Chapter 21
Bash
“Shh!” Bash hissed, waving a hand at the crowd gathered in his apartment. “The ceremony is starting.”
Bash sat on the couch with Robbie and Clarisse, who had spent the first half hour interrogating him over the NBC anchors’ commentary of the games.
“How are things with you and Adonis?”
“Do you actually like him?”
“Have you told him how you feel?”
“How do you feel?”
“Wait, how does he feel?”
“He likes him, duh.”
“Well, duh.”
Bash had rolled his eyes, but secretly enjoyed how invested Robbie and Clarisse were. It was nice knowing that, if there were a world where he and Adonis could be a couple, their friends would approve.
The crowded teammates weren’t getting any quieter, and finally, Bash stood up on the couch, braced by Robbie’s hands on his ankles. “OY!” he shouted. “SHUT UP AND WATCH THE TV, OR PLEASE LEAVE.”
Everyone shut up and watched the TV.
The opening ceremony was, as was expected, a gorgeous spectacle. When Team USA appeared, Bash once again shushed everyone in the apartment. The camera briefly focused on Adonis’s face, walking jauntily with the rest of the team in their smart uniforms. Adonis was grinning widely, his eyes bright.
Clarisse leaned across Robbie to squeeze Bash’s arm. “You have heart eyes,” she said with a delighted smile. “And it’s adorable.”
“I do not have heart eyes.”
“You absolutely do,” Robbie said in solemn agreement.
“Fuck off,” Bash said jovially, and his friends laughed.
When the ceremony finally finished, the guests in Bash’s apartment began to disperse.
Some of them sat at the bar or at the kitchen table, picking at their snacks and continuing their conversations.
Some said goodbye, disappearing into the cold afternoon.
Robbie and Clarisse began to clean up, and Bash waved at them to stop that. He would take care of it.
“I’m going to call Adonis,” he whispered to Clarisse. “Do you want to talk to him?”
“I’ll talk to him later,” she said with a small smile. “You enjoy talking to him.”
Bash threw on a coat and went outside into the snowy afternoon.
The sky was pure white, and there were several inches of snow on the ground.
Light flurries fell, giving the landscape a soft effect.
From Bash’s apartment, he could see just the edges of Bellford’s main campus. In the snow, it was harder to see.
He opened Adonis’s contact on his phone and called him.
It took several rings, but Adonis picked up. He sounded breathless. “Hey!” he said.
“Hey, TV star,” Bash said. “How is it being famous?”
Adonis, on the other side of the world, laughed. “I’m hardly famous.”
“I would say you are. I just saw your face on my TV.”
“How did I look?”
“Very handsome.”
“You’re too kind.”
“I only speak the truth. How is it going over there?”
“The other athletes are a lot nicer than I expected. I don’t think I needed to be as worried as I was.”
“That is a good lesson for all of us, at all times.”
“It is, isn’t it.”
“How’s the village?”
“It’s fine. It feels a lot like being in a dormitory, again. It’s not as comfortable as your apartment.”
“It would be hard to be that comfortable.”
“I wish you were here.”
“I do, too,” Bash said. “I miss you.”
“And I miss you.”
“When is your first event?”
“Not until next week. I’ll spend this week getting ready, maintaining my strength and flexibility. Nothing too hard. I don’t want to risk injury before the competition.”
“That’s smart. Will you get to do any sightseeing?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve become friends with a couple of the skiers, and we’re going to tour Milan on our days off.” Then he laughed. “It’s weird. It’s almost like I’m becoming famous. I’ve gotten thousands of followers on social media since Team USA posted my photo.”
“I’m not surprised. A gorgeous young athlete. Who wouldn’t want to follow you?”
“Anamária said that a bunch of brands have been reaching out about deals and sponsorships. She’s losing her head thinking about everything I can do after the Olympics.”
“With skating?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you told her about your law school plans?”
“Not yet. I’m still waiting to hear back from schools.”
“I think she’ll be proud of you, no matter what you decide.”
“I hope you’re right about that.”
“I’m definitely right about that.”
“How are things back at Bellford?”
“Very boring without you here.”
“How’s hockey going?”
“Again, boring without you here.”
Another laugh from Adonis. “I’m a very small part of your hockey career, Bash.”
“I know.” Bash pouted. “But I do not like playing without my fan section.”
“Is that me?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m honored.”
Bash’s phone beeped. He looked at it. Another call was incoming, this one from Lotte. He sent her to voicemail.
“Everything okay?” Adonis said.
“Just got a call from Lotte. It’s probably nothing.”
His phone beeped again. Once again, Lotte was calling.
“Actually,” Bash said, “she just called a second time.”
“Maybe you should take it. I’ll talk to you later!”
“Don’t forget about me,” Bash joked.
“I never could.”
Bash wanted to stay on the phone with Adonis, talking of everything and nothing, but whatever Lotte was calling about seemed urgent.
He answered with a, “Lotte, wat is er aan de hand?” Lotte, what’s going on?
On the other side of the Atlantic, Lotte’s voice was shaky. “Bash, where are you?”
“At Bellford. I was just watching the Olympic opening ceremony. What’s going on?”
Lotte took a shaky breath. “Bash, it’s Dad. It’s bad. You need to come home. He had another heart attack, a really bad one, and the doctors don’t think he’s going to make it.”