Chapter 25 Ari #2
They immediately got swept up in the excitement of the crowd as they bought Olympic merch, convinced themselves that foam fingers were essential to the viewing experience, and laughed their way toward their seats.
“I think we should start a wave. If I stand up, will you join in?” asked Izzy.
Ari opened her mouth to reply but it turned out that Izzy didn’t need much convincing.
She was having the time of her life. Izzy just stood up, threw her hands in the air, and watched with glee as the rest of their row followed along and sent a wave of arms and cheers circling around the arena.
Ari was having a good time until she glanced over and caught sight of the one person she didn’t want to see.
Harrison. He hadn’t noticed her, but seeing him made her feel uneasy.
So, she stood up, looking for an excuse to change seats so that she wouldn’t be in his direct line of sight for the rest of the game.
“Does anyone want a snack?” Ari asked, performing cheerfulness. She’d made it her responsibility to make sure everyone was fed, hydrated, and happy.
“A healthy snack, or a thank you for working so hard today yes you can have a cheat meal snack?” Izzy asked with a conspiratorial smile.
The team looked over at Ari. She’d been all business all day, trying her best to be firm with them.
But when she saw the hopeful expressions on their faces, she relented.
One cone of fries wasn’t going to make everything fall apart.
Being captain, she decided, was about balancing discipline with morale, so she nodded and agreed.
Everyone immediately headed over to the food stalls.
Ari was looking through the smoothie options when she saw a familiar figure weaving his way through the crowds with a camera around his neck.
She liked seeing Drew in his natural habitat.
He seemed completely at ease when he was talking to people and taking photos.
She watched from a distance as he photographed a group of athletes warming up on the ice, then smiled as she saw them laughing at some joke he’d told them that she couldn’t hear.
She could understand why each person he interacted with seemed so comfortable around him.
In a world where photographers and journalists could be intrusive and push too hard, Drew had a way of making everyone feel like they were already friends.
He was safe, personable, and open. The complete opposite of the type of guy Ari usually went for.
But every time she saw him, she wanted to lean in.
So, when he walked over and pulled her into a hug, she did. Relaxing as she settled into his arms. There it was again, that combination of firewood, fresh laundry, and warm, musky cologne. She held on until he let go.
“I thought you were spending the day doing an extreme team bonding session.”
“Oh, I am. Hot dogs and slushies are essential to making sure the rest of the team doesn’t turn against me,” she joked.
“So you and your friends fixed things?”
Ari looked over at the group of girls congregated next to the hot dog stand.
They’d been deep in conversation the last time she’d seen them, but now they were looking over at her and Drew with curious eyes.
Ari watched as Izzy gave her a knowing look, and all of her friends began to walk over. She needed to act fast.
“I told them about you, well, the fake version. Can you…” but she didn’t need to ask. Drew was already draping his arm around her shoulders. Ari tried not to like it too much.
“You must be Drew.” Izzy was carrying an unnaturally blue slushie that would never pass the nutrition test. Ari let it slide.
“The one who’s had her smiling down at her phone all week?
” Yasmeen asked. Ari wanted to object. While she definitely did light up each time she saw a message from Drew, she didn’t want him to think that she had a crush on him or anything.
But then she remembered the arm around her shoulders.
Making this seem convincing was the whole point.
“You’re cute together.” Yasmeen was being friendly, but Ari could see the long, hard look she was giving Drew.
She was the one who tried to get a read on the guys her friends were dating.
And after Harrison, she knew that it was going to take a lot to convince her friends that the next guy she’d chosen was good for her, but Drew made it easy.
“She’s cute, I’m just happy to be here,” he joked. Yasmeen cracked a smile, a real one this time.
“Let me guess: Izzy, Yasmeen, and Sienna?” he said, correctly matching the descriptions she’d given him of each of her friends. “She’s told me so much about you,” he said with that friendly, golden retriever smile. “Let me get a photo of all of you, something for the photo diary.”
Ari got into the frame and posed with her friends as Drew took photos.
But she couldn’t focus on the lens because her attention kept drifting back to him.
To how focused he looked with a camera in front of his face and the light-hearted jokes he made with her teammates.
He slipped into her life with ease, as if he’d known her friends for years, not seconds.
“Are you working the rest of the game?” Izzy asked once he was done.
“No, but I was going to edit some photos,” he said, looping his camera strap back around his neck.
“Come and sit with us,” Izzy said as the other girls nodded along. “There’s a spare seat at the end of our row, and I know she’s not saying anything but it’s obvious Ari wants to hang out with you,” Izzy continued, throwing her a knowing glance.
“I don’t want to gate-crash,” Drew said, looking over at Ari, scanning her expression for an answer.
“You wanted candids with Ari and the rest of us, right?” Yasmeen asked, never one to miss an opportunity.
“What’s more candid than a spontaneous team trip?
And actually, come to think of it, I have a couple of questions for you,” she said before asking Drew a dozen questions about how to draw enough attention to their teammates to get the brand deals and sponsorships they needed for their next season.
Drew was game, answering all her questions, giving her contact details for the people he knew at Zeus, and taking a bunch of photos of the team as they walked from the food stalls back into the arena.
Ari watched on with a smile as her friends invited Drew into their conversations, peppered him with questions, and occasionally glanced over at Ari in approval.
As the rest of them took their seats, Drew put his arm around Ari’s shoulders.
“Sorry for the ambush,” Ari said, quiet enough that only the two of them could hear.
“Don’t be. Anyway, aren’t we due for our third fake date?”