Once More: with Feeling

The wind howled ominously as she sprinted across the pavement, vicious clashes of lightening her only guide towards the darkened gym. Her once perfectly curled, raven colored hair whipped around her freely and her light peach colored dress was quickly turning a much darker shade as raindrops splattered the silk fabric. "Fuck", she whispered, nearly throwing herself at the doors to get out of the rain. Rummaging through her purse until her fingers slid over the cool metal of the gym key, she pushed it into the lock and yanked the doors open just in time for another clap of lightening and the real down pour to begin. The absolute quietness of the gym that surrounded her now however, was almost more daunting than the angry lightening she had just escaped. Silence is where secrets and fears come out to play she mused to herself as she brushed her hand against the wall searching for the light switch. Being able to see would be a plus, and maybe not so scary.

With the lights finally on, Kaylie made her way back to the locker room glad that she had remembered to leave an extra leo and shoes in her locker. After finally being able to escape her parents and their party she had not had time to grab either from her room as she snuck out the laundry room window to head this way. The tension in the house between her father and mother had been enough to smother anyone, and why their friends actually wanted to stay until one in the morning just to be around them was beyond her imagination. She had to give her parents props for being so good at lying though. Even though both were tense far beyond the point of comfortableness, neither said a word that would lead their friends to believe anything but the fact that they were happy and still very much in love. What a sham. It didn't take her long to strip out of her soaked dress and very possibly ruined silver Steve Madden shoes and quickly she replaced them and made her way back out into the gym.

Having the gym all to herself was something that Kaylie often fantasized about but rarely had the chance to enjoy. Stepping over to her clutch that she'd left on the floor half-hazardly, she grabbed her iPod and clicked it into the wall unit that Sasha had recently had installed. Austin, like most gymnasts, liked to train to a wide variety of music selection and apparently this gadget was supposed to make it easier. Having had one in his previous gym, Austin had asked to have one installed here for convenience. Now all you had to do was stick the iPod (or any mp3 player) in, hit the glowy orange button with the universal power symbol, and turn the volume up. It was actually pretty cool when Kaylie thought about it. Maybe she could convince her parents to install one in the home gym. That way she wouldn't have to listen to them argue, but wouldn't have to have earbuds in her ears all the time either. Setting her iPod to random and then turning the volume to just over half-way, Kaylie made her way to the mat and began her routine from the start. It was a beautiful routine and Kaylie knew with a little extra effort she would nail it before she had to show it at the next national team practice.

The rain continued to beat down against the roof as she trained, the monotonous noise coupled with the classical music set that began to play through the speakers lulled her into a sort of trance and the next hours passed quickly. It was some time before the gym doors opened again to let someone in.

/ (several hours earlier)

Nicky Russo was an elite gymnast. His parents knew this, hell practically the whole country knew this, so why he was being dragged along through the shopping outlet by his mother instead of training like he should have been was beyond his understanding. Glancing forward at his mother he sighed at the bulging multi-colored shopping bags that she was laden with. He couldn't imagine how her hands did not feel like falling off at this point. Picking up the pace so he could pull in front of her, he put his hands up in a stopping gesture and gave her a small smile.

"If you're absolutely going to make me go through this torture," he mumbled grudgingly, "at least don't make me watch you cut off your circulation with those bags." Reaching forward he slowly untangled them from her petite wrists and slid them on to his own. His mom smiled graciously.

"I knew at least one of my children had to end up with manners," she chuckled and nudged him out of the way. "Just try and keep up!" Not wasting a minute her heels were soon clacking against the floors again as she trotted down the narrow stretch towards their next destination. Nicky groaned inwardly, but had no choice but to follow her.

Even though the outlet was crowded for the late hour, Nicky was sure there was no way he could lose her. Her bright curly blonde locks, pin-striped squirted suit, and garishly high heels stuck out like a sore thumb in the flocks of seemingly under-dressed people. Even if the others had been dressed just like her, his mother had always had the ability to make everyone else look under-shabby. She was an amazingly strong, kind, beautiful (people often stared) , and sensitive woman and Nicky admired her very much. He often wondered what he would have turned out like if he'd chosen to live with her instead of his father. He knew one thing, he never would have ended up like his sister. Snapping him from his thoughts, his mother called out, "slow poke," from a distance and he hurried to catch up. This time when he came to a stop next to her he broke out into a wide smile. Of all the stores in the expansive Denver shopping outlet, at last they had come to his favorite, and probably every other athletes in the world. Pulling open the door for his mother, he watched as she walked forward into the oversized athletic store and wondered how he got so lucky… and where in the world he should start.

Sometime later, Nicky and his mother left the athletic store weighed down with what seemed like twice as many bags as they had gone in with. He knew for a fact that it had been a very long time since he'd enjoyed shopping that much. It was especially nice he thought to have spent the afternoon with his mother. He knew that she was planning to leave again soon, and that was most likely the reason she was spoiling him so much. He expected her to let the news slip at lunch, which is exactly where they were headed next.

