The words hang between us.Even he seems surprised by them, like they came out too fast to catch.
I stare at him.“Says the man too afraid to think about anything real because it might ruin his focus.”
His mouth opens — then shuts.
His face hardens.
“Maybe we both made a mistake,” he says finally.
“We did,” I whisper.
He nods once, jaw clenched.
He turns without another word.
The door clicks softly behind him.
And just like that, it’s over.
***
Thomas
The press center is empty now.
Screens still glow in the dark, looping the same footage on mute; me skiing, me celebrating, me kissing her over and over until it blurs.Until it barely feels like it happened at all.
I sit alone in the blue light, medal heavy against my chest.The ribbon scratches at my neck every time I breathe.A bouquet lies limp on the table beside me, the plastic crinkling whenever I shift.Gold everywhere.And I can’t feel a damn thing.
Somewhere outside, a horn blares — long and triumphant, the sound of celebration bleeding through the walls.
Maybe it’s for me.Or maybe it’s for some other idiot trying to prove he’s enough.
I don’t even know what just happened.
One minute she was mine — there, real, undeniable — and the next, she was gone like it meant nothing.LikeImeant nothing.
I thought winning would fix everything.
I thought gold would make it all worth it.The pressure, the headlines, the chaos.The kiss.
I thought wanting her was enough.
She looked at me like I’d broken something.Like I’d dragged her into a spotlight she never asked for.
But what was I supposed to do?Hide it?Pretend we were nothing?
I brought her everything.My victory.My name.That moment.It was the most precious thing I’ve ever held, and I gave it to her like a fucking gift.
Like a hero in a story, dropping a dragon's head at the princess’s feet — expecting her to kiss me, thank me, and understand.
But she just recoiled.Like all she saw was the blood and the teeth and the mess.
What a fucked-up fairy tale.
I tell myself I’ll be fine.I always am.I get up, I race, I win, I move on.
That’s what I do.
