Chapter 15 #2
Finn shook his head. “No, we knew we liked each other, but we made a pact not to mess up our careers by dating each other. We both thought it was the best thing at the time, and it worked, for a while.”
“Oh.” Maya’s brow furrowed. “What changed things?”
Finn shrugged. How could he explain that while he’d loved Sam since that first day, seeing her here, so close to achieving her dreams, had brought it all back.
He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Sam in a way that he hadn’t done since they’d first met—in a way that took over his every last waking moment and all of his dreams too.
And, in his opinion, that had been the beginning of this heartbreak.
Because he’d started paying more attention to her then, more than he’d ever given her.
He’d given in to his desire to be around her, and it had backfired.
It had backfired because it had worked—it had seemed that she’d started liking having him around too, and then they’d ended up in the shower, and she’d lost the gold.
He put his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes.
“I don’t know. I just know that it has.”
Maya pulled his hands down from his face and patted his arm as her phone pinged, but she didn’t pick it up. “What are you going to do?”
“Nothing.” Finn sounded even more miserable. “Absolutely nothing.”
Finn jumped up from the couch. “Anyway, that’s where my head’s at.” He grabbed the smoothie glass and rinsed it out before putting it in the dishwasher. Leaning on the counter with his two hands he dropped his head low. “Maya, you can’t tell anyone, okay? Not even Sam.”
Looking up he pressed his lips together and waited for Maya’s nod.
“Not a soul.” Maya stared at his hunched form. “Cross my heart.”
“Thanks,” Finn said. “And thanks for listening.”
“Anytime.” Maya gave a small smile. “But Finn?”
He looked up. “Yeah?”
“The Instagram posts?” She paused. “How do you want to do this now?”
Finn stood up, his hands on his hips. He stared at a spot behind Maya for a moment before replying: “We carry on with the plan. It’s important to Sam, so let’s get her this part of her dream.”
“Okay,” Maya said with a downturned mouth. “If you’re sure.”
“I am, Maya, it’s the least I could do for her.” Finn pushed his hands into his jeans pockets. “Look, I’d better go. I should get ready—it’s almost time.”
“Best of luck, Finn.” Maya picked up her phone. “I really mean that. This is your gold—don’t forget it.”
From the top of the slope Finn could see Maya in the crowd.
Her satsuma coat was a great way to spot her.
He smiled, wondering if she was aware of how visible she was.
Scanning the crowd around her, he searched for Sam’s face, but she didn’t seem to be there.
His heart sank in his chest. She wouldn’t stay away from his first Olympic final—his first chance at going for gold?
He pulled his focus back as the crowds cheered and then hushed as the first competitor took off.
Finn watched, his breath tight in his chest as the young Norwegian landed his trick.
A new kid on the scene, he was definitely one to watch, confident and strong and setting the bar high.
His landing had been clean and his fist punch in the air made everyone cheer.
The crowd buzzed, their energy rippling through the air as the score flashed up.
Good, but not good enough. Finn breathed out.
Next up was Henri Duval. Known for his bold tricks, Henri took off and he didn’t hold back.
The crowd seemed to hold their breath as one entity as Henri flew into the air.
Finn gasped as the Frenchman flipped and rotated in the air.
His cork 720 was perfect, but his landing wasn’t quite as sharp as it should have been.
His knees buckled slightly, and the crowd were silent, watching as he regained his balance.
He skied to a stop to polite applause. This wasn’t the moment the crowd had been waiting for—the gold was still up for grabs.
Finn’s mouth went dry as the next skier made his way forward.
This was the one he really had to beat. Viktor Laurent already held two gold medals and had a reputation for perfection.
He tore down the course, a blur of motion and power before he propelled into the air.
Finn couldn’t tear his eyes away as Gabriel’s amazed voice rang out over the loudspeakers.
“A flawless cork 1080! And one, two, no three rotations! Laurent isn’t here to play—he’s here to win!”
The crowd erupted! Cheers and whistles vibrated through Finn’s chest as Viktor’s score flashed on the screen.
He’d set the bar now, and it was high. Finn swallowed as his name echoed over the loudspeaker.
Searching the crowd one more time for Sam, he made his way to the starting point.
He couldn’t see her, but he had no choice.
It was now or never. Pulling on his goggles, Finn narrowed his eyes and focused.
His skis cut through the snow as he raced down the hill, the cold whipping against his face.
This was the moment he’d been waiting for—a chance to take home an Olympic gold medal.
His heartbeat hammered in his neck as he reached the ramp and then the world fell away as he spun into the trick.
The crowd fell silent, watching him defy gravity as he performed a double backflip, gripping his skis midair with a mute grab.
His body twisted, his core tight as he navigated the flips with precision.
