Chapter 38: Between Friends and KO Emma Watson

"10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!"

"Yeah!"

"Link won! Link is the champion!"

In a suite at the Kingston Resort Hotel in Orlando, blonde Robert Grint jumped up from the sofa, pumping his fist in the air. He turned to "Harry Potter" Daniel Radcliffe and said, "Knowing how exciting the game was, we should have asked for time off to watch it live."

"But we have filming today," Daniel Radcliffe shrugged.

"I know, I know, but it's still a bit of a shame."

Robert Grint plopped back onto the sofa and looked sideways at Daniel. "You seem a little unhappy, what's wrong?"

"Do I?"

Daniel adjusted his glasses.

"Definitely. I may not know magic, but I can sense it. Is it because of Emma?"

Robert sat up, grinning at him. "Is it because Emma went to Miami and hasn't come back yet? Are you worried about her?"

Daniel shook his head repeatedly in denial.

"No, don't make wild guesses."

"I'm not guessing wildly."

Robert chuckled, crossed his arms, and rested his chin on one hand. "You like Emma, right?"

"I don't, don't talk nonsense. We're just good friends."

Daniel quickly denied it.

Robert shook his head. "Daniel, you're too introverted and too well-behaved. If you like Emma, you should have confessed to her earlier. Procrastinating isn't good.

But Emma, this girl seems like a lady on the outside, but she's a little witch on the inside. She likes those crazy, exciting, bad boys, and you're too good. Even if you confess, it probably won't succeed."

Daniel lowered his head and didn't speak.

Robert took out two cans of beer, opened them, and handed one to Daniel.

"Don't be depressed. When we get back to London, I'll introduce you to a real lady, beautiful and gentle, with a lovely voice, much better than Emma. How about that?"

Robert smiled and nudged him with his shoulder.

Daniel looked up and smiled, clinking his beer can against Robert's.

---

A late-returning plane crossed the starry night sky and slowly descended into the brightly lit city of Miami.

On Miami Beach, pedestrians were rare at night.

Only tall palm trees stretched their lush branches towards the sky under the starlight.

The vast ocean continuously rolled up white waves, washing away the footprints left by humans on the shore during the day. A few menacing crabs were washed ashore by the waves, dizzy in the sand pit, blowing bubbles.

Suddenly, they saw two two-legged creatures approaching, and the little crabs immediately sped up, waving their pincers, and burrowed deeper into the sand pit.

"That's my Baker Dive Shop up ahead. Do you like diving? I'll take you tomorrow."

Link pointed to the shop ahead and said to the girl beside him.

The girl was petite, with long golden-brown hair. Under her long eyelashes, a pair of dark brown eyes critically examined everything in front of her. Her upturned nose and pink lips were slightly pursed, showing a bit of stubbornness and willfulness.

She was carrying black square-toed leather shoes in one hand and lifting the hem of her blue dress with the other, revealing her fair and round calves. Her slender feet stepped lightly on the white sand, and her toes were pointing towards the "Baker Dive Equipment Rental Shop" not far from the shore.

The shop was about seven or eight hundred meters from the beach and was a mobile home converted from a large truck container.

Facing the beach, there was a shell-shaped awning protruding forward and a three-square-meter glass window displaying various diving equipment.

There were three pairs of wheels under the container, which could be moved by a trailer.

The shop was painted with white latex paint, and the walls were covered with colorful graffiti and orange lifebuoys issued by the beach management, giving it a very Miami Beach style.

"It looks good, but it would be better without the graffiti."

Sure, here's the translation into American English:

---

Emma Watson looked around the small shop and said.

Link smiled. Back then, Taylor said that the graffiti on the wall was the soul of the shop and added a few strokes, but Emma disagreed.

He opened the shop door and turned on the lights, inviting Emma Watson inside.

Link was somewhat surprised that Emma Watson had come to Miami to cheer him on in person. Although they had been chatting often on MSN recently, their conversations were mostly not very harmonious.

Emma Watson liked to pick faults and often critiqued his matches with an "expert" tone.

For example, the first thing she said after today's match was, "Link, you did well. Although there are many areas that need improvement, as an amateur boxer, your performance has temporarily earned my approval."

Most of the time, Link just smiled and didn't take issue with a young girl's comments.

They could only be considered as acquaintances who had met a few times and chatted well online, but she had come to the match in person, which was more reliable than Taylor.

After Emma arrived, Link took her to the first half of the celebration party held at the Pink Lovers Bar.

In the second half, they snuck out, rode a motorcycle through the bustling streets of Miami, and strolled on a quiet, serene beach for over twenty minutes before returning to the small shop.

"Emma, do you want to take a shower?"

Link came out of the bathroom after his shower, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, and dried his hair with a towel.

Emma sat upright on the sofa, watching an unknown variety show on TV.

Hearing his question, Emma turned her head and looked at him quietly, her eyes bright, as if examining his every thought.

