✍🏻See You Again

8 🫐 LoveStoned

Marco is in a shitty mood. Yuzuru seems to be in a shitty mood. But I'm on cloud nine. There is nothing that can ruin my day today. And it gets even better when I see Javi at the end of the hallway, watching him change direction to avoid me while running his hand through his hair and shaking his head. I bite my lip, getting drunk on the power and before entering the gym I quickly take out my phone, ordering red lingerie, similar to the one I described to him last night.

When I sit on the bus home, I replay the whole day, now putting into perspective all of his distant behavior. He was still ignoring me just like before but now I could see the struggle he was going through and treasuring every moment whenever our eyes met. Not wanting to lose my chance, I start to quickly type up an email to our choreographer, asking him if he would have time at some point to stop by TCC and go through our Olympic Gala skate with me and Marco.. One that I know Marco isn't a fan of but one that I know Javi will love. Or it will drive him mad. Either way, it's a win for me.

Turned out, the choreographer could come only after the Autumn Classic, wanting to combine his visit to the competition with also visiting TCC.

Those weren't exactly easy days for Yuzuru and it was the first time I found out how hard he took losing. We both ended up with a silver medal, but whereas Marco and I took it as a part of our long-term plan, Yuzuru viewed it as the end of the world. Feeling like he failed himself, his family, his fans, and everyone who ever supported him. Even apologizing to me for failing my expectations. I quietly listened to his vents, waiting for him each day even when my training was long over, just so we could walk home and he had somebody to talk to.

It was a different story for Marco and me as we focused more on the Olympics, taking that as our one and only goal. Due to my injury, we were 4th at the Sochi Olympics and this was our chance to finally get the so-desired golden disc around our necks. We knew that no matter what we will place on the podium this season in all competitions, the only threats being Virtue/Moir and Wang/Liu. Be it first or third at these competitions, we didn't care as long as we were to be the highest on the Olympic podium. The only podium that mattered to us. After that, we were to have one more quad, finishing with another Gold at the next Olympics, and then retirement for both of us. Marco will go and get all domestic, starting a family with Sandra whereas I will become a choreographer, ideally convincing all my skaters that Justin's music is the best one to skate to. I didn't tell Marco yet, but I already picked some of Justin's songs for us to skate to in Beijing.

"I really don't like this," Marco mutters when we are finishing our warm-up lap, waiting for our choreographer Simon to show up. "Can't we pick anything else for the gala?"

"No." I purse my lips, not willing to budge, especially not in a conversation we had a thousand times before. "And don't forget to squeeze my ass when the censored beat comes."

Marco sighs with a shake of his head and I start reciting to him part of the lyrics.

"She looks like a model, except she's got a little more ass." When the word 'ass' comes up on the track it is censored, so I remind him that already on the 'little more' he needs to have his hand on my lower back so he can move it down and momentarily squeeze my ass just in time.

"But why?" He whines, rubbing his face.

"Because we never have a skate like that," I say tiredly, starting to move again with a few strokes and he follows next to me. "It's always either fun songs or songs where I'm in love with you or songs about our friendship. I'm the one getting lifted by you like some kind of trophy in those scenarios. Just once, one time, I want to be viewed as hot. To have the guy pining over me. To make the guy weak in his knees rather than me getting blinded by how dashing he is."