Appetite (Chapter 6)
Title: Appetite
Pairing: Rafael Nadal/Novak Djokovic
Other characters: David Ferrer, Andy Roddick
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and this is a fiction.
Summary: The Mallorcan residents fly to New York and Rafael realizes that Novak looks much happier.
From the previous chapter:
Novak had found himself waking up on Rafael’s fishing boat, in the middle of the sea, and had gone to see a doctor with his boyfriend. The doctor’s diagnosis was that he was lonely, and Rafael was determined to change that.
Chapter 6: Happy New York
The four Mallorcan residents -Rafael, Novak, Carlos and David- were headed for New York in Rafael’s jet. While Carlos and David were sleeping like babies with eye masks on, Rafael and Novak were chattering in the back.
“Ah, the sweet comfort of a private jet. Ah…” Novak rubbed his cheek against the soft surface of the seat and stretched out his legs.
Rafael shook his head. “This cost me a fortune, no? If only you hadn’t seduced me that night…”
“Hey, do I detect a hint of regret in your voice?” Novak put his hands on his hips. “I thought that was our best night so far.”
Rafael thought for a moment. “Yes, that’s true. It was worth a jet.”
“Thank you!”
Novak put his hands down and pulled out a bag of strawberries from his suitcase.
“Another privilege of flying in a jet. We can eat whatever we want.” The Serb grinned while the Spaniard’s eyes grew wide.
“Did you rob his backyard? If you take that much, what does he eat?”
“I didn’t rob anything. He was just generous and gave me this much.”
Novak shrugged and held out one strawberry. “You want one?”
“You’re giving me only one when you have that many?” The Spaniard asked in disbelief.
“Hey, relax. I can give you a few more if you want.”
Rafael’s jaw dropped and Novak kindly pushed the strawberry into the open mouth. “There you go.”
After having a hard time recovering from his boyfriend’s selfishness, the Spaniard watched him happily eat the strawberries one by one.
“Maybe you should shoot a food commercial, no? I’m sure they’ll love it.”
“Yeah, I think I could nail it. I wonder why nobody asks me. Maybe they think that I don’t like eating. I’m a little thin, you know.”
Rafael couldn’t have snorted any louder.
“What? What was that?” Novak looked up from his strawberries.
Rafael poked the Serb in the belly. “Does Serbia know that they’ve got a new hill down here?”
“Hey, don’t poke me like that. You’re hurting my ego. And, I still don’t look that bad.”
Rafael knew better than to argue with a hungry Novak, so he just left him with his strawberries and put on his headphones.
‘Ah, music is always relaxing. I should wait to ask until he’s full and happy, no?’
He listened to some slow music and looked out the window. The clouds were so close and so real, spread like a cotton sheet below him.
He enjoyed watching the clouds for a while until he saw a big jar of Nutella in the corner of his eye.
‘Oh my, this is not good. The first thing I should do when we land is to eat some Nutella.’
The Spaniard shut the window cover and turned to his right. His boy was just finishing the last two of his many strawberries.
‘Wow, that was fast. He might make it to the Guinness Book.’
Rafael chuckled a little and studied the younger guy’s face. He looked satisfied enough to have a proper conversation.
“Novak, I have something to tell you.”
“Go ahead.” The Serb patted his belly in satisfaction.
“I want to play doubles in the Open.”
“You’re serious? I thought that you were tired. And, didn’t you say that you had a problem with your left foot?”
“Nah, that’s nothing. I’m fine.” Rafael answered, moving his left toes inside the slippers.
“Okay. Who are you playing with?”
As Rafael didn’t answer and just looked at him, Novak realized what this was about.
“You’re kidding, right? People are already on to us. If we play together, it would be like adding fuel to the fire. Plus, did you even check my doubles record?”
“Records don’t matter to me. I just want to play with you. And, it’s not like we’re going to make out during the changeover, so I don’t see people getting any more suspicious. They already believe what they want to believe, so this won’t change anything.”
Novak thought about it. He had to admit that he liked the idea. It was one of his dreams. He had always envied those who signed up for doubles either with their boyfriend or girlfriend.
“What happens if we win and I hug you too tight?” He asked.
“Then I’ll hug you back.” Rafael answered, putting his headphones back in his bag.
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Nothing will happen, no? Look at Feli and Nando. They live together, play together, and grope each other on court, but nobody really pays too much attention.”
“I hate to tell you this, but we’re ranked much higher, and you’ve just become the new number one. Practically all eyes are on you these days, Rafa.” Novak pointed out.
“You don’t want people to know about us? You already know that I won’t mind.”
The Serb let out a sigh and got closer to his boyfriend so that he could rest his head on the warm chest.
“I’m just worried about the consequences. I already have some problems in my game lately. If they ever find out, people might think that I should play much better if I’m sleeping with you.” He giggled at the end.
