Page 33 of Love on the Tracks
“Why you gotta be a dick like that? Rowan’s a serious athlete. She could kick your ass for sure.”
“So could your grandma.”
True. Nana was badass, and if she couldn’t beat Stan into submission with her giant purse, she’d feed him until the guy would barely be able to roll out of the house.
“I didn’t call to spar with you. You’ve got a spot on Pop Nation in an hour.”
An hour? The music/reality TV channel’s temporary studio is back by the village. Which means I gotta go if I want to make it. Which I do, but . . . I look around, trying to determine if there’s any way in hell I’m going to get to see Rowan before her next run. I’m thinking not, but what if I leave and I could’ve seen her? That would suck. However, I also don’t want to be the clingy boyfriend. Especially because I’m not actually her boyfriend.
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
Rowan
I’ve got my headphones on, listening to LtG, of course. I can’t talk to anyone right now; even my dad and Gerrilyn are sitting beside me in silence because they know that when I’m between runs, I just can’t. What I can do is listen to this song I’ve heard a million times before. Though the words and the notes are the same and it has the same settling effect as it always does, there’s an added layer to it.
Zane. Even though I wouldn’t be able to bear looking at him right now, I like having his voice in my ears. It’s comforting in a way it hasn’t been before. It leads me to thinking about some of the other things Zane can do for me, and oh . . . that is probably not a good idea.
I’m about to flick to another song in the hopes a change will stop my thoughts from heading down that path—that incredibly, delightfully filthy path, lined with bone-deep kisses and all sorts of other hedonistic things—when there’s a shake of my shoulder.
Who the fuck is—
Kate, of course. When I slide my headphones off, she shakes me again and I’m rattled. Not just literally, either.
“Kate, what the hell? You know I don’t like—”
“Yeah, yeah, you and your Fortress of Solitude before runs, but I thought you’d want to see this.” She thrusts her phone into my hands, and when I look at the screen, it’s Zane.
Before I can help it, I’m smiling. He’s so goddamn cute, how can I not? Though I can’t hear his words, I can see his posture and his face. He’s got that sly smile, the one that makes his dimples into deep divots in his light scruff. No wonder he’s got all the girls screaming for him.
Apparently Kate doesn’t want me to just look at him. She yanks her own headphone jack out and plugs mine in, using one swift movement. She is far too well-practiced at interrupting me. We’ll have to have a talk about that. I don’t have time to scold her though, because Zane’s voice is in my ear.
“Yeah, it’s true we’ve been spending some time together while I’ve been in Denver.”
Kate pokes me square in the chest and my cheeks heat up until they must match the red on my Team USA uniform. Should I be flattered or mortified? My brain decides to go for both.
“From the footage I’ve seen, it looks like more than some friendly chats.” The host eggs him on with a bit of a dudebro elbow nudge and I have to refrain from covering my face. No one can hear this except me. Well, me and the rest of the millions of people who are watching this on Pop Nation at any rate. Shit. At least that doesn’t include my dad. He’s still sitting next to me, shooting eye daggers at Kate.
“Simon, come on man. You know I don’t kiss and tell.”
“Ah, so you’ve kissed!”
Zane shakes his head and oh my god, is he blushing? He is. He totally is. With that bashful look on his face he goes, “I am the worst at this. I’ll say this, okay? Rowan’s a spectacular athlete. She works crazy hard, and I don’t know if you saw her run earlier today, but she was phenomenal.”
“I did see it, actually, and I hear she’s our best shot at medaling in the luge. Doesn’t hurt that she looks banging in her uniform.”
Zane’s flush disappears, and though he tries to keep his expression friendly, his tone is tight, his words sharp as the steels on my sled. “Come on, dude. You wouldn’t say that about any of the male athletes. How about we appreciate her athletic prowess since that’s what she’s here for?”
Simon has the good manners to look abashed. “Fair enough.”
My first reaction is to be grateful. There is so much sexist crap female athletes have to deal with, what with people commenting on whether we look feminine enough or talking about our romantic partners as often as they talk about us. It’s so godawful sweet for Zane to have called that guy on it.
As they move on to discussing other athletes, my second—and yes, very stupid—reaction is worry. Does Zane not find me attractive?Oh my god, shut it, Andrews. The guy was begging for you the other night.True. The thought still nags at the back of my brain as I watch the rest of the interview. I’m tickled when Zane finishes up by talking about how underrated curling is and how everyone should watch the mixed doubles finals tonight.
In parting, Simon asks Zane if he’ll be at the second run this afternoon, and Zane gives him that charm-laden smile again. “I don’t know, man. You and your camera crew should come by the track and find out. Also get some footage of some of the best athletes in the world doing what they do best. Sliding.”
So, okay, Zane has managed to make luge sound sexy as fuck, and god knows that isn’t easy. There’s still that nagging voice, asking why he didn’t say yes, he’s coming to see me?Oh, stuff it.
I unplug and hand Kate’s phone back to her. She’s got this wicked grin on her face I’d like to slap off, but she has another run in a few hours like I do and I don’t want to injure either one of us, so I just grit my teeth.
