Figuring it Out

S I X | B I E L L M A N N

Rosaura sighed. "We did meet, I told you that I'm using the London Knight's practice facility, didn't I?"

Brea shrugged her shoulder, "I wouldn't have guessed. Xavier's usually a private person, he doesn't introduce himself much."

Rosaura snorted but didn't go into the detail that he had been watching her and Val practice for almost two weeks now. Brea also didn't need to know that she occasionally watched Xavier-The London Knights practice as well.

"Do you have to go home so early?" Brea asked with a slight pout.

"Yes, I'm meeting with my partner early in the morning." Rosaura reminded her.

"Fine, but how are you getting home?"

Rosaura shrugged her shoulders. "I'll call an Uber."

Before Rosaura could pick up her phone, Brea had slapped it away. "Never mind that, Xavier will drive you home. He has practice tomorrow, so he wasn't planning on staying over."

Rosaura didn't have anytime to protest before Brea opened the front door and yelled for Xavier. He came minutes later, and she explained the situation.

"That's fine, I'll drop her off." Xavier said twirling the keys in his hands.

Brea nodded with a smug smile before pulling Rosaura in for a close hug. "Call me soon."

Rosaura returned the hug before trailing after Xavier to where his truck was parked. He opened the door for her and she hopped into the vehicle muttering a small thank you. He simply nodded before making his way to the driver's seat. The first five minutes of the card ride were extremely unbearably as neither of them spoke.

Perhaps understanding that Rosaura would not say anything, Xavier turned towards the radio in order to fill the silence. A hockey game began blasting through the radio. Rosaura didn't say anything, but she continued listening to the game. She wasn't a big fan of hockey, but occasionally, Val would take her to a couple of games in Europe where they had been training for the last couple of years. She knew the basic rules, but nothing more advance then that. The true hockey fan was Val-he had wanted to play in the NHL prior to taking up ice dancing.

"Do you always surround yourself with hockey?" Rosaura blurted out, tired of having the hockey game fill the silence.

Xavier looked surprised by her question and he toned down the radio before replying. "Most of the time yes. I like watching the games, so I can visualize my goal and where I want to be. It's a passion of mine, and I enjoy hockey-whether I am watching it or playing it."

"That's weird," Rosaura said softly.

Xavier looked up at her before laughing, "how come?"

"I mean, I love ice dancing, but I never really skate for fun. Sure, me and Val do a couple of laps around the rink for fun but every time I'm on the ice, I feel competitive." Rosaura replied earnestly. It was true, she had never taken any of her school friends ice skating because she didn't want to overshadow them.

Xavier bit the corner of his lip and Rosaura couldn't help herself. "You shouldn't do that, you'll draw blood."

"What?" He replied, evidently confused.

"Bite your lip."

"Yeah, it's a bad habit of mine. But going back to your point, I do see what you mean. I try to be as competitive as I can, obviously I want to win the Stanley Cup with a team but hockey's different. I can't really compete with my teammates. I need to trust them in order to win the game." Xavier explained.

Rosaura looked outside at the night sky. It was usually clear for an late October night but looking at the stars always made her remember her own goals. "For Val and I, it takes a lot of trust between us as well. We need to make sure that we are in unison. Especially since our marks are together and in a way, we can only achieve our dreams together."

"Have you ever thought about becoming a solo figure skater?"

Rosaura shook her head. "There is a magic, a story that is woven through ice dancing. It's evident in singles figure skating but not as strongly as it is in ice dancing. That is where the chemistry and emotions of the partners come into play. Everyone plays a role but with ice dancing, you and your partner need to make the audience believe. It's a different feeling and I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"I can definitely see the magic in what you guys do." Xavier said softly.

Rosaura warmed a little at the praise. It was surprisingly nice to talk to Xavier. He, like her had a goal, something to achieve. Many people didn't understand what drove her and Val, and it was hard to explain that ice dancing was her life. Rosaura couldn't help by tease him, "Don't think I haven't noticed you watching our practices."

To her utter surprise, she saw Xavier's tan skin deepen. He ran a figure through his wavy hair. "I like watching you both skate. It's soothing after a long practice."

Rosaura wanted to say more on the topic, but she could see his fingers tightening on the steering wheel and, so she dropped the subject. "Dreams, they are so difficult to achieve, aren't they?" She said it more to herself, but Xavier heard her as well.

"They are but it is also satisfying when you reach them and show the world you did it."

Rosaura laughed softly. The rest of the car ride was spent in silence, but it was a comfortable silence, only broken by Rosaura giving him directions to her apartment. 

When they arrived at her apartment, she got off and thanked him for the ride. He offered to walk her up to her door, but she refused. "You've done enough Mr. Hotshot, its time for you to go to bed. I'm sure you have practice in the morning."

"Yeah, I do, but it won't take long." He countered, but Rosaura wasn't having it.

"Goodnight Xavier," she said softly before entering the building.

"Night Rose," he said in an equal soft voice.

When Rosaura looked back, he was still standing there, watching her as she made her way into the elevator. She gave him another wave, before smiling softly to herself. Xavier was a pleasant surprise she had not expected this evening, but boy was she glad for him.

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Finally the two main characters have a proper conversation! Please vote and comment if you enjoyed the story it helps me to keep going. In other news, the Winter Olympics have begun! Do you watch any specific events? Comment down below!