It Starts with Love

Chapter 4 - Prelude

A/N: Phew! It was sooo hard to write this chapter but I hope I did it well enough. I know you guys are a little confused but that was kind of my point HAHA. I wanted to make you guys curious enough to keep reading. Don't worry, though, we're nearly there! Hold on to your seats because the next few chapters are gonna be intense :)

Taliana had a good run in the Italian Open, winning the championship from Elina Svitolina. The rest of the week had passed without any more drama. It seems as though everyone was finally focused on what they should be doing. At least it looked like that on the outside. Inside, though, Taliana was fighting a raging battle. Her whole stay in Italy had consisted of avoiding Stefanos while spending quite a lot of time with Naomi and Sascha. It was an eerie reflection of Miami, she could only hope it wasn't a complete and total déjà vu. However, this worry took a backseat to her intense preparation for the French Open. It wasn't her first time to be seeded in a Grand Slam but it was the first time she was seeded so high. Her two consecutive titles in Madrid and Rome ensured her ranking inside the top 10. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to celebrate because they immediately flew to Paris to begin her practice in the clay courts of the Stade Roland-Garros.

"You have to stop hitting flat, Talia. It doesn't work on this surface. You should know this by now," James reprimanded her.

Taliana had her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. James had been running her up and down the baseline for the past two hours, trying to shake out the few kinks in her game. "I know, I know. It's just so tempting when the down the line is open."

"It's a slow surface, your opponent can get to that easily. Spin. Topspin is your best friend on clay."

"I still don't like it much."

"Well, your preferences won't help you win. Follow the game plan, Talia, it's gotten you this far."

"Sor-ry," she muttered, drawing out the word in two syllables. "Are we done?"

James nodded. "There's not much we can do now, anyway. I really need to find you a hitting partner."

"Naomi can do it."

"Preferably someone you don't know so well. We never get any work done when you're together."

Taliana smiled, remembering how they had driven James crazy in practice the other day. It wasn't that they weren't serious about their training but they just couldn't stop laughing at how the wind had blown some of the clay to his hair. "I promise we'll behave next time."

"There won't be a next time."

"But you said it yourself, I need a hitting partner and Naomi's available. It makes sense to ask her."

"It makes sense to you, not to me. Pack up. We're done for today." Something in James' tone made it sound so final that Taliana didn't bother to argue anymore.

Taliana was so consumed in her own thoughts regarding finding a friend to hit with that she didn't notice James slip out of the practice court. He must have been in a hurry to rest. Poor guy. He seemed to be even more pressured than she was and he was handling it poorly. In more ways than one, he really was like her which was why they often clashed in practice. She reminded herself to do her best to make his job easier for him. Picking up her bag, she walked out of the court and headed to the exit where she ran into Sascha.

"Hey, Talia," he greeted her. "Did you just come from practice?"

"Yeah, it was rough. You?"

"I'm actually heading to the restaurant. Wanna come? I think Naomi's there."

"Sure. I'm a bit hungry too."