Double Fault by Addie

[Annie]

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day on the beach of a Caribbean island. It was the kind of evening when the sun’s afternoon rays had continued to warm the bodies of the guests who stood to watch Daniela walk down the sandy aisle toward the man she loved with her whole heart. As she glanced lovingly at the smiling and assuring faces of her friends and family, she could feel the comforting touch of her father’s arm around her own as he escorted her down the aisle and the tickling feeling of sand creeping into her sandals. Stopping in front of the altar decorated with orange and red flowers, Daniela kissed the cheek of her father and turned toward her fiancé.

As the sun began to set, the sky beginning to match the colors of the flowers that surrounded them, Daniela took the hands of her future husband as the minister began to recite the wedding vows. When it was her time to say “I do,” she let the words spill out of her mouth as a tear began to fall slowly down her cheek. This was the moment she had waited for her whole life, the moment when the man she loved vowed to share the rest of his life with her. It was the most romantic gesture Daniela could think of and it was finally happening.

But right before he said those two words, the sky became ominously dark, too quickly for a sunset. Daniela looked back at her guests as strong winds began to blow sand all over the beach. Lightning began to split through the sky as her guests began to disappear in their seats. Looking back at her fiancé, she gasped as she found he was no longer there and she was alone in the darkness and lightning. Stumbling through the beach, she outstretched her arms trying to find her fiancé as the rain began to fall down upon her head in heavy droplets. Her legs felt heavy as she dropped to her knees and tried to call out. But as soon as she began to scream his name, her voice failed and everything went dark as she screamed mutely into nothing.

*****

Gasping and catapulting her body upward, Daniela awoke in a cold sweat. Marat’s old Adidas t-shirt clung to her body wet with sweat. Rubbing her eyes in the darkness, she tried to let them adjust to the darkness of the unfamiliar room. Feeling around on the mattress beside, her hand fell against the body of her fiancé still sleeping soundly. A part of her wished he had woken up, if only to have awoken her from the horrible nightmare she had just endured. Another part of her was relieved that he was still asleep. He needed his rest after losing in the second round to Fernando Gonzales yesterday at the Stella Artois Tournament.

Untangling her feet from the knot of sheets and blankets at the foot of her side of the bed, Daniela slid quietly off the bed. Turning back to stare at Marat, she watched as his chest moved up and down slowly as he slept. He seemed so at peace as he rolled from his back to his side, leaving Daniela with an irresistible few of his back side. Smiling to herself, she walked to the balcony door, opened it, and slid through the opening. Alone in the darkness of the balcony, she closed the door behind her, taking care to not make a sound.

Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, Daniela remembered the fact that she was only wearing Marat’s shirt as she stood on the balcony of their rented apartment in Wimbledon. She squinted into the darkness looking for a familiar landmark. Finally, her tired eyes rested on the courts of Wimbledon. At two in the morning, the rows and rows of courts resembled an abandoned shipyard, ghostly and silent. In a little over three weeks, the Championships at Wimbledon would begin and Daniela prayed feverishly that she’d be able to play. She had been out for two months with a stress fracture and she needed the practice for the upcoming Olympics in August.

As she stared into the darkness, Daniela heard the door to the balcony open and shut and a series of clumsy footsteps coming towards her. Seconds later she felt herself being enveloped in the strong arms of her fiancé. They stood there quietly, letting the night fall upon them as Daniela let the sound and the rhythm of Marat’s breathing lull her into a calm she hadn’t felt since her nightmare.

“Was it the same dream?” Marat asked softly as he tightened his grip around her torso.

“Yes,” Daniela sighed as she leaned back into his chest. “It’s the same thing every time. The day is absolutely beautiful and the beach is perfect. We’re just about to get married when the storm hits and I lose you.”

“You see,” Marat chuckled as he placed a kiss on Daniela’s cheek, “there’s a reason why we shouldn’t get married yet. Your dream confirms my beliefs.”

“Marat, that’s not funny,” Daniela said, shaking Marat’s arms off her and turning around to face him.

“I’m sorry. I know how important having a wedding is to you,” Marat apologized grabbing onto Daniela’s hands and pulling her closer to his body.

“No, I don’t think you do. What happened, Marat?” Daniela asked looking up into his eyes. “You flew to Monte Carlo to find me and ask me to marry you even though I was engaged to Andy.”

“Please don’t say his name around me,” Marat mumbled as dark clouds began to gather in his eyes.

“That was a year and a half ago,” Daniela continued without acknowledging his request or his rising anger and discomfort. “You haven’t said a word about getting married since then. You never even bought me an engagement ring.”

“Daniela, when I asked you to marry me, it was a promise that I would spend the rest of my life with you. Who cares when we get married? I’m devoted to you.”

“Oh, really? Or was it just a way to get me away from Andy?” Daniela asked indignantly, starting to release her frustration over Marat’s lack of commitment.

“Daniela, please. It’s two in the morning. I’m tired; you’re tired. Let’s go to bed and we’ll talk about this in the morning,” Marat said trying to drag Daniela back into the bedroom.

“Will we really talk about this in the morning? Do you promise?”

“I promise. Now, let’s go to bed,” Marat said as he tried to stifle a yawn.

“You go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute,” Daniela promised as she turned away to once again face the darkness.

“Okay, but don’t be too long.”

Daniela let out a long breath as she heard the balcony door close behind her. Padding along the balcony in her bare feet, she sat down on a rickety iron chair that was beginning to rust from being left outside in the rain. Pulling her knees up to her chin, Daniela thought about the dream in greater detail. The dream had not changed since the last time she had it. And what was worse, and what she still hadn’t told Marat, was that her fiancé in the nightmare was never visible. Daniela could never make out his face or the faces of his guests.

Who was she dreaming of marrying? Had she made a mistake when she left Andy for Marat? She shuddered because of the absurdness of the thought and the fact that she was beginning to feel cold again. Although the thought seemed ridiculous to her, because she loved Marat, she couldn’t help but feel that her dream was trying to tell her something. What it was, she couldn’t figure out. Standing up from the chair, she glanced one last time towards the courts of Wimbledon before walking back into the bedroom she shared with Marat.

Slipping into bed, Daniela scooted her body closer to Marat’s body on the other side of the bed. Lacing her arms around him, she sighed as she reassured herself about how much she loved the man she was lying next to in bed. If only he would commit to her with a ring and with wedding vows. Sighing once again, she moved her body even closer to his and buried her face in his back.

“Your feet are freezing,” Marat mumbled, letting out a little laugh.

“Which is why I’m so close to you. You’re a human heater.”

“I love you, Daniela.”

“I love you, too.”

*****

The next morning Daniela awoke to the feeling of Marat drooling on her shoulder. Trying not to wake him, she slid away from him and out of bed. Grabbing her towel off the bench at the foot of the bed, she wiped the drool from her shoulder as she tried to keep her laughter quiet. Marat continued to sleep peacefully, rolling from one side to the other as she walked out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen.

Entering the small kitchen, Daniela recognized a familiar shaved head bent over the coffee machine next to the sink. It was Marat’s coach, Hernan Gumy. It seemed that the machine was broken for the third time that week. The machine’s inability to work had become an inside joke between Gumy and herself in regards to Marat’s current tennis performances. Opening the refrigerator door, she surprised Hernan as he banged his head on the cabinet above the coffee machine.

