CHAPTER 15 #2
Maddie leaned closer, voice dropping conspiratorially.
“I know exactly how you look at Alex. Remember that day you and she walked out of that cafe after lunch in Ohio? I’ve been studying your body language ever since, when we talk about her, when you’re watching her matches. .. It’s like reading an open book.”
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “How do you even notice all that?”
She just chuckled, shaking her head. “Because it’s obvious. And you can’t hide it from me. Not ever.”
I took a deep breath, feeling my cheeks still warm from Maddie’s teasing.
“Okay, fine, yes, I’ve been feeling something.
” I hesitated, then blurted out the rest before I could overthink it.
“It’s just… It’s not like with anyone else I’ve ever liked.
” My voice dropped, quieter, truer. “With her, it’s different.
I think about her without meaning to. I notice everything she does.
The way she smiles when she’s trying not to.
Even how she talks, there’s this softness under all that ice… ”
I exhaled, shoulders loosening in defeat.
“With my ex-boyfriends, I never felt this.” I swallowed.
“They were good, some of them really good, and I cared. But it was never… consuming. Never this thing that follows me around, even when I’m pretending it doesn’t.
I didn’t replay conversations or wonder what they were doing or feel my pulse jump because they stood a bit too close.
But with her… everything just hits me differently. And I don’t know what to do with that.”
Maddie’s eyes widened, and she leaned back, grinning like she’d won some kind of secret prize. “Finally! I’ve been watching you squirm long enough. I could tell it wasn’t just a tiny crush.”
“But Maddie, I’m serious,” I said, forcing a steady tone.
“I can’t... I just can’t. It’s messy, it’s risky, and it could distract me.
That’s why I stopped dating, remember? I just realized I was pouring energy into relationships that never matched what I felt for the sport.
Tennis is what I want. I want to win Grand Slams. That’s the dream.
Everything else...” I trailed off, searching for the right words.
“Everything else can wait?” she guessed softly. “I don’t know if you’ve watched the press conference during her finals, but there’s a rumor going around that she might be going back to triathlon anytime soon.”
I blinked at her. “Oh?”
“Yes, and if that’s true, who knows where she’ll be next year? or after the US Open?” Maddie replied, shrugging.
“Mads, I’ve worked too hard for my career. I can’t let feelings or whatever these are get in the way.”
Maddie sighed, studying me for a moment. “Fair enough. But just so you know, Liv... if she does go back to triathlon, you might regret not saying anything. Feelings are tricky; you can’t ignore it forever.”
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. She’s probably right. But if I open that door now, there’s no closing it, and I can’t risk that.
“It’s not like she’s got that whole Archer Cadiz, human golden retriever thing going on,” I muttered. “Alex doesn’t charm people, she… freezes them into silence. Can you imagine her in triathlon mode? She’d be downright terrifying.”
Maddie snorted. “Babe, please. You’ve clearly never watched her triathlon clips. I’ve been doing a deep dive, purely for research, obviously, and trust me, she could charm a whole finish line without saying a word.”
I gave her a mock scandalized look. “Wow. So you really are a stalker.”
She rolled her eyes. “Girl, the whole race had a full livestream on YouTube. It’s not like I was hiding in the bushes.” She grinned. “Anyway, she’s different there. Almost like she belongs there as much as she does here.”
I tried to picture Alex that way, smiling mid-race.
Maddie caught my expression and leaned forward. “See? You’re curious now. And don’t try to tell me you’re not.”
“I’m... not,” I said, but my voice wavered just enough to give me away.
She raised a brow. “Liv, you can bury your head in the sand all you want, but you’re not fooling me. You like her. And I’m telling you now, if you keep pretending you don’t, someone else might get there first. If that happens, don’t come crying to me.”
I gave her a dry look. “Noted.” But the truth was, her words lingered like an annoying little echo I couldn’t quite shake off.
ALEXANDRA
Sure, I’d seen the pictures. Olivia and I at that little café in Ohio, and God, I looked so giddy. Every frame was the same: me leaning in, eyes crinkled, unable to stop smiling like some teenager on her first crush.
I felt like a teenager, and now the whole world had proof. Proof that Alexandra Wilson-Cadiz, queen of keeping her cool, had turned into an absolute mess the second Olivia sat across the table.
Now I’m in New York, and Coach Kit has been absolutely killing me with the training blocks. Morning gym, afternoon court work, evening conditioning, it felt like every muscle in my body was staging a protest.
