Streaking for Silver (An Olympic Medal Romance Book 2) by LV Lewis

Chapter 1
    Hunter Fitzpatrick swallowed the lump in his throat, and looked into eyes identical to his own.
    “I’m on my way to Rio, Alex. You always said we’d go to the Olympics someday. I know you would’ve kept that promise if you could’ve. It doesn’t make this any easier for me knowing that you won’t be pushing me to best your breaststroke or your awesome freestyle, but I’ll be facing some pretty stiff competition regardless, and I need you with me buddy.”
    Turning away from his brother’s laughing eyes he glanced at his clothes folded neatly on the bed and began to pack his suitcase.
    Hunter was as excited as person diagnosed with depression and healthy dose of anxiety could be about the upcoming games in Brazil. He was going to participate in the Olympic swimming competition for team USA, and he was hopeful that he would emerge the eventual winner in one or all of the events he had qualified to participate in. This was going to be his debut at the Olympics and so he was pretty nervous about the whole experience. Talking to Alex was his coping mechanism for dealing with his anxiety.
    Losing his twin had felt like losing a limb. Sometimes he could feel the ghost of Alex with him during momentous decisions or when he was particularly stressed about something.
    Hearing soft footfalls approaching his door, he turned to see his mother peeking into his bedroom. “Ready to go?” she asked.
    “Just about,” he said. He closed his suitcase and began stuffing his team duffel bag.
    “Okay, I have your favorite tacos waiting for you downstairs,” she said, slipping away to let him finish packing his things.
    Hunter wondered what life would’ve been like if Alex were still alive. Alex was the one who had pushed him into swimming from the time when they were little kids when they shared a friendly rivalry in most things athletic as siblings often did. Alex had died in a car accident when he was twenty and Hunter had been devastated to the point of depression, and had even thought of taking his own life, the only deterrent being his loving mother, Carmelita.
    Alex had not only been his only sibling, but his best friend even though he had been ten minutes older than Hunter. After Alex’s death, Hunter vowed to continue swimming until he excelled to elite level and now that he was going to represent the USA in the Olympics, he was going to win for Alex. He knew that Alex was somewhere up there looking down on him, and it made Hunter smile to think how happy Alex would’ve been to know he was going to Rio to compete.
    He glanced again at the framed photo on his nightstand of him and Alex at a fraterity party—the last photo they would ever take together. A week later, Alex had taken a fateful car ride to an away football game with another frat brother. Hunter had come down with strep throat and had not been able to go or he might have perished also. He and his mother had both gone to therapy to deal with the aftermath. His survivor’s guilt manifested because he and Alex had been so close, and his mother’s because she felt guilty about being so thankful she had forbidden him and not Alex as well to go to the game.
    Hunter picked up the photo and buried it deep into his luggage. He would not be going to Rio without Alex after all.
    Struggling down the stairs with both of his bags, Hunter spilled down into the kitchen and set them on the floor by the stairwell.
    “Mm, something smells really good down here,” he said, walking over to join his mother, who’d just finished plating their breakfast.
    “Come on, sit down and have your meal,” his mother said, placing the food onto the counter as Hunter pulled out a bar stool and sat on it.
    “With this sort of cooking, I'm wondering if I'll be able to eat while I'm in Rio for the games,” he said, picking up a breakfast taco and dipping it into some salsa before biting into it.
    “Ha, believe me, staying at the Olympic Village will be like staying in a big