Match Point

Chapter 25

25

‘Flora broke my heart by DUMPING me for rich tennis hunk’: Ex-boyfriend of Kieran O’Sullivan’s rumoured new love FINALLY breaks his silence

*

‘Kieran, you really didn’t need to come back early from training,’ I sigh, placing my hand on his arm as he comes to sit next to me on the sofa. ‘You have the semi-finals tomorrow! This isn’t important. I told you I’m fine. It’s okay, please go back to practice.’

‘It is not okay,’ he counters, before turning to Nicole with a murderous expression. ‘What options does she have to fix this? Can we get them to take down the article?’

From the armchair by the window, Nicole sets down her cup of tea. ‘I’m afraid Jonah has every right to speak to the press and give his version of events. They use the word “allegedly” throughout, and all the stated allegations are quotes from him. There’s nothing we can do but release Flora’s own side of the story, if that’s what she wants to do, but she’s told me she doesn’t want that.’

‘I don’t want that,’ I tell him firmly. ‘I’m going to leave it.’

‘So he gets away with it,’ Kieran snaps, jumping to his feet and stalking over to the mantelpiece, rubbing his chin, irritated. He spins round with an intense look of outrage in his eyes. ‘He can say all these things about you and there are zero consequences!’

‘You know the drill better than anyone, Kieran,’ I point out, frowning at him. ‘It’s best I do nothing. The things he said aren’t that bad. Okay, it’s not great he’s made it out as though I dumped him for you and there are implications that I cheated… and lied, obviously, but he also says we had a loving three-year relationship. That’s something.’

‘A relationship that, according to his story, you viciously destroyed in favour of my riches and fame,’ Kieran seethes, clenching his fists.

Watching him pace about the room all flared up, it occurs to me that he seems much angrier about this article than all the articles that came out about him after the incident at Warren House, and although I don’t want him to be so upset and cross, there’s something really quite sweet and old-school about how much he wants to protect my honour. I shouldn’t like seeing him like this, all riled up and angry on my behalf, but I do. I can take care of myself, but it’s sexy witnessing how much he wants to protect me.

‘Kieran, this will blow over. Anyone can see that it’s an embarrassing and desperate attempt from an ex-boyfriend to get publicity for his new play,’ I point out, offering a weak smile when he glances over at me to try to reassure him. ‘He mentions it, like, ten times in the interview. He’s playing a jilted lover, so he was able to use his experience from our relationship to get into character.’

‘He’s shameless,’ Kieran mutters bitterly.

‘Yeah, and it shows. He’s having his fifteen minutes.’ I turn to appeal to Nicole. ‘Wouldn’t you agree?’

‘Absolutely.’ She nods, smiling encouragingly at me. ‘I’m sorry that this has happened, but I agree that the best way to handle this is silence. We don’t want to draw more attention to it by making it a he said/she said situation. We let it blow over and be forgotten.’

‘How can he get away with such baseless lies?’ Kieran fumes, running his hands through his hair. ‘Don’t they fact-check anything?’

‘They asked Flora for comment,’ Nicole informs him. ‘That’s their way of checking.’

‘It’s not like there’s a written record of who cheated on who,’ I say, slumping back on the cushions. ‘And I highly doubt Zoe is going to come forward with the truth. I’ve told Iris not to say anything either, even though she’s about as mad as you are, Kieran.’

‘We hadn’t even met when you two broke up!’ Kieran seethes. ‘If I see that guy again, if he dares come anywhere near you or this flat, I’m going to—’

Nicole clears her throat pointedly, giving him a look.

‘I will… talk to him,’ Kieran concludes through gritted teeth.

‘I don’t think he’ll be coming anywhere near here anymore,’ I say, getting up and moving over to him, taking his hands in mine. ‘Kieran, I promise, I’m okay.’

He exhales, his shoulders dropping as he leans forward to press his forehead against mine. ‘I hate that he’s done this to you,’ he murmurs.

‘Me too. But, honestly? It hasn’t hurt me like I thought it might,’ I admit, pulling away so I can look him in the eye. ‘He doesn’t have any power over me anymore.’

He sighs. ‘Good. I hate that guy.’

‘Forget him. And see it this way – I’m going to have some really good ammo when we next play tennis and you lob a ball my way. I’ll just think of him and this interview and BAM. A winning smash.’

Kieran breaks into a smile, tiny crinkles forming around his eyes.

‘I think I’m all done here, then, if you’re feeling okay, Flora?’ Nicole announces, standing up and picking up her designer handbag.

We’ve only been properly acquainted for an hour, but I really like Nicole. She’s a smart, no-nonsense woman in her thirties, and she reminds me a bit of Iris. As soon as you meet her, you know you want this person on your side.

‘I’m fine. It was really good of you to come over to talk me through everything.’

‘Any friend of Kieran’s…’ She smiles, walking across the room to the door. ‘In a professional capacity, I can say that you’re making a sensible decision by not responding to this interview. In a non-professional capacity and completely off the record, I’d like to say that your ex is an attention-seeking prick who never deserved you. You’re well rid.’

