Page 28 of Breakpoint

J az couldn’t remember the last time she had been this nervous. Not during her first professional match or her first Grand Slam tournament. Maybe her first US Open final?

She paced the foyer area of her rental house in DC, the polished wood floor reflecting the muted glow of the overhead light.

The foyer wasn’t large, and she could only walk four steps before she had to turn around and walk back in the other direction.

Her heart hammered an uneasy rhythm against her ribs.

Each step, an attempt to contain the energy that buzzed beneath her skin.

She was going on a date tonight with Dani. Her one-time doubles partner. Someone who had become her best friend. The one person who had miraculously become something…more. Her stomach fluttered with a sensation she hadn’t felt in years, a giddy mix of excitement and fear.

The shift had been subtle. Months of friendship, of comfortable silences and shared laughter, now felt like a prelude to this moment.

This whole thing was terrifying but also exhilarating.

It was just as exhilarating as that first kiss had been.

If she was being honest, it was a perfect first kiss, hesitant at first, then deepening with a shared, unspoken understanding.

This was before the panic set in for Jaz. The alcohol’s warmth was quickly replaced by a chilling wave of doubt. Did I just ruin everything? She thought, her mind reeling. Dani had been drinking. I was drinking. Did she even want the kiss?

The beer, which had fueled her courage to lean in, seemed to fuel her doubt.

Suddenly convinced she’d misinterpreted everything, that she’d taken advantage of their friendship and Dani’s slightly inebriated state.

She was older and knew better because there was no way that a woman, as awesome as Dani and fifteen years her junior, would want Jaz.

Dani was the one person she simply could not let herself go there with.

As she escaped into the night, her heart hammered in her chest, each beat echoing the terrible refrain: She doesn’t like you.

You ruined everything . The amazingness of that kiss was completely overshadowed by a surge of shame she felt that night.

She knew Dani was queer, but that didn’t mean she wanted Jaz.

Had she pressured Dani into something she didn’t want?

But there was no denying the intensity of their kiss in the locker room today.

If the door hadn’t slammed open, no telling what would have happened between them.

She had wanted Dani to touch her, to be filled by her long fingers.

She went back to her rental home and took care of herself, or no way she would have gotten through this date tonight.

Because Jaz really liked and was attracted to Dani.

That was just a statement of fact. She felt more like herself whenever they spent time together.

Light. Curious. Playful. That she didn’t have to protect herself or her feelings about anything from Dani.

Something inside her still had her guard up because of the Lena situation, but she was trying to stay in the moment and give whatever this was a chance.

She looked down at her cream blouse, blue jeans and sneakers and hoped she looked good. Dani didn’t tell her where they were going, just to dress comfortably with comfortable shoes.

A sudden, sharp rap on the door sent her heart leaping into her throat. She took a deep, steadying breath, trying to compose her features into a semblance of calm. She took a quick glance at the video monitor on the wall to confirm it wasn’t some random delivery.

She pulled the door open, a wide smile stretching across her face.

There Dani stood, looking impossibly beautiful in simple black jeans, blue top and black converse tennis shoes, her curly brown hair pulled through a baseball cap on her head.

She stood there with a single yellow tulip in her hand and a smile on her face, her eyes crinkling at the corners with mirth.

All the anxieties, the doubts, the frantic preparations, melted away in that instant, because this was…Dani.

That feeling, butterflies swooping low in her stomach at the sight of her, came back. “You look beautiful,” she whispered.

“So do you.” Dani stepped across the threshold and kissed her cheek. Her face immediately felt warm where her lips had touched her. She extended the flower in her hand for Jaz to take. “This is for you.”

“Thank you.” Jaz blushed. No one had ever brought her flowers, or in this case, a flower, before .

Dani glanced around the foyer and took a peek at the formal living room area just to the left. “Nice house. How did Kira find it?”

Jaz shurgged. “Not sure how she works her magic, but she knows what I like and that I prefer the privacy of a rental home over hotels with all the players and tournament officials.”

“I get that. Someday, hopefully, I’ll be able to spring for a house like this in every city we travel to on tour.”

