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Post by Annie on Feb 9, 2006 11:40:28 GMT 3
Love Means Everything by Addie and Sabz Chapter 1Walking down the busy streets of Monte Carlo, Marat reflected on a year that started out with a grand slam win at the Australian Open and ended with a withdrawal from the Masters Cup in Shanghai. Like his tennis career, at the beginning of the year Marat was in a committed relationship until fights eventually separated Dasha and himself. Now he was single and couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. He discarded those thoughts as he walked into a posh boutique to find a new pair of pants. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a tall blonde shopping next to him. “Daniela, is that you?” Marat asked as he greeted her with a warm hug. “Hey, Marat! It’s so nice to see another player, especially someone I haven’t seen in so long. Did you know there isn’t a single WTA player here except for Dinara? It’s so lonely,” Daniela exclaimed as they separated. “I know what you mean, I was just thinking the same thing,” he said as he remembered his thoughts just moments before. “It’s not too bad with Dinara here. Where is Dinara anyway? We are supposed to go to the clubs tonight for some dancing.” “Really? I was going to Sparks tonight with Mario and Dominik. So maybe we’ll see you there…,” he said with a hint of hope in his voice. “Maybe, maybe not. So, what are you shopping for? I thought you didn’t shop at these “posh” boutiques?” Daniela teased. “I’m here for some pants and I could really use your help.” “Well, I guess after teasing you I should help out. Let’s see…how about these?” Daniela asked holding up a pair of pants from the rack in front of them. “No way am I wearing those! They’re black and leather! Are you trying to keep me single?” “Oh, come on. They’re Dolce & Gabbana. Girls love a guy who can dress, and of course, a guy who can afford the best labels.” “Great, I’ll attract every gold-digger from here to Australia. How about something black and linen, or…” “Boring, we’re not leaving till we find the perfect pair of pants for you,” she said as she grabbed his wrist and hauled him throughout the store. Pants after pants were rejected, until eventually they came across a pair of chalk striped charcoal pants. Daniela was sold, but Marat wasn’t as certain. “I don’t know Daniela. I don’t think they would look very good on me.” “Well, that’s what dressing rooms are for. Get in there!” Daniela playfully commanded as she threw Marat into the nearest room. Minutes later, Marat sheepishly exited the dressing room and walked towards Daniela. When she looked up from her cell phone, Marat stood towering over her wearing the pants she had picked out. “Marat…,”she struggled for words as she stared into his mysterious brown-green eyes. Thankfully, Marat broke the silence with his confession. “I know, I know, you were right. They look fine.” “I…well, you should know by now I’m always right. Get changed so you can pay, I’m starving. Dealing with you can be quite tiring.” “Alright, I’ll be out in a minute. I know a great place.” About ten minutes later, the two of them were seated at a table outside a small Spanish café. The day was beautiful, with the sun gleaming off Daniela’s long, blonde hair and green eyes as they caught up on the latest hotspots. “So tell me, you’ve been here longer than I have, what’s there to do here?” Daniela asked as she sipped her favorite drink of guava juice. “There are a million discos, malls and restaurants. I can’t name them all, because there are so many. You could ask Dinara to give you a tour,” Marat suggested. “That’s not a bad idea. Actually, her house is just across the street.” “I still think she’s too young to take care of a house, especially by herself,” Marat said, obviously worried about his younger sister. “Well, you know if she gets together with Andrew Murray, maybe she won’t be alone,” said Daniela as she smiled mischievously. “That is not going to happen! She is definitely too young to be living with someone.” “I hope my brother doesn’t act as protective as you. I would never have a boyfriend if he did. Thanks for lunch, Marat.” “It was no problem. Thank you for your fashion sense regarding my pants,” he thanked her as he grabbed his shopping bag and walked with Daniela towards their cars. Daniela climbed into her car only to find that her ignition wouldn’t start. Noticing her distress, Marat walked back over to Daniela to see what was wrong. “What’s wrong?” “My car won’t start; I’ll have to call a tow truck. Do you think you could give me a ride?” Daniela asked in her sweetest voice. “Of course, you’re on my way.” Together the two of them walked across the street to Marat’s red Ferrari. “Nice car,” she complimented as she sat into the leather covered passenger’s seat. “Thanks,” he said as he glanced over at her. “You might want to buckle your seatbelt.” “Boys and their toys. I hope you won’t get too carried away with your driving,” she said as she wrestled with the jammed seatbelt. “Here, let me help,” he said as he reached over to tug on the seatbelt. After much tugging and pulling, they managed to un-jam the seatbelt. As his hands slipped away, they accidentally brushed over her chest. Breaking the silence, Marat started his car and began to drive. Looking out the window, Daniela noticed people staring at them as they drove by. “Great, they’ll think we’re dating,” Daniela exclaimed in a frustrated way. “Is that so bad?” Marat asked laughing. Reaching over, Marat turned on the radio. “I love this song,” Daniela exclaimed. “Eminem rocks.” After the song ended, Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” blasted onto the radio causing both Daniela and Marat to cringe. “Okay, changing the station now,” Daniela declared as she reached towards the buttons. “Is this the tuner button?” “No, it’s this one,” he said as he pushed the right button, but as he did his fingers brushed on Daniela’s. Embarrassed, both their cheeks streaked with red. For the rest of the trip, silence engulfed the car, only interrupted by occasional humming from both sides. Finally, Marat pulled up in front of Daniela’s house. Standing three stories tall with its Mediterranean architecture, her house was certainly one of the most beautiful in the neighborhood. “Thanks again for the ride, Marat,” Daniela thanked as she reached across the car to place a kiss on Marat’s cheek. Surprised and speechless, Marat said goodbye and watched as she ascended into her home. Conscious of his staring, he reminded himself that he was single and it was okay to look. As he drove home, he noticed Daniela’s purse lying on the car floor. Making a quick u-turn, Marat drove back to Daniela’s house. Climbing the steps, he rang the doorbell and waited for Daniela. Opening the door, Daniela looked surprised and embarrassed as she greeted Marat in only a towel robe. “Marat, what are you doing here?” “Um…here, you left your purse in my car,” he said as he handed Daniela her purse. “Oh, thank you. I, uh, was about to go into the Jacuzzi.” “Well then, I better go. Enjoy your Jacuzzi,” he said quickly as he walked to his car. “Bye, then,” she said as she shut the front door. Leaning against the door, Daniela clutched her purse to her chest and couldn’t help but feel a little bit of a crush starting for Marat.
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Post by Annie on Feb 13, 2006 10:48:30 GMT 3
Chapter 2
Later that day, Marat and Dominik Hrbaty were practicing at the Monte Carlo Country Club. After hitting an amazing backhand down the line, Marat noticed Daniela and Dinara practicing on the next court.
“Wow, Daniela looks nice in those shorts,” Marat thought to himself, nearly being hit with a forehand from Dominik.
“Hey, this is boring, how about a mixed doubles match?” Dominik yelled to Marat from across the court.
“Sure, let’s ask the ladies,” Marat replied walking over to Daniela’s and Dinara’s court.
Walking over to Daniela, he took a deep breath. He had no idea why he was so nervous. Glancing his way, Daniela stopped hitting and turned to him. “Ahem, may I ask if both of you would play a doubles match with us?” he asked her like he was asking her to dance.
“Sounds like a good idea, let me check with Dinara,” she smiled, cupping her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Dinara, do you want to play doubles with them?”
“Sure! Losers buy lunch!” she joked.
“You’re on,” Marat declared, walking with the two girls over to his court.
Since Marat and Dinara weren’t the best doubles players, Marat teamed up with Daniela and Dinara teamed up with Dominik. The match started out great for Dinara and Dominik, but that wasn’t going to last long. Exchanging looks midway during the match, Marat and Daniela made it clear to each other they could this.
For Marat, it was the greatest feeling. Someone actually believed in him when it was hard to. Okay, maybe it was just a friendly mixed doubles match, but it meant so much more to him. Finally, Marat and Daniela won thanks to a great serve by Daniela and an equally fabulous backhand by Marat. Winning a match, having someone believe in him, and getting a free lunch, could the day get any better?
* * * * *
Evening came to the glitzy and busy city of Monte Carlo as Marat, Dominik, and Mario Ancic walked into the swanky disco, Sparky’s. As usual, it was packed with the young and rich of Monte Carlo. Of course, now they were the young, rich, and drunk of Monte Carlo.
After wading through the crowds, they found a table and ordered drinks to start the night off right. Peering through the crowds, Marat noticed Daniela and Dinara dancing on the dance floor.
“My god, what is my sister wearing?” Marat asked in complete exasperation.
“That’s nothing compared to what that redhead over there is wearing,” Mario said with his eyes glued on the girls cleavage. Dominik playfully ribbed him with his elbow to get his attention.
Spotting her brother and his upset face, Dinara walked over to his table.
“Is Daniela getting you hooked onto these skimpy outfits?” Marat asked. “No, she’s done nothing of the sort. It’s not even that skimpy, so calm down! Besides, I’m not a little girl anymore, Marat. You don’t have to constantly look after me,” Dinara admonished. Suddenly, she saw Andrew Murray and couldn’t help but excuse herself so she could approach him.
Noticing Dinara was no longer on the dance floor with her, Daniela went to the bar to order a drink. Moments later, Marat sat down next to her.
“Hey,” Marat greeted, looking Daniela up and down. She was wearing a silver top with a short, black skirt that ended three inches above her knees.
“So we meet again,” Daniela said, then noticed his pants, “Hey, you’re wearing the pants I picked out for you!”
“I said I would, and I did. Why is Dinara coming on to Murray?” Marat asked glaring at the two.
“He’s a really nice guy from what I hear. You should let her date who she wants. I remember you once said she had to make her own mistakes,” Daniela reminded him.
“I meant her tennis career; I just don’t want her to get hurt.”
After Marat changed his order, he walked across the crowded dance floor to his table.
“Ooh, flirting with the legs from Slovakia, are we?” Dominik teased.
“I just said hi. She’s Dinara’s friend, I have to be nice,” Marat said and shrugged, trying hard to cover up what he was really feeling.
“Fine, but just so you know, she’s single,” Dominik advised with a devilish smile.
Later that night, Ancic left feeling sick while Daniela approached her good friend Dominik to ask him an important question.
“Hey, Hrbaty, I’ve got a question. Is Marat single?” she asked sheepishly.
“Sure is, and if you’ll excuse, that model over there has my name on her,” Dominik said. He wasn’t seen for the rest of night. Walking over to the bar, he saw Daniela and sat next to her.
“Some friends I have,” Marat said looking over at Daniela.
“Your sister ditched me, too.”
“So, um, will you dance with me? I mean, there’s no one else here,” he asked her shyly.
“Sure,” she grinned and walked out onto the dance floor.
After dancing for five straight songs, Daniela and Marat sat back down at his table to relax and enjoy the sight of the many intoxicated people attempting to dance. Laughing hysterically, Daniela buried herself in Marat’s coat to disguise her laughter from the now staring people. It didn’t last long, because Dinara came bounding up to the table.
“You won’t believe what happened, Andy and I are dating!” Dinara squealed excitedly.
“Big surprise,” Marat said sarcastically. He grabbed his coat and said goodbye, while Daniela and Dinara continued to talk on and on about her new boyfriend.
Arriving back home, Marat called Dominik as he went for a walk. Having no idea how to ask this discreetly, he just went ahead and got straight to it.
“What’s Daniela’s cell number?” he asked preparing for Dominik’s teasing.
“Ha! I knew it. It’s 985-567-8655.”
“Thanks,” he said hanging up and dialing Daniela’s number.
“Hey, Daniela, guess who?” he greeted. “How did you get my number?” Daniela asked surprised. “From your friend,” he answered. “Which friend?” she asked.
“I’m not going to tell you,” he answered teasingly.
“I think I know who this is,” she said.
“So, what are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m driving home.”
“Well, be safe. In other words, don’t drive like me. Bye.”
As she hung up the phone, she was surprised to see Marat walking on the sidewalk. Picking up her cell phone, she dialed Marat’s number.
“What are you doing right now?” she asked. “I’m taking a walk,” he answered.
“May I join you, Marat?” she asked laughing, parking her car and getting out.
“Hey, how’d you know it was me?”
“Look behind you,” she said as he turned around to find her standing there.
Taking her hand, he walked her to the beach. Staring out into the water, Daniela couldn’t imagine a more beautiful sight than the city lights cascading and twinkling off the Mediterranean.
After talking for almost an hour, Marat noticed Daniela was shivering. Without saying a word, he slid his coat across her shoulders. Smiling up at him, Daniela’s eyes took Marat’s breath away as they sat there on the soft, cool sand.
“It’s getting really late and I have to practice early tomorrow,” Daniela said with regret in her voice.
“I understand, I’ll walk you home,” he said, reaching out his hand to help her up. Pulling her up, she lost her balance and leaned up against him for what seemed an eternity.
Regaining her balance, she began walking while Marat jogged behind her to catch up. Finally reaching her house in silence, Daniela thanked him and walked inside. Dropping her keys on the kitchen counter, she waltzed to her couch and flopped down remembering those moments on the beach. Hearing a rustling sound, she realized she was still wearing Marat’s coat.
Soon, she found herself walking toward Marat’s house to return his coat. The feelings she felt towards him were swirling in her mind and heart. Did she really have time for a boyfriend? Did Marat even want a girlfriend? Before she knew it, she was in front of his house ringing the doorbell.
“Hi, Daniela,” Marat said surprised as she stood in his doorway.
“I forgot to return your jacket. I guess I’m really forgetful,” she said handing the coat over to him.
“Thanks, do you want to come in? Have something to eat?” Marat asked setting his coat on a nearby chair.
“Sure,” she answered being ushered to the kitchen by Marat.
