Page 105 of Floored By Love

Red alert. Red alert.

“Okay,” I said, tentatively. “What’s going on?”

“I haven’t been all up in your business lately because I’ve had an inside man giving me the scoop.”

I stared at her, confused.

“Luke, dear. Luke’s been updating me. He knew how concerned I was, but we figured you needed time to recover and relax and wouldn’t want me pestering you all day long.”

Oh.

“You have?” I asked Luke.

“Are you mad?”

“No, I guess not. Should I be? I think it’s kind of awesome, actually,” I answered, grabbing his hand under the table. “I’m thrilled you two have bonded over my medically dysfunctional body.”

“Well, not all of it is dysfunctional,” Luke said.

“Down, tiger.”

“I’m going to ignore that.” She continued, “We have been texting about you, but it’s only been about your recovery. It’s not like we’re gossiping or anything.”

“Oh, but can we? That sounds fun.” Luke clapped his hands in front of him like a giddy cheerleader.

I had forgotten my mom ordered pancakes. The server placed my eggs and toast in front of me.

“I could throw your plate on the floor,” I said.

“Because of the texting?” she asked.

“No, because of those carbs. Two more days and I can eat like that.”

She patted my head.

Luke and I were in the locker room with Shane and Noah, watching the other gymnasts compete. We had to wait for Alex to finish the rings, and the women to finish the beam, before it was our turn. It surprised me that Luke qualified for the vault finals, since it was never his strongest event. But his skills had changed since Brisbane, and after winning the all-around, he proved he was a threat on every apparatus.

On the monitor, I could see Coach and Tyler with Alex. Despite placing second during qualifications, the announcers favored Alex to win gold today. It wasn’t a surprise, considering he had won the national championship two years running.

The first few routines were unremarkable. By the time Alex was through his first series, the crowd had perked up. He was attempting the most difficult routine of the night, and the reaction to it seemed to help Alex.

He made it look effortless. I was jealous of his flawless routine. I hadn’t dreamt of attempting the moves he was putting together.

“Jesus, he’s incredible,” Shane said.

“Something lit a fire under his ass,” Noah added.

“I bet he didn’t enjoy missing out on the all-around. This is his chance to redeem himself,” I said.

Noah nodded in agreement, while Luke grabbed my hand. “I’m glad we made it to the all-around,” he said.

“Of course you are. You won the gold,” I said, flipping him off.

“Don’t get nasty just because I’m the better gymnast.”

I mock-gasped at his arrogance, and said, “We’ll see who the better vaulter is. Just you wait.”

Alex landed his dismount perfectly.