by Laney Castro
From Aaron’s comments, she expected a stern and cold man. But Aaron’s dad smiled at her warmly and offered her his hand. “Pleasure to meet you. Call me Frank.”
“Pleasure’s all mine, Frank,” she replied politely. She squeezed in beside Zoe, who quickly filled her in on Aaron’s event.
“He’s competing in the 50-m free today,” Zoe explained. “Right now we’re seeing the women’s 50-m free, so it’ll be good for you to know which lane to keep an eye on. Aaron made me promise to stay and keep you company.” She grinned. “Dad usually takes off after Aaron’s heats and only comes back for the finals, but I’m supposed to stay right here. Not that I’m complaining. I only had to skip one class today.” She opened her bag and took out a sports drink. “You thirsty?”
Madison shook her head. “Uh, I’m good, thanks. I think I’ll go look for some candy though—”
“Oh! I’ve got some here, too...” Zoe answered, already peering into her bag.
Madison had to laugh. She remembered the mints from the first day she met, and now this. “What else do you have in there anyway?”
“Plenty of stuff!” the younger girl replied proudly, laughing back. “Band-Aids, sunscreen, a pocket calculator, extra underwear—”
“—food—”
“Especially food,” Zoe echoed, without missing a beat. “I mean, it pays to be prepared, right? Especially on a day like this, when we’re supposed to be here the whole day. There are a couple of preliminary heats to go and Aaron’s in the last one. He’ll be swimming on an inside lane.”
“I’m pretty sure I can pick him out even in goggles and a swim cap,” Madison said absent-mindedly, then gave a start when Zoe laughed.
“Overshare,” she teased. “The 50 is a quick event. Everything’s over in just seconds.”
As Zoe had predicted, the heats went by quickly. Madison recalled Aaron’s droll statement that ‘the fastest swimmer wins.’ It might have looked that it was all about speed but she knew from Aaron’s rigorous training that a lot went into that swim. She also found herself irrationally rooting for whoever was on lane four.
She reached for her phone, snapped a selfie (making sure that she got some of the bright yellow pennants and her Harding cap in the shot), and sent it to Aaron. Good luck, hotshot! XOXO, she texted. He might not be able to read it but Madison wanted him to know that she was there.
When it was time for the men’s 50-m free, Zoe nudged her. “They’re starting,” she hissed, over the sound of the announcer calling out the swimmers to the starting blocks.
“You said he was still in…” she consulted the heat sheet dangling from Zoe’s hand, “...heat six.”
Zoe’s cheeks were a bit flushed. “True, but we’re here to cheer for their aquatic club, right?”
Madison sat up straighter, straining to hear who else from Downtown LA Aquatics was competing in the event. She heard the club name announced during the fourth heat, but didn’t catch the swimmer’s name. Still, she joined Zoe in cheering loudly when the swimmer finished first in his heat. As if he heard them, the swimmer turned in their direction and pumped a fist in the air.
All too soon it was Aaron’s heat. Madison was so nervous for him. Her throat felt dry. She saw the swimmers walk up to the blocks, and when Aaron’s name was announced, the crowd cheered appreciatively. She shouted his name but she wasn’t sure he had heard her through the yells and applause.
Aaron didn’t look nervous at all. He had on a pair of black jammers with a red stripe down each side and a club jacket around his shoulders. His back and arm muscles were so cut and defined that she felt tingles over her body. He slipped the jacket off and was shaking himself loose as the announcer cycled through the rest of the names. She remembered him once telling her that he didn’t notice much else once he was at the block, but this time he looked in their direction. Because Aaron was wearing goggles, she couldn’t tell if he saw them, but that didn’t stop her from yelling anyway.
“Go, hotshot!” she cheered. It wasn’t a particularly loud yell, but it came just as the announcer stopped for a breath, and a lot of people looked in her direction. She pulled the bill of the cap lower down her face, but she thought she saw Aaron smirk even if he didn’t acknowledge her. She heard Frank let out a hearty guffaw.
