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The words hang between us.Even he seems surprised by them, like they came out too fast to catch.

I stare at him.“Says the man too afraid to think about anything real because it might ruin his focus.”

His mouth opens — then shuts.

His face hardens.

“Maybe we both made a mistake,” he says finally.

“We did,” I whisper.

He nods once, jaw clenched.

He turns without another word.

The door clicks softly behind him.

And just like that, it’s over.

***

Thomas

The press center is empty now.

Screens still glow in the dark, looping the same footage on mute; me skiing, me celebrating, me kissing her over and over until it blurs.Until it barely feels like it happened at all.

I sit alone in the blue light, medal heavy against my chest.The ribbon scratches at my neck every time I breathe.A bouquet lies limp on the table beside me, the plastic crinkling whenever I shift.Gold everywhere.And I can’t feel a damn thing.

Somewhere outside, a horn blares — long and triumphant, the sound of celebration bleeding through the walls.

Maybe it’s for me.Or maybe it’s for some other idiot trying to prove he’s enough.

I don’t even know what just happened.

One minute she was mine — there, real, undeniable — and the next, she was gone like it meant nothing.LikeImeant nothing.

I thought winning would fix everything.

I thought gold would make it all worth it.The pressure, the headlines, the chaos.The kiss.

I thought wanting her was enough.

She looked at me like I’d broken something.Like I’d dragged her into a spotlight she never asked for.

But what was I supposed to do?Hide it?Pretend we were nothing?

I brought her everything.My victory.My name.That moment.It was the most precious thing I’ve ever held, and I gave it to her like a fucking gift.

Like a hero in a story, dropping a dragon's head at the princess’s feet — expecting her to kiss me, thank me, and understand.

But she just recoiled.Like all she saw was the blood and the teeth and the mess.

What a fucked-up fairy tale.

I tell myself I’ll be fine.I always am.I get up, I race, I win, I move on.

That’s what I do.