Chapter 9

Charlotte.

The name flashed across the scoreboard.

For a heartbeat, Engfa forgot where she was.

There she stood, just a few feet away.

The mysterious junior who had occupied far more of her thoughts than she cared to admit.

She looked different outside of campus.

Less like the quiet girl Engfa had admired from afar…

More like someone completely alive.

Her honey-blonde highlights rested naturally over her shoulders, catching every color from the carnival lights. She wore a simple denim two-piece with white sneakers, while a white and black top peeked out beneath her jacket. A tiny silver belly ring shimmered every time she moved, drawing Engfa’s eyes for only a split second before she quickly looked away.

Nothing about Charlotte screamed wealth.

Nothing about her demanded attention.

And yet…

She had all of Engfa’s.

She really is something…

Charlotte stepped beside her and picked up the first ball.

“So…” Her voice was softer than Engfa remembered

Charlotte tilted her head ever so slightly.

“You are Engfa.”

Engfa laughed.

“Guilty.”

Charlotte smiled. 

“Cool name.”

“Thanks.” 

“I’m Charlotte.” She said looking up.

Above the booth hung tonight’s grand prize.

The giant Labubu that Engfa really didn’t care about.

She just wanted bragging rights over her friends.

But she could see the spark lit almost instantly in Charlotte’s eyes.

She stepped confidently toward the throwing line.

“A hundred it is.”

The crowd erupted into cheers.

Engfa couldn’t help smiling.

This is going to be fun.

Just then Aaron stepped between them, flashing the easy grin that had made him one of the most popular boys on campus.

“You two are going down.”

He rubbed his hands together dramatically.

“Ladies first.”

Charlotte and Engfa reached toward the basket of balls at the exact same time.

Their fingers brushed.

The moment their skin touched…

It was like lightning striking a honeycomb.

Warm.

Sweet.

Electric.

A strange current raced through Engfa’s fingertips and settled somewhere deep inside her chest.

For the briefest second…

Then they looked at each other.

“Sorry.”

They both spoke at once.

Silence.

Then laughter.

Aaron rolled his eyes dramatically.

“Since you two are taking forever…”

He scooped up a ball.

“Let’s make this interesting.”

The crowd leaned in.

“If I win…”

He pointed between them.

“I take the second- runner-up on a date.”

He paused just long enough for everyone to react.

“And the other person gets dunked in the water tank.”

The crowd exploded.

“Ooooooh!”

Nesa whistled loudly.

Sunny burst into laughter.

Patcha leaned toward Chers.

“He’s confident.”

Charlotte twirled the ball in her hand before looking at Aaron.

“Okay.”

She smiled simply.

“You’re on.”

Engfa raised an eyebrow.

Charlotte didn’t hesitate.

Not even for a second.

A grin slowly spread across Engfa’s face.

“Deal.”

Although…

If she was being honest with herself…

She’d much rather take Charlotte on that date than watch Aaron do it.

Aaron stepped up first.

He inhaled dramatically.

“Watch and learn.”

Release.

Bull’s-eye.

His friends erupted into cheers.

“That’s our boy!”

Aaron pointed finger guns at the girls.

Charlotte simply stepped forward.

No hesitation.

Release.

Bull’s-eye.

Now it was Marima and Heidi cheering.

Engfa folded her arms.

“So…”

“She’s competitive.”

Good.

She liked that.

Without another word she stepped forward herself.

Release.

Bull’s-eye.

Now Sunny, Nesa, Patcha and Chers exploded.

Before long…

The competition stopped being about winning.

Bull’s-eyes.

Cheers.

Misses.

Laughter.

Every time Charlotte scored, Engfa smiled before throwing harder.

Every time Engfa answered, Charlotte smiled right back.

Aaron was still playing.

Still scoring.

Still making jokes.

Yet somehow…

He was no longer the center of attention.

Charlotte’s posture fascinated Engfa.

Every movement looked practiced.

Her feet remained perfectly balanced.

Her shoulders stayed relaxed.

Even the way she released the ball looked graceful.

Like she’d spent years turning discipline into instinct.

She really is amazing…

Behind them…

Their friends had stopped watching the scoreboard.

Instead…

They were watching the girls.

Sunny leaned toward Nesa.

“…Do you see it?”

Nesa never looked away.

A slow grin spread across her face.

“Oh…”

“I definitely see it.”

Patcha laughed.

“They’re flirting.”

“They don’t even know they’re flirting.”

Chers covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

“They’re hopeless.”

Completely oblivious…

Engfa reached toward the basket again.

At the exact same moment…

Charlotte did too.

Their fingers brushed once more.

Warm.

Soft.

Both girls froze.

Charlotte looked down at their hands.

Then slowly back at Engfa.

Their fingers separated.

“Oh…”

Charlotte laughed first.

“Again.”

“I’m sorry.”

Engfa laughed too.

“No.”

“I should’ve looked.”

Charlotte glanced at the ball resting between them before smiling shyly.

“For a second…”

“I thought your hand was the ball.”

Engfa burst into laughter.

“So that’s your strategy?”

“Distract the competition?”

Charlotte shrugged with perfect innocence.

“Maybe.”

“I’ll deny everything na.”

She lifted the ball.

Release.

Bull’s-eye.

The crowd erupted again.

