AN: I'm posting this chapter of Going for the Gold for Tami, who's been really sick lately. She apologizes but, trust me, you should all forgive her. She's been so sick she had to go to the hospital! So yeah. . .forgiveness all around, plus this is an AWESOME chapter!
EPOV
Two in the morning. When would this sleeplessness end? I sat up, punched my pillow a few times, then layed back down, completely frustrated. I reached for my phone, searched through the contacts, then hesitated. What was I doing? I was not going to continue to wake up Bella night after night. She needed her sleep too. Obviously I had to do something about this. But what? I briefly wondered if I should just invite her over here. Maybe having her next to me, in my arms, would rest my mind enough to fall asleep. I disregarded that quickly. I was pretty sure that if Bella and I were to share the same bed, then we'd be doing a lot more than sleeping.
Ahh, but we'd be able to sleep after, my overactive mind assured me. I shook my head to clear thoughts of Bella's incredible body flush against mine. Not helping. I decided to try counting strokes--my own version of counting sheep. Maybe if I could imagine my swim tomorrow, stroke after stroke, it would relax me enough to fall asleep, or at least block out the thoughts of those delicious lips underneath mine. I sighed in frustration and turned over on my stomach, burying my head in my pillow.
I tugged and pulled, but nothing happened. Damn swimsuit. It was so tight that it was almost impossible to pull on, even using the special method that Alice had tried to explain to me. Something about a pantyhose method where I'd roll up one leg, slip my foot into it, then slowly pull it up to my thighs, then repeat with the other side, finally pulling the whole thing up altogether. Somehow, it had never worked for me. I'd given up after one try, and resorted to the old method where I'd tug and pull and curse in frustration as I slowly succeeded in pulling the swimsuit up my body, inch by painstaking inch.
Today I was wearing the highly unflattering full body suit. Not one who was usually vain, it had never bothered me before, but now Bella was going to be seeing me in this. At least it would help me win. I gave a hard tug and succeeded in pulling the suit up to my hips and let out a big breath. The hard part was over. Deciding to get this over with quickly, I gave a vicious tug to pull the suit up the rest of my body, and heard a suspicious ripping noise. I closed my eyes in frustration. What a lovely day this was turning out to be already, and it was only just beginning. I made a mental note to find some time with Bella after the race and mandatory interviews. I knew she'd make everything better.
I jerked the straps over my arms onto my shoulders and stalked out of the dressing room. I needed to find Alice. I walked straight to the room reserved for the team stylists and barged in. She was standing off to the side, scribbling in a little notebook. I walked over and stood directly in front of her, clearing my throat when she didn't look up from whatever was so important to her.
She jerked her head up, slamming the notebook shut and hiding it behind her back. I looked at her suspiciously. Just what was in that thing?
"Uh . . . Edward. What brings you here? Don't you have a race to get to?" she questioned me, eyebrows raised in confusion.
"I would be there if it wasn't for this swimsuit. I ripped it trying to get the stupid thing on," I griped.
She gasped. "Didn't you put it on right? Nevermind, come with me." Grabbing my arm, she tugged me out the door. Propelling me through the hallways, she pulled me along until we reached a small room off to the side. Opening the door, she gave me a slight shove and I walked in, somewhat amazed at the strength of such a tiny woman, though I shouldn't have been.
A few weeks ago, Alice had barged into my life on a campaign to be the sole designer of my swimming attire. I'd been impressed with her tenaciousness immediately, but what had really clinched the deal was that she had the ability to banter with me at ease and calmly explain the reason for her designs despite my skepticism. My dad had hired her during our first meeting after he'd observed her no nonsense attitude when I'd tried to shoot down her idea of creating a suit made up of a new material that was still being developed. Carlisle explained that we needed someone with innovative ideas if we were going to finish the Olympics with six gold medals in hand and it wouldn't hurt if we had someone working for us that wasn't scared to speak her mind to me. Furious at first, I'd refused to talk to her, but gradually she'd won me over. She had a way about her of drawing people out and making them like her.
I turned to face her as she shut the door, muttering something about swimmers not treating their perfectly made suits right. I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for her to finish ranting and look at me. Finally, she looked up and gasped.
"So, why did you choose to keep the suit on? I do have to sew it up you know?" she questioned, pulling a spool of thread and a needle out of her bag. She walked up to me and measured the damage I'd managed to do.
"I was not going to attempt to get that thing on again. Then I'd really be late for my race, now will you just fix it already?" I huffed.
"Okay, hold still," she ordered. She was still looking at me with an annoyed look on her face. Suddenly, to my confusion, it began to change. Her eyes got a strange light in them and she began to smile mischievously. I gulped. She was obviously up to something, and I was effectively trapped.
