Your family and Sascha's go together on a trip to Paris. Will something happen between you and this conceited and spoilt tennis player or will it all end in a huge family fight?
Mischa's match would begin at 9:00 and Sascha's at 9:30. It was impossible for us to watch both of them, so as we were all having breakfast we had to decide where we were going. For what I understood, Mr Zverev was coaching both his sons but he was actually Sascha's coach, so he was going to be in his box. To balance things, Irina decided to go watch Mischa. Mr Reed, who was a huge tennis fan and very close to Mr Zverev, decided to go with him and root for Sascha. Mrs Reed stayed at the hotel with the little ones.
As for my dad and I, we had absolutely no choice. My mother didn't hesitate for a second and shouted: "We will all be watching Mischa, of course"
I sighed. Apparently, my mom thought I was trying to calm my nerves. "Anxious already? Don't worry, he'll do fine. Even better if you're there"
I gave a look at the end of the table, exactly like yesterday, and sighed one more time. Absent, once again. And I wouldn't be seeing him anytime soon. It was way too early to be so pissed. I wanted to cry.
I spent the whole match trying to catch some internet to check the score on Sascha's match. My mom told me off several times and even tried to take my phone away. When I gave up trying to find some wifi, Mischa was already serving for the match. And, in no time, he won.
Instantaneously, I stood up and clapped. I was really happy for him and felt awful for not having paid enough attention to his match. I had caught a glimpse of some really good points, so he must have played well.
Fortunately, as soon as the match ended, everybody felt the sudden need to know how Sascha was doing. I looked at Irina, sitting a few rows above us, as he shook her head. "He is about to lose"
My heart sank. No way.
As soon as I saw people leaving the stadium, I rushed down the stairs. Sascha was playing a few courts away, but I doubted we could get into the stadium at this stage if the match was about to end.
My dad found a TV in the stadium hall and many people gathered around it to watch the ending of the match. Irina kept walking fast and I followed her until we got to a balcony which let us see part of the court from a very strange but close angle.
When I saw him I felt I was going to faint.
Sascha was sitting in the bench, his face buried in his big hands. He lifted his head a little, unvealing his blue watery eyes. It made me feel terrible. I felt guilty, sad and upset and I didn't really know why.
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And then I broke down and started crying. Right there. In the balcony. In front of Irina.
She didn't say anything. She just put a hand in my shoulder and stood by my side.
It was true. I didn't know much about tennis, but I knew this match was really important. Besides, unlike Mischa, Sascha still had a hard time enduring defeats. And as far as I understood, Mischa was more likely to lose his match than Sascha. That placed a higher burden over Sascha's shoulders. And everybody went rooting for Mischa and now Sascha lost his match. Everything made me feel awful.
After some minutes, Irina took me by the hand and we walked out of the balcony. Maybe I should have justified myself for the previous scene, but it didn't seem necessary. She was also upset.
"You should probably get back with your parents. I'll see you soon, back at the hotel" said Irina, her hands on my arms as she gave me a sympathetic look.
I nodded and left, as Irina made her way to the changing rooms to meet his youngest son.
I had been sitting in a recliner by the pool for like an hour, staring blankly at the sky as it got dark. The mix of feelings inside me had left me without energy. Why was I feeling so affected by this? Matches are sometimes like movies, you get so into it that sad endings make you cry, but I hadn't actually watched the match, so how could I justify this pathetic scene I was making? I felt even worse for not knowing why I was feeling like this. Argh.
Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of someone tall in the distance. I sat quickly and looked. He was making his way out of the dining room carrying some food on a plastic box. He would skip dinner once again.
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We locked eyes. I stood up and rushed his way, as he dropped his bags and placed the plastic box on a table by his side.
Without thinking, I threw my arms around him in a tight hug. I don't exactly know why, but lately I don't seem to be sure about anything anymore.
Sascha was frozen. He stood there stiff as a board. I noticed he wasn't hugging me back, but before I could feel bad about it, I felt him burying his head in my left shoulder. Shivers went down my spine as I felt his breath and his blonde curls come into contact with my neck. How in the world did I end up here?
Honestly, I had lost track of time, but I believe that after some minutes we finally broke apart. I looked into his sad beautiful eyes for a second. He opened his mouth, but he didn't seem to find any words, so he took his bags, the plastic box and slowly walked away.
Now I was the one standing there, frozen. Dumbfounded. Stunned. Wondering how could a pair of blue eyes make the world stop spinning.