Engfa folded her arms dramatically.

“Oh…”

“So it’s like that?”

Charlotte simply raised one eyebrow.

“Catch up.”

Engfa smiled.

“Oh…”

“Challenge accepted.”

The crowd roared as the scoreboard climbed higher with every throw.

Aaron.

Charlotte.

Engfa.

One after another.

Neither of the girls seemed willing to give the other even the smallest advantage.

Aaron stepped forward first for the final round.

His friends crowded around him, chanting his name.

This was supposed to be his moment.

He rolled his shoulders, took a deep breath, and let the ball fly.

It clipped the edge.

“Ninety!” the booth operator announced.

Aaron stared at the scoreboard in disbelief before dropping dramatically onto one knee.

“Darn it.”

He clasped his hands together in an exaggerated prayer.

“Please…”

“Somebody miss.”

The crowd burst into laughter.

Even Charlotte couldn’t help smiling.

She stepped forward next.

Unlike Aaron, she didn’t hesitate.

She planted her feet, narrowed her focus, and released.

“Ninety-five!”

Applause erupted around her.

Charlotte simply smiled.

“So close.”

There wasn’t a hint of disappointment on her face.

She accepted the score with the same quiet grace she’d carried all evening.

Engfa watched her for a moment longer than she should have.

Then she picked up the final ball.

She glanced once toward Aaron.

Then toward Charlotte.

Charlotte met her eyes and gave the smallest nod.

“Go.”

Engfa smiled.

One smooth motion.

She drew her arm back.

Released.

The ball sailed cleanly through the air.

Bull’s-eye.

“ONE HUNDRED!”

The entire arcade exploded.

Sunny and Nesa were the first to reach her.

“There she is!”

“I told you she’d win!”

Before Engfa could protest, they hoisted her onto their shoulders while Patcha and Chers cheered from below.

She laughed until tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

When they finally set her back on the ground, she looked across the crowd.

Charlotte was clapping.

Not politely.

Not because she had to.

She looked genuinely happy for her.

That simple gesture warmed Engfa more than winning ever could.

She turned just in time for Wanchai to appear beside her.

Without thinking, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

Charlotte blinked.

“So that’s why…”

“I thought I was seeing double.”

Wanchai grinned.

“I’m the better-looking twin.”

Engfa rolled her eyes.

“In your dreams.”

Charlotte laughed.

The sound was light.

Unforced.

Beautiful.

Aaron wandered toward the dunk tank while his friends teased him mercilessly.

“Losing to two girls!”

“We’re never letting you live this down!”

Aaron rubbed the back of his neck before laughing at himself.

“Fair enough.”

“I deserved that.”

Engfa liked him for that.

He could lose without losing his confidence.

Before anyone else could react, the booth operator handed Engfa the grand prize.

A giant mystery Labubu.

She looked down at it.

Then across at Charlotte.

There wasn’t even a decision to make.

She walked straight toward her.

Charlotte looked up, surprised.

“I beat you.”

Charlotte smiled.

“Almost.”

Engfa glanced down at the Labubu before gently placing it into Charlotte’s hands.

Charlotte blinked.

“But…”

“I lost.”

“I know.”

Engfa smiled softly.

“But tonight wasn’t about winning.”

Charlotte looked down at the oversized plush resting safely against her chest.

“No one’s ever…”

She stopped herself.

Engfa tilted her head.

“No one’s ever what?”

Charlotte smiled to herself.

“…Nothing.”

“Thank you.”

For a heartbeat…

The carnival disappeared.

The music.

The lights.

The cheering.

Even the people around them.

It was just the two of them.

Standing beneath a sky painted with fireworks and carnival lights.

Then—

The moment shattered.

A voice drifted through the crowd.

“…She’s a lesbian.”

Another followed.

“I didn’t know.”

Aaron’s friend nudged him with his elbow.

“Gay”

“Dude…”

“So that’s why she wasn’t interested.”

Aaron didn’t answer.

He simply looked toward Engfa for a brief moment before quietly looking away.

Charlotte heard every word.

She looked up instinctively.

Engfa hadn’t reacted.

She was laughing with Sunny.

Nudging Wanchai.

Letting Nesa steal one of her victory poses.

As though those whispers had never reached her.

Or perhaps…

As though she’d heard them so many times they no longer had the power to hurt.

Charlotte lowered her eyes to the Labubu in her arms.

Then slowly looked back at Engfa.

Suddenly…

Everything from tonight replayed itself.

The smile.

The laughter.

The game.

Their hands touching.

Like lightning striking a honeycomb.

The way Engfa had looked at her.

The gift.

Questions she’d never asked herself before quietly surfaced.

Not because she suddenly believed she liked girls.

Not because she suddenly questioned who she was.

… her mother taught her these things were wrong.

Now she couldn’t understand why hearing those two words—

“She’s gay.”

—made every moment they’d shared tonight feel different.

Marima gently touched her shoulder.

“Char?”

“You okay?”

Charlotte opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

Her fingers tightened around the Labubu.

Across the crowd, Engfa happened to look up.

Their eyes met one last time.

Engfa smiled.

The same warm smile that had first caught Charlotte’s attention outside the university.

Charlotte felt her heart stumble.

For the first time in seventeen years…

Charlotte Austin didn’t know whether she should smile back…

…or look away.