PART THIRTY FIVE
And just like that the boys were on the road and I was preparing for my next race, in Norway. It was just a little invitational, not too many big names were going to be there, but Joe and I had agreed that since I’d missed out on a few races I needed to go and get some experience.
“Got everything?” Joe asked me, as we waited for the cab to take us to the airport. I’d driven over to his place and was planning on leaving my car there for the few days we were away.
“Yup,” I said, fiddling with my phone. Even though Aston had been insistent that it wasn’t a good time to be in a relationship, he hadn’t stopped texting me or calling on occasion. In fact, it almost seemed like he was contacting me more then before.
“You are so funny,” Joe said after we’d slid into the cab.
“What do you mean?” I questioned, uncertain of what he was saying.
“You’re sitting there with your phone in your lap, clearly expecting to hear from him!”
“Am not!” I retorted.
“Ok then, who else are you waiting to hear from?”
“Maybe I’m not waiting to hear from anyone?”
Of course my actions in the next minute betrayed me as my phone buzzed lightly in my lap and I snatched it up to see the text. I could sense Joe laughing away at me, but I did my best to ignore him.
[You off yet? xx]
“Fine, you might be kind of right,” I sighed to Joe after replying to Aston that I was in fact in a cab on my way to the airport.
“It’s ok to like him you know,” Joe told me.
“I know.”
“Do you know how he feels about you?” Joe asked.
“I mean, other than what you’ve told me… He said the other night that he’d like to ask me to be ‘more’ but because he’s on Tour it isn’t a good idea just yet.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
“What are you, my Counselor?” I asked, my eyebrow raised as I turned to take in Joe’s smirk.
“How about your best friend,” he replied, “Come on tell me!”
“Well I was a bit upset, not gonna lie,” I sighed, “I didn’t realize they were going to be away for so long.”
“Awww you miss him!”
“Maybe I do!” I protested.
“Well there is nothing wrong with that,” Joe grinned, “Just don’t forget to keep your head in the race.”
“Course Dad,” I joked.
We spent the next few hours in full on travel mode, heading off to Norway for my race. I didn’t hate the traveling aspect of my job, but sometimes it could be a bit of a pain in the ass. Especially if we were headed somewhere where no one spoke English.
We arrived two days before the race since we didn’t have to worry about trying to get used to a massive time change or anything, and settled into our hotel. I’d done my workout for the day before leaving London, so we spent the evening just chilling out.
The next day we went down to the track bright and early for one of the allotted exercise times. Because there were races going on in the afternoon we could only be down on the track for a few hours. I always liked to go for the exercise time because it was a good chance to meet up with some of the other athletes, and scope out the condition of the tarmac.
“What you reckon?” Joe asked as we stood and inspected the track. It was harder than the one I was used to running on, which meant that my shins would probably be sore after the race.
“Its going to be fast,” I said, “The tracks not that soft so we’ll be thundering along.”
“I think you’re right,” Joe said, “I want you to try something new tomorrow.”
“What?”
“Well, I normally have you speeding up with about 600 meters left of the 5000… But I want you to try to turn the gas on at 800 instead.”
“Really?” I questioned, frowning slightly as I thought about the effort it would entail.
“Yup, notch it up a bit at 800, and then again at 600, 400, 200… like you usually do. I think you’ll be flying on adrenaline by the end. This could be the make or break.”
“I guess I can try it out,” I mused, watching runners pass by on the track.
“That’s what we’re here for,” Joe said, “Now let’s get a few laps in!”
After a casual exercise on the track we headed back to the hotel for some food and to put our feet up.
*Buzz Buzz*
“Bet its lover boy,” Joe grinned as I grabbed my phone out.
“Shut up,” I laughed, seeing that it was in fact, Aston.
“Hey babe,” he said as I answered my mobile.
“How’re you?”
“Good yeah.”
“Tours going well?”
“So far so good,” he said, “How’s Norway?”
“Relaxed,” I said, “So far at least. I haven’t got any pre-race jitters going yet.”
“Ahhh don’t get nervous!”
“Nah nerves are good!” I replied, “Keeps my head in check a little bit.”
“You’ll be fine!” Aston told me, “If you want something you’ve just got to go and get it!”
“True,” I said, playing with the hem of my shirt. He had no idea that to me he was talking about more than just my race the next day.
We chatted for a bit longer before Aston said he had to go. “Anyways, I was just calling to say good luck tomorrow! Give me a ring when you’re back in London and tell me how it went!”
“Will do! Bye!”
“Bye babe, have fun!”
The next 24 hours passed in a blur. Race days were always manic, and I was booked to travel back to London after finishing up on the track. Between the two it was a long and tiring day.
“Good job Jess!” Joe said to me as we finally arrived back at his and I went off to get in my car to make the final push for home.
“Thanks Joe,” I grinned. Norway had definitely been a success, and Joe’s suggestion of starting my finish 200 meters earlier had worked wonders for my race. Not only had I clocked my best time of the season, but I’d also definitively managed to get the win I’d been aiming for over the last few months. In fact, things in Norway couldn’t have gone better for me. I was happy to have the mental boost from putting a victory under my belt, my first win in almost four years!
Finally back home I slumped my way into my room and collapsed on my bed, exhausted from traveling. It was after 2am and I had an early training session scheduled with Joe the next day as a bit of a cool down from Norway.
It took me all of three minutes to fall into a light sleep, but then only an instant to be shot back awake by the buzzing of my phone.
“Why you texting me now?” I sighed, snatching up my phone to see a text from Aston.
[You woooooooon!!!!!!!]
I was about to respond when another text came in.
[I cant believe it! Yessss!]
And then another.