A whistle sounded as the swimmers got on their blocks. The crowd quieted down as the racers bent down into the start position. Madison’s heart was beating so loudly for Aaron. She could see the tension in his arms. Then at the signal, the crowd erupted.
He reacted quickly, like a cannonball of pure muscle propelling itself into the water. His arms were cocked at his sides in mid-air and only straightened out right before he entered the pool. Madison’s eyes never left him. When he surfaced and his first stroke cleaved the water, it seemed like he was only fingertips ahead of the competition.
“Go, Aaron!” she screamed, getting on her feet. She was the only one among the three of them really getting into it, even though Zoe also stood up beside her.
But Aaron didn’t need the encouragement. With every powerful stroke, he pulled himself ahead, sprinting on at an impressive speed. His arms were a blur. Nobody even came close. When he touched the wall, Madison didn’t need to look up at the board and check the times to know that he finished first.
Aaron was already squinting at the huge screen when he tore his goggles off. She saw him reach over and casually shake hands with his competitors on either lane. She was bursting with pride. Then he looked up at her and she could feel the pull of him, the leftover intensity from his swim spilling over and reaching her, even though he was still at the far end of the pool. His face broke out into a wide smile and Madison answered in turn, feeling just as invincible.
Chapter Seventeen
“That was exhilarating!” Madison exclaimed to Zoe.
Zoe laughed. “That’s just a preliminary heat. But he had a great time on that. Wait until you see the finals.”
She tried to adopt the other girl’s expression of casual amusement and failed. She was too excited, anyway. “Can I go see him now?” she asked instead.
Zoe shook her head. “Not yet, sorry. Usually, it takes a while before Aaron leaves the area. He needs to cool down and recover first and then they all kinda wait for the end of the actual event and listen to Coach. Sometimes he even gives interviews immediately after a finals swim. Give him about an hour to get all sorted out and find us.”
Frank stood up. “That’s my cue to leave, though. Lovely to have met you, Madison.”
“You’re not staying, Frank?” she asked.
“Oh, you’ll get used to this,” Zoe interrupted. “There’s so much downtime between events and Aaron doesn’t race in more than two events in one day, not counting the finals, so we try to find other ways to keep ourselves busy. In this case though, you and I are the only ones with that problem because Dad’s bailing.”
Mr. Harding bid them goodbye. The two of them watched him walk away in silence, not paying attention as they announced the final heat. “He never misses a single meet, you know? I’m only here because Aaron twisted my arm to keep you company. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother and you’re not so bad yourself, but I’m not going to sit here in the sun to watch Aaron race. But Dad always shows up. He pushes Aaron harder than anyone but nobody cheers for him more than Dad.”
“Sounds like a good man to have in any corner,” Madison acknowledged sincerely.
They didn’t pay much attention to the final heat, only to check how quickly the top-seeded swimmer finished his heat. Madison’s heart leapt when she realized the Aaron beat his time—he now had the fastest preliminary time going into the finals. That ought to make him happy, she thought gleefully.
Her phone buzzed and she checked, assuming it was Aaron with the good news. But to her dismay, it was a message from Sean. Where are you? She stuffed it in her pocket without bothering to reply. She really didn’t need this right now.
Thankfully, Aaron arrived at t
he stands. Madison nearly flew down to hug him but he caught her. His hair was still damp but she didn’t care. “Am I totes uncool for cheering so loudly?” she asked into his shoulder.
She heard a rumbling laugh in his chest. “You’ve definitely been hanging around my sister too much. But you’re still the best cheerleader I’ve ever had.” When they broke apart, he gave her a quick kiss. He nibbled on her upper lip and gave it a tug before letting go.
He turned to his sister. “Thanks for coming, Zoe. Mind if I take Madison away? I need to get a bite to eat.”
She waved them away. “Sure, sure,” she said, looking eager for them to take the PDA elsewhere. “Bring back something cool to drink, Madison?”