Taking out chips and salsa, Marat and Daniela sat at the kitchen table and chatted over the food.
“Thanks for the food, but I really have to go to bed,” she thanked standing up from the table and yawning.
Walking towards the door, her wrists were suddenly seized and she was turned around. Staring up into Marat’s eyes, her heart skipped a beat and all she could do was stand there like an idiot with her mouth open slightly.
“What’s the hurry?” he asks as he plays with a piece of her golden hair. Leaning down, he captured her lips with his own as he gently kissed her. But quickly the kiss became stronger, pulsating through their bodies as Daniela’s hands moved from his shoulders to his curly brown locks upon his head. Curling them between her fingers, she never wanted the kiss to end.
As hard as it was, she broke the kiss, pulling back with numb lips and Marat’s arms still wrapped behind her back.
“I’m sorry, Marat. I don’t have sex on the first date,” she said looking up at him with his now tussled hair and fire-driven eyes. Suddenly, a yawn took over her face leaving her weary and tired.
“You know, I have a guest room, you could sleep there. I don’t want you to fall asleep on the sidewalk. Stay here,” Marat asked trying to be convincing.
“Well, considering how tired I am, that’s not a bad idea.”
“Great, I’ll be right back. I’m going to go make sure it’s clean,” he said as he bounded up the stairs to check on the room.
“Alright, it’s clean…” Marat stopped and looked at Daniela fast asleep in a chair.
Smiling to himself, Marat walked over to Daniela and lifted her into his arms. Cradling her like a baby, Marat took her upstairs. Laying her on the bed, he took off her shoes and pulled the covers up to her chin. Bending over her, he gently kissed her forehead and left her sleeping like an angel.
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Post by Annie on Feb 14, 2006 8:54:17 GMT 3
Chapter 3 Feeling the warm caress of early morning light on her face, Daniela opened her eyes and stared up at a ceiling that she wasn’t familiar with. Looking around her, she also found herself in a bed that didn’t belong to her. Immediately, thoughts rushed into her head that she might have actually slept with Marat. Peeking under the covers, she was relieved to find herself fully clothed. Throwing off the covers that buried her deep into the mattress, she stepped onto the cold wood floors below searching for her shoes. Quietly, she tiptoed through the room until she found her shoes placed neatly beside a chair. Sitting down, Daniela quickly put on her shoes and exited the room. Looking up and down the long corridor, she noticed a door that was open by just an inch. As gracefully as possible, she walked down the hall to the door and peeked inside. Lying diagonally across the bed with the covers twisted around his feet, Marat was sleeping like an overgrown baby. This image, along with his Albert Einstein morning hair, stayed with Daniela until she was outside of his house and heading back to her own. Making her way home, Daniela couldn’t help but be a little regretful. Marat was definitely not someone a girl would say no to but she had. She could only hope that Marat wouldn’t think she was some sort of ice queen or they would be uncomfortable around each other. Half way home, Daniela heard the loud ringing of her cell phone in the peaceful morning air. “Hello?” she answered. “Daniela? Where are you? We were supposed to be practicing. I went to your house and you weren’t there. What’s going on?” “Sorry about that, I overslept,” she replied to her coach Nigel Sears. Nigel had been her coach since 2001 and she hated disappointing him. “Overslept? Where? You weren’t at your house,” Nigel questioned. “I was at Marat’s house.” “Oh…” “It’s not what you think, I must have passed out last night when I returned his jacket,” she explained. “Passed out? How much did you have to drink?” “Calm down, Nigel. I passed out because I was tired,” she said trying to prevent her coach from thoughts of her spewing puke everywhere. “Fine, I believe you. But you had better get yourself down here immediately so we can get some training in.” “No worries, I’ll be right there. See you soon,” she said ending the conversation and shutting the phone. ***** At around noon, Marat awoke to a head of tangled hair and an empty house. He found the guest room deserted with the bed made and Daniela nowhere to be found. Walking into the kitchen, he was met by the mess of salsa and chips left out on the table from the night before. After cleaning up the kitchen, he made his way over to the phone and called Daniela. “Hello?” she answered. “Hey, I was about to call the police to report a missing person when you weren’t here this morning,” he teased rubbing his head of hair sleepily. “Sorry, I left around nine and I was supposed to start practicing at eight. I didn’t want to wake you.” “It’s okay. I should’ve remembered you needed to wake up early, I’m –,” he tried to finish. “Don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have passed out last night in your house.” “It was kind of fun carrying you upstairs, you were so cute,” he teased in a baby voice, “So, what are you doing now?” “Nothing, just sitting on my balcony trying to get some sun,” she said plopping down on her outdoor chaise lounge. “How about we go to the beach and you can work on your tan there? I promise it will be warmer than last night.” “Well, I’ve got nothing else to do, I’ll meet you there,” she said hanging up her phone to collect her beach gear. Marat hung up the phone, he was definitely looking forward to the beach, and of course Daniela in her swimsuit wasn’t such a bad prospect either. ***** Resting his feet in the hot sand, he looked down on the sunning blonde female below him. Involved in her tanning, she never looked through her Chanel sunglasses and up at Marat standing above her. Taking a bottle of cold water from his bag, he undid the cap, and with a mischievous smile, sprinkled a trail of water down Daniela’s exposed stomach. Waking up with the splashing sensation, Daniela screamed and hopped up and down on her towel. Noticing Marat with the bottle of water still clutched in his hand, she immediately made a dash for his hand. Before he knew what hit him, Daniela had the water bottle and was dousing his head with the icy liquid. Instead of being angry, Marat broke into laughter while Daniela proceeded to stand there with her hands on her hips. “I’m glad you think it’s so funny, but I don’t think you know how long it took me to get tanning lotion on,” she said glaring at him. “I apologize,” he said between fits of laughter, “I guess now you’re ready to get into the water.” “No, I never said I would go swimming. I said I would come to the beach with you and work on my tan,” she said sitting adamantly on her towel and looking out onto the sea. “Okay, you got me, but…” he never finished as he picked Daniela off of her towel and into his arms. Discarding his flip-flops in the sand and taking off Daniela’s sunglasses, he half jogged and half walked towards the water. Playfully insulting and hitting his chest with her fists, she eventually gave up and enjoyed being carried out to sea. Feeling the cool water underneath, Marat suddenly dropped her into the water. Moments later she emerged, vengeance surrounding her until she found his head and pulled it under the blue, sparkling waters beneath them. “There, I believe we’re even now,” she said to Marat as she wiped her wet hair off her face. “Fine, we’re even. Thanks to me though, you can now enjoy Monte Carlo’s amazing beaches to their fullest,” he said smiling as he looked at Daniela wading in the water before him. The blue waters were no competition for Daniela’s green eyes. “What? Do you like my bathing suit? I’ll get you one if you’d like. Although, I don’t know how well you’d look in a bikini,” she teased, but she couldn’t help but feel a little something in her stomach as she saw the look in his eyes. Wading towards each other, their lips met softly. Marat proceeded to lightly place kisses down her neck and across her shoulders. Becoming wrapped up in his kisses; Daniela noticed she could no longer feel the ocean bottom beneath her toes. “Marat, I can’t stand up. We’d better move a little closer to the beach,” she said between gasps as he continued to kiss her. “People would see us. Here, I can reach the bottom. Wrap your legs around my waist,” he suggested, grabbing her thighs as she climbed on to his lean frame. Comfortable, she found his lips and led the kiss further, pressing her tongue between his lips until they both found themselves engulfed in a kiss they never wanted to end. As the kissing continued, Marat’s hands gently massaged her back while Daniela playfully pulled at the sensitive hair on the back of his neck. Finally stopping for air, Daniela climbed down as they walked back to the beach and their awaiting towels. After they had dried off, Daniela and Marat couldn’t help but laugh at their luck. Making out in the sea not too far from a crowded beach, no one had noticed their display of intense affection. “You know when we were out there and you were massaging my back, do you mind…”she started. “Of course, I’d love to,” he said as Daniela sat in front of him and handed him a bottle of suntan lotion. Applying the lotion to her back, he kneaded the many knots from her back that had accumulated from stress during tennis matches. Enjoying the massage beyond belief, Daniela was taken aback from how gentle and skilled his hands were at finding and relieving all of the kinks. But Marat wasn’t as relaxed as he noticed a huge number of paparazzi snapping pictures of them. “Don’t look now, but the paparazzi are here. Just get your stuff together and I’ll take you home,” he whispered into her ear never taking his eyes off the cameramen. Like a pro, Daniela nodded and collected her belongings and followed Marat to his car. As they drove away, Daniela took a deep breath. What had the paparazzi seen? How much had they seen? “How long do you think they were there?” she asked nervously. “They must’ve got there after we sat back down. They didn’t see much,” he reassured her and took Daniela’s hand in his. Squeezing his hand, she smiled at Marat as they arrived at her house. It was almost 6 o’clock and she decided that dinner at home alone wasn’t exactly the happiest idea. “Marat, would you like to come in for dinner? You can take a shower and I can make something better than salsa and chips,” she asked. “I’d be delighted,” he said shutting off the car and following her inside. After showing Marat where to take a shower, she did the same in her own bathroom. Letting the hot water fall over her head, the thoughts of her day so far with Marat still remained, and there was nothing wrong with that.
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Post by Annie on Feb 20, 2006 15:06:56 GMT 3
Chapter 4 Stepping off the stairs and walking into the kitchen, Marat caught the fragrant smells of “real” food. Surprised to see the table already set and Daniela making the final touches on dinner, Marat was instantly reminded of what he had missed about having a girl around. Sneaking up behind her, Marat wrapped his arms around her waist. “Hey, you. Did you have a nice shower?” Daniela asked taking in the smells of soap and cologne coming off of Marat. “Yes, thank you. It would have been better if you had been in there too.” “Down boy! Sit down, I’ll be there with the food in a minute,” she said, still blushing after Marat’s revealing comment. True to her word, within minutes Marat and Daniela were seated at the kitchen table eating and sharing conversation. “So, I know you’re close to your sister, but are you the same with your parents?” Daniela asked taking bites of her salad. “We’ve never been closer actually. Since I injured my knee, I’ve spent a lot of time in Moscow renovating my apartment and spending time with my mother and father,” Marat explained. “How about you?” “Like you, I’m really close to my brother, Igor. Unfortunately, I don’t get to see him enough since he works in Bratislava as an architect. And thanks to tennis, my whole family is pretty close because we all play.” “You’re lucky you got to spend time with your family growing up. I had to move to Spain when I was fourteen to pursue my tennis. It was really hard those first months.” “I could only imagine, but now both you and Dinara live in Monte Carlo,” Daniela added. “Yep, and now you,” he said and smiled at her from across the table. Smiling back, Daniela began to collect the dishes and take them to the sink. Marat simply sat back and took note of her domestic skills. He had none whatsoever and couldn’t help but be a little jealous. Hand in hand, Marat and Daniela walked to the front door. Standing there awkwardly, Daniela finally stood on her tiptoes and stretched her neck to place a kiss on the top of Marat’s forehead. Coming back down, she giggled at the way Marat’s curling hair tickled her nose. Marat did the same to her and left, waving as he drove away. ***** Browsing through a newsstand the next morning, Daniela’s face was concealed by a newsboy cap and huge sunglasses. Grabbing a tabloid, she tore through the pages until she found an article entitled “Love Match by the Sea”. Inside the story, the journalist insisted that Marat and Daniela were dating, using the pictures beside the story as proof. Shocked, Daniela stared at the photos of Marat giving her a massage and the two of them leaving the beach together in his car. Putting the tabloid back on the stand, she quickly maneuvered herself away from the stand and headed down the street. As soon as she was on a quieter and less populated street, Daniela took out her phone and called Marat. “Hello?” he answered. “Marat, its Daniela. You will not believe what I just saw on a newsstand,” Daniela said making her way down the sidewalk in no particular direction. “What?” “In this tabloid, there was a story about us that said we were dating, with ALL of the pictures from the beach! I’m completely mortified,” she said. “I’m so sorry, but we can’t do anything about it. Don’t worry though. When I leave for Spain tonight, the rumors will stop,” Marat assured trying to calm her down. “You’re leaving? Why?” “I have to go train with Peter in Valencia.” “What’s wrong with the courts here in Monte Carlo?” “They’re fine. It’s just that…,” Marat tried to explain. “What about us?” Daniela asked stopping in a secluded alley. Maybe she was mortified by the article, but it wasn’t because she didn’t want to date Marat, it was just that the article was a huge intrusion of privacy. “Well…,” “Oh, I get it. I was just some sort of fling. Something to go to when you’re in Monte Carlo. Well Marat, I’m not like that. Find someone else,” she yelled over the phone and hung up. ***** Confused and agitated that she had hung up on him, Marat murmured a few Russian expletives as he rushed to his car. He had to explain himself to Daniela. He had to make her understand how wrong she was, he was just doing what was best for both of them. Parking in front of her house, Marat got out and banged on the door till he figured she must not be home. “Great! Where in the hell could she be? Monte Carlo is a big city!” he said to himself as he hopped into his car and headed out to search for her. ***** Hearing the doorbell ring, Dinara got up from the couch and opened her front door to find a crying Daniela standing before her. Without asking, Daniela walked inside and sat on Dinara’s large couch overlooking the backyard. “Daniela, are you okay?” Dinara asked concerned about her friend. “Your brother. I thought we had something, but he just wanted some whenever he came into town. Can you believe him?” Daniela said while sobbing softly into a throw pillow. “My brother did this? I know there are numerous rumors he’s a womanizer, but Marat could never do that.” “Well, he did,” she said as the doorbell rang again. “You’d better get that before whoever it is goes crazy.” Following Daniela’s instructions, Dinara walked to the door and was surprised to see her older brother leaning on the doorframe. “Is Daniela here? I think I need to explain something to her,” Marat asked his little sister. “That’s for sure. She’s in the living. I’m going upstairs so that you guys can have your own little soap opera scene by yourself,” Dinara said gesturing towards the living room and going upstairs. “Daniela, please don’t cry. I don’t think you understand,” Marat said sitting next to her and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “What’s there to understand?” Daniela asked bitterly. “Let’s see. We’re both professional tennis players who travel constantly. We spend a lot of time training and not with our boyfriend or girlfriend. Because I care so much about you, I don’t want to start something serious and then break up and never talk again.” For what seemed an eternity, Daniela said nothing until she lifted her head and nodded in agreement. She wiped the tears from her face and met her glassy green eyes to Marat’s. “You’re right. I guess I feel the same way, it’s just, I thought, maybe. Never mind, its better we remain friends than ruin that because of our busy schedules,” Daniela said standing up from the couch. Following behind her, Marat knew exactly what Daniela had thought might come out of these last few days, he had contemplated the same. But in the end, he knew it would be too hard to have a serious relationship and try to recover from a knee injury and the points he had lost in the rankings. Leaving the house, Daniela waved casually to Marat and walked in the direction of her house. Losing control by the second, Marat got in his car and headed home to pack for Valencia. Maybe not now, but as soon as they were both settled into the new tennis season, he would be with Daniela.
