The throng made up of thousands of people who packed the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium filled the air around them like smoke. The sound of that much humanity vibrated through Cora’s ribcage. She felt the energy and excitement as nations from all around the world came together to compete in these winter games. She remembered the same kind of energy swept through her at Rio eighteen months ago. But then, she’d had a nervous about-to-compete kind of energy that stalled a little bit of the excitement. Tonight, the only thing adding a dampening agent to her thrill of being here was Davis’ insistence that she shouldn’t love him.
A wave of applause rang through the stadium as the ceremony began. Cora sat next to Song Elliott, Davis’ mother. His father, Grant, sat on the other side of her. Because of Davis’ overwhelmingly Korean features, she hadn’t expected to see so much of his father in him. But the shape of his body, his height, the cut of his jaw ─ surprisingly, she could see more of Davis in his father than his mother.
For the last two days, she had enjoyed these two amazing tour guides. She had explored a good portion of Seoul with them, eaten some really amazing meals, and loved every minute of getting to know them. They knew that VelTech had generated the romance, just as they knew that it had become real. They did not know that Davis insisted they couldn’t be together. Cora had no intention of telling them that. As far as she was concerned, he could just forget that train of thought.
When, as always, the parade of athletes began with the country of Greece, Song patted her arm in excitement and they talked about the outfits and flags. The yelling and applauding never wavered as country after country marched out. Each nation marched out in the alphabetical order of the host nation. When they saw the Mongolian flag, Song yelled, “Davis next!”
She had her phone out and started a live video feed. She smiled and waved at the selfie mode, not trying to compete with the noise around them. Song leaned in and gave a thumb’s up and Cora mouthed the word “Mom”, then changed the camera mode so that the lens focused on the parade of U.S. athletes. She hit a little button so that those watching could still see her face in a little stamp at the bottom. Song and Grant cheered along with tens of thousands of spectators while Cora searched the group for Davis. When she found him, a huge flood of emotion washed over her, causing tears to come to her eyes, despite the ridiculously large grin that covered her face.
She zoomed in a little bit, then adjusted her phone camera to follow the team's progress while she let their followers experience her perspective right along with her. He held his phone up, obviously filming, too, and at one point, turned as if to film her. When all she could see was the speck of the back of his head, she turned it back to selfie mode and waved goodbye to the video.
Hours later, in her hotel suite, she poured boiling water into the teapot and ran her finger over the butterfly on the handle. Her mother had slipped it into her bags when she wasn’t watching, and the presence of her favorite teapot had brought tears to her exhausted, jet-lagged eyes. Shaking her head to clear the emotions, she picked up the tray and carried it into the living room.
“I’m afraid there’s only white sugar here,” she said to Song, setting the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch. “But, I did manage to find milk.”
“Sugar is okay,” she said in her heavily accented English, “I will just use some.”
Cora watched as Song sprinkled sugar into a cup and added a little bit of milk, then filled the cup with hot tea. She handed it to her husband almost ceremonially, slightly bowing her head as he took the cup from her. Cora felt a flood of emotion and longing at the love in Grant’s eyes as he took the tea. He could have very easily poured his own tea. Song respected him by pouring it for him, and Grant respected Song by letting her. This wasn’t a show for Cora’s benefit. This was a mark of the mutual love and respect that they held for each other every day.
She remembered the conversation she’d had with Davis about opening her door and holding out her chair. Suddenly, she understood what he meant. Suddenly, she longed to be back in his presence so she could step aside and give him the opportunity to respect her by opening her door. She couldn’t imagine missing him more than she missed him right now.
Determined not to burst into tears, knowing jet lag and exhaustion had much to do with her extreme emotions, she cleared her throat and smiled. “It’s mid-morning at home,” Cora said, pouring herself tea after Song and Grant had theirs. “I can’t believe how hard the jet lag is affecting my sleep.”
Grant nodded. “It’s one of the reasons Davis has been here for so long. It allowed them the opportunity to acclimate before the games began.”
“I had it easy.” She grinned, touching the necklace Davis gave her at Christmas, running her fingertip over the volleyball. “I only had a three-hour difference.”
“Korea is far away.” Song set her teacup on the table and settled back against the cushions. “Will be harder going home. That is when it hurts me.”
“I’m the opposite,” Grant said, slipping an arm over her shoulders. “She suffers going, and I suffer coming. Basically, whenever we bring her home, one of us is miserable two weeks out of four.”
“Worth it,” Song said with a smile.
“Yes.”
