For 24-year-old tennis player Naya Morgan, all that glittered certainly wasn't gold. In her relentless pursuit of victory, she had strayed far from the joy of simply playing the game she loved.
Naya's life takes an unexpected turn when she crosses p...
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"I definitely feel like you were running from something back home. The chance to move to Madrid came at the perfect time for you," Naya's sister, Amerie, said, making her younger sister scoff.
"I moved to Madrid to train with some of the best coaches in tennis and become the best. I think you're reading into things a little too much," Naya excused.
"But deep down, I know there was more to it than just tennis," Amerie persisted, her eyes searching Naya's for any hint of vulnerability. "You never really talked about what happened before you left, but I saw the way you used tennis as an escape. It's okay to admit that you needed a fresh start."
Naya's facade wavered for a moment before she regained her composure. "I appreciate your concern, Amerie, but I'm here to focus on my game. Whatever happened in the past is behind me now. Madrid is where I need to be for now." She spoke with conviction, but the lingering doubt in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.
"How are mom and dad?" Naya asked, changing the subject. Her sister was right. But the last thing Naya wanted to do was live in the past.
"They're good. Dad is busy coaching his basketball team, and mom is therapizing one troubled soul at a time," Amerie joked, making Naya laugh.
"I have to head out now, but tell everyone I miss them and I'll visit soon," Naya pouted into the camera as she thought about everyone back home in Atlanta.
"Ooh, where are you going?" Amerie asked.
"A soccer game. A few of my friends play for Real Madrid. I'm going to watch them. They were the final of my tournament, so I'm returning the favor," Naya explained.
"I have never heard of a team by that name in my life, but are any of the players cute?" Amerie smirked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
Naya paused for a moment, her cheeks flushed as her mind went to Jude. She didn't know much about him outside of the fact that he was a soccer player on what was regarded as one of the best teams in the world, but there was no denying how handsome he was.
"No," she answered after a few seconds of silence.
"Then why did you take so long to answer?"
Naya chuckled, feeling her cheeks grow warmer. "I didn't take long to answer, stop reading into things," she replied, trying to brush off her sister's teasing.
Amerie raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Uh-huh, sure. Well, have fun at the game and don't forget to cheer loudly for your friends," she said with a sly grin before waving goodbye as Naya ended the video call.
Pulling on a jacket she'd been gifted by a designer she wore on a red carpet a few months back, Naya grabbed her purse and keys so she could head out of her apartment down to the car parked out front waiting to take her over to the city's stadium.