“God, you scared me. I thought you and Marat were still asleep,” Hernan said rubbing the sore spot on his head.

“I’m sorry,” Daniela chuckled as she grabbed a carton of juice from the refrigerator and shut the door behind her. “Marat is still asleep but I thought I would grab some breakfast before he ate everything.”

“Not a bad idea. I was trying to make him some coffee in hopes of getting him to the courts a bit earlier than usual this morning. But this stupid machine won’t work,” Hernan sighed, hitting the machine with his fist as it fell over onto its side.

“One day it makes the perfect cup of coffee and the next day it won’t even turn on,” Daniela said as she poured a glass of juice.

“Sound like someone we know?” Hernan laughed as he grabbed another cup out of the cupboard.

“Well, now that you mention it,” Daniela said as she filled Hernan’s glass.

“What are you two talking about?” Marat grumbled from behind them as he walked awkwardly into the kitchen in a pair of shorts and no shirt.

“Nothing, dear. Juice?” Daniela asked, smiling innocently.

“No. Coffee,” Marat said as he sat down at the bar.

“The machine’s not working,” Hernan reported as he took a sip from his glass of juice.

“Great. What time did you want to leave?” Marat asked as he rubbed his eyes.

“In about 45 minutes,” Hernan answered as he looked down at his wristwatch.

“Make that in about twenty minutes,” Marat said, standing up from the barstool. “We’ll have to stop and get coffee. Are you coming with us to get breakfast?”

“No, I’ll stay here and eat toast,” Daniela responded as Hernan walked out of the kitchen to get his stuff together.

“Fine. Do you know where my practice shirt is that I wore a few days ago?” Marat asked as he opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water.

“I’m wearing it,” Daniela said as she smiled at his confused expression.

“I thought that shirt looked awfully baggy on you,” Marat said, taking a swig of water. “I’ll find something else to where.”

“No, that’s okay. I’ll put on my own shirt. You can have this one.”

“Thanks,” Marat mumbled as he began to walk back towards their bedroom.

“Wait,” Daniela said, grabbing onto his wrist and holding him back. “Where are you going?”

“To the bedroom so I can get ready to leave. I have to call my parents and Dinara as well before I leave.”

“What about that talk you promised me last night?”

“What talk?”

“The one we would have about our future, concerning our engagement and wedding. The one you didn’t want to have last night because you were too tired.”

“Oh, that one,” Marat said as he scratched his head clumsily. “I have to get ready now or I’ll be late. How about lunch? We’ll get rid of Gumy and we’ll have a nice, long lunch to ourselves. How does that sound?”

“It sounds great, if it happens.”

“It will,” Marat said, placing a kiss on Daniela’s forehead and leaving the room.

“We’ll see, Safin,” Daniela mumbled to herself as she finished her juice and placed the empty glass in the sink. “We’ll see.”

[Addie]

Chapter 2

After Marat and Hernan left, Daniela found herself alone in their rented apartment with no one to talk to and no means of entertainment. Changing into a pair of gray shorts and a white, short-sleeved hoodie, she walked around the apartment looking for something to do. The bedroom Marat and her shared was a mess but nowhere near the level of chaos that engulfed the bedroom of their apartment in Moscow. Kicking the dirty clothes that covered the floor into a pile near the door, Daniela made the bed, laughing as she tried to detangle the mess of sheets at the bottom of Marat’s side of the bed.

As she walked over to the pile of clothes, she knew there was no way she’d be able to carry them down to the basement of the building so that she could use the washers and dryers. If she tried, she would end up leaving a trail of socks and underwear on her way. Strolling down the small, narrow hallway, Daniela opened the door to Hernan’s room in search of the laundry basket. The room was smaller than the other one and didn’t have a balcony but Hernan didn’t seem to mind. In addition, the room was tidy and all the laundry had found its way into the laundry basket at the foot of the bed. Bending over to pick up the basket, she hoped she would one day be able to get Marat to do the same.

But before Daniela could leave the room, her eyes were caught by a small picture frame on Hernan’s bedside table. It was a picture of Hernan and his wife, holding their newborn child. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy as she stared at the gleaming faces of the new parents. It had been over two years since she had suffered her miscarriage. A part of her still wished the child had survived, even though it hadn’t been Marat’s child. Another part of her, the darker side of her which she tried to ignore, was a little relieved she hadn’t had the baby. For one, it would’ve ruined her tennis career and she didn’t know much else aside from the grueling schedule of the WTA Tour. And second, she figured it must have been fate, so that she could end up with Marat.

Brushing off her thoughts, Daniela walked quickly out of Hernan’s room and shut the door behind her. She knew that thinking about the past would not help her. It had made the last two years on tour unbearable, except for that week in 2007 when she won the Pacific Life Open again. When she began to think about the “what ifs,” she found herself stuck in a mood for weeks. There were so many questions that filled her head that simple actions like hitting her forehand were made impossible. Would she be with Marat today if she hadn’t lost the child? Did Marat only want to be with her now because he was trying to get back at Andy for getting her pregnant?

Stepping out of the apartment, she walked to the elevator and stood quietly inside it as it descended to the basement. The basement walls were made of crude brick and cracks could be found in the cement floors under her feet. Setting the laundry basket on top of the washer, Daniela quickly sorted through the clothing so she could get back upstairs. The eerie quiet and dampness of the basement made her want to get out of there as fast as she could. In addition, sorting through laundry as fast as she could allowed her to forget the burning questions that were beginning to plant themselves in her head once again. Slamming the washer door shut with their whites inside, she did the same with her questions as she hurried back upstairs to the brightness of the apartment.

*****

Sitting on the couch with her legs tucked beneath her, Daniela sorted through the laundry as she tried to find the match to one of Marat’s socks. She might as well give up; she was certain she’d probably find the match thrown under the bed in a few days. A few feet in front of her, the television was on, showing re-runs of a comedic sitcom. As she tried to understand the British humor, she heard the key enter the lock of the apartment door. A few seconds later, Hernan, followed by a glum-looking Marat, walked into the living room. From the worried look Hernan gave her and the way he quickly fled to his bedroom, she knew practice had not gone well.

Folding one of her practice shirts on her lap, she watched as Marat threw his tennis bag in front of the television set and fell into the loveseat facing the front door. She watched him as he dragged a hand through his short, curly hair and sighed. His eyes fell onto the television screen but he didn’t seem amused by the scene in front of him. Before he could notice she was staring, she set her eyes upon the shirt she was still folding. Eventually, Daniela looked up to find his almond-shaped eyes staring into hers. At first she didn’t know what to say as she bit her lower lip and looked down at her lap, but eventually she found the courage to say something, something stupid that is.

“How was practice?” she asked as she placed her folded shirt in a pile next to her on the couch.

“Terrible,” Marat answered. But instead of getting angrier, he smiled in her direction. Daniela didn’t know exactly what to think of this.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she whispered, once again looking for the match to Marat’s sock in the laundry basket.

“Don’t worry about it,” Marat said as he got up from the loveseat and sat next to her on the couch, causing the neat pile of folded clothes to fall over onto the floor. “How was it here at the apartment?”