Arm in arm, they walked to the concession stands. Some of the younger fans in the area would stop them and ask Aaron for a photo and he always indulged them. Madison felt a surge of tenderness as she saw him interacting with kids. She loved that he was so easygoing and friendly and she couldn’t believe that she ever thought he was rude. He didn’t seem to think anything of it and headed for some chicken pasta salad, which he soon began shoving into his mouth.
“So? How was your first meet?” he asked in between bites.
“Very impressive so far,” Madison replied. “And I’m really proud of you.”
Aaron suddenly looked rueful. “Sorry if I can’t stay with you the whole day. I could slip away to load up but I’ll need to get some rest between now and the finals tonight. Can’t say it’ll be different tomorrow.”
She shook her head, smiling up at him. “Don’t worry about me. Zoe’s been teaching me the ropes of proper Harding cheering. You just keep on doing well, hotshot. And who knows, by the end of this meet, you might even get a special prize from me,” she added seductively.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed again, startling both of them. Madison cursed herself for not putting it on silent mode. In hindsight maybe she should have looked at it, but at that moment, her indifference towards the message must have given away who its sender was. Aaron briefly glanced at her but didn’t say anything.
“Do you want anything to eat?” he asked mildly. “If you get hungry later, the concessionaires have in-seat food service. VIP perks.”
“I’ll try that later,” Madison replied shakily. She leaned over and took his fork in her hand, taking a small bite from his pasta salad. “But for now, this is enough.”
Aaron grinned. “I like the cap. But I’m pretty sure that belongs to me.”
“It’s not the only thing here that belongs to you,” she murmurs to him suggestively. “If you’re not too tired tonight, I’m sure I can be persuaded to stay…”
He pulled her closer and gave her a kiss. “Baby, you don’t know how little convincing I need.”
“Hey, you two, break it up!” a loud voice said and Madison saw one of the freestyle swimmers from earlier walking towards them. Aaron gave an embarrassed laugh and stepped away, then introduced her to a guy named Craig, who attended the same university as Zoe. Craig’s presence made them switch to small talk, and eventually they both gave up having some free time left because the guys had to report back to Coach Didion and get their rest.
“Sorry, I need to catch some sleep. Later?” Aaron asked.
“You bet. Make it count, hotshot,” she said as they parted.
She headed back to Zoe with a slushie and a hotdog and the two of them settled in to watch the rest of the heats. As the day went on, with the crowds thinning at midday, Madison had to admit that the Harding way of picking out which heats to watch seemed like a smart thing to do. Eventually she wound up checking Sean’s other messages after he rang again. Got a big project for you. Pick up the phone. The second one read: This offer won’t last forever. Answer the phone. Finally: Now. She had to admit, she hadn’t encountered Sean this adamant before. So when he called, she finally answered.
“What is it?” she snapped, leaving the bleachers in search of a quiet corner away from the crowds. “I’m busy right now, Sean.”
“So’s this man I want you to meet,” he replied. “For the record, I rang Elliott. He said you weren’t booked today. I dropped by the cafe too, so unless you have a new job you’re not telling me about, you’re pretty free.”
“Personal business then,” she told him.
Sean clucked his tongue. “You didn’t use to be like this, Madison. I liked helping you out because you were so eager. Remember that script I showed you? That found-footage horror movie franchise? You said it yourself, it’s a huge deal. Anyway, there’s a dinner tonight at a new place on Sunset and the casting director’s going to be there. You could go and finish that little personal errand of yours right there or you could be at Sunset at 8:30 with me.”
“I could make it back there by 9,” she said. Maybe if Aaron’s finals started at 6 PM, she’d still make it in time.
“Madison, a man like that’s not going to wait around that long. If you miss him, that’s it,” Sean warned her.
“Then maybe I’ll just have to miss him,” Madison retorted. The Splash Circuit Nationals was too important. She couldn’t just up and leave without seeing Aaron race.
