Page 48 of Serve
Time flew by as adrenaline carried him through the match. Travis fought for each point, but his nerves weren’t steely enough yet to win a slam. Soon enough, he was at championship point, serving for the match. He could tell by Travis’s bleary eyes and lackluster body language that the younger man was resigned to his fate.
He tossed the ball in the air. Time slowed, and originally he thought he was going to aim it up the middle. Instead, he turned the racket to his left and aimed the ball directly to Travis’s body, hoping to throw the younger player off balance. Travis stepped back in time to get his racket on it, but that was all he could manage, sending his return out wide into the crowd.
“Out!”
Tyler dropped to his knees, and put his face in his hands. His racket fell to the court, a sound he’d swear to later biographers had echoed in the silent, electric atmosphere. Moments later the crowd leapt to their feet and roared as the umpire declared Tyler Florman the winner of the U.S. Open.
He stayed on the ground, allowing the cheers to give him the courage he’d need for what was to happen next. Tyler lifted his head and peeked through his fingers. Chip was on his feet, a smile stretched across his face, flushed red with excitement. Aunt Dixie had tears running down her face, while Sania, Emm, and Tina jumped up and down in front of their seats. He took a deep breath and got to his feet, only to have the screams of the crowd double in volume.
Not only were they cheering him for his victory, they were also seeing him in his last professional match. They were telling him how much they appreciated him, and his talents. He didn’t feel deserving of it, but he basked in the glory nonetheless. Now he had something much more important to do, more important than anything else in the world.
He ran across the court to where his entourage was seated. Fans stretched out their hands, hoping he’d touch them, or say just a word or two. He ignored them, climbing up the stands until he was in front of the most important people in his life. Dixie hugged him, but he detached himself from her arms, and got on his knees in front of Chip. The roar of the crowd dimmed, grew inquisitive.
On top of the scoreboard was a huge video screen, the entire audience able to see what Tyler was doing, but having to guess at the words. Chip’s tear-stained face broke into a smile, then he put his face in his hands, shoulders shaking with passion. Tyler got to his feet and wrapped his arms around Chip.
“What the hell? Good God, it’s about time, Tyler, but in front of all these people?” Dixie said at the top of her voice, loud enough to be overheard by the microphones and cameras pointed at them.
Chip hugged him as hard as he could, then whispered in his ear. Tyler backed away, then ran down the steps to the stadium floor. Former tennis champion Christine Monsoon, now a host for the Cable Sports Network, rushed over to get his reaction to his victory.
“Congratulations on winning the U.S. Open, Tyler! I know you must have a million things running through your head right now, especially since this was also your farewell match. How do you feel?” She put the microphone in front of him. He stood stock still for a moment, dazed, unable to speak. Finally he noticed the video screen on top of the scoreboard, which had never left Chip’s ecstatic face. He smiled, pointed at Chip on the screen, and said the only words that mattered.
“He said yes!”
Epilogue
Chip
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually like Sania now. She’s a regular human being after all.” Chip said. She was supposed to be here for a meeting, but couldn’t fly into town because of a sick child.
“She’s very good at her job, which makes you even better at yours. She only wants what’s best for her clients.” Tyler smiled. He’d always appreciated his agent.
“Now if we could only figure out what to do with Aunt Dixie.” Chip mumbled, looking at his aunt through the window. She was drinking a beer by the pool, with a flock of young people who worked for the Hidden Creek LGBTQ center hanging on her every word. Today was supposed to be a planning day for the new center, but they canceled it at the last minute. That didn’t stop her from having them come over for a swim.
Tyler loved his new, open life. The more people around him, the merrier. Chip was the one who occasionally had to put his foot down, so they could be by themselves. It was crazy to believe that he once thought they’d be left alone after Tyler retired. The opposite was true, with both of them in demand constantly. He’d never grow used to the presence of cameras, but otherwise he loved the new life he lived, especially because of who he lived it with.
Of course, being home was a huge part of that. He never realized how much his heart ached for it, until they got back to town after being away for months. Aunt Dixie became a local celebrity, giving crazy interviews to the local press on everything from politics to her favorite lipstick shades. Hidden Creek loved her now, and she relished the attention.
“I have a crazy idea. Wanna hear it?” Tyler asked. Chip stood behind him and Tyler rubbed Chip’s shoulders. Chip murmured yes and shook his head.
“Let’s elope.” Tyler whispered, a devilish smile on his face.
“What?” Chip turned to him, shocked at the suggestion.
“Seriously, I want to be married, but I hate all this planning. We live our lives so much in public, and at least for me, marrying you is the most personal thing I’ll ever do. I don’t want to share it.” He nuzzled Chip’s neck and wrapped his arms around him.
Chip let the suggestion sink in. Since the U.S. Open, they’d been very much in demand. After Tyler’s win, they spent the next two weeks making the rounds of morning talk shows and interviews. When Sania came to them with solid proposals for the foundation and the LGBTQ center, they did another round of interviews to encourage donations. Now that the center was in development, he realized they hadn’t even bothered to plan the wedding yet. Whenever he brought it up, Aunt Dixie declared she would plan it for them. He loved his aunt, but the thought of her planning his wedding made him nervous.
“Like, let’s take off for Vegas, or Reno. Hell, let’s get married by Elvis in a wedding chapel.” Tyler said, then kissed Chip in that special spot under his ear that drove him nuts. Chip pulled his head back and looked Tyler in the eye.
“You’re serious, right?” He asked. Without the tensions of the pro-tour, Tyler’s sense of humor had emerged. That was usually a good thing, but sometimes Chip had to feel him out to make sure he was being sincere.
Tyler stepped a foot back, and replied, “Look, this is about us. If Dixie gets mad, we’ll have a formal ceremony just for her and anyone else who’s pissed off. After Elvis marries us, we can fly away to a remote island somewhere. Sania can arrange it for us, quickly.” Tyler kept an eye on the window, making sure Dixie was still out of earshot.
Getting married on the spur of the moment became more appealing the longer he thought about it. It would be just the two of them. No reporters or photographers, and no crazy aunts micromanaging his big day. His heart thumped in his chest, and he nodded his head.
“Let’s do it. Right now. Let’s sneak upstairs and pack our bags. I’ll tell Aunt Dixie we’re going to run some errands, to lock up before she leaves if we’re not back before dark. Actually, let’s leave and I’ll send her a text.” Chip said.
“This is perfect, but if we keep talking about it, we’re probably going to talk ourselves out of it.” Tyler kept his voice low, but his enthusiasm was evident. He leaned forward and kissed Chip on the nose. They raced to the bedroom.