I laugh. ‘Thank you, I appreciate that.’

‘If you need anything else or have any questions, just call me. Kieran, we’ll talk later about the press surrounding the tournament.’

‘Thanks, Nicole,’ he says, showing her to the front door.

When she leaves, sunglasses on, head bowed, I hear the instant barrage of questions from the awaiting paparazzi. The door shuts and Kieran wanders back into the living room, leaning on the doorframe, watching me closely as I chew my thumbnail.

‘Are you okay?’ he asks gently.

‘I’ve told you, I’m fine.’

‘Yeah, but are you saying you’re fine when you’re not actually fine?’

I drop my hand and smile. ‘What he said about me sucks and it’s embarrassing, but I’ll get through it.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ he says quietly, chewing his lip. ‘You must have had such a shit day.’

‘Actually, I did loads of sketching today. My book is really coming along,’ I tell him brightly. ‘I didn’t see the article until lunchtime.’

Kieran’s eyes drop to the floor and his expression saddens, the creases on his forehead deepening. ‘This is my fault. One of the hazards of knowing me. Privacy intrusion.’

‘Hey,’ I say softly, walking over to him and cupping his face in my hands. ‘This isn’t your fault. Jonah is the one who decided to sell his story to the press.’

‘It’s because of me that your life is being pulled apart,’ he mutters. ‘They won’t stop here. They’ll keep digging and prying and hurting you. All because you know me.’

‘Kieran, stop!’ I insist, my heart aching at how defeated he seems. ‘I don’t mind.’

‘I mind. I mind,’ he repeats, his eyebrows pulled together. ‘Until I came along, you didn’t have to worry about anything like this. Now, your ex is airing your secrets and—’

‘It’s worth it,’ I state firmly, holding his gaze. ‘Okay? It’s worth it to me.’

He doesn’t say anything, his chest rising as he inhales deeply.

‘I’m okay, I promise. We have to take the high road,’ I continue. ‘One day, Jonah will regret it. Please, let it go. You have to focus on the semi-finals tomorrow. I’m annoyed you left practice early. Neil must be fuming.’

‘It’s fine, we were almost done anyway. I’d planned… I’d planned on taking you out on a date, actually.’

I step back, raising my eyebrows in surprise. ‘Really? This afternoon?’

‘Yeah. It occurred to me that we haven’t really been on one, and it’s important to have some downtime and relax, take my mind off tennis for a bit. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take you out properly.’

‘But you’ve worked so hard today. Don’t you want to crash on the sofa or play your little PlayStation? You should be resting and relaxing.’

His mouth twitches into a wry smile and he reaches out to put his hands on my hips and pull me towards him.

‘I’m relaxed when I’m with you,’ he says, as I wrap my arms around his neck. ‘And when you say “little PlayStation”, it hurts my feelings because you’re demeaning it.’

‘I apologise. I meant, your important, serious PlayStation.’

‘Thank you. Apology accepted.’ He grins, his dimples deepening. ‘I have a plan for what we can do together. I think you’ll be happy about it.’

‘You have a big day tomorrow, Kieran. We can’t go out and stay up late. You should stay here and relax.’

‘We won’t stay up late. You don’t know what my plan is yet.’

‘Are you sure we should do this? I don’t want to get you in trouble or risk jeopardising tomorrow.’

‘You’re not jeopardising anything and this is my choice.’ He sighs heavily. ‘If I stay home for the next few hours, I’ll sit around worrying and stressing – especially with this added stress from Danny Zuko. It’s important to have a break. If you’re worried, I can ring Neil and he will tell you that he’s always saying shit like that to me.’

‘I’m not sure he’d say that this time,’ I mutter. ‘But I’m going to trust you, and an outing would be fun. Although we’ll have to get through the barrage of paps outside.’

‘Matthew will drive us, I’ll ask him to call when he’s outside.’

‘Come on then, what’s this great plan of yours?’

‘You’ll see,’ he says, his eyes twinkling at me. ‘The question is, were you telling the truth?’

I tilt my head curiously. ‘The truth about what?’

*

When the car pulls up to Battersea Power Station, I’m still not sure what Kieran has in mind. There are lots of cool places around here to eat, but none of them would cause that annoyingly smug smile on his face. It’s not until we head up to level one and, my hand grasped in his, he starts marching towards Bounce with unabashed excitement that I understand why he’s so pleased with himself.

‘A ping-pong bar,’ I say, my shoulders shaking with laughter.

‘You told me you were good at it. Now, we’re going to see if you were making that up to try to impress me.’

‘I was not just saying stuff to impress you!’

He stops in front of Bounce and arches a brow. ‘Guess we’ll find out. Do you like it? Or were you expecting something a bit more glamorous for a first date?’

‘Technically, it’s our second date, if you include the pub darts.’

‘Second date, then,’ he concurs, grabbing me round the waist and pulling me close. He smells so good, it makes my heart flutter. Running my hands over his broad shoulders, I know that I will never get tired of him holding me. ‘So, what do you think?’