Sean’s voice was silky-low and serious. “What happened to you, Madison? You used to have dreams for yourself. Don’t tell me you’re content being a barista or a catalog model. Anyway, if you change your mind, you know where to reach me.” The line went dead.
Madison shoved the phone inside her bag angrily. Where the hell did he come off questioning her choices? What made her with-benefits arrangement with him work was that they never bothered with messy things like emotional demands. Their relationship was almost clinical, never truly personal. She wanted to call him back just to tell him to shove it up his ass.
But as she stormed back to her seat, she couldn’t help but mull over his words. It wasn’t that she was content with where her career was at the moment. Just for that she wanted to drive over and prove him wrong. But there was also Aaron and the meet to consider.
A small thought started burrowing in her head. Maybe she shouldn’t be so quick to blow Sean off. If she waited it out until Aaron’s finals were over, she could still make it to the dinner. Aaron was bound to win anyway, and this was just the first of a very long meet. Surely she could miss one, right?
She checked her watch. There was still plenty of time to change her mind.
2:30
“But you never swam competitively?” she asked Zoe. “Even if Aaron and your dad did?”
Zoe shook her head. “Not for me. I was the perpetual cheerleader before I wizened up. So glad I won’t have to do this all over again tomorrow. You’re on your own, Madison.” She added with a good-natured laugh.
Whoopee.
2:35
“Can I get some shut-eye?” Zoe asked.
“You get twenty minutes,” she kidded. “Then we’re trading. Watch the sun.”
3:30
“Is it just me or does that swimmer look very happy to see someone?”
“Very happy.”
“He’s looking this way.”
“Duck!”
5:45
Things started to perk up as the afternoon stretched towards evening. But Madison looked at her watch nervously, then at the time emblazoned on top of the huge flat screen over the far end of the pool. “The finals are about to start, right? They said six, right?”
Zoe nodded. “Want to grab some dinner? You haven’t been eating much the entire day. My bag’s low on supplies, too.”
“No, it’s just that… what time do you think will Aaron’s event start?” she asked. She had bought a program and a heat sheet, as well as a ton of other merchandise, but none included specific times for the events.
“Aaron’s event was sixth this morning,” Zoe mused. “That shouldn’t take long…”
Madison’s heart lifted.
“...so multiply five by four and there should be only about twenty heats or so until he races.”
Wait, what?
&nb
sp; “Twenty?” Madison exclaimed. “I thought because they’re finals, they’ll be quicker.”
Zoe shook her head. “The top 32 swimmers in the preliminaries swim for the finals. A-B-C-D, eight to a heat. So all five events prior to his will have four heats. Aaron finished first so he’s in the A finals for his event, and oh, that means there are still twenty-one heats to go before his,” she emphasized, as if the correction made any difference to Madison.
She breathed deeply. Heats went by quickly anyway; maybe she could still leave Irvine at 7:15. Or 7:30. All she needed to do was to wait until he won before racing out of there. Maybe Sean could stall the casting guy. No big deal.
The crowd had grown since he had last seen it, louder and much more excited. As the announcer called his name, Aaron raised an arm and looked around. He turned towards the VIP section and his brow wrinkled when he only saw his sister there. Where was Madison? He gave Zoe a questioning shrug.
She made a phone gesture back. Aaron nodded and slipped his goggles over his eyes, relaxing his breaths. She just probably stepped away. He didn’t try to think anything of it. He still had a race to win.
They all climbed on the blocks and he dared another glance in their direction. Still no Madison. Slowly, a tight knot began to form in his stomach. It could have been just any call. It did him no good to think that the call was from that guy. But Zoe just shrugged and shook her head, and in his gut, Aaron knew.
It meant so much for her to have been here. Competitive swimming was so important to him but it wasn’t because he liked the adulation from strangers. What he had hoped was for someone he loved to understand it and be part of it in whatever small measure, not dismiss it so lightly.
He leaned to grab the block. He held his body straight, his legs and arms ready to propel him forward. You and the water and the wall. No Madison. Too bad you already lost, buddy.