Page 29 of Breakpoint

Jaz didn’t expect that question, but she guessed it was what some people talk about on dates.

Not knowing where to begin, Jaz picked up a small pebble and skipped it across the water.

It caused the ducks to squawk, bringing a smile to both their faces.

Jaz finally glanced at her, a smirk still playing on her lips.

“Recent is a relative term, I guess. It’s been almost five years. ”

“Five years, wow,” Dani said, astonished.

Five years really was a long time, but in some ways it felt like forever, and also only yesterday. Jaz hadn’t even looked at another woman with interest until Dani, lest she put herself through that heartbreak again.

“And with who, you asked? Lena, my old physio, who you met at the Wimbledon Ball.”

“I knew it! My gaydar pinged so hard on her. How did you keep that out of the tennis rumor mill? I feel like everyone on tour knows I’m queer even though I haven’t publicly said anything or confirmed it in the press. ”

“I mind my own business and don’t put mine out in the street. You can keep most things out of the public sphere or from anyone knowing if you really want to,” Jaz declared confidently.

“Well, not when you kiss your double partner in a room full of athletes.” Dani smirked at her.

“You kissed me,” Jaz quipped back. “But how did you know about Lena?

“I didn’t really know, know. You know? But the way she was looking at you, I knew something had to be there,” Dani surmised.

Jaz was confused. “How was she looking at me?”

“Like a snack that she wanted to eat. Which I totally get. You were beyond breathtaking that night. But there was also this longing look in her eyes, like she was pining.” There was no jealousy, only curiosity in her tone. “If you don’t mind me asking…what happened?”

The question hung in the air. Jaz tried to think of where to start.

She hadn’t discussed it with anyone, not even Brandon, but she was comfortable enough that she wanted to tell Dani everything about her past relationship.

“She broke up with me, so I don’t think she was pining.

I just…couldn’t give her what she wanted. ”

“Which was what?”

Jaz kicked a small pebble along the path, her gaze following its short trajectory. “To pick her over tennis.”

The statement hung between them.

Faced with the growing attraction she felt towards Dani, she was reevaluating everything she thought she knew about herself.

This could be even messier than her situation with Lena.

But here she was on a date, in public, with Dani Kappas.

Was this just a fleeting attraction, brought on by the intensity of their friendship and connection on the court?

Or was it something deeper? Whatever it was, Jaz was going to live in the moment, enjoy herself, and figure out all the what-ifs later.

She was taking a page out of Dani's book.

She needed to bring them back from the precipice before this date went downhill. “But that’s ancient history. I’m more interested in the present. When did you know you were queer?”

A smirk appeared on Dani’s face. “Like every other self-respecting rich girl, at the fancy boarding school that I went to for a semester. It wasn’t my roommate, I’m not that cliche, but it was a girl who lived on my floor.

Her name was Sarah, and I thought she was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen. ”

Jaz was envious of the thought of being young, getting an opportunity to date, and fall in love. “And she, of course, liked you back?”

“Obviously,” Dani preened. “But then she dumped me. Here’s the kicker, for my roommate!”

She winced. “Ouch.”

Dani sighed, a long, slow release of breath. “Yeah, it was my first heartbreak. I thought I would never get over it. Funny, before you asked me, I hadn’t thought about her in years.”

“Brandon always says sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” Jaz thought about all the times her brother had said that phrase to her when she was anxious about things not going the way she wanted.

“That’s so true. She did open my eyes to my sexuality, which was great, but we obviously weren’t meant to be.

So Brandon’s right, I guess.” Dani turned to her again.

“What’s it like having an older brother and being on tour with him?

I’m an only child, so I don’t really get the sibling dynamic, but you seem super close. ”

“Brandon was my first and best friend. I literally can’t remember my life without him in it every day. He’s always been there for me, even when we were kids. And let me tell you, when your older brother picks you to play with him beyond any of his other friends, you feel like you’ve made it!”

Dani smiled at her. “That’s so cool. To have that built in person.”

Jaz's eyes turned wistful as she thought about her brother. “He always believed in me and the reason I’m here. For most young players, it’s really hard and expensive to break through in tennis.

