Love and Other Games (8 page)

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Ty Madsen’s at the start line.” Ty’s name displayed across the screen with a US flag behind him. He fist-pumped his teammates, Chris and another guy she didn’t know, and looked into the camera. She smiled when he winked and mouthed, “For you,” then tightened his helmet across his chin. He took off, a smooth motion, his arms swinging side to side and the board moved up to the side of the pipe.

The announcer’s deep voice, with an English-accent, stated, “Each competitor has two runs, the better of the two is the one that’s counted. The first run for Madsen with a huge air.”

Ty slid into the air, high above and back down. He made it look effortless.

“Did you see that? A 1080, three rotations, with a Fakey. Most excellent.”

Adam muttered some four-letter words and hugged her. “He’s pushing it, but that was awesome.”

Over the speakers the announcer sighed. “The last trick for this run.” Ty jumped high in the air, swooshing around a few times and landing with a solid position. “And Ty Madsen, the twenty-five year old from Colorado, nailed that last jump to round out a great performance.”

Nadia looked expectantly at Adam for his interpretation. He nodded at her as he held the US flag up high. “He did real good. Now for the score.”

Ty waited at the bottom, his fists pumping in the air and a quick look in her direction. Nadia bit her lip in anticipation.

“And a 45 out of 50, ladies and gentlemen. A great start to this round and a hard act to follow.” The crowd roared behind the announcer’s proclamation.

Nadia couldn’t help herself from swelling with pride. Adam held up the US flag and Nadia found herself jumping up and down next to him. Two weeks ago, she would have never imagined even sitting at the Snowboard event, let alone the excitement and investment she felt in this team – this amazing man.

When she received the summons to participate as a volunteer, she was ecstatic. She’d get that final experience she needed in order to work for the Olympics committee. Now, her dream job was a second thought. She wondered what her dad would say if he saw her having so much fun instead of getting down to business. His last words to her before she left home were, “No skipping corners, Nadia. Do what you have to do to make it to the top.”

Adam rambled on about the scores in the event and how Ty was at the top, but her thoughts wavered back and forth between her commitment to the games and her obvious deepening feelings for Ty. Juggling both seemed almost impossible. Weren’t they?

Waiting for Ty’s final run had Nadia’s nerves spent. She had sat down for the last six competitors, the weight of the torch in her inside jacket pocket against her chest. Silly legend, she thought. Ty didn’t need any luck. It was obvious he was the best in his sport.

After five more minutes, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out to answer. “Hallo?”

“Nadia, it’s your father.” His demanding voice rang in her ears, the Swiss German tugging her back to reality.

She sucked in a deep breath. Her father always had a sixth sense. It was as if he knew every thought she had in the past ten minutes. “Papi. Why are you calling? Is mum okay?”

“She’s fine. It’s you who is not.” His voice strained sending goose bumps up her arm. She knew this voice. He used this one when she rarely got into trouble at home as a child. He wasn’t happy.

“What happened?” She looked up and Adam lifted an eyebrow. She shook her head, leaning down to try to make her conversation private, palming her hand over the speaker to block out the crowd.

“I just saw you on television. At a snowboard event of all things and holding a US flag. Kissing the athlete? Where is your allegiance, Nadia? What are you doing?”

“Papi, wait … ”

But he continued anyway. He wasn’t used to interruption. “Aren’t you supposed to be working to finalize your recommendation? Don’t you know I have been good friends with Mr. Sorenson for many years, and still you go and do this? How could you throw away an opportunity like this?
Gottverdami
!”

“It’s not all what it seems, Papi. I’m working hard.”

“Then show it. If you ruin this, I disown you. I don’t want to see you on television like this again.” Then the dial tone sounded.

She shook her head and bit her lip. Her relationship with her dad had always been strained. She had hoped her success at the Olympics would change his mind and open up his eyes to her maturity.

Adam watched her. “Everything okay?”

“Yes.” She nodded her head. Finally, Ty appeared on the screen. His last run. She was thrilled for him, but the conversation with her father weighed in the back of her mind.

With each jump, each trick, the crowd oohed and aahed. Adam said every four-letter word she had ever learned in English and held his flag up high as Ty made his way down the half-pipe. His final trick had the crowd screaming in disbelief.