“Well, winning has its perks,” Jaz replied. “But I have no doubt that eventually you’ll get there.”

Dani looked at Jaz with curiosity and hope. “You mean it?”

“You know I only say what I mean. No need to gaslight you,” Jaz declared quickly, like it was a fact, wondering why Dani would even ask her that.

“Not even try to get in my pants?” Dani smiled cheekily at her.

“Well, you were in my pants or my skirt earlier today. And I didn’t think lying to you about your tennis game would be much of a turn on.”

“No, it’s not. I like that you don’t really have a filter. You’re direct, and I always know what’s on your mind and where I stand. It’s actually pretty hot.” At those words, heat rushed up Jaz’s face and throughout her body.

She also saw the arousal in Dani’s eyes as she bit her bottom lip. Before she could say anything else, Dani shook her head and moved back towards the front door. “We should get out of here. Got your hat?”

Dani told her to wear a hat for the summer sun, but it was dusk, and the sun would likely set soon.

It was also likely for a disguise, because she knew Jaz preferred not to be harassed while in public, especially without security.

She was no basketball or football star, but she was famous enough that many in the sports and media world only called her by her first name.

If someone was really paying attention, she was noticeable and sometimes mobbed.

But often just a hat and sunglasses threw off ninety percent of people from recognizing her when she ventured out and about.

She grabbed the black hat with a white shoosh off the table. “All ready. Where are we off to?”

“We’re going for a walk.” Dani smiled widely, bouncing on her toes like she had just discovered the cure to cancer.

Jaz looked at her, perplexed, because she must have heard Dani wrong. “Our date is a walk?”

“Yep!” Dani picked up the backpack that she just noticed was sitting near the door jamb and slung it over her shoulder. “We’re going for a walk.”

Turns out the walk was to see the Washington, DC monuments along and around the Potomac River. Jaz had been to DC more times than she could count, but she had never really done the touristy thing and checked out all the statues and history the city offered.

The humid air of a DC summer evening clung to them as they strolled along the Tidal Basin. It was July, after all, and DC felt more swampy than Florida. She was glad she listened and wore something comfy and breathable.

This date was beyond thoughtful. Dani knew she liked to stay active and was not a person who could sit still. Jaz even watched match film while walking on the treadmill or using the exercise bike .

The conversation started pretty surface level for them, talking about what went wrong in their last matches and where they were traveling next.

The sun had already dipped below the horizon as they strolled along the paved path encircling the Tidal Basin, painting the sky in hues of fiery orange, fading rose, and deepening indigo.

Their shoulders would occasionally brush, a spark of awareness passing between them with each accidental contact.

They walked past the Jefferson Memorial, its domed silhouette majestic and serene against the darkening backdrop.

The white marble seemed to glow from within, emanating a soft, ethereal light.

The path curved, bringing them closer to the water’s edge.

The water mirrored the sky, a shimmering expanse of color that rippled gently with each passing breeze.

The lights from the monuments danced on the surface, creating a constellation of shimmering stars.

They stopped along the water’s edge. A comfortable silence had fallen between, filled only with the gentle lapping of water and the distant hum of the city.

Dani pointed out a family of ducks paddling near the shore, their silhouettes dark against the luminous water.

Other couples and small groups ambled along the path, their voices murmuring softly, contributing to the peaceful ambiance.

Dani cleared her throat. “I’m really glad you agreed to do this tonight.”

“Me too. I’m having a nice time,” Jaz declared honestly.

Dani’s smile widened. “Same. I’ve missed being able to talk to you. And not just about tennis, but anything that popped into my mind. But now that we’re on a date, I feel like I’m blocked from asking you certain things I really want to know.”

“Like, what?” Jaz inquired. “You can ask me anything.”

“Okay, I know you aren’t supposed to ask this on a first date?

But I’m dying to know about your dating history because I’m shocked I hadn’t heard a thing about you being queer.

Like, who was your last relationship? Was it recent?

” The words poured out in a tumble, all in one breath.

Dani winced after she was done because it wasn’t really how she wanted to bring it up, but she was obviously couldn't help herself.