Maybe I’d find a drink, maybe an exit, maybe something to stop my thoughts from circling back to her.
And maybe if I were smart, I’d avoid any more locked doors for the rest of the night.
Still, I couldn’t help the faint smile tugging at my lips.
Because for all the chaos and all the pretending, I knew one thing for sure: I wouldn’t be forgetting that balcony or her anytime soon.
CHAPTER 6
OLIVIA
After that balcony fiasco, Alex and I quietly split up before anyone could question what the hell we were doing with a parasol indoors. We slipped back into the glimmering chaos of the Champions’ Dinner like nothing had happened, like we hadn’t just spent fifteen ridiculous minutes locked outside in formalwear, accidentally staging the world’s most unhinged bonding moment.
I tried to act normal, smoothing down my dress and tucking a flyaway curl behind my ear, but my heart was still racing.
That was absolutely fun. I have to admit it.
I scanned the room, trying to steady myself with something familiar. I immediately spotted Maddie hovering near the dessert table, eyeing the chocolate mousse tower like it had personally offended her.
“Mads!” I hissed, weaving through guests in heels I already regretted wearing.
She blinked at me, then narrowed her eyes. “Why do you look like you just committed a minor crime?”
“We may or may not have broken a door,” I said, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the quieter hallway. “With a parasol.”
Her brows shot up. “We?”
“Alexandra Cadiz.”
Maddie stopped walking. “Please don't tell me this story ends with a dramatic leap from a balcony.”
“No jumping. Just... tactical umbrella maneuvers.”
We slipped behind one of the tall velvet partitions lining the ballroom, just far enough from the buzz of the crowd. I dropped her arm and leaned against the wall, slightly breathless, the events of the last fifteen minutes still catching up to me.
Maddie crossed her arms, smirking. “You’re telling me you and the Alexandra Wilson-Cadiz, the so-called mysterious queen of tennis, pulled off a low-key jailbreak from a locked balcony using party decor?”
I nodded, lips twitching. “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
She raised a brow. “So... how was it? Being stuck with Alex? You know, I had an interaction with her earlier, too. She wasn’t as cold as the media makes her out to be, just kind of dry. Like... Aussie sarcasm is dry.”
“I know,” I said softly, not thinking about our interaction and the laughs we shared. “That’s why we ended up stuck in the first place.”
“Because I had an interaction with her?”
“No,” I groaned. “Because I came looking for you, and somehow wandered out onto that balcony. The door locked behind me, and the rest is... history.”
She snorted. “So let me get this straight. You went looking for me, accidentally stumbled into a private moment with Alexandra freaking Cadiz, got yourselves locked out on a balcony... and then broke the sliding door with a parasol to get back inside? That’s your big post-final Wimbledon Champion twist?”
“Apparently,” I muttered, equal parts exhausted and amused.
She let out a wheeze. “Unreal. You just won the most prestigious tournament in the world and somehow still managed to end the night like a chaotic ninja turtle.”
“I was trying to find you, if you recall.”
“Oh, don’t drag me into your own Mission: Impossible movie.” Maddie wagged a finger at me, grinning. “Let’s just hope there weren’t any security cameras pointed at that balcony.”
“I checked,” I said quickly. “Don’t worry, that balcony’s barely used. No cameras, no foot traffic. We’re in the clear.”
