Page 89 of Heart Match

Today at 11:46 am

Me: I need to talk to you. Can you reply as soon as you see this?

Maybe I should just wait until the match is over. Maybe I shouldn’t have come after all. I cringe when I think of the guard following me out of the restricted area—my second most shameful moment after the bathroom incident with Luc almost two weeks ago. What was I thinking?

Accepting I can’t do anything right now but wait, I have joined the fans sitting cross legged on the grass, feeling sorry for myself and wishing I had done things differently. But I guess I deserve this. He tried, didn’t he?

Today at 12:10 pm

Immune to tickles: Olivia, it’s Jules. What’s going on?

As soon as I get the notification on my phone, adrenaline shoots through me.

Me: I’m at Henman Hill. Is there any way I can join you?

Immune to tickles is typing …

Before I can see Jules’ message, my phone dies.

Fucking great.

I look around me and desperation makes me brave to ask around the crowd who might have a power bank. People stare as if I’ve asked them if they have a ticket into Wimbledon. Until someone actually recognises me.

‘Hey, aren’t you Olivia Charlton? Lamaire’s girlfriend?’ asks a woman about my age.

‘Uhh …’ I don’t know what to say to that. I just need a freaking power bank.

‘Here, you can take mine,’ she offers.

‘Thank you so so much,’ I say, so relieved I immediately forget what she just called me.

I realise now people are staring and whispering. It’s spreading fast. I have a feeling I need to get out of here soon.

When my phone screen finally lights up again, I go check my messages.

Immune to tickles: What? are you here?

Immune to tickles: Give me a sec, I’m calling you.

An unknown number has called me, and I believe it’s Jules’. I call back.

‘Hey, Olivia,’ says Jules cheerful.

‘Hey, Jules. Sorry, my phone died.’

‘Can you meet me at the closest entrance of Henman Hill?’

I have no idea where that is, but I agree.

‘Awesome. I’ll get you a badge,’ he says and relief shoots through me for the first time in this weird day of my life.

Before I go, I give the girl back her power bank. She waves me off and says I can keep it, as long as I give her an autograph and take a selfie with her. I hesitate, but I’m guessing it’s the least crazy thing I’ll do today. I make sure to ask her where the next entrance to Centre Court is, or whatever that means. She finds it amusing that I don’t know this and points me in the right direction after describing the way there.

I put my heels back on and make my way to the meeting point, Jules is not there and I wonder if I have come to the right place. But before I give up, Luc’s little brother shows up with a wide grin on his face to greet me by the entrance.

‘Jules, I’m so sorry for this,’ I say, guilty for causing him so much trouble.

‘It’s no problem really. But, here, you’re going to have to use Mum’s badge,’ he says discreetly into my ear into our embrace. He places his mum’s lanyard around my neck and takes my hand before I can even think.

---