Page 47 of Serve
“Who are you kidding, Tyler? This is what you’ve worked so hard to accomplish your whole life, and here I am blubbering like an idiot, because I’m feeling lonely. Go, enjoy yourself. I’ll be fine.” Chip straightened his shoulders and stood at attention. Two guys, presumably tennis-player friends of Tyler’s walked up and clapped Tyler on the shoulders.
“Tyler, dude, you’re missing all the fun!” One of them said, while the other looked at Chip with an odd expression.
“In a little bit, guys, this is important.” Tyler said, not even turning around. The two men wandered off, shaking their heads.
“You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to hang out with me just because you feel guilty.” Chip focused his eyes on the ancient floor.
They stood there in silence, unable to move. A song started playing, and a smile spread across Tyler’s face. He held out his hand for Chip to take.
“Will you dance?”
Chip looked up, saw Tyler’s outstretched hand and froze.
“In front of all these people?” He whispered.
“Yes, in front of all these people.” The music and the crowd became a blur as he waited for Chip’s answer. He only wanted one thing, and one thing only.
“But, they’ll…” Chip stammered.
“So what? They’ll stare. Big deal. People are always staring at the wrong things. C’mon, I want to dance with you.” Tyler dipped his head down, but his eyes were staring straight into Chip’s. Chip reached out, and with trembling fingers took Tyler’s outstretched hand in his. Tyler pulled him into a hug, then whispered in his ear.
“I love you. Let’s face the music together, shall we?” Tyler kissed him on the cheek, then led him by his hand to the front of the hall where the dance floor was set up. The crowd parted to let them through, shocked faces everywhere, but also smiles of happiness and support. Once they were in the middle of the floor, Tyler took Chip in his arms, and awkwardly they moved to the music.
“You do realize we’re going to be on the front page of a lot of papers tomorrow, right?” Chip whispered in Tyler’s ear.
“Big old waste of ink, but if people have nothing better to do than gawk at two people in love, let ‘em.” He replied.
He pulled Chip tighter into his chest, then ventured a glance at the rest of the room. The dance floor cleared when they first walked on, but now another couple started slow dancing a few feet away. Photographers were snapping pictures of them in each other's arms, and all Tyler felt was relief. No more secrets, only his love for Chip mattered. The rest of the world was a waste of time as far as he was concerned.
“I really do love you, you know that, don’t you?” Tyler said into Chip’s ear.
Chip nodded, and felt his heart expanding in his chest.
“I love you too.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tyler- New York
“C’mon, give it your best shot.” Tyler said under his breath. He placed himself a foot inside the baseline to receive a second serve from Travis. This was their second slam final in a row. The big difference was Tyler had nothing to lose, and it showed in how he was playing. He looked up to see Travis tossing the ball in the air. His tongue stuck out to the left, which meant the ball was going out wide. If his tongue stuck out straight, he’d serve straight up the T. He lunged in that direction, hitting the ball crosscourt for a winner, and the game. Travis still didn’t understand how he was able to read his serve so well. He was a good kid, and he might have to let him know after the match was over.
They changed sides in between games. He’d won the first two sets, and was up a break in the third. If he could close out this set, he’d have his second U.S. Open trophy, and it would be his last one. But he had more important things in mind than just winning. In fact, the reason he was winning was so he could get to the good part after the match was done.
Tyler signaled to the ball boy for fresh balls. The kid bounced them in his direction and he stuck two of them in his pockets. He bounced the third one on the ground a couple of times, making Travis impatient. He glanced up to the players box and saw Chip sitting next to Dixie, his brows furrowed. He smiled in his direction, hoping Chip would notice. He did, and was rewarded with a grin in return. He wanted nothing more than to get this match over with, the last professional match of his career.
He tossed the ball in the air, and aimed the ball up the middle of the court. Instead of the ace, it went into the net.
“Fault!”
The crowd groaned. Since he’d come out of the closet, his fan base had grown huge. In fact, it brought in a whole new set of fans. The Cable Sports Network had noted this when they offered him a job being a sports commentator for the Grand Slams. Only on the road four months out of the year instead of eleven, and the money was fantastic. It was a no-brainer to sign the contract. Product endorsements flooded his inbox, and Sania was constantly turning down offers. If he’d known being out of the closet would be so lucrative, he would have done it years ago.
He took a ball out of his pocket, bounced it on the ground, and took a look at Travis’s face. He was turning into a helluva good player. He’d fired Scott after his blackmail attempts were revealed. According to him, he never knew about it, and Tyler believed him. He tossed the ball in the air, hitting a safe second serve into the middle of the box. Travis was on it in a heartbeat, but his nerves betrayed him, hitting the ball long past the baseline.
Tyler shook his head, realizing if he’d just focus, the match would pass by quickly. He was glad he’d announced it was his last one. Exciting things were in store for them, including breaking ground on the new Hidden Creek LGBT Community Center, funds provided by the foundation Sania helped him set up.
Thoughts of the future filled his head, and the rest of the set flew by. His game was on auto-pilot, his body in the zone. Every shot pasted the lines, and the crowd was cheering him on. They were also saying goodbye, which provoked him to play at his highest level.
Knowing he was playing the last match of his professional career allowed him to play with abandon. He didn’t want it to end, but every time he saw Chip’s face in the stands, his heart beat faster. His future was Chip, and as much as he loved this sport, it paled in comparison to the man who’d conquered his heart. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with him, and there was only one thing left to do to make his dreams a reality.
