"Where are you taking me?" Valentina questioned, as she still felt the tug of Hazel's hands, leading her to somewhere she knew nothing of.

"Somewhere private." Hazel replied, leaving no place of hints nor clues for the younger girl. After two weeks of isolation and hard thinking, Hazel decided to finally accept the girl and who she was meant to play in her life, as her fiancée.

Approaching nearer, Valentina caught a glimpse of a gazebo in which was decorated with fairy lights that shone in the night sky. She noticed how white petalled flowers were displayed among the outer rim of the gazebo and how small roses where hidden within the white.

Hazel received the reaction she aimed for as she watched the younger girl's eyes slightly glisten at the sight. "I know we don't get along, but I wanted to dedicate this night to know you. You know, for the job."

Right, for the job, Valentina thought, why else was she here for, to mingle? No, she was only here for the money, so the least she could do was play the part of her fiancée. "Alright then, what do you wanna know first?"

"You tell me. What is it that people are drawn into you for?" Hazel suggested but could practically answer herself, her eyes. From times that Valentina wasn't looking, Hazel would find herself getting lost into the copper eyes of the younger girl, yet she also found herself drawn to the lips of the girl whenever she'd bite in whenever she was nervous.

"I guess my personality," Valentina replied, receiving a raised eyebrow from the older girl, she so began to elaborate her statement. "At times I'm too stubborn to realise my mistakes or when my grudges against people have gone far enough, but when I realise, I see the best of people."

Hazel was confused at first, yet she wanted to know what the girl meant. "Well, what do you see in me?"

Valentina finally looked at Hazel genuinely, gazing into the eyes of a green-eyed lifeless soul that had no one to call home. "Something."

"Something? Is that good or..." The blonde chuckled as she trailed off, accidentally catching herself hypnotised by the brunette's orbs.

"You'll see when I finally figure you out." Valentina also replied with a small laugh, showing her pearly whites in the process. It was true that she saw something in Hazel, but she only saw the surface of her, not what was below all the walls she put up in an effort to isolate herself.

This was the beginning of a friendship between the two opposites. Neither of them knew each other prior, but tonight was the night that the duo would let the other in. Tonight was reserved for a blossoming friendship, one that would obviously be professional, but they didn't know what was in for them in the future.

••••

One week later

"Tennis, really?" Hazel complained, dreading the activity even though she was a natural at it.

"Stop whining and get ready, this time I'll beat you... fairly." Teagan replied as she pushed her younger sister towards her door. "Get that fiancée of yours ready too, I'll whoop both of your asses."

"Language." Their mother said as she strutted passed them, catching sight of her daughters' conversation. "Play fairly girls, especially you Teagan."

In return, the older sister pouted at her mother's warning, even though she knew she played dirty when things weren't going her way. "You're coming to mother, don't try to slither your way out of this one." Teagan remarked, receiving an eye roll from her mother as she watched her disappear through the master bedroom.

And with that, both daughters walked away towards their bedroom, preparing for a day that began with a challenge.

••••

"I fucking hate this." Valentina spat as she already felt the sun pierce her skin, causing her to put on her visor. "Do we have to play?"

Hazel looked at Valentina and what she wore for the event, a tight tennis skirt, which hugged her waist perfectly, reflecting her bountiful curves and a loose top that flowed in the direction of the slight breeze. Altogether, it was suitable for the purpose of tennis, but as much as she wanted to deny it, Hazel found herself looking mainly at Valentina's shorts, despite the many tomes she retracted them.

"If I'm doing it, you are. I'm not suffering alone." Hazel replied as she began to bounce the ball a couple of times. From her side view, she saw Valentina slightly bend and widen her stance, she smirked at her readiness and hit the ball in her hand.

The ball flew back abruptly towards Valentina's direction, she saw this and launched it back in the right-hand corner, causing Mia to stumble back and hit it back just as viciously.

This continued for more rounds until the points were tied and both Mia and Valentina were too exhausted to continue further, leaving the two sisters to finish the duel.

"Are they always this... competitive?" Valentina groaned as she caught her breath, sipping on the cold bottled water that she brought along for her sake. She watched as the two battled it out, leaving no room for mercy nor pity.

"They've always been like that, especially Hazel. She got her competitiveness from her father, while Teagan got her tolerance from me." Mia explained as she too viewed the grunts and noise the ball made when it bounced off the racket aggressively. "I just wish Hazel didn't get her stubbornness from me."

"Why is that?" Valentina asked as she turned to face the woman, yet she saw her eyes were fixated on her shoes rather than the girl's face.

"Well, Hazel doesn't like she admit things easily, not even to me. She's very private about her life and that's what concerns me, she doesn't let me in, and it scares me that she's dealing with her demons by herself. And when she's stubborn, she does idiotic things that end up hurting her mentally or physically, or both at times. I just don't know how to handle her." Mia confessed as she too reflected on her behaviour before she grew up, knowing that Hazel reminded her of herself.

Valentina saw the guilt in the eyes of Mia, she felt it too. Sometimes, she wished that if she pushed herself to make sure her brother was okay then maybe, he wouldn't have done those things. Instead of feeling pitiful, she felt sympathetic. "Hazel's not what I expected." Valentina murmured, telling somewhat of the truth as she reflected on the prior days of the hot-and-cold behaviour Hazel displayed to her. "But I'm glad that I stuck around, she's worth it."

As she finished, they heard a loud curse that came from the court, looking abruptly, they saw non-other than Hazel on the ground, clutching her knee as glimpses of blood poured out from the wound. The two women rushed to the girl, and so did Teagan.