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JUST A DRINK (4)

MAYA POV

That interview didn't go too badly, my dad was happy with it and that's all I needed to hear. He wanted me to talk more about running and how great he is at training me and to be fair he is good at training... that's the only reason I have made it to the Olympics. He was so happy with my interview that he granted me permission to have one drink at any bar of my choice, I could even use my winning money once he also gave permission for that too.

"One scotch on the rocks" I order as I sit at the bar, as soon as the glass is handed to me I stare down at the ice lingering in the golden brown liquid. Looking around I see couples talking quietly to each other, groups of guys playing pool, and the mystery brunette with wine in one hand and her phone in the other. Her eyebrows are knitted together as she reads, her eyes jerking back and forth as the white light reflects on her face. I was drawn to her; how couldn't I be? But I couldn't afford a distraction, I couldn't cause any issues between me and my dad. Imagine the trouble it would cause if I came out to him, I'd be disowned and probably homeless. The thought of that brings a chill to my body, a foreknowing feeling perhaps.

CARINA POV

A scotch on the rocks is what she wanted. The blonde beauty was sat at the bar in some kind of trance, I looked over to her and she didn't look away. In fact, she didn't show any sign of a reaction to being caught. Her oceanic eyes pierced through the heavy pedestrian traffic of the dark bar. I could imagine she had looked over when I was on the phone reading messages from my brother, he's worried about our mama because she's been sick for a while apparently. The blonde probably saw tears welling up in my eyes as the messages flew back and forth across the North Atlantic Ocean. I wish I knew of my mama's health before; I would have wanted to fly to America and not 'stalk' the captivating runner in front of me. The desire for the pale white wine in front of me was slowly weakening.

My phone buzzing with a new message breaks me out of my new trance, I focus on the screen and this time it's a message from my mama. It stated that she had a stroke like incident a week ago, my brother obviously wanted to protect my feelings by lying. The abrupt news overwhelms my body as my breathing and heart rate starts to unevenly quicken. Leaving the glass of wine resting on the sticky table, I jump to my feet needing to escape this dark and dingy bar. Thoughts fill my head, regrets of staying with my dad and no visiting two of the most important people in my life. The guilt that I had solely been focused on a girl I didn't know, someone I should have no interest in knowing.

MAYA POV

Breaking me out of my seemingly long trance I saw the breath-taking mystery girl leave the bar with her phone held tightly in her hand, she looked upset about something. I wanted to check on her, but I think she that would be crossing a boundary. I don't think it's normal for strangers to console each other, or maybe it's an American thing where it's rude to help... maybe it's just my experiences with sad people.

I finished my scotch with one mouthful before standing up and walking towards the bar door. I felt a large presence in front of my body, a shadow forming around both of us.

"Wow, it's the girl who took the gold from us" the smell of alcohol filled the air as he spat his words out in disgust.

"Yep" I mutter as I try to move around him quickly, only to be blocked by him.

"You're too small to be a runner. I know runners are meant to be skinny and muscular but you're not skinny. You're fat compared to our runners" he continues, I can feel myself subconsciously tracing my hands around my waist, almost checking to feel this weight that the man is focusing on.

"Please can you move out the way" I ask politely as I again try to move around him.

"You have muscle so move me" he taunts as he crosses his arms in front of his chest with a menacing smirk scraping across his face.

Without thinking I can feel my body brace itself as I start to move towards him. With all my force, I move him the smallest amount. Giving me mere inches to move around him but I can. Successfully leaving the bar I look up to see the night sky was filled with lights from the city, the beautiful stars camouflaged amongst the upper atmospheres. Walking through the busy streets, it felt a bit like home.

I soon caught up with a small argument in the street, a voice I recognised was shouting in Italian as a man in a taxi was shouting back with his classic cockney accent. Obviously, both were doing nothing to bridge any misunderstanding but were rather ranting at the top of their voice. Everyone surrounding them were busy, no one batting an eye except some small children who were soon told off by their parents. The Italian gracefully stomped her way off in the direction ahead of me as the taxi driver apologised profusely to the passengers within the vehicle. This voice, this person has become more and more intriguing as the days go on.