Chapter 231: The soccer match

The moment Cixi entered the cafe, Lily lifted her hand and waved at her from behind the counter, completely forgetting the customers waiting in front of her for a few seconds. One man cleared his throat impatiently, but Lily barely noticed him because the sight of Cixi walking in with that usual tired smile on her face made something tighten inside her chest. After everything Silviya had told her yesterday, Lily had spent the entire night tossing and turning from one side of the bed to the other, unable to sleep properly. Every small thing about Cixi had looked different in her mind. The way she never talked about college, the way she always changed the subject when someone asked about her past, the way she sometimes became too quiet when men raised their voices near the counter.

All of it had returned to Lily in the dark, and by morning she had already decided that whether Silviya was telling the truth or lying through her teeth, Cixi needed someone beside her.

Cixi gave Lily a genuine wave, smiling as though nothing in the world was wrong, and that smile only made Lily feel worse. How could this girl keep smiling like that after everything she had possibly gone through? How much had she swallowed quietly because she did not want anyone to pity her? Lily forced herself to look away before her emotions showed too much, then turned back to the customer and took his order with an apology that sounded far less sincere than usual.

Cixi headed towards the back of the cafe, wore an apron near her locker, checked the schedule pinned to the board, and saw that she had been assigned to customer service. She adjusted her apron, checked the fake belly once more beneath it to make sure nothing looked strange, then returned to the front. Work began before she could even gather her thoughts. One customer wanted his coffee less hot because, apparently, coffee being hot had personally offended him. Another changed her order three times and then looked annoyed when Cixi repeated it back to confirm. By the time the morning rush settled, Cixi’s feet had already started aching, and the fake belly felt heavier than it had any right to feel.

Lily watched her whenever she could without being obvious.

Cixi noticed once and narrowed her eyes playfully. "Why are you staring at me like I stole money from your wallet?"

Lily quickly looked at the espresso machine. "Maybe you did."

"If I did, I would be richer than this," Cixi muttered, taking another order from a teenage boy who looked as though speaking to a woman behind a counter required a heroic amount of courage.

Lily almost smiled, but the worry remained beneath it.

Time passed in the usual noisy rhythm of the cafe. Cixi moved between the counter and the tables with professional speed, though Lily could see the tiredness in the way she occasionally rested one hand on her lower back.

Normally Lily would have teased her about behaving like an old woman, but today she could not bring herself to joke carelessly. Silviya’s words kept returning to her again and again.

When break time finally arrived, Lily practically waited near the back door like someone expecting important news. She tried to act casual, but her fingers kept tapping against her phone, and every sound from the hallway made her turn her head. Cixi appeared a minute later, pulling the apron string loose with one hand while holding a small packet of biscuits in the other.

Before Cixi could say anything, Lily stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

Cixi froze for half a second, surprised by the force of it, then laughed softly and hugged her back. "What is up with the hug, Lily?"

Lily closed her eyes for a moment. She wanted to ask everything. She wanted to ask about college, about Felix, about Silviya, about why Cixi had changed her number and left her apartment. But the questions felt too sharp to throw at her without warning, especially when Cixi was standing there in the middle of a workday, tired and pretending to be fine, like always.

"Nothing," Lily said, pulling back enough to look at her face. "I just wanted you to know that I am here for you."

Cixi blinked.

The softness in Lily’s voice caught her off guard more than the hug had.

For a second, something uncertain crossed her face, something vulnerable that disappeared almost immediately beneath her usual humour. "And I am there for you," Cixi replied, winking at her because it was easier than asking why Lily suddenly looked as though she might cry.

Lily smiled, but her heart still felt heavy.

To cover it, she reached into her pocket and pulled out two tickets with sudden excitement. "By the way, I brought us soccer tickets. This Friday."

Cixi stared at the tickets, then at Lily. "What the hell, Lily? Why did you not ask me before buying them?"

"Because I wanted to surprise you."

"You did surprise me." Cixi snatched one ticket and looked at it properly, her expression shifting from shock to disbelief to reluctant excitement. "Wait, these are actually good seats."

"I know."

"You spent too much money."

"I know that, too."

"Are you secretly rich?"

"No, which is why you have to enjoy it properly. I cannot waste my poverty on someone who will sit there looking bored."

Cixi laughed, the sound light enough to ease something inside Lily. For the next few minutes they talked about the match, what time they should leave, whether they should eat before or after, and what they should wear.

For a short while, everything felt normal. Two friends planning a Friday evening. Two girls laughing in the break room.

When Cixi’s break ended, she tucked the ticket carefully into her locker and returned to the front to take orders again. Lily watched her go, feeling a little lighter than before, though not completely. She told herself she would speak to Cixi properly after work, when there was no rush and no customers listening. She would not frighten her during the break. She would not ruin the first genuinely happy expression Cixi had shown all morning.

Before putting her phone back into the locker, Lily checked the screen.

A new message waited there.

Silviya.

Lily’s stomach tightened before she even opened it.

The text was short.

"I will see you at the soccer match."