Love and Other Games

by Ana Blaze, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane, Kara Leigh Miller

  He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. “This thing between us is a damn good thing.”

  She bit her lip. “I don’t know.”

  He yanked her body to face him. “I’m serious, Nadia. I feel like the luckiest man alive right now.”

  “That’s because you made it to the finals.” She straightened out her shirt and found her pants and pulled them on.

  He drew in a breath and released it before speaking. She was fully dressed now. “Yes, the finals are pretty freakin’ nice, but I’m falling for you Nadia.”

  She sucked in a breath and shook her head. “You can’t.”

  He nodded and fingered her cheek. “Yes I can and I did.” He leaned in and nipped her lip with his teeth.

  She scooted backward to the corner of the sofa. “Oh no you don’t.” Then her body stiffened and she winced, “Ow.”

  “What happened?” Ty leaned over her looking around.

  “Something pinched me in the butt.” She scooted over and a cushion sat out of place.

  “Probably a spring or something. Here.” Ty reached under the cushion and felt a metal object. “Wait.” He jerked under the bigger pillow and pulled out a – holy shit – what was it? “What the hell?”

  Nadia’s hand rose to her mouth and gave him a sidelong glance of disbelief. “That’s … a torch.”

  “What’s a torch doing under the sofa? Are you sure?” He inspected it closer. The silver torch was an odd shape, smaller than the torches they carried at the Opening Ceremony and it almost looked like a cup on a saucer with a big stick underneath. “It’s pretty old, if it is.”

  Nadia’s nose got closer and she pointed. “See that inside, that’s where the fire burns.” She turned the torch in his hand, studying every crevice. “And look at this, it’s the Olympics symbol on the side with the year … oh my God … 1938.” Her eyes widened. “Ty, you know what that is?”

  He vigorously shook his head and his mouth went dry. “No way.”

  Nadia sat up straighter, touching the torch as if it were a China doll. “It’s the Legendary Torch, Ty. You know the legend, don’t you?”

  He placed the object of discussion in her lap and rubbed his hands together to clean them off. “I’ve heard little pieces here and there.” He looked around for his clothes, found them and scooped them up.

  Nadia gingerly picked up the torch, stood and paced in front of him. “If you have the torch in your possession during your game, you’ll have good luck, hopefully a Gold medal – and your game’s tomorrow, Ty! This is unbelievable.”

  “Yeah, unbelievable.” He rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know.”

  Nadia held her pointer finger up. “But, if you keep it in your possession more than 24 hours, bad luck will come. So, you keep it until after your game and then we put it back afterwards.”

  “Do you really believe in this crap?”

  “You found it. You can’t ignore it – truth or not.”

  He scratched his neck and stood beside her. “Alright then, let’s see if I get Gold tomorrow.”

  Nadia eyed his legs and bit her lip. “You probably should get dressed, then we’ll find a safe place to put this lucky charm.”

  Ty shrugged on his pants, all while staring at Nadia’s astonished face. “I already have my Lucky Lady.”

  “But the Legendary Torch is something you can’t ignore.” Her rosy face with sparkling eyes smiled up at him – her palm holding the torch out to him.

  He shrugged taking the torch and studied it. “I got my Lady … ” He leaned in to kiss her. “And my Lucky Torch. What else could a guy ask for?”

  Nadia cocked her head and smirked. “A new vest?”

  Chapter Seven

  Ty tightened his grip on Nadia’s hand and held his board with his other. He walked her to the stands and helped her find her seat in front, by Chris’s wife and kids. He wanted her to cheer him on in the Finals, since his family had to stay back to watch the business, and when he asked her, she hesitated, but agreed.

  It scared the shit out of him. The feelings that grew for this woman in so few days. Sure, he had his share of women, but with Nadia it was different, and he couldn’t deny it. She would never agree to anything more than the fling they shared, he knew that, but he had to try to get as much out of the relationship as possible. He had some ideas up his sleeve, but first he had to win his medal.

  And finding the freakin’ torch – could it really be from the legend? There was one way to find out, and he intended to win – he’d worked hard to get to this place and if the torch helped along the way, then why not?

  He leaned down, kissed Nadia and whispered in her ear. “I’m going to win a medal. You’re my lucky charm.”

  “And what about the torch?” She opened her jacket and closed it quickly shifting her eyes around to make sure no one looked.

  He shrugged and pulled on his gloves. “There’s that, too. Luck all around. That’s why my Lucky Lady is holding it for me.”

  Chris jerked Ty’s shoulder back. “Come on, dude. You ready to bust it Angelo-style?”

  “Coming.” He leaned down and touched her cheek. “Don’t run off again.”

  “I won’t. Now get going or you’ll be late.”

  He laughed, placing his forehead to hers. “You don’t like to be late do you?”

  “Never.” She kissed his chin and waved him off.

  “Let’s get cracking, Trouble.” Chris pulled him back. “Later, baby,” he called after his wife who stood next to Nadia with their two young boys.

  ***

  The petite brunette studied Nadia. “Your Trouble’s girl, then? I’m Kristen.”

  “Ty asked me to cheer him on.” Nadia tightened her jacket, locating the torch with her right hand and patting it in place.

  “I’ve known him for a few years now. Chris and he are always at the same competitions. You should’ve seen them in Aspen during the X-games in January. They’re nuts.”

  Nadia laughed with the woman. She could only imagine. “You should see what I’ve caught them doing here in the Village.”

  The women chattered for half an hour while the stands filled up, all while Nadia eyed the beginning of the half-pipe, trying to get a glimpse of her superhero. She never caught sight of him, but did see a flurry of white uniforms, the US logos winding together. When the lights blazed around the half-pipe, and the announcers declared it five-minutes until show time, a few other US snowboarders who didn’t make it to the finals joined them, including Ty’s friend, Adam.

  Adam held a US flag around his shoulders and gave Nadia a once over. “You abandoned your country, huh? All for Trouble?” He shook his head.

  “Leave her alone.” Kristen scolded him. “It’s nice to finally meet a girlfriend of Ty’s.”

  Nadia couldn’t help but bask in the title – girlfriend. Is that what she was? Or was it really a frivolous love affair, as it began. Her heart beat faster and her palms got sweaty. She wanted it to be more, but how, when they were worlds apart?

  Ty’s face displayed across the video screen at the top of the half-pipe. Her heart picked up its pace, her nervousness for the man she had so quickly become attached to – never imagining the Olympics would lead her there. An eeriness surrounded her. The half-pipe stood empty, with fifteen or twenty heavy lights beaming onto the slick tube where Ty would slide down in any moment. The voices around her quieted – an expectation of greatness from the crowd.

  “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.”