“Will you be here much longer? You have the big race in London soon, isn’t it?” Alice asked. She twirled her hair as she spoke. It was clear the offer from a couple of weeks ago had not been rescinded, but Jackson wasn’t interested. He wasn’t interested in any of them. The only thing he was interested in was the direction Elliot’s hand was travelling in.
“Yep, last big one before the Olympics. Got to impress,” Jackson replied easily.
Elliot scoffed. “Oh sure, so important when your place is already secure.” There was an edge in his voice, but his hand was still inching higher, kneading the muscles of Jackson’s thigh.
Jackson shrugged. “The Olympics aren’t the only thing that matters,” he replied, looking straight into Elliot’s stormy blue eyes as he said it.
Elliot pulled his hand away, and Jackson tried to subtly pull it back under the table. “Aren’t they?” he asked, but it didn’t seem like he was really asking Jackson anymore. “Must be nice,” Elliot said, gaze on his glass, “not to feel like one race could finish you.”
Jackson chuckled. “Come on, you’re too good for one race to finish you.”
Elliot pushed himself back from the table. “Fuck, Jennings, you don’t get it at all, do you?”
Jackson moved to follow Elliot, but Ilaria was faster. She gripped his arm as he went to leave the table and whispered something that had the tension draining from his shoulders almost instantly. The two of them stepped away, just a short distance from the table but far enough that Jackson couldn’t hear the words exchanged, despite his best efforts.
Jackson felt a weird mix of relief and jealousy. He wanted to be the one who could do that for Elliot, to be the one to help him see how much he deserved everything he’d worked for, how incredible he was.
It was a bad time to realise how completely fucked he was.
“You said it’s been different? With the new coach? And maybe also training together?” Alice asked, breaking the tension, as Ilaria and Elliot returned to the table. Elliot settled in next to Jackson again, and Jackson immediately took the opportunity to hook their ankles together under the table, trying tocommunicate an apology for whatever it was he’d done—he still wasn’t sure. Elliot didn’t pull away.
“So different,” he replied. “I’ve never had a coach so involved in every aspect of my life. And the meal plans, I swear.” He eyed the dessert Stefan had ordered. “I’d never get away with that, especially ’cause Owens here would totally rat me out.” He smiled and tapped Elliot’s knee in reassurance as he said it. “But that’s because he’s so committed to excellence. I’ve never met an athlete with such an incredible level of dedication. He truly lives and breathes the sport, and it comes through in everything he does. You see it on the course as well, so bloody elegant. I’ve got a lot to learn from him.”
Two tiny pink dots appeared on Elliot’s cheeks as Jackson continued to talk him up to the group. He longed to kiss them.
“Yes, I saw video of you in the Berlin marathon,” Stefan said to Elliot. “Very nice form, strong finishing kick.”
“That bloody finishing kick is what always gets me in trouble.” Jackson laughed.
Elliot smiled at him. “You worried I’ll cash in on our bet?”
“Oh, that sounds interesting.” Ilaria laughed, leaning forward.
“This guy tried to cheat, and I still beat him,” Elliot said. It was like the ice had broken, and Elliot relaxed, letting himself engage with the others. Mostly he was regaling them with tales of times he’d bested Jackson, but even if it was at his expense, Jackson loved seeing it. He sat back and smiled, watching his…rival? His teammate? His fuck buddy?His Elliot—start to open up and enjoy himself.
Somehow, after dinner, the group ended up wandering around near one of the fancier hotels in town. The outdoor pool caught Jackson’s eye immediately, its surface steaming in the crispApril air. It reminded him distantly of the lake that first night in St. Moritz, but now his focus was entirely different.
Jackson headed straight for it. “Who’s coming in, then?”
Elliot stilled beside him. “I don’t think we’re allowed.”
Jackson shrugged as he pulled his jumper over his head. “Live a little, Owens.” Their eyes met and Jackson grinned at him, daring him not to back down.
Elliot met his gaze, and his fingers twitched forward, grasping at thin air. Then he shrugged, a soft laugh escaping his throat. “Why the fuck not,” he muttered.
Jackson smirked at him.
“We should really wait two hours after eating,” Stefan said.
Elliot snorted. “That’s an old wives' tale.”
“I’m going in, either way,” Jackson announced.
The Europeans hesitated. “We can dip our feet,” Alice suggested. “Maybe sit on the edge.”
Jackson laughed and ran forward. He pushed his joggers down before slipping into the warm water. The heat was a sharp contrast to the chilly evening air, and he swam out at speed, warming his body and washing away the haze that had settled over him after dinner.
The pool was bracketed by faux rock outcroppings, and golden lighting highlighted the steam coming off them as it drifted over the water. Jackson swam around one of the rocks before leaning back and letting himself float, watching the stars as his body relaxed into the heat of the pool and he tried to sort through the confusing thoughts Elliot Owens brought into his life. The pool wasn’t overly deep or large, but in the darkness he felt almost completely alone as he drifted, barely able to make out the sounds of his friends on the pool deck over the rushing of a water feature.
