Chapter 39
AVERY
TWO DAYS LATER
“You have any questions about the shoot today?” Taylor asks. She’s on speaker while I drive to Rori Reilly’s Orlando tennis facility, where we’re filming the Triumph commercial.
“No, I think I’m good. Thanks, Taylor.”
“Okay, great. Sorry I couldn’t be there.” She works out of New York City, where she’s stuck for a meeting. Rori’s agent is going to help us both on site instead.
At least this will kill a bunch of hours today.
Because over the last seventy-two hours with nothing but one game to force my attention elsewhere—a game he was supposed to be at—I keep returning to one topic in my mind.
Rawley.
It’s not that I think my decision to end things was wrong, necessarily. There’s a reason for the rule I established, and it feels safest to keep the exit strategy as is.
But I already miss him. I miss talking to him. I miss our texts. I miss laughing together.
And especially while I’m here in Orlando, it feels wrong not to spend time with him. Feels empty.
It wasn’t so bad the first day, but after more have passed, that’s the best way to describe how it feels: empty.
The feeling of a wrong absence and my life out of sync.
It was worse when I woke up this morning, alone. When you count my road trip last week, it’s been ten days alone now. My body and mind are screaming where is that man I want to hold, I want to burrow under the covers with.
It’s only been seven weeks since our first kiss, but I guess that was long enough for him to upend my normal.
Come on, Avery. Pull it together. Reset.
Today should be a good chance for that, to focus on my goals as I fulfill my duties at the commercial shoot. After all, the endorsement opportunities were the whole point of this arrangement.
As I get closer to the facility, I try to run through my lines from the script in my head, to push my thoughts in a new direction.
The commercial has kind of a cute setup, while showcasing our skills. Rori’s going to “teach” me how to serve, and I’m going to do the same with dribbling. Only the script has the other person being terrible at what we’re being taught, which should be entertaining if a little embarrassing.
But fair, because I have zero experience with tennis.
And then they’re going to end the commercial with flash cuts of us cooking at our own sports, and the tagline, “You don’t need to be number one in everything, just be the number one you.”
Still, I’m nervous. With everything going on with Rawley, I can’t help but wonder how much she’s aware of our impending “breakup.” And if so, what he’s shared with his family?
Ugh. I admire Rori so much, but I guess I’ll tread cautiously today just in case.
When I get to the tennis facility, I follow the instructions to the locker room they’ve set aside for us to get ready. When I walk in, a woman who looks to be in her late-thirties recognizes me and approaches. She’s well put together in a crisp yellow suit.
“Hi, Avery.” She offers her hand. “I’m Nina.” Oh, that’s Rori’s agent.
“Nice to meet you,” I say, and step inside the room. I see Rori getting her makeup done toward the back.
“I’m happy to help with any questions today, as I believe Taylor shared. In the meantime, let me get you connected with the assistant producer organizing all the logistics.”
“Thanks so much.”
“Have you met Rori yet?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Well, come over. I’ll introduce you two.”
Once Nina makes the introductions, I attempt to read Rori’s expression.
“Great to meet you. Obviously I’ve heard so much about you,” I say, trying to sound upbeat and respectful. Neither of which is my default state.
“Same and same,” Rori says. Her tone is neutral as far as I can tell.
Her hair and makeup people are busy around her too, so I’m sure she doesn’t want to disrupt their efforts.
“Let’s get you set up with your team, Avery,” Nina says to me.
Within a minute, I’m getting glammed up—relatively glammed, since we’re supposed to be teaching each other our sports, not going to a party.
A dresser comes with the first Triumph outfit they want me to wear. It’s—shocker—purple. Lavender on top, and the darker Surge purple on the bottom.
“It’s a really good color for you, with your complexion and black hair. If you aren’t sick of it,” she jokes lightly.
“It’s great, thank you.”
I look over to Rori, and they have her dressing in two shades of teal. The colors will definitely look pretty together.
They send me behind a screen to change, and when I’m all suited up, they steer me out of the room to the court where the cameras are set up.
