Chapter 26 Laney
Chapter twenty-six
Laney
I can make most of that sound sexual.
"Holy shit!" I gasp as an attendant wraps a blanket around my shoulders. "Holy crap."
I just ran the best race of my entire life.
Beat my Personal Record by nine whole minutes.
Nine fucking minutes!
Did I miss a mile on the course? Accidentally violate the rules by skipping ahead? I don't think I did but there's no way I was able to take that much time off my pace.
"Laney!" I turn to see Miguel moving towards me. The smile on his face is infectious and I find mine growing wider as he gets closer.
He wraps me up in a hug and spins me around. We're both laughing and when he sets me down he says, "Great race, Laney!"
"Thank you," I say, almost bashful under his praise. It felt so good to see him at different spots throughout the race. He was exactly where I needed him to be. "And, was that Dee out there with the You’re running better than the government sign?"
He laughs. "It was. She drove in yesterday. She was a little further back from where I was standing at the finish so she’ll be here soon."
"I can’t believe you got her to surprise me down here."
"It didn’t take much, she wants to support you. We all do."
"All?" I raise my eyebrows and dart my gaze down to his groin.
"Yes, all." He rolls his eyes but I see him fighting the smile.
"Laney!! Are you dead?" Dee comes crashing into the finishing area, her sign wobbling at her knees as she tries to run with it.
I laugh. "Not dead, but close."
We wrap each other in a hug. I had no idea how good it would feel to have people in the crowd there just for me. Dee was there when I didn’t finish in Chicago last year, and since then I felt like I needed to prove I could do it alone.
"What do you do post game?" She asks with a smile.
I look at Miguel.
"Gross." Dee rolls her eyes.
"No, she has to eat, stretch, gather her equipment, and then back at the hotel she’ll need to shower and do the foam roller." Miguel tells her.
"Oddly, I can make most of that sound sexual." Dee says.
"You need to get your mind out of the gutter or get some." I say, as I roll out my ankles after Miguel takes my shoes off. The promise of slipping into my post-race crocs is maybe the only thing I can get excited about when it comes to my body right now.
"Noted."
"Where do you think I should sit and wait for the sponsors to come up to me?" I say it with a hint of humor but I couldn't be more serious. If today’s performance doesn’t have them knocking down my door I don’t know what will.
Miguel's jaw twitches. His forehead pinches too and I feel the anger rolling off his shoulders but I don’t get a chance to question it.
"They'll find you, maybe not here exactly but if they want to sign you they'll find a way to get in touch." He says coolly.
"They have to want to sign me though, right? I mean, that was incredible." And then a thought hits me. What if I was too good? What if they think I've peaked?
"It was incredible. And it was amazing to watch." He reassures me.
"Yeah girl, super inspiring." Dee adds.
"C’mon let’s get your things and get back to the room." Miguel says and Dee nods.
I follow them as we work our way back to the T1 area first and Miguel puts my goggles and swim cap into my canvas bag. Then at T2 he hands Dee the bag where she tosses my shoes and helmet inside and he wheels my bike down the aisle.
On our way to the parking lot, a reporter stopped me to ask a few questions. I barely remember what I said.
I’m crashing. Maybe I pushed myself too hard. I’m exhausted and can barely stand. My stomach is empty, and a little sour from just gels throughout the day. I don’t feel as sick as I did in Chattanooga. Already, my body has started to adjust to this level of effort.
"C’mon Laney, let’s get you back to the room." Miguel says, looping an arm around my waist and handing me an electrolyte drink.
"I’ll run out and grab dinner." Dee says to us. I nod. "I’ll meet you at your room in like an hour?"
"That works." Miguel says and he helps load me into the truck then he and Dee put everything in the back.
"Hey, you did amazing." Dee says through the open window.
"Thanks Dee, I’m really happy you’re here." I say without much excitement in my voice. "I’m just so tired."
"Really? Why?" Dee cracks a smile wide and I exhale the hint of a laugh for her. "See you in an hour."
"Kay."
"Ready?" Miguel asks as he starts the truck.
"To collapse? Yeah. So ready."
"You’re too hot." Miguel says from the side of the bed. I know he’s talking about my core body temperature that is too elevated following the race, the opposite of our first training session together.
But I’m still me, so I choose to interpret his comment in my own way.
"That sounds like a you problem." I mumble into the comforter.
"Laney, I promise this will feel good."