“Nothing too interesting,” she replied, feeling a little uncomfortable at Marat’s strange attitude after such a bad practice. “I finished cleaning the whites. Our other clothes are in the dryer as we speak.”

“I see,” Marat said, fiddling with a piece of her hair that had fallen out of her ponytail and was resting at the back of her neck. He continued to fiddle with it as he stared at her face.

“Can I ask you something?” Daniela asked as she finally found the match to Marat’s lost sock.

“Sure.”

“Why are you staring at me?”

“Because you’re so cute when you do laundry,” Marat answered, kissing the side of her neck.

“Only ‘cute?’” Daniela giggled as he hit a sensitive spot behind her ear.

“Incredibly sexy?”

“That’s better,” Daniela said, lifting Marat’s face up to her own with her fingers pressed under his jaw line.

“Should we take this to the bedroom? Hernan went to take a nap,” Marat said, raising one of his eyebrows in a mischievous look.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You promised me lunch,” Daniela sighed as she saw he had already forgotten his promise to her. “Marat, you always do this. You never follow through with your promises. I’m like some child to you that you can get to do whatever you want.”

“I would hardly call you a child,” he replied, scanning her body. “Far from it. But you’re right: I owe you lunch.”

“Thank you,” Daniela said, folding the last piece of laundry and throwing the pile into the basket. “Where would you like to go?”

“It doesn’t matter to me,” Marat said, stretching his arms above his head in a nonchalant manner.

“Marat, take this seriously,” Daniela groaned as she got off the couch and turned to face him.

“I am taking this seriously. And why does it matter where we go? We’re just going to talk anyway.”

“Fine, let’s just go. We’ll figure out where to go as we walk,” Daniela sighed as she walked over to the door to put on her flip-flops.

“Daniela,” Marat whispered, grabbing onto her waist from behind, “please don’t be angry with me. You know we can’t talk to each other civilly when either of us is angry at the other.”

“Marat, with all the questions I have for you right now that aren’t answered, it’s hard for me not to be angry at you.”

“And I’m sorry. I’m trying to make it up to you right now,” Marat said, opening the door for her and letting her go through first.

“I don’t know if you can,” Daniela sighed as she walked past him and out the door.

*****

After they had left the apartment building, Daniela and Marat walked in silence down the streets of Wimbledon. Neither of them spoke, looked in the other person’s direction, or tried to make any type of physical contact for fear the other one would get angry and make a scene in the quiet area southwest of London. Eventually, Marat decided to speak up because they were beginning to walk to a part of town they were not familiar with.

“Where are we going?” Marat asked, still not looking at her.

“I don’t know.”

“Are you even hungry?”

“Not really.”

“We can go to Starbucks and pick up something to drink. Then, we can take our drinks to a park and talk things over there,” Marat suggested, hoping he hadn’t just entered himself into another tirade about his lack of compassion or understanding.

“Okay, that’s a good idea,” Daniela agreed, turning around so that they were going back in the direction of the coffee shop.

“May I?” Marat asked, reaching for Daniela’s hand.

“Yes, you may,” Daniela said, smiling up at him as they entwined their fingers and strolled down the sidewalk.

“Daniela, I do love you. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone,” Marat said quietly as they continued to walk.

“I know you do. I love you, too. I’m sorry I’ve been so quick with you lately.”

“It’s not your fault. I keep forgetting how much you’ve been through these past few years,” Marat said as he squeezed her hand tighter. “You lost a child. And it couldn’t have helped when Andy and I fought over you the way we did. I know it must have been difficult to deal with the backlash and criticism when you left Andy for me. His fans weren’t exactly charitable with their behavior towards you when you called off the engagement.”

“It wasn’t that bad. You made it easier by being there to defend me. You were like my knight in shining armor. I appreciate that. Of course, it didn’t help your reputation either as a playboy. The whole thing made you look like you stole me from Andy.”

“It’s okay. I’m used to it, and I probably do deserve some of that reputation considering how I acted before we got together in regards to women,” Marat said as he let one of his deep, throaty laughs escape.

“True. I don’t need to apologize after all,” Daniela giggled.

“Hey!” Marat said, grabbing onto her as she tried to move away from him. “That’s not very nice. Here I am trying to be apologetic and you’re ruining the whole mood. I’m going to have to do something with you.”

“Oh? And what are you going to do about it?” Daniela teased, looking up into his eyes as he held her in front of him.

“You’ll see when we get home,” Marat whispered into her ear, “but since we’re here, we might as well get coffee and have that talk.”

“You’re right,” Daniela said, realizing they were right in front of Starbucks. “Let’s go in. The line looks ridiculous as usual.”

“I don’t know when you became so attached to this place. The coffee is overpriced and the people take forever to get it ready,” Marat complained as he opened the door for her and let her go in first.

“I don’t know. I just did,” Daniela said as she bit her bottom lip. She knew when she became so attached to this place: when she dated Andy. He practically lived for a drink from this place everyday. And as a result, Daniela had become equally enamored with a daily caffeine dose.

“Well, whatever the reason, we’re here. Figure out what you want while we’re in line so we can make this as quick as possible,” Marat sighed as he looked up at the menu above the heads of the employees.

Nodding her head, Daniela debated between whether to get a caramel macchiato, the drink Andy had introduced to her, or a vanilla latte. As she swayed from her left foot to her right foot in line next to Marat, she lost track of how far she was swaying and accidently bumped into a man as he was on his way out of the coffee shop. Checking to make sure he hadn’t spilt his drink on himself or on her, she raised her face to look at his and apologize. But as her eyes rested on the big, brown eyes of the man staring at her, she lost her ability to speak for a second before she croaked out his name.

“Andy.”

[Addie]

Chapter 3

It was as if the coffee shop had stopped all action and was now twirling aimlessly around Daniela. She could no longer hear the sounds of freshly-brewed coffee being poured into paper cups or smell the sweet scent of pastry resting inside the glass-faced counters. All she could hear was the sound of Andy’s breathing so close to her and the smell of his cologne wafting to her nostrils. Eventually, she was brought back crashing to earth by the feel of Marat’s torso pressed against her back. She could feel his arm wrap itself protectively around her waist and rest there territorially.

Looking at Andy, Daniela could’ve sworn that nothing had changed about him since she had left him that night in Monte Carlo. He still had the same pair of tattered edged shorts with their millions of pockets hanging on the sides. And of course, he was still wearing ridiculously oversized polo shirts from Lacoste. The only thing that reminded her that a year and a half had past was his thinning head of hair and his receding hairline. That observation unwittingly made a smile splay itself across her face as she thought about Marat’s full head of hair that never seemed to stop growing at times.

“Hi, Daniela,” Andy finally said, breaking the awkward silence that had ensued them.

“Hi,” Daniela replied, still in a daze and staring dumbly at his face.

“I guess we’ll have to find a different Starbucks to frequent,” Marat said from behind her. The sound of his voice brought Daniela back to reality and she instantly remembered the beautiful man that stood behind her, probably feeling ignored and unimportant.

“I don’t think it should be a problem. We’re all adults here. Don’t you agree, Daniela?” Andy replied, not taking his eyes off of Daniela.

“Andy’s right. The press were the immature ones during the fallout,” Daniela agreed as she remembered the venomous headlines that found themselves displayed on news sites and magazines following her split from Andy for Marat. “So, you’re here for coffee?”

