“Yasru are you okay there,” Javier said addressing Yas.
The Japanese figure skater looked up at the Spaniard with bleary eyes. He’d been trying to nap but his training mate was unwilling to leave to him alone, as he seemed to believe that Yas would feel better if he talked it out with him. It’s not as though Javier’s some kind of therapist and it’s not like there’s anything Yas needs to get out of his system. “I’m fine,” Yas grumbled annoyed.
“I’ve trained with you for over 5 years now Yasru. If anyone knows when something is wrong with you it would be me,” Javier said from where he sat on a chair close to the sofa that Yas was lying on.
Yasru frowned, “Nothing since Pyeongchang has made sense to me. It was supposed to be amazing and I won the gold but I’m not sure—something is missing.”
“I get what you mean. I still can’t believe that it was only a few months ago. It feels like years ago and you’re right in that it was oddly anti-climatic.” Javier agreed but that wasn’t what Yas meant exactly.
“I guess. I didn’t expect anything from the games. Part of me feels like I might just wake up and have to do it all over again.” Yas said trying to put his finger on the odd bittersweet feeling that he was feeling and work out his confusion.
Javier laughed, “You are going to have to do it again in 4 years. There’s a reason that I’m retiring—I’m too old to do it again.”
“Bejing,” Yas said laughing. He had scarcely even though about the next Olympics coming up except to try to work out whether he would be the first man to win three back-to-back Olympic gold medals. “I can’t even think that so far ahead anymore. There’s so much that I can’t predict within this sport like my ankle or Eve’s foot injury which lost her the Olympic gold medal.”
“It’s been a crazy season,” Javier acknowledged. “Why do you mention Evgenia?”
Yas bristled slightly confused by the question, “She lost the most from her injury—I was still able to win the gold but she wasn’t.”
“You guys are friends right,” Javier said in his peculiar measured way that Yas had grown used to over the years. “She’ll be your training partner next year right.”
“I’m willing for her to be but I’m not sure about whether Eve would be,” Yas said slightly unsure about the correct answer that Javier was aiming for. Javier had a tendency to offer Yasru loaded questions to which he would feel it was impossible to find a correct answer.
Javier fixed his eyes on Yas hard but yet incredibly in control and measured, “Why do you say that? I thought you two were friends?”
“I thought so too but I’m not sure anymore. She’s been avoiding me since the start of tour and has been hanging out with everyone except me.” Yas grumbled needing to let it off his chest a little.
“And by everyone you mean…” Javier said raising an eyebrow as he attempted to lead Yasru to the point that he was making.
Yas frowned. How did Javier always know exactly what questions to ask to get to the root of whatever was on his mind. “Chen especially,” Yas admitted reluctantly. He didn’t understand what Javier was getting at.
“The six quad maestro,” Javier commented and Yas nodded glumly. “You can say what you like but Eve has taste.”
“It’s clearly declining,” Yas said frowning. He was nothing like Chen. The boy might have beaten him once or twice but it wasn’t truly a comparison between him and the American.
“Savage,” a voice said from the corner and when Yas turned around he saw Scott in the doorway where he had been standing for god knows how long. “Anyways Tessa wants everyone on the rink in 10 minutes so get ready.
…
“What are you doing,” Eve asked smacking Nathan’s hands away from her beverage of choice—hot chocolate. Eve would never turn down chocolate in any form but that also meant in turn that she would defend her chocolate fiercely.
Nathan smiled at Eve winningly, “Do you trust me?”
“Can I say no?” Eve quipped back smirking at the American skater. In the last few days Nathan and Eve had been hanging out a bit and whilst at first she’d only been doing it as part of the plan after a short amount of time she found that she enjoyed his friendship and their relaxed banter back and forth. Even when she hung out with Yas a lot they’d had a very different friendship, which was quieter and subtler though they’d had their share of laughs.
Nathan tilted his head slightly to the side as though he was thinking before shaking his head, “Nope. Pass the hot chocolate Eve.”
“But it’s mine,” Eve said holding her hot chocolate tight between her palms. “What are you going to do with it.”
