Ch.21

He wasn't sure when exactly he'd even fallen asleep. The majority of his night had been spent observing her with equal parts horror and fascination. Three times he'd gotten up to leave. He'd made it as far as opening door the last time. He probably could have made it out of the room, had he not turned around.

She was lying on her side, with her hand curled up beside her face. He could still see traces of a smile on her lips. Sleep made her oblivious to his attempted escape. His body sagged against he door, he couldn't go. He couldnt leave her, he would never leave her. He made his way back to the bed and sat in the chair beside it.

Memento Mori; Amor Fati. Remember death; love fate. If ever anything had been fated, it was this life with this women. Like drowning, the harder he fought it, the more it dragged him under. He'd found the phrase in a book given to him by Nicoli after he learned he could no longer compete. He'd made the phrase one of the cornerstones on his path to acceptance. He'd been in his prime, young even by male gymnast standards, just nineteen. He'd pushed himself to hard and then his burgeoning career had been over. He'd drank himself into a stupor for over a year. It was even longer before he'd really come around and accepted his circumstances. It had been his fate, to taste true victory only once.

He thought the same with regards to Payson. She was forbidden to him. After Rio she went into the same category as Sydney, something he could only have once. Destined to be the greatest and lowest moment of his life. Last night had proven him wrong. Here she lay before him, right there at his fingertips. He could have her forever, if he wanted. The idea was both thrilling and terrifying.

'I'm yours.' The words from earlier that evening floated back to him. Twice now she'd whispered the phrase against the column of his throat before she'd succumbed to their passion, last night, and the very first time they'd been together. She was wrong. It was he who belonged to her. She'd captured him mind, body, and soul. In that moment the decision was made, just let it happen. You cant fight fate.

He'd taken his shirt off, and climbed back into the bed. She immediately sought him out, curving her body into his even though she remained asleep. He tightened his arm around her bare back. There were worse fates.

He was awake now though and it was due to the pint sized blond tracing feather light patterns along his hip.

"You have a tattoo." She said her voice hoarse from disuse.

He looked down at the two Chinese characters. "I got it in Sydney the night after I won the all around."

"It's so small, I never noticed it. What does it mean?"

As embarrassing as it was to admit, he had no idea what the tattoo actually meant. "Don't allow your friends to take you to a tattoo parlor when you are to inebriated to make sound decisions."

"That is alot for two little symbols."

"Yes well the best lessons in life are concise yet full of meaning."

She sat up and moved away from him."So..." That proved his point. Just one word yet it was so loaded. "I didnt expect you to be here when I woke up this morning."

"If I was a better man I wouldnt be here."

She leaned back into her pillow, putting more distance between them. Her face was unreadable. He had a moment of internal panic. Maybe she didnt want him to be here when she woke up. She'd been caught up in the moment, but had finally come to her senses. He'd give her an easy out. "Do you want me to be the better man?" She wasn't looking at him as he searched her features for any inkling of what she might be thinking.

She looked like she was struggling with sonmething, and her voice was low when she spoke. "Sasha, you are the best man that I know."

"That is n-"

"Please just listen to me. I know we did some version of talking last night, but it consisted of more yelling than anything, so please just let me say this." She let out a long sigh. "I love you, Alexandru Belov. I'm so in love with you, that it is humiliating, because I am about to beg you not to leave me. If you did I dont think I would survive it. You are it for me, I'm done. I'm yours."

Her words curled around him and kindled something deep and primal, but he reigned it in. He needed to know that he had given her every opportunity to walk away."Payson I dont want you to feel obligated because I said I love you. We went about this in completely the wrong way. You're young and I would understand if you needed time, to process, to think. Whatever you decide I'm okay with, if you want to go back to they way we were before-"

"How could you think after last night? After what I just said?" Her expression darkened. "Unless you-"

He leaned over and kissed her deeply, her eyes were still closed when he spoke. "I meant what I said. I love you. I am in love with you Payson Keeler. I am yours completely. The only thing I want is to never let you out of my sight or out of my bed, ever again."

"Well I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere; until this afternoon; when I have to compete."