“Well, not really. Brooklyn was thirsty, so we just came in for a bottle of water,” Andy said, reaching for the hand of the young blond who was standing next to him.

The entire time they had been talking, Daniela had failed to notice her standing there awkwardly beside Andy. She remembered reading the news about their engagement in April during the Miami tournament. How could she have not? The news had been everywhere. Setting her eyes on Andy and Brooklyn’s entwined hands, she watched as Brooklyn’s engagement ring twinkled when the sunlight hit the diamond.

“Oh, of course. It’s kind of humid out. I never got to say congratulations,” Daniela replied, smiling sweetly at Andy’s fiancée. “You must be very excited.”

“I am. There’s just so much to do, you know. I mean, like, you’re planning your wedding right now, too. Ugh, there are just so many details to take care of, like, um, the dress, the cake, where to have the reception. It’s exhausting, you know,” Brooklyn replied as she smiled at Andy. “And Andy’s no help. I hope Marat is better than him.”

“Oh, well, you know men. They can be a little cumbersome to deal with when it comes to planning a big event,” Daniela agreed, smiling behind her shoulder at Marat.

“Yes, how is the wedding planning going? I haven’t heard of a date,” Andy said, smiling knowingly at Marat. He knew well enough from locker room gossip that Marat hadn’t even taken the effort to buy Daniela a ring, let alone help her plan a wedding.

“You wouldn’t be given a date,” Marat said through gritted teeth.

“Um, yeah. I think that’s our cue to go,” Brooklyn said, dragging Andy towards the door.

“It was nice seeing you, Daniela,” Andy said, waving over his shoulder and giving Marat a wink.

“You, too,” Daniela whispered, turning around to face Marat. “What was that about?”

“He was being a jerk. He knew very well that we haven’t started planning yet.”

“And whose fault is that?” Daniela replied icily as she walked to the counter. They had forgotten they were in line and it was now their turn.

“I’m sorry, but at least I’m not some serial monogamist like Andy. He knew that girl for how long? Seven months? And he asked her to marry him. Yeah, that relationship will last.”

“At least he puts in the effort,” Daniela huffed after she gave her order.

“Do you want me to rush into marriage with you? Just because he’s getting married to her doesn’t mean he loves her. I guarantee you he loves her less than I love you. I would do anything for you. But what I will not do is get married to you only as a way to show off. That’s what he’s doing and I never will or want to be like him,” Marat said as they waited for their coffees on the other end of the counter.

“I’m sorry. You’re right,” Daniela said with arms folded across her chest. “I blew up.”

“That’s probably why we need to talk,” Marat sighed as their order was placed on the counter.

“Now you see why I’ve wanted this talk,” Daniela said as she grabbed her latte and walked out of Starbucks.

“I understand now. I understand,” Marat whispered as he wrapped his arm around her waist and walked down the sidewalk with her towards the park.

“It’s hard to deal with. I love you, don’t get me wrong. But a part of me wonders if I would’ve already had that dream wedding with Andy and would’ve been raising our child had things turned out differently. Life could’ve been perfect and easy,” Daniela sighed, leaning her head against Marat’s shoulder.

“I know, but a perfect and easy life isn’t always the best. It’s boring if anything and it gives you nothing to fight for.”

“You’re right which is why I love you. Life is never boring,” Daniela said as they arrived at the park.

“Hold on. We need to talk,” Marat said, steering Daniela to a bench and helping her sit down. “Do you still love him?”

“What?”

“I have to know before we can continue with this talk. Are you still in love with Andy?”

“I don’t know, Marat. I know that I love you. I know that I love you more than I could ever love Andy,” Daniela said, setting her coffee down so that she could hold Marat’s hand. When she had suggested this talk, she had never thought she would be put on the spot.

“I’m not sure that’s enough,” Marat sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m not going back to him, Marat. We did share a child. We were engaged. I would be lying if I said I didn’t still love him. But you’re my future and Brooklyn is his.”

“As long as you promise nothing will happen between the two of you.”

“I promise. If something was going to happen, it would’ve happened by now. Andy and I are no longer interested in each other in that way. Now, I have some questions for you,” Daniela said, taking a deep breath.

“Go ahead,” Marat smiled, squeezing her hand.

“When you asked me to marry you, did you do it as a way to get back at Andy? Was I some kind of demented trophy?”

“No, you were not. You aren’t. I asked you to marry me, because I love you and I knew you weren’t happy with Andy. He was the one who was with you for the wrong reasons.”

“And what if I had had the baby? What if I had given birth? Would you have tried to be with me still?”

“That’s a hard question to answer, Daniela. You would’ve been a mom. You probably would’ve developed a strong bond with Andy. I’m not sure I would’ve had a chance.”

“You think that I would’ve stayed with a man I didn’t love because we shared a child?”

“Yes, I know you wouldn’t have left him. Hell, Daniela! You wouldn’t have left him if I hadn’t come running after you. Be honest with yourself. You would have definitely stayed with had the child survived. You’re a very loyal person. And I know you would’ve been an amazing mother, so much so you would’ve given up your happiness so the child could’ve had a family.”

“Marat, I would like to think that our love for one another would’ve made it through all that,” Daniela said as she bit her lip and looked down at their hands.

“We both know that the real world can sometimes get in the way of that.”

“Marat, will we ever get married?” Daniela asked, still staring at their hands.

“Someday,” Marat said as he kissed the top of her head.

“I want something more than that, Marat,” Daniela said as she got up from the bench and stared down at Marat. “I want a date to tell people. I want to complain to friends about how hard it is to get you to sit down and settle the wedding details. I want a ring on my finger that glitters when it hits the sunlight.”

“Daniela, are you crying?”

“Yes, I am,” Daniela said as she wiped a tear from under her eye. “I’m tired of feeling unloved by you. I know you don’t mean to but you make me feel that way. I want you to put effort into our relationship.”

“Daniela, I’m trying,” Marat sighed as he got up from the bench.

“No, you’re not trying. At least Andy tried. He bought me a ring. He talked about where we would get married. We even looked through our schedules trying to figure out when we had an open space. I want to see something from you. And if I don’t see something from you, Andy is the last person you have to worry about ruining our relationship,” Daniela said before she walked off and left Marat standing alone in the middle of the park.

[Addie]

Chapter 4

As Marat’s jacket rested on her shoulders, Daniela ascended the ornate stone stairs that led to the front door of her house in Monte Carlo. Unlocking the door to her home, she pushed it open quietly as she squeezed Marat’s hand who was standing behind her. Walking into the foyer, Daniela could hear the television on in the living room. The soft glow from the TV illuminated the dark room where she saw Andy slouched on the couch as images flicked on and off the television set. She suddenly jumped as she heard the door close loudly behind Marat. She was not sure whether he had done it on purpose but Andy was now staring in their direction.

At first, Daniela could see a lazy smile begin to play across his face as he recognized it was her. But as soon as he saw Marat standing behind her, Andy’s face immediately became dark, the lines of his face darkening and his brown eyes clouding over. Daniela knew this was going to be hard. It was also going to be confusing. How would she break this news to Andy? More importantly, what was she going to do if things got physical? Brushing off the thought, she reassured herself that she was dealing with two adult men. She was sure they could keep their fists to themselves.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Andy said as he got off the couch and started to walk towards them.