“A triple cork, ladies and gentlemen. Ty Madsen nailed it. I think we have our Gold medalist, folks.” The announcer boomed over the loud speaker.

Adam hugged Nadia and Kristen hugged her other side. They all stood huddled together when Ty ran over and picked Nadia up, kissing her as if he’d never kissed her before. “I freakin’ did it!” He screamed. High fives and fist pumps surrounded her and soon she forgot about her father’s phone call and got caught up in Ty’s moment. It was perfect. Fun. What she wanted in that instant. What she needed.

But as soon as Ty stepped off that block with the Gold medal around his neck, they had to replace the torch. Replace their fun. Get back to normalcy. Back to why she was in the Olympics in the first place.

***

Ty walked around in a daze. He had a freakin’ Gold medal around his neck, people interviewing him left and right, and fans asking for him to sign their shirts, hats or magazines. He was living his lifelong dream. All the while this happened, he didn’t take his eye off Nadia. He didn’t want her to run off again, and he knew she would if he hadn’t grabbed her hand and walked her around with him.

She stood to his side, clutching her palms, holding her stomach or patting her jacket, most likely checking for the torch. He tried to reassure her that he wanted her there, without words since he talked to reporters or officials – with a touch, a nod or a smile. He didn’t doubt one minute that they were meant to meet. For once in his life he believed in fate.

To win the Olympics and to meet this woman.

Adam and Chris reveled in his achievement, holding the flag, taking pictures, screaming his name, signing paraphernalia with him. Fans seemed to come from every corner of the event location. It was thrilling at first, but after an hour, he was ready to leave and celebrate with his friends, including Nadia. If he had his way, he’d undress her and devour the sight of her wearing only his Gold medal around her neck and her Sunday panties.

“Well, folks. I think it’s time to go celebrate. Thank you for your praise and your support. It’s been real.” He saluted them, grabbed Nadia’s hand and strode away, Adam and Chris following his footsteps.

Nadia didn’t say a word, only squeezed his hand and stared at him wide-eyed. He leaned into her, smelling her sweet scent. “You okay, babe?”

“It’s all surreal, isn’t it?”

“Fucking fantastic. You got the torch?”

Adam and Chris stopped in their tracks. Adam jerked his shoulder so he’d stop. “What torch? What the hell you talking about Trouble?”

“Oh, yeah, forgot to tell you that we found the torch last night. The lucky one.” Ty shrugged and pulled Nadia to start walking again.

Chris jerked his other shoulder back and stopped him from walking away again. “You have the legendary torch and you won Gold? Man, you just struck rich.”

“Yeah, well, we’re just going to go re-hide it and continue on with our lives. Let some other lucky son of a bitch win.”

“Let me see it.” Chris’s face resembled that of a little boy with a new dog.

Ty nodded at Nadia and she gingerly took it out of her jacket.

Both men’s eyes widened and Adam reached out. “You had it the whole time?”

To the right of them, a couple of guys, some US hockey players if he remembered correctly,  stopped and looked in their direction, so Nadia hid the torch back into her jacket. She bit her lip. “Since yesterday. But I think Ty would’ve won either way. He’s a true athlete.”

All men turned their head in her direction and Ty lifted her chin to kiss her. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said.”

Chris moaned and covered his eyes. “All right. Enough of that lovey-dovey crap. I’m going to find Kristen and the boys. You want to meet up at that little bar in town? The one right outside the city?”

Ty waved them off, pulling Nadia’s body against his. “Yeah, give us an hour. See you there.”

The snow crackled as they trudged away in the snow, leaving Ty alone at last with Nadia. “So, where should we hide it?”

“I was thinking back where we found it. As if it never happened.” She brushed his chest with her hand, which drove him nuts. He wanted to be naked, next to her, to really touch her.

He smirked. “I really like your boss’s office. Such good memories there.”

She guided him to the Community Center, not saying a word, which was so unlike her. He couldn’t help but feel like something was off. His fingers ached to touch her, to feel her and be close to her, but she seemed distant. Once they stood inside her boss’s office, he looked around the room and back to her. “Hand me the torch.”

