Romance on the Ice (gxg)

7

She stared down at the brace, the reality of her new circumstances sinking in with a heavy finality. Just this morning, she had been so close to living out her dream. Now that she can't compete, she felt lost and frustrated.

A lump formed in Sophia's throat as disappointment threatened to overwhelm her again. She had worked so hard, sacrificed so much to reach this point. To have it all ripped away in a split-second... it wasn't fair. She couldn't believe she had to drop out on the very first day of competition. The ache of that lost opportunity throbbed deep in her chest.

Sophia felt the sadness and frustration well up inside her until tears began slipping down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook with the force of her quiet sobs as she finally allowed herself to fully grieve the lost opportunity. She curled in on herself, shoulders hunched as cried hard.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed like that, lost in her sadness. But eventually she stopped crying and laid motionlessly in bed.

The silence was broken by a low rumbling of her stomach. A wry, watery chuckle escaped her. Of course her body would prioritize its most basic needs, regardless of how emotionally and mentally drained she felt in that moment.

Sniffling, Sophia slowly pushed herself upright, grimacing at the dull throb of pain from her hip and ankle. She grabbed the room service menu from the bedside table and scanned her options with little enthusiasm. Her emotions had left her feeling wrung out and hollow, with no real appetite to speak of. But she knew she needed to try putting something in her stomach.

She settled on a simple sound and sandwich combo. With the order called in, Sophia leaned back against the pillows, idly scrolling through her phone as she waited for her food. Half an hour later, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in!" she called out, expecting the room service attendant.

When the knocking came a second time, Sophia frowned. Grumbling under her breath, she carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed, looking around for her crutches. She really didn't want to put any weight on her injured ankle if possible.

Grabbing her crutches, she hobbled slowly toward the door and pulled it open, a a brusque greeting already forming on her lips. The words died in her throat, however, when she recognized who was actually standing on the other side.

"Elena?" Sophia couldn't keep the surprise from her voice as she stared at the Russian figure skating champion. "What are you doing here?"

Elena gave her a warm but slightly sheepish smile. "Sorry to bother you, Sophia. I just...I saw your fall and wanted to check in, see how you were doing." Her expression turned sympathetic. "That looked like such a awful injury."

She held up a small bakery box. "I also brought some of these ridiculously tasty macarons from that little place down the street. Thought they might provide a small pick-me-up at least? Feeling up for a bit of company?"

Sophia blinked slowly, still trying to process that Elena was at her hotel room door. Part of her wanted to politely ask Elena to go and curl back up alone with her misery. But another part couldn't deny how touched she was that Elena was concerned for her

Before she could think of a response, Elena seemed to read her hesitation. "But if you'd prefer to rest alone, I completely understand," she said easily, no hint of offense in her tone. "I can leave these for you at least?" She gave the bakery box a little shake.

Sophia wavered for a moment longer before finally stepping back, using her crutch to pull the door open wider in invitation. "No, no please come in, Elena. I could use some company, I think.".

"And you didn't have to bring anything. But...I really appreciate it. Thank you."

Relief spread across Elena's features as she stepped over the threshold. "You're sure? I don't want to intrude if you need time to yourself."