It Starts with Love

Chapter 1 - Rekindled

The whole city was still asleep when Taliana de Guia stepped out of the hotel. It was a beautiful morning in Madrid, it would be a crime not to say so. She looked ahead and started running. The exhilaration of running soon consumed her. She left behind all her concerns and immersed herself in the rhythmic sound of sneakers hitting the concrete. She didn't stop running until she was out of breath and even then, she pushed a little bit more. It was as if she was trying to outrun her own thoughts, there was so much going on in her head. Something she didn't need, especially not today.

It probably wasn't a good idea to push so much. Today was a big day.

Once she hit five-kilometers, Taliana slowed down. Instead of running back to the hotel, she decided to walk and took in the sights. Madrid truly was a beautiful city. It was a shame she had to leave tomorrow. One more day, though. A day and a championship match before leaving Madrid. She tried to wrap her head around it. Her dream was now being realized as she rises up the world rankings. She could only hope she could sustain her momentum.

The past year has been good to Taliana. She was no longer just an unknown Filipino aspiring to play tennis on the professional level. She's established that she was able to compete in the pros. Now, all she had to do was keep on winning. Easy to say, hard to do.

"Good morning, miss," the hotel doorman greeted her with a smile once she entered the hotel.

"Morning," Taliana replied.

"Knock 'em dead today, miss?" He had a heavy Spanish accent. It was quite hard for her to understand what he was saying.

"Sorry?"

The doorman's smile widened. "Knock 'em dead today? In the final? I bet on you, miss."

He bet on her? Surely that was just a joke meant to raise her confidence. "I'll do my best. Don't bet everything, though. The match can still go both ways."

Taliana was headed towards the elevator when she caught sight of her reflection. She looked, well, like someone who just pushed through a five-kilometer run in under 30 minutes. Her hair was falling out of its ponytail and her face was flushed. All in all, she looked like she just had a good, sweaty workout; it wasn't her most flattering look but she didn't mind much, she wasn't expecting to run into anybody. Or not.

When Taliana stepped into the elevator, she was followed by Angelique Kerber and Alexander Zverev-or Sascha as he likes to be called, something that she has to be reminded of time and again. They looked like they had just finished their workout as well. She gave them both a polite nod hoping to avoid any conversation.

"Early workout?" Angelique asked.

"Just a bit of cardio. Nothing heavy."

"Best of luck in the final, Talia. You've been playing great tennis this week."

She thanked Angelique; there wasn't much I could say to that anyway. Angelique got off on the next floor, leaving her and Sascha. Taliana shifted from left to right. Could the elevator be any slower?

It wasn't long before he filled the silence. "You've been amazing this week. You've gotten a lot better on clay."

"I wasn't really asking for your opinion but thanks, anyway, Coach Zverev."

He ignored Taliana's sarcastic tone and continued, "I was watching you yesterday. You play good baseline defense."

"Hm. Yeah, I like it from behind." Her eyes widened when she realized how her words could have been interpreted. "I d-didn't mean it like-"

Sascha held up a hand to stop her. "Don't worry. I know what you meant." He was grinning like an idiot. Clearly, he was amused. Taliana frowned. Was he making fun of her? They weren't that close that he could make fun of her. Heck, as far as she was concerned, they were just acquaintances; two tennis players on tour who happened to know of one another but don't necessarily know each other well. Sure, he liked to annoy her a lot but he was like that with everyone but they were certainly not friends.