Page 103 of Clean Point

‘Then what’s the deal? I’m still in the competition.’

‘You had a chance of winning that singles title. One last chance …’ Jon trailed off, aware of how important this was to Nico. He’d been on this journey with him a lot longer than I had been and shared this goal. ‘I don’t want you to regret throwing that work away,’ Jon finished, managing to stay still.

Nico stood solemn, his shoulders pulled back as he processed what Jon said. For a moment, I worried that he had realized the full extent or what he’d done, what he’d given up. Like he’d been in a dream state and had woken up to absolute horror. But when he spoke, it was calm and resolved.

‘I would’ve regretted staying in the singles,’ he explained. ‘It might’ve finally happened, but I was also sure it was going to break me. It … it didn’t feel right when everyone was telling me to quit doubles. The singles – I’ve been in that fight before. I know what it takes to even get to that final, and I’m not sure I’ve got it.’

His admission broke my heart. This last goal he had for his career, the dream, and realizing that it wasn’t going to happen for him. But also, the pride in knowing his capacity, in putting his body first when for so long, he’d abused it, pushed it far past its limit as we all did at this level of sport.

It was not normal what we pushed our bodies through, the intense training in order to reach the pinnacle of human athleticism. And then to realize we still came up short.

‘But there’s a reason you pitched doubles in the first place. Whether you realize it at the time or not, you were giving me a lifeline.’ He looked away from Jon, his gaze meeting mine again and his smile warmed me from the inside out.

Jon went quiet, his eyes assessing between the two of us, before he shook his head, mumbling to himself. ‘I knew I’d regret putting the two of you together.’

I fight a grin across my lips. ‘It was your idea.’

‘At least this means you both still have a chance to compete.’ Something about him relaxed, as if he began to accept what was right in front of his eyes. ‘You know, you both might be taking this PR campaign for ELITE a little too close to heart. We did specify that it didn’t have to be real.’

My grin only grew. ‘Again, your idea.’

The hidden smile on Nico’s lips confirmed the joke was funny, but Jon was apparently in anything but a laughing mood.

‘I am happy for you guys, I swear. But whatever this is, it’s giving me a migraine trying to untangle. Head back to the hotel.’ His attention turned to Nico. ‘Make sure you ice that knee, and I’ll catch up with you later to go over the plan.’

We both nodded, not wasting another moment before we disappeared out of the room.

44

Nico

Heart Skipped A Beat – The XX

With my relatively narrow escape from Jon’s wrath complete, we didn’t waste any time heading to the car. I was desperate for a moment that was just the two of us, where I could wrap my arms around her and breathe her in.

I’d always hated doing press after a match. Achy muscles and the anticipation to start preparing myself for the next game left me inpatient and irritated by their incessant questions – not that I was ever not grumpy while dealing with the press. It always left me on edge. But today, I’d planned exactly what I wanted to say. Despite what Jon and Ethan were advising, I knew staying in the singles was the wrong decision for many reasons.

And as her fingers intertwined with mine, I had no regrets about any of it.

We turned the corner together, reaching the front door, only for Scottie to pull me back at the last second with a quick yank of her arm. Flashes of cameras going off on the other side of the glass wall told me who waited for our exit.

‘Maybe you should go first. I’ll give them a few minutes and meet you in the car,’ she said, her hand pulled from mine, her face turning a slight shade of red as she flustered, peering back round the corner that kept us safe from view. ‘Shit – there’s so many of them.’

I looked at her, confused. ‘Why would we do that?’

Her gaze snapped up to mine, her head pulling back. ‘Do we want to give them more photos of us together? This is already turning into a circus.’

The sharp edge of my confusion softened, and I shook my head. ‘I don’t care about that. There’s no fucking way in hell I’m letting you go out there without me.’

I’d seen well enough how they treated her. She was nothing more than a headline, a payday to them, and I was unwilling to leave her alone to deal with them.

‘I don’t care about people seeing us together, Scottie,’ I continued, reading the reluctance on her face. ‘I want people to know I’m yours. I want them to know that if they mess with you, they are going to have to answer to me.’

She looked at me for a moment, her gaze trying to read anything other than the certainty spread across my features, like she was trying to unpick a lie. My hand rose to her cheek, brushing the soft skin there, as I couldn’t help but pull her in for a kiss.

‘I love you.’ The words were as easy as they should be. Confidence was an easy thing around her. She took a step forward, pushing me so my back found the wall, before her lips met mine in a rush. I smiled, my lips moving against hers, the taste of her all I ever want to know.

When she pulled back, her blue eyes were almost sparkling. ‘I love you, too.’

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