The wedding was held at a courthouse. Kind of anticlimactic, but Asher had already gone through the pomp and circumstance of a fancy wedding once before, and Alexis didn’t want to be distracted from her training with wedding prep. In fact, the same day they went to the courthouse and got their marriage license, Alexis dragged them both to an Ironman Triathlon to, in her words, “celebrate.” The triathlon consisted of a brutal set of three challenges. The competitors would swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and finally conclude the competition with a breezy 26.22-mile marathon. That was over 140 miles they had to travel in a single day.
Asher wasn’t that interested in winning, but as he and Alexis rolled up to the starting line and checked out the competition, he did feel some level of joy at appearing to be in vastly better shape than all the other men he was competing against. Even before dating Alexis, Asher had been in great shape, but with this heinous amount of Olympic training they’d been doing, Asher felt good about his chances of crushing this triathlon. Hmm, now that it was clear what an advantage he had, maybe he did care about winning this.
The triathlon was wickedly difficult, but with his shredded physique and toned muscles, Asher managed to win first place in the men’s division. Technically, he got second place on the first go-around, so he rewound time to right before the race started, ‘accidentally’ tripped the future winner, and then 140 miles later, he was the new champion. It felt good being first, but Asher had always enjoyed being the top banana; having a gold medal to prove how good he was was just icing on the cake.
Alexis won the women’s division (no surprises there), and the two gold-medal champions celebrated at the finish line with a kiss. It was sort of romantic, but having just finished one of the hardest competitions known to man, they were both drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. Actually, forget being romantic; it was gross.
Having won the triathlon, Asher had hoped it would get Alexis to chill on their training regiment, at least for a bit, but if anything, it fired her up even more. Alexis had given them a day of rest after completing the triathlon, but after that, it was back to getting up at 5:00 AM to run and exercise. “We’re in our prime, Ashy,” panted Alexis as they completed their morning training, a breezy five-mile sprint, “the Olympics are only three years away, so we can’t waste any time.”
Asher still wasn’t a fan of this morning exercise routine, but after seven years with an exercise freak, he’d learn to accept this part of his life, even if it wasn’t a highlight. One positive, however, from all this exercise was how smokin’ hot he looked. Whenever Alexis wasn’t home, Asher would flex shirtless in front of a mirror, and he loved how passing women would give a second and even third glance whenever he was out on the town.
Asher and Alexis ended up moving out of the state to Colorado Springs, which was the location of a prominent Olympic training center. Alexis was like a woman possessed, training and improving every single day, which meant that by proxy, Asher had to be there, too. “We’re gonna do it, Ashy,” promised Alexis, Asher spotting her while she did sit-ups. We’ll be one of the first couples to make it to the Olympics together and take the gold!”
Sure, why not. Asher had already invested so much time into his physique that he might as well see how far he could go. Honestly, prepping for the Olympics could even be kind of fun.
Scratch that; it was not fun, not even a little bit. As the Olympics got closer, Alexis’ training got worse. Asher would wake up, train, eat, train, and then go to bed, but not before getting in some extra training and doing it all again the next day. Asher had also never missed fatty foods so much in his life. He’d lived for his cheat days when he could chow down on a burger and fries. However, as an aspiring Olympian, his diet was strictly controlled, each calorie needing to serve a specific purpose and function. Asher had never been healthier, but he missed eating like a slob. Back when he and Alexis were dating, he could sneak all the cookies and brownies he wanted after he got home, but now that they were married, it was much harder to hide his bad habits. It got so bad that Asher installed a false floor panel in their basement. He’d sneak down there at night to snack on his precious donut holes.
The next three years passed slowly for Asher, his daily routine a blur of sprints, stretches, and bland food, but after all those years of hard work, he and Alexis both made it into the Olympics, representing America in Track and Field. They did great, obviously, with Alexis coming in first place in the women’s division and Asher taking home the silver. Maybe he could’ve done better if he hadn’t snuck so many unhealthy snacks, but there were some creature comforts a man couldn’t just abandon.
While Asher was content with his Olympic standing, Alexis was crushed that he hadn’t also won gold. “Cheer up,” said Asher, trying to comfort his wife. You’re the best in the world; you should be proud.”
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“But it was our dream to get the gold together,” replied Alexis, wrapping his hand in a vice grip. “We’ll just need to train harder, then we can both get the gold in another four years!”
Asher was not going through another four years of Olympic training. Stepping back in time 24 hours, he took a page from his victory at the triathlon. After locating the men’s gold medalist and spiking his water with sleeping pills and laxatives, Asher ended up as the greatest track star in the world and, more importantly, with a happy wife. Asher also appreciated that millions of women now knew his name and probably had posters of him in their houses, but he would keep that tidbit to himself.