[I’m sooooo proud of u]
I laughed a bit at the number of texts he’d sent and the over usage of vowels and punctuation. If I didn’t know better I’d guess he was out with the boys. It was the next text, though, that took me off guard.
[I wish I’d said fuck it and asked u to be my girlfriend xx]
And the one after that.
[I miss you]
PART THRITY SIX
After the series of texts I received from Aston I couldn’t really turn my brain off and go to sleep. I was almost positive that they were drunk texts, but that didn’t mean they weren’t the truth, right?
Over the course of the night I thought up about twenty different scenarios as to how to react to this, from ignoring it completely to calling and confronting him about it right then. Eventually I drifted into a restless sleep, only to be awoken shortly after by the buzzing of my alarm.
“Noooo…” I whined, turning it off and sliding out of bed. If I’d stayed there I knew for a fact that I wouldn’t have gotten up.
I slumped groggily around my flat, collecting my things for training and having some breakfast, and once I was satisfied I was ready I got in my car and headed for the track. Upon arrival I noticed no one was there, so I sat and waited in my car.
The next few minutes passed slowly, and I found myself playing with my phone, eventually landing on the texts Aston had sent, again.
“Why are you so annoying?” I sighed out loud to my phone, “Why can’t we just do what I want for a change?”
And then the light bulb clicked in my head.
Aston was going to hate me so much for calling, but in that moment, I didn’t care one bit.
“Jess?” he asked croakily after the line had buzzed a few times.
“Hi!” I said brightly, “Fun night last night?”
“I guess,” he said, “Can’t really remember the end…”
“So you don’t remember the texts you sent me?” I asked, my heart thudding loudly.
“Umm… Something about your race right? You won?”
“Well yeah,” I said with a faint smile, “But there were others.”
“Oh, were there?”
“Yeah.”
“Sorry, I can’t remember. What did they say?”
“You can read them later,” I sighed. I was oddly disappointed that he didn’t remember the texts, but at the same time I didn’t really want to explain to him what they said. I’d rather he read them and figured out where his head was at on his own.
“But… Just tell me!”
“Nah,” I said.
“Jess, why you calling me so early?”
“I had a quick question for you actually,” I said.
“What?”
“Can I come see you today?”
“What? Babe, I’m all the way out in Cardiff.”
“So?”
“You know I’m back in London the day after tomorrow, can’t you wait two days? Not bother with the trip?”
“I mean I could wait…” I said, “But I’ve got tomorrow off and I’m just about to go do my training for today now. I thought it might be fun to get out of town a bit, hang out…”
“I mean, if you want, I don’t mind,” Aston said quickly.
“Yeah?” I asked, a smile reforming on my face.
“Sure, why not?” he said.
“You’re sure?” I asked, just to double check that he didn’t think I was stepping on his toes or something.
“Yeah, it’ll be fun! You can come to the show tonight and then we’ve got an After Party… we can celebrate your win a little bit.”
“Ok, I’ll come!” I said definitively, “How about I just call when I get to Cardiff and you can tell me where to go?”
“That works,” he said.
“It won’t be till this afternoon… I’ve got to do my training first.”
“That’s fine,” he replied with a yawn, “I’ve only had about three hours of sleep so far, so I’ll probably just nod off while I wait for you to get here.”
“Yeah, you do that, I’ll see you later!” I said.
“Bye babe,” Aston replied.
As I ended the call I watched as Joe pulled into the parking lot of the track. I was feeling relatively upbeat for how tired I was, so I found myself bounding over to him energetically.
“Wow, relax!” he laughed, “You get one win in you and you’re a new person.”
“I feel good today!” I replied as we headed into the track.
“You seem like it!”
I didn’t tell Joe about going to Cardiff, but it didn’t really matter because I don’t think anyone could have wiped the smile off my face all day. Not even my father!
I put in my workout, just some light speed work and then a long jog, before heading back home to get my things together for the long drive ahead. It was very rare that I ever got a day off from training, but with how hard the tarmac had been in Norway, Joe and I agreed that I needed to give my shins some rest before I developed shin splints or something.
I hopped in the shower at home and then threw on some jeans and a t-shirt to drive in. Grabbing a sports bag I put in a change of clothes as well as something to sleep in and something that I hoped I could get by wearing for a night out.
It only took about thirty minutes for me to get back in my car and on the road to Cardiff. I don’t know if it was excitement or determination that was guiding me, but I was hell bent on getting there as soon as I could.
Upon arrival in the city I pulled over and grabbed my phone out to text Aston, asking where to meet him. It took him a minute to respond, but when he did he gave me the address of the hotel he was staying in and told me to park up in the back, so I wouldn’t be seen by the crowds of fans waiting outside.
It took me a few tries to find the hotel, but when I did, I followed Aston’s directions and parked up in back. As I jumped out of my car, ready to grab my sports bag, I saw Aston waving frantically at me from the window of the back door, sealed off from any fans.
I smirked at him and walked quickly over, where I was let in and led straight up to his room.
“So I think congratulations are in order first,” he said, wrapping his arms around me and giving me a tight hug as the door swung shut and locked behind us.
“Thanks!” I grinned.
“How did it feel, to win?”
“Like I was on top of the world.”
“Yeah?”
“It was pretty special.”
“I wish I could have seen it,” Aston grinned.
“Next time,” I shrugged.
“Ohhh look at you…” he laughed, “One win and now you think you’re big shit!”
“That’s pretty much what Joe said to me this morning,” I giggled, pulling out of his embrace and throwing my bag on the ground.
“So then, I think I can guess why you’re here,” Aston started after a minute.
“Yeah?”
“Those texts…”
“Hmm…” I said knowingly, an intent look on my face as I tried to read his expression. He was the one who told me that if I wanted something I had to go and get it. Well… time to get what I came for!