Ranked nº 14 by the WTA, French-Japanese tennis player ÉLODIE LODGER dreams of achieving her first Grand Slam title.
Meanwhile, F2 Champion and member of McLaren's F1 Team OSCAR PIASTRI seeks the World Driver's Championship.
Their only common grou...
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But I didn't kiss Oscar Piastri that night.
How could I? He was the closest thing I had to a best friend. I couldn't risk messing up the realest friendship I'd ever had.
So, I did the obvious.
I kissed the closest thing I ever had to a lover.
"Come on, Él," Holger called out from across the field. He was with his personal trainer, who was barking out instructions as they moved through their own drills. "Don't let those late nights slow you down."
It was the crack of dawn, and I was standing on the training field of the Monte-Carlo Country Club, my body already aching from the relentless workout Martín had put me through. The sun had barely risen, but Roland Garros was less than a week away, so there was no time to waste.
I shot him a look. "Late nights? I'm the one keeping up with your pace."
Martín, who was kneeling beside me, adjusting the resistance band around my ankles, chuckled. "You two should save that energy for the court. Now, focus."
I nodded, taking a deep breath as I prepared for the next round of core training. We were working on stability and endurance, the kind of exercises that made every muscle in my body burn but were crucial for the long rallies on the clay courts of Paris. Especially if I didn't want to tear my ankles apart.
Holger was beside me, already in position. We were doing side planks with a twist, holding a weight in our free hand, lifting it towards the ceiling. His form was annoyingly perfect.
"Ready?" He asked, glancing over at me.
"Fuck off," I shot back.
Martín's voice cut through the air. "And go!"
We both lifted ourselves into the plank position. The first few seconds were fine, but then the burn started to set in. I could feel the muscles in my core screaming, but I wasn't going to be the first to drop. Not in front of Rune.
"So, what did you do last night?" Holger asked, his tone casual as if we weren't in the middle of a grueling workout.
I focused on my breathing, raising the weight towards the sky. "Just dinner with a friend," I replied, keeping my voice even.
Holger raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying the vague answer. "A friend, huh? Anyone I know?"
I shot him a side glance. "Not that it's any of your business, but it was just someone from around here."
"Interesting," he mused, his smirk widening. "You're being secretive, Él. Makes me think there's more to find."
"Rune," I warned, though there was no real bite in my voice. I was too focused on keeping my balance.
His trainer shot from aside. "Focus, Rune. You can gossip later."
He rolled his eyes but kept his posture. "Whatever you want, Frenchie. But we're coming back to this."