“Andy, we need to talk, and I think it’s best that you have a seat,” Daniela said as she gently put her hands on his chest in an attempt to keep him from Marat.

“I don’t think I want to know what’s going on right now.”

“Andy, please. Sit down. Could you please do that for me?” Daniela asked, glancing up at him with pleading eyes.

“He’s not allowed to sit down,” Andy declared as he went back to the couch. “He is not welcome in my home.”

“To be fair, Andy,” Daniela said as she sat on the wingback chair right across from the couch, “this isn’t your home. I will decide who is welcome and who is not.”

“It’s okay, Daniela. I’ll stay right here,” Marat said as he leaned against the wall between the living room and the foyer.

“You do that,” Andy grumbled as he took his eyes off of him and returned them to Daniela.

As Daniela stared back at Andy’s face, she almost jumped in her seat. She had completely forgotten that Marat had already seen Andy before he had come to find her. He hadn’t been joking about hitting him in the face; Andy’s nose was swollen and purple and she could still see remnants of blood on his face. A part of her wanted to get out of her chair and get him some ice, but she knew that she had to be strong. One moment of weakness would completely destroy her resolve for what she had to say.

“As you know, Marat came to find me on the beach,” Daniela said, trying not to stare too intently at his battered face.

“What was your first clue?” Andy replied sarcastically.

“Andy, I love Marat. I’ve always loved him and I always will. We are not going to be able to make each other happy. I will never love you the way you love me. I want you to be happy. Find someone who will love you. I can only give you friendship.”

“What are you saying, Daniela?” Andy asked loudly as he got off the couch. “Are you saying that you’re dumping me for him? You’re going to be with someone who hits people? Look at my face, Daniela! He’s not stable.”

“Andy, lower your voice,” Daniela whispered, noticing the tell-tale sign of his temper that was his face turning red. “He might not be the most stable individual. But who is? Andy, I can’t explain why I love him. How can you explain something like that? But I love him, and I’ll never be able to love you the same way.”

“Daniela, think about what you’re doing! We’re engaged! We were supposed to have a child today! That same child’s death was when that asshole treated you like hell!” Andy shouted, pointing a menacing finger in Marat’s direction.

“He wasn’t as bad as I made out. I over-exaggerated.”

“Daniela, he’s a jerk! A loser!”

“I’m a loser? Look who’s throwing stones,” Marat mumbled, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling.

“Shut up, Safin! I’ve had enough of you today!” Andy shouted back in rebuttal.

“Andy, stop! This is getting out of control,” Daniela pleaded as she stood up from the chair to walk in between Andy and Marat.

“What did you expect, Daniela? For me to be happy? You’re my fiancée!”

“She was your fiancée. I asked her to marry me and she said ‘yes.’ You’ve been replaced,” Marat said, wanting to taunt Andy.

“You piece of shit!” Andy screamed as he launched himself toward Marat.

Unfortunately, Daniela could not make it to Marat before Andy. She watched in horror as Andy’s fist crashed into Marat’s left eye. But before Andy could land another in his face, Marat slammed his fist into Andy’s stomach. It was evident that Andy had had the wind blown out of him and there was no way he would be able to continue with their little ultimate fighting match.

“Marat, don’t!” Daniela screamed as she ran over to Andy.

“I wasn’t going to, Daniela. He’s had enough,” Marat said as he placed a hand over his blackening eye.

“Andy, are you okay?” Daniela asked as she bent over to get closer to his face.

“I’m fine,” Andy heaved. “I’m leaving. I’ll get my stuff later.”

“Can I call ahead for a hotel room for you?” Daniela asked as she followed behind him like a lost puppy.

“No, don’t. I’ll find something myself. I would hate to bother you while you plan your wedding to Marat,” Andy snapped as he slammed the front door behind him.

Staring at the closed door, Daniela bit her lower lip and looked back at Marat. He was staring back at her with one eye, his hand still over his other eye.

“Oh, Marat. I’m sorry. I was worried about Andy,” Daniela said as she gently removed his hand from his eye so she could see the damage.

“I understand. Andy’s a bit of a baby with pain,” Marat joked as he winced from the pain of her touching his eye.

“Well, he also doesn’t have a very good arm. Your eye doesn’t look as bad as I thought,” Daniela said before she let her eyes float back to the front door.

“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?”

“Yes. It didn’t go as I planned.”

“Go ahead. I’ll be fine,” Marat said, waving her hand away with a smile.

“Are you sure?”

“Just get back soon. I missed you,” Marat said placing a tender kiss upon her lips.

“I will,” Daniela said as she ran towards the door and out of it.

Running down the sidewalk in the general direction of the nearest hotel, she held Marat’s jacket tighter to her body. It was freezing and dark outside, but she knew that she had to find Andy. She did love him, as a friend.

“Andy! Andy! Wait up!” Daniela yelled as she saw his back walking away from her up ahead.

“What is it, Daniela?” Andy sighed as she caught up with him.

“Andy, please do not take this night the wrong way. I love you. You have become one of my best friends.”

“Friendship is the basis of love.”

“Yeah, I know. You kept telling me that every time I tried to break up with you.”

“Because it’s true, Daniela. When it comes down to it, Daniela, when the thrill of sex with him is gone, what are you left with? All you did was fight because he couldn’t keep it in his pants,” Andy sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“We have plenty to keep us together besides the physical.”

“Tell yourself that. I just hope it doesn’t keep you up at night when you figure out how much you lost when you chose him over me,” Andy said and then turned his back on her and walked away.

Shivering in the night, Daniela was left alone on the sidewalk. She was cold, both inside and out. She felt lower than dirt. And what was worse, what Andy had said was now hanging gloomily above her head.

*****

“Daniela. Daniela? Daniela!”

“What? Oh, I’m so sorry! I got lost in my own thoughts for a while there,” Daniela apologized, looking over at Hernan who was staring at her skeptically.

She knew there was no way he could have known what she had been thinking about but she couldn’t help but feel guilty. Since they had bumped into Andy over a week ago, she had been running flashbacks through her mind of all the good and the bad times with Andy and Marat. The night she had broken up with Andy and accepted Marat’s proposal was the night she thought she had ended the love triangle among them. Unfortunately, it began to seem like she had never really put it to rest.

“Don’t worry about it. The match is finished if you hadn’t noticed. He won. We’re on to the second round,” Hernan said as he stood up to go to the locker room.

“Yes, and now he has to deal with Djokovic,” Daniela sighed as she grabbed her purse and followed him.

“Yeah, it will be tough,” Hernan said as they walked down a long corridor. “I wanted to thank you by the way. I know Marat and you are having a tough time with things lately, but I’m glad you’ve set it aside so you two can play your best here. I think he has a chance to get a good run here.”

“You mean get past Novak?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve got to have faith in him. Anyway, thanks for being cool.”

“Yeah, well, we decided to let things go while we’re at this tournament. It’s not like we get to be together this much all the time. We’ll figure things out later,” Daniela replied as they stepped into the locker room.

“Hey, Marat. Good job out there. Your game all around was solid,” Hernan congratulated, slapping Marat on the back.

“Thanks, Gumy,” Marat said as he untied his shoes and looked up at Daniela. “What did you think, Daniela?”

