10. Nadia
Nadia
I knew my problem using the bathroom was ridiculous, but I’d always been that way, ever since I was a child. When I confessed my problem to the coach, I’d expected Anna to make fun of me. But instead she found a solution that gave me the privacy I needed while still keeping us in compliance with Coach Ekaterina’s edict.
Feeling incredibly grateful – and also much less bloated – I threw my arms around Anna and pulled her close. She stood stiffly in my arms for long enough that I was about to let her go, but then she suddenly relaxed. When her arms came around me, I felt the oddest sensation. It felt a lot like lust.
Anna was about two inches taller than me, and our bodies seemed to line up perfectly. Rubbing her back a few times, I pulled away slowly. Oddly, I almost missed the warmth of her body.
“Thanks,” I said, my voice husky. “I really appreciate you finding me a solution.”
Our eyes met and for a few seconds I got lost in her gaze. I’d never noticed this before, but her brown eyes were flecked with gold. It made the brown of her irises look deeper and more sparkly. Anna caught her lower lip between her teeth, and I felt another wave of lust hit me as I imagined pulling that same lip into my mouth.
Oh my God, was I attracted to her now?
We both seemed to come to our senses at the same time, stepping back from each other with a strange awkwardness.
“I guess we should get to practice before we get in trouble again,” she said, still looking at me with that probing gaze.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “We should.”
With great difficulty I broke our stare-off and stepped back. We walked in silence to the staircase, heading up one flight to street level and then walking over to the practice facility. It was a nice day, and in the distance I could see the sun reflecting off the Seine. I’d never been to Paris before and was planning to explore the city after our part of the Games ended and we could focus on something else.
I had the oddest urge to ask Anna if she wanted to join me. After all, we’d become friends over the last few days. Well, if not friends, at least not enemies.
The next morning I woke up with the same feeling I had every competition day: a combination of excitement and nervousness. It was qualifiers day. Our performance today would determine if our team moved onto the next rounds, and it would also determine which individual gymnasts would move onto the individual medal competitions.
It was pretty much a given that the U.S. team would move on, but other than our superstar team member Goat, the rest of us were fighting for spots in the individual competition too.
The team met for a group breakfast in the morning, all of us keeping things light. We were a superstitious bunch, and every gymnast on the team had specific foods they ate and rituals they followed to bring them good luck.
We’d been warned that qualifiers day would be grueling, and Coach Ekaterina gave us a pep talk as we ate breakfast.
“You girls have worked very hard to be here,” she said solemnly. “For some of you, this is your first time at the International Games. For some, it is the last time you will compete in these Games. You have done what every little girl who gets on a balance beam dreams about – winning a spot on the world stage. Enjoy it, appreciate it, but stay focused. Remember, even though you compete individually, you also compete as a team, and your country is watching you.”
She put her hand in the middle of the table, and we all put our hands in together. I caught my breath as Anna’s palm slid over the back of my hand.
“One team. One goal. One prize!” our coach intoned.
“One team. One goal. One prize!” we repeated loud enough that several people turned to look at us with amused smiles. They were all athletes, they got it.
“Now let’s go qualify!” Coach said.
By the end of the day our entire team was ebullient. Not only had the team as a whole easily qualified to move on, by some miracle all five of us had also qualified as individuals, thanks in part to one competitor getting disqualified for an illegal move, and two spectacular falls that made gymnasts receive point deductions.
None of us cared how we got there, the important thing was that we did.
Coach Ekaterina was so happy she almost smiled. She took the team into the main part of Paris, where she’d somehow secured reservations for a nice restaurant. We all were in the mood to celebrate, and since the next day was a rest day, we were free to do so. The six of us ate fancy French food, talked, laughed, and drank more wine than some of us were used to.
By the time we got back to the athlete’s housing area I was feeling no pain. I’d only had three glasses of wine, but I rarely drank, and when I did, it hit me hard. For some reason Anna seemed mostly unfazed.
“Why are you so sober?” I asked suspiciously as we walked out of the restaurant.
My roommate smirked. “I’ve been known to indulge when I’m not training for competition.”
“I can’t remember the last time I indulged,” I said sadly.
With both of my parents being professional athletes, there hadn’t been a lot of opportunities for cheat days. Fortunately I’d avoided developing an eating disorder like so many athletes – including my mother I suspected -- but I was still more hyper aware of food than the average person. Plus, one of my parents was always watching, more than willing to grab a beer or piece of cake out of my hand. They were total buzz kills.
Our ride share car dropped us off at the main entrance of the athlete’s housing complex, and the long walk to our building helped burn off the effects of the wine. Our moods were still high from our successful day of competition and the fun and relaxing celebration afterward.
After saying goodbye to our teammates, Anna and I walked to our room. When we got inside, I spun around playfully and somehow managed to trip on my own feet. Some world class gymnast I was. I stumbled forward right into Anna, who lifted her arms to catch me. She took a step back, her body colliding with the door, and my hands landed on the wood on either side of her head, trapping her. I couldn’t say I was unhappy about it.
“Oh hey!” I said cheerily.
Anna’s eyes bounced between mine, her expression wary. God, she was pretty, especially when she wore her hair down like she had tonight. I wondered if she felt the heat between us. Wondered if she felt the increasing attraction I felt for her. Was she attracted to me too?
There was only one way to tell. I stepped closer, pressing my body against hers, and licked my lips.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
She didn’t push me away, which I took as a good sign.
“What do you think I’m doing?” I sassed. “I was about to kiss you.”
Her eyes widened, like she couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth, but this close I could see her pupils blow out and the pulse in her neck pick up speed. Before I knew what was happening, she grabbed my hips and spun us, so I was the one trapped against the door.
I wasn’t joking that first day when I said I liked to be in charge, but hey, this worked too.
“How drunk are you?” she asked carefully.
“I’m sober enough to know what I’m doing and drunk enough not to care if it’s a bad idea.”