To Dream or Not to Dream

Warmth

Authors Note:  it has literally been years since I have updated this story...four... four years. However, because Yuzuru is an amazing human... this continues.  This is a short blurb before more chapters come! Hope you enjoy and leave comments!

———————-

USA

Isabella's hands clenched, unclenched, and then clenched again. She wasn't entirely sure if it was sweat or tears running down her cheeks.

So far, this competition, her first in years, had unfolded precisely as she had hoped it wouldn't.

Terribly.

In this two consecutive day non-qualifying (of course) competition, skaters from all ages and skill sets competed. Some were here with big dreams of becoming senior level skaters, while others were simply here to have fun.  Although Isabella wasn't sure where she fell on that spectrum, there was no doubt she was disappointed in her short program yesterday.

Today, she would skate again for her free.

Isabella could tell that people recognized her from the viral video. Some had even purposely come up to her to say 'hello'. However, after her disastrous short skate yesterday, she was embarrassed for the Cricket Club and hoped no one considered her a representation of their work.

Yesterday, like her coaches had told her countless times, her program was stiff and lacked an emotional component. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad, if she also didn't screw up all of her jumps. 

All of them.

The ice was not her friend yesterday, and unfortunately, the effort she had invested throughout the year had not seemed to have paid off.

This was only a small competition for amateurs, one that many of the TCC skaters had long since outgrown. Yet, to Isabella, who had recently recognized that she had never entirely outgrown her childhood dream, it held immense significance. This event was intended to validate that her efforts were not futile. It was meant to demonstrate that she could achieve something worthwhile.

But, if she couldn't execute on a scale as small as this, how could she ever hope to win in a qualifying competition?  Therefore, how would she ever be able to pursue a national level, or higher? Would she ever actually achieve her dream?  

It didn't seem likely.

Yet, Isabella had to admit that this realization wasn't the sole reason for her being upset.

It was something more.

Isabella knew full well that due to her age, the chance of her being truly competitive was slim and would be nothing short of a small miracle.  But, pursuing this dream meant much more to Isabella than a potential medal.  Her coming back to the ice... was a statement of personal achievement and growth.

It was a reconciliation with her past.

Taking a shaky breath, she pushed herself away from the bathroom mirror she had momentarily lost herself in.  Today marked the second day of the competition, and in a couple of hours, she would be performing her free skate. The very same free skate that, since her last time at the Cricket Club, she struggled to concentrate on, all thanks to the young man with jet-black hair. 

Yuzuru.

Each time she ran through her routine, his 'lessons' on the ice that day played in her mind like a never-ending loop. His presence, his graceful movements, and his words lingered, refusing to fade away. The memory of that morning, and the way he made her feel, continued to dominate her thoughts.

Since leaving Canada for the competition, she hadn't seen him—since the day she discovered her feelings ran deeper than mere respect and friendship. Isabella hoped he hadn't heard about her disastrous skate yesterday.

Just as she pondered this, as if the universe was mocking her, her phone chimed with a notification. Glancing at the screen, she saw his name.

She cringed.

Opening up her messages, she read the words tentatively.

'Heard short skate was very bad. Good luck today. Remember to use your imagination'.

His message, instead of causing Isabella the embarrassment she anticipated upon learning he'd heard about her performance, brought a smile to her face, despite herself.

The text was just so...him, she had to laugh.

In true Yuzuru fashion, he didn't play around when it came to competitive figure skating. His words were right to the point.  Most people probably would have said something cheesy or given a cookie-cutter, give-it-your-all comment that best belonged in some coming of age story. Something like, 'believe in yourself' or 'you'll get 'em next time'.

Not Yuzuru.

Her smile only grew wider when she received a second notification, another message from him.

This time it was an image of him and Javier at the Cricket Club with the words, 'Come home soon'.

The disappointment and disparity that she had been feeling minutes ago was replaced by immense warmth.  For the first time in a week, a sense of contentment washed over her as she studied the picture.

Apparently, regardless of how she skated, she still had a place back in Toronto. The Cricket Club was waiting for her, and so was this man that she could no longer deny was rapidly becoming her home as well.

'Come home soon.'

She couldn't wait to do that.