Sasha tapped his fingers against his thigh as the elevator car traveled down to the lobby. Running his hand through his hair he huffed out a breath just as the doors opened to an empty hallway. Frowning, he caught sight of two familiar figures rounding the far corner, but none of the girls he watched disappear into the elevator just minutes before were anywhere in the vicinity.

"They're probably already in the ballroom," Summer said, stepping out from behind him.

Humming his agreement, he avoided any eye contact and moved down the hall at a brisk pace, knowing she would need to take two or three quick steps to match his long stride.

"Sasha, wait, do you want me to talk to her instead?" Summer asked, catching up when her words drew him to an abrupt halt.

Looking down at her to be sure there was no misunderstanding, he said, "No," before immediately turning away and striding into the ball room, pushing into the crowd, though he knew there would be no getting lost in it, as he towered over virtually every other person in the room, a hazard of working in the world of elite gymnastics while standing over six feet tall.

"Sasha wait," she said again. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," he insisted, raking his fingers through his hair again. "I'm doing what you asked. I'm trying to find Payson." His eyes flew over the crowd, trying to locate her in the sea of people. It should be easy enough. Like him, especially in those heels, she would be much taller than those around her. Pushing aside thoughts of those shoes and what he'd like to do to her while she wore them, and nothing else, Sasha tried to refocus his attention on Summer who was still speaking.

"It's just you've been acting strangely since the auction and I…"

Another pass of his fingers through his hair and Sasha frowned, wondering if there was any connection between swipes of frustration and male baldness. "Summer, I –," he began, but cut himself off as he spotted Payson across the room, standing with her agent. The slime ball had his hand at the small of her back, again. Swallowing down the knot of jealousy, he turned back to Summer. "I have to go talk to Payson."

Then he was gone, this time moving fast enough to credibly claim he didn't hear her entreaties to come back and talk to her.

He approached from behind, but as he hovered at her shoulder, he saw her entire body stiffen in awareness. "We need to talk," he muttered between clenched teeth, sparing a glance at the smartly attired couple she was addressing, probably reps from one of her sponsors or potential sponsors.

"Belov, this isn't," the slime ball started to say, but Sasha ignored him, taking a grip on Payson's elbow.

"Now," he said, firmly, beginning to turn away, but she laid a hand on his arm for a moment, stopping him.

"Excuse me for a minute," she said to the couple, smiling at them and then nodding to her agent.

They walked side by side in silence back to the elevator, the ride up feeling much longer than the one he took with Summer just minutes before. Glancing down he saw her staring ahead blankly, the stoicism a stark contrast to the athlete he watched on the floor enrapturing all who watched her or the passionate girl he pressed against the wall of his hotel room later.

She followed him back to his hotel room, the only place they could be assured of privacy, though as he flicked on the light and recalled the last time they were alone in this space, he wondered if there was any other place they could go.

Payson strode into the room confidently, sitting primly on the edge of the bed. Finally raising her eyes to his, they flashed quickly, though he couldn't identify the emotion. Anger? Passion? Hurt? It was impossible to tell.

"What did you want to talk about? Those were reps from Longines by the way."

Ignoring her words, he said the first thing that came to mind. "Nice outfit."

Pressing her lips together tightly she shook her head. "Thanks. Got it today."

"Borrow it off one of the showgirls?" Sasha cringed inwardly at his inability to speak without offending her.

She shook her head in disbelief and stood up, moving close to him. Now there was no mistaking the fire in her eyes; it was anger, pure unadulterated rage. "Nice. This is why you brought me up here? To call me a slut? Since when do you care? You made it very clear the other night that you don't."

"I lied," he whispered, inching closer.

Scoffing, she lifted her chin defiantly. "You were pretty convincing." The hurt in her voice echoed through and to Sasha it was like a punch to the gut.

"I wasn't convincing. You knew I was lying through my teeth. I'm a terrible liar, especially when I lie to you, only when I lie to you," he said, lifting a hand to her cheek, brushing the soft skin.

"Then why do you keep doing it? Why don't you tell me the truth?" she asked.

Why didn't he? Dishonesty, even with the best of intentions, failed him more than once. It was time to be truthful.

"I'm falling in love with you."

Payson opened her mouth to retort, digging deep inside her, hoping her next words would hurt him as much as he hurt her when his last statement finally pushed through her anger and pain. Love. He was falling in love with her. Damn him, he chose to say the one thing that could diffuse the ire coursing through her veins.

