"When we first met, you told me you knew no fear when holding a camera. I told you that I knew no fear when I was on a snowboard. But I was wrong. I felt all kinds of fear on a snowboard. The only place I truly feel no fear is by your side. I love y...
"So, you two are America's star-crossed lovers. The whole nation is practically obsessed with you after everything that went down at the Beijing Olympics. But one thing we're all dying to know, how did the two of you meet?" Jimmy Fallon asked. I looked over at my fiance sitting at my left. I smiled at him and set back into my favorite story to tell. "Well, Jimmy, It might take a while to tell the story, but if you insist," I started, "It all began at the 2018 Olympics..."
(2018 Olympics-- Rowan's POV)
I sat at the bottom of the Slopestyle course with my camera in hand, waiting for the perfect moment to capture. Sports photography was my passion, and I had traveled all around the US photographing snowboarding events. So when I was offered the chance to photograph the Olympics, I immediately snapped up the opportunity. So there I was, sitting with my camera at the bottom of the course with only a few runs remaining. An American kid named Red Gerard was the next to go, he was currently sitting in last place, but he was American so I had to capture some moments from his run. He came rushing down the course, pulling some impressive tricks and jumps, landing every one of them. I found myself entranced with watching the 17 year old's run, secretly hoping he'd make a come back. He flew over one of the slopes and I picked my camera up just in time to catch the PyeongChang Olympic logo with Red in the Background. I loved the picture. He landed his final jump of an impressive run and turned his snowboard, falling to his stomach and sliding to the wall before getting up and clumsily popping his board off his feet with a fist pump and running to the scorning area. I laughed, he was kind of adorable. I caught myself impatiently waiting to see his score. Within a minute it rolled in. An 87.6. Red Gerard had just rocketed himself into first place position. I jumped up and cheered for the American teen before snapping more shots of his celebration. I sat through two more runs by people from other countries, taking pictures but still keeping an eye on Red. The last run was impressive, good enough to potentially beat Red's. His score came in and it was an 86. Red had won gold. I grabbed my camera and quickly started snapping pictures of his reaction as the crowd around me erupted. The 17 year old won America's first gold medal. Someone handed Red an American flag, which he draped around his shoulders as he walked towards me. I held my camera up and Red looked right at it, cracking a small smile as he barely stuck his tongue out. It had to have been one of my favorites I'd taken. They set up the podium as the medalists walked towards it. One by one, they stepped up onto the podium and were handed a stuffed animal of the olympic mascot. Red stepped up onto the podium for the first time as a gold medalist, lifting his hands to his face in disbelief. I took a picture, freezing the moment in time forever.
(Time skip to that night)
I walked back into the hotel with my camera still strapped around my neck, looking through the pictures from the day as I walked. The three from Red were by far my favorites, so much emotion and meaning behind every one of them. That was what I loved about photography. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, only knowing I was walking in the general direction of the elevator. I ran into something, more of a someone, causing them to drop what had been in their arms. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going. Completely my fault, let me grab that for you," I gushed out apologetically as I reached down to pick up what the person had dropped, which happened to be a snowboard. I grabbed it and met the person's gaze as I stood up. "It's really no problem, I wasn't paying any attention either," he, Red Gerard, said as I handed him his board. "Oh my gosh! You're Red Gerard! I photographed your run this morning. You're amazing, congrats on gold man!" I word vomited once again. "Hey thanks!" he said with a perfect smile. "No problem! Well I had better get editing, haha" I nervously laughed, gesturing to the elevator as I started to walk away. "Wait a sec, I didn't catch your name," Red called out as I moved towards the elevator. "Rowan Atwood," I smiled over my shoulder as I stepped into the elevator. The elevator doors closed around Red's bright smile.
I returned to my room and began editing my pictures for the day, posting one of Red on my photography instagram page:
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1,226 likes @RAphoto: Fun fact, I ran into @redgerard while staring at this picture I took of him when he won gold at the #winterolympics I then proceeded to word vomit like an idiot fan girl, so go me!
287 comments
@Username1: JEALOUS OML
@Username2: I love this!
@nbcolympics: Who wouldn't word vomit if they met @redgerard?? Great capture!
@redgerard: nah I thought it was cute :) @RAphoto: Haha, if you say so :)
----------- Hi guys!! So I've read a few Red fics, and decided to give it a go myself! I hope you guys like it! I'll be updating as much as possible :)
