Unbelievably Brilliant, Undoubtedly Impossible
chapter eleven;
“Do I even want to know where Rafa is?” a clearly frustrated Toni asked.
Andrea paused before answering, “Is that a rhetorical question?”
Toni sighed and mumbled for Andrea to start warming up. Toni couldn’t understand hwy his nephew couldn’t get his priorities straight. The boy had just won Wimbledon and should be preparing for the next tournament. Instead he was off gallivanting with his girlfriend.
“Uh…Toni, aren’t tennis balls supposed to be spherical?”
Toni looked down at his hands and saw a crushed tennis ball. He grumbled a reply and then started the grueling practice. Andrea was pushed harder than she had even been pushed before. Two exhausting hours later, Toni looked pleased and signaled that practice was over.
Andrea gathered up her gear and headed towards the gate, only to run into Rafa, who was clearly out of breath. Probably from sprinting to the courts. “I hope…I’m not…late,” he said in between laboured breaths.
“Do you seriously want to me to answer that?” Andrea said icily. “Practice started two hours ago.”
Rafa’s eyes bulged, “But…but Xisca told me practice started at 10!”
“And you really believed her? That’s your first mistake,” Andrea said before walking away.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rafa said, running to catch up.
“I don’t understand how we did what we did in Madrid, while you had a girlfriend here,” Andrea yelled.
Rafa clamped a hand over Andrea’s mouth, pulling her into a side street. He pinned her up to a wall, their faces separated by mere inches.
“Xisca and I were on a break; at least I was on a break from her. I had no idea she was coming this week, I thought she was at school. Madrid was a mistake, we were supposed to forget it, remember? …”
Andrea had stopped listening to Rafa; instead she was paying attention to the proximity of their bodies. Like how she could feel his heart beat through his chest, it almost matched hers in a duet. Rafa smelled freshly showered and the wet locks kept falling in front of his face. Then, suddenly his eyes were on her.
“Have you been listening at all?” he asked with a smirk.
Andrea snapped back, hoping to pick a right topic to talk about. “Yah of course, Madrid is forgotten.”
Rafa smiled which made Andrea frown, he still wanted to keep Madrid a secret, or rather forget it all together. Then, Andrea’s cell phone went off. She excused herself and walked to the pier she had visited the day before.
“Hola?”
“So much for calling me right back, eh?”
“Since when are you Canadian, Misch?” Andrea said, holding back a laugh.
“Since my best friend decided to become a full-fledged Spaniard.”
“You’re hilarious.”
“I know,” Michelle said smugly. “Now tell me all about Spain.”
“Xisca’s a bitch, she probably wants to deport me back to England or rather Canada. Toni is an amazing coach; the Nadal family is amazing to me. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Michelle paused, “You forgot one person…”
“No, I didn’t,” Andrea growled.
“You didn’t?!” Michelle growled back. “I can’t believe you let him take advantage of you!”
Andrea fought the tears, but they came anyways. “What was I supposed to do, Misch? Say no?! You can’t say no to that face.”
Michelle instantly felt back about accusing her friend, but knew how to make her feel better. The two girls talked for hours and then Andrea started to head back to the house for lunch.
“Now when are you flying out to Stuttgart?” Michelle questioned.
“I have 4 more days of training here with my supposed coach and then I fly out.”
“Interesting…”
“What’s interesting?” Andrea demanded.
“Nothing,” Michelle said innocently. “I’ll talk to you later, have fun chicka!”
Andrea was about to protest, but all she heard was a dial tone. She made it back to the house, just in time for lunch. The afternoon was spent relaxing by the pool because Andrea’s body couldn’t handle anymore exercise. Every muscle hurt with the slightest moment.
“You know massages always help me with sore muscles.”
Andrea looked up to see Rafa walking towards her. “Too bad I don’t have a masseuse,” Andrea said sarcastically.
Rafa took her sarcasm as a joke, “Good thing I’m an expert.”
“Too bad Xisca would have my head if you touched me.”
“Good thing she went into town shopping with my sister. So let me help you, I am your coach you know,” Rafa said with his infamous smirk.
Andrea tried to resist, but gave in. Rafa had a control over her, nobody had ever had before. As much as she wanted to deny it, Rafa’s massage was amazing. She felt much better afterwards. When Rafa was done, he rolled beside Andrea, lying beside her. He absentmindedly started playing with her hands.
“What happened between us, Andrea?” Rafa asked out of the blue.
“Xisca,” Andrea said honestly.
Rafa exhaled loudly before answering, “I never knew what it felt like to have your heart pulled in two completely opposite directions.”
Andrea’s mind went blank; her mind was slowly trying to register what Rafa had said. Just as she was going to reply, a shrill voice was heard from the house.
“Rafa! Look what I bought!” Xisca shrieked as she skipped over to the pool. She walked over to the lounge chairs and saw Andrea and Rafa looking very comfortable. She pulled her sunglass down slightly, “What’s going on here?”
Rafa pulled away from Andrea as if she was diseased, “Nothing, just some tennis talk.”
Andrea huffed at Rafa, before angrily walking away to the house. She was sick of Rafa. She was sick of Xisca. She was sick of tennis.