Link shrugged and said, "Don't get me wrong, I don't mean anything else. The air in Miami is hot and humid, and after a long walk, it's easy to sweat. If you want to take a shower, I can find you some clothes to change into. It'll be more comfortable to sleep in."

Emma looked at him, blinked, and said, "Okay!"

Link smiled, went to the bedroom, found a set of cotton sports T-shirts and shorts, brought them to the small living room, and seeing her feet covered in fine sand, also found a pair of slippers.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome!"

Link smiled and led her to the bathroom, a small cubicle with only a showerhead, and closed the door. The sound of water trickling in the quiet little house was somewhat ambiguous.

Link took his phone and walked outside the shop to call Taylor. They had only exchanged a few words at the bar party when Taylor called, and many things were left unsaid.

He dialed again, and Taylor quickly answered, asking what he was doing, if the party was over, and continued to apologize, saying she had received a last-minute important job and couldn't make it, hoping for his forgiveness.

Of course, Link forgave her. They were just ordinary friends who had met a few times, had a few meals, and taken a stroll together. It wasn't a big deal for an ordinary friend to miss a match due to work. The thought was what counted.

Link didn't have high expectations of her and wouldn't blame or get angry with her for breaking her promise.

Taylor promised over the phone that she would definitely come to his next match to cheer him on, and if she didn't, she would grow five centimeters taller.

Link was a bit surprised. Taylor, at 180 centimeters tall, had been self-conscious about her height since childhood, developing a habit of slouching. It wasn't until she became a singer and received training from a posture coach that she corrected it and became a tall, beautiful woman.

Now she was using growing five centimeters as a guarantee, showing her sincerity, making it hard for him to define their relationship.

The call lasted over ten minutes, and he returned to the small living room.

Emma sat quietly on the sofa, wearing his white T-shirt with red letters. The T-shirt was too loose for her 165-centimeter frame, hanging down to her knees like a dress.

Her wet hair hung over her shoulders, droplets of water on the ends, and the back of the white T-shirt was dotted with damp spots.

Her delicate face looked even more refined and rosy after the shower, but she still wore a faint, indifferent expression.

"Sorry, I don't have a hairdryer here."

Link took out a dry, new towel and handed it to her to dry her hair.

"Who were you calling just now?"

Emma took the towel and asked.

"A friend. She originally said she would come to cheer me on but got a last-minute job and couldn't make it, so she called to apologize."

"A girlfriend?"

"No, just a friend."

Emma dried her hair with the towel, her golden-brown hair becoming fluffier.

But the T-shirt she was wearing was too loose. When she raised her arms to dry her hair, a glimpse of pink peeked through the sleeve, catching Link's eye and making his heart skip a beat.

He brushed his hair, freshly washed and dried by the wind, making it stand up stiffly. He went to the bedroom, pulled out a blanket, and returned to the small living room.

"I've tidied up the bedroom. You can sleep there, and I'll take the sofa."

Link put down the blanket and said.

Emma blinked at him, placed the towel on the sofa, and walked back to the bedroom, dragging his large slippers.

"Goodnight, Emma!"

Link turned off the living room light, lay on the sofa, and yawned.

After a long day, he felt a wave of sleepiness wash over him as soon as he lay down and quickly fell asleep without thinking.

He didn't know how long he had slept when he was awakened by a shaking. Opening his eyes, he saw Emma looking down at him. She was only wearing the loose T-shirt, the sight making his hair stand on end.

"What's wrong, Emma?"

Link sat up and asked. The blanket slipped from his chest, revealing his muscular chest and abs.

"You were sleeping on the floor."

Emma pointed to the sofa beside him.

"Oh, thanks for waking me."

Link rubbed his forehead and got up from the floor with the blanket.

"You're welcome."

Emma bit her lip, walked to the bedroom door, and said, "The bed in the bedroom is big enough for two people."

Link looked at the open bedroom door, smiled softly, and carried the blanket to the bedroom.

Emma was already lying on the bed, her eyes tightly closed, covered with a thin wool blanket, her chest rising and falling.

Link turned off the light and lay down on the bed, listening to the breathing and heartbeat beside him gradually becoming rapid.

Link pulled the blanket over Emma and himself.

"Don't move."

Emma said with her eyes closed.

Link smiled softly, lying on the bed, looking at the ceiling.

After a nap, he felt more refreshed. The night outside was deep, the sea gently lapping against the shore, and the occasional passing car only brought a gust of wind, indicating a long night ahead.

As the breathing beside him gradually became steady, Link extended his arm and draped it over her.

The girl still had her eyes closed, her breathing quickening again, her heartbeat pounding against his arm.

Link pulled her into his arms and gently kissed her.

The girl suddenly opened her dark brown eyes, pushed him slightly, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

The ceiling light went out.

The starlight through the window filled the bedroom. They were lovers bathing in starlight.

---

(End of Chapter)