Rori had been ready a couple of minutes earlier than me, so she’s already there waiting, a tennis racquet now in her hand.
Everything we’re going to say and do today is scripted, so I’m not worried about the shoot itself. But I still don’t feel grounded on whether she’s “in the know” about my imminent “breakup” with Rawley.
I decide to test the waters with some small talk.
“Hi again,” I say to her with a smile. “That’s a great color.”
“Thanks, yours too.” Her voice is a little flat but perfectly nice.
“I don’t know if Rawley told you this, but I borrowed your shoes one time when I was over at their house. So thank you.” I keep the smile on my face, trying to project warmth.
I don’t get much back though. “Glad you got some use out of them.”
Okay…
A production assistant comes up to us. “It’ll be just a few minutes longer for us to get the setup ready. I put some waters on that table for you.”
“Great, thank you,” Rori says. For the PA, she has a real smile.
Shoot. That’s not promising for today’s vibes.
The PA turns to face me directly, looking a little shy. “I hope I’m not overstepping, but I just wanted to say you and Rawley are so sweet together. I loved when he wore your jersey.”
“He’s an amazing guy.” My lips turn up on their own at the thought of him that day, and she grins back at me.
Nina’s voice breaks the moment. “Rori, Avery, you all good here?”
“I am,” I answer, expecting Rori to say the same.
Only when I look at her, she’s staring at me with a curious look on her face.
I’m not a mind reader, and it’s a little off-putting that I can’t just ask her what’s going on in her head. But there’s a zillion people around, and we barely know each other.
“Let’s get started ladies, if you’re ready. I’m Zara, the director.”
Zara gets us in position on the court where Rori is going to “teach” me how to serve.
“You both feel confident in your lines, before we start?”
After we nod yes, she walks through the blocking for each line.
“We’ll shoot it multiple times from many angles, though, so don’t worry too much,” she says after she’s done, before walking off to give her team more instructions.
Rori starts bouncing on her feet like she’s about to play for real.
“These always take so long to get started,” I say, making another attempt at small talk.
“Yeah, I get impatient, so it helps to stay active.” This time her voice is a little warmer.
“Totally, I kind of wish I had a ball in my hands to kill time.”
Rori gives me a half grin. “Let’s get you one.” She calls over to Nina to bring me a basketball they’ve set aside as a prop later.
Once it’s in my grasp, I start palming and juggling it between my hands. Dribbling it will be loud while all these people are working, so I restrain myself on that front.
“Sarah’s boyfriend Malcolm is a friend of mine,” Rori says. “Have you met him?”
Now she’s making small talk. I take that as a good sign.
“I have, even before I was on the Surge. Sarah’s been my UConn mentor the last few years.”
“Oh, so you were already friends with her?” Rori looks like she’s studying my every answer.
“Yes, we’re good friends. I’m staying with her right now.”
Something changes on her face, like I passed a test. “She’s a great person.”
“Places, ladies!” calls out the assistant director.
“Here we go,” says Rori, and I roll the basketball toward the table where they placed our water.
The script is a little cheesy, like most commercials. But Rori’s energy has shifted, and a real connection is passing through us as we recite the lines, so that at least feels natural.
“Avery, I hear you want to learn how to serve?”
I put on a mock cocky look. “I mean, how hard can it be, right? Plus I’m tall, so I’ll be closer to the ball in the air.”
Rori shakes her head. “That’s not really how it works, but why don’t you give it a try?”
I then throw the ball in the air, and deliberately whiff. Though god knows I wouldn’t be able to aim it even if I miraculously hit it.
“Cut. Great job, ladies. Let’s run it again.”
We do our bit over and over, and as the takes add up, the staff starts laughing at my whiffs, which become increasingly clownish.
After we get through all the camera angles Zara wants, they give us a break, and we walk to two chairs they’ve set aside for us to rest in.
“That was more fun than I thought it would be,” I admit.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t know you could make fun of yourself that way. Not because of anything Rawley’s said,” Rori explains. “But just from what I’ve seen in the press.”
