Free Solo

105

Audrey's POV

"Say Bye to Mama." Daan says as she shows me our babies on FaceTime.

"Bye babies." I say. "Mama loves you."

"WAIT." Mama shouts as she runs towards me.

When Mama gets to me she plops down next to me and looks at my babies.

"Gigi loves you." Mama says as she looks at Paris and London.

"Bye Daan." I say. "Love you."

"Bye Audi." My girlfriend says. "Love you too."

Daan and I hang up then I let out a lengthy sigh.

I miss my kids.

"You'll see them soon Munchkin." Ash says.

"Not soon enough." I say as I get out of my seat to get a drink. "Let's go Balto."

Balto gets up then he follows me through the airport to an airport food kiosk.

Yesterday was our last tune up game against South Africa so today we're flying out to France for the Olympics.

When Balto and I get to the food kiosk I grab myself a grilled chicken wrap, some chips, and a coke before I grab Balto a water, a small to go box of carrots, and a small to-go box of blueberries. Once I have everything we need I pay for it then Balto and I head bak to the gate and gather our things for the flight.

"Looks like we're seat buddies." Tierna says.

"Just like old times." I say with a smile.

Tierna hands me my ticket then the two of us get on the plane.

Once on the plane Tierna and I get to our seats and put our stuff in the overhead bin then we sit down and chat until we taxi to the runway. When we come to a stop at the beginning of the runway, Tierna and I sit back in our seats then Balto jumps up into my lap so I wrap my arms around him as we start taking off.

Once we're in the air I lean my seat back a bit, put my AirPods in, play one of my favorite movies on my Mac, then I grab Balto and i's food and put it on the tray.

"You gonna watch the movie with me?" I question as I look at the dog sitting next to me on my seat.

The plane seats are so big that Balto and I can sit side by side.

Balto yips then he looks at the food.

"Carrots or berries Bubba?" I ask.

Balto paws the carrots so I open the carrots and feed my dog as I watch the movie Sahara. A couple minutes later Balto finishes his carrots then he paws his berries so I feed him blueberries. After Balto's finished his snack I give him some water, wipe off his face, then my dog lays down on the seat and falls asleep.

Once Balto's asleep I eat my food while watching my movie.

After I finish my food and after my movie finishes, I clean up my area then I lean my seat all the way back. Once my seats lying flat I put my music on then I lay down and shut my eyes.

Right before I fall asleep Balto shifts around and lays in front of me with his back to me so I wrap an arm around him.

"Goodnight Balto." I say then I kiss my dog's head. "See you in France."

- - - - -

"I'm so proud of you." Christen says then she kisses my head.

"Why?" I ask as I help Tobin with her Beret.

"Look around Audrey." Christen says so I do. "You designed the outfits for all 600 Team USA athlete's...That's pretty cool."

In December of 2023 the US Olympic Committee contacted me about potentially designing the Team USA Opening, Closing, and Podium outfits. After I got the call about being on the shortlist to design the outfits, I spend about a month designing the outfits then I presented them to the USOC and ultimately I won the right to design our outfits.

The Opening and Closing Ceremony outfits are very similar, but each has subtle differences. For the Opening and Closing Ceremony everybody is wearing a Navy blue blazer, white dress shirt, white pants, and tri-color red, white, and blue shoes. The men are wearing red, white, and blue tie's while the women have the option of wearing the same tie as the men or a red white and blue ascot. On the left chest area of the Blazer is the American Olympic Crest while on the right chest area is my fashion company Solace's logo.

Our podium outfits consist of a white zip up jacket, white sweatpants, and white shoes with subtle hints of red and blue. On the left chest area of the jacket is the American Olympic Crest while on the right chest area is my fashion company Solace's logo. My logo is also on the pants of the sweat pants.

"Yeah." I say and subtly smile. "I guess it is."

"And look how cute Balto looks." My girlfriend says.

In 2020 the marching order of the opening ceremony changed. The next two hosts of the Summer Olympics march out before the hosts so the Dutch, who are hosting the 2032 Olympics, march out, then America marches out followed by France.

"Daan come on." Viv says.

"Bye Audi." Daan says then she pecks my lips before she marches in with her country.

"You should see the smile on your face." Christen says.

"Shush." I say then I turn around and fix Christen's beret. "Have I ever told you how much I like your curly hair."

"You haven't in a while." Christen says as I adjust her beret.

"Hey Auntie Chrissy." I whisper.

"Yes Rugrat." Christen whispers

"I'm gonna propose to Daan while we're here." I whisper with a smile.

"Really?" Christen asks and I nod.

"I don't know when, but I needed to tell someone." I say.

"I wanna see the ring when we get back." Christen says and I nod.

"Oh my god Balto has a beret." Rose says.

"He needed to look the part." I say.

"USA 30 SECOND WARNING." Someone yells then I take a deep breath.

"Relax." Christen says as she smooths down my clothes. "You're outfits are amazing and everyone is going to love them."

I nod then Christen kisses my head.

"LET'S GO USA."

"Come on." Christen says with a smile. "Let's go show the world that you're more than just a footballer."