Violet caught the look on my face. "Oh, did I not mention Klaus would be coming? Coach Poe messed up both of our accommodations. When I said we could stay with you guys until we get something sorted out, I thought he was going to go into cardiac arrest."

I didn't remember her saying that but it was possible I could've misheard. Either way it was a shock that I couldn't really do anything about. It sounded as though they wouldn't be here for long, the length of the US open at the very most if things didn't get sorted out, and it wouldn't kill me to just suck it up. I would be at the courts most days training, then in the evenings I could find places to be, out of the way. It would be fine.

I glanced at Klaus, who had brought his last bag in and was shutting the door. He definitely didn't come across as phased as I was about the whole thing.

"It's fine," I said to Violet, giving her a smile. Because what else could I do?

The rest of the evening was a blur of awkwardness. Our food came and we ate in the dining room, Violet and Quigley carrying the conversation while Klaus and I stayed mostly quiet unless we were directly addressed. It was frustrating, really. When we were on tour it was always fun to hang out with my brother. And when he and Violet got together, the three of us would always spend time together, me tagging along as a third wheel but feeling ultimately comfortable and included. With Klaus here, the dynamic was instantly different. And it wasn't helped by the fact he wouldn't even look at me. We were sat opposite each other and yet he kept his eyes firmly on his plate or the table or on Quigley beside me whenever he was talking. It wasn't that I particularly wanted his attention, it just felt bizarre to be ignored by someone who was a guest. An uninvited guest, in my books.

Then, after dinner, Quigley went back to the idea of us playing a board game, but Klaus quickly shut it down saying he needed an early night because of his upcoming match tomorrow. Being we had expected our accommodation to just hold Quigley and I, we didn't have a spare bedroom. And while Violet could just stay with my brother, the only option for Klaus was the pull out sofa bed.

With no room to argue, Quigley dropped the idea of the board game and we all had to retire for the night, to let Klaus have the living room. And while I hadn't wanted to play a board game anyway, my frustrations only grew.

I lay awake in bed, just staring at the ceiling. It was so strange how seeing someone from your past could bring back so many memories.

With Violet, it was different. We had played against each other a couple times when we were kids, but she was ultimately at a higher level than me. After she kicked my ass a few times, we weren't pitted against each other anymore. Our coaches had the idea that once I improved, once I could actually give her a challenge, we could play each other again. By the time that actually came to fruition, I had moved training centres and our coaches were no longer on speaking terms. Since then, we had played each other twice- once at the French open and once at Wimbledon when we were juniors, with me winning the former and her winning the latter.

There had never been any bad blood between us, and when she got into playing doubles and our coaches mended their feud, I was more than pleased to see her matched up with Quigley. They were a great team.

Klaus was completely different. Seeing him had dredged up all sorts of bad memories. And to add salt to the wound, he seemed completely normal- completely unaffected by the inner turmoil I was currently experiencing. We hadn't seen each other in years so it was possible he had forgotten. But surely he couldn't have blocked out that part of his life so thoroughly that he couldn't even recall how he had ruined mine. I had almost quit tennis because of him. And now I couldn't even shove it in his face that I was a successful tennis player because he'd somehow come back the second I'd failed.

I rolled over, shutting my eyes tight. I desperately needed to sleep so I could be up early and get back to training. But even as I tried to clear my head, I couldn't shake the feeling that seeing Klaus again after so long was nothing short of a bad omen.

*

The morning came all too soon. It took all of my self restraint not to throw my window open, chuck my phone in the air and bat it into oblivion with my tennis racket. It didn't matter that I wanted- needed- to be up at this time to train. It was obviously my phone's fault for waking me up. Obviously.

To say I wasn't a morning person would be a vicious understatement.

I gained a bit of sense back as I was getting ready, piling my frustrations into determination. This morning I would train hard, then I might try and catch Violet's second round match. How she competed in both singles and doubles was beyond me, but I supposed it was a credit to her skill. That reminded me, when she next had a free afternoon I needed to suggest to her a practice match. Obviously, while she was still in the US open she needed to focus on her actual opponents. But once it was over, I wanted to steal a few hours of her time so I could pick up some new tips and tricks. Honestly, I'd do anything to improve my skills and help me go further in the thing I loved the most in my life. So if she'd have me, I'd take any time she was willing to give.

When I was ready, I headed downstairs quietly. Despite being in a house full of athletes, everyone had their own routine and not everyone got up early. Quigley, for example, preferred to train at night. It was only on match days that he woke up early and went to practice on the court. So I crept down, not expecting anyone to be up.

However, I found Violet in the kitchen grabbing some coconut water from the fridge.

"I'm going to the court," she told me in a whisper. Her eyes were bright and alert as if she'd been up for hours already. If she felt how I currently did (half dead) then she didn't show it. "Want to come with?"

I shook my head, knowing she was only offering out of politeness. Quigley had mentioned multiple times about how Violet preferred to be alone before her matches so she could focus without any distractions. "It's okay," I said quietly. "I'm going for a run instead."

She glanced at her phone. "Oh, my Uber's here. See you later." At that, she grabbed her tennis bag from beside the door and was gone before I could even reply to her.