“They’ll talk about us until the day we retire and probably even after that. So maybe we should just do what we want to do.”
“So that’s why you want to play with me or did the doctor advise you to do so?” The younger player started playing with the hem of the older one’s T-shirt.
“I just want to play with you.”
“Really? The doctor didn’t advise you anything about doing more outdoor activities with me? Hmm…” Novak asked suspiciously.
“Well, if I wanted to follow the doctor’s advice, I would’ve asked you if we could play an exhibition match together. What do you say to that idea?”
Novak liked that idea very much. “When? Where?”
“Off season. Your country.”
“Really? You would do that? I’d love to play with you in my home country!”
Rafael got a kiss on the neck and a few more on his face.
“I’ll talk to my manager and let’s see what he can do. And, I’ll think about the doubles.”
“Please try to think about it in a good way.”
“Okay. I’ll try. And, thanks for asking, Rafa. It really means a lot.”
Rafael hugged the boy who clung to him tighter and laid his hand on the spiky hair. “Just to help you decide, I am a very good doubles player. I’ve got four doubles trophies and one is from a very important Masters Series, very important.”
“Haha, I am aware of that. You got that in Monte Carlo.”
“Yes, so very good result this year, no?”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind. Let’s get some sleep now.”
“Okay. Try to dream about us playing together. You’re serving at the baseline and I’m at the net trying to play a good volley.”
Novak let out a laugh at his boyfriend’s unwillingness to drop the issue. “Okay, I get it. It’s going to be awesome if we play together. I promise that I’ll think about it in a good way.”
He wrapped them with a big blanket and put his head back on its favorite place.
“Remember, four shiny trophies. And I’ve even got some shiny runne… Ah!”
Rafael closed his mouth as he got poked in the ribs. He placed a kiss on his boyfriend’s head and closed his eyes before drifting off to sleep.
As soon as they had landed, Rafael had gone straight to a supermarket to buy himself a couple of Nutellas while Novak had followed him, constantly talking on the phone.
They were just going inside the hotel when a little girl tugged at Novak’s pants.
“Yes, sweetie, what can I do for you?”
Her mother explained that it would be very nice if he could sign her cap. So Novak gladly signed it while Rafael stood beside him.
The little girl tugged at the Spaniard’s jeans this time.
“Can I give him a kiss?”
All three grown-ups looked at the little girl and Novak was the first to break into laughter.
“Why are you asking him, sweetie? Of course, I’ll be happy if I can get a kiss from such a pretty princess.”
The Serb lowered his face so she could kiss him on the cheek. But the girl still looked up at Rafael, waiting for an answer.
“Ah… sure.” The Spaniard scratched the back of his neck and saw the girl give a peck on his boyfriend’s cheek.
“I have a boyfriend too.” The girl whispered in Novak’s ears before giggling and walking away with her mother.
“What was that?” Rafael asked, heading for the elevator.
Novak smiled and shook his head. “I guess we’re that obvious.”
He walked into the elevator and pressed the button to their floor.
Once they went inside their room, Rafael could definitely feel how much the air around his boyfriend had changed. He had already suspected it from the supermarket.
“You seem to be in a much better mood, no?” The Spaniard spoke as he put down his bags.
“Well, I love New York and I get to meet my friends on tour! I even have some fans here, as we just saw.” Novak chuckled, pouring two glasses of water.
“Good to see you smile widely.” Rafael drank his water, clearly sensing that his boyfriend was more alive.
“Yeah, it’s so good to be here.” Novak put up yet another bright smile as he heard his cell phone go off.
Soon after, the Spaniard could hear a very excited voice.
“Ernie! Yes, we just checked in. Really? Sure, I’d love to! I’ll be there in half an hour. Great! I’ll meet you there.”
The Serb quickly changed his clothes, not paying attention to the pair of eyes that were busy roaming over his body.
“I’m going out, Rafa! See you later!” Novak yanked the door open and Rafael had to shout at his back.
“Don’t be late for the players’ party!”
“Okay! See you there!”
Novak ran out of the room and Rafael sat on the bed, feeling a little bit strange. He pulled out his observation journal and picked up a pen from the nightstand.
4:00PM
Subject became very happy as we landed in New York. Earlier, he had chatted with the cashier at the supermarket and the taxi driver without even breathing. Maybe the doctor was right. He can speak English well enough to enjoy his stay here and he went out to see his childhood friend without even hugging me. He always hugs me or kisses me before he goes out, but it is still good to see him happy.
I asked him to play an exhibition match in his country and he liked the idea very much, so maybe the doctor was also right when he said that the subject was homesick. I asked him to play doubles with me too but didn’t get the answer yet. We’ll see.
The players’ party was fun and packed with players and guests as usual. Rafael was a little sad that his boyfriend didn’t come to talk to him but he knew that the twenty-one year old preferred to stay apart when they were on the radar screen of the press. He could have always walked over himself and greet him in an appropriately friendly way, but apparently, becoming number one meant that more people wanted to chat with him.