‘For a second date, I think it’s… pretty perfect.’ I give him a mischievous smile. ‘You can take me somewhere glamorous for the third date, if there is a third date.’

‘There will be a third date.’

‘Cocky.’ I grin, as he bows his head and his lips brush against mine softly.

It’s the sort of kiss that relays a huge weight of meaning. It’s not urgent or desperate or showy, it’s caring and quiet and gentle. Like everything is okay. It makes my heart hum and my belly fill with a comfortable warmth and affection. It turns the busy world around us into stillness. When he breaks the kiss, I reach up on my tiptoes to kiss him again.

We head in to Bounce and, after the guy who greets us has a fangirl moment over Kieran, we’re given a table and order a couple of mocktails.

‘Shall we have a few warm-up rallies and then play to see who serves first?’ Kieran suggests, picking up a bat and sauntering to the other end of the table.

‘Sounds good to me,’ I say, tossing the bat up into the air and letting it spin before I deftly catch the handle. It’s actually a complete fluke but it looks bloody good.

Kieran raises his eyebrows, impressed. ‘Whoa. Go easy on me, Hendrix.’

‘Are you scared, O’Sullivan?’

‘Never.’

We launch into a rally and quickly discover that, although I was telling the truth and I can play ping-pong to a fairly high standard, there can be no doubt that the professional tennis player at the table has a significant advantage. We have a few minor distractions from our game when a couple of the bar staff come over to ask for a picture with Kieran, which in turn alerts others in the bar to his presence. But we manage to forget about the people taking stealthy photos and videos of us, and have a really fun time.

Soon I’m shrieking with excitement when I manage to get one of his annoyingly sneaky drop shots. He’s just as invested, yelling ‘COME ON’ to himself when he misses the ball or punching the air in celebration when he wins a point. We start to incorporate silly tasks into the next match – like, we have to do a 360-degree spin after hitting the ball, or hop on one foot while playing, or play with our left hand. The best one is when I announce that we have to incorporate our favourite dance moves in between playing shots, inspired by the loud music playing in the bar, and although he takes some encouragement, when he does the chicken head bop after serving, I’m doubled over wheezing with laughter. After I do an extremely impressive top spin forehand that he can’t return, he’s so proud of me that he tosses his bat on the table with a loud clatter, runs around to my side and lifts me up in the air, spinning me around.

I can’t remember laughing this much.

After such exhilarating play, we take a break, sitting next to our ping-pong table and chatting over our drinks.

‘Can I ask you a question that I’ve wanted to ask for a while?’ I say, setting my glass down determinedly.

‘We’re on a date, Flossie, questions are part of it. Ask away.’

‘I think it may be personal, so you don’t have to tell me the answer if you don’t want.’

He holds up his hands. ‘It’s grand. Shoot.’

I take a deep breath, holding his gaze. ‘Why did you have to stay in Lingfield Road? Did you make that up to be stubborn when I wouldn’t leave the flat, or is there genuinely a reason?’

He nods slowly like he’d already accepted that I’d ask this someday. ‘There’s a reason. But it’s a secret. So, if I tell you, then you have to tell me one.’

I smile. ‘Deal.’

‘Okay.’ He drops his eyes to the floor. ‘The first time I came to Wimbledon, it was because Aidan was playing in the junior tournament, but I was too young to qualify. He was knocked out first round and in the car on the way back to the hotel, I told him that I was sorry he lost. He shrugged it off and told me that he’d be back one day to win.’ He takes a moment. ‘He looked out the window and told me that one day we’d be living in a big house on that very road and we’d both be Wimbledon Champions.’

I reach for his hand, threading my fingers through his.

‘We happened to be driving down Lingfield Road at the time,’ he continues, bringing his eyes up to meet mine and giving me a sad smile. ‘I was such a cocky little shit I told him that I’d be Wimbledon Champion first, and he just smiled and said, “Kieran, the only chance you’ll have at winning Wimbledon is if I’m out that year due to injury.” Our dad was driving and he roared with laughter. Aidan was so quick like that. He was really clever.’

‘He sounds brilliant.’

He squeezes my hand and then collects himself, rolling his shoulders back and giving me a grin, his eyes brightening. ‘So that’s the reason that, if I have the chance to be on Lingfield Road, I’ll take it. I wasn’t talking bullshit.’

‘It all makes sense to me. That’s a good reason.’

He pulls his eyebrows together, looking pensive. ‘I should thank him.’

‘Who?’

‘Aidan,’ he says with a shrug. ‘He brought me to you.’

My breath catches and my heart does too many somersaults to count.

He nods to the ping-pong table. ‘Enough chit-chat. Another round or are you ready to surrender?’

‘To you? Never,’ I assert, swiping up my bat with enthusiasm.

He grins and I swear to God, every time I see those dimples, I fall deeper and deeper. It’s lucky he’s forgotten to ask me for a secret in return. My biggest one is just how strongly I feel about him, and if I say it out loud, it will probably frighten him.

Because it terrifies me.