And it kept working.
Our blade work was clean. No splash on the entry. The run between strokes was perfect—the boat gliding forward on its own momentum during the recovery, speed building without effort.
My breathing was steady. Heart rate elevated but controlled. Legs burning in that good way that meant I was working but not dying.
Behind me, Alex's rhythm was locked with mine. Too perfect. Too natural. Too right.
And that was the problem.
The coaches called something from the launch. I didn't hear the words—couldn't focus past the rhythm we'd found. The water rushing past. Alex behind me. Us. Together.
It felt like Brackett Lake.
It felt like…
Chapter 6: Alex
Flying.
That's what it felt like.
I was in bow seat, watching Liam's back in front of me, and every stroke locked in perfectly. His rhythm, my rhythm—no difference. Just one continuous motion, our bodies moving together like we'd never stopped.
The boat glided beneath us, both responsive and alive.
The power in Liam's shoulders was visible on every drive—blade catching the water clean, releasing smooth. My catches matched his exactly. Not because I was trying but because my body knew this, knew him.
A year and a half since we'd rowed together at Brackett Lake. When we'd finished and he'd looked at me with those eyes and said it felt like flying.
This felt the same.
Exactly the same.
Heat built in my chest and spread lower—but it wasn't from exertion.
My body was responding to him.
Right here in the boat. In the middle of practice. With coaches watching and teammates around and Liam in front of me, his back flexing with each stroke.
I should have been horrified. Should have been calculating the risk—who might notice, what they might see. But I couldn't make myself care. Not right now. This was me and Liam. This was who we were.
I focused back on technique. Legs, back, arms. Clean catches. Smooth finishes. Let the mechanics carry me.
But my body kept responding to the rhythm we'd found.
My breath came faster.
I couldn't stop this. Couldn't discipline it away. Could only hope no one noticed when we came off the water.
The words came out before I could stop them.
"God, this is amazing."
Liam's rhythm stuttered for half a stroke. Then recovered.
A pause. "Yeah... it is."
"I forgot what this felt like," I said.