“You did well,” Daniela said, trying to smile. “I’m going to wait outside while you guys talk and you get changed.”

“Okay, but don’t go too far,” Marat said as she turned to leave the room. “We’ve got plans tonight.”

“Huh?” Daniela asked, turning back around. “What plans?”

“I made plans for us, you and me. Sorry, Gumy,” Marat said, glancing over at his coach.

“Don’t worry about it,” Gumy replied, shrugging it off.

“You didn’t tell me about these plans,” Daniela said, still looking confused.

“That was the plan,” Marat smiled.

“Well, what are we doing?”

“You’ll find out when we go. Just get dressed as if we’re going to dinner at a nice place. You’ll figure out the rest as we go.”

“I’m not sure I like this.”

“You have no option. You’re going,” Marat said confidently as he grabbed a towel and walked to showers, leaving Daniela with no further explanation and more confusion than she knew what to do with.

[Addie]

Chapter 5

Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom attached to the master bedroom, Daniela finished applying a layer of red lipstick to her mouth. Snapping the cap back onto the tube, she laid the lipstick on the counter and stood back to stare at her reflection. Running her hands along the lines of her cream, Hervé Leger cap-sleeve dress, Daniela hoped that wherever Marat was taking her tonight would be worthy of the dress. Blowing a kiss playfully at her reflection, she turned off the light and walked into the bedroom. Her eyes immediately drifted to a pile of dirty laundry on the floor from Marat’s match that day. As usual, she had been left to clean it up off the floor and into a laundry basket.

“Are you ready to go?” Daniela heard Marat ask her from behind as she turned his shirt right side out.

“I will be as soon as I finish with this shirt,” Daniela replied, turning around to smile at him.

“Wow. You look amazing,” Marat said as his eyes ran up and down the length of Daniela.

“Well, I’m not completely against wearing something other than tennis shoes and t-shirts. You just haven’t given me a real reason to dress up. I’m too busy playing maid,” she said as she threw the t-shirt into the basket behind Marat.

“If this is what I have to look forward to when I give you time, I promise to clean much more often,” Marat said, reaching out to grab her by the waist.

“Shouldn’t we be going?” Daniela asked as she avoided his touch.

“Yeah, uh, you’re right,” Marat said, running his hand through his hair. He didn’t know how to feel after his fiancée ran from him.

“I’m sorry, Marat. I know you must have put a lot of thought and effort into tonight, but you have to understand that nothing has changed yet.”

“I realize that, but I hope you’ll try to see that I’m trying. I don’t think running away from me every time I try to touch you is the best way to help rebuild this relationship.”

“You’re right. I can’t hold myself back while you’re trying to open yourself up to me.”

“Good. Well, the car is here. Shall we go?”

“A car? You hired a car for tonight?” Daniela asked as they walked into the living room.

“I pulled out all the stops for tonight. No expense was spared,” Marat replied as he helped Daniela put on her coat.

“I can see that,” Daniela said as they walked out the door.

“You have no idea what’s in store for you tonight. You won’t forget it.”

*****

“You have got to be kidding me. Marat, you didn’t!” Daniela squealed as she pressed her palms against the window of the car and gazed out.

“You approve?” Marat said as he smirked knowingly of her answer.

“Le Gavroche? Yes, I approve! Marat, this is amazing!”

“Amazing enough for a hug? Or at least a pat on the back?”

“Yes,” Daniela said, lightly patting him on the shoulder.

“You’re joking, right?” Marat asked as the car stopped in front of the restaurant. “A pat on the back for this?”

“You suggested it, not me,” Daniela said as the driver opened the car door for her. “Shall we?”

“Yeah, of course,” Marat sighed as he got out of the car.

Meeting her in front of the steps to the restaurant, he hesitated as he tried to decide whether he should put his arm around her waist or just follow behind her silently and absently. As they climbed the steps, he felt her grasp his hand and lace their fingers together. Looking over at her, she smiled at him quickly before turning her head back to the restaurant they were entering. After confirming their reservation, they were shown into the dining room and seated at a booth in the corner. Gazing around the restaurant, Daniela took in the forest green, paneled walls, the dark wood chairs upholstered in red fabric, and the white, linen tablecloths set with china and wine glasses. She couldn’t remember the last time Marat had taken her to a real restaurant, not a buffet courtesy of the hotel they were staying at.

“Marat, I have to ask, what is this all for?” Daniela asked as she fidgeted with the stem of her wine glass.

“What do you think it’s for?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you. The hired car, the restaurant, the fact you’re wearing a suit jacket and your shirt is ironed,” Daniela said as a smile broke across her face. “All of this is a bit out of character. I’m actually worried about you.”

“Worried about me? I do something nice for you and this is what I get for it,” Marat said as he splayed his hands in the air.

“Yes, this is what you get for showing effort after such a long time when you didn’t.”

“Daniela, I am trying. Now it’s time for you to try. Give me some slack. This evening is for you as much as it is for me.”

“Okay, I’ll let it go,” Daniela said and turned her head to watch a table near them being served.

“Am I allowed to touch you?” Marat asked as he scooted closer to her in the booth.

“Yes. We are engaged.”

“Well, the way you’ve been acting lately, I’ve been afraid to. Like before we left the apartment tonight: you wouldn’t let me hug you.”

“And like you asked me a second ago, I will try to relax, to give you a chance,” Daniela sighed, looking down at the space between them which was growing smaller and smaller.

“Good,” Marat said as he grabbed one of her hands and enveloped it between his. As he did this, Daniela began to laugh and wiggle in her seat from laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Marat smiled, happy to see her do the same.

“Your hands. They’re always so covered in calluses. They tickle.”

“Well, excuse me,” Marat said in mock indignation. “I didn’t know yours were so perfect.”

“I moisturize,” Daniela said with a joking wink.

“Oh, so that’s the secret?”

“Yes, it is,” Daniela laughed softly as she placed a kiss on his cheek.

“I like that.”

“How about this?” Daniela asked as she held his head between her hands and kissed him on the mouth gently and lovingly.

“That is very nice, very nice indeed.”

*****

Two hours later, Marat and Daniela emerged from the restaurant with their hands tightly entwined and their eyes glued to each other. Marat’s hair was slightly mussed up at the sides from where Daniela’s hands had landed during their many kisses. In the same way, Daniela’s red lipstick had fainted and Marat’s lips were suspiciously pinker and darker than usual. Climbing into the car, Daniela and Marat settled into the backseat, exhausted from their playing and practicing schedules and stuffed from their meal. As the car started to move, Daniela laid her head against Marat’s shoulder and began to fall asleep.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Marat asked as he gently jolted her awake.

“I’m going to sleep,” Daniela yawned. “Wake me when we get back to the apartment.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” Marat laughed. “There’s one more part left to the evening.”

“And what would that be?”

“I guess you’ll have to stay up to see.”

“Marat, that’s not fair,” Daniela said as she lightly hit his arm. “I’m exhausted and I don’t want to stay up for nothing. Just give me a hint so I know it’s worth my while.”

“Has this evening not been worth your while thus far?”

“It has,” Daniela said, stopping to plant a kiss on the tip of his nose. “However, I just want a little hint.”

“No.”

