Inked In Love

One

Inked in Love 

Written by Ariesstarz 

One 

"Finally" I breathed out as I slumped back into the small sofa sitting in my flat. I was able to relax after unboxing all the boxes that were filling my living room. After speaking with William he told me that I should have arrived in London at least a few days before I was starting my new job.

I clearly didn't listen and spent a few more days making last minute memories with my team and good friends. What doesn't make sense is that, I just spent 5 years making memories with those exact same people.

But maybe I just didn't want to leave. I still remember the day I walked into my coach's office and told him what I wanted to do next. He looked up from his laptop and didn't even look surprised.

He saw the inevitable coming for weeks. I was at the top of my game. After winning the swimming world championships I was producing swims that my team couldn't believe. But even after I was performing personal bests I didn't feel content in my heart.

I spent more time coaching part time at the academy than my personal swimming sessions. It was clear what I needed to do.

Moving to England wasn't in the plans. America had some of the best athletic facilities in the world but England was always a place I wished to go to. I had some good friends that swam for Great Britain and I liked how passionate they were for their craft.

One day I woke up to an email from Ryan Hayes, he wanted someone to help coach his swimming team. He was pretty adamant that he wanted me and I felt quite surprised to know that he had been watching me quite closely.

Just as I began to relax, I jumped up instantly when I remembered the Deliveroo I had ordered just 30 minutes ago.

I cleaned the table in my kitchen and opened up the pizza. I had ordered a pepperoni classic from dominos and honestly all that unpacking was worth it.

As I dug into this pizza with a glass filled with red wine I remember being in my apartment in Colorado just thinking about how different my life was going to be. I had trained with the USA team ever since I left school.

As I stood on the podium and received my medal I realised that I was no longer in love with competing. My friends knew it. My coach knew it.

The following morning, I woke up to my 6 am alarm. It felt weird to no longer need to wake up at 4.30 to get my first training session done. My old coach Mikey was always wanting a session even before his scheduled training session with the team.

I rushed to grab my gym back and car keys as I kept an eye on the time. It was my first day and I can't be late for work. I planned to get there early on just in case I can't find where I'm going. If I happen to have time to stop for coffee first, then that's a win for me.

I slammed my door behind me and rushed to the address which I was sent.

I rushed into the nearest parking space to the entrance and raced inside like I had an attacker on my heels. From a stranger's perspective, I probably looked like some crazy ass woman but in reality, I wasn't far from that at all.

I was too busy rushing to stop and take in the facilities but I knew that I would have plenty of time for that after I'm finished for the day.

Walking into the reception area of the sports building I was met with a rather handsome man who was dressed in a smart suit. He had authority written all over him as he stood in front of me.

" Elle Williams, it's a pleasure to meet you" I glanced at his hand and shook it, just like my stepfather taught me. He was a lawyer, he advised me to always shake people's hands when meeting them.