Off-Court (COMPLETED)

Banned in Miami Open

Andrey woke up early, the Barcelona sun barely peeking over the horizon. He didn't really want to jog this morning, but Fer would surely scold him if he skipped it again. He could already imagine the stern look on his coach's face. He checked his apartment one more time before finally closing the door, he laced up his running shoes and headed out, hitting the pavement with a steady pace. After about 15 minutes of jogging, Andrey decided to stop by the local grocery store to pick up some food. He had been craving carbonara for the past few days, and since it had been two days since they returned from a short vacation in the Philippines, he figured it was time to cook a proper meal.

"Good morning, Andrey!" The cheerful voice of Corazon, the elderly lady who owned the store, greeted him as he walked through the door.

"Good morning, Corazon" Andrey replied with a shy smile, making his way to the dairy section to grab some fresh milk and yogurt.

As he wandered through the aisles, Andrey picked up all the ingredients he needed for his carbonara, along with a few snacks to tide him over until lunch. Once he had everything, he called Fer to come pick him up. When Fer arrived, he greeted Andrey with a smile as Andrey climbed into the car.

"We need to visit Ferrero's On-Court today. Demille's team has already arrived" Fer said, his eyes on the road as he drove.

"W-what? Right now?" Andrey's eyes widened in surprise, a mixture of panic and excitement bubbling up inside him.

"Yes, right now. Is there a problem?" Fer raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Andrey, who was already blushing.

"I think need to take a shower first-and I'm starving" Andrey stammered, trying to come up with an excuse.

Fer burst out laughing. "Why are you laughing, man!?" Andrey asked, flustered.

"I'm just joking! You'll meet her later. We're having dinner with them tonight."

"What are you talking about? H-her? Who's her?" Andrey's voice faltered as his heart raced.

"You're too obvious, man. Stop pretending," Fer teased, giving him a knowing look.

Andrey rolled his eyes and fell silent, realizing that Fer knew him all too well. Fer had become like a second father to Andrey since he left Russia to train in Spain, and the older man could read him like a book.

...

By 4:00 PM, Carlos was sitting quietly at the kitchen counter of their guest house, sipping on a strawberry milkshake. He stood up to grab another bottle from the fridge and handed it to Demi, who had just joined him in the kitchen.

"Thanks" she whispered, taking a seat next to him. She avoided looking directly at him, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. "Six months ago, I was banned from the Miami Open because of her," she said, taking a sip of the milkshake. She nodded to herself, realizing how good strawberry milk actually was. "And now, I'm scared of this four-week training-especially with *that* woman."

Astrid and Demille had a history-one that was far from pleasant. They had never gotten along, not since they were young. It all started when Demi's mother enrolled her in a tennis academy where Astrid was already a star pupil. Astrid was two years older and far more experienced, which made Demi feel insecure and question her own abilities as she grew up. The tension between them had only grown over the years.