“Drew never introduces us to his friends, and I know the food you’re eating in those canteens isn’t good,” his grandma said. Drew watched as a set of mental calculations flashed across Ari’s face. His grandma was looking over at her with a warm smile, and Drew recognized it as the one she wore when she was up to no good. But Ari must have received it as that of a sweet older lady extending a kind invitation.
“I don’t want to intrude,” Ari said.
“Oh darling, I insist,” his grandma said, whisking her away before she could protest. And soon enough, all four of them were off to dinner together. When his grandparents started talking about what they wanted to eat that evening, Drew took it as an opportunity to step back, reach for Ari’s hand, and walk a few spaces behind.
“Lying to my grandparents was definitely not part of the plan. Sorry to reel you in to that. I panicked,” he whispered, quiet enough that only she could hear him.
“It’s okay, they seem really sweet.”
“Don’t let them fool you,” Drew joked. “But seriously, you don’t have to come. I can tell them you’re busy or need to go and meet up with your teammates. Dinner with my grandparents wasn’t part of the agreement.”
“Do you want me to come?” Ari asked, looking over at him. Drew paused, thinking about it for a moment.
“If this was real? Yes. Absolutely. I know they’ll like you.”
“So I’ll come, but what’s the plan? What’s our story?” she asked.
“The same one we gave your friends?” He figured that maintaining the same lie they’d been telling everyone else would be easier than trying to come up with a good reason for why Drew was giving his sister’s rival a bouquet of flowers. Saying they met on New Year’s Eve felt like the least complicated explanation.
“Okay, I’ll play it up. But your sister can’t find out. So after tonight, tell them we’ve broken up. Because this? Me and you? It’s over.”
38Ari
DAY EIGHT OF THE 2026 OLYMPICS
Ari was trying her hardest not to enjoy herself. But she couldn’t stop herself from feeling like she was meeting herrealboyfriend’s family for the first time. There was a warmth to Drew’s grandparents that she immediately fell for. The four of them were seated at a round dinner table, and Drew’s grandparents kept finishing each other’s sentences and giving each other soft, loving looks. As if they were just as in love with each other as they’d been from the start. They ordered different drinks, he an Old-Fashioned and she a vintage white wine, sharing them with a casual familiarity and laughing like schoolchildren as they teased their grandson in front of who they thought was his new girlfriend.
“And then he showed up to the school dance wearing a full-body space suit.” His grandpa laughed as he told Ari a story about one of Drew’s childhood obsessions. Each time Drew tried to steer the topic of conversation away from somethingembarrassing and toward the menu, Ari leaned forward and asked more questions.
“When he turned fifteen, I accepted that Drew was probably going to end up living with us for the rest of his life,” his grandma said with a chuckle.
“Please, stop,” Drew said. He looked mortified, but Ari could tell he didn’t really mind. He looked more comfortable around his grandparents than she’d seen him anywhere else but behind his camera. They seemed like the kind of tight-knit family that genuinely enjoyed spending time together. Which was more than she could say for hers.
“Are we embarrassing you, honey?” his grandma asked sweetly, giving Ari a conspiratorial wink, as if she was already part of the family. Her heart swelled a little before she reminded herself that this wasn’t built to last.
“Andrew, you were a strange kid. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” his grandpa said with a chuckle.
They were in a cozy, rustic barn-themed restaurant that specialized in warm, homey Swiss comfort food. The server kept coming over to ask for their order, but Drew’s grandparents were so invested in telling stories that they kept apologizing and promising to be ready the next time she came around. After twenty minutes, she smiled and handed them some more plates of warm, freshly baked bread, telling them to take all the time they needed. The bread was a permission slip for Drew’s grandparents to quiz Ari and Drew about how they’d met, how long they’d been dating, and why Drew had been hiding her.
Drew had a sweet relationship with his grandpa. He expected a lot from him, but he doted on him, too. And it was immediately apparent just how much Drew loved his grandma. He was constantly glancing over at her and checking if she was okay. As they interacted, she imagined the child he must have beenwhen his grandma told him stories, and she got glimpses of how much like his grandpa he might become. Drew kept shooting herplease make this stoplooks as she and his grandparents joked around at Drew’s expense. But despite his embarrassment, he seemed comfortable—happy, in fact. They’d held hands on the walk there to play up the whole dating thing, and at some point, he’d put his arm around her shoulders. But she reminded herself that as natural as it felt, it was all for show.
“So, what are you ordering, Arikoishe?” Drew’s grandma asked. Ari liked how older people committed to saying her full name; it made her feel like they were really paying attention. Ari already liked Drew’s grandparents. They were warm and easygoing and made her feel at home in ways she didn’t always feel when she was in her own home. She knew she would never see them again, but still she wanted them to like her.
“What would you recommend?” she asked, smiling over at his grandma.
“Don’t get her started on the menu.” Drew’s grandpa chuckled warmly as he glanced over at his wife with affection.
“I spent a summer in Switzerland in my twenties. Did Drew tell you that? I lived a vivid, exciting life before I married this old man,” Drew’s grandma said with a twinkle in her eye. “Trust me, all of the food on the menu is incredible. But we’ve got to get the cheese fondue, some schnitzel, a bowl of Älplermagronen, Rösti, a little bit of raclette, more bread, and maybe—ooh, there’s so many options,” she said, pointing to various dishes as she talked to Ari about her favorite travel adventures.
“What if we just order one of everything and share it?” Drew’s grandpa said, to everyone’s agreement. They were handing their menus back to the waitress when Ari noticed an abrupt shift in the room.
Everybody cast their gaze away from their menus and over at Ari.
No, they were looking behind Ari.
She glanced over at Drew. He looked startled.
His grandpa looked nervous, and his grandma cast Ari an apologetic glance. She had no idea what was happening until it was too late to run.
