Buzz.
We dove into the water. As always, diving gracefully without my goggles falling was one hurdle I knew I could achieve in any race. I used every fiber of my leg muscles to butterfly kick ahead of Amira to my right and the Australian on my left.
My swimming career might only last another four to eight years—or hell, not even that long—but I was sure as hell going to make the most of it because only a handful of people in the world could say they were professional swimmers and Olympic medalists. Until the day came that I announced my retirement, I was going to give my career as much energy and stamina as I had given each of my races. So when I popped my head up for the last time, I could look back at the scoreboard in my mind, at everything I’d accomplished, and tell myself, you gave everything you had until there was nothing left to give.
And I was going to apply that same mentality to this race. Any race could be my last, and I didn’t want to have regrets.
Swimming against Amira and the Australian was one of the most challenging races I’d ever swam. For the first half, I lagged by half a body length as the two of them were neck and neck for first. I even counted myself in fourth place at one point. I kicked until it burned. By the second half, I made it back into medal territory, and the last fifty meters, I decided to nearly suffocate since each turn to get air slowed me down by a fraction of a second. I wanted to beat four-oh-five so badly, I couldn’t afford that fraction.
So I sent my body into full beast mode.
From the corner of my eye, Amira, the Australian, and I were neck and neck. As the water splashed, I could hear the crowd, that was how close the race was. Coaches whistled. The crowd screamed. Teammates roared. I could have sworn that through it all, I heard Kennedy. I thought of her, my family, my teammates, and Taylor, knowing all of them were watching. I picked up the pace. I held my breath tighter. My face was on fire. My throat muscles yanked and cried out for oxygen. My hamstrings felt as if they were coiling down to a thread. My chest was ready to implode. I mustered the pain and the negative thoughts in that last fifty meters to get to that cross waiting on the wall.
Once I smacked it, I lifted my head and sucked in all the hot, humid air. Warm water trickled out of my ears, and I heard the screaming of all five thousand people packed into the stands. They jumped up and down. Amira and the Australian panted as they stared at the scoreboard. The Australian victoriously tossed her hands in the air. Finally, I made out the times on the scoreboard on the other end of the pool. My chest squeezed.
Lane six: second place. Three fifty-eight.
I’d lost to the Australian by half a second, but I didn’t even care. My mouth fell open at the sight of three fifty-eight. Somehow, after all the shit for the past few months, I was able to get a time five seconds slower than my Olympic time. I was able to swim a race that had my blood pumping with the thrill that I loved so much. My body and mind felt amazing to the point I was a little disappointed I didn’t have another race.
I congratulated the Australian, gave Amira a friendly hug, and then hoisted myself out of the pool, still gasping for air as I looked for Kennedy. She’d managed to find an American flag and hopped up and down, smiling the widest I’d ever seen as the stars and stripes rippled above her.
A half hour later, the three medal winners were escorted back out for the ceremony. Even as the Australian national anthem played, something I would have moped about a year ago, I couldn’t stop smiling. I was sharing this moment with my girlfriend, something I’d wanted to do since I was eleven. I’d beaten my goal time. I could see Taylor freaking out back in California, and I knew that girl was a huge part of my success.
When the last note of the anthem rang throughout the deck, the crowd roared in applause. I shook the hands of the Australian and Amira and then hopped off the podium to go to the girl who really mattered. As people leaned over the railing to offer congratulating hands, I ran up the bleachers where the coaches and press sat, and extended my arms up to Kennedy. She clasped my hands after dabbing her damp face. Seeing her there in that shirt, holding my hands, the stinging met my eyes again.
“You look so ridiculous in that shirt,” I said and kissed the backs of her hands.
She laughed. “You don’t know how many people took a picture of this shirt. I hope this makes me Tumblr famous.”
“Are you ready to star in some fan fiction?”
“Star in some what?”
“I’ll show you on the plane ride home. In the meantime, come here.”
I stepped onto my tippy toes. She leaned so far forward that it almost worried me. The railing pinned her at her waist, and the top half of her hung over so I could cup her face and bring her in for a kiss. I almost forgot that the press was beside me until the clamor of lenses shuttered, but I didn’t care. That wasn’t going to stop me from kissing the love of my life.
“I love you, Ken,” I said through the noise of the crowd and the fluttering of lenses. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
It was her turn to hold my face. She brushed a lingering tear sliding down my cheek. “You could have because guess what?”
“What?”
“You’re so fucking incredible. You turned the darkest moment of your life around and proved to yourself that you’re not a one-hit wonder. I think you’re finally able to see what I’ve seen in you all along, what all those kids like Taylor see in you. You’re so much more than a swimming machine, my love. You’re an inspiration. You inspire me too, and I’m so lucky that I get to be with you and witness it every day.”
Her words made me crack. I started crying, then laughed at my crying. This was all I’d ever wanted since I was eleven, to share this moment with the best friend who’d promised to be by my side. It was worth the long wait. Not only was my best friend in the stands, but she was also my girlfriend, the love of my life, the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I could feel the love and support pouring from her. And I wanted to show her exactly how much I loved and appreciated her, especially for never giving up on us.
I told myself that once we got back home, I would start planning the proposal. I had to ask this woman to marry me.
Chapter Seventeen
One year later
“Oh my God, I’m going to vomit,” I said.
My parents, Liam, Mr. and Mrs. Reed, Ava, and I watched on Mrs. Reed’s iPad. Jacob had specifically built his own hidden camera for today’s purpose. It had been his own hobby for the last few months. Talk about commitment and dedication. I thought he would assist in tricking Kennedy or offer up some ideas, but no, this guy built his own hidden camera because that was what Silicon Valley nerds did to help get their little sisters engaged. Ava had sewn the camera on his button-down so both of our families could watch it happen in real time.
My palms wouldn’t stop sweating while Jacob escorted Kennedy around Aspen Grove. She’d thought it was just a brother-sister errand run for a cookout with both of our families in my backyard that evening, but she would soon realize we were in town for something much bigger.
As I watched and started to feel physically sick, Jacob parked right outside my parents’ house. I told Kennedy to meet me there so I could tag along to the grocery store. He trailed behind her. He knew part of his job was to always walk behind, so all of us could see her reactions. My driveway was the first stop, and Kennedy halted when she made out the pink chalk marks.