Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Lucas stood in the doorway for a few seconds, unable to process Lucy’s sudden appearance.

"Merry Christmas, Tanaka," Lucy said, touching him with her shoulder to get through.

"Lucy, what are you doing here? It’s almost two in the morning," Lucas asked, still surprised.

"I guess that’s kind of obvious, isn’t it?" she replied and rubbed her hands together for warmth, her lips slightly blue from the cold.

Kate heard everything from the bathroom, so she slowly opened the door and stepped out. Lucy saw her immediately.

"Kate..." Lucy whispered.

Kate froze. Lucy’s gaze was not accusing as she had feared. It seemed more curious and confused.

"I... I didn’t know what to say to you by message. So I came in person." Lucy explained, her eyes fixed on Kate’s. "I’m not here to shout at you. I want to understand everything before I draw my own conclusions."

Kate nodded slowly.

"Lucas, why don’t you make us all something hot? I’m freezing, and it looks like Kate needs to warm up a bit, too." Lucy suggested.

Lucas hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, closed the door and went into the kitchen. The two girls stood in the center of the room in tense silence until Lucy spoke again.

"Sit with me?" Lucy asked, showing the small sofa.

Kate agreed and sat down, although she was restless. Lucy settled down next to her and took off her scarf and then her blouse. Meanwhile, she was talking:

"Kate, I’ve read your messages. And first, I want to say that I appreciate your honesty in telling me," Lucy said calmly.

"I feel awful, Lucy. I knew how you felt about him, but I... I lost myself at the moment. And, honestly, I don’t know how I feel about him."

"I understand. I know how... charming Lucas can be." She looked at Lucas, who was preparing some hot chocolates from the sachet he had bought. He glanced at Lucy, but then looked away. "Nothing between Lucas and me was concrete. He told me to wait, but I was naïve to think I had all the time in the world."

Kate looked up. "So... you’re mad at me?"

"I’m confused. I won’t lie. But I don’t think you’re a bad person, Kate. I know you too well to think that," Lucy replied with a shy smile. "I think this situation got out of hand quickly."

"I just don’t want to lose you, Lucy. Our friendship means a lot to me."

Lucy held Kate’s hands gently. "And you mean a lot to me, too. That’s why I’m here, to sort this out together. I’d rather face this discomfort now than let it go sour between us."

Just then, Lucas returned from the kitchen with three steaming mugs of hot chocolate.

"Here you go." He placed the mugs on the small coffee table and sat down on his bed, which was a little to the right of the sofa.

Silence settled in, but it was no longer as heavy as before.

Lucy took a sip of her drink before turning to him. "Lucas, we need to talk about what happened between you and Kate." Lucas almost choked.

Lucas almost choked. "I... I didn’t want things to get complicated. It was all a spur-of-the-moment thing. We were watching a romantic comedy, and I was a bit confused about the two of us, Lucy, after that strange encounter with Ethan. I don’t know if you realized it, but he..." Explore more at NovelBin.Côm

Lucy nodded slowly. "Yes, Ethan likes me. He confessed it today at Christmas dinner, in front of my parents."

"What a son of a..."

"Isn’t he?" Kate went forward suddenly. "He confessed in front of her parents and during Christmas! There’s nothing more repulsive than a dishonest confession like that!"

"Khum!" Lucy cleared her throat. "Anyway, the topic here shouldn’t be Ethan and his confession. After all, I don’t like him. I like you, Lucas. You always asked me to wait. I waited for a long time, Lucas. But now I see that waiting isn’t enough if things aren’t clear."

Lucas leaned forward, his gaze serious. "I never meant to hurt you, Lucy. I just... wasn’t ready to decide. And maybe that was selfish of me."

Lucy nodded. "But now, we need to be clear about where we each stand. Do you like me in the same way that I like you?"

The answer to Lucy’s question was no mystery. Lucas liked Lucy, and the only reason he hesitated to accept her confession was because he was confused about how morally incorrect it was to have a relationship with a mentally younger person.

"Yes, Lucy. Of course I like you. I always have."

Lucy smiled and took a deep, relieved breath. But before she could reply, Lucas looked away from Kate and continued.

"But I also have feelings for Kate. What happened between us wasn’t planned? But it was special. And, frankly, it left me feeling even more lost."

Kate She opened her mouth to speak, but Lucy held up a hand, asking for silence.

"So you like both of us." Lucy said, crossing her arms. "I was hoping you’d have some kind of definitive answer, but apparently you’re still stuck in this indecision."

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but that’s the truth."

Lucy sighed deeply. She was silent for a few moments, as if she was deciding internally. Then something unexpected happened. She got up from the sofa and took off her shirt, lifting it enough at least to let a bit of her white bra show.

Kate’s eyes went wide, and Lucas turned completely red.

"Lucy! What are you doing?" Kate exclaimed.

"If he needs to decide, let’s take the test now."

"Take the test?" Lucas repeated.

"You need to understand what you feel, Lucas. Not just what’s in your head, but what’s in your heart and also, let’s say, physiologically. I will no longer wait for you without clarity. If you have feelings for me and Kate, then you need to find out who you like more. Now. For real."

Lucas’s heart was beating like a drum. He didn’t know what to say or do, but he knew that this was a decision he couldn’t put off any longer. He would have to choose between Lucy and Kate after tonight.