that epic betrayal, he’d be able to face Sol again, beg his forgiveness in person.
He’d been wrong.
Because every time Tony imagined how the joy would die in Sol’s fathomless eyes once he learned the truth? That was the deal-breaker. I’m just not strong enough for that.
So as time went on, as he’d thrown himself into one risky stunt after another, it got harder and harder to initiate contact. Even though he ached from missing Sol, the man who’d been the other half of his soul since they were boys, throwing himself off a cliff in a bat-winged suit was easier than making the call.
Yeah, anybody who ever said “time heals all wounds” was a fucking idiot.
By the time he’d checked in, gotten his credentials, and was headed to his dorm room, the heart-Yurchenko had turned into a double layout Tsukahara with a full twist. He’d be sharing the suite with another gymnast. Odds were slim that his roommate would be Sol, but what if it was? What would their first words to each other be? Shit, maybe Tony should have gotten over himself and called before now.
He stopped outside the suite door. I’ve been cave diving in Australia. Surely I can say hello to the guy who was my best friend for half my life.
He took a breath, keyed open the door, and stepped inside—and nearly got knocked on his ass when someone charged him and wrapped him in a bro-hug.
“Tony T!”
After getting his back pounded—and gymnasts could pack a punch—Tony pulled back enough to see that the pounder was Isaiah Daniels—Danny to his buddies—who’d been one of Tony’s friendly rivals back in their NCAA competition days, and who was a regular commenter on Tony’s XBL videos. He’d been on the men’s national team for two years, and the USOPTC was his home base.
The muscles in Tony’s neck lost a little of their tension. He’d hoped for a friendly face or two (okay, so one in particular), but he hadn’t counted on an all-out enthusiastic welcome. “Danny! Great to see you, man.”
Danny draped an arm across Tony’s shoulders and turned him to face the rest of the guys in the room. Although gymnasts weren’t tall, they were all broad across the chest, so the place felt crowded with only five guys in it. Hell, they needed another room just for Danny’s biceps.
“I thought all the suites were doubles. Do, er, all of us live here?”
“Hell, no. Just you and Eddie, there.” Danny pointed to a guy with a shy smile and a shock of black hair. “Eduardo Campo, Tony Thomas.” He leaned closer and mock-whispered, “I’ve been showing Eddie your best XBL videos. That’s why he looks so star-struck.”
Eddie’s chin jerked up. “Hey!”
Danny laughed. “Eddie’s a Sooner, like you, but after your time. The guy holding up the wall is Jason Steffens.” Jason raised his hand in greeting, revealing a flash of KT tape on his triceps. “And the one circling the snacks is Chad Horton.”
Tony held out his hand to Chad. “We’ve met. You were on the World Cup circuit this year.”
Chad shook briefly. “Yeah. You kicked my ass in Stuttgart.”
“But you qualified at Birmingham, so no harm, no foul, right?”
Chad’s smirk held the cocky arrogance Tony remembered from meeting him at competitions. “For now, anyway.”
Danny towed Tony across the room and pointed to an open door. “This is you. The living room is shared—no kitchen, because apparently they don’t trust us not to set the place on fire—but you’ve got a bedroom and bathroom all your own.”
“Awesome.” Tony tossed his backpack on the bed. “And for a change, we’re not stuck in twin beds that are narrower than our shoulders.”
Danny chuckled. “Yep. The place got refurbished a few years back. They did it up right. Decent beds. Blackout shades. The whole nine.”
Tony pretended to admire the wardrobe, the desk, the chair. “So… Are these the only guys who’re here already?”
“Nah. There’s Rahul Laghari. He’s from Stanford, but we don’t hold it against him. Sometimes we can even get him to stop studying long enough to relax.”
“Studying? Isn’t Stanford’s semester over?”
“Yeah, but he’s an engineering student. They’re all nuts.”
“What about…” Tony’s voice faded, and he cleared his throat. “What about Sol? Is he here yet?”
“Sol?” Danny peered into the common room, as if he was surprised that Sol wasn’t there. “He’s— Yeah, he arrived a couple of days ago. I thought he’d be here to welcome you. The two of you were tight.”
Tony rubbed the back of his neck.