This was of course the routine that Nicky had become accustomed to with his mother over the past few years. She was smart and sensible sure, but she seemed to have a hard time staying in one place. Since she and his dad had divorced, she had made many trips across the globe; sometimes not even knowing where she was headed. It was fortunate her job allowed for such trips, being a highly respected lawyer suited her well. She could pick and chose her cases, and travel in between.

Staring out the window of the SUV as they headed towards their favorite restaurant, Bull and Beak, he relaxed into the leather cushioned seat and closed his eyes. He would have a lot of training to do to make up for this side adventure he'd ended up on with his mother, but for now he would enjoy it.

/ (Back to present time)

It was some time before the gym doors opened again to let someone in. Stopping abruptly in the doorway, Nicky stared as the girl he hadn't seen in months worked her way across the mat. She looked amazing. Not just her technique, although that had somehow gotten even better since he'd left, but just her. She was in the 'zone', he could tell. She hadn't even noticed him come in. He wondered how long she had been at it, and whether anyone else knew she was here. Taking a few steps forward he opened his mouth to announce his presence, but something made him stop. He was nervous. This was the girl he'd had to move away from, just to keep his focus. This was the only girl he'd been able to hate one minute, and want to kiss the next. This was Kaylie Cruz, the holder of the National champion title, and the only girl to give him butterflies. A rather loud clap of thunder brought Nicky back to his senses and yelled the first thing that came to his mind, "Hey Princess".

It was during a perfectly good tumble that Kaylie found herself flat on her face, her usual grace gone, as she went face first into the chalky, blue mat. Of course, on top of being startled by the presence of someone else, anyone would surely be swept off their feet by the deep tones of Nicky Russo. It had been quite a while since she'd heard his voice, but she would recognize it anywhere. It had surprisingly haunted her dreams for several weeks after he had moved himself to the Denver elite gym to escape the drama of Boulder. Wincing as she pulled herself upright, Kaylie swiveled her eyes towards the direction of the voice, just to be sure. After all, it was near three in the morning, viciously storming, and she was in Boulder not Denver. There really wasn't any reason for Nicky to be walking in to the gym where she now stood. Yet, as her eyes landed on the masculine figure at the door, she confirmed that he was indeed there, soaking wet and staring right at her. Not sure what to say, Kaylie stood there, mouth open and wide eyed. While she was normally very composed even under the most strenuous conditions, meeting Nicky here was something she really hadn't been prepared for. In fact, as she raised her hand to the back of her neck to feel the beads of sweat that had pooled there, she realized she was downright unprepared.

It was Nicky who moved first, making his way swiftly across the gym with this goofy lop-sided grin that she'd only ever seen once before on him. And even though she was sticky and sweaty and most likely smelled he enveloped her in a massive hug. "Watch it, you're squishing me!" she pretend whined as he continued to hold her to him. "Not to mention getting me wet," she added as she felt a cold wetness seep into her leotard.

"Oh, shut it," he proclaimed with a laugh as he took a step back and smiled down at her. She had forgotten how much taller he was, she thought as she stared up at him.

"I didn't mean to interrupt you," he continued on, "you looked great though. I thought I'd seen the best of Kaylie Cruz when I left, but I guess I underestimated you."

Making a big huffing noise, Kaylie punched him in the arm. "Don't you know better than to do that by now Nicky Russo? I mean, you ARE looking at the National Champ you know. That does count for something."

"Does that mean I should forget the part where you fell on your face?" he questioned, trying to suppress a grin as her eyes narrowed and her cheeks flushed. "I thought you'd be used to being called princess by now."

"It wasn't the nickname that caught me off guard Nicky," she said with a straight face. She looked him in the eye, feeling a deeper blush creep up her cheeks. "I missed you." she continued after a while.

His face softened as he looked down at the girl in front of him, someone he'd been around for so long but had only known for a short time. This was the vulnerable side of Kaylie, and he knew she rarely let it was the Kaylie Cruz that made it hard for his brain to think straight.

"I missed you too, "he said softly.

She wanted to ask what he was doing there, ask how he'd been or what he'd been doing. She wanted to find out if he was seeing someone and if he was happier in Denver. The words however were stuck in her throat as she looked up at the nineteen year old boy who she'd almost let herself fall for. So instead of crushing her lips to his in the reunion kiss she dreamt of more than once or twice she abruptly turned around and headed back towards the locker rooms. Before she walked inside she spun around to face him once more, seeing him standing in nearly the same spot as she'd left him. "Shower time," she commented casually, pointing half-hazardly over her shoulder. And with that she slipped through the doors and was gone from his sight.