“That was hardly fair,” Dylan said, nudging Scottie’s side.
She only shrugged, a smirk on her lips. “You guys seem to love equipment abuse.”
“I can’t believe you’ve never broken a racket during a match,” Nico said. “I know you’ve done it off court, but never during?”
“Never,” she said, tilting her head towards me. “Inés hadn’t broken one at all until Melbourne this year.”
“We had to give her a lesson in how to do it after a difficult match,” Dylan said. “It was cute.”
Henrik’s eyes narrowed at me. “Who were you playing against?”
I swallowed, remembering that day well. It had been a particularly brutal match, the only one I’d played in that competition.
My gaze slid to the person who had been on the other side of the court. She sat a few seats away from mine, her long legs tucked under her, hair tucked behind her ears.
The fire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows over Chloe’s face. The warmth should have been comforting, but it felt stifling. Even the night air, heavy with the scent of salt, offered no relief.
All day, I’d been doing my best to avoid staying in the same space as her for longer than a few minutes. And it had been working; the beach house was big enough for us all to spread across different rooms.
But then Henrik had convinced everyone to sit outside, enjoy the fire and the warm night.
Nico coughed, breaking the silence. “Never have I ever... hit my doubles partner with the ball.”
“That was one time!” Scottie cried, raising a hand in protest.
He turned to her, a grin across his lips. “Drink up.”
She sighed, flipping her hair over her shoulder, taking a sip from her almost empty glass.
I looked at Henrik, taking a sip of my own, a memory of our own doubles partnership coming to mind. He smiled back, head shaking. “That time in Queens?”
Laughing, I replied, “I hit you so hard I wasn’t sure if you’d be left with a mark.”
“It hurt for days.” His hand went to his shoulder, rubbing where I’d accidentally fired a ball into his back during my serve, as if he could feel the pain.
We’d hardly had a chance to speak alone since he’d arrived, with all my avoiding Chloe. I’d hoped that this time could be used to reconnect with him, but now that seemed impossible.
“I’m sure you didn’t let it hold you back.” I smiled back. I didn’t play mixed doubles with Henrik often anymore after we both decidedto focus more on the singles game, but his friendship was something I’d always be thankful for.
And that made the girl sitting next to him all that much more difficult to accept.
The game continued, each of us taking a turn to play.
“Never have I ever... shared a hotel room with another player to cut costs,” Nico admitted, while Dylan and I both drank, remembering our very early days on the tour when we shared a room in the more expensive cities we visited.
“Never have I ever... had a fake rumor spread about me in the press,” Henrik said. We all watched as Scottie finished her drink, before she debunked the many rumors that had been told about her during her more scandalous past. And better yet, admitted to the ones that were correct.
“Never have I ever... been made into a meme after a match,” I said, watching as Nico took a drink, muttering something under his breath about “those damn short shorts.”
The game continued as the night grew late. I tried not to pay too much attention to Chloe. Tried not to notice the way she leaned in close, whispering into Henrik’s ear, her soft pink lips nearly brushing his skin. But my eyes kept drifting back, uninvited. I told myself it didn’t matter. But it did, more than I wanted to admit.
“Never have I ever kissed somebody of the same gender,” Dylan announced, finding her seat as she returned from a snack break.
I sighed, looking over at her, finding a cheeky look across her face as her eyes flickered to my half-empty glass, daring me to drink.
We all knew I liked women, never had any interest in men, so it was hardly a shock to anyone when I drank.
“What was the question?” Oliver asked, the last to rejoin the group.
