Matchpoint

Chapter 51:

The rumour spread quickly. Like a dam wall has broken and all the water has come flooding out.

"We didn't sign off on this." My father slams his fists down against the table.

"Alistor, please," my mother puts her hand on his shoulder, trying desperately to calm the tension.

Beside me, Holly stands firm, and beside her, Ladley does the same.

"Mr Dunn, Clove and I make a good team when we work with Holly. I would like her to be our analyst." Ladley states, eyes locked on my father intently. "Holly has a great shot in these upcoming competitions, I can't see why we can't boost her opportunities."

"I couldn't agree more, sir," Holly beams proudly.

I can feel my heart thrumming deep within my chest. It may as well be wrapping its vesicular hands around my rib cage and shaking it.

Father glances between all three of us. His eyebrows are knit together, and don't even get me started on the way his arms cross over his chest.

"I don't like that this wasn't bought to me first, but because Holly, you've got such great potential, I'll let it slide," Father huffs. "But, if this happens again, I won't hesitate to terminate your enrolment at the academy."

Holly's face drops, and all colour drains in an instant. "Alistor." Mother warns, her eyes widen as she digests what her husband has just said.

"That's it, that's all I have to say." Father huffs, and his eyes zero in onto me. "Don't make me regret this."

He says it like I've let him down all these times before. It's as if all I am is a disappointment to him, my own father.

As I leave the room, Ladley and Holz are talking about how excited they are. And don't get me wrong, it's nice to be part of a team again. I appreciate their openness... but it's not Dom. And even if I am doing this to watch Dom and give him notes, it's still not enough. It'll never be enough.

I miss it. The hitting back and forth. The late night chats. It's not even just our chemistry I miss. It's the bond we have over tennis. It's unlike anything I've felt before.

When we work together, we have this unbeatable rhythm. Some, like Jayce, might say that's just attraction, but that's not how I see it. It's like two souls, built from the same fire and desire, and now that we've met, our souls, they have collided into a cloud of passion.

Before him, I was ready to be done with tennis. Prepared to sell my life to studying. But Dom, he reminded me of my love for the sport. He relit that fire within me. And though it's not me on the court, I feel everything watching him. The success, the relief, the excitement. It's all there every time he sweeps that ball over the net and takes that winning point.

I thought I hated him. I thought he was everything I loathed about tennis. The arrogance. The sponsorship. The pressure. It was everything I was afraid of. Everything my father wanted for me. Maybe I was jealous of him. Maybe I did wish that I could've survived the weight like he had.

But as I've learnt, just because you're surviving doesn't mean there aren't skeletons in the closet.

Dom's lived through enough to get to where he is now. He could've given up long ago. Lord knows he had more of a valid reason to leave than me. But he stuck with it. And look at where he is now.

I can't lose hope now. We need each other.

♤♤♤

"Yeah, yeah, I bet," I snicker as I leave Holly's room. It's in the east wing of the academy. Unsurprisingly larger than the rest of the rooms. No doubt her parents asked for that. I don't know much about Holly's family life, but based on her clothes and the money she paid to get into the academy, I'd say she comes from riches.