39. Zeke
EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING, DAY SIX OF THE 2024 OLYMPICS
Zeke liked to think that he was a pretty smart guy.
His whole career revolved around strategy, looking at a situation, calculating the risks, and making bold decisions for a maximum payoff. When he’d come back from the kitchen earlier, he’d noticed Aditi and Haruki swapping phones as they talked about the outdoor cinema that they and Olivia were planning on going to on the weekend. So, in trying to solve the issue of having to tell Haruki the truth, he made a gamble.
“Haruki, truth or dare?” Zeke asked.
“Uh… dare,” Haruki said.
“I dare you to call the last number saved on your phone and… ask them out on a date,” Zeke said, certain that person was Aditi. He watched as Haruki picked up his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and pressed call. Zeke was proud of his strategy for exactly one second, because his gamble immediately revealed itself to have been a mistake.
First, he heard the dial-out sound on Haruki’s phone. Then he heard a phone vibrating from somewhere else in the room. But then he heard the ringtone. It was “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey.
“Oh, plot twist,” said Valentina, putting her head in her hands and watching the scene unfold like she was watching a TV show.
Zeke felt his stomach drop as he watched Olivia get up and walk around the room, hunting for the sound of Mariah’s high notes. Olivia picked up the phone as if everything was perfectly fine, and to her, it probably was.
“Hello?” she said, making a pantomime of acting like she hadn’t been expecting the call.
“Hey, it’s… Haruki,” he said, clearly a little bit embarrassed.
“Oh, Haruki from art class?” Olivia said, still playing along.
“Yeah, I was just wondering, do you want to go out on a date or something?” Haruki asked nervously. Zeke could feel the guilt rising up; he should have never postponed telling Haruki the truth. But now it was too late to stop the chaos unfolding before him.
“Well, you’ve just kissed my best friend,” said Olivia playfully.
“And it looked like a pretty good kiss,” added Valentina.
“What can I say, I’m a natural talent,” said Aditi.
“And I kissed your best friend yesterday,” said Olivia. Zeke held his breath as he and Olivia caught eyes for a second. “So maybe let’s just stick to Bend It Like Beckham.” Olivia was casual, completely unaware that, to Haruki, it wasn’t just a dare.
Zeke felt like he was watching a car crash in slow motion. Olivia, Valentina, and Aditi were completely oblivious to the parallel, silent conversation in the room. Zeke shuffled around until he was next to Haruki.
To someone who didn’t know him, the expression on Haruki’s face was blank. But to Zeke, who had known him for eight years, the emotion behind his eyes was crystal clear. Disappointment.
“Right,” said Haruki, as if confirming something he’d long suspected, but finally knew for sure.
“I can expla—” said Zeke, quiet enough for just the two of them to hear.
“No need,” said Haruki flatly.
But before Zeke could say anything else or try to explain, Valentina and Aditi pulled out a pack of Uno and decided to change the game. Zeke could sense the chill coming from his best friend. Haruki quickly went back to being his normal self, with the others. He seemed to be having a good time. But he refused to look at or even interact with Zeke. The only time he’d come close to acknowledging him was when he’d said, “Zeke plays to win, he doesn’t care about who he’ll hurt to get there.” It had definitely been a dig, not a joke. After two rounds of Uno, Olivia and Zeke both got kicked out for being really bad at the game and way too competitive. So, they got up to go and put the plates and takeaway boxes in the kitchen.
“I feel like our friends have formed an alliance against us,” said Zeke.
“They could tell that we were going to win,” said Olivia. “So, they tricked us into playing badly.”
“Did we trick you into playing badly, or have you just been bad at card games since we were five years old?” asked Aditi affectionately as she, Haruki, and Valentina came into the kitchen with the rest of the cups and plates.
“Maybe I’ve just been bad at card games since I was five years old,” Olivia laughed.
