Part- 390:
She grinned, nodding. “Yep. It robably the worst idea I ever had, though. I was less ied in sg and more… let’s just say I was a ‘defeerror’—that’s what the coach called me, at least.”
James ughed, picturing her fierce, determined face chasing after the ball, elbows flying, not g if she was supposed to follow the rules. “That souly like you. I bet you were a nightmare for the other pyers.”
“Oh, I was.” Mili’s ughter was bright, mischievous. “I had this… overenthusiastic approach, let’s call it. I’d dive into tackles without thinking twice, and I might have pushed a few people. By the sed game, I had fouled more times than I could t.”
James shook his head, amused. “Let me guess, they eventually suggested you find a ‘better fit’?”
“Exactly!” She ughed, rolling her eyes. “The coae aside after one practice, and I’ll never fet what he said: ‘Mili, football might not be your calling. You have… too much spirit.’ It was his nice way of saying I was too aggressive.”
James chuckled, nudging her lightly. “Well, he robably right. Martial arts suits you a lot better. More your style, you know?”
She tilted her head, pretending to look offended. “Are you saying I’d make a better fighter than a footballer?”
“Without a doubt,” he replied, grinning.
They walked on, the ughter from her football memories lingering in the air around them. Then, as the versation naturally shifted, Mili’s expression softened as another memory surfaced, ohat felt like an old friend. She stole a sideways g James, a nostalgic smile tugging at her lips. “You probably don’t remember this, but… you were my first friend when I started to going Martial Art ter with my parents.l.”
James furrowed his brow, taken aback. “Really? I didn’t know that. I thought you were friends with everyone from the start.”
She shook her head. “No, not even close. I was so nervous, actually. I didn’t know anyone, and I kept w if I’d fit in. But then you showed up. On my first day in karate css, you offered me a seat o you.”
James’s expression softened as he tried to recall the moment, but it was a hazy memory, buried under tless others. “I don’t remember that… I just remember you always being there, like we’d been friends forever.”
At first James didn’t remembered her face when Mili said they were old friend. However, when he saw their photo togather one day, strangely for him, all of the memory ing toward him automatically.
Mili smiled, her eyes thoughtful. “I guess it felt that way to me too, eventually. But that small gesture meant the world to me. I remember thinking, ‘Maybe this pce isn’t so bad after all.’ And from there, it just felt easy. You made me feel at home.”
A fortable siletled between them, and James felt an ued warmth in his chest. It was strao think that such a simple a on his part had meant so much to her. Mili’s memories painted a different picture of their early days than the one he’d known. To him, Mili had always seemed strong and indepe, but her story revealed a vulnerable side he hadn’t seen.
