When We Were Us

A Shared Court

The practice was almost over, and Miggy could feel his arms beginning to fatigue. The gym was still buzzing with the sound of sneakers on the floor and the ball being passed around. It had been a long practice, but nothing could shake the feeling that had taken root ever since he first laid eyes on Rafa Dela Cruz.

Miggy wasn’t the kind to get distracted easily, especially not during practice, but Rafa was different. The way he moved, the intensity in his gaze—it made everything else seem like background noise.

"Come on, Miggy, focus!" Paulo, his outside hitter and best friend, called from across the court. "We still have a few more sets to get through."

Miggy forced himself to concentrate, pushing aside the distraction that was Rafa. But as he prepared to serve the ball to the other side of the court, his gaze instinctively drifted back to the opposing team, where Rafa was practicing his spikes.

"s**t," Miggy muttered under his breath.

"Something wrong?" Paulo asked, glancing at his friend’s distracted expression.

"Nah, just tired." Miggy shook his head, pretending to refocus.

The coach blew the whistle, signaling the end of practice. The team gathered around for a quick huddle.

"Great practice, everyone. Keep working hard. We’ve got a big match coming up," Coach Rivera said, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "We’ll face off against the engineering team next week. Let’s make sure we’re all prepared."

Miggy’s heart skipped at the mention of the engineering team. His mind flashed back to Rafa, his powerful spikes, his easy confidence. The match next week would be their first chance to face off on the court, and Miggy found himself both nervous and excited.

As the team began to break up and grab their things, Miggy noticed the engineering team walking toward the locker rooms. And there, right in the middle of them, was Rafa.

Miggy quickly turned away, trying to act casual, but his heart was racing again.

"You alright?" Paulo asked, raising an eyebrow. "You’ve been a little off today."

"I’m fine," Miggy replied, but his voice sounded a little too high-pitched.

Paulo smirked. "Uh-huh. Sure, you’re fine. You just seem a little... distracted. You’ve been looking at Rafa like he’s about to serve you a love letter or something."

Miggy glared at him. "Cut it out, Paulo."

"Hey, man, I’m just saying. You’re acting a little weird." Paulo winked and patted Miggy on the back.

Miggy sighed. "It’s nothing. Really."

As they walked toward the locker room, he caught sight of Rafa again, this time standing outside the entrance. He was chatting with his teammates, laughing at something one of them said. Miggy watched, feeling a strange sense of longing that he couldn’t explain.

When Rafa looked in his direction, their eyes met again.

Miggy quickly looked away, his face flushing. But Rafa’s gaze lingered, and this time, he didn’t immediately turn away. Instead, he gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

Miggy’s heart raced.

"Stop looking at him, man," Paulo muttered under his breath, seeing the way Miggy was reacting. "He’s just another player."

But the feeling didn’t go away.