Page 114 of Spin Serve

Kendra looked over Aspen’s shoulder and saw her partner standing there, pointing at them.

“What?” Kendra asked with a laugh.

“Kind of busy here, DJ,” Aspen added.

“Your girlfriend should be a coach, Aspen.”

“Well, can she worry about that later, so we can get our medal and celebrate after?” Aspen asked.

“You don’t want me to be a coach?” Kendra teased.

“Wait. Do you want to be a coach?” Aspen asked softly so that no one else could hear, despite there being hundreds of people around them.

“Your coach?”

“What? No way. I want to date you. If we make you our official coach, that could–”

“I get it,” she interjected. “Go get your medals, and we’ll celebrate. I picture a long night ahead for you, Olympic qualifier.”

“God, we did it, didn’t we?” Aspen said.

“You did.” Kendra kissed her on the nose. “And I love you, but go.” She laughed.

Aspen climbed down and hurried over to DJ. She then said something to DJ, and DJ looked back up at Kendra and nodded. Kendra couldn’t tell for sure, but she had a pretty good idea of what Aspen had just told her partner, and she smiled because not only was she in love, but Aspen loved her back.

EPILOGUE

Aspen was ready to hear her country’s national anthem play when she got to the top of the podium and had a gold medal around her neck, standing up there next to DJ, her partner who had stuck by her through everything since they’d first met and began marching toward this one goal. One match now stood between Aspen and that goal, and it was, of course, with the Brazilian team that had been giving them difficult matches for the past few years. Aspen and DJ had automatically qualified for their spot, but Brazil’s number one team was never really in doubt to join them here, at the Olympic Games, so once Aspen had seen the brackets, she figured that, with Brazil being on the other side of theirs, they’d be facing off here in the end.

Aspen and DJ had won all of their group-stage matches in two sets, which had given them confidence, but they’d also been placed in the easiest group to get through, statistically speaking. In the group of eight, they’d won in three sets after DJ had tweaked her shoulder a bit on a serve at the end of the second set. She’d gotten treatment and had been fine by the semifinal, which Aspen was grateful for, and they’d won that match in two sets against the other US team that had played for the bronze medal today and had won, so, no matter what, America was going home with two beach volleyball medals. Aspen wanted to ensure that hers was gold, though.

It had been an interesting several months, to say the least. She and DJ had both focused on finding a coach who could help them get here and bring that medal home, but they’d also wanted to make sure that they stayed healthy and went uninjured, so that meant taking some precautions by skipping a couple of tournaments to rest up when they both felt exhausted or had something that didn’t feel quite right. They’d agreed that this was the one competition they cared about, so others would wait until next season.

DJ and Mark were still together, and Aspen could see that he made her friend very happy. Kendra and Aspen were still together, too, and after they’d done the whole meet-the-parents thing, all the moms and dads started asking when they’d take the other steps that couples do. Since Kendra was older than Aspen, she got the bulk of the questions directed at her by her parents, so they’d assured their families that they’d do things in their own time, which was their main plan right now. Kendra knew that Aspen was one hundred percent in their relationship and wanted all those things, but she also understood that Aspen needed to focus on this first – this tournament, this match, this medal for her and DJ – and that meant that those things would have to wait until after. Now, it was about to be after, and while Aspen was completely focused on the match ahead, she also couldn’t wait for the rest of her life to start.

Kendra had started a new job, too. After giving a long notice to the network, she’d stepped into the world of beach volleyball coaching. A pair just out of college, who could actually afford a coach, had decided to give Kendra a chance, and Kendra was loving it. But since it wasn’t exactly the same amount of money as what she was making with the network, she’d also picked up an assistant coach job at a local college to make ends meet. That school had just started in the beach world after growing their indoor game, and, at first, it had been hard for her because Kendra had had to give all of that up herself back when she’d been in school, but she was really enjoying it now and seemed to think this was the career she’d have for a long time.

Aspen and DJ hadn’t played Kendra’s team yet in a tournament, but Aspen knew it would be interesting when they did. Whenever Kendra wasn’t rooting for her own team to win, she was rooting for Aspen, and vice versa, so if they ever came up against each other, which was likely, it would be an experience. They’d all be professionals, of course, but she was sure the media who covered beach volleyball would make a big deal out of it. She and Kendra had even joked about the kinds of questions Kendra’s replacement on tour would ask them.

“Kendra, what’s it like coaching against your girlfriend’s team?”

“It’s strange. I’m used to sitting in the stands, cheering her on, and I’m always cheering her on, of course, but I also want my team to win, so I kind of just sit there and don’t cheer for anyone,” Kendra would say.

“And, Aspen, what is it like knowing that Kendra has given the other team a strategy to help them beat you out there?”

“I trust Kendra not to reveal anything to them that she’s learned from being my girlfriend, so, really, it’s not any different than going up against any other coach or team,” Aspen would say.

Kendra was happy to no longer be asking the same questions over and over, and Aspen was happy seeing her happy, so it had all worked out up until this point. Now, this match would decide if Aspen and DJ would have gold medals around their necks or silver ones, so Aspen shifted her focus back to the present, lined up behind the service line, tried to remember everything they’d worked on, waited for the whistle, and served the ball.

Ten points later, the US was up by one point. Aspen and DJ were tired. They’d run around the whole court at least ten times. It was as if Brazil had decided to hit every inch of the sand with their kills and serves. Aspen looked up into the stands at their coach, who wasn’t actually allowed to coach them during the match, and then over at her girlfriend, who was sitting right next to her. Kendra made that same motion with her hands that she’d made back in Berlin, and Aspen remembered. She took a deep breath, found DJ in the middle of the court, and reminded her, too.

Brazil served the ball hard and fast, but Aspen got it and passed it up to DJ, giving her a high ball. DJ set Aspen high, which was something they’d had to work on specifically for today since Aspen had preferred a low set before, and Aspen wound up, spiking the ball and hitting sand. They slowed things down after that, not rushing their serves, which initially, they’d done out of nervousness and against their game plan, and took all three touches before getting it to the other side of the net.

At the end of the first set, which went to twenty-three because they couldn’t get a two-point win at twenty-one, DJ served and ran to the net, giving Aspen the sign that she was going to block the angle. Aspen moved to the line and waited for the ball to come over, but it didn’t. DJ’s block sent it up and into the backcourt on the Brazil side of the net, giving them the win in the first set. A set win on a massive block was the best kind of motivation, and Aspen hugged DJ in the middle of the court, telling her how amazing she was and letting her know, as if DJ didn’t know already, that they only needed one more set to win the whole thing.

On their bench, they wiped off their sweat and the sand and drank from their water bottles without many words between them. They’d wanted everyone, including the other team, to see them as calm, cool, and collected, not needing to change their strategy or play at all because they were confident in what they’d done and what they would do. Then, back on the court after the break, they readied themselves for the serve.

“She’s going to you,” DJ said.

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