Jackson may have been imagining it, but there was still something in his tone, something… Wait. Jackson smiled. “You’re jealous.”
“Of Hewitt? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You are, and I can’t quite figure out why. You’re in a better position for selection than he is,” Jackson said. “And if it’s the other thing…”
“It's not,” Elliot said quickly.
“’Cause we’re just mates, he and I. It was never anything more than that.” It didn’t even feel like a lie to Jackson anymore. Whatever he’d once thought he wanted was long gone, overwhelmed by the growing feelings he had for the man next to him.
Elliot grimaced. “Like we’re just mates?”
“Nah, you and I aren’t friends, Owens. Remember?”
Elliot looked at him. “Right. So long as you aren’t catching feelings.” He turned back to the path, his pace quickening.
The finality with which it was said smothered something bright in Jackson. “I can fuck you without falling in love with you, Owens,” he replied, less sure of it than he hoped he sounded.
“I know. Forget I said it.”
They walked in an uncomfortable silence to a small restaurant on the edge of the town. They pushed the doors open and were immediately engulfed by the scent of melted cheese and roasted meat. Sitting in a corner booth, Jackson pulled the menu up in front of his face, looking over it with incredible detail.
“This is nice.” Elliot’s voice broke the awkward silence that had descended between them. “Thanks for dragging me out.”
“Can’t survive on that meal plan alone,” Jackson said, bumping Elliot’s knee under the table. He grinned down at his menu when Elliot pressed into the touch instead of moving away.
“Jackson! Elliot!” A voice broke through the din of chatter in the restaurant.
Jackson sighed, disappointed by the interruption.
It was Alice, Ilaria, and their friends. They’d spent a decent amount of time with the group, swimming and exploring, but he noticed Elliot still glared as they approached.
“Can we join you?” Ilaria asked. “Or is this…”
“Of course you can,” Jackson said quickly, not wanting to push Elliot’s boundaries by suggesting this was anything intimate. If anything, Elliot’s glare intensified. “Grabbing a quick bite with my future teammate.”
The group joined them, pulling up chairs and dragging another table over.
“So how are you enjoying your first visit to St. Moritz?” asked Stefan. He was an Austrian triathlete who had arrived that morning on his own. He was young and early enough in hiscareer to still be excited about everything and everyone. “It's beautiful, no?”
“Yes,” Jackson replied. “Really lovely.”
“And have you been further up the mountains? For camping?”
Jackson felt Elliot stiffen beside him as Stefan continued to engage, leaning in towards Jackson as he spoke.
“We’ve been,” Elliot replied. His voice was stilted, but much to Jackson’s surprise, his hand found its way onto Jackson’s thigh under the table. “It was an incredible experience.”
Jackson choked as Elliot traced small circles on his leg, but he managed to say, “Yeah, brilliant.”
Ilaria tilted her head to stare at him, like she knew something she shouldn’t. “Is it very different to how you train at home here?”
Jackson hummed. He tried to concentrate so he could give an accurate answer. “Our coach is here with us, so the training itself isn’t so different, but I’ve only been training with him for a couple of months, so it’s been a big adjustment anyway,” he replied honestly.
Elliot nodded along. “Anders is pretty much always like this. Very intense.”
Jackson laughed. “Understatement.”
Stefan smiled at Jackson. He recognised the look he was giving him; he knew he had a bit of a reputation, and obviously, this group all figured they had a shot. Elliot was clearly not amused as he paused the slow circles he’d been tracing to grip Jackson’s leg, hard.
