Love All • Ben Shelton

chapter six

It was the first day of tournament play at the US Open, the city was buzzing, and I was extremely hung over. I woke up at 12, just in time to watch Ben play at 1. I scurried out of bed and slipped on a green strapless maxi dress. I tied my hair in a loose ponytail and applied light makeup. Even though I'm an athlete competing, I still have to look nice.
My head is throbbing as I shove down three Advil and manage to eat a piece of bread. "Anya, if you want to watch your boyfriend, we have to leave now," screamed Emilia from the other room. "Watch your mouth, and I would rather eat glass than date Ben Shelton." "Ya right," she answered back.
When we arrived at the court, we took our seats in the front row and had a perfect view of the match and Ben.
When he walked out of the tunnel, he shifted his head from left to right, almost as if he were looking for someone or something.
His eyes found me and locked on me, he made sure I was looking before giving me the most devilish smirk, and I knew he was up to something.
The match had started, and Ben was on fire, hitting winner after winner, interacting with the crowd, and making it enjoyable to watch him. His forehand seemed effortless, and his backhand was unbeatable. His cockiness had some advantage to him because he walked away with a win, 6-2, 6-3,6-2. The crowd roared as he screamed after the win, and my head throbbed, but I could not take my eyes off him.
He jolted his racket back and forth to signal that this was just the start of his run in New York, and for some reason, I found it hot. I must keep telling myself he is no good for me or my gameplay.
He walked over to the camera and thought about what he would write on the screen. For a split second, he looked at me and winked.

He wrote, 'Did I put on a good show, AS?'

My whole body froze as I watched him write my initials on the camera for the whole world to see. He remembered our conversation from last night, which was surprising, to say the least. I barely remembered it, so what made him remember?
Emilia rushed me to the VIP section, where players could wait to talk to other players. Ben was approached by a mob waiting for pictures and autographs but somehow made his way over to me.
He walked over to me and crouched down to the level of my ear. "Do you wanna go back somewhere more private?" I looked around us and realized cameras were starting to flash as the photographers realized he had written my initials on the camera lens. If coach saw me right now, he would kill me, so I took a chance.  "Yes," I said quietly into his chest since he towered over me. He smirked, grabbed my hand, and led me down the tunnel to the locker room.