“You can’t believe everything you read.”
“You can say that again.” She rolls her eyes.
“This is where you train?” I ask, hoping to keep the good energy going.
“When I’m in Orlando, yes. If there’s a longer break, or during the offseason, I stay with Landon rather than schlep between Tampa and Orlando, so I need a practice facility here. But my main one is in Tampa.”
Zara’s voice breaks up our conversation. “We’re ready for round two if you are, Rori and Avery?”
We both stand up and after some touch-ups from the glam team, we get into position for the portion where switch roles and I’m teaching her to dribble. We’re just doing it here, on the same tennis court.
When action is called, we cover the second half of the script.
“So I’m a bad student, but maybe I’m a better teacher,” I say. I put up my hands and off-camera, a production assistant zips the ball to me.
“Where did that ball come from?” Rori says, pretending like she’s confused.
“It comes when I call it,” I say, and wink at the camera. There’s apparently going to be some kind of fairy sparkle sound effect there.
Cringe, but whatever.
“Want to learn how to dribble?” I ask while I start doing some high-speed crossover moves in front of her.
“Sure,” Rori says with fake enthusiasm.
“Okay, try this, and this,” I say, showing her a slowed down crossover.
She then takes the ball, and like when I served, she’s deliberately off-rhythm with her contact on it, slapping at it too hard as well.
It’s actually really funny, but I try to keep it together.
“Cut,” Zara says, giggling.
Once again, we repeat the bit way too many times to count, and everyone’s even looser with their laughs at Rori’s fake dribbling once the camera shuts off. Probably getting a little punchy with the passage of time too.
Finally, Zara says the magic words. “All right, I think we have everything we need.”
“Yay!” Rori says. “I’m ready to get all this makeup off.”
“Definitely,” I agree.
Nina comes over to check on us again, then says her goodbyes as we go to get changed into our normal clothes.
Once we’re in the dressing room, Rori pulls something out of her bag. “Granola bar?”
“Oh, yes, thank you. I’m close to hangry mode.”
“I know it well.”
She’s ready to leave faster than me, but hangs back until I’m done so we can walk to our cars together.
It’s kind of cool, given how the day started.
Only I find out—she has an ulterior motive.
Once we’re at her car, mine only two spots away, she reveals it.
“Do you mind if I ask you a question? About you and Rawley?”
Uh… “Sure.”
“He told us the other day that it’s not going well. Specifically, that you’re calling things off.”
Okay well, that explains her attitude earlier. I debate how to answer, then just go with the simple truth. “Yes.”
“But Landon has also said to me many times that he thinks you’re great together, and I mean, you didn’t miss a beat to praise him today. Plus everything online between you two is so cute, though I realize social media is not real life.”
Little does she know how unreal it is.
“I’m not the kind of person who interferes in other people’s relationships. But just to be sure, it’s not the media attention that’s making you end things? Because I know that was a huge mindset block for me with Landon.”
“No, no it’s not that. And honestly—” I stop myself.
“You can say anything you want to me, and I’ll keep it quiet if you ask. It’s hard enough to handle relationships, let alone worry about who you can trust.”
I’m not going to tell her close to everything, but I don’t mind confessing one thing.
“I already miss him. He’s a great guy.”
That’s the first time I’ve said that out loud to someone else.
“He is,” she agrees.
“But it’s our schedules,” I say, repeating Taylor’s future party line. “It’s just going to be too tough.”
She nods, digesting what I’m saying.
“I do get that. All the time apart.”
“Yeah, so hopefully we’ll stay friends. It’s nothing personal. At all.”
She looks resigned now that she’s heard my reasoning. “I’m sure you will. Rawley’s not the kind to hold a grudge.”
I hope so.
“Just some words of wisdom, even though we’re the same age, and I’m hardly wise at all,” she says as she opens her car door.
“Yes?”
“The Battle brothers are green flag kings, and it’ll be hard to find anyone as sweet and funny as Rawley.”
And with that parting message, she closes her door and drives off, leaving me with my thoughts.