On a Blind Date with Disaster

Prologue

The Ferris wheel had to be the most romantic ride in an amusement park. The view from the top was spectacular, especially at night. On one side, he could see the city lights sparkling in the darkness, looking like tiny Christmas lights. On the other side, the inky-black sea reflected the silver moon in a way that almost looked magical. It was perfect.

Sascha turned to his date, a short blonde girl he had met a few months ago. They had hit it off almost immediately, and this was already their fifth date. They'd have to go public soon, he thought. He was tired of sneaking around with her. She was perfect, and he wanted to show her off to the world.

"Isn't the view beautiful?" he asked, leaning in for a quick kiss.

She smiled, but didn't return the kiss. She looked a little distracted, he noticed. Could it be that she was scared of heights? He asked her if that was the case in a teasing voice.

"We'll be getting off soon, so don't worry. Look we're already going down."

"The height doesn't bother me, Sascha."

"Then what's wrong? You can't still be nervous about being with me!" The memory of their first date, when she had been almost too nervous to say anything, brought a smile to his lips.

"No, no, it's... nothing," she said with a shrug. Now she was looking positively uncomfortable.

He hated seeing her frown. Whatever it was that was bothering her, he decided he'd try to cheer her up. Surely she'd be happy to hear that he wanted to make their relationship public. After all, she had been the one talking about it, saying she didn't want to feel like she was a secret he was hiding. They hadn't done it sooner because Sascha didn't want it to distract him from the end-of-year tournaments. But now that they were in the off-season, he had no reason to not do it. She'd be ecstatic!

"Hey, I have good news! And I bet it'll take your mind of whatever's bothering you!" He wrapped his arms around her. "I thought we could go public! No more hiding, no more lying to the media, what do you think?"

"Sascha, I—"

"You'd be able to watch my matches from my player box without hiding!"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..."

"Why not? My parents love you! And who cares what other people think? Anyways, it's not like anyone will hate you, they couldn't! You're perfect! You'll see how everyone will love you in no time."

She looked even more distressed that before. Sascha was confused. Shouldn't she be happy? She couldn't be nervous, could she? After all, she had been the one pushing for it originally...

"Sascha, I don't think we should do that."

"Why not?"

"I..." she hesitated, and looked away. The ride was almost over, they'd reach the ground in a few meters. It had not been quite as romantic as Sascha had hoped. "Look, I don't think we should be together anymore."

The announcement was barely above a whisper, but Sascha felt as if he'd just been yelled at. He wasn't sure he could catch his breath. He wished they could get off the ride right there and then. He felt like throwing up.

But it was not to be. Like always, bad things rarely come alone. Just a few seconds before reaching the docking area for the capsule, the ride came to a lurching halt. No. This couldn't be happening. He glanced at the operator, who was frantically pressing buttons and looking panic-stricken. Had the ride broken down?

He looked back at the blonde girl sitting next to him. She kept her eyes firmly on the ground, refusing to look at him. He had to be dreaming, he decided. There was no way this was happening to him. But even if it was just a dream, he needed to know why. Just days ago, she had been looking happier than ever, agreeing to every crazy idea he proposed with a laugh. They had spent every waking moment together. Had she been planning to break up with him the whole time?

"Why?" His voice sounded choked.

Finally, she looked at him, her eyes sadder than he had ever seen them. "I'm sorry, I really am. Sascha, I really like you, but this isn't going to work."

"But why not?"

"You travel too much, I barely get to see you—"

"You could come with me!"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"We could find a solution!" He was beginning to sound desperate, but he didn't care. He didn't want to lose her.

"I met someone else."

The coup de grâce. Now Sascha couldn't breathe at all.

She didn't seem to notice. "He's actually around, you know? And he cares about more than just his career. And he's really sweet to me."

Sascha opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He was still trying to process the information.

"I'm not saying that your dedication to tennis is bad, Sascha. But I can't live like this. Maybe someone else... but not me. I'm sorry."

How many times was she going to say that? I'm sorry didn't fix anything. It made things worse. It would've maybe been easier if she hadn't seemed so sad, so regretful. It would have been easier to hate her at least. He found himself looking at the operator again. Now there were two other people in his cabin, talking to him and pressing the buttons. But the Ferris wheel didn't move an inch. Hurry up, he wanted to yell at them. Get me out of here. His sight was blurring, and he didn't want her to see him cry.

Finally, after ten long minutes, the ride started moving again. He could hear other passengers cheering, but he couldn't bring himself to feel anything. Only when his feet touched the ground did he let out a small sigh of relief.

And then, he ran.

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A/N: I wasn't sure I'd write another fic but I got an idea and I just couldn't resist!! I promise the other chapters will be a bit more cheerful!