by M. B. Gerard
Heading for the hotel exit she realized that it was almost morning. Above the city of London the grey sky was brightening for a new day. She squinted her eyes at the sudden brightness and the cool air was like a shock on her skin making her stop in her tracks. She opened her eyes again looking for a cab. A little further down the road a single cab had lined up waiting for passengers. To her surprise, Gabriella saw that there were two figures getting into the black car. It was Amanda and Elise, the runner-up in the doubles competition. The new dream team. Gabriella was astonished. Over the course of the fortnight jokes had been told in the locker rooms, all in good fun. Nobody believed the badinage could possibly be based on fact and Gabriella hadn’t said a word about what Elise had told her a week earlier. But the way Amanda and Elise looked at each other in the players’ lounge, in the hallways and even on court caused everyone to giggle.
Apparently they had spent the night in the hotel. The two doubles runners-up probably had had more fun at the party than Gabriella, the champion of the singles competition. Seeing them drive off into the sunrise a terrifying feeling of emptiness spread over Gabriella’s heart. As she looked down the deserted street, Gaga realized how lonely she was. She had no one to confide in. Only Lulu.
She braced herself and wiped away the tears that had begun to fill her eyes. It was time to go home. Time to face Luella who was waiting in their house, eager to hear the stories about the Winners Ball.
***
The car had become terribly cold. But perhaps he was only feeling his own inner coldness which had inhabited him for the last two days, Tom contemplated. It was the second night he had slept in his rental car after Ted had kicked him out of their Wimbledon home. At first he had been driving around aimlessly, trying to clear his mind and to figure out whether to abandon his blog and get together with Ted again or to stop thinking about and crying over Ted – and pursue his task. He hadn’t come to a positive answer yet, instead he had gone back to Wimbledon yesterday looking out for the few players that were left in the village.
From a safe distance he had watched Ted move out of the home with his mum. After they had left he had driven around and had spotted this year’s ladies’ runner-up Sasha Mrachova taking a walk. He had followed her and when she had walked home and disappeared inside her house he had parked at the side of the road and had just stayed there, silently crying in the car until he had finally fallen asleep.
After the first night he had left the car at the same spot in front of Sasha’s house and had gone out for breakfast. Afterwards he had joined the tennis fans on Henman Hill to watch the men’s final but after an hour he caught himself looking up to the sky. He had lost track of the ongoing match and the score and he realized he couldn’t care less about the tennis that was being played. Who was it on Centre Court anyway? Not Ted Curry.
He had walked the streets of Wimbledon Village for several hours and when it got darker and the streets emptied of the last spectators he had slipped into his car again and listened to some music. He was already thinking about driving up to Leeds where his brother lived when all of a sudden a taxi stopped in front of Sasha’s house and soon after the Czech stepped out of the door. She looked like a goddess in her evening gown. Suddenly wide awake, Tom had pulled out his camera and had zoomed in on the beautiful woman. She was on her way to the Winners Ball, Tom figured. And when she came back, he would be here. You never knew. She might pick up some girl and take her home.
So, there he was freezing and shivering in the early morning after the Winners Ball. Sasha hadn’t come back yet but he didn’t want to give up hope. He had his camera ready on his lap next to a huge pizza he had ordered. The delivery man was certainly surprised when he had dropped off the Italian food, but by then Tom had settled in to his new-found task. He had begun to enjoy his sleuth life. He was just about to stuff the last slice of pizza into his mouth when a taxi pulled in around the corner. Licking his fingers clean, he ducked down behind the wheel and reached for his camera. Yes, he silently jubilated, he could make out two people in the back of the car. The taxi slowed down and Tom got into an aiming position, zooming in on the car. With the taxi coming to a halt, he realized it didn’t stop in front of Sasha’s house. He looked through the camera to get a bigger frame and almost yelled out in surprise. This was not Sasha Mrachova and some random girl stepping out of the car. This was better.
When the taxi drove off he could see the scenario in full color. Fifty feet in front of him, Top 10 player Amanda Auster and this year’s Wimbledon sensation Elise Renard stepped into a footway that led behind the backyards of the houses to the next road. They were holding hands and Tom began taking pictures at lightning speed. When they had vanished, Tom jumped out of his car and ran after them, but slowed down when he reached the path. Through the trees the morning sun fell onto the couple while they were clinging to each other like two drowning people and, hidden by the high hedges that surrounded the gardens, they were kissing each other madly.
After a while Tom put the camera down and stared at them in amazement. He had taken enough photos to prove the point. He looked at the two girls who now stood there in silence holding each other tightly. Then they kissed for a last time and Elise stepped through one of the garden gates and disappeared.
Stanford, United States
Elise carefully opened her hotel room door and peeped outside. The corridor of the hotel was empty and silent. She took another look to each side then stepped outside her room and closed the door. Wearing her pyjamas she quickly moved across the hall and knocked on the door opposite her room.
During the weeks after Wimbledon, she and Amanda had talked for hours and hours over video calls and had conceived a plan for how to make it easier for them to spend their nights together. They had booked rooms opposite to each other, while Elise had made sure that her parents’ room was on a different floor. On the one hand the secrecy made their young love even more exciting, on the other hand lying to her parents preyed on Elise’s mind.