“Elevate it to the next level of hot chocolate,” Nathan said with a completely dead pan expression and Eve laughing slide her hot chocolate across the table. Nathan having caught her mug rose to his feet and started walking off with her hot chocolate.
Eve sprung to her feet and followed her hot chocolate, which was imprisoned in Nathan’s grasp, “Where are we going.”
“Somewhere,” Nathan said cryptically before taking several turns one after another. Eve tried to imagine the path that Nathan was taking in her head and work out where exactly Nathan would be leading her. “Keep up,” Nathan said stepping his speed up a bit and Eve sped up her stride until she was moving at a slight jog.
“That’s not every useful,” Eve said complaining at the useless pieces of information that he was giving her. She looked around finally starting to recognise where they were going. She’d been down this corridor once before with Wakaba. “Isn’t this the way to Shoma’s room.”
Nathan laughed raising an eyebrow, “Do I want to know why you know where Shoma’s room is. Besides the boys rooms are all together I’m two doors down from Shoma, one door up from Javier and opposite to Hanyu’s.”
“I was with Wakaba we had to wake him up,” Eve protested half-heartedly. “Wait so we are going to your room? This is rather forward of you Mr Chen.”
“Well I can assure you my intentions are thoughly honourable Tsarina.” Nathan jibed back linking his free arm with Eve’s.
Eve laughed before her face fell slightly at hearing her old nickname from her fans, “No one’s called me that..” Her voice trailed off weakly as though she was unwilling to give voice to her thoughts.
“Since the Olympics,” Nathan finished sympathetically but Eve could see in his face something that made her feel that he was in a similar position to her. He was America’s golden boy after all and winning at worlds was only a small consolidation for the American public after his disastrous skate at the Olympics.
Eve leant her head on Nathan’s shoulder, “Yep.” They walked like that slightly uncomfortable for a few minutes before she tilted her head to look up at Nathan. “Can I have my hot chocolate back.”
“No,” Nathan said yanking the mug away from Eve’s outstretched hand. “Besides we’re at my room so I can show you what I was coming here for.”
“But my hot chocolate is going to be cold,” Eve whined watching whilst Nathan pulled out his key card and unlocked the door to his room. “This better be worth it.”
“Believe me it will,” Nathan joked before twisting the door handle and letting the pair of them into the room.
He set the mug down on the table and Eve was tempted to grab it but she decided to have trust in Nathan even if her love of chocolate normally superseded mortal bonds. He busied around in his pack for thirty seconds pulling out random oddments of clothes that he scattered around the room. It was already a mess enough and Eve, who was normally more relaxed about mess than Alina who would scrub their room clean if she could, was getting stressed out by the cluttered surroundings.
“I found it,” Nathan said triumphantly before spinning round holding a bottle with a brown sauce in it and what looked to be a packet of marshmallows. His hair was dishevelled and all over the place as though he had been through some intense experience instead of just rifling through his rucksack. “Pass me the hot chocolate.”
Eve looked at him appraisingly for a seconds before passing him the mug dubiously, “What are you doing”
“Wait so you actually have never had hot chocolate with marshmallows,” Nathan asked confused now. “I thought you were just not sure where we were going. Well prepare to be amazed.”
“You’re defiling my cold hot chocolate with marshmallows,” Eve asked teasingly.
“Maybe,” Nathan said not meeting Eve’s eyes as he busied himself with the hot chocolate. He squirted a layer of the brown substance into her mug before dropping the marshmallows into the mug with a flourish before handing it to her.
Eve sniffed it dubiously, “This better be worth it.” She sipped the drink slowly tasting the slightly salty edge of what must have been salted caramel that he had added in combination with the sweetness of the marshmallow and the richness of the chocolate. She looked up slightly in shock, “This is really good—even if it’s a bit lukewarm.”
“I carry my secret ingredients everywhere I go. I have mastered the art of making hot chocolate as it’s my favourite snack for after the cold of skating.” Nathan said laughing leaning back against his chest of drawers. “So you like it? Normally it would still be piping hot but circumstances” he asked tentatively but slightly nervous.