"So," she began as she threaded her needle, "what exactly is going on between you and Bella?"
"Um," I answered, not exactly sure what to say to her. She had a look on her face that resembled an army interrogator sitting down with a terrorist. Her chin was set pugnaciously, lips pursed and eyes determined. I gulped again. And not only did she have her infamous tenacity, she also held a sharp object in her hand.
"Oh, don't bother lying," she instructed, "I know you took her on a date and also asked her to be your own special reporter. Something is going on between you two and I want to know what it is."
"Well," I hedged, not exactly sure what to say, "I did ask Bella to be the reporter who follows me around--because I trust her."
"It's more than trust, and we both know it. Now you can hold still and tell me exactly what you think of Bella while I sew up your suit," she commanded me in her drill sergeant voice.
"To be honest, Bella kind of blindsided me. I wasn't expecting her in my life--not now, at this moment." To my surprise, I found myself telling Alice exactly what my feelings were. I glanced at her face in shock.
She smirked. "Don't be surprised. Everyone eventually succumbs to my persuasive powers."
"Um, okay," I stammered, but to my astonishment, I kept on talking, "well, it's not exactly a time in my life that I can afford distractions. Now I'm not sleeping, I can't concentrate on swimming, can hardly close my eyes without seeing Bella's face in my mind. The funny thing is, I don't care. I want her to distract me, to be near me. It's like she has totally changed my perspective on life in a matter of days, and I wouldn't have it any other way." I realized quite suddenly that I was sounding extremely mushy and clamped my mouth shut abruptly, avoiding her gaze.
"I knew it!" Alice squealed loudly and I jumped in reaction. The needle she was using jabbed me sharply in the ribs and I jumped again.
"Will you please be careful with that thing?" I hissed, hoping that she hadn't managed to draw blood.
"Oh, sorry," she replied, shamefaced. "Sometimes I get a bit too excited." She continued her work. Since I was so tall, she didn't have to look down at her sewing, but rather straight on, right at the gap in the seam on my ribcage. I could see her face fully, and her smug look made me realize something.
"Wait! Did you just say that you knew it? Knew what?" I asked determinedly. It was my turn to be the interrogator and it was time I got some answers.
She glanced up at my face in shock, set her mouth in a straight line, then looked down again.
"Alice, I'm warning you. You'd better tell me what you've been up to," I replied as menacingly as I could.
"N-nothing. I haven't done anything," she replied defensively. I continued to stare at her until she continued, "well, almost nothing. I had planned to have her interview you all along. I knew that you'd be perfect for each other, but there was no way I would get Bella to meet you unless it was for professional reasons," she replied defensively.
"The airplane," I prodded, "was that planned?"
"No! I had nothing to do with that--although it worked out even better than anything I could have planned," she said, once again her impish smile in place.
"Well, you can just leave things be now. I think I've got it all under control, so no more matchmaking for you," I directed. Immediately her lips turned down into a pout and she looked up at me with wide, puppy dog eyes.
Before I could go with my natural reaction of trying to cheer her up and giving in, I heard a small shuffling sound at the door and glanced up. My heart plummeted at what I saw. Standing next to the door were my parents, but what made me nervous was the looks on their faces. My mom had an ecstatic look on her face. A look that told me she was already dreaming of weddings and future grandchildren. I shivered.
The look that worried me, though, was not coming from her, but my dad. He was tense, standing still and stiff, and his mouth was drawn up in a frown. He didn't quite look angry, but there was something about the thoughtful look in his eye that made me nervous. After a long moment of everyone staring, he cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"Edward, you need to get to that race. This is no time for chit chatting." His voice was harsh, rougher than I was used to.
"Sorry, my suit ripped," I muttered.
"It's fixed now, so let's go." He shot me a look that clearly said that we'd be having a conversation about this later, and stalked out of the room. My mom sent me one last, hopeful smile, then turned and followed him.
"Thanks, Alice. Maybe next time you can design me a suit that isn't impossible to get on," I told her. It took her awhile to respond. She was staring after my parents with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Oh, no problem," she replied absentmindedly. I wondered if she was thinking about fixing my suit or designing a new one, but decided not to press the issue, waved and hurried to the main event pool.
I swam my laps in the cool down pool waiting for the moment that my dad would pounce. I knew he'd been itching to have a talk with me ever since he'd walked in on my conversation with Alice. I was ready for it. There was no way that he was going to take Bella away from me, no matter what he said or tried. That was one thing I knew for sure.
