31. Lucas
Lucas
“It was a beautiful wedding,” Cam said.
I chuckled. “Ty was a nervous wreck. He was downing Pepto, afraid he was going to puke.”
“Why was he nervous? He did great.”
“I think it was the number of people, the fanciness.”
“Well, one, he looked amazing, and two, that’s kind of hysterical. He’s a former Olympian. He’s performed in front of tens of thousands of people.”
“As a gymnast. Up there, he was just Tyler Hale, from Monterey, California, marrying the Declan Moore, Athlete of the Century.”
“True. I guess that would be a little intimidating,” Cam admitted.
I changed the subject. “You know you didn’t have to give up marching just for me.”
Cam, whose arm was already around me, squeezed his bicep, bringing me closer to him for a kiss on the cheek. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than by your side. It gives me great pleasure to say we’ve attended two closing ceremonies together.”
The sky lit up with a huge display of fireworks. Despite what I had just said, I was glad he was with me. “It gives me great pleasure, too.”
Greece was the first country to enter, then everyone else. But the host country was last, so it would be a long while before we saw any of our teammates.
“Is that the kind of wedding you want?” Cam asked me.
I was a little surprised since I had only proposed two days prior. “Honestly? I guess I haven’t thought that far ahead. What about you?”
“I loved their vows…and their outfits, and the flowers.”
“And the music?”
“Yes! Oh my God, yes!”
I laughed at Cam’s excitement. “Okay, so you loved everything and that’s exactly the wedding you want?”
“Oh, no, no, no. Much, much smaller. I don’t want celebrities or, as much as I liked him, the president’s son there. I would die. I need something way more intimate than that.”
We watched the athletes pour into the stadium in silence for a while.
Well, we were silent; the stadium was not.
Cam’s arm was still around my back, so I laid my head on his shoulder and put my hand on his leg.
I wasn’t sure what the deal was, but our section wasn’t very crowded, which was nice.
Not that we were taking advantage of having the extra room. I was practically in his lap.
“Who do you think will make the team for the next Olympics?” Cam asked.
“Assuming we’re done?”
“Well, technically, I didn’t make the team this time around.”
“I know being an alternate isn’t quite making the team, but it’s still something.”
“We’ll be thirty-one, Luke.”
“Ew, don’t remind me.” I thought about it for another second. “I’m pretty sure there were gymnasts older than thirty at this Olympics, Cam. Let me look it up.”
I pulled out my phone and a few minutes later, I had the answer. Wikipedia didn’t fail me.
“Five. There were five guys over thirty here that competed, including a thirty-nine-year-old. Plus, there were a lot between our age and thirty, like Etienne and Hiruto.”
“Did they medal?” Cam asked.
I shrugged. “Not all of them, but they still made it.”
“I don’t know. We’ll have to see. I think we need a year off for our brains to recuperate, and you’ve got rehab still.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “We can see what happens. I’m not opposed to either way. It wasn’t completely terrible being a coach.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “I was there for all the action, but didn’t have the black hole in the pit of my stomach feeling after each routine.
Don’t get me wrong, I was nervous for you, but I only got, like, a little sweatier and my hands got clammy.
After a routine, I usually felt like I was going to pass out, so it was an improvement. ”
“I hate that black hole feeling,” Cam admitted.
“Have you heard anything from Colton?” I asked, changing the subject again.
“Actually, yeah. It sounds like his dad’s out of the woods for now, but has to take it easy on the ranch.”
“Whatever that means.”
“That means more work for Beau,” Cam said. “And maybe Colton, now that Zeph’s playing for Dallas. It’s a lot closer than Tampa.”
“I wonder if we’re still invited for training camp next month. You know? With his dad’s situation and all.”
“You like riding me. Maybe you’ll like riding horses just as much? We can help out on the ranch, get a little dirty.”
“The gettin’ dirty part sounds fun, but unless my saddle has a dildo on it, I’m not sure how much fun riding a horse would be.”
“Oh my god. That sounds like Colton’s kind of ranch,” Cam said.
We left our seats to get something to eat and drink and took in the view of the bay from the balcony for a while.
We heard them announce the United States of America, so we made our way back to our seats quickly, watching the large screens around the stadium to see if we could see anyone we recognized.
As we watched our countrymen file in, I answered Luke’s earlier question. “It’s likely Orion, Ezra and Miles again, and then two new guys. Somewhere out there, watching this right now.”
“Kind of like us in Brisbane. We were the new guys,” Cam said. After another minute or two, he asked, “Do you think we were always going to be together?”
“The minute I saw you in the Florida University gym, I knew I wanted you. I never thought I would have you though.”
“Well, now you do. You have me forever.”
“I am very aware of that, and thankful.” I intertwined my fingers with his, pulled our hands towards my mouth, and gave the back of his a kiss. “I love you, Cam.”
“I love you too.”
On stage, the Olympic officials were handing over the Olympic flag from the US to the next country. They were about to declare the games closed and extinguish the flame.
“One more question.”
“I highly doubt that,” I teased.
“Would you take my name, or would you want me to ta-”
“I want your name. Hands down.”
“Lucas Kane,” Cam said out loud.
“Sounds lovely,” I replied.
“It definitely works for me.”