After Wimbledon she and her parents had flown to Florida where Elise would prepare for the U.S. hard court season. She had resolved several times to tell her parents during dinners, car drives and a day at the beach – but had never plucked up the courage to finally do it. One evening she and her mom had been preparing dinner and while Elise was cutting some vegetables her mom had stepped behind her, and looking over her shoulder to check the proceedings, had given Elise a fond kiss on the cheek. Elise knew her parents loved her. They had stood by her during the long terrifying month of injury and were terribly proud of her latest achievements.
Experiencing her mom’s affection while lying to her parents about whom she talked to every night almost brought tears to her eyes. Elise had put the knife down and had turned around to her mom.
“Mama?”
Her mom had looked up, surprised to see her daughter almost in tears.
“What’s up?” She had approached Elise and had given her a hug. The embrace made Elise feel even worse.
“I love you,” she had finally whispered to her mother.
“I love you, too, Elise,” her mother had replied, astonished by Elise’s apparent emotional distress. She had given her daughter a close inspection but Elise had turned back to the vegetables and her mother had not mentioned the incident again. And then they had made their way to Stanford and she still hadn’t told them.
Amanda opened the door and let Elise in. Immediately, the German pressed Amanda tenderly against the wall and while pushing the door shut with her foot she slipped her hand into Amanda’s pants. For five nights now they had been making good use of the time they had together, with Elise becoming more and more adventurous and confident.
Two hours later and exhausted from their late-night cardio training they snuggled together on Amanda’s bed and Amanda was just about to fall asleep when Elise lifted her head.
“How did you tell your parents?”
“I didn’t,” Amanda answered, knowing what Elise was talki
ng about.
“What? You’re not out to them?” Elise could not believe it.
But Amanda laughed.
“No, I mean, they found out themselves. No need to tell them. Unfortunately.”
“Why? What happened?”
With a sigh Amanda sat up on the bed.
“My mum walked in on me one morning and found me with my girlfriend, with her head between my legs.”
“What? Are you kidding me,” Elise laughed.
“No,” Amanda said with a smile. “And it was not funny, you know.” But Elise couldn’t stop laughing. They laid down again and still giggling, Elise rested her head on Amanda’s chest. It didn’t make her forget her worries, but she finally fell asleep with a smile on her face.
***
It seemed the hot conditions drove out the players to the practice courts earlier than usual. Stanford was an oven and the players cherished the morning hours when the site was still cool. Gabriella walked over to her chair, glancing at Lulu who had also paused for a chat with Rafael. Since Wimbledon things had drastically changed between the sisters. The championship final was the last time Gabriella had sworn to herself, she would play a match for Lulu. In spite of her intricate connection with her twin, Wimbledon had left a bitter taste in Gaga’s mouth.
She couldn’t care less about the attention Luella received and the hundreds of interviews she had given since Wimbledon. Something else bothered her more than anything. It was Luella who had entered the Top 10 due to her Wimbledon win, while Gabriella was still ranked 17.
Yes, everything would change now. What better way to start than on a new continent with a new surface and a new Grand Slam to prepare for? She was a good player and it was time for the world to know that. She had thought about getting her own trainer. Maybe play some tournaments without Lulu or quit doubles. But she wasn’t really sure what to do and she had tried to find a way to bring the conversation up with Luella but every single time she had failed.
Instead she had simply distanced herself from her twin during the two weeks after Wimbledon, which had turned out to be rather easy considering that Luella had spent her short vacation with Rafael. Even though Gaga was invited to come along to Barbados, she had preferred to stayed at home at their parents’ and catch up with old school friends.
But now she was back on the tour and not only did she need to find a solution for the dispute with her twin, there was still Sasha she had to worry about. The Czech player needed to be monitored and another clash between Sasha and Lulu must be prevented under any circumstances. If Sasha slipped a remark like she had done after the Wimbledon final to Lulu about what happened between Gabriella and Sasha during the European summer the consequences could be terrible.
For many nights, Gaga hadn’t been able to sleep properly as her mind was circling around the thought of how to handle the situation. She knew, that in the end her sister would find out anyway. But at least Gabriella wanted to tell her. And not just her sister. With a sigh, she sat down on her chair taking huge gulps from the water bottle.
“Hey,” a friendly voice behind her said.
Gabriella turned her head. It was Elise Renard, who seemed to be an early bird as well. Gaga greeted the German and confirming that Lulu was still flirting with Rafael she motioned for Elise to sit down next to her.
“Do you have a new Tennis Nurse novel you could share?” Gabriella had lowered her voice. “I have read all I had during my vacation.”
“I have only read The Girl who Preferred The Grass and The Case of The Grumpy Umpire so far,” Elise answered with a secretive smile. “But I only borrowed them myself.”
“We really should have gone to the Tennis Nurse Trading Dinner in Wimbledon,” Gaga muttered. “Guess we were too busy playing tennis, right?” As soon as she had said it she wanted to bite her tongue.