“No? You’d say ‘no’ to me?” Daniela said as she began to slide on top his lap. “I have ways to make you say ‘yes.’”

“I’m sure you do,” Marat smiled as he peered up into her green eyes.

“I have many ways,” Daniela murmured as she flipped her head to the side to trail kisses up his neck.

“Why don’t you save those for later?” Marat suggested as he gently helped her get off him. “First things first.”

“You’re no fun,” Daniela pouted playfully.

“I’ll be lots of ‘fun’ later when we’re alone and not in a car,” Marat laughed. “I’m too old to have ‘fun’ in a car.”

“You’re not too old, gramps.”

“Funny.”

“I’m just full of them tonight,” Daniela said as the car stopped.

“We’re here. And just in time. Wouldn’t want them to leave without us,” Marat said as he opened his door to get out.

“Where is ‘here?’”

“Here is the London Eye,” Marat answered as he opened her door and held his hand out for her to use.

“The London Eye? You said you would never take me on it!” Daniela squealed as she got out of the car and stared up at the towering figure in the night.

“Well, I lied.”

“No, you were serious. You said you would never go because you’d have to listen to all those people, stuck in a capsule, as they complained about how they were afraid of heights,” Daniela corrected as she laced her arm through Marat’s.

“It’s night time. There are no stupid crowds and we have a private capsule all to ourselves to see London at night.”

“I love you,” Daniela whispered and leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked towards the Eye.

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

“You’re amazing.”

“That is nice as well.”

“And this is the most amazing date you have ever put together.”

“I was hoping you would say that too.”

“I feel bad for you though,” Daniela sighed as they approached their capsule.

“And why is that?”

“You’ll never be able to top this evening for the rest of your life.”

“Hopefully, our lives,” Marat said as he followed her into the capsule.

“Yes, our lives,” Daniela said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss.

Just as they finished their kiss, the London Eye began to move and take them high into the night sky of London. From the windows of their capsule, Daniela and Marat could see that skylight of London lit below them like Christmas lights. It was enchanting. As they rose higher, Daniela’s smile grew wider and wider and so did Marat’s smile as a result. He couldn’t help but feel accomplished; he had pulled this off seamlessly. All he had to do was pull off the finale and Daniela would forgive him and promise to stay with him for the rest of their lives.

“Daniela,” Marat began to say but was stopped as her hand fell lightly across his mouth.

“Marat, let me speak. I’m so sorry for the way I’ve acted lately. I haven’t given you a chance. I’ve been oversensitive and over-demanding while you’ve been trying to rebuild your career. It was wrong of me and I promise to cut you some slack, some major slack. I’ll be the most amazing fiancée for as long as it takes for you to make me your wife. I’ll stop pressuring you and I’ll…”

“Daniela, relax,” Marat said taking her hands in his. “This night wasn’t about me making you feel guilty or like you have to prove something. If anything, I have to prove something.”

“No, it shouldn’t be that way. I need to stop pressuring you; you have enough on your plate without me nagging you constantly about something as trivial as a wedding date.”

“That’s far from trivial, Daniela. It should have been settled a long time ago,” Marat said as their capsule reached the top of the Eye. “I have something for you.”

Reaching into his jacket pocket, Marat closed his fingers around a light blue, Tiffany’s box. Taking it out, he fell to his knee in front of Daniela, who was now beginning to understand what was happening. Bringing her hands to her face, Daniela’s move fell open and her cheeks began to turn red. Grabbing one of her hands, Marat looked up at her earnestly and smiled. Slowly and deliberately, he lifted the lid off the box to reveal a flawless, emerald-cut diamond surrounded by round brilliant diamonds on a platinum band. It was the kind of ring one looked at bu never in a thousand years imagined they would buy or be given.

“Daniela, I know I’ve done this once before, a year and a half ago in fact, but I didn’t do it under the best circumstances or the right way. You deserved tonight; you deserve to be treated better than I have been. Don’t consider this a marriage proposal. Instead, consider this a confirmation of my love for you and my willingness to improve and show you how much you mean to me. I want to have fights with you over flower arrangements and place settings. I want to see you walk down the aisle in a white dress, or whatever you choose to wear. Daniela, will you allow me to do those things? Will you allow me to make you happy?”

“Marat, wow,” Daniela sighed, not able to form any other coherent response.

“Is that a ‘yes’ or not? My knees aren’t what they used to be,” Marat laughed.

“Yes, it’s always a ‘yes’ when it comes to you.”

[Addie]

Chapter 6

Rolling over on her side, Daniela came face to face with her fiancé. The man she had thought wanted nothing but to freed from her a day before was now the man she knew loved her and was committed to her for the rest of their lives. Laughing to herself and covering her nose with her hand, she watched as Marat’s mouth dropped open to unleash morning breath that would be hazardous to anyone’s health. Almost instantly, Marat’s eyelids began to flicker open as he was awaken by the sound of her laughter. Settling his eyes on her face with her covered nose, his eyes flashed confusion.

“What are you laughing about? And why are you holding your nose?” Marat asked as he tried to adjust to the afternoon light flowing into their bedroom.

“I’m not holding my nose; I’m protecting it. Your breath is lethal,” Daniela giggled.

“It can’t be that bad.”

“Oh, it is. I told you not to get the fish. Your breath always smells terrible the morning after you eat fish.”

“Yes, dear. I’ll stop eating fish,” Marat said, pulling Daniela closer to him in bed.

“Such a good boy,” Daniela replied with her hand still covering her nose.

“Oh, take your hand off your nose. It won’t kill you. If anything, you can stare at your engagement ring.”

“Ooh, you’re right,” Daniela said as she extended her arm into the air and spread her fingers wide to gaze at her ring.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it.”

“Are you sure? I know women sometimes say that to their fiancés that they like their rings just to be nice. If there’s one you like better, I can take that one back and get you the other.”

“No, Marat. It’s perfect. Even if it was made of rubber bands and hard candy, I would never exchange it because it would be something that you picked out from the heart,” Daniela said, placing a kiss on the tip of Marat’s nose.

“I’m going to make us some coffee. I’ll be right back,” Marat said as he jumped out of bed, putting on a pair of sweatpants as he went.

Rolling back onto her other side, Daniela stared out the balcony doors onto the balcony. Her engagement ring sparkled brightly out of the corner of her eye as she set her hand on the mattress. The proposal had been everything she hoped; the dinner had been amazing, the weather had been perfect, and Marat’s proposal and ring selection had been heartfelt and exquisite. Could it be that with the opening of a small, light blue box their problems had vanished? Still, Daniela could not help but feel that all was not well.

“Here’s your coffee,” Marat said, waking Daniela from her trance.

Propping herself up on her elbow, Daniela gladly took the hot cup from Marat. As she began to sip, Marat sat himself on the side of the bed as he sipped his own cup. Staring out into the distance, neither of them bothered to talk. They had said all they had to say for the time being last night. It was nice to know that they could sit silently and not be pressured to make small talk.

“Shit! Is that clock right?” Marat asked, staring at the alarm clock on Daniela’s night table.

“Yeah, I checked it when we arrived. What’s wrong?”

“I’m late for practice,” Marat groaned as he set his cup of coffee on the dresser and began searching the clothes hamper for a shirt.

“Is Gumy already gone?”

