Gold

Jake tried his hardest to be as quiet as possible. It was nearing three in the morning and he and his roommate had practice at ten. Jake shut the front door slowly and didn’t move any farther in the apartment until he heard the distinct click of the door shutting all the way. He quickly locked up and picked up his suitcase. His hockey bag lying next to it would be dealt with in the morning.

The last few weeks had been hard on his body, but it made the last few days worth it. Sure, Jake missed his teammates in Madison and wished he could have spent Christmas at home. However, he ended up with some cool guys for a couple weeks and a prize few had won. Of course, all he wanted to do now was sleep for a week.

Jake opened his bedroom door slightly and snuck in trying to keep the room as dark as possible. But when he moved farther into the room he hit his sock covered foot against his dresser. “Jake?” a voice called out.

“Shit. Sorry, Ash. I didn’t mean to wake you. Landon didn’t give you any trouble, did he?” He set his bag down and moved over to the bed. Jake knelt down beside her. His eyes had started to adjust to the dark and he could make out the faint smile on her face. He leaned towards her and kissed her. Ashley, barely awake, pulled away.

“No, just a confused look.” She sat up farther in the bed, “Can I see it?” Even at three in the morning he knew she was going to want to see it. He took the medal off from around his neck and handed it to her. She was careful with it and held it as if she had never seen anything more amazing in her life. “Wow.”

“That’s all I kept thinking after the game.” He quickly stripped from his Team USA gear down to his boxers. “You can put it on.”

“Are you sure?” Ashley’s eyes were filled with hope. They had been together for three years now. Meeting in Ann Arbor and continuing their relationship to Madison had been exciting and difficult, but he was thankful to have her in his life.

As soon as he nodded his head in confirmation, a grin broke out on her face. She slowly slipped it over the bun that rested on her head, careful of the glasses that sat on her nose, and placed it on her neck. “How does it look?”

“Better than the rest of the guys that’s for sure.” He reached out and grabbed the medal. “How does it feel?”

She raised an eyebrow at his question. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” He just laughed and gave her a look. Ashley smiled. “It feels amazing. I can’t even imagine how you felt, how the entire team felt.”

“It was such a rush. There was so much going on at once. Pictures, the National Anthem, the chant: it was all worth it. I hope I get to win something like this again someday.”

Ashley knew exactly what he was talking about. He had gotten a taste of winning and wanted more. A National Championship, Olympic medal, or a Stanley Cup: he wanted more and she wanted to be there with him when it happened.

“What time do you have practice?” She moved to take the medal off but Jake reached out and stopped her.

“Keep it on for a while. And not until ten.” Jake moved on the bed so that he was curled up right next to Ashley. He was starting to feel the time difference and knew he need to go to sleep soon, but all he wanted to do was talk to her. “Did you watch the game?”

“Of course I did. Landon was half asleep during the first period. I had to “check the batteries” in the smoke detector to wake him up.” Ashley was quiet as she turned her body towards Jake. She took her left hand and placed it on his cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”

Jake took her hand and kissed the palm of it. “Next time I win, I want you there.” Ashley was stuck with several shifts at a convenience store on campus over winter break. She would have done anything to go to Ufa with him, but someone had to pay for her education.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there.” She took her left hand out of his grasp and he put his down on the bed palm up. She took her fingers and started to trace the lines on his hand. “You tired yet?”

He nodded his head, “I don’t want to sleep. I’ve missed talking to you.” Ashley continued to move her fingers lightly across his hands his eyelids started to droop.

“We can talk tomorrow. Go to sleep. You have practice in the morning.” Ashley rolled over, now facing away from Jake. She closed her eyes, but felt Jake pull her towards his chest. “Goodnight.”

Jake moved his hand so it quickly brushed against the cool metal. It returned around her stomach just as quick. “Goodnight Ash.” As he fell asleep, Jake knew that this was what had been working towards for so many years. And it had never felt so good.