Elise raised her eyebrows. Of course, the whole world knew that Elise had been busy, reaching the quarterfinal in singles and the final in doubles. But Gabriella had merely watched tennis in Wimbledon after crashing out in an early round. She had supported her twin sister, sitting in the player’s box. Gabriella sighed. Elise was a very nice girl and she really liked becoming friends with her. It was a great start, as Elise already knew that Gabriella liked girls and Elise herself enjoyed having someone to talk to about her new relationship which she still kept secret from her parents. But how was Gabriella supposed to open up to people while the fact remained that she and Lulu had switched matches and betrayed all the other players by doing so? She really needed to put an end to the charade.
If Elise was bemused by Gabriella’s comment she didn’t show it. She probably thought about her own successful and miraculous week in Wimbledon while giving Gaga a huge smile.
“I know someone who has loads of Tennis Nurse novels,” she whispered to Elise. “Morgana always travels with a huge bag of books. She studies them for whatever reason and seems to have some very rare books as well. I borrow my books from her.”
Elise nodded conspiratorially. Suddenly having a partner in crime Gabriella felt lighter and fresh. And when her sister called her over to continue practice she jumped up, gave Elise a low-five and sprinted to the baseline. There was a world outside of the Galloway Twins’ universe and it was time for Gaga to give it a try.
***
Tom looked terrible and he knew it. Since he had landed in California he had gotten a tan, but now that he looked into the mirror his skin seemed oddly pale and under his eyes were dark rings. He wasn’t sleeping well, dreaming of Ted sometimes or lying awake because he was afraid of dreaming of Ted but nonetheless thinking about the Brit.
He hadn’t spoken to Ted since that fateful morning in Wimbledon, when he had told him about his idea for 30 Love. Ted had not replied to his e-mails nor had he answered any of his calls. It was over between them and Tom had to accept that it was due to his idea of forcing all the players out of the closet. He wondered if Ted had talked about Tom’s plan to his friends on the tour and if they planned to do something about it. For the first time this year he feared the moment the WTA and ATP would join each other again for a tournament. He didn’t want to know what would happen if he met Ted by accident.
He gave his cheeks a little rub and then rushed out of the hotel to the tournament site. He had an appointment with Candice Crantz, his boss.
“Sit down, Tom,” Candice smiled, when he entered her little office. He could tell that she and some other people had noticed the change in his demeanor and looks and he knew that they were a bit worried about him.
“How are you?” Candice sat herself down in her office chair and gave Tom a close inspection.
“Fine,” he answered. “Wonderful.”
“You don’t look fine. Nor wonderful, to be honest,” she said. “Is something bothering you?”
Tom sighed. He really wanted to keep this whole story to himself, but on the other hand longed to talk to someone. Since he had kept the relationship with Ted a secret there was hardly anyone he could trust to talk to about the break-up. But Candice was herself in a relationship with a player, Agnes Lion. He looked up at his boss.
“I had a relationship with one of the players,” he blurted out.
Candice grabbed the armrest and rolled forward with her office chair.
“Oh, dear,” she said leaning on her desk. “Who is it?”
“I don’t think it wise to tell. Besides, it’s over now,” Tom shrugged, as if it didn’t bother him at all.
“Well, I think I can't blame any girl who falls for you,” Candice grinned. Raising an eye-brow, Tom slowly shook his head.
“Not a girl, Candice,” he gravely said.
Now it was Candice’s turn to lift her eye-brow.
“An ATP player?”
Tom nodded. He could see from Candice’s surprised look that she had had no clue that he was gay. Suddenly, she laughed.
“And I was worried you’d break all the girls’ hearts.”
“No,” he grinned. “I leav
e that to you.”
He gave his boss a little mischievous wink and then joined in on the laughing. He realized that it was the first time since he had arrived four days ago. It felt great.
“I see you did your homework,” Candice said with a smile. “But I can assure you, no heartbreak for me anymore. I’ve been with Agnes for six years now and I have no intention of changing that.” She leaned back in her chair.
“There’s actually something else I wanted to talk about,” she continued. “We plan to promote the doubles players a bit more. Of course, not as much as the singles players but just to show the variety of the game and make it more popular among the fans.”
“Sure,” Tom nodded, waiting for his assignment.
“I want you to do some interviews and photo shoots. Maybe a video. Make it look fun,” Candice explained. “I have to say I’m even more glad I chose you for this job, now that I know that you will understand that some doubles partnerships have a deeper foundation than others and that a relationship between two players must not be addressed, of course.”
Tom swallowed thinking about his blog. He managed to give Candice a little smile.
“Yes, of course.”
***
Throwing her racquet bag onto the floor, Amanda let out a quiet sob and sat down on her hotel room bed. She covered her eyes with her hands and let her head sink onto her knees. That was it, she thought. She had seen it coming. Yes, she’d known it all along since she had lost that third round match at Roland Garros. But here she was facing the facts.
Her cell phone buzzed and with a glance she saw that Elise had sent her a message: Want to talk? No, she didn’t want to talk to Elise. Not now.