She was going home.
Andrea paused before answering, “Is that a rhetorical question?”
Toni sighed and mumbled for Andrea to start warming up. Toni couldn’t understand hwy his nephew couldn’t get his priorities straight. The boy had just won Wimbledon and should be preparing for the next tournament. Instead he was off gallivanting with his girlfriend.
“Uh…Toni, aren’t tennis balls supposed to be spherical?”
Toni looked down at his hands and saw a crushed tennis ball. He grumbled a reply and then started the grueling practice. Andrea was pushed harder than she had even been pushed before. Two exhausting hours later, Toni looked pleased and signaled that practice was over.
Andrea gathered up her gear and headed towards the gate, only to run into Rafa, who was clearly out of breath. Probably from sprinting to the courts. “I hope…I’m not…late,” he said in between laboured breaths.
“Do you seriously want to me to answer that?” Andrea said icily. “Practice started two hours ago.”
Rafa’s eyes bulged, “But…but Xisca told me practice started at 10!”
“And you really believed her? That’s your first mistake,” Andrea said before walking away.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rafa said, running to catch up.
“I don’t understand how we did what we did in Madrid, while you had a girlfriend here,” Andrea yelled.
Rafa clamped a hand over Andrea’s mouth, pulling her into a side street. He pinned her up to a wall, their faces separated by mere inches.
“Xisca and I were on a break; at least I was on a break from her. I had no idea she was coming this week, I thought she was at school. Madrid was a mistake, we were supposed to forget it, remember? …”
Andrea had stopped listening to Rafa; instead she was paying attention to the proximity of their bodies. Like how she could feel his heart beat through his chest, it almost matched hers in a duet. Rafa smelled freshly showered and the wet locks kept falling in front of his face. Then, suddenly his eyes were on her.
“Have you been listening at all?” he asked with a smirk.
Andrea snapped back, hoping to pick a right topic to talk about. “Yah of course, Madrid is forgotten.”
Rafa smiled which made Andrea frown, he still wanted to keep Madrid a secret, or rather forget it all together. Then, Andrea’s cell phone went off. She excused herself and walked to the pier she had visited the day before.
“Hola?”
“So much for calling me right back, eh?”
“Since when are you Canadian, Misch?” Andrea said, holding back a laugh.
“Since my best friend decided to become a full-fledged Spaniard.”
“You’re hilarious.”
“I know,” Michelle said smugly. “Now tell me all about Spain.”
“Xisca’s a bitch, she probably wants to deport me back to England or rather Canada. Toni is an amazing coach; the Nadal family is amazing to me. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Michelle paused, “You forgot one person…”
“No, I didn’t,” Andrea growled.
“You didn’t?!” Michelle growled back. “I can’t believe you let him take advantage of you!”
Andrea fought the tears, but they came anyways. “What was I supposed to do, Misch? Say no?! You can’t say no to that face.”
Michelle instantly felt back about accusing her friend, but knew how to make her feel better. The two girls talked for hours and then Andrea started to head back to the house for lunch.
“Now when are you flying out to Stuttgart?” Michelle questioned.
“I have 4 more days of training here with my supposed coach and then I fly out.”
“Interesting…”
“What’s interesting?” Andrea demanded.
“Nothing,” Michelle said innocently. “I’ll talk to you later, have fun chicka!”
Andrea was about to protest, but all she heard was a dial tone. She made it back to the house, just in time for lunch. The afternoon was spent relaxing by the pool because Andrea’s body couldn’t handle anymore exercise. Every muscle hurt with the slightest moment.
“You know massages always help me with sore muscles.”
Andrea looked up to see Rafa walking towards her. “Too bad I don’t have a masseuse,” Andrea said sarcastically.
Rafa took her sarcasm as a joke, “Good thing I’m an expert.”
“Too bad Xisca would have my head if you touched me.”
“Good thing she went into town shopping with my sister. So let me help you, I am your coach you know,” Rafa said with his infamous smirk.
Andrea tried to resist, but gave in. Rafa had a control over her, nobody had ever had before. As much as she wanted to deny it, Rafa’s massage was amazing. She felt much better afterwards. When Rafa was done, he rolled beside Andrea, lying beside her. He absentmindedly started playing with her hands.
“What happened between us, Andrea?” Rafa asked out of the blue.
“Xisca,” Andrea said honestly.
Rafa exhaled loudly before answering, “I never knew what it felt like to have your heart pulled in two completely opposite directions.”
Andrea’s mind went blank; her mind was slowly trying to register what Rafa had said. Just as she was going to reply, a shrill voice was heard from the house.
“Rafa! Look what I bought!” Xisca shrieked as she skipped over to the pool. She walked over to the lounge chairs and saw Andrea and Rafa looking very comfortable. She pulled her sunglass down slightly, “What’s going on here?”
Rafa pulled away from Andrea as if she was diseased, “Nothing, just some tennis talk.”
Andrea huffed at Rafa, before angrily walking away to the house. She was sick of Rafa. She was sick of Xisca. She was sick of tennis.
She was going home.
♠ ♠ ♠
first chapter in 7 months....i think that's a record for writer's blockthat probably shouldn't be something i should be proud of :P