Heart of Gold (HEART OF GOLD #1) by Ariel Atwater EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Authors: Ariel Atwater
- Language: English
- Genre: contemporary romance
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 6.1 MB
- Price: Free
It’s Sasha Zakaryan’s last day on the Olympic stage, and he still finds
himself catching his breath as he enters the Wembley Arena. Everything
about it is overwhelming: the neon-pink walls, the announcements blaring
in languages he doesn’t understand, the jumbotrons showing the lineup for
today’s vault final. Then there’s the crowd, a living, breathing mass unlike
anything he’s ever experienced before.
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And, of course, the fact that it’s the Olympics.
Sure, he’s only here as an alternate—and since none of his teammates
are injured, he won’t actually have a chance to represent Russia. But he’s
not worried. It had always been a long shot for him to make the London
team; he just turned sixteen a few months ago, and most of the other guys
are in their early twenties. He has his sights set on Rio, and he’ll be ready
when it comes. Today, he’s here to support his best friend.
Kirill Kazakov is their last hope at a medal, and he knows it. He’s barely
said a word all morning, except to ask if Sasha could accompany him into
the arena. After a disastrous team final—the Russian men had placed sixth,
behind even the Americans—and repeated failures to medal in the allaround or any of the other events, their coaches and the fans at home are
fuming.
Even if Kirill can pull off a gold today, these Olympics will still be
considered a disappointment. At least one of the national team coaches will
probably be fired, and Sasha isn’t looking forward to the reception they’ll
receive when they return to Moscow—but that’s a problem for another day.
Right now, there are eight finalists on vault, and his friend is up sixth,
which means they have a long wait ahead of them.
As the first gymnast mounts the podium, Kirill paces the sidelines,
hopping up and down to keep his muscles warm. He’s shorter and stockier
than Sasha, with brown hair just a shade or two lighter, cropped close to
stay out of his face. As he stalks back and forth across the carpet, his dark
eyes move restlessly around the arena, like a tiger looking for its next meal.
There’s a delay on the podium, some sort of technical issue with the
flashboard displaying the vaults’ difficulty values, and Kirill returns to
Sasha’s side, grimacing with impatience. “Can you do my arms?” he asks.
Nodding, Sasha takes Kirill’s right arm and begins to massage it,
working up and down his friend’s muscles.
Neither of them speak; Sasha
can tell by the way Kirill’s eyes are half-closed that he’s envisioning the
vaults he’s about to perform, honing them to perfection in his mind.
Suddenly, a loud burst of English interrupts their concentration.
“Dude, I’m totally freaking out right now.”
Sasha looks up. Over Kirill’s shoulder, he sees a young, excited-looking
American chatting with James Smith, a vaulter from Great Britain who’s on
his second Olympics. Sasha doesn’t recognize the American, but a quick
glance at the jumbotron tells him his name is Daniel Hartman. Contrary to
what he’s just announced, though—to Smith and to everyone else within a
five-meter radius—Hartman doesn’t seem like he’s freaking out at all.
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