"I Just Can't Forget"
Summary: After the Olympics, everything has changed, and Payson faces her regret.
AN: I do not own the characters or the show, but the plot of this story is all mine and it is copyrighted.
"So, what happened?"
"This isn't about him."
"I know." Sasha said, even though he'd heard about the wreck Payson had become after Rigo dumped her.
"I… It… We just didn't work out. I thought I could have everything. I was happy with him at the TC. But once we left, it al just started to fall apart." Payson was crying now, and Sasha felt terribly—a mix of sadness, anger, nausea, and, if he were to be honest with himself, a bit of guilt.
"Payson, you've been through so much. It's natural and predictable to be overwhelmed, to feel burned out, disappointed, let down, upset, angry, and to just shut down, but you've done that. Now it's time for you to get up again."
"I thought that I would be okay no matter what happened…" Payson sobbed, and Sasha wasn't sure they were still talking about the Olympics. "I just can't forget." Payson said.
"The first person you trust so intimately… It's harder when it doesn't work out." Sasha fumbled, but Payson nodded, roughly brushing tears off of her cheeks.
"How can I forget?"
"I think…" Sasha stopped, having entirely no idea of what to say to her.
"Help me forget him?"
"Payson, I, you, we can't." Alarmed, Sasha began retreating.
"We both know it should have been you, Sasha. If I had just kept to the promise I'd made to wait until after the Olympics, everything would be different now."
"You got your gold, Payson."
"I thought I'd walk off the podium after the last event final… I know you were there…"
Sasha nodded, still sitting on the bed, albeit farther away. "Every moment."
"I thought I'd walk into your arms and everything would be different." Payson paused, staring at the wall unseeing, searching back through her memories. "Tell me I didn't ruin everything?" Her voice was small.