Olympic Conquest

Lainey - Expectations

Cory's response to seeing me slashes my heart. I don't know what I was expecting. I guess I thought that once he saw me, he wouldn't be able to ignore our attraction. I look deeper into his eyes. I see a spark of emotion, telling me that there's more going on here than what he's revealing. I need to find out why he's pulling away.

"Do you think we can go somewhere and talk?" I ask.

He nods and heads down the hallway toward the bedrooms.

I turn back to his parents who are pretending not to notice what's going on between Cory and me. "Thank you for the drink," I say.

Cory's dad nods and his mom smiles at me. I wonder if they think I'm just another girl in a long line of women wanting Cory's heart. "You're welcome Lainey. We'll let you both know when dinner is ready. Thank you for your help."

"Thank you," I say as I try to shake the hurt and embarrassment of Cory's cold welcome. I put my own crutches under my arms and follow Cory to his bedroom. I know I'm not dreaming up the happy moments we shared at the Olympics. I wish he would open up and tell me what's wrong.

I've had to deal with a lot of rejection and hurt feelings. I've had many sleepless nights crying into my pillow over lost medals and friendships. Over time, I grew numb to the pain of losing, but the thought of losing Cory is almost unbearable. I've never felt such joy with another person. I won't let him go. I push the thought from my mind.

Instead, I take in the warmth of the home with its cream colors and dark word accents. A fire is roaring in the living room, ready for us all to enjoy an after dinner drink. It's all so cozy and obvious that there is a lot of love in this house.

We walk down the hallway to the bedrooms and we pass some photographs on the wall. I see pictures of Cory's mom and dad when they were a young couple – not too far off of our ages now. They're holding baby twins and grinning from ear to ear. They look so happy and youthful – full of hope. I wish Cory and I could be so carefree.

My eyes are drawn to images of Cory growing up. He has on a pair of skis in almost every picture. "Looks like your skis were attached to you growing up," I say.

Cory laughs quietly. "I was on them every chance I got. And when I wasn't skiing, I was biking down the trails." He points to a couple of photos of him on a bike at the top of a mountain. His brother Ashton is by his side. I feel a tug at my heart realizing I will never know him. I wonder if he was like Cory, the quiet, stoic type or if he was more outgoing?

"You and Ashton look exactly alike," I point out. They both have long, sandy blond hair and tall, wiry frames in the pictures. They look invincible, like they're ready to take on the world.

"Yeah, we had fun pretending to be the other growing up."

"I'm sure you did." I grab Cory's hand and squeeze it. He holds my hand for a split second and then pulls it away and keeps going toward his room. I try to change the subject and lift the mood. "I love this house and all the exposed-wood beams. It's like the perfect ski chalet. So is this where you grew up?"

"It is." Cory doesn't offer any more information than that. I know he's gone through a lot with his brother's death and then his fall on the mountain. And I'm trying to be patient. But I feel the frustration building inside me.

We walk past the photos with all of his family history and we enter his room. I'm immediately drawn to the window that looks out onto Vail Mountain.

"Oh wow! That must have been inspiring, looking out at the mountain every day. How beautiful."

"Right now, it's just a reminder that my brother's no longer here."

"I'm sorry for your loss Cory. I truly am."

His eyes turn dark. He looks away.

I try to think of something to say. "I hope this doesn't sound ... bad, but maybe you can try to make new memories that aren't so painful."

He steps back and takes a seat on his bed. "I don't know how that can happen in my condition."

I sit down next to him. "What choice do you have? You can't just give up on skiing. It's part of your DNA. Just like skating's mine."

"How can I get back out there when every time I see the mountain, I see my brother taking his last breath?"

"I know it's hard. But you need to try to accept the past and move on with your life. I can see how much you're struggling. I want to help you."

"You can't swoop in and save me. Believe me, you're not the only one trying."

"Is there a law that says you have to get through this on your own?"

"I brought on everything that has happened to me. I can't expect others to fix it for me. Especially you."

"You know, I need you too."

After a few seconds, he puts his hand on my knee. We sit in silence for a long time.

Finally, I say, "I see a man who has so much love for his brother that he can't even bear to learn how to live without him. I want to be with a man who can have that kind of love for another person."

Cory turns to look at me. "You deserve so much better Lainey. Find someone without ghosts following him around."

"I'll be the judge of what I deserve, okay?" I wrap my arms around him and he crushes me to him. He buries his face in my neck and I feel his wet tears on my shoulder. I hold him tight. We fall back onto the bed and fall asleep in each other's arms, completely exhausted from the emotions of our reunion and the memories of Ashton.

Cory and I awaken to a wave of delicious smells from the kitchen. I push myself up, feeling the ache in my hip. I should probably take another anti-inflammatory. I reach for my crutches but Cory grabs them first. He helps me stand up and steady myself. I grab his hand. "Let's go help your parents. I want to make a good impression."

"They already love you. I think my mom watched more of your skating than she ever watched of me skiing."

"I highly doubt that."

"No, it's true, I mean it," and we both laugh. Cory turns to leave but I grab his arm. He stops and looks at me.

"I have to believe we were brought together for a reason. Can we try not to get in the way of it anymore?" I ask.

Cory pulls me to him and kisses my forehead and whispers, "I can't make any promises. I'm a man after all. We're pretty clueless with matters of the heart. But I can say I'll do my best."

"Well, we know your best means gold. So I'm expecting a gold medal performance, okay?"

Cory gently lifts my chin with his finger. His lips melt with mine and I feel electricity shoot through my entire body. I go weak in the knees and thank God I'm standing on crutches. He lets me go and whispers, "How was that?"

I attempt to steady myself, still feeling the lingering effects, "I'd say, silver for sure. We'll need a lot more practice for gold."

Ever the competitor, he takes me in his arms again and delivers a crushing gold medal-worthy kiss. "How's that?" he asks.

"Pure gold." And I have to sit down for a second to take it all in.