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“Hey, what are you going to do with all these dirty secrets?” she asked before we parted ways.
I did, and said, exactly what she had. I tapped my temple and smiled softly to let her know her personal life would never leave my mouth.
“I’m a vault. Sink or swim.”
I knew we’d never be best friends, but I now viewed Reagan in a different light.
After our conversation, I saw my teammate as a girl who had lived a tough life at a young age. It didn’t excuse her for being a bitch, but at the same time, I understood why she was the way she was. I felt bad for how I had treated Hayden now even more. She was the type of person who didn’t want to let anyone else in for fear of being left behind. And that was something I could respect.
Exhaling a breath, I called Kova. I needed to talk about the training camp. I was feeling some type of way, like too many feelings hitting me all at once. I was stressed out and just wanted to hear his voice. He picked up after a couple of rings.
He mumbled in Russian, then groggily said, “Allo?”
“Hi,” I said shyly.
I heard the distinct sound of Katja’s soft voice in the background and the ruffling of sheets. I frowned. I thought she wasn’t sleeping in his bed anymore.
“What can I do for you?”
I pulled back, puzzled by his greeting. “Can you talk, or is this a bad time?”
A door closed shut and his tone relaxed. “It is never a bad time for you. I can spare a few moments, but make it quick. Katja comes for me.” He paused, hesitant. “It is never a good time with her around these days.”
“I thought she wasn’t sleeping in your bed.” My teeth dug into my lip as I waited anxiously for his response. I left for nationals camp and Katja moved back into his bed.
“I promise it is not what you think. We are not touching.”
I could hear the sincerity in his voice. I felt stupid for even bringing it up.
“It’s late. Sorry I called. I’ll just talk to you when I get home.”
I hung up on him and clenched my eyes shut, gripping the phone in my hand. That was childish of me and I immediately regretted it. Thankfully, Kova called back, and I picked up.
“Adrianna.” His accent rolled strong over ther. He seemed tired. “I do not have time for these games. What do you need? Are you hurt? Are you being sent home? Tell me what is going on.”
“Sent home? What? No. Why would you think that?”
His voice softened, but I noticed the tightness in his words. “Because sometimes you are too defiant for your own good and do not know when to stop while you are ahead. If you have not noticed, those coaches have much less patience than I do. So I thought possibly you were being sent away for being disobedient.”
I almost rolled my eyes. Kova had a point, but he seemed like he was dealing with his own demons right now, so I wasn’t going to take his tone personally.
“I’m sure Katja didn’t like seeing that I was calling you. It probably wasn’t smart to call at this time.”
“She did not know it was you.” Kova was quiet for a moment and then his voice dropped. “I changed your name in my phone so if you ever did call she would not be aware. I have you as a man’s name.”
My brows shot up to my hairline. “Oh…” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “I guess that was smart.”
I was quiet for a moment and turned over on my side, pulling up my knees. I could hear him breathing and something about that soothed me. I felt like he was right next to me.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked gently.
I lowered my voice and went with the truth. “Nothing, really. That morning when I sat with you on your couch when you watched the news.”
“That is what you are thinking about right now?”
“Yeah,” I said softly. “I’m a little stressed being here, so I’m trying to take my mind off how things are going by thinking of good times when I felt at ease with my world. I’ve had a headache throughout the day and I feel like I’m making it worse by overthinking being here.”
“It is a lot to take in. Most people do not realize the strain on a pro athlete. It is more than just a body workout. It is mental and a lot to process.” He paused, then sighed.
