfiltered.

I heard him chuckle softly. "Man, it was amazing. I really made the right choice hiring you as my assistant," he said, throwing an arm over my shoulder.

I gritted my teeth. "Be honest with me. Is that the real reason why you hired me as your assistant? Just to give you a handjob?" I asked, practically fuming.

He tilted his head back, pretending to think. "Hmm... sort of."

At his response, I slammed my elbow into his side, making him grunt in pain.

"Bastard! Just so you know, that was the absolute last time I'm ever doing that for you!" I barked at him. "If you want someone to give you a handjob every day, don't ask me! Go hire someone else," I told him bluntly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shake his head. "No. I feel like no one else's service could ever compare to yours," he said straightforwardly.

I snapped my head toward him and shot him a deadly glare. "What? Are you actually planning to make me do that again?!" I hissed, trembling with rage.

"If you want—OUCH!"

Before he could finish his sentence, I smacked the back of his neck. "Just try making me do that again. I won't just stroke it, I'll squeeze your precious dick until it's completely crushed," I threatened in a cold, low voice.

"Chill, it was just a joke," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're so hot-tempered. Can't even take a joke," he added as he stood up.

I just gritted my teeth while shifting my gaze back toward the front.

"I'm heading back over there," he said, taking a step away from me. But before he got too far, he turned back around and pointed a finger at me.

"Keep your eyes on me, okay?"those were his final words before running back to join his team.

I shook my head, massaging my temples. That guy was going to give me an early grave. How much longer did I have to endure this? I felt like I was going to have a stroke from high blood pressure any second because of that bastard.

When the game resumed, the atmosphere in the court grew even more intense because Yuan was simply unstoppable. His team extended their lead even further, completely overwhelming their opponents. The crowd in the arena was going wild, especially the girls holding up banners and tarpaulins, screaming his name at the top of their lungs.

Their voices had been giving me a headache for a while now. I wanted to leave, but I knew that bastard would throw a fit if he caught me missing from my seat.

I let out a heavy sigh, forcing my eyes to follow the game. As I sat there with my arms crossed, leaning against the bleachers, I caught sight of someone sitting down next to me out of the corner of my eye. I wasn't particularly interested in who it was, but I couldn't help turning around because of a familiar aura.

The moment I turned, our eyes met. The corners of his lips were turned up in a smile, as if he was genuinely happy that I had noticed him. It was none other than the bastard who had stolen a kiss from me the other night.

He was wearing a blue cap, which partially covered his face. His outfit was simple, it was a plain black designer shirt paired with denim jeans.

"Hey, Neo," he greeted me, his voice laced with clear excitement.

I immediately narrowed my eyes at him, subconsciously shrinking back in my seat. Perhaps it was instinct, fearing he might try to pull something weird again.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, fuming.

He simply smirked and pointed toward the court. "I just wanted to watch the game," he stated smoothly.

I rolled my eyes. "How did you even find me here?"

He just smiled and held up his phone, which was playing the live stream of the PBA game on YouTube. My brow furrowed, I couldn't see how that connected to him finding my exact spot.

"I saw you on the live stream, so I figured out where you were sitting," he explained while crossing his arms.

The annoyance on my face didn't fade for a second, especially now that he was acting as if he hadn't done anything outrageous to me before.

I noticed him scooting slightly closer to me, which made me raise an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

He gave me a smirk. "I just want a clearer view of the game. There's a banner blocking my sight over there."

"Then go find another seat! Don't stick to me!" I suggested, thoroughly irritated.

The corner of his lips tilted upward. "But I want to sit here."

I arched my eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"Because you're here," he said directly, giving me a wink.

I inhaled deeply, forcing myself to stay calm because I felt the blood rushing to my head again. Was it impossible for me to experience a single peaceful day? Why did it feel like someone was constantly messing with my life every single hour?

"If you think I forgot what you did to me, you're dead wrong. Try pulling any funny business today, and it won't be just one punch landing on your face," I warned in a stern voice, keeping my eyes fixed on the court.

