it was even more humiliating to fail like that in front of him. Why? Because you want to show him you’re a worthy mate who’s not too high-maintenance to be a pain in the ass?
“Well, that ship has sailed,” Sol muttered. He checked his levels again. The juice he’d downed first was having an effect. He needed to eat a full meal, because his belly was rumbling. I shouldn’t have gone all diva-fit on Tony this morning. Because he’d been right. Sol hadn’t eaten enough, not to support podium training.
He downed the rest of his water bottle. His headache was still with him, but he wasn’t dizzy anymore. The guys would be heading over to the dining hall for lunch soon. I’ll be fine.
He stood up. No wobbles. It’s all good. When he stepped into the hallway, Tony was propping up the wall with his shoulder, gazing down at his cell phone, and looking remarkably somber. Murmurs and shouts drifted from the arena, so podium training for the next subdivision must already be underway. Good. I didn’t delay them. That would be all he needed—to be famous as the guy who kept the Japanese team from practicing in front of their home crowd. And men’s gymnastics was a huge deal in Japan, much more popular than it was in the US. These guys were superstars. Of course, they also regularly medal everywhere they compete.
Tony pushed himself off the wall and edged close to Sol. “Hey. You doing all right?”
Sol’s annoyance spiked again. “Yeah. I’m not an invalid,” he snapped. Then he winced. “Sorry. Ignore my mood. This isn’t your fault.” He took a deep, steadying breath. “I’ll be fine after lunch. Are the coaches giving notes beforehand?”
“Ah, no. They’re waiting until we hit the gym this afternoon.”
Sol was glad about that, anyway. He felt okay—mostly—but he’d rather not sit through a conference with the coaches right now, especially since he’d always assured them that his condition wouldn’t prevent him from delivering peak performances.
“Then I guess we can head back to our suite and get cleaned up.” Sol glanced up and down the corridor which was empty at the moment, although he wasn’t brave enough to dare a kiss. But God, I’d love nothing more than a hug right now. Did that make him weak? Maybe. But right now, he didn’t much give a shit. “Are the guys waiting for us?”
“No.”
Sol chuckled. “Danny wanted a chance to hog the shower first?”
“Maybe.” Tony’s voice was low and serious. “But Solly, there’s something you should know.”
Sol’s belly tumbled. “Why? Did something happen? Is it my folks?” Sol always kept his phone turned off during practice, as did all the other guys. He pawed through his bag, searching for the damn thing.
But Tony laid a hand on his arm. “No. Your folks are fine, as far as I know. It’s this.” He touched his phone’s screen and held it up so Sol could watch himself crumple onto the mat in the most ludicrous dismount in history. “The hits are up to the high six figures now, and it’s trending on Twitter.”
Sol stared at the phone in mounting horror. “Somebody filmed this?”
Tony nodded. “It was inevitable, I suppose. There were a lot of people in the stands, and you’re a popular guy.”
Sol leaned back and let his head thunk against the wall. “Except now I’m a popular guy who collapsed on the Olympic stage.”
“Don’t be a drama queen. You only collapsed at practice. That doesn’t count as the Olympic stage.”
Sol squinted at Tony out of one eye. “You may think you’re helping, but you’re so not.”
Tony sidled closer until Sol could feel his heat along his arm. “Well, I won’t say I told you so.”
“I think you just did.”
“Nope.” Tony grinned. “I most certainly didn’t. Doesn’t mean I won’t in the future if you pull this kind of stunt again.”
Sol sighed. “Not exactly XBL-worthy, is it?”
“Are you kidding? It’s ten times scarier—a hundred times.” Tony gripped Sol’s forearm. “Because it’s you. Your health. Your life. Please don’t scare me like that again, Solly.”
Sol belly flopped again. High-maintenance, that’s me. “I’m diabetic, Tony. I can’t promise my medical condition won’t affect me.”
Tony’s grip tightened. “That’s not what I mean. You told me not to take risks with my body. Well, I’m gonna demand the same from you. Please.”
Sol studied Tony’s face. His dark eyes were shadowed here in the dim corridor, but the lines around his mouth were more pronounced because of the way he pressed