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Beside me, my phone buzzes.
And again.
And thenagain.
Rubbing my eyes, I pick it up, and to my horror, I realiseallthe notifications are Google Alerts, sending me emails because myname’s appeared online.
BREAKING: Gabriel Madani’s loved-up date night with another man!
Gabriel Madani and #retrotennisguy rumours heat up! Brand new evidence!
New Queer on the Block? Tennis star Gabriel Madani seen on romantic date with Melbourne friend.
‘FUCK!’ I scream before I can stop myself. My fingers shake as I click on one of the articles. There’s a photo of Noah and I sitting side-by-side on the piano, head crooked towards one another, shoulders brushing together.
Gabriel Madani’s loved-up date night with another man!
Tennis star Gabriel Madani enjoys a loved-up romantic date night with his mystery lover, who recently attended one of his matches at the Australian Open.
The pair returned to their Southbank hotel at approximately eleven-thirty last night, at which time Gabriel’s partner performed a piano solo for him in the lobby. According to witnesses, the pair seemed ‘very loved-up’. Shortly after midnight, a car arrived to take Madani’s partner home.
Gabriel Madani, ranked ninth in the world, faces world number two, Lukas Froebel, in the quarter-final tonight.
Gabriel Madani has never dated publicly, though he has been linked to tennis player Phoebe Song, singer Grace Love, and British influencer Louisa Wright in recent years.
I burst out of my bedroom, phone in my hands. I’m not sure what I’m doing, I’m not sure what to say. Everything’s a rush of pain and anger. I don’t even know what’s happening until someone grabs me and pulls me into their arms.
My phone falls from my hands and clatters to the floor, but I can’t seem to bring myself to care. I sob into his shoulder.
‘I’m sorry.’ I heave the words out. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘It’s okay, Gabriel,’ Papa says, pulling me closer. Papa. Mypapais hugging me.
I try to pull away, but I can’t. He holds me closer, and I cry until it feels like I might throw up. Papa just holds me. I feel his hand rub my back, feel him stroke my hair.
When, after a few minutes, I’ve calmed to hiccups, he leans back to look at me.
‘I love you,’ he says, his tone even and sure, and everything shatters. Within a matter of moments, everything’s changed and nothing,nothing, will ever be the same again.
‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.’ I raise my hands to wipe at my face, but I can’t stop the tears. ‘What are we going to do?’
He leads me to the lounge suite and sits me down. Then, he retrieves my phone from the floor. His hands are shaking too.
‘I need you to bring Noah here now. Do you have his phone number?’
I nod and find it. ‘Can you talk to him?’
‘Put him on speaker,’ Papa says.
I call him, and the phone rings for two, three, four rings until—
‘Gabi?’ Noah answers sleepily. Good, maybe he hasn’t read anything.
‘I need you to come to my hotel,’ I say. ‘As soon as possible.’
‘I will meet you on the street,’ Papa says.
‘What?’ Noah mumbles. ‘What’s wrong? What’s happened?’