"In love?" she whispered, taking a small step back, trying to clear her head.

Her anger gave way to an overwhelming confusion. She had not expected love. She thought attraction and affection. Not love. She didn't even know what love was, did she? He was her coach, her friend, her confidant, the man she wanted more than anyone else in the world, the only person who could anger or calm her with a touch or a glance. Was that love?

Sasha mistook her silence for something it wasn't. "I'm sorry," he rasped.

Meeting his eyes with hers, she stepped closer again. "Don't apologize for that. Don't ever apologize for something that wonderful." She smiled. "You love me?"

He looked away. "I shouldn't…"

"But you do," she finished for him, hoping that he didn't notice she hadn't responded in kind.

"I do," he affirmed.

She took him by surprise, as she pressed her lips against his. For a moment he didn't respond at all. Payson didn't wait for him to react, pushing up higher into demi-pointe, flicking her tongue lightly against his bottom lip. That spurred him into action, a hand finding purchase at her waist, the other winding into her hair, drawing her body against his as he slanted his mouth over hers.

Payson could count on two hands the number of times she cried in her lifetime and a have more than a few fingers left over, but as the idea settled over her, that he loved her, she felt tears gather, blurring her vision, glistening on her lashes. After a moment, breaking away, Sasha rested his forehead against hers, before brushing the tears away with his fingertips.

"Don't cry frumoasa mea fata; I never want to see you cry."

At his words, Payson kissed him again, tasting the salt of her tears on his lips. He deepened the kiss immediately and she wound her arms around his shoulders, as his arms encircled her, pulling her closer.

After a moment or two, the heat of their embrace ebbed away, reality slowly drawing them from the tiny world they created together, though they remained tangled in each other's arms.

"What do we do now?" she whispered, but in the quiet of the room she may as well have screamed.

Sasha's body stiffened, but she didn't allow him to draw away from her. "I don't know," he answered honestly.

"I'll be eighteen in just a few…" she began.

"It isn't about your age, Payson," he said, pulling free and running his hand through his hair roughly.

She pursed her lips, skeptical of the veracity of his last statement, which he amended quickly. "It's not just your age," he said. "I'm your coach and I can't be your coach if I'm anything else. It's a line that shouldn't be crossed."

Payson looked away from him, the joy of the last few minutes seeping out of her bones. "So what, we go back to how it was? Pretending like this doesn't exist?" She motioned between them. "Feeling empty all the time. Wanting you all the time."

He raised an eyebrow and smiled crookedly. "All the time?" he repeated, obviously trying to lighten the suddenly heavy mood.

"All the time," she said, lifting her eyes to his.

Sasha leaned down quickly, his hand at her cheek, drawing her lips to his again. The kiss was hard and fast, but as he pulled away she smiled. At least she wasn't alone.

"You still haven't answered my question," she said. "What do we do?"

Sasha looked away, unable to meet her eyes as he made his next suggestion. "Just a few weeks ago, you told me you were never going to let a relationship get in the way of going for a gold. This certainly qualifies," he said.

Payson shook her head as the words spilled from his lips. "A frivolous relationship," she clarified. "This wouldn't be like that. This is different, but my questions stands, Sasha. What do we do?"

Shaking his head, Sasha sighed. "I just don't know. We need time to think," then he paused, "we need time to see if this is real."

Payson furrowed her brow, confused. "But you said you loved me." Panic rose in her chest. Was he about to take it back? Was falling in and out of love easy for him to do?

"I do love you," he said, before smiling ruefully, "but you didn't say it back."

Crap. Busted. Payson bit her lip. She wanted to say the words, but as they bubbled up her throat she remembered the last time she said them. Telling Max she loved him was one of the larger regrets in her life. She hurt him and Lauren and herself with that stupid, spontaneous moment and she promised herself that she would never use those words again unless she meant them fully along with all the things they implied. But then, maybe she did love him. What she felt for Max paled in comparison to the feelings for Sasha, swirling through her veins, making her heart pound and her head fuzzy.

Her mouth opened and she hesitated before she began. "I…"

"Don't," he cut her off. "That's okay. I don't need to hear the words, especially if you don't mean them. I love you, Payson and that's not going to change, but you need to understand what you're getting into here. I'm not perfect. I have a past and a long line of ex-girlfriends who would be more than willing to tell you just how bad I am at things like this."