The 200 freestyle semis had gone relatively well. I was in an excellent position for the finals the next day, and I should have been happy, but something was missing. Bella hadn't been at the meet that day. I'd known she wasn't going to be there because she was obligated to go to her friends' volleyball game, but I'd still missed her. It had been disappointing to finish the race, look at the stands, and not be able to pinpoint her beautiful face cheering me on. I considered asking her to come to every single one of my races from then on. I needed her there, encouraging me to go faster than ever, making me want to win it all for her.
Unfortunately, I couldn't ask that of her. She had her friends competitions'--other people that would want to see her at their events, and I couldn't take that away from them or do that to her. I didn't want her to feel conflicted in any way. But maybe I could get down on my knees and beg her to be at every one of my finals, at the very least. I didn't think I could bear a medal race without her in the stands. That sounded to desperate though. Perhaps if I just calmly and rationally asked her to be there, she would. And if she had to choose between one of my finals and one of her friend's event, then I'd resort to begging her to pick me.
I hit the wall and glanced up to see the unmistakable shadowy figure of my father through the goggles. I tore my goggles off and looked up at his imposing form.
"Get dressed, we need to talk," he commanded me. I lifted myself out of the pool, and set my shoulders.
"Why don't we talk right here," I demanded.
"I'm sure that you will want to keep this conversation private," he insisted, and not wanting to make him any angrier than he might be, I decided to concede. I hurried to the showers and quickly cleaned and dressed. When I walked out of the locker room, he was standing outside waiting for me, arms folded across his chest, a grim look on his face.
"This way," he said, leading me to one of the smaller conference rooms in the water cube. I followed him in and he shut the door behind me, turned and stared at me once again crossing his arms over his chest.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" he demanded after I defiantly refused to ask what was going on.
"I don't think I know what you mean. Winning races, maybe?" I answered insolently, desperately wanting him to lose his famous cool and react normally for once.
"You know exactly what I mean, Edward. Distraction. You can't afford one right now and that is exactly what Miss Bella Swan is to you."
"I'm not giving her up," I retorted, then realized I sounded like a toddler playing with my favorite toy. I quickly changed tactics. "Dad, you know we can trust her to write a good article. She's smart, knows what she's doing and keeps her word. Really, I think she's the best reporter we could get, and we're lucky enough that she's willing to work with us," I reminded him. Although she wasn't a famous reporter, and this would probably help her career, I certainly felt lucky that she'd agreed to do an article on me.
"I don't know about that, but I recognize that you aren't going to agree to any other reporter, so we'll stick with her. I get that. It's the other thing I'm worried about," he explained.
"Um, what?" I asked, thrown off guard. I'd been expecting a fight and it didn't look like that was going to happen. I sighed in relief. Maybe this was about something else altogether.
"I'm talking about distraction again, Edward. That and conserving energy." He looked at me meaningfully.
"Well, I get the distraction thing, but honestly she makes me want to swim better, so you shouldn't be complaining. Besides, you had mom and me when you were at your last Olympics and you managed fine, so I don't see the big deal," I answered defensively.
"I get that, Edward. I understand where you are coming from with Bella, believe me I do, but there are other things to consider. You really need to make sure not to physically overexert yourself. Not with the kind of races that you have coming up," he said, still in the same, steady tone that he always used, giving me that measuring look.
Suddenly his meaning hit me, and a flush came over my skin. "Oh. That," I said looking down. I could hardly believe that I was having this conversation with my father.
"Yes, that. You need to keep it in your pants until after the Olympics are over for you, Edward. You don't want to be risking a medal to assuage your hormones," he explained. "Besides, if Bella is who you want, it can wait."
I considered this for a moment. He was right, of course. I did need to conserve energy, because I was here to win medals after all. As much as it killed me I had to admit that getting more physical with Bella would have to wait, not forever, but until after the last swim. I quelled the huge wave of disappointment I felt at that thought and graciously nodded at my dad, agreeing with him. I'd won the big fight, after all. I still was going to be able to see Bella every moment I could for the rest of the Olympics, and if I had it my way, after, so this was not something I was going to fight my dad on.
"Good, I'm glad we're in agreement," my dad answered, seeing my reluctant acceptance. "Now, you'd better get back to your room for some rest. You have a final tomorrow, so no distractions tonight." He turned around left the room quickly. Somehow I sensed that he'd hated that conversation almost as much as I did. Having my dad lecture me about my sex life made me feel like a fumbling teenager again and I was eager to rid the memories from my mind.
I followed my dad from the room and was surprised to find my mom waiting outside. "Mom!" I exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to talk to you about something," she answered quietly.
"What?" Now I was really curious. A lecture from each of my parents in the same day. Joy.
