“Yeah, I guess it is.”
“I didn’t mean to…I’m really glad you’re here, Mike. I could really use a friend right about now.”
Mike looked at him evenly. “Well, you’ve got one.” The moment stretched out between them and Luke felt the lump rising in his throat once more.
“Thanks.” After a moment, he slapped his knees. “How about another beer?”
Mike nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
Luke twisted the tops off the bottles and for the first time in weeks, he didn’t have to fake a smile.
Luke was only at the National Tennis Center for about five minutes the next day before he ran into Jesse. An older couple and a young woman were with him, and Luke realized with a sinking sensation that they were Jesse’s family.
Jesse froze in his tracks for a second when he saw Luke and Mike coming towards him, but then kept walking. His family noticed Luke as well and didn’t bear the most friendly expressions.
“Hey.” Jesse nodded as he passed Luke and Mike.
“Hey,” Luke replied quietly.
“Is that all you have to say?” Jesse’s sister glared at Luke.
Jesse turned around and sighed. “Caitlin, don’t.”
“Why not? I think the coward owes you more than that,” Caitlin spat.
“I…um…” Luke stammered, his face suddenly flushed.
“Come on, Cait. This is none of your business.” Jesse tugged on her arm.
“Well, I think your sister’s right.” Jesse’s father’s voice was low and steely. He narrowed his eyes at Luke. “So you’re the man who beguiled my son and then left him a distracted mess.”
“Dad!” Jesse stared at his father, open-mouthed.
“Well, it’s true, dear,” Jesse’s mother piped up.
Jesse pointed towards the exit at the end of the hall. “Go, all of you.” When they started to argue, his jaw clenched. “Now.” They complied reluctantly and shuffled off, casting a few glances over their shoulders as they went.
Jesse smiled weakly and glanced over at Mike, standing a few feet away. “My family’s crazy. Don’t listen to anything they say.”
“It’s okay, he knows.” Luke glanced up and down the hall, but for the moment, they were still alone.
Jesse’s eyebrows shot up. “He does?”
“Yeah, he does.”
Mike cleared his throat. “Uh, maybe he should leave you guys alone. I’ll meet you on the court, Luke.”
Luke nodded, and Mike went down the hall. Luke knew other people would be along any minute, so he got right to it. “Look, we need to talk.” He reached out for Jesse’s forearm, the feel of his skin electric beneath Luke’s hand.
“About what?” Jesse’s tone was measured and indifferent as he pulled his arm out of reach.
“What do you think? About our match tomorrow.”
“What’s there to say, Luke? We have to play each other. So we will. One of us will win, one of us with lose. The end. Life will go on.”
“So that’s it? It doesn’t bother you?”
Jesse exhaled. “Of course it bothers me,” he whispered. “But there’s nothing we can do about it. Therefore, we’ll go out, we’ll play, we’ll shake hands at the net, and we’ll pretend that we don’t care. That it’s just another match.”
“Right.” Luke nodded. “We won’t give them anything else to gossip about.”
Jesse’s eyes narrowed. “That’s all you care about, isn’t it? Your precious reputation.”
“No, of course not! But you just said—”
“Don’t worry, Luke, I won’t embarrass you. I won’t make a scene.” Suddenly there was a shout of laughter and voices coming from around the bend in the hall. “I’d better go; you wouldn’t anyone to see us talking, now would you? I mean, what would people think?” Jesse’s words dripped with cynicism.
“Jesse…”
But he was gone, quickly out of sight as some other players rounded the corner, talking animatedly amongst themselves. Luke quickly hurried to meet Mike on court. Once there, he tossed his bag down and pulled out a racquet, examining the strings closely.
“So…how’d it go?” Mike asked, tentatively.
Luke waved his hand dismissively. “Let’s get working. We’ve only got the court for an hour.”
Mike nodded and didn’t press the subject. They rallied back and forth, and Luke tried to clear his mind, concentrate only on the ball. After dumping his forehand into the net for the third consecutive time, he threw his racquet across the court, the loud crack only making him feel worse, not better.
The next morning dawned hot and muggy once more, with barely a breeze coming from any direction. Luke was already sweating as he walked onto court, and he hadn’t even played a point yet. Some dark clouds were moving in, but so far there had been no rain.
In the locker room, Luke and Jesse had barely looked at each other, just gone about their business and suited up. Since it was still early in the tournament, there were plenty of guys coming and going, so at least there hadn’t been any awkward silences to navigate.
Out on the court, they warmed up together, as all players did before a match. First, they rallied back and forth lightly, forehands and backhands, maybe some volleys. Then they each picked a side of the court and warmed up their serves. After five minutes they were ready to play.