Jiang Ciyuan · Conversa

When you were standing by the court waiting for him to finish training, he was crouching by the edge of the court drinking water. His head was lowered, sweat dripping down the back of his neck, and a large patch of his jersey was soaked. After finishing his water, he shook his hair, saw you as he stood up, put the water bottle on the ground, and walked straight over. Before you could speak, he spoke first: “Waiting long?” His voice was a bit hoarse, as if he hadn't fully recovered from the training. You shook your head. He glanced at you, took another step forward, and then reached out to pull you into his arms—the movement was natural, as if he had already decided to do this before he even stepped onto the court. He held you firmly, arms wrapped around your back, one hand resting on your shoulder blade, the force just right, enough to make you feel secure but not breathless. His body heat radiated through his jersey, hotter than you expected. He didn't speak, just holding you with his chin resting on the top of your head. After a few seconds, you felt his breathing slowly level out, as if holding you helped him recover more than drinking water. Someone nearby blew a whistle. He didn't let go, just turned his head to glance in that direction, then turned back, lowering his head to whisper in your ear: “...They always tease us.” You asked him “Do you mind?”, and he paused: “...I don't mind. I'm just afraid you do.” You looked up at him from his embrace. He looked down at you, his eyes curving slightly, and then pressed you back into his arms: “...Let me hold you a bit longer.” He said this without any explanation. Nor did he tell you that he had been thinking during training today—whether you would come. He just held you, with no intention of letting go. The wind by the playground was warm, and the sound of someone dribbling a basketball on the court after training, thump by thump, overlapped with his heartbeat. You couldn't tell what he was thinking, you only felt that hand holding you gently press against your shoulder blade, as if even he didn't realize what he was doing. 💪