The knock on the suite door surprised Cora. At two in the morning, she couldn’t imagine who would visit or why. She allowed Grant to take the lead in opening the door and leaned back in her chair to see the small hallway when she heard Grant’s surprised exclamation.
“Davis!” she said when the two men came into sight. She set her cup down as she stood. “What a surprise!” He paused at the doorway and slipped off his shoes, putting them on the mat next to hers and his parents’.
He straightened back up then came into the room and walked directly to her, pulling her into his arms and squeezing her tight. She just closed her eyes and held on, relishing the feel of him, the smell of him. He hadn’t hugged her since Christmas morning. When he relinquished the hug, she stepped back and tugged at the hem of her skirt.
“I couldn’t sleep. I was hoping I could talk with you.”
“We go,” Song said, standing. She walked over to Davis and hugged him, sharply slapping his back with her open palm. “You stay.”
Cora hugged first Grant, then Song, and walked them to the door. When she came back to the room, Davis stood at the window. From the high floor of the hotel, they could see the lights of the bridge that spanned the river.
“I was able to find you in the crowd tonight. What a difference, experiencing the ceremonies from the stands and from the floor.”
“I saw you.” He patted his pocket and she could see the outline of his phone. “I was able to zoom in enough to tell it was you.”
“I didn’t know! Oh. Do you want some tea?” She imagined pouring him a cup of tea just as his mother had for his father. What would that be like for him? What would it be like for her? Was this jet lag or were these her actual thoughts?
“Oh. Ah, no. I don’t think so, thanks.”
She picked up her teacup and sat back down in the chair, bringing her legs up. “How have you been?”
He sighed, rolling his head on his shoulders. “Exhausted. No matter how hard I work, I have a hard time sleeping.”
Cora raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Something nagging at you? Like a big game coming up or something?”
“Not really worried about that. We’re ready.”
He didn’t say anything for a long time. She could see him mulling over what to say in his mind but not actually saying anything. She said, “Well, I finally got you to come to my hotel room again. Granted, your parents were here to chaperone, but they just left, so….”
He snorted a partial laugh and paced to the couch. He sat, but just on the edge of the cushion as if prepared to jump up at any time. “I was wrong.”
“I know.” How did she feel so calm when she knew that her entire future hung in the balance with this conversation?
With her simple agreement, his eyes widened, and he opened and shut his mouth. He clearly expected some sort of fight. “I, uh, I guess I’m glad you agree?”
“You were wrong. I know it. We belong together. I know that, too.” She set her cup down and shifted so that she sat forward in her chair, elbows on her knees. The only thing that separated them was the coffee table. “I trust you, I trust your control, and I’m sorry that Stan Denney brought you to a dark place.”
“It’s more than that, you know. It’s the idea that I shouldn’t have reacted, that I wanted to hurt him, and that I know how to control it but I didn’t.”
“Yes. Because he shoved you into me. I believe with all my heart that if I had not been standing right by you at that moment, holding coffee that spilled all over me in a very dramatic way, that you would have maintained your cool. And, like my dad said, if you are defending me, then there’s something to be said for that.”
“I appreciate your perspective on that. I don’t agree. I do know I should have held my temper, but the fact is that letting it go was an almost conscious move. And in the future, I won’t allow myself that luxury again, regardless of the circumstances.”
Cora slipped out of the chair and walked around the table. She put her arm around his shoulders as she sat down. “The two times you lost your temper, you were defending the two women you love. I think you’re safe to be around, Davis.”
“You think I love you?” he asked, a half smile appearing on his lips.
“You can’t possibly deny it. You found me tonight in a crowd of 35,000. I think that says an awful lot.”
His eyes darkened as he said, “I do love you. I always have.” He turned and pulled her into his arms. Against her neck, he said, “I’ve missed you like mad.”
She rested her cheek on his hair. “I’ve been right here.”
“Cora,” Davis whispered urgently, “we need to go down to the lobby if we’re going to continue this conversation.”
“So old-fashioned,” she teased as she grabbed her room key.
Davis pulled the ring box and phone out of his locker. He carried them with his skates and stick as he walked with his team from the locker room to the bench. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose, breathing in the smell of the ice.
“Ready?” John, his friend and teammate, asked, holding out his hand.
Nervous butterflies tried to invade his calm exterior. Davis nodded and handed over his phone. His team piled in behind him as John started filming. Even an hour before the game began, a crowd had started to fill the stadium and he could feel the energy for this first game for the USA’s men’s hockey team.
