51. Zeke
DAY EIGHT OF THE 2024 OLYMPICS
Zeke put one foot in front of the other and ran faster than ever before, reaching the Hub in record time. He put his hand out to grab the door handle, but before he could make contact, the door opened. And there she was.
“Zeke,” she said, looking up at him in surprise as they stood in the doorway. The warm early evening light was pouring in through a window behind her, framing her silhouette with gold.
“Olivia,” he said, feeling his heart swell. He was so happy to see her.
“Did you run here?” she asked, looking at the sweat on his arms. It was scorching in Athens, but running in the heat was worth it for her.
“I needed to tell you…” he said, catching his breath. Her eyes were slightly red. He couldn’t bear to see her sad, especially knowing he was the reason. “The photos aren’t what they look like… I can explain—” he began.
“I know. I saw Valentina’s post. I’m… sorry I jumped to conclusions,” said Olivia.
“I’m sorry I just stood there,” he said. A silence fell between them for a moment. He watched as she nervously tugged at one of her braids. He could see the sadness on her face. “I should have run after you,” he admitted. “But—did you really mean what you said back there? That it was just… a summer thing? Because if you did, that’s fine, I understand. But for me, it was always more than that.”
She looked slightly panicked. Zeke felt a bolt of fear, but then she began to speak.
“Zeke, I never meant that you were just a summer thing. I mean that I feel the most myself in the summer…” she said, looking up at him. “And, lately, I’ve started to imagine what it would be like to feel this way all the time. To be with you all the time. I like you, Zeke Moyo. So much that it kind of terrifies me.”
He could feel his heart beating faster.
“I’m not always my summer self, Zeke. And as much as I like you, I’m not going to change myself to be some perfectly warm, sunshine dream girl. Because I like who I am,” she said, hesitating for a moment.
“I like who you are too, I like you a lot,” said Zeke. “And I know it’s summer, and everyone’s always trying to be easy, carefree, and nonchalant when the sun comes out—”
“I’m none of those things, by the way,” Olivia said with a solemn shake of her head. “I’m not easy or nonchalant or carefree. I care a lot. I am very chalant.”
“I would never call you carefree or nonchalant. And I don’t want carefree or nonchalant.” Zeke looked into her eyes. Standing under her gaze felt like stepping outside and feeling the sun on his arms on the first day of spring. Like waking up to a bright blue sky in the depths of a long winter. He already knew that it was too late to stop the fall.
“Olivia, I’m terrified of messing this up,” he admitted, looking at her. “I know I seem confident and sure of myself…”
“Handsome, charming, and humble,” Olivia said, unable to hold herself back.
“I’m the full package deal, baby,” he said with a smile. But then it faded, and Olivia gave his hand a small squeeze as he started to speak again.
“But I spend every night terrified I’m going to do the wrong thing… in every part of my life. That I’m going to disappoint someone, waste my potential, make the wrong decision, go down the lesser path, or let people down. I don’t want to mess things up, and it’s easier to not get things wrong by not giving anything a real try,” he said, allowing himself to be honest in a way he never had.
He gently pulled her closer to him; she raised her hand to slowly stroke the side of his face. He brushed a loose braid away from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear so nothing could obstruct his view of her.
“I really like you, and I’m going to give this my all. Because I think we could really have something… be something.”
As she heard his words, she leaned forward and closed the distance, their lips finding a soft, safe, tender place to land. The sun began its slow descent, coating every surface it touched in a warm, bright, golden light. But they were so focused on each other that everything else was reduced to a blur in their periphery. Summer wouldn’t last forever, but when it ended—no matter how it ended—at least they would know they’d given it their best shot. In that moment, it was enough just to live for the hope of it all.