Because no matter what, they were there for me, they supported me, and with the upcoming tournaments, I was going to need them more than ever.
Interstitial
SPOTTED! Tennis Stars Take Over the Hamptons
Fan favorites Scottie Sinclair and Dylan Bailey lit up TikTok with clips of their luxury Hamptons getaway, dancing with their partners Nico Kotas and Oliver Anderson.
But the real shock? On-court rivals Inés Costa and Chloe Murphy were spotted together. With Inés losing to Chloe in every tournament since January, and both players publicly trading jabs, we’re left wondering: What’s the real story behind this unexpected doubles act?
9
Chloe
Stayaway—MUNA
Ihad never been so supremely hungover in my life.
But to be fair, I’d never drunkas muchas I did last night. Calvin would be so proud, his baby sister finally doing what he told me to do.
“How am I still alive?” I grumbled, leaning back into the sandy beach, the sun glaring aggressively down on my pale skin. Setting my bookmark back in place, I resigned myself to getting none of my paperback read today.
“I feel your pain,” Henrik stated, sitting up in a sun lounger, the world’s biggest hat on his head, big enough that it cast shade over his shoulders. “And more. I can’t believe you made me sleep on the floor.”
“I did not make you. You’re the one who’s getting serious with a partner. It felt respectful.”
“Respectfulto make me sleep on the floor?”
“Why are you wearing the world’s biggest hat?” I asked, reaching out and flicking the brim with my fingers. “You look absurd.”
“Skin cancer is no joke,” he replied, popping open another bottle of sunscreen. I would’ve rolled my eyes if he didn’t have such a good point, and I held my hand out for some lotion, applying yet another layer.
“So, it looked like you were having fun last night,” he said, turning to face me.
“It was fine.” I shrugged him away, pulling my cap low, relaxing back into the sand again. Maybe an afternoon nap would free me from my suffering. But clearly, Henrik had other ideas.
“By the fifth shot, you were practically leading the group in the dance lessons.”
I cringed at the memory. We’d posted more than a dozen videos last night. Scottie recorded the entire thing, tagging everyone. I’d woken up to endless notifications, to endless mentions and comments across social media.
@thedailytea: Tennis gone wild! Scottie Sinclair’s crazy night and who was there!
@TennisNews: Who needs competition? Tennis’s biggest rivals party it up!
@GameSetMatchMag: Chloe Murphy and Inés Costa in the same room? Who knew they were friends?
I’d wanted the earth to swallow me whole, especially considering Calvin had told me to stay out of the press and somehow I’d managed to fail at that on the very first day.
“You seemed to be getting along with Scottie, even Dylan, although she can be a little prickly,” he said. “I think Inés will take a little more time.”
“I don’t blame her.” I tried to swallow down the twist of guilt that even the sound of her name conjured up.
I looked out at Nico running after Scottie, Dylan dunking Oliver in the sea, Inés laughing, the light, playful sound reaching us on the shore over the crashing of the waves. She was wearing a two-piece,the forest green complimenting her tanned skin, delicate metallic chain straps over her shoulders.
I’d had to force myself not to stare when she’d come into the kitchen earlier, wearing only an unbuttoned white shirt on top. A toaster waffle practically hung out of my mouth as she ignored my existence, pouring herself a cup of coffee before disappearing out into the garden to soak up the summer sun.
I already knew how flawless her olive skin was, had kissed inches of it. It had been almost a year, but I still couldn’t erase the memory of her scent, warm and sweet.
“She had a hard time recovering from her injuries and the surgery,” Henrik said. “It was a long recovery but necessary. And she’s had moments where we see glimpses of the player she used to be. But then...” He trailed off, his words catching.