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Post by Annie on Feb 21, 2006 11:26:46 GMT 3
Chapter 5 Relaxing on an overstuffed, leather couch, Daniela looked calm and ready for her first tournament of 2006 in Auckland, Australia. The Australian Open would start in a week, but it wasn’t the upcoming Grand Slam giving her butterflies in her stomach. If his knee was healed, Daniela would finally get to see Marat for the first time in weeks. But if it wasn’t, Daniela would be all alone in Australia except for the company of her coach and Marat’s sister, Dinara. On the night weeks ago, when Marat and Daniela agreed to just be friends, Daniela hadn’t truly agreed. When she saw Marat this time, she was going to tell him how she really felt and that it was worth the risk. Looking down at the coffee table in front of her, she spotted the local newspaper. Thumbing through the pages, she reached the sports section and moaned under her breath. Right there on the first page was the news announcing Marat’s withdrawal from the Australian Open. Slouching deeper into the couch, Daniela closed her eyes and tried not to let the disappointing news get to her. “I guess you read the sports section,” Dinara said from behind her. Sitting down next to Daniela, she wondered if she’d ever be so hung up on her boyfriend like Daniela and Marat were on each other. “Yes, I read it. It sucks! I really needed to get some things off my chest,” Daniela grumbled. “Well, at least he’s not rushing his knee like he did his wrist in 2003. And if it means anything, he said ‘Hi’ to you the last time we talked,” Dinara said trying to make the situation better. “He’s told you to say ‘hi’ to me a million times. Why doesn’t he just call me? Or say something other than ‘hi’.” “I’m not supposed to say anything, but he’s said more than that,” Dinara admitted, “He calls a lot about you. Asks me how you’re doing, if you’ve mentioned him. I’d say he’s as jacked up about you as you are about him.” “Then why can’t we just, I don’t know, try having a relationship?” “Because you’re both scared to try. But the main thing to remember is, love is unpredictable, you can’t be afraid to love or you never will,” Dinara said surprised at her words. “Hantuchova, you’re up next on court,” a tournament director interrupted. Standing up and gathering her racket bag and water bottles, Daniela turned to Dinara. “Thanks, you really are growing up,” she said to Dinara. Following behind the tournament director, she went off to play her first match of the season. ***** Following his now daily routine, Marat sat next to his phone and stared. The Australian Open had started a week ago, and he had yet to get the nerve to call Daniela and wish her luck. Why couldn’t he just call her? Probably because he wanted to say more than just good luck. Swiftly grabbing the phone, Marat dialed her number before he could change his mind. “Hello,” Daniela answered sounding tired and depressed. “I know it’s a little late, but I thought I’d call and wish you luck,” Marat said picking up on the tone of her voice. “That’s nice, but a little late. I lost an hour ago in my fourth round match to the Queen of Screams.” “Sharapova. Jeez, she’s annoying. I’m sorry,” Marat said running out of words. “It’s alright. Even though you’re late, I’m glad you called. There’s something I need to say to you.” “Me, too.” “You go ahead first,” Daniela offered. “Well, my birthday is coming up and I wondered if you’d like to come to the party I’m throwing in Moscow.” “Oh wow, your birthday is coming up. Today’s the 22nd, I didn’t even notice. Of course I’ll come.” “Great. When do you think you’ll arrive in Moscow?” “First, I’ve got to go visit my parents in Bratislava. I promised them I would if I lost early. But if I leave early enough on Friday afternoon, I could make it to your party.” “As long as you think you can make, I’d definitely enjoy you being there.” “I can make it. But Marat, I have to ask, what am I coming to the party as?” “Yourself,” Marat jokingly answered trying to buy time to come up with an answer. “You know what I mean Marat.” “Maybe we should talk about this once you get here, face to face.” “That’s a good idea. Well, I’ll see you Friday night. Don’t wait up!” “Okay, oh, wait. Daniela?” “Yes?” “I missed you,” Marat said softly over the phone. “I missed you, too. Bye,” Daniela said and gently hung up the phone and sighed to herself. “Bye.” Hanging up the phone, Marat returned to his living room to continue painting the walls. When in Moscow, Marat was constantly renovating his new apartment. “I might be getting presents for my birthday, but I have a feeling I’ll be giving the best gift to Daniela,” Marat thought to himself as he rolled the walls with paint. ***** In the hottest club in Moscow, the birthday party of the year was occurring. All around the club, Marat’s friends, and also a mass of strangers, partied down to the sounds of the dj and the tastes of the drinks. Everyone was enjoying themselves under the flashing lights and blaring music, except for Marat. “Hey, birthday boy! Why are you in the corner?” Dinara asked greeting her brother with a large hug. “I’m looking for Daniela. Have you seen her yet?” “No, I haven’t. But she said she might be a little late.” “I know, but the party started two hours ago. She should be here by now.” “Calm down, she wouldn’t miss the party of the year. How about we go get some drinks? You need one,” Dinara yelled over the music. Grabbing Marat’s wrist, she dragged him to the bar for some much needed vodka. Not far away, the heads of men all turned in the unison to the sight of a young woman entering the club. Dressed to the nines, she was wearing a cream, lace dress that fell just above the knee, finished off by a matching cream, silk ribbon draped around the waist. With her hair in a low chignon behind her head, her face was exposed. Instead of makeup accentuating her face, two sparkling, green eyes drew everyone straight to her. Looking around, Daniela ignored the stares and immediately searched for Marat. Suddenly she spotted him sitting next to a blond at the bar. Walking towards them, she was unsettled by the affectionate nature Marat touched her. Is she why he called her so late in Australia? Taking in a deep breath, Daniela tapped Marat on the shoulder to get his attention. Both turning at the same time, Daniela almost slapped herself when she saw the blond was none other than Dinara. What an idiot! But what surprised her most was the expression on Marat’s face. It was as if he was staring at Aphrodite herself. She couldn’t help but blush and clear her throat. Standing up, Marat reached out for Daniela and wrapped her in his arms. “Nice of you to show up! Are you always so on time?” Marat teased releasing Daniela. “Ha, ha. What a comedian! I had to get ready in an airport bathroom to get here as early as I did. You’re lucky I decided to show up,” she answered. “Oh, I apologize your highness. But seriously, I’m glad you’re here. Something to drink?” Marat asked gesturing at the bar. “Sure, I could use one after that flight,” she said sitting down. Catching up over drinks, Marat excused himself to go to the bathroom. Sitting alone at the bar, an overly cologned, clearly intoxicated man walked up to Daniela and started to hit on her. Aware of his breath, Daniela could already tell he had puked in the bathroom. Suddenly, he started to get a lot closer to Daniela while rattling off about the worst subjects, including his “size”. Trying to move away, he grabbed her wrist roughly and began to pull her away from the bar. Screaming over the sounds of the music, Daniela barely made a squeal compared to the blasting speakers. Going into panic overload, she began to wriggle and writhe to no avail. When it seemed like all was lost, she saw the man go down in front of her. Spewing blood from the nose, she looked around to find that Marat had been the source of the force. Meeting her eyes, Marat stepped over the man and placed his hands softly on the sides of her face. “Are you alright?” he asked looking for any marks. “I’m fine. He was just way too drunk and nobody could hear me, and….,” “Don’t worry. It’s over, I promise….,” Daniela didn’t hear the rest as she noticed movement coming from the man. Standing up awkwardly, the man began top make beeline for Marat. With fists clenched, Daniela knew he wasn’t giving up without a fight. Pushing Marat away from her, the man and Daniela were once again face to face. Looking straight into his glazed eyes, she lifted her knee and jammed it straight into his bits and pieces. Yelling out in pain, he fell to his knees and remained there until security came and carried him away. Taking Daniela’s hand, Marat laughed out hysterically. “To think, I thought you were helpless. Great job!” Marat complimented. “Thanks, but I really was helpless. But when he hit you, I don’t know, I just got mad and went for it,” she explained in a flustered manner. “Well, it was brilliant. Come with me to the dance floor. I worked something out when I was in the restroom. Following behind, with her hand still enfolded in his, they stopped in the middle of the dance floor. Then, the dance music stopped and was replaced by a slow dance song. “Obviously, you weren’t at the restroom,” Daniela said. “Obviously.” Falling into Marat’s arms, she leaned her head on his broad shoulder and rocked back in forth to the music. Marat being the comedian he was began to quietly, and badly, sing the words to the song in Daniela’s ear. Laughing uncontrollably, she looked up into his face. “Daniela, we need to talk about us….,” Marat began. “Not right now, someone may hear us.” “Then I’ll take you home and we can talk there.” “I don’t really know where I’m staying. In all the rush, I forgot to get a hotel. I guess I can stay with your sister.” “Not a good idea. Andy Murray is here and it might be a little uncomfortable,” Marat noted. “How about you stay at my place? I insist actually.” “I don’t see anything wrong with that,” she said. Walking off the dance floor, they found their coats and exited the club. Arriving ten minutes later at Marat’s apartment, Marat warned Daniela of the disaster zone that lied upstairs. Turning on the guest room light, he placed her suitcase on the bed and looked around. “You actually lucked out. This is the only room I’ve finished so far. I haven’t even finished my room yet,” Marat said. “Well then, I am lucky. Thank you so much for this. Oh, I almost forgot. I got you a gift,” Daniela said rummaging through her suitcase. After digging for several minutes, she came up with a simply wrapped package and handed it to Marat. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Marat unwrapped the gift. Inside was a small Italian dictionary. “I hope you like it. I know you’re learning Italian right now and so am I. I love this little dictionary and I thought you would too.” “It’s perfect. It’s hard to find a good Italian dictionary in Russia, probably only because I have yet to set foot into a bookstore. Thank you so much,” he thanked her. “Now about you and me, I…,” Just then the phone rang loudly from the kitchen. He set down the dictionary and went to pick up the phone. Coming back into the room several minutes later, he looked disappointed. “I’m sorry, but Dinara and Andy are both pretty drunk and need a ride home,” he explained, “Could we talk about this tomorrow morning?” “Of course, I’m glad they called instead of driving intoxicated,” Daniela said worried about her friend. “I knew you’d understand,” Marat said as he placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning. Good night.” “Night,” she replied as he left the room. Flopping onto the bed, Daniela stared up at the ceiling. Anxious with nerves, she couldn’t wait till tomorrow morning. This time, he wasn’t getting away.
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Post by Annie on Feb 26, 2006 11:05:32 GMT 3
Chapter 6
Slowly, she opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. Although she hadn’t drunk much last night, she was feeling a little dizzy. Putting on her favorite Nike sweatshirt, she walked out into Marat’s living room. His keys were lying on the coffee table and his coat was draped on the back off the couch.
Stumbling back down the hall, she lightly tapped on Marat’s bedroom door. After several minutes without a reply, Daniela walked back into to her room to get dressed. Half way through getting dressed, a knock at her door came.
“Hold on a second,” she said pulling her t-shirt over her head and walking towards the door. Standing in her doorway was Marat, looking like a cat that just woke up. Smiling to herself, she couldn’t help but think he looked adorable.
“Did you knock earlier?” Marat asked yawning.
“Yeah, I did. I was wondering if you wanted to go to breakfast. Maybe we can talk there,” Daniela answered.
“That sounds fine. I just need to get adjusted to being awake before we go,” Marat said as he walked down the hall into the living room. Daniela was right behind him and sat next to him on the couch. Looking over at a bookcase near the TV, Daniela’s mouth opened in awe of his DVD collection.
“Are those all yours?” she asked turning her head towards Marat. If his eyes hadn’t been opened, she would’ve sworn he was asleep just the way he was leaning back on the couch.
“Every last one. I don’t have television, so I just watch movies most of the time. Do you want to watch one?” he asked sitting up straight.
“Sure, what do you have?”
“Pretty much everything.”
“Love Actually?”
“Pretty much everything except chick flicks,” he teased revealing a sleepy smile.
“It’s not a chick flick, it’s a romance movie,” Daniela defended.
“Chick flick, romance movie, it’s the same thing. How about Heat?”
“Never heard of it.”
“You’ll like it. It should be on the top shelf,” he said stretching as Daniela got up to find the movie. Finding the movie, she placed the DVD in the player and sat back down next to Marat.
For the next two hours, Daniela and Marat both watched the crime drama intently. Marat, because it was his favorite movie, and Daniela because she had never really thought of crime dramas as interesting.
“That was too cool,” Daniela said when the movie finished.
