Chapter 14
~Hudson~
It’s been a while since I’ve been this hyped for an event. I could pretend it’s because my quads are feeling more comfortable than ever, or because I know I’ve got a good shot at the podium, but why lie to myself? My good mood is all because of Riley and nothing else.
After the flights, we check into our hotel, drop our bags off in our room, and I ask her to go for a walk with me.
“You don’t want to rest?” she asks, standing in the doorway of her single room, just down the hall from mine.
“Nah. The best way to get over jet lag is to adapt to the new time zone as quickly as possible. Stay up until it’s bedtime here.”
We don’t have to be on the ice until tomorrow.
Practice in the morning, short program in the afternoon for me.
Hers is the next day, in the afternoon, while my free skate is in the evening, and then her free skate is Sunday afternoon.
Pretty much as soon as it’s over, we’ll be on a plane heading home.
It’s a whirlwind, and this afternoon is pretty much our only free time together until the competition’s over. I don’t want to waste it.
“Have you been to Helsinki before?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I was scheduled to go to France, but I got my placement switched.”
She doesn’t have to explain why; Trevor will be in France. I make a point of knowing where my closest competitors will be skating and how they do, so I know he’s skating there next weekend.
“In that case, let me show you around. This is my third time here and it’s a great city.”
Her resistance fades, and we head off together into the city in the early afternoon. We’ll only have an hour or two before it starts getting dark, so there’s no time to waste.
Our first stop is the train station, where four muscular, granite men hold up lanterns against the front wall of the building.
“I have a feeling they used me as a model. What do you think?” I puff out my chest to do my best impression of the stone-faced statues.
Riley giggles, her laughter light and bright against the cold. “These are probably a hundred years old, so I’m guessing they weren’t based on you.”
“That’s the only reason you don’t think it’s possible? I’ll take it!”
We laugh as we stroll down to Senate Square, where Helsinki Cathedral stands high atop a stone staircase at one end and market booths fill the square in anticipation of the coming Christmas season.
There’s no snow yet, but the air is crisp, and it makes the warm, spiced scent of mulled wine and gingerbread from the market even more inviting.
From there, we head to the harbour, and when Riley catches sight of the statue I’ve brought her to see, she bursts out laughing.
“Okay, I might believe this one was modelled on you.”
The eight-and-a-half-metre tall statue shows a naked man casually urinating on the sidewalk. He looks a little chagrined to have been caught in the act, but not embarrassed enough to stop.
It takes all my self-control not to laugh at her teasing and try to look offended instead. “You really think I’m that small?”
My eyes move to the rather flaccid penis spraying water above us and Riley’s gaze instinctively follows mine, her cheeks starting to flush as she processes what she just said and what we’re looking at.
“I… uh… I haven’t thought about it,” she stammers out, quickly looking away, her eyes desperately scanning the horizon for something else to focus on. “Oh, look, there’s a Ferris wheel. Do you want to go for a ride?”
I bite my tongue to keep from making any kind of joke about ‘riding,’ since she’s already cringing at the unintentional turn of phrase, and agree to take the SkyWheel next.
It’s tamer than both the swinging ship at West Ed and the flight, so Riley isn’t nervous as we complete the revolution and take in the views of the setting sun over the city, but she’s not totally at ease either.
As the lights of Helsinki twinkle beneath us, her fingers fidget in her lap and her gaze keeps dropping down my body, like there’s something she’s trying very hard not to think about.
I could try to change the subject and lighten the mood, as I’ve done before, but to be honest, I’m not upset about the idea of her thinking about my cock.
I’ve had some less than pure thoughts about her body when we’re stretching together at the rink, and while I’m not going to push it and make her uncomfortable, I have no interest in completely dispersing the tension either.
By the time we get off the wheel and head back toward the hotel, it’s time for supper. Natalie and Christian arrive at the restaurant at almost exactly the same time we do, so the four of us grab a table together, chatting about our day and the upcoming competition.
We’ve just gotten our drinks when a familiar voice interrupts.
“Mind if I join you guys?”
Blake Stewart stands beside the table, coat slung over one arm and a bright, hopeful smile on her face.
Natalie blinks in surprise, her eyes darting around the table before answering. “Oh… uh, sure?”
Internally, I groan, but Natalie’s instincts are right. Turning her away would be rude. “Are you here by yourself?” I ask.
She nods, grabbing a chair from the empty table beside us and pulling it up to sit next to me. “Yeah. You were supposed to let me know about dinner, remember?”
