Naked Hero - The Journey Away

“even though both of them are loathed to do so.”
    Lee flinched at her words then quickly recovered, and proceeded nonchalantly with the conversation. “Then it needs to come from Scott, but not until Lewis reaches the final. Not until after the match.”
    Marie was too astute not to have noticed Lee’s reaction to her words. She sensed the affection he obviously held, but refused for his own reasons to publicly acknowledge. Lee Porter was in his own way just as closeted as Scott Taylor. His mind, however, appeared set - and like Fiona, Marie was also wary of this man, so she decided to carry on with the current game plan rather than target a different conclusion.
    “You sound very confident that he’ll get to the final,” she said.
    “Yes, I am. Are you confident that you can convince Scott to open up to Lewis?”
    “No, but I can try,” said Marie, knowing this was the safer way to repay the debt that was owed to Lewis for all the support he had given during the last Wimbledon whilst demons tore him apart. If he genuinely wanted Scott Taylor, which had a ring of undeniable truth, then she would do her best to bring them together and at least give them a chance to work things out. Playing the same sort of game with Lee Porter as the outcome was a far more dangerous prospect, and one she would leave well alone.
    “The best time will be after the match tomorrow,” Marie continued, almost to herself. “I will speak to Scott then - or possibly the following morning. Yes, that might be better. I don’t think he would react well to a direct approach however. It would probably scare him off, just like the article. I need to consider this carefully. You will call me of course, if anything transpires to change your view?”
    “That’s not going to happen. We’re just friends, and that’s how it should be,” insisted Lee.
    He was probably right, but Marie wasn’t totally convinced. “What a shame,” she diplomatically replied. Complex relationships indeed! Oh the ecstasy of it all. Who would have guessed she would be having so much fun at a tennis tournament of all things?

Chapter 47
    Jim Murdoch was sitting at the table waiting on his breakfast arriving - a pile of newspapers lay unopened before him. His morning enjoyment in going through them had been diminished of late, given the off court coverage that Lewis had been getting. But today was different. Jim was looking forward to a leisurely hour of wallowing in their content. He decided to leave the Herald till last, despite his certainty that even they would struggle to spoil his morning. He started on a broadsheet for a serious review of the match which came under the headline:
    Macleod Stuns Gonzales!
    Jim could hardly read it. He just looked at it for a few minutes, allowing a grin to spread impossibly wide across his haggard face. He dabbed his eyes and cleared his vision then read on.
    Lewis Macleod ended his run of three successive defeats at the hands of Alberto Gonzales in spectacular fashion - treating the crowd at Melbourne Parks’ Hisense Arena to an exhibition of controlled aggression on his way to a 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 victory.
    The world No. 2 had no answer when confronted with a combination of spectacular all court tennis and tactical guile, which saw him repeatedly drawn into the net, only to be passed with blistering shots down the line.
    The pattern was set in the opening game when Macleod abandoned his normal net rushing tactics to stay back and contain Gonzales, choosing his moments to drop the ball short then strike out with his passing shots. He broke immediately, and took the first set without ever looking under threat on his own serve, employing the serve and volley tactics which saw him take the Wimbledon title two years ago.
    Gonzales had a chance to level the match at 5-4 in the second set, when Macleod gifted the Spaniard his only break point of the match with two double faults. The door was quickly closed, however, by an ace, then two further service winners. Gonzales’s frustration at the missed opportunity was evident in the next game as Macleod tested him yet again at the net by drawing him in. Two successive missed volleys at thirty all gave Macleod the break, which was comfortably converted with a love service game.
    Macleod ’s stranglehold on the match became complete as he raced to a 4-0 lead in the third set, before holding on to reach his second Grand Slam semi-final, where he will play Serge Livyenko of