Getting out of bed, I slipped some clothes on while Kova dressed. Once we were at the door, he turned to me. Gently taking my jaw in his hands, Kova pressed his lips to my forehead, lingering for a few moments. He angled my jaw up and slanted his mouth over mine, giving me his softest kiss yet. He pulled me in closer and I stood on my tiptoes as my hands wound around his back while he kissed me with everything he couldn’t say. My heart soared through my chest, my emotions taking hold and grabbing onto him.
“Please, I hate to say this, but tell no one about us,” his voice was a broken whisper against my lips.
I shook my head. “I would never,” I promised.
Then, he was gone.
Bolting my door shut, my feet padded against the plush carpet until I was back in my room. Climbing between my sheets, I smelled Kova all around me. My mind
played like a movie on rewind and fast-forward. Everything processed quickly, starting with how the day began and then ended. If someone would’ve told me I was going to lose my virginity to my gymnastics coach, never in a million years would I have believed them.
But it wasn’t like it was planned. He came to me, waiting and watching for the right set to form. And when it did, I just rode it in with him. Because just like the waves at the beach, once you start swimming at the curl, you have no choice but to take it all the way to shore. Otherwise, you get pulled down under and have to claw your way to the top to breathe.
I hadn’t been inside World Cup for more than three minutes before I was surrounded by the sound of the apparatuses springing and the coaches yelling.
Anticipation bubbled in my belly as images passed through my mind of the things we’d done a couple of nights before. I was nervous. I hadn’t seen him due to my schedule and his. I had no idea how he was going to act around me, and truthfully, I wish I could’ve called out just so I could avoid it.
After I switched out of my clothes and into my leo, I put my stuff in my locker. Paranoia flushed through me as I walked down the hall and toward the gym. I tried to act as if nothing was on my mind and keep a straight face. But everything changed. And it was all I thought about.
I lost my virginity to my coach. Though, I didn’t actually see him as my coach. I saw him as Kova, a man with buried emotions and a bittersweet past.
A lump of trepidation sat heavy in my stomach. When my emotions and feelings got involved, everything melted away—his age, the fact he was my dad’s friend, the consequences of our actions if we were caught. It was just two people connecting. But being back in the place that brought everything into context forced me to come face-to-face with our actions.
“Are you okay?” Holly asked, but I didn’t hear her question. “Adrianna?”
I looked up. “Huh?”
“I asked you if you’re okay. You look sick.” Worry carved her face.
“Oh, I’m good. My lunch isn’t meshing with me is all.” The lie casually rolled off my tongue.
“Just a warning, Coach Kova is in rare form today.”
My heart dropped. “What do you mean?”
“He’s been walking around with a scowl on his face and barking orders nonstop. Even Madeline jumped at one point.”
“That’s not much different than any other day.” I gave a nervous laugh. “But thanks for the heads up.”
“Adrianna!” Coach Kova yelled, startling me with a loud clap of his hands and grabbing my attention. My eyes locked with his and my stomach tightened. “Two miles. Now.”
Fuck. Two miles in this heat, he’s insane.
I nodded hastily. I did a couple more stretches, the ones Kova had taught me, and then walked to my locker. I slipped on some shorts and sneakers then grabbed my headphones and iPhone so my run wouldn’t be dull. Actually, running wouldn’t be so terrible since I needed to get my thoughts under control before I started practice. And getting away from him and everyone noticing my strange behavior was probably best.
Not that anyone noticed. Paranoia at its finest.
Once my feet hit the pavement, I jogged across the street and turned on some music. It wasn’t long before I completed one mile and sweat was dripping off of me. A couple more laps and––
My thoughts stopped immediately when a searing blaze of fire traveled up my ankle and caused me to stop in my tracks. The air was robbed from my lungs. Jesus Christ, it hurt and I collapsed on the ground, clutching my calf. The sun was blinding and sweat poured down my temples as my fingers sought relief and massaged the muscle. Aside from practice, it seemed when I did any sort of running for long periods, my calf flared up. Maybe I needed to stretch out more, or maybe I was dealing with shin splints. I wasn’t sure what caused it, but I needed to get it under control.
I did a couple of pointing and flexing stretches just on my left leg that hopefully would stretch out my muscle a bit more so I could finish running. Clearing my mind, I stood and wiped the pebbled dirt from my shorts. I started jogging again, ignoring the pain bursting from my ankle to my calf. I bit my lip, applying pressure to my other leg to relieve the impact on the injured side and fought it in spite of wanting to crumple to the floor. I pushed through the rest of the run and made my way back to the gym, limping in agony.
The moment I walked through the doors, the cool air hit my face and I sighed in relief. Florida heat could be deadly. Between the pain and the humidity, I was lightheaded. I quickly grabbed a bottle of Aloe water my mom got me hooked on and drank half of it while sitting down.
I rummaged through my bag and grabbed a clean leo and went to change in the bathroom. I was sticky and hot. Stripping off my damp clothes, I slipped on a black leotard and then splashed water on my face. I patted the rest of my body with a towel and then applied deodorant. Looking at myself in the mirror, my cheeks were flushed and my green eyes brighter than ever. I fixed my ponytail, the scarlet undertones looked like perfectly placed highlights even though I never dyed my hair.
Luckily the pain at the back of my ankle had begun to subside. Just to be sure it wouldn’t come back, or at the very least I didn’t feel it, I popped some Motrin and then made my way onto the floor where I’d be practicing today.