That’s not exactly how I remember it, but I do have some sympathy for her. It’s tough being on the road without your usual friends, especially when it’s your first senior international competition.
She brushes my arm as she reaches for the drink menu, and Riley’s jaw clenches across from me.
Now that’s interesting. If I didn’t know any better, I might think she was jealous.
By the time the food arrives, Blake has practically claimed half my space. Her shoulder brushes mine when she reaches for the bread basket. When she laughs, she touches my arm. Once, her knee bumps into mine by accident, but she doesn’t bother to move it back until I shift mine away.
When dinner finally winds down, Christian stretches. “Well, I’m calling it a night. Early practice tomorrow. Come on, sis.”
Natalie’s pursed lips suggest she doesn’t love being told what to do, but she doesn’t complain. Blake turns to me, mouth open to clearly invite me somewhere else, so I jump in before she gets a chance.
“I’m going to turn in too. Short program tomorrow, after all.”
Disappointment flashes across Blake’s face, and, unless I’m mistaken, Riley’s face too. Blake’s the one who speaks though, her tone a little on the whiny edge of cajoling. “But it’s so early.”
Riley sticks up for me. “Everyone has their competition rituals. You don’t want to mess with that.”
Faced with that explanation, Blake relents, and I make it back up to my room alone. As soon as I’m inside, I pull out my phone and send Riley a text.
Movie in my room?
Her reply only takes a few seconds.
I thought you were going to sleep.
Nah, not yet.
I don’t offer any further explanation, and she doesn’t ask. A few minutes later, there’s a quiet knock on my door, and my faux pen pal stands at the door.
“Come on in. I’ve already picked something out that you’re going to love.”
It only takes about ten minutes of us sitting quietly on the bed next to each other before she can’t hold it in anymore. “Are you sure you’ve told Blake you’re not interested?”
I keep my eyes trained on the TV, resisting the urge to smile. The fact that she cares enough to ask feels like a good sign. “I’m sure.”
She lets those two words linger in the air between us for a few seconds before speaking again. “Maybe you need to be a little clearer. I mean, she obviously thinks there’s a chance.”
I’ve had the same thought, but I keep landing back at the same conclusion.
“I’ve told her as clearly as I can, but I’m not going to be mean about it.
You never know what someone else is going through, especially with the pressure we’re all under.
It doesn’t kill me to be nice. If I don’t lead her on, she’ll figure it out eventually. ”
Riley considers that for a long moment before nodding. “You’re a good guy, Hudson.”
“I don’t know about that, but I try.”
Another five minutes pass with Riley fidgeting beside me before her head turns my way again. “Did you ever date Natasha?”
My head snaps towards her before I can stop myself. Why would she bring up Tash, of all people? “No. Why?”
The suddenness of the movement startles Riley, her eyes going wide as I stare over at her. “I just… I don’t know… she seemed a little defensive over you the other day is all. I wondered if there had been something between you. I’m sorry for being nosy, it isn’t any of my business.”
Her eyes immediately drop to her hands fidgeting in her lap and I close my eyes, forcing a breath to keep calm.
If I want to let Riley in, I’m going to have to talk about things that are difficult eventually.
She told me about Trevor and Evelyn, and I have to be open too.
“It’s fine. We’re friends, right? You can ask me anything.
And no, Tash and I never dated, but she was there for me during a rough time. ”
Riley takes another moment to process that information. “Is everything okay now?”
That’s a loaded question, and one I’m not ready to answer in full. “It changed me,” is the answer I settle on. “I’ll tell you about it sometime, but not tonight. It’s a long story.”
“Okay.” She flashes me a tight smile and I can see that our evening, along with this conversation, is at an end even before she gets to her feet. “I’m sorry, I know the movie’s just started, but the jet lag is catching up with me. I’m going to get some sleep now. I’ll see you at breakfast?”
“You bet. Have a good night.”
She lets herself out and I get ready for bed, the events of the last 36 hours playing on repeat in my head. Every minute I spend with Riley, I like her more, and I think she’s feeling the same way about me.
Will it be enough for her to break her no-dating-at-the-club rule? And if she does, am I ready to let her see the rough, unfinished parts of me as well as the more palatable ones?
Those questions are still up in the air, but one thing is completely clear to me: if we cross the line between friends and more-than-friends, there’ll be no halfway about it. My heart’s ready to fall hard, and the thought excites me almost as much as it scares me.