Red and Black – Chapter 4
Hello readers! I am reporting to you from Abu Dhabi! Ugh I love finally being home, seriously I have had enough of England. But anyway, moving on:
BestUsernameEver54321: GOD DAMN I CRIED AT YOUR REVIEW THANK YOU *sends infinite virtual hugs.* Don't worry, that'll come very soon ;)
Elsa Jay: Thanks bro, I hadn't planned to develop them very much at all, or for them to have a whole chapter together but whump there it is.
OK people let's get this show on the road!
Gordon stood outside the hotel and watched Penelope drive away in FAB1. The front of the hotel loomed over him, intimidating; but not an enemy, a challenge. From the lobby he could hear the hustle and bustle of the event, that is to say that it wasn't really a party or a convention; but also not a very formal reunion. The dress code was formal, and as he entered the room her ducked and dived between others dress exactly like him; they all chatted with one another and laughed without much personality. Girls stood around them, some fellow athletes, and some were exceptional dates. Everyone was social and merry, all holding glasses of wine or other such concoction; this was a dinner after all.
Immediately, Gordon saw many people that he recognised, but not anybody that he necessarily knew. He expected that he would be seated with the other American swimmers at some point, but for now he blindly picked a glass of something off of a waiter's tray and attempted to blend in. While he was dressed accordingly in his black Savile Row suit, he felt as if he was dressed in scarlet and orange; and felt thousands of eyes glance at him, but felt no particular stare. Gordon felt himself fall into a daze amongst the noise and confusion of all the people around him, panicking inside by himself; dying of awkwardness.
Gordon jumped slightly and was snapped back into reality when a large, strong hand clapped onto the back of his shoulder. He looked around to see James Rogers, a fellow teammate; Gordon breathed a quick sigh of relief, glad that he was no longer aimlessly wandering around the room.
"I didn't hear about you turning up, Gordon." He said with his distinctively strong Brooklyn accent. Gordon's brain stuttered slightly, he hadn't prepared himself to get as far as actually talking to someone.
"Well, it was sort of a last-minute decision really." He said, struggling to think of anything else to say. The pair of them found seats together at the edge of the room, despite it still being noisy, it would do.
"So, I heard you decided to leave the WASPs." James said, actively trying to avoid mentioning Gordon's hydrofoil crash.
"Yeah," Gordon began; kicking himself mentally while trying to come up with something better to talk about that his life.
"It's just that family business now, working for dad and all; it's pretty boring actually. Anyway, what've you been doing with yourself since we last met?" Gordon said, making a quick attempt to shift the conversation away from himself.
"Oh, I'm still training since I qualified for next year's races in Amsterdam; but apart from that I haven't had much to do. I got engaged though, to Ayaka Kashino; you know? The Japanese swimmer?" Gordon nodded and tried to look interested, still hoping the conversation would stay away from him.
"So," James began again,
"You got a girl in your life?"
Shit, Gordon thought; how the hell do I get away from him now?
"Actually no," Gordon tried to whisk up a believable lie.
"I haven't had a lot of time for girls with work and everything. I've had to tie my trip here into seeing other friends as well, speaking of which" Gordon hoped that this whim would bail him out of having to talk to James, no longer relieved that he wasn't stuck awkwardly a crowd.
"I planned to meet up with one of the British swimmers. Can you see their group?" Gordon started craning his neck and stood up, praying that James would follow his lead, which he thankfully did. James pointed over the sea of people to other side of the room.
"Well, all the European teams are over there; so the Brits must be in there somewhere. They'll probably be talking about tea and free healthcare, so just listen..." but Gordon had already walked away.
He weaved between the moving gowns and suits, and felt their eyes lift off of him. He changed his drink with another waiter and headed back into the fray; and walked straight for the sound of tangled French, Swedish, Italian, and German and pricked his ears up to try and locate the British team. The crowd, for some reason, seemed to calm and part ways at more intervals; allowing him for a clearer view.
But then, in the corner of his eye; he saw what he had been searching for: the calm face with the strong body holding it high; crowning itself with brilliantly black hair.
It was Tim Anderson.
Gordon's heart skipped a beat, he forgot to breathe for a second and very nearly dropped his glass; and he felt his subconscious being pulled into the back of his brain, and every memory of that day returned in a single burst of light...
WOOHOO finally! A whole chapter written entirely while airborne, this is the life. I've got like, another two hours until I land so I can hopefully churn out another chapter before then.
In the next episode of Gordon's life: flashback to where it all started. If I could put in that sneaky grinning emoji here then I would but I'll leave that to your imaginations since Microsoft is boring.
Fair thee well darlings!