"But I have to stand. I don’t want to stand.
" I whine as I lay prone on the end of the bed. When I stumbled into the room, I face planted and I’ve stayed there since.
Miguel, fondly known as my tormentor, wants me to take a cold shower.
I understand the merits of the idea. It’ll help reduce inflammation and swelling, it can help numb the pain I am feeling from head to toe. I even understand the hygienic value.
But I physically can’t get my legs to move.
"Alright, here we go." Miguel grunts as he rolls me over and scoops me up into a bridal carry. "The water is already going."
"All I can do is stand there." I warn.
"That’s just fine Princess, I’ll take care of you."
Miguel sets me down on the counter in the bathroom and pulls my shirt and sports bra from my body. I slump a little without the restrictive fabric against the girls. He guides me gently to my feet and then rolls my shorts down my legs and lifts each ankle in turn to take them off.
He is using the most gentle, tender, loving touches, and it’s only making my muscles weaker.
"C’mon." He says as he takes my hand and guides me to the shower. I step in and the cold water hits my chest.
"Fuck, why do I like this?" I say as I lean into the water pressure.
I glance over my shoulder and catch Miguel taking off his clothes and stepping in behind me. His hands find my shoulders and he spins me so the water hits my back.
I become putty in his hands as his fingers massage the shampoo into my scalp. He moves my head to the right and the left to rinse the lather and I blink open my eyes to watch him concentrate on his task.
My body is wet, soapy, and inches from him but his touch isn’t sexual.
It’s intimate.
And nurturing.
"Thank you." I whisper and his eyes leave my hair and meet mine.
"For what?"
"This." I place my hands on his chest. His heart hammers below my palm. "For all the training, for the meal prep, and for having my best interests in mind."
He swallows as his hands swipe down my hair to bracket my waist. "You’re welcome, Laney."
"I ran a good race today." I say, the realization of what I accomplished actually setting in.
"You ran an outstanding race today." Miguel says as he rinses out the conditioner and finger combs my hair.
"Sponsors have got to want me. Like right? They can’t ignore a result like that."
Miguel is quiet as he pumps some body wash into his hands. He rubs them together and he turns me away from him. His firm touch soothes my overtired muscles along my shoulders, back, ass, and legs. Goosebumps erupt under the warm feel of his hands and I’m ready to curl up beside him and rest.
"The right sponsor will find you." He finally says.
"Soon. The right sponsor will find me soon." I say as he turns my body to rinse. He keeps me under the water and reaches out for a towel.
We switch places and he wraps me up and then I wait, leaning against the counter while he washes himself quickly.
"Why are you in such a rush?" He asks as he wraps a towel around his waist and turns off the water.
Dad’s deadline is looming and I don’t trust myself to continue if I miss it. I can’t stand the idea of letting him down again. Of having wasted these last three years for nothing.
I turn away from Miguel and stare into the hotel room sink, not daring to check for his eyes in the mirror.
"I want to be good enough." I whisper the words I’ve never said out loud before.
"Good enough for who?" Miguel asks and I feel him start to section my hair into threes for a braid.
"For everyone." I shrug.
"You’re better than everyone. If you had your pro card and ran with the elites, you would have finished first overall today. Dee was there to cheer you on. I was there to cheer you on."
"Yeah but I’m putting all this time into training and it’s not paying off!" My frustration rises and my mother’s frustration over race costs and training hours echoes in my head.
Dad was always gone for long runs on nights and weekends. And while he rarely took work off for races or training, he did spend a lot of time away from her. She was left with the chores, and the homework help, and the responsibilities.
And then I went and tried to be just like my dad, the Olympic silver medalist.
"It is absolutely paying off. You did the fucking impossible today." Miguel turns me and holds my shoulders. The look in his eyes is fiery like he wants to either shake the sense into me or kiss me until we’re both senseless. "Laney, baby, you caught the group ahead of you. That doesn’t happen. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it happen. "
"So why isn’t anyone calling to sponsor me!"
"Honestly? They’re probably trying to figure out where the hell you came from. They’re probably reviewing race footage of you today. They’re probably putting together offers." His fingers release me and he steps back. "I still don’t understand why it’s so important to get a sponsorship."
"It makes me legitimate, alright?" I raise my voice at him. "It proves I’m good enough. It proves racing is worth it."
The words fall from my lips and I freeze.
Miguel’s face is fractured with the pain I’m throwing at him.