Page 41 of Floored By Love

“Screw waiting. Cam, you and I made the all-around finals!”

“What?! That’s amazing!” And then it was me, grabbing him for a hug.

Ryder Stevens, eat your heart out.

“I heard the news, Cam. Congratulations,” Alex said, offering his hand. I took it, but pulled him into a hug.

“Alright, gentlemen. Settle down,” Coach started. “I see some of you have heard the good news. Luke and Cam qualified for the all-around finals. But, I’m really proud of Alex as well. He was twentieth out of all the men, and it’s only because of the two-per-country rule that he misses the all-around finals.”

Shit. I hadn’t known that. “Sorry, Alex, that sucks.”

“It’s okay, Cam. There’s always next time. You and Luke did better than me today. You deserve it.”

“Yeah, you do, buddy,” Colton whispered to me, smacking me on the butt.

“There’s more good news. The team made the finals. We were second during qualifying, which puts us in a splendid position.”

The guys and the coaches filled the room with whoops, cheers, and applause.

“And…every one of you qualified for an event final. Orion made the floor. Colton, the horse. Alex will be in both the ring and high bar finals. Luke will join him on the high bar and also qualified for the parallel bars and the vault. And Cam, you made the vault and the floor.”

I made the same two events as Brisbane. Plus, the all-around.

“Hey, Coach,” I spoke up. “How were we seeded?”

“Luke was fourth, and you were seventh.”

“Damn,” I heard Orion mutter.

“Yes,” Coach agreed, “it’s impressive. You’re both definitely medal contenders. And I appreciate the effort you made today regarding your behavior. Please keep it up for the press conference after. Don’t forget we have a team meeting tomorrow and don’t get too crazy tonight. Please,” Coach warned, holding his hands in mock prayer in front of him. “Now, shower up, and we’ll see you in a few outside the media room.”

It was after eleven when the press conference finally ended and I could go find my mom. I tried to ignore the butterflies that had accumulated in my body, a result of Luke’s compliments during the press conference.

He laid on the charm a little thick for the reporters, but what was between my legs had enjoyed it. I wasn’t as effusive as him with praise, but I pointed out that we fueled each other to be better athletes because we were friends, not competitors.

It was dark in the plaza outside the arena, but I could see the red and white striped flags from a distance. They were waiting just beyond the gates. Only athletes, coaches, staff and employees were allowed inside. There were probably some fans too, but they were always respectful of our time with our families.

My mom was easy to spot. She was holding a big sign that said ‘Go Cam Go! Team USA!’

“Hi, Mom.” I scooped her into a hug.

“Oh my goodness, Cam Cam. I’m so proud of you. I can’t believe how good you were.”

“You can’t? But I’ve worked so hard to be this good.” I pouted.

“Oh, you know what I mean,” she said, slapping my shoulder.

I looked around at the other guys with their families, but I didn’t see Luke.

“Have you seen Luke’s parents?”

“I haven’t seen them, Cam.” She lowered her voice, then asked, “Did you two work things out? You seemed so friendly today.”

Orion must’ve overheard me. He leaned over towards us and said, “Luke’s parents aren’t coming for another week or so. Something with the business.” He shrugged.

“Thanks, Orion. I hadn’t heard that.” Well, that explained why he wasn’t here. He must’ve already left with Cassandra. I didn’t see him break away after the press conference. And now I was thinking about him too much. His stupid infectious smile.

“That’s just awful,” my mom interrupted my thoughts. “I can’t imagine what’s so important that they’d miss their son at the Olympics. And he was so good tonight.”