Chapter 25
"I hope you've got plenty of time, because I'm not leaving until you fill me in on all of it," Marta said, taking the non-alcoholic beer Leire handed her before settling into the wicker chairs on her Madrid terrace.
The tennis player looked at her friend for a few seconds, then smiled and gave her an affectionate squeeze on the knee. She hadn't picked up all of Marta's calls, and she hadn't called back when she'd promised she would.
"Thank you for always being here," she said sincerely. "I'm so lucky to have you, and I think for a long time I didn't appreciate the important people I had around me."
"Don't be ridiculous. I never felt like you took my friendship for granted. You just had a rough patch, but you're finally here now, so talk."
Leire had arrived in Madrid a couple of days ago. She'd said goodbye to Kate at the hotel entrance when a cab came to pick her and Diane up and take them to the airport, where they'd catch a flight to Melbourne—Kate was spending three weeks there with her family before traveling to Madrid.
After two days during which they'd only left the hotel once for dinner, they'd had plenty of time to get into all of it.
Kate had already planned a two-week visit to her family, but she'd decided to extend it a little, given that they were now planning to move in together and she wasn't sure when she'd be back.
Leire was going to use these days to rest for a week before getting back to training.
She'd also made plans with Isaac to meet an attorney who specialized in harassment cases—one her agent had tracked down—and depending on how that meeting went, she'd talk to Kate and they'd both move forward with the complaint against her father, with the support and evidence of Candela Valle, who had already shown her willingness to cooperate, including handing over her phone if needed.
"I don't know where to start," Leire said, savoring the non-alcoholic beer she rarely allowed herself.
"Then start with that epic coming out," Marta said, clapping her hands, thrilled. "God, I always knew you'd do it, but not in front of half the world."
The two of them burst out laughing.
"What happened? Because the whole thing was so strange. When Brogan spoke she looked crushed and devastated, but then you said that, and God, it was so perfect," she insisted, with a dramatic grimace, pressing one hand to the center of her chest.
"It wasn't, really. A lot had happened before that—the most painful being that Kate broke up with me a few days earlier. I played that match knowing it was the end of her career and the end of my relationship with her, and I couldn't take it."
Marta leaned forward, intrigued.
"What happened?"
Leire exhaled and rubbed her hands together nervously before walking her through the whole story with Kate and the mess that came after with her father.
"You're kidding me. What an absolute bastard," Marta said, jumping to her feet, restless and furious. "I can't believe it—and on top of that he has the nerve to say he did it for you, to save your career," she added, outraged.
The tennis player felt a tightness close around her throat and took a few seconds to drink a couple of sips and steady herself.
"And on top of it all, blindly trusting that Candela wasn't going to do anything with the photos.
If that woman had put them out there, I don't know—I think I would have lost my mind," Leire admitted.
"Not for my own sake," she said, surprised by herself, "but because of what it would've meant for Kate—letting other people steal her privacy like that. "
"You didn't expose anything. That was your father."
"I know, but it happened because of a situation I let get way too tense. If I hadn't been such a coward, if I'd fought harder for what I wanted and pushed away anyone who didn't accept who I am, none of this would have happened."
"You know what?" Marta asked. "I'm actually glad it took you so long, because it gave your father the chance to show his true colors and let us see the kind of monster he really is."
Leire rubbed her hands together again, uncomfortable.
"Sorry," Marta said, sitting back down. "I know he's your father, and that must be incredibly hard to sit with."
"It is," the tennis player said.
"But you can't let it go. What does Kate say?"
"She's pretty angry about it. And call her Kate, will you?"
"Aaaah." Marta's perfectly arched eyebrow shot up as she allowed herself a half smile. "So, Kate, huh? Let's set your father aside for now because it puts me in a terrible mood. Tell me about her. I'm guessing you two have worked things out."
Leire's eyes lit up and Marta let out a low whistle.
"I'm so happy for you, I really am," she said, leaning over to hug her friend.
"Thank you," the player whispered. "We've talked a lot these past few days. I apologized for everything and we decided to start fresh—focus on the present, not on the rest of it."
"That sounds like a great idea," Marta said.
"Yeah, but I don't know—I feel like I owe her more than that. Like saying sorry isn't enough to make up for what I put her through."
"And what do you want to do, Leire? If she's forgiven you—"
"I'm thinking about giving an exclusive to Candela Valle.
Opening up to the world so that everyone out there who feels the same terror I felt knows it's okay—that the world doesn't end when you accept yourself, and that if someone has a problem with who you are, the best thing you can do is cut them out.
And most of all, I want to talk about how my story with Kate began.
I want people to know how patient she was, the support she gave me for three years, and how selfish I was during that time—wringing every last drop out of her until she had nothing left. "
"That sounds really meaningful," Marta said. "And it's good that you want to do it, but it's important that you understand why you're doing it, Leire—because Kate hasn't asked you to, and putting yourself out there like that…"
"She hasn't asked me to, and she never will.
That's just Kate—always giving without expecting anything in return.
Right now people are talking about us constantly, speculating and making things up because they don't know our story.
Most people think we fell for each other during this tournament, and others think it was some kind of marketing strategy to keep Kate relevant now that she's retiring.
I want to tell the truth. I want people to know what kind of person she is and what kind of person I am—or used to be. Only then will I feel at peace."
"Then do it," Marta said, taking her hand warmly. "I haven't asked you how you felt after saying it. I always thought that if you ever came out in front of people, you'd faint from the shock."
Leire shoved her and they both laughed.
"Seriously though—how are you? Any regrets? Would you have done it differently if it hadn't been a spur-of-the-moment thing?"
"No regrets at all. And I don't even think about how I would've done it if it had been planned," Leire said with a slight smirk.
"I was terrified, Marta—but not because of what other people might think.
In that moment, while I was waiting for Kate's reaction, I realized how little I cared what anyone thought of me for being a lesbian. The only thing that mattered was her."
"That's what I'm talking about," Marta said, looking at her with pride. "And Costel? What's going to happen with that brand? Have they said anything?"
Leire let out a slow breath through her nose.
"I don't know. Isaac hasn't told me anything yet, so I'm guessing they haven't made a statement, but I've made a decision about that too."
"Which is?" Marta's eyebrows went up.
"I'm going to ask to terminate the contract, work out some kind of settlement with them, and stop sponsoring their brand.
I don't want to keep pretending to be someone I'm not, and if I stay with them it's like the job isn't fully done.
If I really want a fresh start with Kate, I need to do all of this. "
"Then go for it, girl. You know I'm here if you need me."
"Thank you."
Her phone buzzed and Leire got so flustered she nearly knocked over the beer bottle as she dug for it between her legs. She unlocked the screen, her eyes went wide, and a huge smile spread across her face when she saw Kate's name.
"Can you give me a few minutes? It's Kate…"
"You don't say," Marta teased, waving her off—though Leire was already walking across the grass with the phone pressed to her ear, wearing such a dopey expression that her friend watched her go with a tender sigh.