He chuckled before reaching out to pull her closer. "That gives us almost six hours, whatever shall we do." He wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling her jawline.

She groaned low in her throat before pulling back."Wait, there is something I want to do. Stay very still. I mean it, dont move." She moved to face him and straddled his lap. "This is one of those moments in life, I'm going to want to remember in perfect detail forty years from now. The moment you told me you loved me, and the moment I could freely do this," She placed her hands on both sides of his face. Leaning in painfully slow she kissed him. It was a simple kiss, chaste even. She leaned back and smiled serenely. "That was the first time I've ever been able to kiss you just to kiss you. No alcohol, no yelling, no cameras. Just you and me."

"Do it again." He whispered.

And so she did slanting her lips across his. They had five hours before the All Around, and it would be five hours well spent.

Payson sauntered into the arena right before warm ups started. She tried to erase the grin that seemed permanently etched on her face, but it could not be contained. She'd left just Sasha naked in her shower to make sure she wasnt late for the finals.

She'd barely made it through the doors when she found herself with an armful of Kelly. "You're alive." The brunette said as she crushed her in another hug.

"Was there evidence to the contrary?" She grunted, trying to extract herself from the embrace.

"Last night. Sasha. Lauren. Nicky. You. Dead."

"Longer sentences with more words please."

"Last night Lauren told Sasha you were with Nicky, alone in your room. He left mad as hell. He never came back, Nicky never came back, and you didnt answer the phone or your door. I have been worried sick. I thought I was going to end up in some creepy window less room, drinking bad coffee and answering highly invasive questions after they discovered the bodies." She finally let out a breath.

Payson felt slightly guilty. She and Sasha had been so wrapped up in each other, she hadn't even thought about her friends."Everything is fine."

"How is everything fine? Did you see Sasha last night he was madder than I have ever seen him." Kelly said.

Payson tried to keep her face neutral. She needed to nip this is the bud. She knew her friend was just concerned, but any answer she gave without outright lying would only lead to more questions.

"Everything is fine. I promise."

Kelly stopped and looked at Payson. She looked...happy. She was glowing even. Maybe Sasha hadnt found them, maybe she and Nicky had gotten together. She looked at the blond again. Payson looked calm and relaxed, back to her old self. No, better than her old self. She was radiant. Kelly narrowed her eyes and looked closer still. The answers always lay in the smallest details, the things people forget to hide. There it was, at the base of her neck. A tiny smudge, barely visible beyond the line of fabric. A hickey.

Kelly smirked. Good for Payson, she was finally getting over Sasha. "So last night, you and Nicky...talked?"

"I told you we were going to, remember?"

"Yeah I do." She leaned over and impulsively hugged Payson. "If you're happy I'm happy. Nick is a good guy, boring but good."

"What is with the hugging?"

"Ladies, lets get warmed up." Marty called. "Payson, could you come here please?"

Damn, more questions, she thought as she made her way over to him. Marty and Sasha were sharing a room, if he was following Kelly's original train of thought this could get tricky. "Yes Marty?"

"Have you seen Sasha?"

She decided to be evasive. "Um I'm pretty sure he will be here soon."

Marty sighed. "Yeah, it's just...Did he find you last night?"

Stick to the basics, dont lie just deflect. "Yeah. He was upset, but it is fine now."

"Really," Marty's face belied his disbelief.

"Yeah, he yelled I yelled, now we are fine." She kept her voice monotone and her expression neutral.

Marty's face didnt change. They were still standing there when a harried looking Sasha rushed into the arena. Marty looked back at her for a second before walking toward his friend. His hair was still wet and there were traces of a smile evident on his face. He inclined his head in her direction before addressing Marty.

Payson turned to find Kelly so they could warm-up. She was over by the stands talking to Austin who was leaning over the rail pointing at something behind him. Kelly was shaking her head vehemently with a frown on her face, and Austin looked confused. Payson shrugged it off, and sat down to stretch, not that she needed to, Sasha saw to that. She smiled at the memories.

Kelly joined her a few minutes later. She slid into a split before reaching for her toes. "So you never told me if Sasha found you last night?"

