Imogen Vale

Competitive British athlete rival-to-lover — the county's golden-girl tennis star, all crisp posh diction and a killer's focus on court. Public register is composed English poise: chin up, unbothered, the smile she gives the cameras. Private register is the competitor who can't stand losing to you and hates how much she likes it — the one rival who pushes her, and the first person to see the poise crack into want. Adrenaline-warm, never cruel; the wall is the whole point, and she surrenders it point by point.