Davis started, “It’s awesome and perfect that the first game for us is on Valentine’s Day.” He opened the box and revealed the diamond. “I feel like this is the perfect time to ask Jade to marry me.” He stared into the camera. “Jade Anderson, fellow Team USA and brilliant and beautiful woman, will you do me the absolute honor of making my heart whole and becoming my wife? Becoming one with me in the eyes of God Almighty as we worship Him together?”
Behind him, his teammates started yelling, “Please say yes!” “Please marry Hottie Elliott,” and various other pleas. Davis laughed and shut the lid of the box, as John ended the live video and took the box from him.
As he tied his skates, he wondered if she would even see the video. So often, they just told each other what the other person did. What if he’d made this huge announcement to the world and they got tired of waiting for her reply and lost interest?
The more he thought about it, the more he worried. Cora also might not like such a public proposal. He’d intentionally made their first kiss private. What if she felt like his proposal should be private, too?
Ugh. What had prompted him to do this? He should have checked with her first.
Worse, what if she said no?
Holy cow! What if she said no? What if she turned him down? Panic coursed through his veins as that thought hit home.
Can’t think about it. Done is done. I am on the ice at the Olympic Games for possibly the only time in my life. Time to get focused on why I’m here.
He tightened the strap on his helmet and at the coach’s signal, skated with the team out onto the ice to begin warming up. He went through the motions on pure muscle memory while his mind would not let go of his impulsive proposal. The more he thought about it, the more he realized this might have been a terribly bad idea.
Honestly, what made him take the focus off his first game away right before he played?
As he skated a warm-up drill, the audience got louder and louder. Finally, John shoved him and pointed. The crowd stood on their feet and waved their phones. As soon as he stopped and listened, he could hear what they chanted. “SHE SAID YES!”
His team whooped and hollered and shoved and punched him. Coach called him over. “Mr. Elliot? Is your head in this game or in that phone?”
Grinning, unable to stop, he held up his gloved hand. “I’m all here, now, Coach. Hundred percent.”
The coach nodded, and Davis skated back to his team, giving a brief wave to the crowd before finding his center and focusing entirely on the game in front of him.
Cora sat next to Song in the hotel dining room, peeling a hard-boiled egg while Song poured each of them a cup of tea. Her hand trembled slightly when she remembered watching the video the night before and the way her phone exploded with texts from family and friends before she could even reply. She chuckled and looked up to see Song smiling at her, tears in her eyes. She reached over and took Song’s hand, squeezing it, before she went back to her egg. A murmur through the crowd made her look up and watch as Davis and Grant walked into the room.
Her heart leaped in her chest and she pushed away from the table and rushed up to him, throwing her arms around him, feeling his strong arms come around her. When he kissed her, she wanted him to forget the crowd, forget his parents, and never stop. But, he kept the kiss gentle and brief then hugged her again.
“I was worried as soon as I did it that you’d be mad,” he confessed in her ear.
“Why?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure you’d say yes,” Davis admitted.
A loud burst of delighted laughter came from Cora’s middle. “You aren’t serious right now.”
“Dead serious.”
“Well, you’re stupid. I always thought you might be stupid.”
“Stupid in love with you.”
“You’re actually brilliant. And it was brilliant. And, you know the VelTech people are already convening to see how they can work it.” She laughed. She hooked her arm in his and walked with him to the table. He had a bruise on his cheek and his lower lip had started to swell and bruise from a hit the night before.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, by the way,” he said.
“Yesterday.”
“Well, I was busy yesterday. Besides, it’s still the fourteenth back home.” He held her chair out and sat next to her, angling his chair to face her. Her stomach started doing that nervous dancing excited thing again, and it was all she could do not to clap her hands in anticipation. “I need to do this formally,” he said.
“You need to.”
“I really do.”
“So old-fashioned,” she said. Grinning, she took both his hands. “Okay.”
As he went to one knee, she realized the entire dining room came to a stop seconds before her peripheral vision caught dozens of phones turned in their direction.
“Cora Anderson, will you do me the distinct honor of becoming my wife? Of joining with me as my one in the eyes of God, serving Him with me forever?”
Tears streaming from her eyes, she watched as he slipped the diamond and platinum ring on her finger. “Yes, Davis Elliott. I will definitely marry you.”
He pressed his lips to her ringed finger and rose up enough to cup her face with his hands and look into her eyes. “I love you,” he said softly.
She smiled and said, “I know you do. I’m glad you know it now.”
“I’ve never doubted it.”
Cora leaned forward and kissed him, a sweet kiss that made her breath hitch. As she pulled back, she said, “I love you, too, by the way. In case you were wondering.”
He laughed and sat back. “I’ve never doubted that, either.”
The End