“I know what you mean. I love Pacino and De Niro,” he agreed putting away the DVD and walking towards Daniela. “How about something to eat?”
“That sounds great, but it’ll have to be lunch instead of breakfast now.”
“Fine, I’ll go make something,” Marat said heading into the kitchen.
Jumping up from the couch, Daniela followed behind him. Marat started taking things out from the refrigerator and the cabinets. He actually looked like he knew what he was doing.
“You? You’re going to cook?” Daniela asked.
“I can cook some things,” Marat answered.
“Like what?”
“Like what I’m making now,” he answered sounding a bit agitated.
“And that would be…”
“Spaghetti Carbonara. I liked it so much that I learned how to make it. Now get out of here, you’re making me nervous,” Marat said as he pushed Daniela out of the kitchen.
“I’m making the great Marat Safin nervous? Pinch me, I’m dreaming,” she teased. She could hear him growl from the kitchen as she picked up a magazine from the coffee table and started reading.
Before she knew it, Marat was dragging her back into the kitchen and handing her a plate. Taking in the smells of the food, she was surprised to find that it didn’t smell burned. Pretty good for a male tennis player.
Sitting down on stools in the kitchen, they ate quietly for the first few minutes. No one wanted to talk first, mostly because they didn’t know what to say.
“I don’t know why we’re acting like this,” Marat finally broke the silence.
“Acting like what?” Daniela asked even though she knew.
“We’re not talking or looking at each other, when we know we want the same thing. Daniela, I’m just going to go ahead and say it. I want to be with you.”
“I do, too.”
“See, why is that so hard?” Marat asked throwing his hands in the air.
“Because we know once we say that, there’s no going back,” Daniela said searching in his eyes for something. She just couldn’t figure out what.
“You’re right. But we’re both adults, and we know long-distance relationships can be hard, but we can do it. It’s just a matter of trust and patience,” Marat said.
“Hmm, and you don’t have much patience,” she laughed trying to lighten the mood.
“I know but we’ve got this handled,” Marat said confidently.
Looking into his eyes, she finally figured out what she was searching for earlier. She had been looking for confidence and trust, and it was right there in his eyes. He was confident they could do this and he trusted her to do the same.
“We do have this handled,” she said still entranced by his eyes.
Taking her plate and his, he placed them on the counter beside them. Reaching over for her, she stepped into his arms as he placed a kiss on her neck. He placed a second kiss on her cheek until he reached her lips. Before he could kiss her, she reached up and made it to his lips first.
Surprised by her vigor and control, he melted into the kiss and let her lead. Rubbing the small of her back, he urged her to go on until they were interrupted by the doorbell. Peeling away from each other, Marat unwillingly walked into the living room to answer the door.
Still standing in the kitchen alone, Daniela heard two new voices in the next room greeting Marat. Peeking out to living room, she was shocked to find Marat’s parents, Rausa and Mikhail.
“Great, I’m already meeting his parents,” she thought as Marat noticed her and looked at her apologetically for the guests.
She had talked to Rausa a few times since she traveled with Dinara, but now that Marat was her boyfriend, it felt different. And Marat’s father, she had never met before. Taking a deep breath, she quietly started making her way toward the hallway. She really didn’t think this was the right time for an introduction.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Marat said grabbing her wrist then whispered into her ear, “You might as well get it over with.”
Swallowing loudly, Daniela was introduced to Marat’s parents. Wearing sweats and a t-shirt, unshowered, she had never felt so self-conscious in her life. But instead of covering their noses or eating her alive, they greeted her with smiles.
Glancing at Marat standing next to her, she noticed they looked alike. They were both in sweats and hadn’t showered yet. What a pair they made! If they hadn’t been in such a nice apartment building, she was sure they would’ve been mistaken for two hobos.
“Well, we thought we’d help you with your apartment today, but it looks like you’ve already done a lot by yourself,” Rausa commented.
“Daniela and I could help you with yours if you’d like,” Marat offered.
“That’d be great,” Mikhail said.
“Good, we’ll be over in an hour or so. We both need showers,” Marat said leading his parents to the door. After they left, Marat was surprised to hear Daniela laughing hysterically.
“What’s so funny?” he asked confused.
“You work fast don’t you? The parents today, kids tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry about that. I truly didn’t know they were coming over today,” Marat apologized.
“It’s okay. They were really sweet about it,” Daniela said wiping tears from her face and trying to recover from her laughing attack.
“You took it so well, too. I made a great choice,” Marat said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and looked down at her warmly.
“Yeah, you just remember that not a whole lot of girls can do that,” Daniela said and wriggled out of his arms and into the bathroom.
“Not a whole lot of girls are like you,” he said to himself as he stood there staring after her.
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Post by Annie on Feb 27, 2006 13:27:09 GMT 3
Chapter 7
Watching the numbers climb in the elevator, the doors finally opened. Freshly showered and dressed in something other than sweats, Marat and Daniela didn’t look like such a bad couple. Ringing the doorbell, Marat grabbed Daniela’s hand and laced his fingers with hers.
Rausa came to the door seconds later and rushed the couple into the apartment. Still holding hands, Daniela didn’t know how to feel. Even though Marat had introduced her, he hadn’t introduced her as his girlfriend. Before her thoughts could go any further, Mikhail entered the room and took Marat into the guestroom to replace a lighting structure.
Standing there in an awkward silence, Daniela and Rausa looked at each other and exchanged smiles.
“It’s different seeing you as my son’s girlfriend,” Rausa said.
“What? But how did you know? When did Marat…” Daniela asked confused.
“I know my son well enough. I’ve never seen him hold hands with just anyone. Not even with his other girlfriends,” Rausa said smiling sweetly at Daniela.
“Really? I guess, well, I feel the same way about your son,” Daniela replied trying to find the right words.
“Would you like to help me out in the kitchen?” Rausa asked.
“Of course, that’s what I’m here for,” Daniela answered and trailed behind her to the kitchen.
*****
Balancing on a step ladder, Marat began unscrewing the old lighting fixture. He hoped Daniela was having fun with his mother, they both meant a lot to him.
“Pretty girl,” Mikhail said from the floor.
“Huh?” Marat was caught off guard by the statement.
“Daniela, she’s very pretty. She also seems nice, genuine.”
“She is, dad,” Marat said passing down the old fixture.
“I’ve never seen you so content before. Is she your girlfriend?”
“We just started dating. Don’t scare her,” Marat said taking the new light from his father.
“I only scare the ones that aren’t genuine. She is, so she won’t have to worry. How do you suppose you’ll manage your careers?”
“We can handle it. We understand it takes a lot of work, but it’d be worse if we never tried to see what is there,” Marat answered finishing up the light and stepping down the ladder.
“How do you know this relationship will do any better than the one with Dasha?”
“Because Daniela believes in me. No matter how hard it gets, I know she’ll be there. We’re both tennis players and go through the same slums.”
“As long as you’re confident, I’ll support Daniela and you all the way. Maybe I’ll get some grandchildren out of this,” Mikhail said slapping Marat on the back.
“Hold on there, we’re getting ahead of ourselves aren’t we?”
“I thought you said you’d like to have children in the next year or so,” Mikhail prodded.
“Daniela and I first need to make it past our first month,” Marat said and walked out of the room and into the kitchen.
Marat strolled into the kitchen to the sounds of Daniela and his mom laughing. Standing next to each other, they seemed to be having the time of their lives.
“I’m glad you two are having fun,” Marat interrupted them as they turned around to the sound of his voice.
“We’re having a great time, thank you,” Rausa said and walked towards the door. Before she left, she whispered to Marat, “I like this one.”
Surprised but pleased, he looked at Daniela. She had been rinsing dishes with his mom when he had walked in and he noticed a droplet of watery soap on her cheek. Grabbing a hand towel off the counter, he gently dabbed at the spot on her face.
“Thank you,” she said staring gently into Marat’s eyes.
“You’re welcome,” he said with a wide smile.
Strolling out of the kitchen, they found Marat’s parents. Saying goodbye, Marat hugged his parents and placed Daniela’s hand in his as they walked out the door. Back in the apartment, Rausa and Mikhail smiled at each other.
“They’re dating,” Mikhail said to his wife.
“I already know that. He is my son after all,” Rausa answered and made her way out of the room.
*****
Back at Marat’s apartment, Marat was busy painting the walls of his living room. Hearing footsteps behind him, Marat turned around to see Daniela standing in her pajamas.
“What are you doing? Don’t you ever sleep?” Daniela asked curiously as he continued to work.
“What can I say? I’m a perfectionist,” Marat answered while meticulously making touch-ups near the baseboards.
“Do you want any help?”
“I’d love some, grab a brush. But I have to warn you, I can be a bit demanding,” Marat warned as she rolled up her sleeves and dipped her paintbrush into the paint.
“I think I can handle you. Where should I start?”
“You can start painting near the baseboards. Make sure you don’t get paint on them,” Marat said as she began.
“Stop, you got paint on them right there,” Marat said.
“Calm down. I’ll just wipe it off. It’ll be fine,” Daniela said smiling at Marat.
“Watch where you’re painting.”
“Yes, master. Anything else?”
“Be serious or go to bed,” Marat said.
“Fine, take your paintbrush,” she said about to hand him the brush. But instead, she had a better idea.
Lifting the brush, she wiped the brush across his face. Struggling to keep down her laughter, Marat stared at her through the beige paint on his face. Suddenly, he grabbed the brush and smeared the rest of the paint down her face.
“I cannot believe you just did that!” Daniela exclaimed in mock horror.
“I can’t believe you did either,” Marat exclaimed back.
“Yes, but you were being a brat,” Daniela argued.
“I was not,” Marat argued in return. “Okay, maybe I was being a brat.”
“Good, I’m glad you agree. Now, help me get this paint off my face,” Daniela said dragging Marat into the kitchen.
After they had successfully scrubbed the paint off their faces, they headed to their bedrooms. Reaching for the doorknob to her room, Marat stopped her.
“We are boyfriend and girlfriend. We can sleep in the same bed,” Marat said.
“I have no problem with that, as long as you don’t have a problem waiting for anything more,” Daniela explained.
“Not at all, I understand,” Marat said and took Daniela into his room.
Gesturing toward the bed, Marat walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Glancing around the room, Daniela didn’t expect his bedroom to be this unfinished. One wall still hadn’t been painted and his bed had no headboard or footboard. Slowly getting into bed, Daniela felt more uncomfortable than expected.
“Nothing’s going to happen. We’re just going to bed,” Daniela thought to herself lying down.
Breathing deeply, she could smell Marat’s cologne and shampoo on the pillows and sheets. Turning on her side away from the bathroom door, Daniela closed her eyes and tried to relax herself into sleep.
Coming out of the bathroom, Marat turned off the lamp near his bed and hopped into bed. Scooting over to fit next to Daniela, he wrapped his arms around her. Noticing the weight of his arms, Daniela turned her head to smile at Marat. Cradled together, they both drifted off into sleep.
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Post by Annie on Mar 1, 2006 10:17:25 GMT 3
Chapter 8
Warm and secure, Daniela embraced the feeling of Marat breathing softly on the back of her neck. Moving her eyes around the room, Daniela’s eyes fell on the clock reading 9 o’clock. 9 o’clock!
“Oh, no!” Daniela shrieked jumping out of bed.
“What?! What is it?” Marat asked startled.
“My flight leaves at 10 o’clock,” Daniela said rushing into the bathroom.
“Your flight? You’re leaving already,” Marat said talking through the bathroom door.
“I have a tournament to go to,” Daniela managed to say.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Yes, drive me to airport and could you also throw my stuff into my suitcase?”
“Of course, I’ll get right on it,” Marat said and left his bedroom.
Twenty minutes later, Marat and Daniela were buckled up in his car with Daniela’s haphazardly packed suitcase in the trunk. Swerving through traffic, Daniela felt her stomach turn several times because of Marat’s Formula One driving.
Arriving at the airport, Daniela jumped out of the car and snatched her suitcase from the trunk. Seeing Marat standing there, her heart almost broke. He stood there staring at the airport doors as if they were the gates to hell.
Rolling her suitcase behind her, Daniela quickly walked to Marat and placed a kiss on his frowning mouth. Swallowing hard, she walked inside the doors and disappeared.
Sighing loudly, Marat turned his back on the airport doors and leaned on his car. But before he could stand back up and open his car door, a bright flash raced before him and grabbed his head. Pulling him down to her level, Daniela kissed Marat hard and long. Surprised at her second goodbye, Marat had little time to really enjoy it as she was gone as soon as it started.
Looking through the doors and the crowds of the airport, he saw Daniela scurrying toward security. But rolling down her cheeks were tiny droplets of tears breaking his heart as he climbed back in his car and headed home.
*****
Touching down in Tokyo for her next tournament, Daniela made her way to her hotel immediately. For the first part of her flight there, she had cried in the bathroom thinking about how much she already missed Marat. Their goodbye at the airport had been too short and too quiet.
Unlocking the door to her room, she swung her suitcase onto the bed and collapsed next to it. She finally managed to sit up and unzip her suitcase. Inside was the handy work of Marat’s packing skills, or lack there of. Smiling to herself, she refolded the top layer of clothes and laid them on the bed.
Underneath them was the shirt she had worn the night before. Dappled with paint, she held the shirt close to her as she remembered how annoyingly cute he could be.
“Soon,” she thought to herself, “Soon, we will see each other again.”
*****
Unfortunately for Daniela, soon came quicker than she thought when she lost in the second round. But for Marat in Valencia, it was selfishly the greatest news he had received. Finding out she lost, Marat called Daniela to go over her plans for the rest of the week.
“Hello?”
“Hey, sweetheart. I’m sorry you lost. Are you okay?” Marat asked.
“I’m fine, a little disappointed, but I’m fine,” Daniela said sighing. “I guess this means I’ll see you soon.”
