Page 113 of Ace My Heart

And then I looked up and saw Joel. I’d just won my first everGrand Slam event, at Wimbledon no less, and without him I couldn’t have done it.

I raced across the court, skidded to a halt briefly to shake the umpire’s hand, and then I climbed the barrier into the shocked and delighted crowd. I navigated my way up the stands, people clapping and cheering as they moved aside. I ascended towards the coach’s box, Joel watching me, eyes burning. I flung my arms around his neck and clung to him. I could feel his laughter where our bodies were touching (which was a lot of places), and his lips pressed against the side of my neck. He didn’t even seem to care that I was oozing sweat and I probably stunk. My top had ridden up a bit at the back and Joel’s hands sneaked up under it, his fingertips caressing my spine.

“You did it, Mel! You really did it – I told you that you could do it!”

“You did tell me, Joel.” I couldn’t fail to notice that his hands were still under my top. I felt dizzy from the win and from his proximity to me.

I was about to throw caution to the wind, to open my mouth and just blurt out the words that had been on the tip of my tongue for weeks now, but just as I took a breath to say“kiss me”to Joel, he turned me back towards the court. His eyes weren’t on me anymore.

“Go, Mel, this is your moment!”

I turned and raced back onto the court, to where I was being beckoned by the match officials to the podium that had been hastily erected.

I stood in a daze, not paying attention to anything happening around me – not the words that the match official said into the mic, not Heather Roach receiving her runners-up award, not Princess Kate waiting to present the trophy to me.

I just watched Joel. I watched the way his facial muscles moved as he grinned down at me from his place in the stands. I let my eyes rove over his impressive body as he clapped.

It was probably a good thing that the presentation had started when it did – who knows what would have happened if Joel and I hadn’t been interrupted then.

And then Princess Kate was shaking my hand and passing the trophy over to me. I held it above my head and the crowd cheered. I grinned stupidly, my eyes prickling when I thought about all the people I’d done this for. Steve and Natalie. Brad and Amanda, who’d always been there for me. Even Mum, who had gotten me into tennis in the first place.

And Joel. Of course, Joel.

When it was over, when I’d blurted some unknown words into the microphone for the crowd, when I’d done a lap of the court and shaken the hands of the people who were hanging over the edge, when I’d mindlessly answered press conference questions, finally I was able to leave the spotlight.

“Do I have to do my recovery today?” I whined at Joel when I found him waiting in the change room for me. “I don’t think I can sit still long enough.”

Joel laughed and took the trophy from my hands. “Ice bath and take a shower and then we’ll get out of here. I can always give you a rub down when we get back to the apartment.”

I was on such a high I didn’t even bother reacting to his innuendo. I iced myself and showered in record time, slipped into clean underwear and a dress, and we avoided the worst of the rabble outside the players’ entrance to get into a taxi.

“Well Mel, we’re going to have to make an appearance at the WTA party tonight now – you’ll be the star attraction.”

I grimaced. I didn’t like tennis parties. But I could see his point.

The taxi dropped us out the front of the building and we clambered out, weighed down with all my tennis gear. Joel carried most of it. I followed him in a daze.

The staff in the reception area crowded around to congratulate me. I accepted their praise with grace, all the time backing towards the elevator.

I sighed out a deep breath when the doors closed and we were finally alone.

“I can’t believe it, Joel, it just feels so surreal,” I said, leaning against the side of the lift.

He beamed at me. “Better get used to it fast, Stink. Everyone’s going to want you – you’re a piece of history now.”

I grunted at him. “That makes me feel old – a piece of history.”

“Oh, you’re so old, almost twenty-three!” he teased.

I wrinkled my nose at him. “Well, sorry that I’m not ancient like you. Twenty-eight this year. Do I need to start reminding you to book in for your prostate exam?”

Joel snorted and I giggled.

“Stink, get the key out of my pocket – my hands are full.”

“Could you be any less subtle about making me fumble around in your pants?” I said, but reached into his shorts pocket for the key, blushing as my hand brushed against his crotch. I dragged the key out and swiftly turned to unlock the door, biting my lip hard because words wanted to spill out – words that I just couldn’t say.

Joel dumped our gear just inside the door. I walked in, sucking in a deep breath. He came up behind me, hands spanning my hips, fingers caressing.

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