Page 14 of Love Worth Gold

Their eyes held, and Isaline’s chest tightened in a way that had nothing to do with bruised ribs.

Then Blaire’s expression shuttered. She turned away and disappeared into the coaches’ cluster like she’d never been watching at all.

~~

Isaline’s afternoon looked normal on paper: twenty minutes on a treadmill in the recovery center, stretching on a foam mat while Swiss teammates cycled through their own routines, a long shower that loosened the tight muscles in her body. But Reto shadowed her as if she might vanish if he blinked, and Matthias kept circling back with questions that had nothing to do with split times.

“How does the shoulder feel when you rotate?”

“Any headache?”

“Sharp pain or dull ache in the ribs?”

She answered truthfully because lying to Matthias had never worked. The truth was manageable: sore, stiff, bruised, but functional. There was nothing that would keep her off the hill tomorrow.

What she didn’t say was that her hands still trembled slightly when she held them flat, or that replaying the crash made her stomach twist into a pretzel.

She left the recovery center as the sun dropped behind the peaks, casting the village into that sharp blue twilight unique to high altitude. The paths between housing blocks were quieter now. Most athletes were either eating or hiding in their rooms. She turned a corner near the gym entrance and nearly walked straight into Blaire.

The American stepped back half a pace as her eyes scanned Isaline’s face with an intensity that felt like much more than polite concern.

“You’re walking!”

“I am,” Isaline said, keeping her voice light. “Turns out I’m harder to break than the safety netting.”

Blaire didn’t smile. “That was an ugly crash.”

“Training runs bite sometimes.”

“They do.” Blaire’s jaw worked for a second before she continued. “Doesn’t mean you had to ski the rest of the course like you were proving something.”

Isaline bristled. “I was proving I could finish.”

“You were proving you’re stubborn.” Blaire’s voice stayed controlled, but the edge underneath it was sharp. “Medical cleared you. That doesn’t mean you need to pretend your ribs don’t hurt or that your shoulder isn’t screaming every time you move it.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you saying that to convince yourself?”

“I’m saying it because it’s true.”

Blaire exhaled through her nose, a sound that was half frustration, half compassion. “There’s a difference between being cleared and being smart about what comes next. You have one body. It has to last you through training runs and two races that actually count.”

Isaline tilted her head, studying the American’s face. “Are you worried about me, or worried I’ll take myself out before you get a chance to beat me?”

“Both,” Blaire said without hesitation.

The honesty landed harder than the crash had. Isaline felt the ground shift slightly beneath her boots.

“I’ll be ready when it matters,” she said quietly.

Blaire held her gaze for another beat, then nodded and walked past her toward the gym entrance. No goodbye. No softening. Just the faint brush of her shoulder against Isaline’s as she moved.

Isaline stood there with her pulse kicking until the cold finally drove her inside.

Later, alone in her narrow Olympic room with ice strapped to her ribs and her phone glowing on the desk, another text arrived.Don’t try to win gold on a training run. Save the heroics for when the clock actually matters.

Isaline typed back with her thumbs, wincing when the movement pulled at her shoulder.Worried I’ll steal all your podium spots before you get a chance to retire gracefully?