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From the moment they got together, Rafa still couldn’t believe Roger Federer chose him as a partner, as boyfriend. He knew he shouldn’t tell everyone about it, but sometimes he couldn’t help himself. Talking to other people about him dating Roger makes him think it’s real, makes him realize it’s not only his mind playing tricks with him when Roger is kissing him.
1.
He feels like he has known Andy since forever. From the day they met when they were kids, not speaking the same language, but understanding each other though tennis, to their teenage years in Spain and now playing video games together before a big tournament.
So he feels comfortable talking to him about relationships. “You believe I’m dating Roger?” It’s a rhetorical question, and Andy laughs.
“Yes, you always talked about how much you love him, and he looks at you like you are his world,”
And Rafa wonders if it’s too obvious. Well, it doesn’t matter, what matters is that Andy knows.
2.
Rafa loves that he’s able to call the other Spaniards friends. They have a lot of things in common, they share the same country, the same language. But with Feli he has something else, he’s like a big brother and Rafa trusts him with his life. With him he didn’t even have to say the words, because Feli always knew, without Rafa actually telling him about Roger.
“What are you smiling at?” Feli asks him one day after practice when Rafa checks a card that was in his tennis bag.
“Rogi left this in my bag,” he smiles even more and shows Feli the card.
“You are so gone for him…”
And what can Rafa say? He really is.
3.
With Marc it’s the same. Rafa feels like he can trust him, not only because he’s Spaniard but also because Marc gives him confidence. But unlike Feli, Marc is more like a father-figure, despite both of them having the same age. Marc is more mature and he is an amazing listener.
It was with him that Rafa shared one of his worries. He never talked to him about his relationship before, but Rafa is sure Marc knows everything, so he doesn’t even bother to actually tell him.
“I don’t want our rivalry to get in the way, you know, of our… relationship…” First they were tennis players, then they were partners, but Rafa doesn’t want to lose one of these things. He loves things the way they are, but he’s not sure if it will stay like this until, one day, they stop playing.
“With the little I know Roger, he won’t let it happen. But you should talk to him if it worries you,”
And Marc is right, this is something he needs to discuss with Roger. He won’t be mad at Rafa showing his insecurity.
4.
It is not difficult to find Serena in one of the parties after the tournaments, especially if she won the title - and it happens a lot. It’s so easy to talk to her, she’s always open and since the beginning she has had patience with his English.
So after they had a few drinks and were laughing about something Serena heard in the locker room and was now sharing with him, Rafa felt good enough to ask her what she thought about him being in a relationship with Roger.
“Oh, you two are great! Why don’t you play doubles together?”
“Well…” He would be lying if he said he didn’t think about it, but it’s not only about willingness, there’s a lot of things involved.
“It’s amazing to play doubles with your family! Look at me and Venus!”
And Rafa smiles, his heart is warm because Serena already considers them family, even if he and Roger are only boyfriends. “Family is more than blood,” she finishes and winks at him.
It was worth it telling her.
5.
Nole isn’t exactly a friend. It’s difficult to talk to him about other things but tennis. He’s always focused and it shows. Not that Rafa wanted to be open with him, but most of the players like to talk about other stuff too.
That day, however, they are stuck in the restaurant, waiting for the rain to stop so that they can go to the courts to practice, and, to his surprise, Nole answers his question about his girlfriend. Rafa only asked him how she was so that they could make small talk, but he didn’t have hope.
But he finds himself learning about how amazing Jelena is and how happy she makes him. “I’m so happy when I’m with her, you know,”
And, without thinking, because Nole is being so honest with him, he answers. “Sí, that’s how I feel when I’m next to Roger,”
It leaves a silence of about one minute. Rafa panics because he never planned on telling Novak Djokovic about their relationship. They are all rivals, after all. But Nole just smiles, in that moment they are just being two boyfriends talking about their partners. And Rafa appreciates it.
6.
Roger trusts Stan like he’s his brother. From the moment they met, he knew they would get along. So it was only fair for him to share the biggest news of his (personal) life with Stan too.
Roger just finished talking to Rafa on the phone. They were all getting ready for another Davis Cup match, and Roger was already missing Rafa.
Stan already knew something was up, it’s not like him to stay hours inside of the hotel room. But his friend doesn’t ask, so Roger decides it’s time to tell him, after all, Roger will probably need someone to cover for him in some tournaments.
“Me and Rafa are dating,” he says while they are enjoying a dessert they probably shouldn’t and if their coaches catch them eating it, they will be in trouble.
“Oh, finally!” Stan smirks.
“Really?” Roger can’t believe it. It looks like no one is surprised, his own sister told him she was expecting it to happen since their first match against each other.
“Of course, only you two couldn’t see you were hopeless in love,”
“I’m not hopeless,” Stan only looks at him. And Roger is grateful for his friend's support.
And yes, maybe he is a little bit hopeless, but only if it’s about Rafa.