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Shadows pooled in Darius’s eyes. Time seemed to hold its breath. He bowed his head for a long moment, the lamplight running up and down the smooth curve of his hair.
“Is that true?” Addisyn could feel her hands quivering.
Slowly Darius raised his head. His eyes glistened.
“Yes.”
His voice was the softest whisper of a breeze through the forest.
“Yes, it’s true.”
Addisyn’s body sagged with the release of the moment’s tension. She let out a long breath. For a moment she simply stared at him, absorbing the full impact of his statement. Wondering how to possibly carry forward.
Darius was the first to break the quiet. “How—how did you know?” He kept his eyes fastened on Addisyn’s face, probably trying to gauge her reaction.
She shrugged. “From the first day I saw you, I knew there was something familiar about you. Today, Chelsea mentioned that you also went by Andrew Payne.” The truth still felt surreal, as if the room was tilting a little to one side. “I remember seeing you compete on TV at the Vancouver Olympics.”
What she didn’t mention was that Darius had been her hero. For both nights of the Vancouver Olympics figure skating, she’d been on her knees in front of the television, watching him perform—a flawless athlete, the darling of the figure skating world. As a romantic preteen, she’d been enthralled—both with the sport and with the cute fifteen-year-old.
“Yeah.” Darius leaned back in his chair, an odd mixture of joy and pain filling his eyes. “I was so excited. Representing Canada. Right here in my hometown.”
His tone was somber, even melancholy. Addisyn stared at him. He seemed more like an ex-con admitting to a capital crime than an amazing athlete revealing himself as an Olympian. Why?
She swallowed hard and asked the only next question she could think of—a bit lame, perhaps, but necessary. “Why—didn’t you tell me?”
For the first time Darius looked slightly annoyed. “Why would I?” Then he sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to snap at you. It’s not your fault.”
“What’s not my fault?”
“That you found out.” Darius stood up and walked a few steps away from the table, then turned and paced back.
“Found out?” Addisyn was even more bewildered. “Darius, this is amazing that you’re an Olympian. It’s not something you should want to hide.”
He sighed. “It’s—complicated.”
Complicated?If Addisyn had made it to the U.S. Championships, she would have been over the moon. And if she’d competed in the Olympics, she’d have shouted the news from the rooftops. What could Darius possibly mean? Why had he wanted to bury his greatest accomplishment?
“HOW MUCH OFthe story have you heard?” Darius knew his tone sounded borderline desperate, but he couldn’t help it. Inside he wanted to cry or yell or maybe throw something. Good grief, would the ghosts never stop chasing him? Ever?
“Most of it, I guess. Chelsea filled me in.” Addisyn looked caught, as if she couldn’t figure out what she’d done wrong.
He couldn’t blame her. His reaction must seem completely irrational to her. “So...what did infallible Chelsea tell you about my life?” He knew his grin looked fake.
Addisyn quirked a brow at him. “You grew up in Whistler, but your parents homeschooled you and took you all over the world to train at the best locations, starting when you were six years old. You competed here in the Vancouver Olympics.” After that, she hadn’t followed his career, but Chelsea’s gossipy tongue had revealed the next details to her. “You changed your focus to short-track skating and went to Sochi for the next Olympics. In Sochi you won the bronze medal in the thousand meters, but then in the five hundred meters—your signature event—you fell and were sidelined by injury. But—” her voice became softer—“your greatest years were here in Whistler—and this is where you won your gold medal.”
Darius’s face felt hot and throbbing, as if he’d been slapped by something. Well, he had. His past. Sighing, he relinquished any hope of concealing his story. Quietly, unceremoniously, he slipped off his loose jacket and turned his arms palm-up. He watched Addisyn, gauging her reaction to the two matching tattoos on the insides of his lower arms. Each one featured the Olympic rings with the location written underneath: Sochi on his left arm, Vancouver on his right.
“Wow.” Addisyn looked up at him with huge eyes. Respect shone in her face.
Darius shrugged and yanked his jacket back on, hiding the tattoos again. He hated the way she was looking at him now, the way people always looked at him. That starry-eyed stare of pure awe at his greatness. If only they knew the truth.
“Yeah...well...” He had nothing to say, really. He didn’t want to talk about the Olympics, and he couldn’t change the topic now.
Addisyn shook her head. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
Darius narrowed his eyes. “Sorry.” The word sounded more curt than he intended.
“Well, no, it’s just...” her voice trailed off. “I just thought you would have told me because—”
