Page 108 of Where We Belong

Lexie

“Finn,Istink!”

Carrying my body over his shoulder like I weigh twenty pounds, he slams the hotel room door shut behind us and gives my butt a light slap. “I literally could not give less of a fuck right now. I’ve waited long enough.”

That he has. After the competition ended, I had to go attend a press conference and answer questions with multiple media outlets, and by the time I was able to get out of there, it had been more than fifteen hours since Finn had read the letter I’d drafted in five minutes before leaving my room, a last-minute decision. That is, if he did read it when I dropped it off, or if he’s even read it at all. The second he saw me, he cradled me into a bear hug that lasted so long it felt like Finn had absorbed all the nerves I’d been carrying for the past year. He didn’t need to say anything. I could feel how proud he was just by the way he was squeezing me. Then, he asked me if I was ready to go back to the hotel, and I gladly agreed.

And now here we are, me on his shoulder, the stupidest grin on my lips and the weight of the world suddenly off my shoulders. After twenty-something years of training, I did it. I earned my spot at the Olympic trials. And while I didn’t win like I’d intended to, I’ve never been happier to carry silver on me. So long as I got to go to the Olympic trials next year, whatever rank I got didn’t matter for a second. I shook Clara Popov’s hand and meant it wholeheartedly when I said I was happy for her.

In this moment, I don’t think anything could make me unhappy, and that’s not only due to the medal around my neck. In fact, it’s mostly due to the man carefully letting me onto my feet, his support unwavering throughout this whole thing.

This man wholovesme.

I might have been too shocked to properly digest it yesterday, but this morning when I woke up, for a second I forgot about the competition I was supposed to attend becauseFinn Olsen loves me.And not just that, but he loves me in a way anyone could only dream of being loved. With full understanding and acceptance.

Finn’s hands caress my cheeks as his eyes switch between mine, his silence so damn loud. I take it all in, wanting to bask in his touch forever. And maybe now I can.

“I’m trying to find words to say what I mean, but somehow, they all fall short,” he says in a soft voice.

“I understand the feeling.”

“You were so goddamn amazing out there, Lex.” He inhales shakily. “And that letter? I still haven’t processed it.” His forehead falls to mine as he says, “I think I need to hear you say it out loud.”

I’m all too happy to oblige. “I love you, Finn.”

The only comparison I can find to the smile that blooms on Finn’s face is the sun setting behind the Grand Canyon, creating a halo of golds and reds you feel right through your veins.

“I might ask you to say it again. You know, to be really, really sure,” he says.

“Go for it.”

Before he can, though, his lips are on mine, and while we’ve kissed hundreds of times, this one is different—feelsdifferent—because nothing’s hidden. And with each brush of his tongue against mine, I wonder how I could be so stupid not to have seen it before. His love is in every nip of my lips, in every hum in his throat, in every scrape of his nails against my skin.

As he moves us toward the bed, he angles my head back so he can deepen the kiss, and while landing that double back double twist this morning felt incredible, it was nothing compared to the heat of his body and the taste of his lips on mine right now.

Just as we fall onto the mattress, my hands under his shirt in order to take it off, something vibrates in Finn’s pocket. I don’t mind it, but Finn freezes, so eventually, I push away.

“What is it?” I ask as he pulls his phone from his pocket.

“Fuck, I was supposed to call them.” His eyes flick my way. “You got me distracted.”

“Call who?”

He doesn’t have time to answer because right then, he answers the video call, and I gasp at what I see.

“What’s going on? Is she around?” Aaron asks, surrounded by a table full of the people I’ve gotten to know and love throughout the year. Wren is sitting next to Aaron, and beside her is Lilianne, the Scott-Perezes, Shelli, Gil, and even Francesca. Behind them is a rustic living room I recognize as the Scott-Perezes’, with its wooden floor covered with cushions and blankets, the television tuned to ESPN.

These people who I didn’t know when I arrived in Vermont a year ago just spent the day watching me compete and waited until the late hours to get on a call with me. Somehow, that brings tears to my eyes for the first time today.

I didn’t have many friends growing up, and even fewer when I graduated high school and pursued professional gymnastics. I didn’t think I’d ever find somewhere I’d fit in.

For the first time, these people on the other side of the screen make me feel like maybe I just hadn’t met the right people yet. My family isn’t here today, and I realize it doesn’t make me sad like it would have before. I might not have a great biological family, but I have an amazing chosen one. Finn’s people have become my people, and I couldn’t be more thankful for it. Isn’t that part of what love is anyway? To merging your life with someone else’s, keeping your individuality while becoming part of a whole?

I really, really love that whole.

Finn turns the phone my way so everyone back in Vermont can see me, and I can’t help but giggle like a schoolgirl when they all start cheering, Lil jumping up and down in the back. “We’re so freaking proud of you,” she shouts before blowing me a kiss.

“You’re my new idol,” Wren says when she steals the phone from Aaron’s hands.

---