“Yes you were right and I was wrong,” Eve said rolling her eyes. “It’s almost as sugary and unhealthy as you.”
Nathan gave her a crooked smile, “Should I be offended by that.”
“I mean it in all the best ways,” Eve said smiling as she sipped her hot chocolate slowly savouring the amazing taste.
“Good,” Nathan said watching Eve carefully and she averted her eyes staring downwards into the swirling whirls of the drink.
“Nathan man you in there,” A voice said from the door that Eve identified as Scott’s. “Your door is open.”
Nathan glanced at Eve in surprise before heading towards the door around the corner where Eve assumed that Scott was standing. “Yeah mate what is it?”
“Group rehearsal. Tessa sent me to get the guys she’s getting the girls together.”
“Sure we’re coming,” Nathan said glancing back towards Eve who was frozen in the middle of his room sipping at her hot drink. Eve rolled her eyes and sighed before snapping into action and following Nathan to the door.
“We,” She heard a voice that she recognised by its lilting Spanish accent say just as she rounded the corner.
It hadn’t been just Scott like she had presumed but Javier who’s voice she had just recognised and Yas who up till then had been silent. “Hey,” she said self-consciously from her place by Nathan’s side clutching the handle of her mug as tightly as she could.
“We have training,” Javier mustered whilst Scott and Yas seemed flabbergasted in the face of Eve emerging from Nathan’s bedroom. It hadn’t been planned and their conversation had happened spontaneously but it clearly wasn’t a bad thing if Yas happened to see it Eve thought to herself feeling slightly guilty.
“Perfect we’re just coming,” Nathan said trying to alleviate the tension that had settled around the small group.
Eve forced herself to laugh at what Nathan was saying as though it was funny, “Well I guess I’m not going to be able to enjoy my hot chocolate then.” She gulped down the hot chocolate letting it scald her throat and mouth to give her an excuse not to look at Yas who had been staring at her every second since she had emerged from Nathan’s room and if Eve dared to name the emotion that she could see on his face it’d be anger.
…
“Is everyone present?” Tessa asked from where she stood at the front of the assembled group. Eve had quickly hopped over from where she had been standing awkwardly between Nathan and Yas to stand with her girls on the other side of the group.
There were a series of chimes of agreement from throughout the crowd in response to Tessa’s question as people looked around to see if they could work out whoever was missing. “Shoma’s not here,” Satoko pointed out after a moment or two.
“Is everyone whose not asleep present,” Scott repeated from beside Tessa. The way he stood made him look like some kind of mob enforcer to the king pin that was Tessa. “If so we’re announcing the small groups for the tour. These are subject to change as the tour continues and you will have to come up with the choreo and music yourself so you will only be allocated one in addition to your solo routines and exhibitions.”
Eve heard the skaters around her whisper in excitement and even confusion. Small groups weren’t exactly a new thing in skating shows but normally they didn’t have to do the choreo and music themselves and instead professionals would be brought in. “
Anyway,” Tessa said raising her voice above the din and casting a disgruntled look at Scott as Eve guessed he’d broken from the protocol. “These are the groups and they are non negotiable unless we have solid reasoning as to why a partnership should not work: Kaetlyn, Wakaba, Gabby and I will have a quartet; Alina and Satoko will perform a duet; Boyang, Shoma and Nathan will perform together whilst the resident veterans Scott, Javier and Patrick will do a trio.”
She paused for a moment and Eve looked around trying to work out who else hadn’t been called until she looked at Tessa and her trademark devious smile and suddenly it made sense. “Finally Eve will be paired with Yas after all the demands for them to perform a duet together last year.”
There was a clamour of noise once Tessa had stopped speaking and Eve could distinctly hear Javier complaining to Patrick about being labelled as a veteran and that he could most certainly keep up with the young uns. Eve stood still letting everyone talk around her and the sound wash over her. She was instead just watching Yasru. He was standing looking at Tessa and Scott who were walking off towards the residential section of the hotel with an expression she could only describe as being triumphant.