You need someone to play against consistently.

I always had Brandon, who was bigger and faster than me, and we could play every day.

We lucked out and always had a place to play at the community center and didn’t have to pay for court time.

He even somehow paid for the travel, food, and entry fees to tournaments.

I don’t know where he got the money, and he told me to never ask.

So many things fell in my favor thanks to him, and I get to live out his dream every day, which is awesome. ”

“I’ve seen you together and envy that,” Dani gushed. “I can tell he would run through a wall for you.”

Jaz agreed, “And I would do the same for him. Once I got my first sponsor and things really took off from there, I put him in charge of everything as my coach and manager. I wanted to succeed for both of us.”

“That’s a lot of pressure.” Dani’s voice was softer and tinged with sadness .

“I thrive when the chips are down, and I wasn’t going to let any woman across the net take food off our plates and money out of our pockets.

Winning for us became fuel for me. And it’s funny once I became a success, all those things we wanted and scrapped for suddenly became free.

Free hotels, transportation, rackets, clothes, and cars. ”

“And what’s your fuel now? You have more money and fame than most athletes know what to do with.” Dani reached out and gently touched her arm.

That was an easy answer for Jaz. “The haters who still say I don’t belong.

But I know I am good enough. And every week my goal is to remind them who the fuck I am.

I’ll admit it’s harder for me to get the strength and energy to play every week.

My body is slowly breaking down on me. But I know I’m still better than ninety percent of the players on tour.

And we as black people are only applauded when we’re exceptional, so every week my fuel is to still be great and win. ”

Dani didn’t respond; she just slid her hand down Jaz’s arm to her hand and interlocked their fingers. They both stared down at their hands for a few seconds. She basked in the simple affection and comfort that Dani’s touch gave in the tumultuous waters this conversation had somehow navigated to.

She turned to continue their walk, their clasped hands swinging in between them.

The city lights blurred into a hazy halo around them.

There was definitely something more happening here.

The way her body reacted to Dani’s touch, the flutter in her chest when Dani smiled at her, the constant urge to be near her—it all pointed to feelings she’d never experienced before. Not even with Lena.

Ahead, the Washington Monument pierced the darkening sky, a stark white obelisk bathed in the warm glow of strategically placed lights. It reflected perfectly on the still water, creating a breathtaking illusion of an endless, luminous column stretching into the earth’s core.

“We’re almost here,” Dani announced.

Jaz looked around at all the people milling around on the grass. “Where’s here? I thought our date was a walk?”

“Well, I had a bit more planned. I heard in my hotel about these large outdoor movies they do on the grounds of the National Mall. So I thought we could have a picnic and a movie.”

“You…thought up a whole dinner and movie setup?” she asked, a mixture of amusement and genuine surprise in her voice. She and Lena rarely went out on dates; they often ate at the hotel between matches or at home after training.

The giant white inflatable screen stood stark against the darkening sky, a blank canvas waiting for the magic to begin.

Jaz had been invited to some of the best restaurants and experiences in the world.

Her fame got her into just about any event that she wanted.

She was a multi-millionaire, and Dani planned a simple picnic and a free movie in the park.

Jaz was grateful, truly, for the normalcy of it all.

“Of course! It’s not a real date without a movie under the stars, right?

” Dani opened up the backpack that she had been carrying and pulled out a blanket and some chilled containers, revealing an array of gourmet cheeses, a quinoa salad, hummus, carrots, celery, olives, and a bottle of sparkling cider.

No caviar, no champagne. Just…good food.

“I…wow,” she said, the word conveying a depth of emotion she hadn’t expected. This simple, thoughtful gesture…it astonished her. She could see that no publicist or assistant had orchestrated this. It had been all Dani.

She sat down beside her on the blanket and dug into the food, feeling a rare sense of genuine relaxation wash over her. “This is…amazing, Dani. Seriously.”

Dani beamed, clearly pleased with her reaction. “I figured,” she said, popping an olive into her mouth, “even eighteen-time Grand Slam winners need a break from the fancy stuff sometimes. I know it’s a far cry from the usual flurry of paparazzi at exclusive events.”