Let Me Fall

Nathan leaned back against his seat in the team bus and plugged his earbuds in his ears, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes gently as he pressed play. His thoughts continued to go back to the picture he had seen only hours before, and with a sigh he hit the next button and he let his mind wander. He had spend many hours the night previous thinking about what he was going to do when he got home, but at this point all he could think of was going home and sleeping, something he had not been able to do the night before.

“Hey Nate, whats got you all grumpy looking?” Nathan turned, and rolled his eyes gently at Nolan who asked him this, Nolan simply shrugged, and nudged Nathan's arm, causing Nathan's finger to slide on the scroll pad, and turn his music to blasting.

Nathan yanked the headphones out, and pressed pause, before he said, “Nothing, just didn't sleep much last night.”

Nolan didn't push it, knowing better than to do so. In the years he had known Nathan, Nathan was always one of the guys who never had a frown on his face, even at six o'clock in the morning, so for him to be in this mood Nolan knew it was in his own best interest to not push the subject.

In a short hour Nathan would be home, to his house, and his bed, which was the only thing he could think of at the moment that didn't make him incredibly angry. He sighed and ran his hand over his face, before he leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling.

They arrived at the aquatic centre at Cal-Berkeley sooner than he thought they would, Nathan grabbed his single bag, got into his car, which was sitting in the parking lot like he left it, and drove home. Passing by Chelsea's he ignored the want to pull into the driveway and continued down the street, parking the Prius in his own driveway. He sluggishly dragged his things into the house as quiet as he could, so to not wake anyone else up, and dropped onto his bed, not bothering to change from his sweats, and let his eyes fall closed.

- - -

Chelsea pulled her sweater over her shoulders and made her way out of the building one of her many classes of that day, she sighed and reached for her car keys, only to find her tire flat. Pushing her bangs from her face Chelsea slid her sunglasses on, and pulled her phone out, dialling Nathans number she crunched her eyebrows together when she got his voicemail. Nathan was always up when he got home from a trip, usually he slept until his first class and then he'd go home during her last class, getting his voicemail was strange. She sighed, and pressed end, not bothering to leave a message she slipped her bag on her shoulder and made her way off campus. It was a decent twenty minute walk from the campus to her house, and when Chelsea noticed Nathan's car sitting in his driveway she became even more confused.

Chelsea locked her house door behind her and dropped her backpack on the floor of her bedroom before she slipped out of her jeans and t-shirt and into a pair of cut offs and a tank top. She tried Nathan's cell again, once again having it go to his voicemail before she decided to head over to his place. They were only three houses apart, and when Chelsea arrived it was one of Nathan's roommates that answered, she smiled and called him downstairs.

Chelsea smiled lightly at Nathan, but received nothing but a scowl back. Confused she followed him upstairs to his room, and grabbed his arm gently, before she said, “Help me out here, did I do something to upset you?”

Nathan sighed and sat down on his bed and asked her, “So, how much fun did you have last night?”

Chelsea crunched her eyebrows together again and said, “None. Kate ditched me like five minutes in so I left pretty quick after that.”

Nathan tossed her his phone, and when Chelsea looked down she sighed, Nathan bitterly said, “Yeah, seems like it.”

Chelsea set his phone down and told him, taking his hand in hers, “If you had seen what happened about five seconds after that picture was taken you would have seen me dump a beer on his head.” Nathan smiled, that was definitely a Chelsea thing to do. Chelsea then added, “He came onto me, and when I tried to leave he grabbed me, hence the way it looked in the picture. Nathan, we've been together for almost three years, I wouldn't ever do that to you, you know that right?”

He sighed and admitted, “I guess I was being stupid, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions.”

Chelsea smiled, “Any chance you wanna change a tire for me?”

Nathan laughed loudly and asked, “You still haven't figured it out have you?” Chelsea smiled and leaned against his shoulder, their second date Nathan had to change her tire because she got a flat in the parking lot, Chelsea remembered this with ease, after all, she got bugged about it for weeks afterwards.

“Oh I have, I just don't want to do it. I have a big strong boyfriend you know.” Chelsea told him with a laugh, smiling as Nathan squeezed her hand gently.

“So in other words you don't know.” He stated, and laughed when Chelsea nodded. It was something she couldn't grasp, she could change the oil in her car, she could fix many things, but changing a tire was like learning a foreign language to her.

Nathan laughed and stood, taking Chelsea with him he got into his car, and made his way back to the school, thinking about how stupid he had been to think she would have done anything remotely close to what he was thinking. Chelsea leaned her head against the window and smiled as Nathan's fingers clasped around hers.

She leaned against her car, handing Nathan the necessary tools, and waited patiently as he grunted, and eventually put her flat tire in the back of her car. He turned and smiled, “Good as new.”

Chelsea grinned, wrapped her arms around his waist, leaned up toward him, kissed his lips gently and said, “My hero.”

Nathan smiled and told her, “So you have been invited to Christmas at the Adrians this year again. I don't know if you wanted to come, mom really wants you to, she misses you more than she misses me.”

Chelsea tilted her head back and laughed, “Thats because I don't put her out of money with all the food I eat.”

“Yeah, because you eat like, nothing.” Nathan said with a grin, he leaned down, and kissed her gently again. Chelsea smiled and fell silent, resting her head against Nathan's chest she felt butterflies attack her stomach as Nathan's thumbs stroked the small of her back under her shirt.

“Things are gonna get so crazy in the next couple of years you know that?” Chelsea stated, making Nathan sigh gently, this he knew.

“Yeah, between your graduation next year, and then mine the year after, and then the Olympics.”

Chelsea nodded and added softly, “We're barely gonna see each other.”

Nathan shook his head and kissed her temple, “We'll make it work. We'll figure it out.”

“We shouldn't have to schedule time to spend with each other, we shouldn't have to make it work Nathan.”

Sighing Nathan told her, “I know Chels but what else are we supposed to do?”

Chelsea this time sighed, and she said to him, “I just hate never getting to see you. I get it, believe me I do, because there's nothing more I want than to see you get what you've been dreaming of, but it sucks.”

Nathan nodded, this was something they had often discussed, but instead of saying what he normally told her, that he wished he could change how much he had to train, he simply said, “I know Che;ls, but somehow we'll figure it out. In a few years everything will die down and we'll get to be a real couple. I promise.”

“You better intend on keeping that promise Mr.” Chelsea told him with a smile.

Nathan chuckled and said, “Wouldn't ever even dream of breaking it.”