Payson raised an ironic brow. "They don't have to tell me anything. You've proven that to me all on your own."

Sasha's eyes clouded over in guilt. "I promise you, love, if things were different I wouldn't have hesitated. Things aren't different and I barely have the strength to resist now." His gaze cleared and raked over her body taking in the outfit she wore for his benefit. "Christ, you look incredible."

"That was the idea," she admitted. "It's not too much is it? I don't really look like a showgirl, do I? I was trying to get your attention."

"It's not too much," he said. "And you certainly got my attention, along with every other man in that ballroom."

"Jealous?" she accused.

"Absolutely. That's something else you'll learn about me. You may not love what a jealous idiot I can be."

Shaking her head, she said, "You don't have anything to worry about."

"No? What about that kid, the pothead snowboarder, the one who made an fool out of himself trying to win your lessons at the auction?"

"Scott? I'm not interested."

"And what about that agent of yours? I don't like the look of him."

Payson raised her eyebrows. "Peter? Peter is sleeping with MJ. Not to mention, I'm not interested."

"And Max?" he asked.

He wasn't kidding. He did have a jealous streak.

"Ancient history," she said. "I only want you, no one else." She fell forward, leaning her hands on his chest, lifting her lips for him to kiss. He was more than happy to oblige, but then she pulled back. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You and Summer."

"Not an issue."

"Didn't seem that way at the auction," she said, taking a step away from him.

"Things aren't always what they seem, obviously," he said. He reached down and took her hand in his, entwining their fingers together.

"I thought," she said, trailing off, unable to keep her mind from spinning, "is that what you meant when you said you were bad at things like this? You thought you couldn't have me so…"

"Payson," he said, pulling on their joined hands, brining her closer. "I was an idiot."

"You were," she agreed. "It hurt to see you with her like that, it was like a lead weight in my chest. If you want to apologize for something, don't apologize for falling in love with me, apologize for that."

"I'm sorry," he said, immediately. "I'm so sorry."

"Forgiven," she said, leaning her forehead against his chest, inhaling his scent deeply. Soap and gym chalk and cedar and citrus.

"That easy?" he asked, his voice rumbling through him, echoing in her ear.

"This time," she said, wrapping her arms around him, holding on tightly. "Don't do it again."

Time slipped away from them for a while. Somehow, without remembering quite how they arrived in the position, Payson found herself lying in the center of his bed, staring up into Sasha's eyes as he lowered his mouth to her lips. The kisses were wet and hot and long, as they relished the opportunity to simply revel in each other. Who knew when they would be able to do this again? She barely understood what they just agreed to, let alone what it implied, but for now she tried to memorize the feeling of his calloused hardened fingers stroking back and forth against the skin of her abdomen and the taste of his lips.

Sasha was the one to finally break away, burying his face between her neck and her shoulder, inhaling deeply. "So we're okay, for now?" he asked, his words barely intelligible as his lips trailed against her pulse point.

"I think so," Payson said. "Thank you for being so understanding about why I couldn't…"

He lifted his head and pressed a kiss against her temple. "I love you and I'll spend every day of the rest of my life proving that to you, Payson, trying to earn your love in return."

The mood was too serious and Payson couldn't stand it, him looking at her like that. The guilt at not being able to say the words was too much, so she tried to lighten the air around them.

"Is that your answer to everything? That you love me?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"You don't like hearing me say it?" he asked, with a smirk of his own.

"I love hearing you say it," she admitted. "It's the best thing I've ever heard in my life."

"Mmmm," he hummed against her skin, kissing against her pulse point again and she groaned softly in appreciation. "I love you," he repeated, before nipping at the skin he just kissed. Her answering groan was louder than before and he smiled against her. "Like that?" he asked, though he knew the answer.

"Yes," she told him and was about to turn her head towards his for another kiss when a knock at the door startled them. The sound echoed through the room again.

"Sasha?" Summer's voice called through the barrier.

"Shit," Sasha cursed under his breath.

Payson raised an eyebrow at him. "Not an issue?" she asked, repeating his words from before regarding his relationship with his ex-girlfriend.

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head, obviously feeling this was more important than opening the door. "Not an issue," he reaffirmed. "She asked me to talk to you about your outfit and how inappropriate it is."