It was strange seeing her this relaxed, thought Zeke. He’d seen flickers of what Olivia was like when she was having fun or being playful, but here she seemed totally laid-back. Probably because she was with Aditi, who knew her well and loved her fiercely. Her demeanor reminded Zeke of how he felt when he was with his brothers, his teammates, and—up until tonight—Haruki. Who was still refusing to make eye contact with him.
“So, one of Aditi’s friends is throwing a party tonight,” said Valentina.
“It’s going to be so much fun!” said Aditi, nodding along.
“Isn’t it, like, two a.m.?” said Zeke, looking up at the clock on the kitchen wall.
“Okay, grandpa, the night is still young,” said Valentina, clearly excited about her spontaneous late-night plans. “And in case you forgot, I just won a gold Olympic medal,” she added as they all whooped for her.
“Thank you, thank you,” she said, taking a bow as they clapped. “This doesn’t happen every day, and I don’t have any other competitions to train for this summer. So I am going back out to celebrate,” she declared.
“Who’s coming with us?” said Aditi, throwing her hand in the air as if leading a crowd into a rally.
“You know I’d love to,” said Haruki, “but I have training first thing tomorrow morning and I should probably get some sleep.”
“Wise, but boring,” said Valentina. “Zeke? Olivia?”
“I also have training tomorrow,” said Zeke, “and a race in the afternoon.” He knew it would be irresponsible to party until the sun came out.
“So we can get a taxi back together? I’ll book it,” said Haruki, looking at Zeke for the first time since Truth or Dare.
But then Olivia glanced over at Zeke and Zeke looked back over at Olivia, a silent question and answer passing between them. The apartment was going to be empty for the rest of the night. And they weren’t in the Village.
“I think I’m going to stay in, I’m kind of tired,” said Olivia.
Zeke held his breath. “I’ll stay to… finish washing up,” he said. Looking at the sink and pile of dirty dishes.
“Are you sure?” Haruki said. Zeke glanced over at his best friend. He wore an emotionless expression and sounded like his usual self. But Zeke knew that if he studied Haruki for long enough, he’d be forced to do the right thing. So, he didn’t look.
“I’m sure,” Zeke said. He could feel the guilt rising up, but he pushed it down.
Valentina and Aditi said goodbye, promised to send Olivia photos of their night, and left through the front door, with Haruki trailing behind.
Zeke watched them go. When he turned around, Olivia was on the other side of the room looking out of the window. He walked over to see what she was looking at.
“That’s the Village over there,” she said, pointing out into the distance. Zeke looked through the window and saw it too. It was a few miles outside of the city, built in the countryside, but so bright and sprawling that it stood out on the skyline.
“It feels like the center of the universe when you’re in it, but from up here it’s just buildings and lights,” he said, pulling his eyes away from her for a moment as he looked at the stadium in awe.
“It is beautiful, though. Everything is from up here,” she said wistfully. “There’s the Acropolis up on that hill.”
The ancient ruins were illuminated with a golden light so majestic that it looked otherworldly. But it was Olivia that really took his breath away. She told him stories of the city with a wide-eyed wonder that made him want to see history through her eyes. Whenever she spoke about something she loved, Olivia was animated and unselfconscious. She told him about places she’d watched documentaries about and still wanted to visit, and Zeke could imagine nothing better than exploring with her. He marveled at the way she saw the world, how he felt whenever he was around her.
Zeke took in the way her face lit up and her eyes crinkled a little at the sides when she smiled. The way softness and edge converged in her facial features to create something that felt too delicate to hold. She had the kind of eyes that made him want to tell her all his secrets. He held her gaze for a moment, feeling the electricity between them crackling in the darkness, the magnetic force between them drawing him even closer.
Zeke was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded. Maybe it was the altitude. Maybe it was the intoxicating nature of summer nights. Or maybe it was just Olivia. Zeke knew for certain now: he was falling for her.
“I could finish those dishes?” he said, glancing over at the sink.
“You could. Or I could show you an even better view of Athens from the balcony,” she said, pausing for a moment. “In my bedroom?”