Matchpoint

Chapter 9:

There is something about the way his racket poises behind his head, as if to create this halo effect, highlighting his angelic persona.

All night and all morning, Dom has been plaguing my thoughts. I expected to be theorising the reasons behind his coaches' departure, but instead, I am transfixed by the lack of space that Dom had created between us yesterday afternoon.

It's been completely throwing my shots off. I'm distracted, so much so that on two occasions, I hit the ball so high that it flew over the court boundaries. Dom kept chuckling at me as if he enjoyed seeing my winning streak die.

Fuck. There, the ball goes again, soaring across the court and landing way out of bounds. Something posses me, my usual composure suddenly struck with a red hot fury. Without even realising it, my hand has released my racket, and with a force I didn't think I had in me.

"Clove, why don't you take a ten?" Ladley suggests as I scoop my racket off the floor. Without even looking at him, I can feel Dom's eyes simply scorching my skin. He is swimming in delight as he watches my composure crumble.

I storm past Ladley, as she takes my role in hitting shots over to Dom. Sitting on the sideline, taking notes is Holly, her curious eyes sparkling with mischief as I walk closer.

"Isn't he brilliant." Holly remarks in a sing-song voice as if to rub salt into my wounded ego.

With a huff, I collect my water bottle and head towards the bubbler, my bottle drained of every last drop left in it.

Standing outside the court is a brow  haired, wide-eyed, puppy like boy with an unforgettable face. Jayce.

"Clove Dunn, what a pleasure to see you out in the wild." Jayce leans up against the fencing, watching as the water trickles into my bottle.

I gift him a side eye, and to my surprise, he chuckles. "Dom loves a good competition. When I first called him after his first day here, he insisted that he had found the team he was looking for. I didn't know how you could possibly decide your team after one day, in the past it's taken him months to warm up to a crew, till he met his old coach..." Jayce's voice trails off.

"Do you know what happened?" My curiosity gets the best of me yet again, and I watch as Jayce processes my words and analyses me quietly.

"I do." He answers bluntly. My mouth parts to querie him, but Jayce simply shakes his head. "I wouldn't ask. It's not something we like to talk about. But give him time, and Dom will open up."

With a nod of my head, I turn to return back to the game, but Jayce catches me off guard. "Come to the party tonight, at his."

"You mean the place my parents are lending him?" I question, and Jayce shrugs dismissively.

"After a couple of drinks, Dom's an open book. If you want answers, then I'd jump on the train before it leaves the station." Jayce salutes me before turning and walking down the path to where Philip and Stack are seated on the high-rise seats.

Suddenly, this party is becoming a little more appetising than it initially had. Not that I want to celebrate that Dom is here or anything, but I would love to understand why he's here and see if with him will come a lot more scandals.

♤♤♤

By late evening, I convinced myself that there was no harm in making a small appearance at Dom's party. Besides, Jayce said it'd be small, so surely it won't be too hectic. I grabbed a pair of low-rise denim jeans and a jumper, and now I'm walking across the grass towards Dom's, the house lit with lights and people milling aimlessly around the front.