Payson shrugged. "It is inappropriate. My mother is going to kill me if any pictures from the party get out. Still, I don't see how it's any of Summer's business what I wear. Then again, she does have a particular talent for getting involved in things that are none of her business."

Sasha hummed in bemused agreement. Offering her his hand, pulling her up from the bed. He leaned down and straightened the covers as she ran her fingers through her hair to try and disguise the reason for its disarray.

She sat in the armchair in the far corner of the room, pulling her legs up underneath her, attempting to look scolded, while Sasha answered the door. She couldn't hear what he said, but she saw Summer's head peak up and around his shoulder. Unable to help herself, she glared petulantly at the other woman, still feeling resentment for her part in the three pronged conspiracy to keep Lauren's betrayal from her, not to mention the instinctive jealousy that labeled Summer as her competition, whether Sasha felt anything for her or not.

Whatever Sasha said must have had the intended effect, because just moments later he was closing the door and turning back towards her.

"You should go."

"I should go"

They spoke together, in unison and they both laughed.

Sighing, she stood up and stepped towards him. She reached out and placed the palms of her hands against his forearms, pushing up again onto her toes and raising her lips to his.

"We'll work this out. I promise," he whispered as they drew away.

Payson released a shaky breath. "I'm holding you too that one, Belov," she joked. "I don't want you to be just a note on the dedication page to my biography. I want you to be so much more," she said, the mood shifting yet again from light hearted to serious. She was thrilled they could be both, but this back and forth was making her head spin.

She didn't wait for him to respond, slipping from his arms and leaving the hotel room. If she didn't leave in that moment, she knew she might not ever leave and that could lead to things she was definitely not ready for, no matter how much she yearned for it.

With zero intention of going back down to the party, she slipped her phone from her back pocket and texted Peter, using the excuse of being tired and playing up the need for rest before tomorrow's event finals.

In all the craziness with Sasha, she nearly forgot about just how well she managed to do today. Her closest all-around competition, Sophia Peterson, Marty's newest protégé, was more than two full points behind her. She only missed outscoring Lauren on beam by a tenth of a point, which was the likeliest explanation for Lauren's scathing remarks about her outfit earlier. Tomorrow, with her messy personal life finally falling into some semblance of order, she planned on dominating the field again and maybe even squeak out a gold medal on beam.

She was nearly to her hotel room, when the door across the hall flew open. Standing in the doorway was Kelly Parker, tear tracks running over her cheeks, her dress long gone, replaced by sweatpants and a raggedy sweatshirt that read, Boston Olympic Gymnastics across the front.

"You left your room key in here before," she said, her voice rough. "I switched your stuff with Jessica's."

Payson raised an eyebrow, but nodded, moving away from her old door and stepping into Kelly's room.

She looked around. The room that they left in what could conservatively be described as a mess, was now neat and organized. Payson saw her bags laid neatly on a luggage rack in the corner. Sitting on the bed that formerly belonged to their junior teammate, she looked up at Kelly and waited.

"So, you know how Kaylie was supposed to move in with me?" Kelly finally said, perching herself on the edge of her bed.

Payson nodded. "Yeah."

"That's so not happening anymore," Kelly said, not meeting Payson's eye, staring blankly at the wall behind her.

She knew that look. It was the same expression she saw on her own face when things with Sasha hit rock bottom. That could only mean one thing, hurt so bad you had to cover it up, otherwise it would eat you alive.

"What happened?" she ventured to ask, as obviously Kelly wasn't about to offer up any more information.

"Lauren," KP said. "And Austin and me and…I'm so stupid, Payson."

Sighing, Payson stood up and sat down next to Kelly. "You're not stupid," she insisted. That was the last word she would use to describe Kelly.

"I am. I finally make a friend, a real friend, someone whose willing to go out on a limb for me and I just ruin it."

"Kelly, I'm not sure I understand what happened," Payson asked. The last couple of weeks she was more than a little preoccupied with her own drama.

"Lauren had a picture of me and Austin hugging. She showed it to Kaylie," Kelly explained. "It was after I saw my mother the other day and I ran out. Austin found me and I was crying, so he gave me a hug and it was nice, you know? He's a good friend."

Furrowing her brow, Payson shook her head, remembering. Lauren went after Kelly. She must have seen them embracing and snapped a picture, thinking it was incriminating evidence. "So what? You guys hugged. Kaylie's not an idiot. She'll understand."

