"No."
"What?" She huffed and looked at me. "Help a sister out."
"Just one peek?" I asked him, hesitantly.
He shook his head. "That is for Ria and I only."
"Aww, that's so adorable." Avery leaned into me and cupped her mouth next to my ear while looking at Kova. "Get a picture while he's sleeping," she whispered loudly for him to hear. "Don’t be afraid to take a few and send them to me. I promise not to tell anyone."
Shaking his head, Kova's sexy smile curled around my heart. I shot a glance at Avery, and I could see she felt his charisma too by the way she watched him with a twinkle in her eyes. I wanted to kiss those lips again but I held back.
Walking up to me, Kova pulled me against his body. "Ya lyubuyu tebya navsegda," he said, then kissed
the top of my head. "I must go. Happy birthday, malysh."
"Just one look," Avery pushed as Kova walked toward the door and opened it.
"It will never happen. I am just as stubborn as Ria. Ask her." Kova paused right as he was about to leave and looked over his shoulder at me. "I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow."
I nodded and he left. Turning to Avery, she looked like she was going to liquefy into a pile on the floor. I chuckled. She was finally starting to see what I saw.
"I hope you marry that stupid Russian one day," she said dreamily.
Forty-Nine
"Shit," I whispered under my breath.
I blinked, hoping the pink tinted toilet water was something I was imagining.
It wasn’t.
Ever since I’d started training at the rate I was over a year ago, my period had been inconsistent. Sometimes I got it in four weeks, other times almost seven weeks would go by with no sign of it. Sometimes I had heavy periods, other times I would spot for three days. My body underwent a tremendous amount of strain, which caused it to mess with my cycle. With everything going on lately, it slipped my mind, so I hadn’t been thinking about it.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This would happen to me. Not only did I wake up with a raging headache and my stomach tossing around from nerves, I was in Scotland preparing to compete at an international competition, and now I needed tampons.
Quickly, I pulled down my leotard and wrapped a towel around my body. I opened the door and stepped into the room I shared with Holly. Sarah hadn't qualified, and Reagan declined the meet due to not having the funds for it, so it was just us this time around.
"Holly?"
She looked at me from where she sat on her bed texting on her cell phone.
"Do you happen to have any tampons with you? I just got my period and I don't have anything."
She gawked and immediately stood. "You don't bring them as backup? I always just leave them in my suitcase."
"I wasn't thinking, I guess."
Holly handed me a bunch of tampons and I looked at them in horror. "What size is this?"
"Ultra. My flow is always really bad and heavy. Sorry, I don't have anything else."
"No worries. I'm just grateful you have them. Thanks," I said.
I went back into the bathroom and took care of business. I hated having my period during a gymnastics meet. I was always afraid it would show somehow. Luckily my leotard was a hunter green with encrusted hot pink Swarovski crystals. If I did leak, it wouldn't show.
"Girl, you always should have them on you," Holly said when I emerged from the bathroom dressed and ready to go.
I offered her a smile and nodded, then walked over to my suitcase to pull out my scarf and coat. My nerves were a little wired, but overall, I felt confident. After this meet, there was one more in Italy, the Olympic Trials, and then the team would be selected.