Love Means Nothing... In Tennis ;)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

     If my dad told me that I would be seeing Landon Sullivan today, I would punch him for toying with my obsessing with Landon. So when Landon was standing right in front of me, I immediately froze due to pure shock. Landon freaking Sullivan. I couldn't believe that he was standing less than a metre away from me.

     I was definitely dreaming, right? Nope. This was reality.

     Landon was the former world number one player for two consecutive years. So basically in tennis world, he was a legend. Some people even considered him as a God and to be honest I was one of them. After my dad retired, Landon was Australia's new hope and rising star. This was great news for Australia. Landon turned pro at the age of only sixteen. He made it into the top ten within the same year and made it to the finals of two Grand Slams. Impressive, right? Gradually, Landon made his way to the very top. A few years later, down the track, his talent was still strong and improving. He was invincible and undefeated. Nothing could defeat him. Then, unexpectedly, Landon decided to retire from his professional tennis career and no know has heard from him since.

     I stood there, gaping at the legend. My eyes were wide open and my jaw was dropped. As much as I hated to admit this, after watching Landon play tennis a small crush had developed. The crush continued to grow since he was kind of cute. Okay, I lied, he was more than cute. He was gorgeous, almost as handsome as Ryder. Or maybe even more? It was too difficult to decide between the two. However, my crush ended when he dropped out. He destroyed my hopes of becoming number one just like he had, although I haven't given up entirely. Thinking about it was nostalgic but deep down my dreams are still strong.

     Ryder came up from behind me to see what the commotion was about and he suddenly exclaimed, "Whoa, that's Landon Sullivan!" which caused me to break out of my trance, making me forget about everything that happened earlier between us.

     "No shit," I mumbled quietly so only Ryder could hear.

     Ryder gently punched my shoulder playfully, showing his annoyance at my sarcasm.

     My dad cleared his throat, getting our attentions, albeit our eyes were still staring at Landon. "Guys, this is Landon Sullivan but I'm guessing you already know who he is, unless you've been living under a rock for your entire life. Landon, this is my daughter Steffi and her doubles partner Micah Ryder."

     Landon gave us a smile and shook our hands. "Nice to meet you guys," he said casually which caused me to swoon a little.

     Oh my God, our hands touched. I am never washing my hands ever again.

     "Dad, what's Landon doing here?" I asked calmly, trying to sound cool in front of Landon. "This tennis club is too lame for someone like him." 

     Dad gasped and stuck his tongue out at me like a child, causing Ryder and Landon to laugh. He acted more like a child than an adult at times.

     "Steffi, your dad offered me a job," Landon announced when my dad didn't answer me.

     "A job? Wait, please don't tell me that you're our new janitor?" I questioned which earned a scoff from Ryder.

     Landon let out a small laugh. "You're funny. Unfortunately, no I won't be a janitor for the club, however I'll be a new coach here."

     I felt as if my heart had skipped a beat. Landon just called me funny! I can die happy now. Hold on, did he just say he was going to be coaching at the club? This day was getting weirder by the second. If Landon was offered a job at the club that means I'm going to be seeing more of him! "That's excellent news!" I exclaimed cheerfully, trying to hide my smile but it was extremely difficult to. Ryder noticed and raised an eyebrow at me curiously. I ignored him.