Page 60 of The Forever Vault

I knew Luke was concerned I was pushing myself too hard, but he let it slide when I told him I was getting an evening workout in. He might’ve been slightly disappointed, but Ty was there. I told myself I was giving them a night alone.

My mom should be here tomorrow, the day of the opening ceremony. The next day was the qualifiers. I had two days. Well, less than that, technically.

Normally, I’d already be relaxing, but I couldn’t. Not yet. I could relax tomorrow.

I turned the water off and dried myself as best I could quickly before heading back to my locker, thoughts of Orion’s conversation popped back into my head.

I checked my phone.

Tyler: Hope I didn’t scare you off.

Tyler: Luke’s worried you’re pushing yourself too hard. Don’t.

Tyler: Hope to see you tomorrow.

Cam: Have fun tonight! Glad you’re here. See you tomorrow.

I had one from my mom with her flight info, and one from Luke. I told him I’d call him later if he was still awake when I got back to my room.

Then I thought about the conversation from earlier, and sent one to Orion.

Cam: I mean it. I’m here if you need me.

I pulled on some sweatshorts, a tank, and socks, and slipped into my Metcons. After I tossed my towel in with the laundry, I stopped at the mirror to fix my hair before heading out.

The gym, where I was headed, like most things on campus, had been improved for the Olympics. Mostly, that meant that everything was made bigger. It would eventually become the new student fitness center. In the same building, a new pool was constructed where the swimming and diving events would take place. It was less than a ten minute walk from the gym where we were training.

For this time of night, the gym was still pretty busy. It made sense. This was the Olympics after all. After retrieving my earbuds, I tossed my bag in a cubby along the wall and found a space on one of the matted areas of the floor.

I didn’t plan on a heavy workout. I just wanted to stretch, target a few muscle groups with varying intensities, and then relax on the rowing machine for a bit.

I was focused and listening to my music, so I’m not sure when Hudson showed up or if he was there the whole time. My eyes couldn’t help but notice Hudson, and that’s when I noticed Miles with him. I don’t think I had heard either say more than twenty words, but they were chatting away with each other, and both were all smiles. It was a bit of a shock. They were usually so reserved.

As I switched over to the rowing machine for my cooldown, I couldn’t help but watch them. There wasn’t anything else to do. The TVs were all news and sports. I didn’t need to hear about the Olympics and everyone’s speculation. I was already here and I knew what I had to do. But for some reason, I found the sociable interactions of Miles and Hudson fascinating. They were like different people. Like two friends, hanging out.

I wondered if the team made Miles uncomfortable somehow, like he couldn’t be himself around us. It was none of my business, but when Hudson jogged off, disappearing into the locker room, I decided my workout was over.

My curiosity was piqued. Miles was alone on the overhead press.

“Hey, Miles!” I said, walking up.

“Oh hey, Cam,” he replied, smiling. “Getting a late workout in?”

“As are you and Hudson.”

There was perhaps a slight blush, but no hesitation. “Yup. Hudson has had me on the same schedule for weeks now to prep for this. Not letting up now when it’s this close.”

“That makes sense.”

I didn’t know how to say this, but I really didn’t want us to keep doing something around him if he was uncomfortable.

“Was there something else, Cam?”

“Oh, yeah…sorry. I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been really not quiet with Hudson, and you’re typically really quiet around the team. Are we doing something to make you uncomfortable? Sorry to ask. I know it’s probably weird of me to say something, but I was a little worried.”

“Oh,” he said. “That’s a bit unexpected.” Then he smiled. “I’m sure you behave differently when you’re alone with Luke than when you’re with the team. I hadn’t noticed, I guess. I can talk to you more if you want me to.”

“No, no. I just wanted to check. I mean, I won’t say no to you talking to me more. Just something I noticed. I probably shouldn’t have said anything. Good night. See you tomorrow.”