That made him look at her again.
“That’s exactly what I was doing with you,” she admitted quietly. “Pushing you away. The no-contact bullshit. I wanted to focus on my career. On my medals.” She exhaled. “So yeah… I get it.”
Callum nodded slowly, processing. “Do you think it would’ve been different between us… if you hadn’t had the accident?”
Her lips pressed together.
A pause.
“We’ll never know,” she said softly. “I’d love to tell you we would’ve found our way to each other anyway… but I know my past self.” She looked up at him, eyes slightly glossy. “Those medals meant more to her than love.” A beat. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey,” he said gently, stopping her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “It’s okay.” And he meant it. “I was an athlete too. I get it. The sacrifices… they’re not small.” His voice softened. “And as a woman? I can’t even imagine how much harder it was for you to be taken seriously.”
Alejandra took a deep breath, like she needed it to steady everything inside her before the words came rushing out.
“My entire family has depended on me since I was young to make money. At first, my papá kept working during the summer season in Cádiz, where people came for vacation, and then during the rest of the year, he traveled with us. Mom used to give Spanish classes when we were in a place for a long time, and somehow, when the first sponsorships came, they were very good.”
She paused briefly, then kept going, the words gaining speed.
“Both Carlos and I, at first, and then he decided to stop competing to train me when the time came, when our ex-trainer had to retire. And since then, seeing all the sacrifices they’ve done for me, I couldn’t risk anything, not even to feel something for someone.”
Her voice softened just a fraction, but the intensity didn’t.
“I had relationships, but all with other surfers who traveled with us. It was way easier than dealing with a long-distance relationship while I was competing. I needed my mind in the game, always… and it’s because of my family.”
Her eyes flickered up to his, searching, almost pleading for him to understand.
“If I don’t keep the sponsorships, if I don’t return to surf… I don’t want Carlos to find another surfer, or my parents to have to go back to work since they are both in their late sixties… but retirement in Spain is not that easy, so that’s why I bought the house in Conil, to use it, to rent it, to have it as an investment. And with the Olympic money, and the other medals’ money, I could put them aside, as I’ve done, and always be there to help them…”
Her words kept spilling out, almost tripping over each other, like if she stopped, everything would collapse.
Her gaze stayed locked on his, desperate for something—understanding, reassurance, anything.
“That’s why I need to go back surfing, Callum. That’s why I can’t… I need to…”
“I understand,” he said softly, cupping her cheeks, grounding her, forcing her to pause.
“And I’ll follow you. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I took three sabbatical months.”
Alejandra blinked, then shook her head quickly, almost flustered. “Again. I was talking about me when—Gosh, I’m so self-centered, I’m obnoxious, how can you be attracted to me?” She stopped herself mid-spiral, groaning. “No, wait, don’t answer that.Just—let’s go inside this pub and you tell me everything about why you ended up in burnout.”
He chuckled under his breath as Alejandra quite literally dragged him into yet another pub, where the Arsenal match was going strong, the noise of cheering and commentary filling the space. They found a booth in a corner, far enough from the chaos to have some privacy, the dim lighting casting a softer glow over them.
The waitress came right away, and he ordered two pints and some French fries.
Alejandra leaned forward slightly, her elbows brushing the table.
“Tell me everything, please.”
“First of all,” he started, looking at her with a small, amused smile, “I don’t think you are obnoxious, by any means. I understand what you are going through, and it makes you more human.” He smirked at her scowl. “You are this top athlete that has reached an Olympic gold, and it’s good to see you have flaws and fears too. I like finding that out about you.”
Alejandra blushed slightly, clearly not used to that kind of honesty, but she motioned for him to continue.
“And second… I—the story is not that interesting.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
The waitress arrived with their drinks and fries, setting them down on the table, and somehow it felt like the right moment to begin. Knowing Alejandra wanted to understand him—really understand him—warmed something deep in his chest. She was interested. In him. And she was self-aware enough to call herself out, something he respected more than she probably realized.