Asher and Alexis celebrated their achievements with friends and family, but during the party, Asher noticed that his wife seemed withdrawn and much less raucous than usual. “Everything okay?” Asher stepped out onto the balcony of their home, a fancy cocktail in each of his hands. Alexis rested against the balcony railing and stared out into the Colorado countryside, a strange expression on her face.
“It’s been my life’s dream to be an Olympian,” she replied, taking a drink from Asher and downing it in one huge gulp. “Not only did I already do that, but I also took the gold; I’m the best in the world.” Alexis flopped back down on the railing, letting out an annoyed groan. “I’m in my 20s and already did everything I wanted; what am I supposed to do next?”
Asher blinked, Alexis didn’t know it, but he probably understood her predicament better than anyone else in the entire world. What were you supposed to do with your life when nothing was pushing you forward? “We can look for other hobbies,” he replied, leaning down next to his wife, wrapping an arm around her, and donning the mask of a concerned husband. “We’ve got tons of cash and all the time in the world, wanna try cave diving or geocaching?” Asher didn’t know if Alexis would be interested in cave diving, but he’d always wanted to try it out, especially since he could rewind time if things went horribly wrong.
Alexis turned to face Asher, her dark eyes glistening with the start of tears. “What are your dreams, Asher?” she asked in a small voice. “We’ve always talked about what I wanted, but what do you want out of life?”
It was a surprisingly deep and nuanced question from such a blunt woman. “World peace?” he lied. Asher’s dream was to be with as many young and beautiful women as possible. He was in the midst of living out his dream, but Alexis wouldn’t understand or appreciate his answer.
Alexis took her husband’s answer and chewed on it for several minutes, not saying a word. Asher sipped his drink and peered out at the countryside, wondering if any of the other women he ended up dating would become Olympians, too. If that were the case, he’d need to find a way to opt out of all the intense exercise. One lifetime of Olympic training was more than enough.
“That’s a great goal,” Alexis said, finally breaking the silence. “And I think that’s what I’ll focus on too.”
“World peace?” That sounded like a lot of work. Maybe Asher should’ve given her a simpler goal.
Alexis shook her head. “Finding a project that will outlive me and help everyone that comes after.” Alexis wrapped Asher in a giant hug. “Thanks, babe,” she whispered, a smile breaking across her face.
“I live to serve,” replied Asher, returning his wife’s smile.
Alexis mellowed out considerably after that conversation. She was still the same passionate woman she’d always been, but now she let Asher sleep in until 5:30 before going on their morning runs. She also allowed sweets back in the house, which was welcome. Asher had been sneaking snacks for years, but eating a cupcake without being on the lookout for his health-freak wife was nothing short of lovely.
Alexis also took Asher’s unintentional advice to heart and began working as a trainer for up-and-coming Olympic hopefuls. “So I can do what you suggested and work on something that outlasts me,” she had said one day to Asher after returning home. Alexis seemed more at peace nowadays and spoke enthusiastically about her students’ progress. She was happy, and strangely, that made Asher happy, too.
Things went on like this for several years, with Asher and his wife growing closer to each other and Alexis continuing to train future Olympians. Things were peaceful, predictable, and maybe a little boring, but good.
It was a cold autumn morning when the accident happened. He and Alexis were on one of their runs when she twisted her ankle and had to be taken to the hospital. “It’s a clean tear,” said the doctor as she showed Asher and Alexis the x-rays of Alexis’ damaged leg. Take it easy and give your muscles time to heal. You’ll be fine after a couple of weeks of rest.”
“A couple weeks!?” Asked Alexis, mortified. “But what about my training? Can I at least lift weights in the interim?”
“Mrs. Brandy,” replied the doctor with a waggle of her finger, “I understand as a former Olympian, you’re probably used to constantly moving, but there are times when it’s good for the body to rest. You need to be aware of your limitations as you age and get older.”
Old?!? Asher gave an involuntary shudder upon hearing the word. He’d been dreading this day, and it looked like it’d finally come. His wife was officially old. What was he going to do?
“It’s alright, sweetie,” said Alexis, seeing Asher’s mortified expression and seeming to think his concern was directed towards her injury. " Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.”
“How so?” Asked Asher, staring down at his decrepit woman. He was pretty sure he saw crow’s feet around her eyes.
“Well, the doctor’s right, I am getting older.” Alexis took her hand and wrapped it around Asher’s. “Since I’ll be on the mend for a while, maybe this is the perfect chance for us to start working on a family.”
First, she’s old, now she wants kids!! This was too much for Asher to bear; it was time to terminate the relationship. He leaned over to Alexis, gave her a big smooch on the mouth, and then faded from existence as he re-entered the void.