“Really? You’re coming to Valencia?”
“Yes, I’ve got a flight for tomorrow. I don’t have another tournament to play until the 13th,” Daniela said.
“That’s perfect. I’ll be there to pick you up at the airport,” Marat said excited as he ever had been. “Daniela, I, I… I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. Bye,” Daniela said hanging up the phone. She had been a little disappointed by the ending of his last sentence, but it had only been a few days. No need to rush to the “I love yous”.
*****
Towering over the crowd, Marat couldn’t be missed. Fidgeting with a gift in his hands, he was quickly noticed by Daniela. Racing her way toward him, and almost toppling an elderly couple, Daniela jumped into his arms. Kissing the back of her neck, Marat moved away from her and handed her the tiny box adorned with a bow.
“Aw, did you wrap this?” she asked admiring the box.
“No, I had the cashier do it. Nice, huh?”
“Very nice, I’ll have to thank him or her,” she teased and began to unwrap the gift.
Opening the box, inside was a simple, gold chain bracelet. The bracelet was bare, with no diamonds or elaborate designs. Looking up at Marat confused, he smiled widely.
“It’s a charm bracelet,” Marat explained.
“There’s no charms,” Daniela said holding it up.
“Which explains this,” Marat said as he took a diamond, tennis racket charm from his pants pocket.
“Oh, Marat. It’s so beautiful,” Daniela said attaching the charm and placing the bracelet on her slender wrist.
“I thought I’d give you a new charm every so often,” Marat said. “Kind of a gimmick to get you to stay with me.”
“Like that’s realistic. A girl staying with you only for your jewelry supply?” Daniela said as they left the airport arm-in-arm.
“You’d be surprised,” Marat murmured under his breath as they left the parking lot and headed toward his hotel.
*****
The next day, Marat and Daniela walked down the streets of Valencia after Marat’s practice with his coach, Peter. It was a little chilly and Marat used the excuse to wrap his long arm around Daniela’s shoulders.
“This is so nice. Just you and me waltzing down the streets of Valencia,” Daniela said.
“I’m glad you’re happy,” Marat said giving her shoulder a squeeze. “I know it’s not easy losing early in a tournament.”
“I can’t seem to win anymore,” Daniela said tensing up. “I practice regularly, I give it my all, but I can’t win.”
“Kind of like me. It’s in your head. My mentality has always been a problem,” Marat comforted.
“Hmmm,” Daniela said drifting off into the crowds.
“Getting a little tired of walking around?”
“No, just tired of this conversation,” Daniela said folding her arms across her chest.
“I was only trying to help,” Marat said.
“I don’t have problems up in my head,” Daniela said facing him.
“I never said anything was wrong with you, calm down.”
“Just because you have difficulties, don’t drag me into that category with you,” Daniela snapped back.
“With me? That’s what a relationship is about, we work together. But I’m not asking you to be like me,” Marat said turning away and walked back toward the hotel.
“Walk away like a dog with its tail between its legs, that’s manly,” Daniela said as she caught up with him.
“I’m not going to even acknowledge that comment,” Marat said as he opened the door to their hotel.
Silence ensued them riding the elevator up to their room. When they reached their room, Daniela flopped on the bed and decided to take a nap. Marat meanwhile sat at the table by the window and played games on his laptop.
An hour later, a calmer and less hormonal Daniela woke up. Hearing the sound of clicking keys on a laptop, Daniela noticed Marat sitting in front of and intently staring at his laptop. Stumbling over racket bags and suitcases, Daniela finally made her way over to Marat.
“Marat, I want to apologize,” Daniela said trying to get his attention.
“Why?”
“Because I care about you,” Daniela answered.
“You don’t care about my opinions,” Marat said never looking at her.
“I was being irritable and defensive. That’s why I’m apologizing,” Daniela explained. But for minutes, Marat said nothing and didn’t look at her. Feeling uncomfortable, she came up with a plan B.
Bending over, she kissed the top of his head. Next, she made her way to his forehead and kissed him there.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered and kissed him on the ear.
“I’m really sorry,” she continued kissing his cheek.
“Can you forgive me?” she asked kissing his lips.
She knew he did when she felt him kiss her back. Her feet left the floor as he carried her to their bed. Sprinkling her collarbone with light kisses, Daniela urged Marat on with the caress of her hand on his neck.
He started making his way down her stomach, lifting her shirt slightly up. She wanted this to go on, to go further, but she knew it was too soon. Sitting up, she looked at him apologetically.
“Don’t worry, when you’re ready,” Marat said brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Settling down into his arms, they spent the rest of the night in bed watching movies and ordering room service. Not the most romantic, but perfect enough for them.
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Post by Annie on Mar 2, 2006 23:07:45 GMT 3
Chapter 9
Two weeks later, Marat was still in Valencia training and Daniela was in Antwerp, Belgium. It was February 14th, Valentine’s Day, and she was all alone. Sitting sullenly in her hotel room, she rested her chin on her hand and sighed loudly.
“I finally have a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day, and he’s in Spain while I’m in Belgium. This sucks!” she said to the cold, empty hotel room.
Tired of sitting around and feeling sorry for herself, Daniela grabbed her iPod and running shoes and went for a jog. Breathing in the cold, winter air of Belgium, she exhaled leaving behind a white cloud of breath. Running through the deserted streets at night, Daniela decided that she would probably omit this from her telephone conversation with Marat tonight.
After a half hour, she strode back into the hotel and rode the elevator up to her room. Humming to the sounds of The Fray blasting in her ears, she listened to the lyrics until she heard the sound of the elevator doors opening.
Heading towards her room, she heard someone banging loudly on a door down the hall. Coming closer, she found the door being banged on was none other than her own. On the floor, was a large, black duffel bag and standing next to it was Marat.
“Daniela, Daniela! It’s Marat,” Marat said to the door and backed away. “Where the hell could she be?”
Tiptoeing behind him, she turned off her iPod. Just as she was jumping him, he turned suddenly to face her. Caught off balance, Marat fell against the door with Daniela clinging to him. Falling in a heap on the floor, Marat and Daniela fell into hysterical laughter.
“Are you okay? Did I hurt your knee?” Daniela asked looking down at his knee.
“It’s fine. If anything, it’s my butt that caught my, I mean, our fall,” Marat laughed getting up. Outstretching his hand to Daniela, she took it and he pulled her up to her feet.
“Your butt? Man, looks like no squeezing of the butt for a while,” Daniela teased as she unlocked the door of the hotel room.
“Maybe no squeezing for you, but I’m a different story,” he said following behind her.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Daniela said.
“I would, but not yet,” Marat said putting down his bag.
“Right, you probably need to get to first base before you do that,” Daniela teased kicking Marat’s bag out of the way.
“Hmmm, well, we can take care of that. It is Valentine’s Day after all,” Marat said as he pulled Daniela into him.
“It is which is why I’m so happy you’re here. But shouldn’t you be training?”
“It’s not the same without you in Valencia.”
“You mean you really miss our bickering?”
“Yep, and your raging hormones.”
“Oh, thanks,” Daniela said sarcastically.
“Where were you?” Marat asked.
“I was out jogging,” Daniela said shrugging it off.
“Out jogging? In the cold, at night? Are you crazy?” Marat asked stepping away and grabbing her shoulders. She could see in his eyes he wasn’t angry, but scared.
“I know, it was really stupid, but…” Daniela explained but stopped. Marat looked down at her with an expression that made her stop. “Okay, no buts about it, I was being stupid.”
“Please don’t do it again,” Marat said and hugged her to his chest. Squeezing back, Daniela stood there leaning against him staring at the clock. It was 10 o’clock and Valentine’s Day was almost over.
“Great,” Daniela sighed against his chest.
“What?”
“It’s 10 o’clock and we’ve done nothing for Valentine’s Day.”
“I’m sorry, but I never thought you were much for this holiday.”
“I’m not, but I wanted our first Valentine’s to be special. I guess just having you here is enough,” Daniela said realizing how immature she was being.
“Well, I’m not the only gift,” Marat said and jogged over to his bag. Unzipping the old duffel, he dug around for a few minutes till he found what he wanted.
“What other gift? Marat, please say you didn’t, I didn’t get you anything,” Daniela whined from behind him.
“Close your eyes,” Marat said and waited for her to follow his command.
Closing her eyes, she felt a velvet box being placed in her hand. It was small and lightweight.
“Alright, open your eyes,” Marat instructed.
Opening her eyes, the small, velvet box was lying in her hand. It was black and as she moved her hand she heard a jiggling sound from inside. She took the top of the box off and looked inside.
“Another one? It’s beautiful! Aw, it’s a little heart for Valentine’s Day,” she cried out holding up the ruby red charm for her bracelet. “You suck.”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t get you anything, and you got me this adorable charm. I feel like scum,” Daniela said sheepishly.
“Don’t, it’d be weird if you got me jewelry,” Marat teased.
“You know what I mean.”
“I don’t want anything. I have you,” Marat said and kissed Daniela on the lips.
Walking to the bed, Daniela sat down and attached the new charm to her bracelet. Admiring the bracelet and its whopping two charms, Daniela never noticed Marat sitting next to her. Interrupting her thoughts, Marat stroked the side of her face.
She turned her head and leaned forward, stopped by the soft impact of their lips touching. At first they were kissing gently, but as they moved closer to each other, the kiss grew more and more intense. Parting her lips, Marat’s tongue went inside her mouth and took over.
A few minutes later, they peeled themselves apart and fell back on the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, their breath was heavy. Daniela could still feel Marat’s tongue in her mouth.
“Thank you for the gift,” Marat said beside her.
“What gift?”
“First base.”
Laughing, she playfully hit him on his chest. Grabbing her hand before she could pull it away, he reeled her back towards him still lying on the bed. For the next five minutes, they were a tangled mess of kisses without breath.
“I wouldn’t mind spending every Valentine’s Day this way,” Marat said staring into Daniela’s eyes as they took a breath for air.
“I wouldn’t mind spending every day this way,” Daniela said as she played with a piece of his curly hair.
“Daniela that charm wasn’t just for Valentine’s Day. Do you know that?”
“It wasn’t?” she asked curiously.
“I know this sounds corny, but it was meant to mean I was giving you my heart.”
“Oh, Marat! That is so romantic. How were you ever single?” Daniela said placing her arms around him.
“Just wait till I start playing tournaments again. When that does happen, remember this and hopefully you’ll be able to stand me,” Marat warned.
“We can all have our Jekyll and Hyde moments, Marat. We’re only human,” Daniela comforted.
“I know that, but we also have to face being apart for long amounts of time.”
“We can do that. When we’re apart, I’ll stare stupidly at my charm bracelet and you can study your Italian,” Daniela joked.
“That’s not a bad idea.”
Sitting up, they got ready for bed. Falling into the sheets together, the bed was no longer as cold and large as before. With Marat’s long and lean frame, the bed actually felt a little small now. Once again enjoying the feeling of Marat’s warm breath on her neck, she let the sound of his breathing lull her into sleep.
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Post by Annie on Mar 14, 2006 19:55:25 GMT 3
Chapter 10
Another tournament, another early exit for Daniela. Sulking off the court quickly, Daniela disappeared into the locker room. Waiting outside the locker room, Marat paced back and forth with Nigel.
“Hey, stranger!”
“Dinara! What are you doing here?”
“I do play tennis you know. But I guess you have a new favorite WTA player now,” Dinara said giving Marat a hug.
“Well, you’ll always have Andy Murray to cheer you on.”
“I’m ready to…Dinara! I’ve been looking for you all week. Where have you been hiding?” Daniela greeted.
“Andy’s hotel room,” Marat teased.
“I’ve actually been on the tennis courts practicing,” Dinara corrected hitting Marat hard in the arm. “Hey, Marat. Do you want to go to dinner?”
“That’s sounds fine? Daniela?” Marat asked.
“That’s okay. You two can go out by yourselves, I’m not really up to it,” Daniela said giving Marat and Dinara a hug goodbye.
“I’ll see you later tonight,” Marat promised as he left with Dinara.
“Are you ready to go?” Nigel asked.
“Definitely. We’re going straight to Monte Carlo tomorrow and we’re going to practice hard,” Daniela said as they approached their car.
“That’s fine with me, but what about Marat?”
“He’ll understand. I really want better results, but I don’t deserve them yet. I need to work harder.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Nigel said and they drove away to the hotel.
*****
The room was dimly lit when Marat finally arrived back at their hotel room. Curled up in an armchair, Daniela looked up from her book and smiled. Smiling back, Marat walked over and kissed her cheek.
“I’ve got a flight tomorrow at 1 o’clock,” Daniela told Marat as he was taking off his shoes.
“So eager to go back to Valencia?”
“No, Monte Carlo. I really need to train. I want to do better.”
“I suppose that means you won’t want me there,” Marat said looking down at Daniela as he stood up.
“I’d probably be able to concentrate better if you weren’t there,” Daniela said meekly.
“Probably?”
“I would.”
“Fine, I’ll go back to Valencia and I guess I’ll see you when I see you,” Marat said turning away and walking into the bathroom.
Getting up from her chair, Daniela followed Marat into the bathroom. Leaning against the door frame, she waited and watched as Marat undressed and got into his pajamas. Noticing her standing there, Marat flashed her a cold look and walked past her back into the bedroom. Standing before the bed, Marat rubbed his tired head. Turning around to face Daniela, he stared at her with his arms folded against his bare chest.
“Please don’t be mad. We knew it’d come eventually,” Daniela pleaded sweetly.
“I’m not mad, just frustrated. Next time, can we please talk this over before you pack up and fly away?”
“Of course, I’m just really anxious to start training.”
“I understand. Let’s go to bed,” Marat said and got into bed.