“I haven’t heard him,” Marat replied, pulling his head through his shirt.

“Why did he leave without you? He should’ve checked to make sure you were awake.”

“I think he was giving us some alone time,” Marat said, smiling and kissing Daniela on the lips quickly. “I’ll see you later? You have practice today, right?”

“Yeah, right before my match,” Daniela laughed as she realized Marat had forgotten about her match against Sara Errani.

“Crap, I’m sorry. I forgot. I’ve been so busy planning last night that I forgot about everything else.”

“It’s okay. Maybe you can make it. I should get on court around four o’clock.”

“I’ll be there. Alright, I better go.”

“Bye,” Daniela said as he jogged out of the room and out of the apartment.

Realizing she should probably start getting ready for her match, Daniela threw the covers off her legs and walked into the bathroom with her coffee. Turning on the faucet to wash her face, she set down her cup to search for a hair tie. Rummaging through the lotions and make up she used the night before, she gave up the search and opened her small jewelry box she took with her when she traveled. Looking through the compartments, she searched for a hair tie in the mounds of tangles necklace chains and earrings missing their matches.

As she did, her fingers fell across a silver bracelet, a charm bracelet. Holding the bracelet up, she watched as the charms detangled and hung from the chain. Each one of the charms held a story, a part of her life, from the year she had fallen in love with Marat, and with Andy. Placing the bracelet back in the box, Daniela closed the lid and decided to spend the time clearing off her bathroom counter to find her hair tie instead. Because when it came down to it, cleaning was a lot easier than looking at the last charm on the bracelet.

*****

Setting her house keys down on the ornately carved, wooden table in the foyer, Daniela’s eyes fixed on a single key gleaming beside a vase on the table. Studying the key more closely, she realized the key was the spare she had given Andy upon their arrival in Monte Carlo. Instantly, she began to panic. Marat was just outside parking the car and would be back at any time. She had no idea what to do. Andy must have come to get his things after leaving abruptly last night after the fight and he might still be inside the house.

Biting her lower lip, she struggled to comprehend exactly what she should do. She did not have time to search the house to find out if Andy was still, in fact, there. Just as her mind began to go in wild circles, Daniela heard the door open behind her as Marat walked in with his racket bag swung over his shoulder. She had to come up with something quick to get him out of the house.

“You wouldn’t believe how far away I had to park the car,” Marat said as he saw her. “Why are you standing here? Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong,” Daniela lied, biting her lip harder until she thought it would surely bleed. “I was just, thinking.”

“Thinking? About what?”

“I don’t have anything here to make dinner with.”

“Well, we’ll go out then. Here, hand me your racket bag and I’ll put them in the closet,” Marat said, stretching his hand out.

“With your eye looking the way it does? No way. We would get weird looks from everybody. Anyway, I don’t think we should be going out together just yet. I want Andy to make the first move; I owe him that.”

“We’ll go to the store then,” Marat replied, taking her racket bag and throwing them into the hall closet.

“Do you think you might do that yourself? I need to call my mom and tell her what has happened. I don’t want her to find out on the internet.”

“Sure, I understand. What do you want me to get?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Surprise me,” Daniela said, wanting to get him out of the house as fast as possible.

“Okay,” Marat said hesitantly as he began to walk towards the stairs.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“To take a shower before I go to the store.”

“No, you have to go now.”

“Daniela, are you okay? Is something wrong? You’re acting strange,” Marat said as he walked back towards her.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just need to make the call now; I’ve waited long enough,” Daniela replied, stroking his chest with her hand.

“Can I at least change?”

“No, it’s getting late; I need you to go now so we can have dinner on time. Please, Marat,” Daniela said, looking up at him with puppy eyes.

“Okay, I’ll go,” Marat sighed, kissing her on the forehead. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Thank you,” Daniela said as he shut the door behind him.

“Nicely done,” a voice called from the top of the stairs.

Looking up, Daniela saw him standing there with his hand rested on the railing, looking down on her. Even from a distance and at the awkward angle, she could see that he was standing slightly slumped over from Marat’s crushing blow to his stomach the night before.

“Thank you for not letting him know you were here. I didn’t want a scene.”

“I’m just getting my stuff and I’ll be gone,” Andy replied solemnly as he disappeared into the upstairs hallway.

“Andy, wait,” Daniela hollered as she climbed the stairs two at a time.

Walking down the hallway, Daniela headed straight for the master bedroom where Andy’s stuff still laid in piles on the floor. Entering the room, it looked like a mob of maids had cleaned the room. Not a single shirt of his was on the floor. Instead, his suitcase lay on the bed and his shirts had been roughly stuffed into it. As she began to re-fold each of his shirts, Andy emerged from the bathroom with his razor and toothbrush.

“Stop. I put them in that way for a reason,” Andy said gruffly, swatting her hands away from his clothes.

“Because you like the wrinkled look?” Daniela joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Cute.”

“Andy, please don’t do this. Talk to me. We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t,” Andy replied, stuffing his toiletries into a pocket of the suitcase.

“If you love me as much as you say you do, you’ll talk to me,” Daniela said, pulling the only card she had left.

“Fine. What is it?” Andy sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“We need to talk about how we’re going to tell everybody,” Daniela started, sitting down next to him.

“You mean, how are we going to tell the media?”

“Well, yes. I think you should decide how we do it. You deserve that much.”

“I’ll make an announcement on my site. I’ll leave Marat out of it. The usual shit, ‘we’ve decided it’s the best thing for both parties but we still remain good friends,’ that people always say,” Andy said as he tugged at his hair.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For leaving Marat out of this.”

“I don’t know why you love him so much,” Andy said as he got up from the bed and grabbed his suitcase. “You’re going to regret this, Daniela. Maybe not now but later.”

“Andy, please don’t say stuff like that,” Daniela replied, getting off from the bed to follow him out.

“No, Daniela, stay. I’ll let myself out. You saw your key on the table?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Bye, Daniela,” Andy said as he turned his back on her and walked down the hallway. “By the way, I left something for you on the bathroom counter. I was going to give it to you last night.”

“What?” Daniela asked but he did not reply as he disappeared down the stairs.

Standing in the hallway, Daniela waited until she heard the front door open and close. Walking back into the bedroom and into the bathroom, she searched the counter for what he had left her. Sitting on the counter next to her sink was the charm bracelet Marat had given her for Valentine’s Day. Picking it up, she examined the charms, each with their own meaning for their relationship. There was the heart, the sun, the tennis racket, the letters “M” and “D,” and the four-leaf clover. However, as she reached the last charm, she realized there was a new one.

Decorated with pink enamel and tiny diamonds was a small, baby rattle charm. This was what Andy had left for her. She hadn’t even realized he had known about the bracelet. He must have found it one day when he was going through her jewelry to find her ring size for her engagement ring. In an instant, different emotions began to run through her. She was confused and then angry. The charm bracelet had been an artifact of her relationship with Marat; it was the thing she could look at and instantly remember the good times. But now, Andy had intruded on their life together and made his mark with the baby rattle. How dare he remind her of the child she lost? And worse, how could he take something so special to her and ruin it? It was like he was now permanently there and would never leave their lives.

[ddddyyyy]

Oh, my dear,Imiss you very much,I think everything will better,That good things!

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.





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