I sighed, put on my running shoes and then got a bottle of water out of the fridge. Somewhere in the house, I could hear the slightest amount of movement but I was still quiet as I moved around, especially knowing that Klaus was next door in the living room.

Just as I was opening the front door, another noise in my vicinity made me freeze. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Klaus in the doorway of the living room, frozen as well.

"Where are you going?" He asked, full volume. It didn't escape me that this was the first actual conversation we'd had for years, nor the fact that his voice was a little gravelly, still laced with sleep.

I almost replied in a whisper, just to make a point, but then I remembered it was now only Quigley left asleep in the house and he could sleep through a hurricane. "Out for a run," I said flatly.

He just looked at me for a moment. Then he gave a single nod, said, "Okay," and walked towards the door, stopping only to grab a pair of sunglasses off of the counter.

I didn't move, slightly confused. Klaus sighed irritably. "Are we going or not?"

My annoyance flared. "We are not doing anything," I said. "I'm going for a run."

"Yes, and so I am. So let's cut the dramatics and just go." Klaus gestured to the door impatiently and- knowing that to back out of a run now would be cutting off my nose just to spite my face- I swallowed my pride and stepped out onto the porch with him following close behind.

As soon as we hit the pavement, Klaus ran off like a shot. I had the momentary thought of, oh, we're going, before my brain caught up and I ran after him. I had to sprint to catch up- not really my idea of a nice, relaxing, mind-clearing little morning run- and even once we were neck and neck, we were at a pace faster than I was comfortable with. Still, my feet hit the pavement in an even rhythm, the slapping sound giving me something to focus on instead of the man beside me. Because, no matter how uncomfortable this fast pace was for me, there was no way in hell I was going to show it. Absolutely not. So I ran on, keeping pace and trying to ignore the way my lungs were already beginning to hurt, my breaths sounding too loud in my ears.

At some point, Klaus had slipped his sunglasses on- another thing I currently hated him for besides infiltrating my morning run. It was just typical that on top of everything else, he also didn't have to worry about the sun assaulting his eyes. As I glanced at him running next to me, I took in how calm and collected he looked. I imagined that I looked the polar opposite- struggling with what, to me, felt more like a sprint, already working up a sweat and squinting in the early morning light. To think, I got up early for this.

It was almost embarrassing that I had such bad stamina as an athlete. But as much as I had to run around on the court, it didn't compare to this sort of running where I was pushing myself to the limit for an extended period of time.

Finally, I spotted a reprieve. If I'd had enough spare oxygen in my lungs I might've sighed with relief, but as it was I just let myself smile a little. We were coming towards a little park, which was what I had used yesterday morning as a sort of marker, telling me I had run far enough and should turn around. Yesterday, I had paused on the corner where the park began, taking shelter in the shade under one of the large oak trees and had a drink of water before turning around and running back to the Airbnb. So naturally, I began to slow, ready to take a break.

Klaus didn't slow down. I could've killed him.

He kept running as if it was nothing. As if it was a completely normal thing to run full pelt like you were being chased by a serial killer this early in the morning. But I couldn't let him win this race he didn't even know he was a part of. So I sped up again despite the protests from my lungs and my legs and my future self who somehow had to go and hit shots on the court after this.

A glance beside me told me that Klaus had barely even broken a sweat and that was enough to spur me on. No way was I going to give in. No way was I going to admit that my stamina wasn't where it should've been. I was far too stubborn for that. So round we went, beneath the oak trees that offered some much needed shade from the sun that was already blazing. That was something I could never get used to in the US: the heat.

Finally, after doing a never ending lap of the park, we came to a stop under the very tree I'd taken my break under the morning prior- the one I'd wanted to stop under in the first place. My legs were aching and despite my best efforts I still found myself gasping for breath. Luckily, I'd brought a bottle of water with me. Klaus, however, had no such luck.

He was even harder to read when he had his sunglasses on but I could tell from the way he was standing there, his breathing heavy, sort of shuffling from foot to foot, that he wasn't really sure what to do with himself while he was waiting for me. It was the first time I'd seen him look even remotely uncomfortable and I couldn't help but latch onto it.

"Did you not bring a drink?" I said to him once I had caught my breath, despite knowing that he hadn't. It took all of my self control not to sound too smug about it.

He chuckled awkwardly. "Er, no. Must've been distracted." Then he pointed vaguely to his face. "At least I remembered my sunnies though."

I instantly tried to stop squinting, annoyed that he had noticed that the sun was bothering me. However, it was nearly impossible.

"It's stupidly bright this morning," I replied, knowing there was no point in denying it.

"Well..." Klaus said, trailing off slightly. Then he whipped the sunglasses off his face and held them out to me. "Take these."

I frowned, sensing a trick.

Klaus smiled slightly. "In exchange for the rest of the water."

The water was half empty (or half full depending on your level of optimism) and I could definitely have drunk more given the circumstances. Although, considering the run we still had back to the Airbnb, I knew that if I drank too much and then ran I might end up making myself feel ill.

I shrugged and held the bottle out to him. "Deal."

So we exchanged items and then were on our way.