Turning off the few lights in the room still on, Daniela finally made it into bed. Marat was on the other side of the bed facing away from her. Shrugging it off, Daniela pulled the sheets to her chin and drifted off to sleep.
*****
“Keep it going, Daniela. You’ve got it, one mile down,” Nigel encouraged.
Running on the treadmill, Daniela kept up her momentum by thinking about the results she would get on court.
“Talked to Marat yet?” Nigel asked.
“He called this morning.”
“Long conversation?”
“Well, you know,” Daniela smiled.
In reality, the conversation had lasted a mere two minutes and Daniela was the one who called. For the two minutes, Marat never laughed nor seemed too enthused she had called. Irked by the memory, Daniela turned up the speed on her treadmill and ran the thoughts out of her mind.
An hour later, coach and player walked out of the gym and left in separate cars. Driving towards her house, the thoughts of her conversation with Marat returned. Trying to avoid them, Daniela put a CD in and turned up the volume.
“I never knew I never knew that everything was falling through That everyone I knew was waiting on a queue To turn and run when all I needed was the truth But that's how it's got to be It's coming down to nothing more than apathy I'd rather run the other way than stay and see The smoke and who's still standing when it clears and”
She wanted to change the song, but she couldn’t. Echoing through the car, the lyrics seemed like a cryptic message.
”Everyone knows I'm in Over my head Over my head With eight seconds left in overtime She's on your mind She's on your mind”
Finally, she shut off the CD altogether. But in the silence that followed, questions flooded her head. Were they over their heads? Was it already falling apart?
“Of course not, calm down,” Daniela told herself as she pulled up in front of her house.
Grabbing her gym bag out of the passenger seat, Daniela walked into her house. Making a beeline for her answering machine, there was no flashing light. There were no messages from Marat.
Shaking her head, she made her way to her bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom. Starting a hot bath, she waited for the water to rise as she stared at her cell phone. There were no missed calls there either.
Throwing the phone into the next room, Daniela leaned on the bathroom sink. When she looked back up, the mirrors in the bathroom were fogged up and the bathtub was almost full. Undressing and sinking into the water, Daniela’s thoughts evaporated. Except for those of Marat.
*****
“Pretty short conversation with Daniela this morning,” Peter remarked as they were taking a break from practice.
“Not a lot to talk about,” Marat shrugged and took a swig of water.
“Is something going on?”
“Nothing’s going on. She’s intent on training, so I will too.”
“Revenge, huh? For not inviting you?” Peter asked.
Growling under his breath, Marat put down his water bottle and grabbed his racket. Taking the hint, Peter picked up his own and started to feed balls to Marat. After a few disastrous backhands, Marat threw his racket down on the ground and sat back down on the bench.
“You just had to bring her up, didn’t you?” Marat asked with his face buried in his hands.
“Sorry, I only wanted to help.”
“I’m going back to the hotel for the day,” Marat said as he began to pack up.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Peter said patting Marat on the back as he left the court.
Sitting in his car, Marat skimmed through the radio. Stopping suddenly, he heard lyrics he had never paid much attention to before.
“Let's rearrange I wish you were a stranger I could disengage Just say that we agree and then never change Soften a bit until we all just get along But that's disregard You find another friend and you discard As you lose the argument in a cable car Hanging above as the canyon comes between and
Everyone knows I'm in Over my head Over my head With eight seconds left in overtime She's on your mind She's on your mind”
Daniela was definitely on his mind but not in a good way. Were they really serious enough to make this work? Was it just a fling in the off season that went horribly wrong? Turning off the radio, Marat eventually made it to his hotel room.
Dropping his bags on the floor, he laid down on his bed. Noticing the Italian dictionary on his bedside table, he grabbed it and sent the book flying across the room. But a few minutes later, he was regretting it.
Rising from his bed, he walked slowly to where the book lay. Slumped in a corner by an air-conditioning vent, Marat picked up the book and placed it back on the bedside table.
Agitated by the conversation that morning, Marat picked up his cell phone and dialed Daniela’s phone number. Ring after ring, the phone was never picked up. Closing his phone, he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.
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Post by Annie on Mar 15, 2006 11:16:03 GMT 3
Chapter 11
Rushing out of the warm bath water and into the cold air, Daniela wrapped a towel around her and ran to the phone. But when she picked up the phone, no one was there. Slamming the phone down in frustration, she grabbed her cell phone off the floor and sat on her bed.
“Maybe it was Marat,” she wondered out loud. “No, he would have left a message. Why isn’t he calling? I’m beginning to sound like a mad woman!”
Staring at her cell phone, she called Marat’s cell phone. Sitting and waiting, the phone was never picked up and switched to leave a message.
“Marat, it’s Daniela. I don’t want to sound overly worried, but I think as a couple we should talk once in awhile. You know, not just me talking but you as well. Phone conversation is going to be crucial for our relationship so we, you, need to learn how to have one. Okay, I’m done with my lecturing. Bye.”
Hanging up the phone, she sighed and fell back on her bed. Going over the message in her head, she slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand.
“Who would want to return that message?” she asked herself.
Getting up from the bed, she walked back into the bathroom and got ready for bed. Later she found herself lying in bed alone. Tossing and turning, she couldn’t find a comfortable position. Staring at her bedroom door from under her sheets, she finally bored herself to sleep.
*****
The next morning, Marat woke up to find a message on his cell phone from Daniela. Excited she had called, Marat listened to the message immediately. Cringing all the way through the attacking message, Marat was actually thrilled when it was over.
Putting the phone down, Marat decided not to call back until she had more time to cool down. Willing himself to get out of bed, Marat began to get ready for another day on the courts.
*****
The eighteenth of February arrived, and Daniela left for Dubai for the next tournament. Staring out the plane window from her first class seat, Daniela remembered she had yet to hear back from Marat. Sighing loudly, she got the attention of her coach.
“Is something wrong?” Nigel asked from the seat next to her.
“I left a message on Marat’s phone two days ago, and he never called back. I think he’s avoiding me,” Daniela said turning her head in Nigel’s direction.
“He’s still mad about the whole training alone thing?”
“I guess so. Why does he have to be so immature about it?”
“Because he’s a guy,” Nigel joked. “Let him get over it, he’ll call. You need to focus on your game.”
“You’re right, he’ll call. I’m not going to stalk him.”
*****
A day later, Marat decided that all should be clear for him to call Daniela. Waiting as the phone rang, Daniela never picked up her cell phone. Switching to leave a message, Marat sighed and waited for the beep.
“Sorry I didn’t call sooner, I thought you need some time to cool down. I wanted to wish you luck at Dubai. I also wanted to try that whole “phone conversation” thing. Call me back, I’d love to hear from you.”
*****
Receiving the message from Marat, Daniela stopped practicing and called Marat back. But like the last time, she was forced to leave a message.
“We really need to stop this game of phone tag. It’s getting a little old. Well, I’ll try later. I miss you.”
Frustrated by the lack of conversation with her boyfriend, Daniela’s practice went from good to bad. Resting during a break with her head hanging down, she listened as Nigel lectured her about her poor performance today. She didn’t hear any of it, and Nigel knew it.
Excusing her early from the court, Nigel watched as his player walked off. Packing up the rest of his stuff, he followed behind.
“This is never going to work,” Nigel said referring to Marat and Daniela as he traveled back to their hotel.
*****
Arriving in Monte Carlo, Marat would only be there for the day to get his things before he left for Dubai. The ATP tournament was right after the WTA tournament, and he hoped he could spend time with Daniela.
Putting his bags down in the foyer of his house, Marat took out his cell phone and found that Daniela had left a message again. Saying a little prayer before he called, he was worried he wouldn’t catch her again. But this time, on the third ring, Daniela answered the phone.
“Hello?” she answered sullenly.
“It’s a miracle! The game of phone tag is over!” Marat greeted.
“Marat?”
“Yes, I’m in Monte Carlo for the day. How did your first round match go?”
“Well, I lost. I lost it out there. I had the first set and then I blew it,” Daniela said beginning to cry over the phone.
“Daniela, please don’t cry. I feel terrible that I’m not there,” Marat said feeling like crap, because he couldn’t be there to comfort her.
“I’m sorry. I’ll stop. Uh, I just want to get out of here!”
“Do you think maybe you can tough it up and stay?” Marat suggested.
“Why?”
“Because I’ll be there in two days and we can finally see each other.”
“Maybe I could stay, as long as you promise not to back out of the tournament,” Daniela said feeling better now that she knew Marat was on his way.
“I’m not backing out of this one. I’m ready and I’m going to win,” Marat said confidently.
“I know you will,” Daniela agreed.
“You have so much faith in me. How do you do it? You couldn’t even trust me to have a conversation a few days ago.”
“I don’t know, I just do. Maybe we’ll both figure it out someday.”
“I hope so. I’ll see you soon. You don’t have to go out in Dubai, you can hide in your hotel room.”
“Like Rapunzel in her tower. I guess you’ll be my prince charming,” Daniela laughed.
“Well, I am quite charming,” Marat laughed back.
“Alright, I’m hanging up before your ego gets any bigger. Bye.”
“Wait! Daniela?” Marat asked.
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry about that fight in Belgium. I was being really stupid.”
“We both were. I’ll see you soon,” Daniela said kissing the phone.
“I can’t wait,” Marat agreed and hung up the phone.
They finally succeeded in having a civilized conversation, and things were looking a lot better. Both went to sleep that night dreaming of the other and missing them insanely.
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Post by Annie on Mar 16, 2006 13:04:45 GMT 3
Chapter 12
Staring dreamily out her hotel window, Daniela marveled at the gorgeous view from a comfortable chair near the large window. Her hotel towered over the famous Creek that cuts through the center of Dubai. The sparkling waters below made her want to go out, but she was too embarrassed to be seen after her disappointing loss. She had worked so hard the week before Dubai only to lose in the first round.
Glancing down at the coffee table next to her chair, she scanned the covers of the many new magazines that the maids had delivered early that afternoon. There were a few news and tabloid magazines staring back at her. Shrugging her shoulders, she picked up a tabloid and began to read.
Smirking at the obvious lies and doctored pictures, she was entertained for several minutes until she was half way through the magazine. Staring in disbelief, Daniela stared at the title of the article, “Marat Cheats on the Legs from Slovakia”. Reading the article, the tabloid claimed Marat had been seen in Valencia at clubs enjoying the company of various girls.
To the right of the article, a sequence of pictures showed Marat partying and leaving with a dark-haired, scantily clad girl. With her mouth still hanging open, she set the magazine back on the coffee table and buried it under the others. Slumping in her chair, she looked back out the window.
The once blue sky and sparkling waters now seemed gray and dirty, hanging a dark curtain across the room. It couldn’t be true. It was a tabloid after all, but they had pictures. And Marat’s face was clear in the pictures, so was his enjoyment. For an hour she didn’t move, all she could do was let the thoughts swirl through her mind.
After a while, Daniela noticed the ticking clock on the wall opposite her. It was three o’clock and Marat would be there the next day at the exact same time. How was she going to look him in the eye? Would she ask him? Should she ask him?
Getting up from her chair and taking her cell phone and room key, she walked down to the Creek. Strolling along the banks, Daniela observed the unloading of the dhows as they came in for the day. Walking on the Bur Dubai side of the Creek, Daniela walked through the extravagant public gardens alone.
Surrounded by young couples, Daniela’s sinking feeling in her heart reappeared. The couples were just like Marat and herself, but unlike them, they weren’t professional tennis players. They didn’t have compromising schedules. Also, both of them were devoted, unlike Marat and Daniela.
Eventually she found herself back at the hotel, back in her dark and quiet room letting bad thoughts invade her mind. Pacing the floor near the bed, her cell phone rang repeatedly. But she didn’t answer it, she knew who it was. But Marat kept on calling, so she roughly grabbed her cell phone and turned it off.
Satisfied with herself, she laid down on her bed and closed her tired eyes. But it wasn’t long before her hotel phone began to ring. Picking up the phone, she listened to the other side of the line.
“Miss Hantuchova? This is the front desk.”
“Yes?” she asked groggily rubbing her forehead with her free hand.
“We have a call for you. Would you like me to wire them through?”
“May I ask who it is?” she said even though she knew.
“Marat Safin, miss.”
“Could you please tell him I’m out for the rest of the evening?”
“Of course, I will tell him. Have a good evening.”
“Thank you,” she muttered as she hung up the phone.
Closing her eyes once again, she drifted to sleep with the phone off the hook to prevent any further inconviences.
*****
“I’m sorry sir. Miss Hantuchova is out for the evening. May I take a message?”
“No, I’ll call later. Thank you,” Marat said and closed his cell phone.
Waiting in the airport to board his plane to Dubai, Marat sat next to his coach, Peter, and his trainer, Don. Twiddling his fingers as he waited impatiently, he finally decided to buy a magazine at a nearby newsstand. Scanning the magazine covers blanketing the shelves, Marat’s eye was caught by a certain tabloid magazine with a mention of his name on the cover.
Finding the article and reading the title, Marat’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment and anger. The article contained pictures of Marat at a party in Valencia a few nights ago along with a blistering story claiming he was cheating on Daniela.
Maybe he had been a little too friendly with the girl in the pictures, but Daniela and him had also been estranged at the time. To be honest, he didn’t even remember the girl’s name. But still, he knew that if Daniela saw this she’d be disappointed and devastated.
Placing the tabloid back on the stand, he left the newsstand without a magazine and sat back down with Peter and Don. Worried about what to do, he completely ignored Peter and Don’s conversation as they talked about Marat’s 2006 debut at Dubai.
Should he tell her about the article? Warn her about the questions she might soon be asked regarding him? Maybe she would never find out and the press surrounding the tournaments would ignore the article. It did come from a tabloid after all.