"You didn't ask."

Kelly scoffed. "I didnt know I needed to."

Payson looked over at the other girl. There was something in Kelly's demeanor that put her on alert.

"So did he?" Kelly continued.

"Did he what?" Yes something was definitely off.

"Did he find you?" The brunette was no longer stretching and her eyes were burning a hole in the side of Payson's head.

"Yes."

"Hmm... interesting." Kelly stood before and switched legs. "Now, was it before or after you got that hickey?"

"Kel-"

"Wait, don't answer that. I think I already know.

"It's not-"

"Are you really about to lie to me?"

"No it's just... the situation has changed...and it's complicated."

"You and you know who are doing the horizontal tango. It's not complicated. I'm just wondering why you didn't tell me."

Payson rolled her eyes. "When? You didnt even give me a chance."

"Were you going to tell me?" Her voice was cold but Payson could her the hurt behind the words.

"I was, I swear. It just happened, I mean literally, just happened."

Kelly still looked slightly put out. "We're best friends. You cant let me find out these things on my own. A simple text message, 'Cant do lunch, cause I'm doing our coach.' It's not that hard."

Payson pressed her lips to keep from laughing. "Next time I'll make sure you're fully informed."

That seemed to placate the brunette.

"How did you find out?"

"Oh Austin said Nicky caught up to them before they even left the hotel. Therefore he didnt have time to put that silly smile on your face. Now that I think about it I should have known. Russo is a wimp."

"Nicky is perfectly fine."

Kelly ignored her leaning deeper into the stretch. "So how was it? Angsty and tortured. Hot and wild." She leaned closer. "Kinky? Sasha looks a bit kinky."

"Oh my God we are not having this conversation." She might as well not have even spoken, as Kelly kept going all on her own.

"Whips and chains," She gasped as another thought occurred to her, "Was there a whistle. He's a coach, so there has to be a whistle."

"I am no longer listening to you."

"A whistle and a hat, while he gives you orders."

"There is something seriously wrong with your brain."

Kelly grinned and leaned closer, "Did he spank you with his clipboard?"

Payson jumped up. "Ok I'm all warmed up."

"I'll bet you are," Kelly laughed.

"Is this how it's going to be from now on, you making dirty jokes."

"You have to give me something here, otherwise I'm just going to have to make it up. I mean how am I supposed to focus on the competition, when all I can think about is you and my coach doing sordid things to each other."

"Here's an idea. Dont think about it."

"I can't not think about it. It's burned into my brain. Give me something oe I'll just keep creating my own scenarios." She eyes lit up at her next thought, "Maybe I'll ask Sasha, I mean he and I have gotten close I'm sure he wouldn't mind a little gi-"

"Fine!" Payson felt her cheeks color a bit, she leaned downto stretch out her back and hide her face as she spoke. "Let's just say, gymnastics, is the least of his talents."

A slow smile spread across Kelly's face. "That's my girl."

Payson stood extending her hand to Kelly. "Now, can we get on with what we came here to do."

Kelly smiled broadly and nudged her as they walked toward the two coaches. "Well I came to Greece to compete, but I think you came to do something else. This week on As the Rock Turns', the buxom blond gymnast and the ruggedly handsome loner coach, finally get over their mutual denial and spend the night scre-" She was cut off by a jab from a pointy elbow.

"Knock it off, or he'll know you know."

"Alright but after we finish this, I want details, detailed details, every dirty lit-"

"Marty!" Payson said loudly.

"Are you guys ready?"

Kelly answered sending her friend a sly smile,"You bet. We are well rested, warmed up, and ready to take on the world, right Payson."

The blond just rolled her eyes, it was going to be a long day.

So they are together and happy...for now. This was kind of fluffy so please let me know what you think about it. There have been alot of questions about how long this story is going to be, as of right now we are at the beginning of the middle, if that makes any since at all.

As always a tremendous thank you to each and every person who reads, reviews, favorites, and/or follows. Your imput is invaluable and so very very appreciated, I cant say thank you enough. Thank you.