Kyle hadn’t been expecting to see Nico until the race in the morning. He knew they were both in the same heat for the 200m freestyle and was content to make the usual small talk around the pool that had been their relationship for the last two years.

Seeing him on the street caught him off—guard. Nico’s brown eyes, jet black spiky hair and angular features were just as stunning as ever. It had been a while since they’d last competed and Kyle thought Nico had gained some upper body weight from how his top filled out his bright yellow hoodie.

“No party for you either?” Nico asked him.

“Are you kidding?” Kyle scoffed. “Mike would crucify any of us if we weren’t sober the night before a race.”

Mike Marlin was his team’s coach and although once the games were over, Mike would be the first one at the bar buying them all drinks, until then he was like the strictest school teacher you could ever imagine.

“Jo’s the same,” Nico said, and Kyle remembered Nico’s coach. Her surname eluded him but he remembered Jo was almost as fierce a coach as Mike. “I figure she’s shut down whatever party was happening in the apartment by now.”

“Where have you been since the ceremony?” Kyle asked, enjoying hearing Nico’s voice again.

“The gym. You?”

Kyle felt the small piece of paper he held between his fingers and suppressed a smile before answering. “A signing with Adam.”

He watched Nico nod in acknowledgement and fall silent again.

“You couldn’t relax huh?”

“Don’t.” Nico stopped on the pavement.

“Don’t what?” Kyle said as he also came to a halt.

“Act like you know what’s going on in my head,” Nico snarled at him.

“I was only saying, Nico,” he said, suppressing the instinct to snap back.

“Well don’t.”

Kyle sighed, reminded of every argument they’d had as they were breaking up. Nico sniping at him and him trying to figure out what was going on.

“What?” Nico rumbled.

“Nothing,” Kyle said, trying to keep himself calm and not let two—year—old memories flood his mind. “I was just trying to ask how you were, that’s all.”

He watched Nico’s eyes look down and even though Nico would say he didn’t know him, Kyle did, and he recognized him taking a breath to calm down.

“Sorry,” Nico finally said looking back up at him.

Kyle nodded and left it there. After a beat, they started to walk again.

“You were right,” Nico managed after a couple of minutes and Kyle heard the frustration barely held in at having to admit it. “I couldn’t come down from the ceremony. I needed to burn off some energy.”

“It was insane, right,” Kyle said back. “I never thought anything could top Rio but tonight was amazing.”

He beamed at Nico and their shared memory of the procession. It was an honor Kyle knew they both cherished.

“I know,” Nico answered, and Kyle saw that broad smile return to his lips. “I just didn’t know what to do with myself afterwards.”

“The signing helped me. It was good to remember what it’s all about, people there supporting us still.”

“Like a cool down?” Nico joked.

“Exactly,” he laughed, enjoying this longest conversation they’d had in years.

“So — think you’re ready for tomorrow?”

“Fuck off,” Kyle said.

“What?”

“You should be more worried about whether you’re ready.” Kyle toyed.

When they’d been together, the night before an event he and Nico would invariably end up trying to out—psych each other. In the early days of their relationship, it had been fun trying to wind the other up, and, more often than not, led to them getting naked to work out their frustration.

“Oh, I’m ready,” Nico replied.

Kyle stopped in the street and Nico did the same. There was barely a sound in street. Kyle knew it was beyond late and the dark sky and unlit buildings shrouded them in their own tiny section of the world. He looked into Nico’s brown orbs and before he had chance to say anything else, Nico rushed him and pressed him back against the wall.