Before he could finish his thoughts, his flight began boarding and he was soon on his way to Dubai and to Daniela. Quietly thinking for the first hour of the flight, Peter noticed and started a conversation with Marat.
“Are you worried about the tournament?” Peter asked starting the conversation.
“I’m fine. Why?”
“You’ve been very quiet since we boarded the plane. I figured something was wrong with you,” Peter said shrugging his shoulders.
“Nothing’s wrong, I’m just thinking.”
“You don’t want to drop out of the tournament do you?” Peter asked worriedly.
“No, of course not,” Marat assured his worried coach.
“Is it Daniela?”
“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Marat snapped and turned to the window.
Outside the window of the plane, he could see nothing. The view was muted by a large assortment of white, puffy clouds engulfing the plane. It was very much like his relationship with Daniela. He couldn’t see the future, or whether it would be good or bad.
*****
Exiting the plane with his team, Marat managed his way through the crowded airport trying to spot Daniela. She had said she would be here days before, but since he couldn’t get a hold of her yesterday, he wondered if she had forgotten. After minutes of not seeing her face, he gave up and walked to baggage claim with Peter and Don.
“No Daniela?” Don asked.
“No, maybe she wasn’t feeling up to going out. Losing in the first round is never easy.”
“But you’re here now? Why not come out?” Peter asked entering the conversation.
Not answering the question, Marat turned his back to the two of them and waited for his bags. Fifteen minutes later, the three of them were on their way out of the airport. Noticing a hunched over figure near the door sitting on an uncomfortable wooden bench, Marat wheeled his bags in the opposite direction of Peter and Don.
Closing in on the girl, he knew it was Daniela. She was reading a book and didn’t notice as he stopped in front of her. Clearing his throat, Marat made his presence known as Daniela looked up. Staring up at him, she didn’t smile but looked at him skeptically.
“Nice to see you, too,” Marat joked putting down his bags and grabbing Daniela.
Daniela said nothing but stood wrapped in his arms. She didn’t hug him back, she wasn’t that good of an actress. Feeling his uncertainty, Daniela made herself hug him back quickly before they parted.
“Daniela! We didn’t think you’d be here,” Peter greeted as Don and him showed up behind Marat and Daniela.
“Well, I got up the courage to come out of my cave,” Daniela joked half-heartily as she greeted Don and Peter.
Marat stood back as he watched Daniela greet Peter and Don. She seemed more comfortable with them than she had with him. Maybe she knew. No, Daniela wasn’t the kind to read tabloids. Picking up Daniela’s book and purse, along with his bags, Marat, Daniela, Peter, and Don walked out to their awaiting car and made their way to the hotel.
The ride to the hotel was eerily quiet. Peter sat in the front seat with the driver, while Marat, Daniela, and Don sat in the back. Scrunched together, Marat rested his arm on Daniela and leaned towards her to give Don more space. But the closer he got to Daniela, the more she pressed herself against the window of the car. Leaning his head down, he whispered in Daniela’s ear.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“No, nothing. I’m a little tired,” Daniela lied.
“It’s the middle of the afternoon.”
“I was up late last night.”
“Partying?” Marat asked.
“Why does it matter?” Daniela snapped back.
“It doesn’t,” Marat said ending the conversation.
Biting down hard on her lower lip, Daniela regretted being so harsh, but she couldn’t hide how frustrated she was with him. Thankfully, they arrived at the hotel and spilled out of the car. Parting ways in the lobby with Peter and Don, Marat and Daniela made their way upstairs.
Entering the room, Marat instantly placed his bags in the middle of the floor and walked to the window to admire the view.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” Marat said gazing through the glass.
“Do you have to leave your bags in the middle of the floor?” Daniela asked irritably.
“I’ll pick them up later,” Marat said as he sat down and looked through the movies on TV.
“What if I trip on them?”
“You won’t,” Marat answered staring at the television.
Irritated and trapped in the room with Marat, Daniela decided she had to get out. She needed to clear her head. Watching TV, Marat never noticed she left.
Making her way towards the gardens she had been to a day before, Daniela saw less couples and more business people eating late lunches. Relieved to be without the distractions of yesterday, she found a stone bench near the bank and watched as an abra shuttled around tourists on the Creek. Daniela thought it looked fun and wished Marat was here to go with her.
Getting up again, she began to walk further down the bank until she heard pounding footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw Marat jogging towards her smiling.
“You didn’t tell me you were going for a walk,” Marat said as he reached her.
“I needed to clear my head,” Daniela said as she began to walk again.
“Still hung up on the loss?”
“No.”
“Okay,” Marat said leaving her be as they walked through the beautiful gardens.
Soon they were joined by more couples. Some of them were holding hands, some had their arms wrapped around each other. Joining in, Marat grabbed Daniela’s hand and laced his fingers through hers. Looking up at him, Marat smiled back down at Daniela. The smile seemed to melt a bit of the ice that had been growing on her heart since she had read the tabloid.
Basking in the fact she fit in with the other couples now, she forgot about the story and enjoyed their long stroll up and down the banks. Passing by a port for an abra, Daniela stopped and looked at it.
“Do you see those abras right there?” Daniela asked Marat.
“The water taxis?”
“Yes. They give tours of the Creek. Do you want to go?”
“Of course, whatever you want to do,” Marat agreed and led her to the abra.
Finding seats on the boat near the back, Marat and Daniela sat down and waited for the boat to fill up. Marat wrapped his arm around Daniela, and she rested her head against his chest. Shutting her eyes, she listened to the sounds of the water and the beating of Marat’s heart.
“The tour’s beginning,” Marat whispered to her.
Opening her eyes, she watched as the abra pushed off and headed towards the mouth of the Creek. Their tour guide was an interesting man but one that loved to hear himself speak. After a few minutes, Daniela and Marat began to ignore him and started their own conversation.
“I got you something when I was in Monte Carlo,” Marat told Daniela as the abra arrived at the mouth of the Creek.
“Another charm for my bracelet?”
“No.”
“Hmmm,” Daniela said as she began to think. “A new dictionary?”
“Boring,” Marat answered.
“Hey, I got you a dictionary for your birthday,” Daniela said nudging him in the stomach.
“When I meant boring, I meant it’s been done before,” Marat explained trying to escape her mock wrath.
“I really don’t know then,” Daniela said giving up.
“Well, I guess you’ll have to wait.”
“Marat!”
“No, you’ll have to wait.”
“Ugh,” Daniela said making one last protest as she enjoyed the rest of their tour.
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Post by Annie on Mar 17, 2006 10:04:55 GMT 3
Chapter 13
As the abra neared the Maktoum Bridge, many of the water taxi’s passengers got up from there seats. Walking to the front of the boat, they stared up at the marvelous bridge before them. Wanting to see the bridge, Daniela began to get up but was stopped by Marat.
Waiting to speak until the last passenger had moved to the front, Marat looked down at the confused Daniela. She looked more confused than he had ever seen her. Laughing to himself, they were finally alone.
“It’s more fun back here,” Marat said to Daniela.
“Why? Do you have my gift?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a gift for you. But it is a surprise,” Marat explained.
“I don’t care, I still want to know what the surprise is,” Daniela protested.
“When we get back to the hotel, I’ll show you.”
Deciding against arguing, Daniela sighed and resumed her position with her head on Marat’s chest. The tour ended soon, and they went back to the hotel. Entering the hotel room, Marat immediately moved his bags out of the way for Daniela.
“Thank you,” Daniela said.
“Your welcome,” Marat said and began to take off his shirt.
“Marat? What are you doing?” Daniela asked looking at him strangely.
“Showing you the surprise,” Marat explained like it was obvious.
Standing back, Daniela watched as he threw his shirt to the bed and turned his back to her. Staring her in the face was a brand new tattoo on Marat’s back.
“You got another tattoo?” Daniela asked.
“It’s not your name or anything, but it’s a sun,” Marat explained to Daniela. “It reminded me of your personality.”
“Well, thank you. I’m actually glad you didn’t get my name. Those are always such stupid tattoos,” Daniela said brushing her fingers over the inked design on his skin.
“Anyway, that’s my surprise for the day,” Marat said and put back on his shirt.
“For the day?” Daniela asked surprised.
“There is more to come. Actually, just one more surprise for you,” Marat said.
“Oh, and what is that?”
“I’m not telling.”
“Fine, I won’t ask anymore. But just remember, this surprise better happen soon, because I’m leaving tomorrow,” Daniela said as she went into the bathroom.
“What are you doing?” Marat asked from the bedroom.
“Getting ready for bed.”
“At seven o’clock?”
“I said I was tired,” Daniela said turning on the sink.
“Hmmm, well it’s not a bad idea. I’m a little tired too,” Marat said and went to change.
Back in the bathroom, Daniela stood before the bathroom mirror as she brushed her teeth. Hearing the sounds of Marat getting into bed, she finished up and turned off the light. When she entered the bedroom, she saw Marat in bed asleep.
Quietly climbing in next to him, she turned over to face his bare back. The tattoo was in the middle of his back near his neck. Reaching out her index finger, she traced the tattoo outline with her fingernail. Eventually she turned away from him and tried to sleep.
But as her eyes wondered around the room, they landed on the coffee table. Piled under the other magazines, Daniela knew the tabloid with the pictures laid there teasing her. She still didn’t know what to do, and she was too tired to think.
*****
With the morning sun streaming across her face, Daniela woke up to the smells of hot, breakfast food. Marat had ordered room service and was busy moving the plates to the table near the window. Getting out of bed, Daniela was met by a cold chill.
Searching around the room, she couldn’t find any of her sweatshirts. Cold and tired, she grabbed Marat’s sweatshirt and walked over to the table. The sweatshirt was so big on her that it looked more like a dress than a sweatshirt.
“It smells great,” Daniela said and curled up in a chair near the table.
“It does. Don’t ever expect me to make something like this,” Marat mockingly warned.
“Does this make up for that breakfast in Moscow we never had?” Daniela asked taking a bite of her food.
“Only if you think it’s good enough,” Marat said watching her eat and awaiting her decision.
“Oh,” Daniela said wiping her mouth, “it’s definitely good enough. It’s better than good.”
The rest of their meal, they joked about Marat’s upcoming tournament and his hair. Daniela couldn’t get over how long he had let his hair grow.
“Why have you let your hair grow?” Daniela asked.
“Why have you let your hair grow?” Marat countered.
“Because I’m a girl!”
“Some girls have short hair,” Marat argued.
“Well, I like it this way.”
“And I like my hair this way,” Marat said shaking his hair out.
“It looks like you have an afro,” Daniela teased.
“I guess I’ll have to go to a disco club sometime then.”
“It might not be the greatest hair cut in the world, but I still think you’re the most handsome man I’ve met,” Daniela complimented and leaned across the table.
“Thank you. And you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve met,” Marat returned and kissed her waiting lips.
“Now, what about that surprise?” Daniela asked breaking the kiss.
“Anxious, aren’t we?” Marat asked as he got up from his seat and walked to his suitcase.
“I am.”
“Remember that movie you were talking about in Moscow?” Marat asked as he rummaged through his suitcase.
“Love Actually?”
“Yes. I thought you could use you own travel copy of it,” Marat said as he handed the DVD to Daniela.
“This is awesome!” Daniela said. “Do you want to watch it?”
“I’d love to, but your flight leaves in two hours,” Marat reminded.
“Oh, yeah,” Daniela said. “I’d better go get ready.”
Sulking off into the bathroom, Marat watched Daniela until she disappeared behind the corner. Sitting down in the chair near the coffee table, Marat searched through the magazines for something to read. As he reached the bottom of the pile, Marat was shocked to see the same tabloid as was in the airport.
Looking back at the bathroom door, Marat heard the sounds of the shower running. Had she seen the magazine? Maybe she hadn’t, it was at the bottom of the pile. Taking the magazine from the table, he threw it into the bottom of the trash can and sat back down.
“I’ve got to tell her before she finds out,” Marat said to himself as he slumped in his chair.
Less than an hour later, Marat and Daniela were in the back of their car being taken to the airport. Marat was quiet and involved in his thoughts. How was he going to tell her? When was he going to tell her? Not now, she needed to concentrate for her next tournament.
They made it to the airport and walked to the security line. Turning towards each other, they held each other’s hands and stood there. Holding up the line, people gave them dirty looks as they walked around them.
“I’m really going to miss you,” Daniela said falling into his chest.
“I’ll miss you too. But it won’t be long till the Pacific Life Open,” Marat reminded her as he wrapped his arms around her.
“I’d better go,” Daniela said finally noticing the dirty looks being thrown at them.
Reaching for his head, Daniela pulled him down and placed a long kiss on his lips. Pulling apart, Daniela took her carry-on from Marat and made her way up the line. Marat stood there and watched her leave his sight.
He would miss her, but he knew he needed this time to decide how to break the news to Daniela. This definitely wasn’t going to be easy.
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Post by Annie on Mar 20, 2006 23:25:33 GMT 3
Chapter 14
Sitting on the edge of her hotel bed, Daniela turned on the television and prepared to watch Marat’s first round match. But most importantly, it was Marat’s first match after almost eight months out. He was playing Davydenko, a fellow Russian. Her match was later that night, but she decided to forget practice so she could watch his match.
As the match began, she saw the two players walk onto the court. Laughing hysterically, she caught her first glimpse of Marat’s on-court hairstyle. Put up in a bun on the top of his head, Marat resembled the movie character Mulan. Shaking off the surprise of his new look, she stared at the television.
Wincing at every failed shot, Daniela watched as Marat lost the first set to Davydenko. But the match was not over, Marat wouldn’t let it. Gripping the corners of the bed, Daniela screamed with excitement as Marat came back to win the second set.
“C’mon, win the third set! You can do this Marat!” Daniela said to the TV.
