Romance on the Ice (gxg)

8

Over the next few days, the Grand Prix Final went by in a blur. Without being able to participate and spending most of her time alone in her hotel room, Sophia found herself bored with nothing to do. But it wasn't all that bad. She found herself growing closer and closer to Elena with each passing day.

When Sophia woke up the following day after Elena had visited her, she felt a small thrill go through her when she discovered the slip of paper the next morning. Taking a chance, Sophia had texted Elena shortly after she had seen the paper. It didn't take long before her phone buzzed with Elena's response. A simple "Good morning, milashka" was all Elena sent back. But soon, the single text became an ongoing conversation where the two fell into an easy rhythm.

During the day, she had started her physical therapy sessions. She thought that the exercises that they showed her to do seemed almost too easy. But just as the doctor warned, it was grueling and painful work. Sophia couldn't stand or walk for long periods yet, her ankle screaming in protest after just a few minutes. But she could tell she was making progress. The simplest movements that had been impossible just days before were gradually becoming easier. With the texts she received from Elena, it gave her an extra boost of motivation to keep working hard during those tough therapy sessions.

However her favorite part of the day would be when Elena visited her. Elena would arrive at her door after her events were done, cheeks flushed from the cold, eyes bright with the thrill of competition. Any lingering awkwardness between them from their first night together seemed to be gone. In its place was a growing intimacy that was becoming harder to ignore.

Sometimes it was just the two of them. Elena would fill Sophia in on her day, the little details and moments that Sophia missed about competition. They'd also ask questions and share stories, getting to know more about each other's lives off the rink. Sophia loved getting to know Elena better - her quirky habits, her love of cheesy Russian pop music, her surprisingly dorky sense of humor. Elena even ended up finding out how much of a big fan she was of hers.

During the times she was alone in her room, without her friends there to fill the space with noise, or with no physical therapy sessions, Sophia found herself glued to the television, watching the Grand Prix Final events. She made sure to catch every one of her teammates' competitions, cheering them on from her bed. But Sophia also found her eyes drawn to the pair skating competitions, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of Elena out on the ice.

Seeing Elena in her element made Sophia's heart flutter and it only made her more determined to push through the pain of rehab so she could eventually get on the ice herself. An idea began forming in her mind - what if she could surprise her teammates and Elena by attending the medal ceremony on the final day of the Grand Prix Final? When she ran the idea by her rehab doctor at their next session, he gave her the green light as long as she used her crutches and didn't attempt to stand or walk for long.

On the day of the medal ceremony, Sophia had one of the event staff discreetly escort her inside the arena and over to the section where her teammates were seated. None of them had any idea she would be there. So when she walked up to them, well more like hobbled up to them, she couldn't help but smile widely at their shocked expressions when they finally noticed her. "Sophia! You made it!" They called out to her as they went to give her hugs. Sophia laughed along with them, feeling their energy and excitement envelop her.

Elena, however, was completely oblivious to Sophia's arrival. She had no reason to look over at the Canadian team's section, fully expecting Sophia to still be back in her hotel room. Instead, Elena was huddled with her own teammates, waiting for the medal ceremony to start.

When Elena won the gold with her partner, Sophia couldn't help but feel happy for them. She had to bite her lip to keep from shouting and cheering out loud, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention. Luckily, team Canada also got several medals, so she didn't feel too guilty for feeling happy for Elena.