Chapter 30 #2
were. And now I’m . . .”
“Making out with his ex?” I smirked playfully, trying to lighten the moment. But when her expression remained worried, I tried
to reason, “I told you, we weren’t serious.”
“Still, don’t you think he will care?” Her gaze left mine.
“No,” I answered honestly. “The thing with Henrik, he ended it partially so he could date his physio. That’s how casual it
was.”
Inés’s worry disappeared, replaced with a look of surprise, and her voice dropped an octave as she spoke. “His physio?”
I nodded. “Apparently being an exclusive hookup with me meant that it gave him time to grow actual feelings towards another human.”
“That is . . .” Inés laughed once. “Very on brand for Henrik.”
“So, I think he will be fine if we decide to be together.” She bit her lip, nodding in agreement, but her body only relaxed
a little, the tension still held in her shoulders. Her hand in mine, I squeezed once.
Finding out that nobody had ever treated her right was driving me mad. Knowing I’d once been one of those people made me feel
more guilt than I’d ever experienced. “Now, dating?”
Inés brightened at my words, but her reply was still hesitant. “I’m on board.”
“Excellent. I’ll plan it.” I smiled, already formulating what we could do. Our next stop was Cincinnati, another busy week
of competing ahead of us, but I was sure it wouldn’t be too hard for both of us to carve out some time together, off court.
She was worth the effort.
“Someone is turning out to be a little bossy,” Inés joked.
I grinned back. “You have no idea.”
“Am I going to regret this?”
“Maybe a little.” I shrugged. “But I’ll make it worth your while.”
She smiled. “I’ll have to hold you to that.”
“I have no doubt you will.”
She looked around the room. “Are we actually going to sleep now?”
I gasped. “You mean you don’t want to spend the rest of the night making out?”
“I didn’t say that.” She paused, her eyes meeting mine. “But Calvin.”
“Not Calvin!” I cried, dramatically falling down on the mattress.
“He’s going to be annoyed when we show up exhausted.”
“I would rather my brother doesn’t get in the way of my hookups.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Now we’re hooking up?”
“That depends.” I paused. “How many dates until you put out?”
Inés gasped, her hand placed across her chest. “How rude to ask that of a lady.”
“You are no lady.”
“So, you won’t be seeing anyone else?” she asked. “Naked or otherwise.”
“Correct.” I nodded. “What about you?”
Inés tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. “Oh, see, there’s this one girl who’s been taking up a lot of my time.” My heart
plummeted in my chest at her words. “She’s this total brat on court. No discipline. Loves to throw a tantrum.”
“Very funny.”
She smiled over at me, and for a second, I was struck that only a few minutes ago, her lips were on mine. I felt as if I’d
been waiting for this to happen for weeks. Our relationship had been a roller coaster, but even with the lows, the highs of
being around her had left me with an intense need for more.
Inés yawned in front of me.
“Tired?”
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.