The third set went much like the second, and Marat won the match 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Jumping up and down on the bed like a four-year-old, Daniela was so proud of Marat. She knew this would be an excellent confidence booster for Marat.
Finally turning off the TV, Daniela got ready for her own first round match. Although this wasn’t her first tournament for 2006, she had a lot to prove at Qatar. An hour later, she met Nigel in the lobby of the hotel and they made their way to the stadium.
*****
“Great job out there, Marat! You had some trouble with the forehand, but your backhand looked great,” Peter said to Marat as they traveled back to their hotel.
“Thank you, but it was only the first round,” Marat said.
“Yes, but it was also your first match back in eight months.”
“Hmmm, can’t this car get to the hotel any faster?” Marat asked anxiously.
“What’s the hurry?”
“I want to watch Daniela’s match on TV,” Marat said.
“I think it’s over already,” Peter said looking down at his watch.
Slumping into his seat, Marat knew that Peter was right. Her match was already over, but he had no idea if she had won. The car came to a stop at the entrance of the hotel, and Marat said goodbye to Peter and his family and went to his room.
As soon as he entered the empty room, he dropped his bags in the middle of the floor and searched for his cell phone. Suddenly in the corner of his mind, he remembered Daniela’s complaint about his bags. Smiling to himself, he moved the bags to the closet and called Daniela.
“Hello?” Daniela answered happily.
“You sound happy,” Marat commented.
“Well, we both won today! Why wouldn’t I be happy?”
“You won? I didn’t get back in time to see the match on television.”
“Don’t worry about it, but I did see yours. I love the hair,” Daniela said laughing through the phone.
“Thank you, it keeps it out of my eyes.”
“So would a hat.”
“The bun also keeps my hair off my neck,” Marat returned.
“Point taken, who are you playing next?” Daniela asked.
“Olivier Rochus,” Marat said glumly.
“Sounds like fun.”
“Oh, lots of fun, especially if you like playing against someone you can’t read.”
“He does change his game during matches,” Daniela agreed.
“But that’s tomorrow, how are you feeling?”
“I’m okay; I’d feel better if I could win a tournament.”
“You’re just going through a slum, it’ll get better,” Marat encouraged understanding where she was coming from.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Goodnight, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, after you win your second round match.”
“You’re going to jinx me,” Marat joked.
“Sorry.”
“Goodnight, I miss you,” Marat said.
“Same,” Daniela said and hung up the phone. She was tired mentally and physically and need a good night’s rest.
*****
The next day did not turn out to be the greatest for either of them. Marat lost to Rochus and Daniela lost to Li. But for Daniela, the real drama didn’t start until the post-match press conference.
Sitting awkwardly in front of the blood-thirsty reporters, Daniela fiddled with her charm bracelet while answering the usual questions. Daydreaming about Marat, she wasn’t prepared for the startling question asked next.
“Are you dating Marat Safin?” a reporter in the back row shouted. The room immediately went quiet. Although they had been seen together and articles had been written, neither had made a public announcement of it.
“I don’t believe my personal life has anything to do with my match today,” Daniela answered coolly coming back to earth.
“Fine, but have you seen the pictures of him leaving a nightclub in Spain with an unidentified female?” the reporter persisted.
“Once again, I don’t think this has any relevance to my match,” Daniela said through gritted teeth. The truth was beginning to come out, and it wasn’t coming from Marat.
“I just thought you might want to comment on the behavior of your boyfriend,” the reporter replied smugly.
“That’s enough questions for the day,” the moderator broke in before Daniela had the chance to reply to the bumbling idiot.
Getting up from her seat in the front of the room, Daniela pushed her chair in and followed the moderator to freedom.
“I apologize for that reporter. You know how they can be,” the moderator apologized as they approached Nigel.
“It’s fine,” Daniela answered shortly and left Nigel and the moderator behind her.
“Hey, wait up,” Nigel shouted from behind her. “What’s wrong?”
“You heard that reporter, you know what’s wrong,” Daniela snapped at him as they got close to their car.
“You don’t seem surprised,” Nigel commented.
“I’m not, I was, but I’m not anymore. I already saw the pictures,” Daniela said as they climbed into the backseat of the car.
“When?”
“Last week, they were in a tabloid,” Daniela answered. “It’s not necessarily that I’m mad at Marat for whatever he did, but that he hadn’t told me yet.”
“Maybe nothing happened.”
“Maybe, but maybe something did,” Daniela added cryptically. “I just wanted this to be an honest relationship.”
“I know, it’s okay,” Nigel said comforting Daniela. She had fallen into his arms and was crying heavily.
When they arrived at the hotel, the two of them just sat in the car. Nigel didn’t know what to say to help his player. She was going through major difficulties in her game and her personal life.
“I know you two have what it takes to make this work,” Nigel said not sure if he really believed it or not. “Now, go up to your room and call him. It’s time you tell him to explain.”
“You’re right. Crying in the back seat of a car isn’t going to help,” Daniela said wiping tears off her face.
Getting out of the car, Daniela and Nigel got their stuff from the trunk and went inside the hotel. Nigel had always been more to her than a coach; he was a sort of substitute father. Giving Nigel a hug, they separated in the hallway of their floor, and Daniela went to her room.
Fidgeting with a piece of her hair in a chair, Daniela stared at her cell phone. Doing this over the phone was not how she had planned it. Maybe they could arrange someplace to meet, and then they could talk about this. Reaching for her phone, she dialed Marat’s number.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Marat. It’s Daniela.”
“Hey, we’re not so happy today, you and me?”
“Me the worse,” Daniela said looking down at the charm bracelet.
“Why?”
“Marat, I know about the magazine, the pictures. I know about the girl. I’ve known since last week, but now the press knows.”
“Daniela, I…” Marat began.
“No, Marat. Can we not talk about this on the phone? Maybe we should meet up somewhere,” Daniela suggested unclasping the bracelet as she talked.
“Of course, I’m staying in Dubai for a few days to train. We can meet here if you’d like.”
“That’s fine. I’ll be in tomorrow afternoon,” Daniela said and hung up the phone.
“Daniela, please don’t…” Marat had started but then he heard the empty sound on the other side of the phone.
“Why didn’t I tell her sooner?” Marat asked himself as he fell on his bed. “I’ve got to fix this.”
But over in Qatar, Daniela wasn’t as sure about their future. It would all depend on the seriousness of Marat’s actions. But until then, Daniela slipped the bracelet off her wrist and into her makeup bag.
“If he had only been man enough to tell me,” Daniela repeated to herself as she got ready for bed.
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Post by Annie on Mar 26, 2006 21:04:02 GMT 3
Chapter 15
Exiting the airplane, Daniela’s stomach turned over several times. In less than an hour, she would be at the hotel and confronting Marat. Daniela had no idea how she was going to react to the truth, but she was going to find out soon.
Settling down in baggage claim, Daniela heard the sounds of tennis coming from a nearby television. The TV station was showing clips from yesterday’s matches in Dubai. She instantly recognized Marat on court, a frustrated Marat. It seemed he couldn’t get one shot right. For the first time in a day, Daniela was not angered with Marat but frustrated for him.
Finally she found her bags and left the airport. Hailing down a taxi, Daniela hoisted her suitcase into the trunk and sat down in the back seat. The images of Dubai flew past her once again as they drove to the hotel. Pulling up in front of the hotel, Daniela took a deep breath and got out of the taxi.
While the driver removed her suitcase from the trunk, Daniela stared up at the tall, imposing hotel. It was even more imposing with Marat inside. Why was she so overwhelmed by him? It should be him who was overwhelmed. Well, she was going to make sure of that.
Squaring her shoulders, she paid the driver and walked into the hotel with her bags. Inside the elevator, Daniela fixed her hair in the reflection of the shined elevator walls and took deep breaths. Walking to Marat’s room, she continued to breathe heavily and deeply, but when she arrived at the door her breath went back to normal.
Tapping confidently on the thick, wooden door, Daniela waited for Marat to answer. From inside the room, she could hear the sounds of a TV being turned off and footsteps coming to the door. Opening the door, Marat peered out and smiled when he saw Daniela, but she didn’t smile back.
“Hey, smiley,” Marat greeted, but Daniela didn’t hear him. She walked straight past him and into the bedroom.
“Let’s make this easy and honest,” Daniela started sitting in a chair near the window. Marat nodded his head yes and sat down in the chair next to her.
“I want to know what happened,” Daniela said.
“First of all, I didn’t do what you think I did. Yes, I took her home, but we didn’t do anything. We didn’t hug, or hold hands, or kiss. It happened after the fight in Belgium, when I was in Valencia. I was frustrated, and we weren’t talking.”
“Then why did you take her home if you weren’t going to do anything?”
“I’m not going to lie to you; we almost did, but I couldn’t do it. I know there’s no excuse for what I did, but I want you to forgive me,” Marat said taking Daniela’s hand. “Where’s the bracelet I gave you?”
“I took it off last night. I was too confused to wear it anymore,” Daniela explained.
“Would you please put it back on?” Marat asked searching her eyes for an answer.
“Yeah, sure,” Daniela said and went to her suitcase.
Finding the charm bracelet in her bag, she put it back on as Marat put on his shoes. Turning around, she gave him a puzzled look.
“Marat, what are you doing? We’re not done talking.”
“You put back on the bracelet and nothing happened,” Marat said and walked to her.
“Marat, I’m still hurt that you would even think about doing something like that,” Daniela said.
“Please, let me make it up to you. I’ll take you out and be the greatest boyfriend,” Marat said trying to wrap his arms around her.
“I’ll go out with you, but just know, I’m still going to need a little space,” Daniela said brushing his hands away.
“I understand, let’s go,” Marat said and opened the door to the hotel hallway.
Ten minutes later, they were once again walking along the Creek. Coming upon an abra, they decided to take the abra to the shopping district. Looking through the various glitzy, expensive stores, they came across a jewelry store. Dragging Daniela into the store by her wrist, Marat took her to a section devoted to charms.
“Pick one,” Marat said and looked down at the glass case.
“Marat, buying me jewelry isn’t going to make this easier,” Daniela said looking away from the case.
“This isn’t a bribe. It’s time I buy you a new charm anyway,” Marat shrugged. “Besides, you can at least get a little revenge by taking some money from me.”
“Good point,” Daniela said and looked down at the charms. These weren’t the ordinary, cute charms; they were decorated with diamonds, rubies, and even emeralds. “These will take more from you than a few dollars.”
Searching through the case, Daniela finally found a charm that meant something to her. Pointing to the charm, the jeweler removed it from the case and Marat paid for it. Taking the charm from him, Marat placed the charm on Daniela’s bracelet and smiled down at her.
Staring at the three charms on her bracelet, Daniela’s new favorite was the one they just bought. The charm was a sun, almost identical to Marat’s new tattoo. But instead of being decorated by ink, the circle of the sun was a yellow diamond surrounding by small topazes for the rays.
Walking out of the store, they walked back to the Creek so they could eat dinner at the hotel. Feeling brave after the purchase, Marat took Daniela’s hand in his and kissed her long, slender fingers. Looking up at him, he was surprised to see her smile and continued to hold her hand.
About thirty minutes later, they were being seated at a table in the restaurant of their hotel. The table overlooked the beach as the sun was setting, and created a quiet, romantic atmosphere for Marat and Daniela.
“This is so beautiful,” Daniela commented looking out the window.
“I’m glad you like it. I know I’ve got a lot to make up to you,” Marat said apologetically.
“I appreciate all of this, but what I liked the most was the walk on the Creek. More than the charm or this dinner, I enjoyed it the most. It’s the little things, Marat,” Daniela explained.
“I guess I’ve got a lot to learn.”
“About me,” Daniela said as she sipped her water.
“Did you ever think of only playing singles?” Marat asked.
“So I could concentrate more on singles?”
“Yes.”
“I love playing doubles. Mahesh and I won mixed doubles at the US Open, so I can’t be terrible at doubles.”
“You’re not at all, but if you stopped playing doubles your singles might improve,” Marat suggested.
“But I have so much fun playing doubles, that if I stopped, a lot of fun would be gone. I believe you need to enjoy your life,” Daniela explained.
“Same here,” Marat agreed.
“I thought you’d understand,” Daniela said laughing with Marat.
The rest of the meal was accompanied by easy conversation and laughter. On the way up to their room, Marat and Daniela continued to laugh and carry on about Marat’s antics a few years ago. Opening the door for Daniela, Marat gestured to her and she walked by him like royalty.
“Don’t get too full of yourself,” Marat joked.
“How can I not when you’re being such a suck-up?” Daniela teased.
“A suck-up? Me? Okay, maybe I am. Would you like me to go watch TV and ignore you?”
“No, I’ll take the royal treatment over you ignoring me,” Daniela said and placed a kiss on Marat’s cheek.
“What do you want to do for the rest of the night?” Marat asked.
“Oooh, I know!” Daniela said and rushed to her suitcase.
Rummaging through her clothes, she finally found what she was looking for. Running back to Marat, she presented him with a DVD case.
“Ah, yes. Love Actually, why didn’t I already know?” Marat asked as Daniela rushed to the bed and sat down.
Smirking at Daniela, Marat placed the DVD in the player and sat down next to Daniela. When the previews ended, they both laid down to enjoy the movie. Wrapped in Marat’s arms, Daniela’s assurance that Marat truly appreciated her came back slowly.
Yawning loudly, Daniela caught the attention of Marat. Marat had already been having a tough enough time getting into the movie.
“Do you want to go to bed?” Marat asked rubbing her back.
“No, let’s finish the movie,” Daniela answered paying more attention to the movie than she felt.
But soon the sounds of the background music from the movie made Daniela’s eyes close. Listening to the sounds of Marat’s heart, Daniela tuned out the movie. Soon she fell fast asleep, and Marat was left to put her under the sheets and turn off the movie.
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