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Hubi was caught in the middle of the women during breakfast. He wanted to have a quiet start of the day and then go to practice. Iga sat at the same table as him, and Naomi quickly joined her. But it’s not what took his peace that morning, no. He was chatting with Iga in Polish, with Naomi just happy to be there, not saying a word. It was the perfect morning, until he heard that voice in that accent he knows so well.
“ No, non è così…” Hubi has no idea what he’s saying, but he knows it’s so sexy and then the way he laughs is so cute… and then he’s distracted, with his mind wandering in places he didn’t need to be today.
It’s not that he hates this feeling. This is not an unpleasant feeling. He’s not worried about what he feels, even if he doesn’t act on it. He just wants to stay focused. Another important tournament is coming, and he needs to think only about tennis.
Iga, however, is a very perceptive woman, and he’s sure she already realized something was going on before. Now, sensing his change of mood, she commented. He wishes she didn’t, but you don’t really choose when your friends will decide to do something about your life.
“So that’s why you are not playing doubles with him anymore?”
“What?” He decides to play dumb, he won’t give her the satisfaction of telling her straight away that she’s right. And that probably everything she thinks is right: he met Jannik, they started playing doubles, he learned how lovely the Italian is, how easy it is to be around him, how they can talk about everything in the world, how good he is with tennis (but this he already knew), and then he fell in love with him. And because he doesn’t want any compromise, and also he doesn’t want to test their friendship, they stopped playing doubles, and he never said a word to the Italian.
“Don’t play dumb, you are not dumb, and I am not dumb either. I have eyes,” Iga points to his eyes. And he knows he can’t delay it anymore. Why are they friends, exactly?
“Fine. Yes, that’s why we don’t play together anymore. Happy?”
“No, I want to know why. Because in the five minutes he got here, he looked at you at least four times, right?” She changes to English, points with his head to the Italian’s table, and looks at Naomi.
“Oh yes, anyone with eyes can tell he wants you,” Naomi smiles at him. And Hubi has no idea how to react to that. “Ok, I need to go, I have practice in like, fifteen minutes,”
And like this, Hubi and Iga are alone at their table. And Iga keeps smirking.
“What?”
“You know, even Naomi can see you two are so gone for each other,”
“You probably told her,” he rolls his eyes.
“So you are admitting he’s also gone for you?”
“No, I’m not,”
“Come on, talk to him. You are friends, right? What’s the worst thing that can happen?” Hubi knows Iga is not wrong, Jannik wouldn’t be angry at him, he’s not like this. He’s sweet, caring, and empathic. But Hubi is still in denial.
“Let’s see: him not talking to me ever again, not wanting to play with me anymore,” but he can’t think about other things.
“You don’t even believe in yourself,” Iga rolls her eyes. “You talk to him, don’t do it to yourself,”
“But I’m not suffering,” and he’s not. It’s not like he has heartache from pining over Jannik.
“Ok, but you can be happy, don’t think you don’t deserve what is best for you. Your tennis is in a good place right now, your private life should be too,” and that’s what Iga tells him before standing up and leaving.
Yes, that’s why they are friends. And again, he knows Iga is right. He looks at the table Jannik is in, and he catches him looking at him. Hubi smiles, Jannik smiles back, without breaking eye contact.
At the end of the day, they were alone at the gym. Hubi has the slight suspicion that Iga has something to do with it, it’s not possible that there’s not a single member of Jannik’s team with him, it’s too much of a coincidence.
“Hey,”
“ Ciao ,”
Hubi thought it would be weird, like after a long time without talking would mess up all their rapport, but instead it’s like every other time they were together. It was only when they were warming up together that he realized that every fear he had before was only in his own head.
They talked and laughed and teased each other. And damn, they really already behaved like they were together, didn’t they? He quickly takes his phone and texts Iga this, he doesn’t wait for her reply, because he knows it will be something like ‘yes, you are an idiot’. Because he is.
They didn’t even have to talk, they will, one day, talk about their feelings, but right now he feels like they don’t have to, they can use other languages. Small touches, smiles and looks. They finally understood each other.
“Want to have dinner?” He offers.
“Hm, I think ordering something is better,”
“Ok, your room or mine?”
“Yours, too many loud people can get in my room,”
They go back to the hotel laughing at the most stupid things, everything is funny when you are happy and with someone you love. He checks his phone and Iga replied ‘I told you so’ and a wink emoji.
Hubi feels good, he has the best friend in the world and the best… he doesn’t know if they have a name to what they have… so he has the best Jannik in the world.