"Oh, it's nothing serious. I just wanted to tell you that your dad means well, but he sometimes gets distracted by what is best for you and what he thinks will make you the happiest," she said. Before I could assure her that another argument had not taken place, she continued. "So don't let any of his misgivings about Bella get you down. She's a great young woman and I'm sure she'll write a wonderful article," she said slyly. I sensed that there was a deeper meaning behind her words--such as, she'll write a wonderful article and make you the happiest you've ever been, but she didn't say it. "Now go and get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow." She pulled me in for a hug and then let go, turning to walk off, but hesitated and turned around again. "Oh, I overheard Alice say that Bella should be back to her hotel from the volleyball game by now. If you have anything to discuss about the article, perhaps now would be the time to do it." She smiled, waved and walked quickly away.
"Uh, bye mom," I called after her. Not even pausing to reflect on either conversation with my parents, I pulled my phone out immediately. The only thought in my head was that I needed to be with Bella. I dialed her number and waited impatiently for her to pick up as I exited the water cube and walked in the direction of her hotel.
"Hello?" she answered quietly. Finally.
"Bella? What are you up to? How did the volleyball game go?" I asked eagerly, overjoyed at hearing her voice again.
"Oh, the game was great. They won. I heard your swim went well. Good job," she answered happily. I closed my eyes at the overwhelming feeling of happiness at the sound of her voice.
"So, I was wondering if you are doing anything right now," I questioned eagerly.
"Nope, I was thinking of getting ready for bed. Nothing too exciting really."
"Well, would you like to come on a walk with me?" I was desperately hoping that she would come. I silently urged her to answer yes.
"Sure. Where should I meet you?" She sounded just as eager to be with me as I was with her and I couldn't help but smile.
"Actually, I'm almost to your hotel right now. Why don't you meet me outside?"
"Okay, I'll be right down." The phone clicked in my ear and I sped up my pace to a slow jog, eager to be waiting for her when she exited the building. Just as the front doors came into view, I saw her walk out. I couldn't help myself, I hurried toward her and when she was within arms length, I reached out and grabbed her to me in a big hug. Relief that she was finally with me again overcame me, and I pulled her tighter. Finally, I pulled away so I could look at her beautiful face, leaned down and kissed her delicious lips. It was like coming home and I smiled when a sigh escaped from her.
I released her and looked into her face. Her eyes were dreamy and she smiled back at me. "That was quite the greeting." She pulled back and began nervously looking around. "I hope no one saw though. I don't want any negative publicity for you." She bit her lip nervously and all I could think about was that I was the one that should be biting that lip.
"Don't worry about it," I said, eventually pulling my mind away from her mouth. "I don't care if anyone sees us. Maybe then I'd have to stop worrying about other men looking at you." I couldn't believe how jealous I had become at the simple thought of another man looking at her. She was mine.
She blushed and changed the subject quickly. "Where do you want to walk?"
"There is a little park near the athlete's village. I thought it might be nice to walk through," I answered. I threaded our fingers together, and pulled her in the right direction so she'd begin walking.
"So, how was your day?" she asked after a long, comfortable silence in which I was able to savor her nearness.
"It was...interesting. I ripped my suit and Alice had to fix it. She's quite determined isn't she?"
Bella gasped. "What? What did she say to you?" She stopped walking suddenly and I turned to look at her. She had a worried look on her face that I wasn't sure how to interpret.
"Actually she didn't tell me anything, though I'm curious as to what she could tell me," I baited. When no answer was forthcoming, I sighed and gave a gentle tug on her hand to get her walking again. "It's actually more of what I told Alice. That woman can get information out of anybody, can't she?" She giggled, and I smiled, thrilled at the sound.
"What did you tell her?" she finally asked when I didn't say anything else.
"Hmmm, not now. Maybe I'll tell you someday," I answered. At her pout, I couldn't help but lean down and give her one more kiss. Before I could be persuaded, I finished detailing out my day. The swim, the cool down, the dreariness that was my day without her in it, but I left out the conversation with both of my parents. "I missed you," I concluded. "So, I have a request. Can you please make sure to be at all my finals? I understand that you have friends and that their events might be scheduled at the same time as mine, but it really would mean a lot to me if you could make it to the finals."
"Of course, Edward," she assured me. "And if it makes you feel better, I missed you too." I pulled her closer to me, elated that she felt the same way.
We continued to walk and chat about our days. I asked her about her friend Rosalie's match, and she filled me in on the details. It was still unbelievable to me how comfortable and relaxed I could be around her. She made me forget about the stressful schedule I was competing in, the worries of making my father proud. It was just me and her together, in our own little world.