Love Me Not

Chapter 2

Eve woke up the next morning with a splitting headache that in addition to the gaps in her memory meant that Eve was almost confident that she had drunken significantly more than she should of. Propping herself on her elbows she squinted across the room at Alina who was awake and already dressed for the day, “What happened last night.”

“You got wasted Zhenchka,” the younger girl chided fixing Eve with a mildly reproachful gaze. She was folding her crumpled clothes up from last night and Eve was almost 100% certain that despite Alina’s polished demeanour this morning she had most likely slept in that same garment. 

Eve laughed pulling herself up into a sitting position, “I realised that Lina but what did I do. I only remember fragments of last night and nothing that I remember really fits together.”

Alina laughed before setting down her folded clothes and perching on the end of Eve’s bed, “So what do you remember.”

…

Equipped with hazy knowledge of the night before Eve positively marched into the breakfast hall fuming. She was such an i***t last night why did she drink so much and loose control of herself. She’d completely humiliated herself last night with Yas who clearly thought she was just a silly child and furthermore knowing Wakaba and Kaetlyn, in particular Eve would be tied to their stupid plan of making Yas jealous. 

Alina hadn’t been able to give Eve all of the details however because she had fallen asleep halfway through the meeting the night before so Eve needed to hunt down Satoko as the only one of the girls who had been there who could actually be relied upon to tell Eve the full story and not twist it in attempt to play a prank on her. 

“Satoko,” Eve hissed sidling into the queue behind the shorter girl. “What was talked about last night.”

“Not much apart from you trying to give Patrick a lap dance,” Gabby said turning around from where she was ladling porridge into a bowel for her breakfast.

Eve blanched terrified for a second. She’d really messed it up now what was she going to say what would everyone think of her, “Alina didn’t mention that to me this morning.” 

“She was asleep by then,” Gabby said shrugging nonchalantly before stepping out of the queue and heading towards the table where Kaetlyn and Tessa were already sitting. 

Eve paused stupefied as Satoko moved forwards to the breakfast bar. “That didn’t happen did it,” She asked hurrying after the petit Japanese girl desperate for there to have been a miscommunication. 

Satoko gave her a quizzical look as she poured herself a glass of milk, “This is Gabby we’re talking about.” With those words she walked off to where the other girls were sitting.

Eve stewed as she aggressively spread nutella across some toast. It wasn’t Eteri approved but it was the off-season so she didn't really care about what her ex-coach would say. She thought for a second about the Japanese girl's statement before realising what she was getting at. Gabby had clearly been playing a trick on her. 

Her confusion now changed into anger Eve strode over to the table to where Gabby was sitting only now noticing that the entire group was sniggering into their hands before slamming her meal onto the table beside Gabby. “Excuse me Miss Daleman,” she asked sitting herself down next to the Canadian. “Thanks a lot.”

“Your face was funny,” Gabby protested tossing her ponytail behind one shoulder. “You were actually terrified for a good few seconds.”

Eve looked around still irritated at the other girls around the table who were all succeeding with various success at concealing their laughter before breaking out into laughter. “You got me good Gabs I’ll give you that.’

Gabby and Kaetlyn fist bumped across the table and the entire table erupted back into laughter Eve joining in more than willingly.

“Do I still need to do this crazy plan to make Yas jealous though if I do not remember it,” Eve complained as soon as the laughter subsiding hoping that she would be able to get out of doing this stupid plan. 

No one responded and instead just stared at a spot six inches above Eve’s head with slight expressions of dread. Eve squinted at the other girls around her confused until Tessa made a small hand gesture towards Eve prompting her to turn in her seat to look behind her.

Yas was standing behind her looking down his expression almost completely indecipherable. Eve shrunk into her seat away from his gaze hoping against hope that he hadn’t heard what she had just said to the other girls. “Can I talk to you Evgenia,” He asked finally his tone incredibly cold.

Feeling somewhat as though she was heading to her execution Eve stood up slowly and followed Yas to the side of the dining hall away from the other skaters. She glanced back to see Wakaba flashing her a pair of thumb’s up and Alina smiling at her encouragingly. 

“I need to talk to you about last night,” Yas said his voice stilted and he looked almost disgusted in Eve.

Eve ran her hands through the ends of her hair, “I guessed so. Just warning I don’t remember most of last night and my timeline is a bit messed up.”

Yasru paused now slightly confused about the entire situation as it hadn’t gone exactly as he had planned it to go. He was a notorious perfectionist and he disliked it when things didn’t go his way. “But you remember the balcony don’t you?” he asked his eyes deadly earnest.

Eve looked down unable to meet his eyes. She remembered those ten minutes completely clearly—the only part of that night before her bedroom that was in focus. He had been so different then and he was calm and relaxed with her whilst now he was completely uptight and hard. “What happened on the balcony?” she lied feeling slightly sick in her stomach.

Yas brushed his hand through his hair now completely shaken up and confused about what Eve had just said. “You don’t remember anything?”

Eve shook her head slowly as though she was forced to, “It was cold out here but not much else. Did something happen.” 

Her voice sounded overly surprised to Eve’s own ears and completely fake but Yas seemingly bought it and if she identified his expression correctly he was relieved. “Thank god,” he said with a heavy exhale running his hand through his hair again. “Nothing happened it was just a silly mistake don’t worry. I think you’d drunk too much. It’s much better that you don’t remember it obviously. It’s really boring looking back on it—“ 

“You done?” Eve said her voice cold as she interrupted Yas in mid-spiel. “I need to get back to the others and to finish my breakfast.” She turned on one heel and hurried back to the other girls. It was a mistake she knew that last night but did Yas have to act so relieved that she didn’t remember. Didn’t she have a right to her non-forgotten memories and wouldn’t he think that it was important for her to know. They were supposed to be friends.

Eve sat down quickly in her seat once she arrived at the table and shoved a massive bite of her Nutella toast into her mouth and chewed it insolently whilst the others all stared at her slightly shell-shocked. She glanced back finally to see Yas still leaning against the wall he had brought her aside to and with an expression that she couldn’t pin down on his face. 

She swallowed hard before switching her gaze back from Yas to the other girl and she lifted her chin slightly as though to assert herself into the conversation, “So who do you think I should go for first.”