Page 16 of Game Point (Game, Set, and Match #2)

Dylan

Sober – Lorde

I had always hated these things. Looking around at the packed ballroom, the gala in full swing.

Everyone around was dressed up in black tie, brand reps practically crawling all over the place.

That was the only reason Brooke had allowed me to attend, a certain amount of PR built into our contracts with sponsors.

‘Dylan?’ Inés pulled my attention back. ‘You okay there? You zoned out.’

I forced a smile. ‘I’m fine. Just seeing if I recognize anyone.’

‘It’s a room full of tennis pros,’ she smirked. ‘Chances are there’s a few familiar faces.’

I took a sip of my champagne. She wasn’t wrong; it was impossible to so much as turn around without bumping into somebody I knew.

But none of them would be him.

We were five thousand miles apart, Oliver tucked away in London. I pulled my phone out, glancing at the empty home screen. He hadn’t replied to my messages today, usually answering no matter the hour. It was stupid, how hard I felt his absence.

Trying to push away the thoughts and make conversation instead, I turned back to Inés. ‘How are you feeling about your first match?’

She waved me away. ‘My opponent is barely in the top 200. I’ll be done in an hour.’

Beside her, her doubles partner Henrik grinned, pulling her close with his arm around her shoulder, ‘That’s my girl.’

She wriggled out of his grasp. ‘I am not your girl anymore, remember?’

Henrik placed a hand on his chest, looking over at her with a look of fake shock. ‘It’s only been a few dates and already you think I’ve abandoned you.’

‘Showing up late to morning practice,’ Inés pressed. ‘Practically swaggering in.’

‘Wait, who are we talking about?’ I asked.

I’d been away with the camp and training Brooke had demanded.

I’d hoped I’d come back feeling brand new, refreshed and ready for the China Open.

Instead, weeks with Brooke had only left me feeling off-balance.

The remaining confidence that I had in my playing somewhat eroded.

Inés turned towards me, her black hair pulled back off her face. ‘You know Chloe?’

‘Chloe Murphy?’ I clarified, Inés nodding in answer. My mouth opening a little, I turned to Henrick. ‘You’re dating her?’

‘It’s casual,’ he dismissed me. I thought of the younger American. She’d played a couple of us so far, usually with middling success but she’d made it as far as the semis in New York, an impressive run for her.

‘Casual?’ Inés practically laughed. ‘Have you ever known him to speak about anyone he’s dating?’

I wondered why Inés cared so much. What did it matter if he was seeing somebody?

Henrik only rolled his eyes, ‘Just because I’ve decided that casual tour hook-ups are getting really old.’

‘What is that supposed to mean?’ she questioned. I could tell he’d taken a step too far, and judging from the change in his expression, he’d realized it too. Inés had never been the type to date, always single and up until now, so had Henrik.

‘Well …’ Henrik trailed off, and I took his panicked expression as a cue to make a quick exit.

‘I’ll be right back,’ I said, raising the glass. ‘Does anyone need a refill?’

They both shook their heads, Inés refusing to look away from her doubles partner until he answered her question correctly. I turned, heading towards the bar.

The relief was temporary, the bar staff far too efficient with their service, and sooner than I would’ve liked, there was a full glass of fizz in my hand and I was faced with the decision of returning to the duo or having to bear anyone else in this room.

I pulled out my phone again, fully aware of how stupidly desperate I was becoming, and hating how my heart sank into my stomach when no new notifications came up.

Scanning the crowd, I searched for a distraction, finally catching sight of Scottie in the crowd, waving wildly towards me.

Swallowing down the urge to just leave the gala completely, I forced myself to leave the bar, heading towards Scottie and Nico, who stood beside her.

Her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, covering part of the pink dress she was wearing. As always, she looked gorgeous.

‘Dylan! It’s good to see you back on the tour!’ Scottie crushed me with a big hug, my hand barely holding onto the full champagne flute. When she released me, her grin hadn’t faltered even slightly. ‘How was the camp?’

‘Fine,’ I lied. ‘Good to be back.’

Beside her, Nico nodded, his silent grumpy approval making my shoulders relax slightly. We’d had a past, Scottie and I, and because of that, things between Nico and I had been slightly strained. He was protective of her, something I hadn’t understood until recently.

Scottie’s hand landed on my arm, almost turning me around to our left. ‘Have you been introduced to Oliver? He’s tagging along with Jon to help with coaching.’