He was listening to whatever the important old guy was telling him and nodded a few times, stealing quick glances at the bouncy spiky head every now and then. Novak was busy eating, taking pictures and chatting with friends that must have told him some very funny stories because he was laughing to the point that his eyes were almost invisible.
‘I miss the days when he laughed that much, no? These days, he usually laughs very quickly, only for a short time. Not the same laugh anymore.’
They had only been on the American soil for less than a day and Rafael was amazed at how different his boyfriend looked like. That was the boy that had captured his heart in last year’s Indian Wells. That was the boy that had troubled his lonely nights.
‘I started loving him because of that, no? Not too many people still know how to laugh when they get past adolescence.’
Rafael thought of the days when he had lost an important match or felt unusually down and how every single time a happy laughter from his boy had made him smile again.
‘Ah, good old times.’
Rafael nodded once more towards the old guy and spotted Novak heading for the restroom.
“Would you please excuse me for a second?”
He left his glass on one of the tables and quickly made his way to join his boyfriend.
Novak was washing his hands as the Spaniard walked in.
“I hope you came in here for innocent reasons.” Novak turned off the tap.
“I just want an innocent kiss.” Rafael grinned and dragged his boyfriend into a stall.
“Rafa! If you want a kiss, we can do that near the sink. Obviously, you want more than that. But unfortunately, you’re only going to get a kiss because I’ve got friends out there waiting for me.”
Novak gave the Spaniard a quick peck on the lips but of course, Rafael had to deepen it in a flash. Novak was trying hard not to get into the kiss too much when he heard the door open and close. Someone had just walked in.
Both of them held their breaths and pricked up their ears.
“Look, I don’t want to know what you guys are doing in there. I’ll just wash my hands and get out of your way. Then, we won’t have to deal with an embarrassing situation, all right?”
Novak giggled, “Hi, Andy.”
“Novak?” The American recognized the foreign accent.
“Nice to see you.” The Serb answered.
“Well, technically, you can’t see me.”
Novak opened the door and came out of the stall.
“Hmm… how surprising. You look decent… yet.” Andy observed.
“Haha, yes. And I’m planning to get out of here still looking decent.” Novak washed his hands, pretending that he couldn’t see the dissatisfaction on his boyfriend’s face.
Andy patted Rafael on the arm before leaving. “Man, I feel for you. And I never thought that I’d be saying this.”
Novak burst out into laughter and turned around to face a grumpy Spaniard.
“What?” Rafael asked, unhappy about how things have been in the restroom.
“The answer is yes.”
“What answer is yes?” He asked in an indifferent tone.
“Yes, I will play doubles with you.” Novak smiled one of his brightest smiles.
“Good decision. But what changed your mind?”
“If even a seven year old girl can see that we’re together, I think playing doubles with you won’t change things that much.”
“That’s what I told you. And don’t worry. People will have to focus more on our tennis because we’ll play very good.”
“I’m warning you. I’ve never done particularly well in doubles.”
“I know. But it will be different this time. With our level of tennis and love, we’re almost unbeatable, no?”
“Well, it could be a disaster, you know. I could always accidentally hit you with my racquet or you could always step on my foot.”
Rafael made a face and Novak chuckled. “I’m kidding. We’ll make sure that no one picks up an injury.”
“That’s right. And we should celebrate this in a proper way.” Rafael grabbed one of the Serb’s hands and started kissing his fingers.
“You can have a very one-sided mind, do you know that?”
“What a nice thing to say to your own boyfriend.” Rafael answered and quickly locked the door before pulling his boy back into the stall.
He immediately got down to touch some skin and was satisfied that the Serb seemed to approve his idea.
Things got heated in a heartbeat as they usually did, and Novak was just about to return the favor when they heard someone tug at the doorknob.
“Excuse me! The door is locked!”
Someone shouted and Rafael recognized the familiar voice.
“Ferru, come back later!”
“Rafa? Why is the door closed? You’re not stuck in there, no?”
“Ferru, go away!”
“But I want to use the toilet!!”
“Use the girls’ room!”
“What is going on in there?”
Rafael knew that his best friend wouldn’t give up until he told him the truth.
“I’m trying to have sex in here, god, Ferru!!”
David blinked his eyes and soon, his face was flushed.
“Oh! Sorry!! When can I come back?”
“Ferru, just go away!! Ah… Novak! Stop doing that! Not now!”
David pounded on the door with more intensity. “Rafa? When? I need to know!!”
“Give us ten minutes!... Nole!”
“Okay! I come back in ten minutes!” David shouted and ran away. He needed a strong drink to get his best friend’s moans out of his head.
‘Eek, I might need therapy, no? Eek!!’
He ran even faster to the nearest waiter that he could find.