Chapter 1
Paul
The crisp clear water beckoned to him like a siren calling him home. Paul stood at the edge of the pool, taking a deep breath. His eyes briefly looking to the right and left him at the other men that were lined up at the block. The judge raising the starter pistol into the air and fired it off into the air. Like the bullet being fired from the gun, Paul submerged himself into the water. Diving face first into the cool water to start swimming to the other end of the pool.
There was nothing else at this moment. All that existed was the water and himself. A challenge that he would be the fastest in the water. To swim to the end of the pool, turn around and get back to the other end before the other competitors. Paul had worked all this time to get to the point. He knew that he needed to win. It was his destiny to finish first. If he could be the first back to the block, he would win the competition and be heading to Boston for the regional finals.
His head emerged from the water with each stroke of his arms. Each breath filled his lungs with the oxygen he would need to complete the task. His muscles burned from his practice the day before. He never felt more alive or more determined for anything in his life. The end of the pool came quickly and he did a quick head dive and kick off of the end of the pool to boost himself in the other direction.
Mere seconds would determine who would make it to the other end. He needed to finish. All of his training and hard work would pay off soon. It all came down to this. His legs kicked furiously in the water to propel himself forward. His arms pushing the water behind him with every stroke.
The finish line was close. Paul could see it and took a deep breath. With every ounce of being in his body, he pushed himself harder than he ever pushed before. A few feet separating him from his final goal. His last ounces of strength spent to get to the very edge of the pool and his hand reached up to slap onto the block.
A loud whistle rang out through the enclosed indoor pool area. Paul lifted himself out of the pool, sitting on the edge. His chest heaving as he tried to regain his breath. He looked up at the scoreboard. His hands came up to remove his swim goggles from his eyes as he gazed at it once more. Number seventeen. First place with his recorded time below it.
A wave of joy overcame Paul as he laid down onto his back and looked up the domed ceiling. He pulled his swim cap off to reveal his brown curly hair. Several deep breaths were had before he was able to lift himself back up into a sitting position. He rose up from the floor that he was laying on and saw his manager coming over to greet him.
“Congratulations! Oh man, this so exciting. I didn’t know if you could pull it off, but you really pulled ahead there at the last moment. You showed the competition what you can do. Now you only have to do it for the regionals.” Dan was a great manager and coach. He looked out for Paul and really helped him getting faster into the water and giving him advice on how to push himself.
Paul gave Dan a hug even though he knew he was still wet from the water in the pool. “Thanks coach. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Paul walked over to the side of the pool to grab his swim bag. He took out his towel and rubbed it across his muscled physique. After getting himself dried off and composed again, he picked up his bag and tosses his swim cap and goggles inside. This had been a long journey for him to get this far, but if he could get through the regionals, he might even have a chance to go further.
Paul slung his bag over his shoulder and went into the locker rooms so he could get changed. He preferred to wear loose fitting clothing when he was not wearing the skin-tight swim briefs that he had to wear for the competition. The casual button up white cotton shirt had a few wrinkles in it. Khaki colored shorts that came down to his knees and a pair of Birkenstock sandals completed the outfit.
Several of the other men that were competing in the competitions came over to give congratulations to Paul in the locker room. He laughed at a few of their jokes and bid them all a good bye as he stepped back into the pool area. A lot of the people that had been watching the competition had already filtered out of the stadium seats. Only a few stragglers were left behind as they were getting their belongings together.
That is when Paul spotted the most handsome Omega he had ever laid eyes on. Shimmering red hair framed the man’s face and came down to his shoulders. His green eyes were examining a camera that he held. The man was dressed nicely too. He wore a pair of black dress pants with a cream-colored button up shirt. Paul could see the man lifting the camera up to his eye. Was he taking a picture of him?
The man was definitely taking a picture of something. Paul wasn’t sure if he was the subject of said photographs though. He was standing on the other side of the pool so it would take him a moment to walk around to even introduce himself. Paul slung his bag over his shoulder and took a deep breath.
Should he even go over there to talk to him? He had been so focused on the swim competition that he didn’t even consider looking for a relationship. He wouldn’t really have to pursue it though. What was the harm in saying hello? He gathered up his courage and started to pace around the edge of the pool to make his way over to the stadium seating.
The handsome man was pulling a bag up next his side. The large camera had a huge telephoto lens on it. He unhooked the extended lens from the camera before sliding it into the bag and then put a lens cap over the camera. The man was about to leave for the day with the rest of the crowd that had filtered out.
As Paul got closer to where the man was sitting, their eyes met. Paul’s brown eyes staring directly into the green eyes of this handsome stranger. His throat felt dry all of a sudden and his words would not come out. He never had a problem talking to people before. Why was this any different?
Before he could clear up his throat to speak, Dan was approaching him from behind. His hand reached out to touch Paul onto the shoulder. “Paul! Thank heaven I found you before you left for the day. I got something I need to discuss with you.”
Paul turned his gaze away from the handsome Omega redhead. Now facing Dan, he felt his voice return to him as he was able to speak. “Um, yeah, what is going on Dan? His fingers stroked across the strap of his swim bag as he regarded the manager.
Dan was mid height, only a foot or so shorter than Paul. The man had started to bald slightly with his brown hair framing his receding hairline. Dan had a notebook with him and several numbers written down on it. He looked at it briefly before directing his attention to Paul. “You see, it is about the reservations for the hotel room. I delayed until last minute to book our rooms for the event. I didn’t think it would be a problem for us. It turns out it has become a major problem. There is a convention that is taking place in Boston that weekend. Some kind of big internet technology conference that happens every year and they have booked up every room. I’ve tried several hotels in the area, but I haven’t been able to find anything yet.”
Paul could see the worried look on Dan’s face. He reached over to give the man a pat on the shoulder. “I’m sure you will figure it out. You always do Dan. Even if we end up being a few miles out from the competition, that shouldn’t be a problem. Keep looking until you find something and let me know.” Paul gave him a smile before the man wondered off to work his magic.
Turning back in the direction of the stadium seats, Paul’s eyes went to where the redhead had been moments before. The seat he occupied was now empty. Paul let out a sigh as he pulled his bag over his shoulder. “Oh well. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”