"Are you mad?"

"I'm not mad at all. in fact, I'm thrilled," I replied sarcastically.

I heard him chuckling softly. I didn't know why his laugh felt different this time, like it didn't sound arrogant. Though deep, it sounded strangely appealing to my ears.

I shook my head. It seemed even my hearing was playing tricks on me.

"You know, I really just missed you so badly that I couldn't control myself," he explained. Even though his tone sounded serious, I still didn't buy it for a second.

"Wow, so nowadays when you miss someone, you just go ahead and kiss them?" I snapped back mockingly. I noticed him shifting closer to my side again, so I moved further away from him until I felt the side of his shoe bump into mine.

I felt my temper flaring up again because of his persistence. When was this guy going to leave me alone?

I looked up at him. That mischievous glint was still present in his eyes, so completely different from the cold expression he carried whenever he was around his friends. I shot him a fierce glare while shoving his shoe away from mine, but he just pushed it back against my shoe again.

I clenched my jaw. "You're really testing me, you bastard. Do you really want to taste my fist?" I threatened. "You know I don't give a damn if there are a lot of people here. If you don't stop right now, I'm really going to lay you out," I snarled, holding up my fist for him to see.

He looked at me with a serious expression, his gaze deep and intense, completely stripped of his earlier playful demeanor. "Go ahead. Maybe that's the only way you'll remember me. I don't care if my face gets smashed right now," he said challengeingly, looking as if he actually welcomed whatever I was going to do to him.

That made me even more furious. This guy was really pushing my buttons. What did he think, that I was joking?

Suddenly, I saw him pull a lollipop out from his pants pocket and hand it to me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

"To calm yourself down. Trust me, it works," he replied. His voice was dead serious, but for some reason, it only made me more annoyed.

When I didn't take it, he simply unwrapped it and popped it straight into my mouth. I couldn't even react in time. Immediately, I tasted the sweet yet slightly sour flavor of strawberry.

My brows knit together at his action, but I didn't bother taking it out of my mouth—perhaps because I wasn't expecting the unique sweetness that hit my tongue.

"Neo, I don't know why you forgot about me, and I really blame myself for why you can't even recognize who I am..." he said in a deep, heavy voice.

I felt confused by the way he was looking at me. It was the first time someone had ever looked at me with such deep intent. It felt like his eyes were pouring out an overwhelming wave of emotions, but I couldn't quite grasp them.

"That kiss..." I saw his jaw tighten as he stared at me intently. "I've longed for your lips... I've longed for them for years now. I can't even bring myself to regret kissing you. If anything, I hate myself for not devouring you right then and there," he said in a low, raspy voice.

I gritted my teeth. "Bastard!" I spat out angrily, the lollipop still held in my mouth.

I was furious because there wasn't a single trace of regret in his voice for what he had done to me that night.

I aggressively pulled the lollipop out of my mouth before speaking. "Do you even realize what you did? You stole my first kiss," I blurted out. I didn't even know why I said that, maybe I just didn't know how else to vent my frustration at him. After I said it, I shoved the lollipop back into my mouth.

I noticed him pause slightly at my words, but slowly, a subtle smile began to trace his lips.

"Neo, how am I supposed to tell you this..." A playful smirk formed on his face.

"What?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

The corner of his lips curved upward, his eyes teasing. "That I was your first kiss."

I couldn't stop my eyes from widening, my lips parting in shock at his words. But nothing could have prepared me for what he said next.

"Back then, we weren't just acquaintances who knew each other..." He paused and stared at me with a soft, gentle gaze that seemed filled with deep longing.

"...We were lovers."

When he said those words, I didn't know why my heart suddenly skipped a beat, or why my stomach did a strange flip. Then, a sweet taste flowed down my throat from the lollipop stuck in my mouth, but it felt as though it instantly turned bitter as my throat suddenly ran dry.

I shook my head firmly at his words. "No way..."