The ground rushed up to meet him faster than expected, his breath bursting from his lungs as his skis touched down with a slight wobble.
Recovering instantly, he kept his head high as he surged forward and finished with his arms above his head. He’d done it! He was sure of it.
Ripping his goggles off, then his helmet, Finn punched his fist in the air as the crowd cheered loud enough to set off an avalanche.
His face lit up and the crowd roared again.
The commentator could barely contain their excitement.
“Finn Bradley, ladies and gentlemen! He has nailed it! That’s surely taken the gold! A risky trick but a brilliant one!”
He pulled off his skis and stared at the board.
His score flashed. His heart leaped into his mouth.
He’d done it! He’d taken the gold! Punching the air he looked around, hoping that Sam was there.
And she was—she ran across the snow toward him, her arms wide and her smile huge.
He flung his helmet away and ran into her arms and lifted her into a swing that made the crowd roar even louder.
“You did it!” Sam screamed as he put her down. “Finn!”
“I did it,” he said quietly, then again more loudly. “Hell yeah! I did it!”
He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, kissing the tip of her nose before running his hands through his hair, leaving it standing on end.
He’d done it. He’d done it. Yeah! All the hours of training, the long days and the arguments he’d had with himself about whether it was going to be worth it or not …
the sacrifices … He looked at Sam as she ran to high-five Maya who was filming it all.
She was his biggest sacrifice. A hollow feeling began to form in his stomach.
He’d won gold, but Sam still needed hers.
He’d always imagined that she’d have hers first. She looked back at him, her face lit up with a genuine smile, her eyes sparkling with pride.
She pointed and he turned around. They’d brought the podium out.
Turning back to her, he pulled a silly smile and shaped his hands into a heart.
She blushed, and then he was on the podium, the crowd was cheering, cameras flashing.
Someone placed the medal over his head and the weight of it surprised him.
The ribbon on his neck was sharp. Lifting the medal, he looked at it, tears in his eyes.
His mom would be so proud. Blinking away the tears, he tried to keep his composure.
The air sizzled with energy as someone pushed a huge bottle of champagne into his hands and he followed the other medalists in shaking the bottle and spraying it everywhere, much to the crowd’s delight.
His eyes darted to Sam. Surrounded by their teammates she was cheering and clapping him on.
He grinned back, his head light as he picked up the gold medal and looked at it before looking at Sam again.
She gave him a thumbs up, her face bright and smiling.
His heart almost burst. Seeing Sam smile at him like that, like he was hers and she was his, was the real gold, and felt special, almost secret.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught Maya filming them and he forgot all his misgivings.
She could record them all day long if Sam just kept smiling at him that way.
Stepping down from the podium he waved to the crowd, the medal comfortably heavy against his chest, but his heart as light as a snowflake.
Maya was beaming, nodding at him as he moved toward Sam.
She had that sparkle back in her eyes, one that he hadn’t seen in days now.
Finn started walking faster, closing the distance between them in no time.
There was no one else he wanted to be with.
“Hey,” Finn said, his focus on Sam.
Sam slipped her arm through his, her bright smile warming his heart. “Come on, let’s go celebrate! Do we have to call you Goldie from now on?”
Finn burst out laughing. “Sure, if that helps you remember who I am now.”
Sam shoved him. “Oh, I know who you are, now—Mister Goldie McGold Medal Winner!”
Finn playfully pushed her back, laughing as she scooped up a snowball.
Dodging her throw, he fell over. Jumping up, he grabbed a handful of snow before running toward Sam.
Her giggles and shrieks as she ran, ducking from a possible impending snowball, made him smile.
Catching her, he held the snow above her head, his eyes crinkling as she cringed.
“No! Don’t! Finn!” She gasped, laughing as she tried to catch her breath.
He stood there, watching her, her cheeks flushed with cold and joy.
He could still feel the sting from last night—her walking away without any explanation at all.
He still couldn’t work out what he’d said or done, but what he did know was that everything was better now she was here.
Everything. He grinned and lowered the snowball, loving how she wriggled in his arms, how she laughed and threatened to cover him with snow if he dared drop it on her.
Laughing, he held her tightly, until a familiar shape grabbed his attention.
From the barriers, Coach Harrington was watching them intently.
A sharp pain twisted in Finn’s chest. He looked at Sam, at her beautiful smile, the way her hair escaped her braid no matter how tightly she plaited it.
He longed to brush her hair back from her eyes and feel her shiver under his touch.
He wanted to count the tiny freckles on her nose just so he knew how many there were.
His heart contracted. Everything about her was perfect.
Dropping the snow, he laughed and hugged her instead.
Deep down he knew he’d never do anything that might hurt her.
In fact, he’d do anything to protect her.