My stomach plummeted, the room shifting on its axis as my eyes landed on the all-too-familiar face. I’d seen him last through a screen a few days ago, a selfie he’d sent to me, a cup of coffee lifted to his mouth.

He was supposed to be in London. But now he was here. Here. In Beijing. Oliver Anderson’s eyes landed on me, and the world came to a full stop. And with a flash of that sunshine smile, the one I’d found myself daydreaming of, something fundamental inside of me changed forever.

The words fell out of me. ‘What are you doing here?’

His smile didn’t falter, despite my shock; my brain was still trying to process the fact that he was here, in this room, standing in front of me. I tried to wash away the dryness in my mouth with a big sip of champagne, my entire body flushed at the sight of him.

When we’d first met, he’d been dressed in a casual shirt, and he’d looked good. But now, in a tailored three-piece suit that seemed to highlight the line of his strong body, I had to remind myself again that we were definitely, absolutely, firmly in the friend zone.

‘I came to see the competition,’ he answered easily, as if it was a reasonable excuse. I stared at him, my jaw slack, an unsaid follow-up question playing in my head.

Did you come to see me?

Instead, I said, ‘I thought you were going to rest for a bit?’

‘I got bored,’ Oliver shrugged, the smile across his lips turning cheeky.

‘You caught a ten-hour flight because you were bored?’ I snipped, suddenly feeling overwhelmed, the room too hot, the green silk of my dress too tight across my chest, my brain forgetting how to breathe whenever I looked at him.

What did a full breath feel like?

From the side of us, I heard Nico grumbling, ‘We’re going to go somewhere else.’

‘No, we are not,’ Scottie whispered back, her hands clutching at his arm to keep him in place.

Nico leaned close to her. ‘We can go find a closet,’ he said.

Whatever it had meant, judging from the sly smirk that spread across Scottie’s face and the way she dragged him away without another word, I was better off being left in the dark. Knowing them, it was probably kinky.

‘Are you happy to see me or not?’ Oliver’s smile faltered, losing its glow. ‘Because I’m sure there’s still one plane back to Heathrow. It might not be too late to go back –’

‘No, don’t.’ The words left me involuntarily, my body following suit, stepping forward as my hand stretched out, catching on his arm, gripping so tightly as if I was truly afraid he would leave. ‘I-I just can’t believe you are here.’

His eyes caught mine, something buzzing in the air. Where had all the distance between us suddenly disappeared to? The thousands of miles had shrunk into mere inches, and I was all too aware that I was close enough to smell the same woodsy aftershave he’d worn in New York.

‘I wanted to surprise you,’ he admitted.

‘You did.’ My tone was still sharp as I tried to feel myself around this situation. I had so many questions, but the room was so loud, impossible for anything more than small talk.

‘Clearly.’ And as if he read my mind, Oliver suggested, ‘Can we go outside and talk? It’s loud in here.’

‘Yes, um …’ I looked around, spotting a balcony. ‘Follow me.’ My hand slid into his, the shock of the simple contact overwhelming.

We reached the edge of the room, a large glass window opening up to the Beijing skyline, the evening sky bright orange with the sunset, a rooftop garden before it. I opened the door, allowing him out ahead of me, before following.

Immediately, the volume dropped to only the noise of the city around us. Even with the humid air, it still felt better than being in the ballroom. Walking slowly, I allowed some distance between us, giving myself some time to mentally catch up with what had happened.

He was here. I wasn’t sure if I was happy at the sight of him or …

or if seeing him again had made me realize how different things were between us.

Last time, he’d been nothing more than a stranger.

This time, I almost struggled to place what he was to me.

We were friends, but did friends text every waking hour of each day?

Did they think about the other as often as I thought about him?

Did they notice how good his ass looked in those trousers?

We walked further along the balcony, the path lined with boxes of green bushes, pink flowers on them. A wind blew softly at my dress, tendrils of my hair blowing in the soft wind, forcing me to push it back behind my ears.

I had this feeling, like he hadn’t told me the entire truth of why he was here. Bored? Coming to see the competition? Oliver reached the end of the balcony, his hands gripping at the glass. I took in his perfectly sculpted face, his brown hair disturbed by the breeze.

‘Oliver,’ I pulled his attention across to me. ‘What are you really doing here?’

‘I told you, I came for the competition,’ he repeated, but something in his expression, his wavering gaze, caused a small tug in my gut, as if I wasn’t quite sure if I trusted him completely.

My eyes narrowed. ‘Does that mean you are competing? Why didn’t you tell me before you left?’