She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Let’s go to sleep,” I suggested, leaning back against the pillows. “We can talk more in the morning.”
“What happened to not being able to sleep?” Inés teased, her tone light despite the exhaustion in her eyes.
“What can I say? You wore me out,” I replied, fighting a smile. We got back into position. It felt strange to lie down next to her, strange to not have her body underneath mine. I stayed on my side, both of us facing each other. “Goodnight, Chloe.”
“Sleep tight.”
For a moment, silence settled between us, heavy with the weight of everything unspoken. I turned to switch off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into a comforting darkness broken only by the faint glow of moonlight.
I lay down, trying to calm the adrenaline still thrumming through my body. Inés shifted onto her back, her movements subtle but distracting. My thoughts raced, going back over the events of the night.It had been over a month since the beach house. She’d looked at me with so much anger. Now she looked at me with such longing it was unbearable.
“Chloe?” Her voice was soft, hesitant.
“Yeah?”
“You meant it, right? About dating?”
I turned my head towards her silhouette. “I don’t say things I don’t mean.”
There was a pause, her outline shifting as she rolled onto her side to face me again. Her silence stretched, thoughtful and unpressured, before she said, “Thanks for... I don’t know. Not rushing this.”
“It’s for the best,” I replied, and I meant it. The last thing I wanted was to push her into anything neither of us was ready for.
But I also knew that being just friends wasn’t what I wanted. I’d had another taste of Inés, and it only made me hungry for more.
I felt her reach out, her hand brushing against mine under the covers. It wasn’t much, the faintest of touches, but it sent a spark racing up my arm. Without thinking, I turned my palm up, letting her fingers curl into mine.
Mine.
“Goodnight,” she said again, her voice softer this time, more at ease.
“Night.” This time, I meant it too. Sleep found me quickly.
And when I woke up, I was tangled up in her, pulled in close, her chest rising and falling behind me. And for the first time, I felt like I truly belonged to somebody.
I stayed still, not wanting to disturb her, savoring the moment. The world outside the room could wait. The matches, the cameras, the endless noise of our lives. Here, in this tiny bubble of morning light and shared warmth, nothing else mattered.
Just me and her.
Interstitial
Ace On Court, Temper Off: Chloe Murphy’s Public Meltdown Shocks Onlookers
Tennis drama isn’t just for the courts after prodigy Chloe Murphy was reportedly seen losing her temper in the lobby of a Toronto hotel this week. According to onlookers, Chloe became visibly upset after her hitting partner, Inés Costa, was recognized and approached by fans for autographs, while Chloe herself was overlooked.
Things reportedly went from awkward to explosive when Murphy allegedly “snapped” at the hotel receptionist upon being informed of limited room availability.
With reports that Murphy and Costa have been working together in recent weeks, fans are already speculating that this public meltdown could be a sign of cracks in their partnership. Can they keep the drama off the court?
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Inés
Shh... Don’t Say It—Fletcher
“Keep up the pace, Inés!” Calvin shouted from the sidelines, just as his sister scored another point.
