I know I put deodorant on this morning. "It is not what you think, so relax." He placed his pen down, then folded his arms behind his head and stretched back. The leather chair creaked as his shirt pulled up and his legs widened. I stifled the groan in the back of my throat. I fought hard not to glance down at his rock-solid abs and patch of thin dark hair I knew was there. All month long we were behaving—he was the coach and I was the gymnast, nothing more.
But of course, I just had to look down. I couldn't not. The blue vein driving toward his groin taunted me to look. My gaze lingered for a second and I wondered just how far it went and if it was the vein that wrapped around—
I snapped my eyes up, stopping myself. Blood rushed to my cheeks before I could stop it. Kova grinned. I hated that knowing look that glimmered in his eyes. This was new territory for us. Friendship. At least that's what I thought it was, how I'd viewed it.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked playfully and shifted from foot to foot.
"I have no idea what you are talking about, Adrianna."
I gave him a droll stare and tried not to smile. He knew. I was embarrassingly giddy. "You are such a liar." I laughed a little, and his grin widened. "Stop looking at me like that."
"You have a very subtle hint of the ocean that lingers on you. I can always detect it."
"That's not creepy at all," I said, looking away, trying to push back my flyaways from the day’s practice.
Kova had a scent to me too, but I thought it was his cologne. I wasn't wearing anything scented. I never wore lotion to practice because the sweat would make me slippery. I wasn't big on body sprays or perfumes anyway. It had to be my shampoo, but he wasn't even that close to get a drift of it.
He shook his head. "Take a seat. What is it that you need?"
My nerves sparked at the ends. I was edgy and I didn't know why. I sat down, then blurted out what I came for.
"Even though I hate them with a passion, I want to add another dance class to my schedule. I'm not stupid, I know what ballet can offer a gymnast, so I'll suck it up if I must. I also want to keep up with the private classes with you to help with my flexibility. I don't want to revert to old habits or lose what I've already accomplished. I can stay longer into the evenings to make this work, and Sundays I want to come in and do extra conditioning, if that's okay with you, of course. I don't need you or Madeline here with me for that, I just thought you should know when someone is coming and going in your gym." Then, I got raw and honest with him. "I'm less than a month away from testing elite, and I'm nervous as hell that I'm not primed and ready enough. I want to know that I did everything I could to get at least the minimum points required to become elite. I want both floor routines to wow the judges and draw their attention but keep them elegant and artistic at the same time. I don't want to wobble on beam or jerk in my turns. I want to hit every handstand on bars and stick my landing on vault while getting the flight I need. I want to practice every waking moment so there's no room for error when the time comes. Please, Kova. I want this so bad. I won't complain or ask for a day off. I will do anything so that when my time comes, I will make it count. I want the challenge. I want to make the goals I set. I want it all."
"Breathe, Ria. I do not think you took a breath in between all that."
I blushed. Kova did what he did best and stared at me. He ran a hand down his face, and I noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the stubble around his jaw. He hadn't shaved in days. I loosely wondered if today wasn't the day to push for this.
"You ask for so much. You are here nearly fifty hours a week as it is. Adrianna, I think you are on track as you should