I’m pretty sure Coach Kit has been punishing me for daring to juggle tennis with triathlon.
Ever since I told them that after the US Open I’d be going back to triathlon training, the sessions have been…
brutal. Longer drills, shorter breaks, and enough sprints to make me question every life decision I’ve ever made.
I’d like to think it’s all “preparation,” but it feels a lot like retribution.
And if that wasn’t enough, Dad’s been slipping me “optional” training plans for whenever I can squeeze them.
By the time practice wrapped, I was drenched, my legs jelly, and my lungs still trying to catch up. I grabbed my water and flopped onto the bench, head tilted back to stare at the rafters. A moment later, Archie dropped down beside me, tossing me a fresh towel.
“So…” Archie said, dragging it out like he was about to drop the world’s worst punchline. “You’ve seen the pictures, right?”
Heat shot up the back of my neck. “It was just lunch.”
Archie gasped in mock-shock, clutching his chest. “Just lunch? You’ve skipped dinner with me for weeks, but the second Miss Smythe shows up, you’re smiling like you’ve been hit with Cupid’s entire arsenal of arrows? Traitor.”
“It’s just a bet, Arch.”
He chuckled, leaning back against the bench. “Funny, because I’ve known you long enough to tell when you’re lying through your teeth. And I also know you’ve had a crush on Olivia since you were a kid.”
I turned my head slowly toward him.
“Every time she used to practice at the academy, you’d just happen to be free to watch. Didn’t matter if it was a junior tournament or some random Tuesday hitting session, you were there. Like clockwork.” Archie said, grinning like a cat who’d caught the canary.
I scoffed, aiming for dismissive but probably landing somewhere closer to defensive. “That’s called supporting mom’s junior athletes.”
“You’re my twin, Lex. I know she’s the reason you suddenly picked up a racket when you were thirteen, the same time she left the academy,” he said, dragging the word out. Then he smirked knowingly.
My jaw tightened despite my best effort to keep it loose. Trust Archer to dig up ancient history like it was yesterday.
I exhaled, shaking my head with a reluctant half-smile. “That’s exactly why I don’t tell you things, you’d never stop teasing.”
He grinned in victory. “Yes! I was right!”
I jabbed a finger at him. “Don’t tell anybody. I mean it, Archer.”
He raised both hands in mock surrender. “Your secret’s safe with me. But…” that infuriating smirk slid right back into place, “if you want my advice? Just shoot your shot, Lex. Life’s too short for pining from the baseline.”
I rolled my eyes, but there was no escaping him now. “It’s not that simple.”
“Talk to me.” His expression softened.
I hesitated, chewing on the inside of my cheek before the words finally came out. “Things with Olivia are… good. Easy. We’re actually becoming friends.”
I swallowed. “I’ve never wanted to risk ruining something more.”
Archer nodded slowly. “But you like her.”
“Yeah,” I whispered, hating how fragile it sounded. “And I don’t know where she stands. I’m not assuming she’d ever look at another girl that way.” A small, tight shrug. “I don’t want to make things weird. Or worse, make her feel cornered.”
Archer breathed out through his nose, half sympathy, half sibling exasperation. “Lex… you’re allowed to want things.”
“Maybe,” I said softly. “But I’d rather keep her in my life than gamble it all and lose her.”
He bumped my shoulder lightly. “Still sounds like you’re gone for her.”
Rolling my eyes, I leaned back and changed the subject. “Anyway… how’s that model you’ve been messaging? You know, the one you’ve been ‘accidentally’ liking old posts from?”
His smirk faltered for a split second. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, sure you don’t,” I said, feigning innocence. “Next you’ll tell me those fire emojis were for her photography skills.”
“They were!” he shot back, but the tips of his ears were already turning red.
I snorted. “Uh-huh. And the heart eyes?”
“That was… appreciation.”
“For what, her use of natural lighting?” I teased, grabbing my water bottle.
“Said the one who's being caught simping in HD during the Wimbledon Finals,” he grinned while shoving my shoulder.
I lunged for him, but he dodged, laughing as he darted toward the baseline. For a few minutes, it wasn’t about the US Open or training blocks, it was just us, being stupid, like we always had.
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The US Open had finally kicked off, and here I was, already in Round 2.
I’d gotten through my first match cleanly, straight sets, solid winners, and just enough control to keep Coach Kit from pacing holes into the sideline.
He’d been in a suspiciously good mood ever since, which was… unsettling, but I didn’t question it.