บท 70: Chapter 70: Apologies

VIKTOR

I nurse my drink for a moment, feeling like an asshole. I don't flirt with women often. In fact, it's been a long time since. In the past few years, sex has been an indulgence for me, easily attained with minimal effort. Really only maintenance when I was in a mood. The last time was when I first came to the Crush with Tyler Lockhardt and we went out to a bar with Georg and some others after our first win on our new team. At least six months ago.

When I was sixteen, my coach told me that true athletes could not maintain long-term romantic relationships. He reminded me of this at each turn, particularly when he noticed my focus faltering, or my gaze settling on one woman or another. I rebelled, of course, falling desperately in love with a ballet dancer a few years later. She was graceful, lithe, and as busy as I with preparations for a career in a competitive, athletic field.