"Ready..."
She bends her right knee to the ground. My sight stays on her. Even though sweats start to pool at her temple, she is still pretty—I want to go there and claim her lips. I smirk at the thought.
"Set..."
She presses her hands to the ground. And she bends her left knee as well, stretching her left thigh for the mark. It sounds gay but I am so nervous right now. It is as if I am the one competing. I look over to the side. A woman smiles at me. I am sorry, miss, but I am already captive by that woman over there. I bring my sight back to her. I see her close her eyes. Come on, babe. You can do it.
Slowly, she opens them. Her eyes are straight on the track. She is gazing at the lights, maybe waiting for the go signal. Due to extreme tension, I grab the bucket of fries from my brother's lap and scoop a handful of it. Fuck. What is taking it so long? My Rei looks to the side and smiles at a tall woman. My baby is too soft. I lick my lips while she brings her sight back to the track. The light quickly shines on her.
Tang-inang kagandahan 'yan. Nakababaliw. (That kind of beauty. It is maddening.)
A moment later, the spotlight lands on a big box. I don't know what kind of spectacle this is again, but I appreciate it somehow. Our eyes are glued to the skyrocketed object. When the light opens on it, I see that the race is starting. I focus my attention on my Rei. Paraguay gets ahead of her while her attention is only focused on her track. A little while later, she overlaps Paraguay. She just smiles at her.
"Rei bags that gold," I brag to my brother, and he scoops a handful of fries to his mouth. "Watch."
Dazmon rolls his eyes at me.
Arron, meanwhile, is sleeping from the long wait for the start. I heave a sigh and focus my attention on her.
Go, baby. Raise our banner.
I play my bottom lip with the tip of my tongue as I wait for the victory of my girl.
Last lap.
I cool myself down when Rei is consistently overlapping her opponents. Until a moment later, my brow furrows when her running slows down as she sees the woman who has fallen. I think that is Paraguay. She immediately goes back for her. Taiwan and Portugal quickly get ahead of her. She quickly helps the woman up, while worry kicks abruptly in my chest.
Rei, run now. Run!
She and Paraguay run together.
I clutch the edge of my leather jacket when I see that someone is about to take that last title from her. Fuck, no! I exhale as I pull myself up when my Rei and Mexico tie their distance. Oh, no. Please... run, Rei. Run! She closes her eyes and then runs with her head held high, not minding the fatigue she is feeling now. Mexico is an inch closer to her before the finish line.
Dazmon and the others stand up. Arlan wakes Arron up, and he stands up too.
Mexico is getting closer to Rei, but it is too late. I jump up strongly in joy when Rei crosses the line. Fuck! I thought that last title would be taken from her. My brothers and I meet eyes and immediately hug each other. The Philippines may lose gold but she secures her bronze.
"If Rei didn't help her opponent, we would get gold now," Arron comments after the race, and Dazmon agrees. "Damn. Watching live is scary, isn't it?"
I just laugh.
After a few hours, the awarding ceremony starts. I raise my phone, shooting a video for my Rei. Taiwan is awarded the medal first, followed by Portugal, and finally Rei. Everyone applauds the winners. Even I cannot stop clapping. Her gaze lands on me.
"I am so proud of you," I mouth.
She smiles and mouths 'thank you'.
I stoop my head, smiling. Fuck!