She gave it to him, their fingers brushing and his heart stopped for an instant. When did shit like that happen to him? He really did have feelings for this woman.

“Actually, I bought you a little memento, but I think I’ll use it here instead.” Ty reached inside his Olympics jacket.

“When?”

“On the sidelines, after the first interviewer finished her questions. See?” He handed her the medium-sized colorful stuffed animal mascot on a pretend snowboard. The Olympics symbols across the front and the US flag on the bottom of the snowboard.

“It’s cute, Ty. I’ll always remember you when I look at it.”

“You don’t have to remember me. I’m right next to you. Remember me by looking at me. Plus, I’m going to set it right here on your boss’s desk.” He placed the stuffed animal at the top of the desk calendar displayed on top of the table. “And the mascot will hold the torch.” He put the torch in the mascot’s hands. It kept falling over, but they had it standing up with the mysterious torch after a few tries. “Perfect. I’ll have to buy you another one. Now come here.” He reached out to pull her to him. He couldn’t hold back anymore. “I see you’re not wearing a vest. That’s always a good start.”

She shook her head. “No,” she whimpered out.

“Your boss’ll be back soon? Let’s find a secluded spot. A celebration is called for.” “About that. Ty, I’m so happy for you.”

“I know, right? The freaking Gold. Wanna touch it?” He held out his medal, pretended to bite it like the Olympians did. “I kept thinking about wrapping this around your neck with nothing else on.” His fingers finally touched hers and he rubbed up her arm.

She winced. It wasn’t what he expected. “Ty, I need to get back to work. I’ve had so much fun, but work is my priority here. You knew that from the beginning.”

“Wait, so you won’t go out to celebrate?”

“No. Not tonight.” She paused, looked at him in the eye, tears forming in her own. “Not ever.”

“What the fuck is going on? The best thing in my life just happened, and then you go and shove this in my face?”

“I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m feeling kind of hurt, too. It’s just that, I can’t think around you. Work is the whole reason I’m standing here – in the village – at the Olympics. I’ve got to get that position. If I don’t, my dad will never speak to me again.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you serious? You can still get the fucking promotion and spend time with me, you know.” He stepped closer to her, because she had taken two steps back. “Nadia, I really need you right now.”

He tried to reach out to her again, but she backed away. “It’s better if you go.”

“I don’t get you.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look, I have a trip to Zurich scheduled tomorrow with the guys. We planned this before we even got here. I wanted to ask if you could go with me.”

She held her hands out. “See. That’s another example. I can’t just take off and play around, Ty. I have a job to do.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” What the hell got into her? This is why he never committed to women. He just didn’t get them. “I really wanted to … I don’t know … Spend time with you. You’re special. Remember?”

Her face rose to meet his, the top of her head raised to the tip of his nose. The tears in her eyes hadn’t fallen yet, but it looked like they would, soon. The pained expression she held struck him all the way to his toes – her eyes glazed, her face red. “I’m more than just a sleep in the sack, Ty. This is over. I wish you luck in the future.”

“You were my luck, Nadia. Hell – I don’t get it.”

“You don’t have to.” She turned to walk to the door and hesitated when she opened it. “Goodbye.”

Her words pained him all the way to the center of his heart. Then it enraged him. He turned in circles, in the middle of the room, and slammed the stupid bobble-head doll off the desk. With all the bravado he could muster, he left the Community Building without seeing her again. She must have hidden in another room – with that psycho, Sven. His skin crawled thinking of another man touching her. She was his.

He just had to figure out a way to convince her of that. For now, he had to party. He had a fucking Gold medal and no one could take that away from him. Not even a woman.

Four days later, Ty walked into the Community Center with one thing on his mind – Nadia. She would talk to him if it killed her. He marched up to the reception desk as she typed away at the computer.

“We need to talk.”

Her head jerked back in surprise, a darkening in her eyes he wouldn’t miss, then she stood rigid like a soldier ready to fight. “I’m busy.”

He shook his head and licked his lips. “Nope. We need to talk now.” Ty eyed Sven in the corner, silently pleading with him to help. If the guy cared about Nadia at all, he would help Ty get through to Nadia.