An Unwavering Love (A Yuri Plisetsky Fanfiction)

Chapter 19: Truth is a Beautiful Thing

[The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore—3 hours before]

Fate had a funny way of slapping you in the face.

Of all the things Yuri did not want to do, finding himself at the exact same place where he broke up with his girlfriend was probably at the top of the list. But there he was, standing with his fellow skaters at the concluding banquet held to celebrate the end of the Singapore Ice Festival.

There were a lot of people in the ballroom—skaters, their coaches, politicians, socialites and other guests of the Khoo family. Compared to the welcome banquet, however, the atmosphere was more relaxed. While the rift between the skaters and the upper-class socialites was still evident, many of them chose to disregard it and enjoy the party. It was their last hurrah in Singapore before going home to continue preparing for the upcoming season.

Viktor was already in his third glass of champagne and waved it in front of Yuuri as a teasing reminder. The skaters around them groaned. No one really wanted to see them do that again, but the grey-haired Russian seemed interested in taking things to a more... secluded setting. Yuri fought the urge to gag at their antics.

The party was already in full swing when the doors suddenly opened. A round of gasps erupted as Ayumi Matsumoto entered the ballroom wearing a collared blue dress that stopped at her knees. Ethan was with her with a hand on her back, and many of the guests eagerly approached them.

Yuri had his eye on Ayumi ever since she came in. She was obviously still in pain after the incident at the rink. Her face was pale and her movements were slow and shaky. Despite this, she politely greeted every person who came up and showered her with pretentious concern. Her grace and manners were still perfectly intact, as though she was not injured at all.

He scowled at the sight of her struggling. If they were still together, he would have kept his arm around her and never left her side. He would have dragged her home early and forced her to rest. He would have brought her to bed and imprisoned her in his embrace, eventually lulling her asleep.

But no, they were not together anymore. He had to stop worrying about her.

Ethan came over after talking to an old man and prodded her. He seemed really worried about her well-being, but Ayumi repeatedly assured him she was fine. The guy even tried to bring her some food to eat for sustenance. She barely touched them—she was just as stubborn as she always was.

What is she doing?! He thought as she leaned on a pillar and closed her eyes. She really doesn't know how to look after herself, does she? Her mom was right, she does need someone to keep an eye on her.

But he couldn't fulfill her mother's request anymore. Someone else was doing that for him. He noticed the way Ethan constantly looked at her even when he was busy working the room. His expression was filled with worry, but there was something else. Agony? Regret? Pity? Yuri couldn't place it. It struck him that it really was no longer his place to care for her. She chose someone else, and there was nothing he could do about that.

"You're still jealous, you know?" Otabek said as he approached him holding a glass of champagne.

He glared at his friend. "Shut up, Beka. I'm not jealous."

"Deny it all you want Yuri, but you know it's true. It's written all over your face."

Yuri hated it when Otabek was right. In his defense, however, it has barely been two weeks, and it was not like Ayumi was merely a girl he fooled around with. There were two years of friendship between them—everything they went through in those years would not just fade away. They were each other's anchor, and he loved her. Heck, he still loves her even after everything that happened. However, that does not change the fact that she did not want him anymore.

"What if I am?" he retorted. "Who cares? She betrayed me. Whatever I feel for her won't excuse that."

"I didn't say it had to. But you could spare yourself the trouble of pretending she doesn't matter to you anymore. Did you see your face when she was screeching in pain earlier? I honestly thought you two would get back together right there and then."

He did not anything and merely huffed in response. Otabek smirked and continued drinking his champagne.

"Excuse me, may I have everyone's attention please?"

They all turned to the stage and saw Madame Khoo standing in front of the microphone. "I'd like to propose a toast—in celebration for yet another milestone for the Khoo Foundation!"

Glasses raised in the air and the room was filled with cheers and laughter. After that, she continued to speak. "As the co-chair of the foundation and a proud mother, I'd like to invite the overall head of this project to come up and say a few words: my son Ethan!"

Applause thundered as the teenage bachelor went up the stage. Ayumi smiled through her fatigue and clapped, and Yuri realized that the reason she forced herself to attend the event was to support him.

She really did love that guy.

"Thank you, mom. I'd like to thank everyone who has lent their unwavering support to make this fundraiser a success. I'd like to first extend my gratitude to the skaters who made time from their busy schedules to participate in this event. I'd also like to thank all our sponsors and benefactors. Without you, this show would not have materialized. We at the Khoo Foundation are grateful to all of you."

Ethan was clearly a well-educated and eloquent teenage boy who knew how to command the attention of a room. He was a born leader. Yuri's mood darkened even more.

The bastard really is fit for Ayumi. He complements her in a way I never can.

"Through this project, I realized the importance of hard work and perseverance in achieving a goal. I also realized the importance of love, and how being true to oneself makes one a better person. With that said, I'd like to thank the person who taught me these things... Yumi?"

All eyes were now on the girl whose face was utterly confused. "Would you come up and join me?"

Yuri watched as Ayumi took a breath and walked unsteadily until she was on the stage.

"What are you doing?" she mouthed at Ethan.

He simply took her hand. "This girl has been such a valuable person in my life. She is a beautiful person inside and out, and I cannot thank her enough for giving me the courage to face my fears. And in that spirit..."

Ayumi's eyes were wide when the boy looked at her. "... I have an important announcement to make."

"Ethan..."

Yuri's eyes were shut tight. He could feel the apprehensive looks of his fellow skaters as they waited for the next words to come. He wanted to leave—he did not think he could handle seeing Ayumi promised to someone else. She was only a teenager, yet her status did not make the idea impossible. He turned his head away and was about to take a step towards the door when Ethan said something that shocked not just him, but everyone else in the room:

"Ayumi Matsumoto and I are not dating."