Love All • Ben Shelton

chapter eight

It was the day of my first match at the US Open. I played someone unranked, which should make the match easy, but as I said, tennis can be unpredictable.

I woke up at 7 a.m. and went to the gym right away. I always do pre-match stretches alone, with the song 'Superbase' blaring on my beats. It was peaceful knowing all my practice would pay off today. I ate breakfast with Emilia, and it always takes away the nerves when you know your best friend will be there for you no matter what—Win or Lose.

The SUV was waiting outside the hotel to take me to the courts at 9 am, so I climbed in and tried to zone the world out.

I could not stop thinking about the moment I shared with Ben last night in the locker room. I wondered if he wanted to be with me or was playing with me. I knew I wanted him at my match; I wanted him to see my volleys.

The warm-up went smoothly, and everything went according to plan, which always puts a mind at ease before a match.

Walking through the tunnel onto the main court, memories of Ben and me flashed in and out of my mind, and for some reason, they calmed me.

I looked around the arena, towards the edge, and that's when I saw him—he was sitting with his legs open in a chair surrounded by reporters and paparazzi, but he was only looking at me. He was wearing a brown backward Wilson hat and a tan shirt. I couldn't see the pants, but I imagined they looked good on him.

The match started, and the world became silent once again. I felt so free playing tennis, and it felt so good to be playing once again. My strokes were fluid and unbothered, but one shot stood out from the rest - my volley. I had a 90% kill at the net and was up there a lot.

It was the match point, my serve, and I looked toward his seat; he had vanished. I was confused but knew I needed to end the match strong.

I won 6-2 and 6-2.

The match ended, and I headed towards the VIP tent, where Emilia awaited me.

When I entered, I was greeted by photographers and people who wanted my autograph; I was overjoyed but still wondering where Ben had disappeared too. Me and Emilia parted ways after chatting for a little bit, and she decided she was going shopping, she invited me, but I was so tired.

I spent another hour in the arena's recovery room before returning to the hotel.

I walked into the room expecting peace and quiet after a long day, but instead, I was met with the voice I had been searching for all day.

"Hello Anya"

"Hi Ben"