Page 101 of Floored By Love

“Alright, boys, you two coming to the tub?” I asked.

“I didn’t bring a-”

“Already got you covered, Austin,” Colton answered, holding out a pair of trunks. “I figured I was the one closest to your size.”

Clad in board shorts, Alex reappeared. “I’m going to make sure it’s working and get the cover off.”

“I’ll help!” Colton followed him.

“You coming, O?”

“What? Yeah, sure. I’ll be right back.”

“I’m gonna go get changed,” Austin said, heading to the bathroom.

I joined Alex and Colton outside, and O quickly followed suit and hopped into the water.

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, O. You have a great body,” I said.

“Uh, thanks.”

I knew he was anxious about something other than Austin, though he’d spill the beans when he was ready. It always took him some time.

“This feels amazing,” Colton said, leaning back, eyes closed.

“It’s a nice night for it too,” Alex said. I followed his eyes and took in the spectacle of London. The O2 was illuminated and a myriad of other lights sparkled throughout the city. The sounds of traffic and boats drifted up from below. I could hear music coming from somewhere too.

I distracted myself by looking inside at Cam. He and Erika were laughing. I was thankful he seemed to have accepted me back so wholeheartedly. It felt like the last four years hadn’t happened. Almost.

We had both physically changed, of course. My scruff was almost a beard, and I let my body hair grow out a little. We both had more muscles. And it’s not that Cam felt like a different person, but there was something I couldn’t quite figure out about us.

“Whoa!”

I turned to see what O was reacting to. It was Austin, closing the glass door to the patio. The second that I had to take in the rear view was enough to expect what the front offered.

“I mean- I didn’t mean to say that.” The words tumbled out of O’s mouth.

“It’s okay, Orion. We’re athletes. We can all appreciate muscles when we see them,” Colton said, taking a peek.

Austin half-covered his chest as he slipped quickly into the water. He said nothing. I assumed four Olympic gymnasts staring at him made him feel self-conscious. Before I said something to make him feel at ease, Alex asked, “Did you purposely find him the smallest swimsuit you had, Colton?”

“Well, he didn’t have a problem fillin’ it, now did he?”

That was true. And if Colton wasn’t careful, he’d out himself to Austin. Maybe he didn’t care, but hearing about his family, I didn’t think that was the case.

Austin finally spoke up. “It’s fine. The wrestling singlets leave little to the imagination, so I’m used to it. I’m just glad I could join you guys. I’m happy to be here in London, and to see the Olympics, and actually meet Olympians.”

He seemed to realize his overexcitement and stopped, before adding, “I’m sorry. I talk a lot when-”

O beat me to it. “You don’t have to apologize. We understand the excitement.”

That was going to earn him points with Austin.

O continued, “To be honest, it’s nice to hang with someone that isn’t a gymnast.”

With the ice broken, the conversation flowed well for the rest of the night. Alex asked a lot of technical questions about wrestling. He was always interested in statistics and scoring. Austin explained to us the differences between collegiate wrestling and the Olympic disciplines. He still wasn’t sure which one he would attempt to qualify for, if not both.

I lured Alex and Colton inside discreetly to give Austin and O some time alone in the hot tub. They both disappeared into their rooms, leaving me with Erika and Cam.