Nexus // 2016 Rio Olympics

Chapter Two

        I made my way back to the elevator, and clicking the down button. While waiting for the doors to open, I quickly took my phone out and plugging in my earphones. Hearing the ding of the elevator, I looked up just as the doors opened, revealing the one person I would have least expected to meet today.

        Michael Phelps.

        I stood frozen for a little bit, unsure of what to do. Someone who I looked up to was standing in front of me, and I had one of two choices. I could either hop in and continue to make a fool out of myself, or take that seven flights of stairs down to the lobby.

        "Are you going to get on?" He asked, a small smile appearing on his face. Snapping out of my thoughts, I felt my face heat up as I walked on, standing opposite to him; looked like I made my decision. Glancing over, I was ready to press the lobby button, but it seemed that he already had.

        "Yeah, sorry. I was gonna... wait for my friend, but figured I wouldn't want to keep you waiting." I lied, figuring it would be less awkward that freaking out on him and telling him I was a fan of his. He nodded, seeming to understand completely, though as he took another look at me, he stopped, continuing to observe my face.

        For a second, I felt panic. Having anyone staring at you is nerve wracking, but he wasn't only doing that, but it looked like he was also thinking. I hadn't the slightest clue what about, but it must have been something I did or said.

        "You're Eleanor... O'Hannagin, right?" Wait, was he asking for my name? I was taken aback but quickly nodded in response, not able to say anything as my lungs wouldn't allow me. "I watched one of your interviews this morning, it's your first year on the Equestrian team, right?" He asked, seemingly, truly interested, though maybe he was just bringing it up out of politeness.

        "Yeah, I compete in Eventing with my horse, Nexus. I'm nervous, but really excited to compete." I was still a little taken aback, but answered him quickly, including the last part as a while to mask how I was acting now. He seemed to notice my reaction, and quickly apologized.

        "Sorry, that seemed a bit out if the blue. I figured I'd bring if up, though I never really understood what Eventing really was." I had almost forgotten we had been riding in an elevator until I heard a ding, followed by the door opening.

        "Yeah, most people find the event a bit confusing. I'll have to explain it to you another time; you look like you have a practice to get to." I stated, following him out and into the lobby. He gave me an odd look, about to ask how I knew. Aside from the tear-away pants he was wear, I quickly stemmed into an explanation. "I passed a few other swimmers who were heading out, who looked like they were going to practice. Frankly, it was just a guess, to be honest."

        "Oh, I see. I was actually supposed to be there 3 minutes ago." He said, looking down at his phone to confirm the time. Though he said he was late, he didn't seem to be in any rush. If I were him I would have been panicking and running to get to practice.

        "Well then, I won't keep you waiting." I said, following him to the door, which he politely opened. I thanked him and walked out, once again reminded that I wasn't at home by the humid wind that greeted my face.

        "It was nice talking to you Eleanor. I'm Michael, by the way." I knew he was just being polite, but the man didn't need an introduction. He held out his hand for a shaky, and I took it, suddenly self conscious about my slightly calloused hands compared to his fairly smooth ones. It seemed a dumb thing to be self conscious about, but that's just how I was.

        "It was nice talking to you too, Michael. I'll see you later?" Usually you would say 'I'll see you later.' as a farewell to a friend you would see tomorrow, but seeing as this meeting was just by chance, I figured it would be nice to actually ask him instead. I nodded, a smile appearing again.

        "Yeah, you still have to explain to me what Eventing is." He was right, and with that we said our final goodbyes before heading our separate ways, a fluttering in my stomach becoming very apparent as I flagged down a taxi to take to the Equestrian Center.

        Alright, here is the second chapter (they will be longer in the future, I promise) for you guys. Again, I'm doing this all just for fun, but if you guys want to see anything mentioned in here or have any situations you want to see written, leave them in the comments below, and I'll try my best to fit as many as I can into the story line, as I kind of already have and idea of where I want it to go.