Kelly grimaced, fresh tears blooming in her eyes. "She understood, until Lauren accused me of having feelings for Austin."

Payson's lips formed a small, 'o' as the implications of those words settled around her. "And do you?" she asked.

Nodding roughly and wiping at the corners of her eyes with the heel of her hand, Kelly choked through a sob. "I didn't mean to and I would never act on them, but I was caught so off guard when she said it, I just stood there and Kaylie went crazy on me and then on Austin and then he yelled at her and this is all my fault, me and my stupid crush."

The tears were flowing uncontrollably now and Payson wrapped an arm around Kelly's shoulders, hushing her lightly. "This isn't your fault, Kelly," she said. It was the truth. This was Lauren's fault. "You can't help how you feel, I know that and Kaylie will understand that."

"No, she won't. I ruined her relationship. I think her and Austin are done and she went off with Lauren and now it's just such a mess. I tried, you know? I tried so hard to be better, to make friends and be a good teammate and it all just imploded like everything always does."

Payson shook her head and pressed her fingers against Kelly's shoulder. "Hey, you are a good friend and a good teammate, a lot better than some people. You aren't the problem."

"Yeah? Then what is?"

With a heavy sigh, Payson sat back. "Kaylie and Lauren are the problem. They're best friends and they always will be, but I've never seen two people more capable of hurting each other. It's been that way since I've known them and getting between them is a dangerous thing."

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked, her tears finally subsiding.

"It's a long story," Payson warned.

"Give me the short version," Kelly insisted.

Payson nodded, trying to summarize it all in her head before she spoke. "When we were thirteen, just after I moved to Boulder, Lauren fell head over heels for Carter Anderson. I mean writing, Mrs. Carter Anderson on her stuff, flirting shamelessly around the gym, it was obvious to everyone, even Marty, but it was also obvious that Carter wasn't interested at all, but she held tight onto that crush for nearly two whole years until she realized how pathetic she was coming off to people, so she toned it down." She paused. "With me so far?"

Kelly nodded.

"It was right around that time that Kaylie and Carter started to date, secretly of course. Kaylie hid it because she didn't want to hurt Lauren. The no-dating rule was a convenient excuse. Then Lauren slept with Carter. Then Kaylie wanted him back. Then Carter chose Lauren which Lauren rubbed in her face every chance she got. It was such a huge mess, but it didn't matter because at the end of the day they are best friends and they always find their way back, no matter what crazy shit they do to each other," she finished, rolling her eyes at how ridiculous it all sounded when you said it out loud.

"Wow, that's like the most dysfunctional relationship ever," Kelly said.

Payson couldn't help, but agree. "Really, this is my fault. I should have warned you not to get between them."

Kelly snorted. "This is in no way your fault."

"What did Austin say?" Payson asked, knowing that it was likely Kelly already talked to him.

She just shrugged. "I apologized and he said that it wasn't my fault. We totally avoided the whole feelings topic."

Payson frowned. "I'm sorry, Kel, this really sucks. I have an idea, how about I change into my pajamas and we watch a movie and forget about all this drama for a little while."

Kelly nodded quickly and Payson smiled.

"Hey," Kelly said, as she gathered her nightwear from her suitcase. "Did the outfit work? Did he notice."

Turning to her friend, she nodded. "It worked."

"And you still won't tell me who it is?" Kelly asked, a faux pout appearing on her face.

Payson shook her head. "Not tonight," she said, unable to keep the small smile from her face. "Tonight, it's just between me and him."

Understanding passed over Kelly face. "Okay, but then I get to choose the movie," she said, grabbing the remote and surfing through the hotel's on-demand options.

"Deal," Payson said, wandering into the bathroom. She looked into the mirror and for the first time in a long time saw herself in the reflection.

Astoundingly enough, complications and all, everything was falling into place. Her family was together and happy. The man she cared about more than anyone else in the world loved her. Despite themselves, Kelly Parker was becoming something akin to a best friend. And her dreams of Olympic gold were well on their way to coming true.

"Oh, they have Gone with the Wind," Kelly called from the other room.

"Sounds good," she said.

Sure, they would have to deal with the fallout of well, everything, but Payson smiled at her reflection, she would think about that tomorrow. It was, after all, another day.