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“I’m done!” She threw her hands up in celebration, pumping her shoulders, apparently rubbing it in.
Theo glanced at me, cupping a hand over her mouth. “She’s a rare breed who loves to write research papers. Weird, huh?”
“Yeah, totally,” I agreed with a smile.
“Sorina?” I heard a deep, familiar voice behind me and a tap on the shoulder. I glanced up, and my heart nearly burst at seeing one of my closest friends from my childhood standing before my eyes.
“Nicu?” I asked in shock, thinking I was in a dream, not believing he was actually standing in front of me.
He held out his hand palm down, displaying the distinct birthmark I’d always found fascinating because it was shaped like an almost-perfect heart. “In the flesh.”
“I can’t believe you’re here.” I jumped up and hugged him. Memories of a stuffy gym in Bucharest popped into my head, and me watching Nicu Baciu swing around on the rings for hours on end. I pulled back and peered up at him. “What are you doing here?”
“I was hungry.” His brown eyes danced, and he lifted a mug. “And thirsty.” In the past, Nicu was always playful and good-natured, and apparently, he still was. I’d had some sort of hero worship for him because he’d always been there for me.
Without thinking, I reached out and ruffled his wild, mahogany curls that framed his face like I’d done so many times in the past. “You know what I mean.” It was strange to see a fellow Romanian who I’d actually shared a past with in central Texas. What were the odds?
“I’m here at Hillside on a gymnastics scholarship.” He beamed with pride. I knew why he was so happy, considering we both came from poor backgrounds and used to share our dreams of how gymnastics would be our ticket out of poverty.
“If anyone deserves it, it’s you.” I studied his appearance, noting how he was slightly taller, yet still had a broad chest and bulging biceps clearly showcased under his short sleeves. As much as men used upper body strength in this sport, it was a given to have muscles.
“So do you. I assume you go to school here?”
“Yes.” I gave a brief explanation of how I ended up in Texas and eventually Hillside, not going into too many details.
“Why are you not on the gymnastics team?” His dark eyes probed my face. The light teasing disappeared. I couldn’t give him some bullshit, blow-off answer because he knew me better than almost anyone.
His look of concern got to me. I ducked my head. “I lost interest.” Another lie, and shame flooded through me.
“Hey.” He placed a finger on my chin, lifting it up. “Don’t lie to me, Sorina. It’s me. We were always honest with each other. I know you, and I also know how driven you were. The girl I knew would have never given up because you gave your heart and soul to this sport. You bled gymnastics just like I do.” He was right, and we’d always spoken candidly to each other.
If I were honest, I had an innocent crush on Nicu back then, and I think he knew it. I think he liked me, too, but nothing more materialized because we were in the gym ten hours a day, and any kind of relationship was banned among gymnasts. No distractions to detract from our focus. We were like two peas in a pod, two conspirators ready to take on the world. We were young and foolish, and at the time, thought myself invincible. It’s funny how your perception could change at the drop of a hat.
The emotions were threatening to well up, and I would rather die than allow it in public. I glanced away, fighting the tears burning behind my eyes, and saw Dmitri glaring at us with his full lips flattened in a tight line and a slight tic in his jaw. The cut on his lip was more pronounced. He clenched a dart in his hand, and I had a suspicion he would throw it at my friend or just stalk over and stab him if he could. I turned away. “I don’t want to talk about it now.”
The air grew heavy as Nicu observed me. “Okay,” he said gently. “We can talk another time?”
I nodded and swiped my face, although a tear never fell. I would never let a tear fall again over this.
He pulled out his cell from his pocket. “Give me your number.” I typed it into his phone. Then we talked about classes and college life. He was majoring in environmental science while I told him I was majoring in physiology. I peered over to my left again, and Dmitri’s attention was still on us, giving Nicu death wish vibes, and he took a step in our direction. Uneasiness settled in my chest because I didn’t know what he would do. Considering he went as far as getting ejected from a game earlier, he could do worse, and I couldn’t bear to see Nicu harmed.
But I wasn’t an idiot and knew I should save this conversation for another time. “Nicu, I’m here with friends. Can we talk later?”
“Sure.” He curled an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. “It’s so good to see you again. You don’t know how many times I’ve thought about you over the years.” His hug was comforting, and in many ways, it made me homesick for Romania. Homesick for the life I left. Homesick for my family. Even if I was in a better place in life now, I still often felt like a lost girl.
I glanced at Nicu and swallowed thickly. “I know. Me, too.”
He gave a soft smile before walking off. I was too apprehensive to look in Dmitri’s direction again, but I could sense his heated gaze on me. Instead, I gave my attention to my friends who were both grinning like Cheshire cats. I shook off my sudden rise of melancholy and pasted a smile on my lips.
“So?” Kenzie raised her hands in question while her eyes danced. “Who was that?”
“He’s a good friend of mine.”
“Good friend, huh? He’s also very handsome,” Theo added.
“You’re a very popular girl. Gaining the attention from a random player on the opposing team and now this guy,” Kenzie said. “And for the record, he didn’t look at you like a good friend. He looked at you like he wanted to be more than a friend.”
“Stop trying to play matchmaker, Kenz.” Theo glanced at me apologetically.
