Hana

I Can't Wait

Meg

Since the first day I went inside the rink, I have been going to the rink after school to wait for Yuzu. Sometimes I can't make it because I have a lot to catch up in the new school, but I'll either tell Yuzu before in person or I'll ask Nam to pass my message. After several days, I guess most of the people know me already and some of them even greeted me kindly before. But today, I don't really have a reason to go to the club because Yuzu was out for his first Grand Prix in Shanghai this season. I did not go to the airport to say good bye, instead, I came to the rink before he left yesterday. It was in the dawn when the crew left, and the morning in October in Canada is already freezing for me. I wore my thick jacket and wrapped my neck with my fluffy scarf to keep myself very warm. I still remember distinctly what our conversation was:
"Good luck, Yuzu." I said before he opened the door of the van.
"Thanks, Meg." He smiled normally. My instinct told me that he was expecting something more of a sweet goodbye.
"Don't forget to stay happy and healthy." I added. "Sleep early and keep yourself warm." I sounded like his mom, and although I know he will be absolutely fine with his physician, Orser, and his mom beside him, I still wanted to let him know that I cared about him.
"Yes, I know, and I will." He said patiently. "See you in a week." Yuzu said and slid open the door of the van.
"Bye..." I waved my hand at him.
Orser smiled at me and he went into the van first, then Yuzu's physician, Yuzu's mom, and lastly, Yuzu went inside the van. I was the only person who stood outside the van at that time and I felt kinda lonely. The distance between Yuzu and me was just a foot or so but it felt as if we were already parted by the Pacific Ocean.
I didn't know how my face looked like before Yuzu closed the door, but he stopped closing the door for a moment.
"I'll be alright, Meg. I'll do my best to prove myself as the champion."
I guessed he meant the gold medalist in the Olympics.
"Not just for the gold medalist of the Olympics, but also for my pride of my sport." He assured with me his goal of this competition with the most determined voice. I looked into his eyes and found a hint of fatigue. I hoped that he was not having trouble with stress, but I don't want to ask him now. My question might caused him more doubt.
"Okay." I said. "I'll wait. Plus, it's just a week."
"I'll text you when I get -." Yuzu replied.
"No, Don't!" I quickly cut his sentence short. His expression changed almost immediately from my words.
"Don't text me, you should stay focused. Don't care about me, I'll be fine and I'll watch your skate through my computer. Just focus on your skating." I explained. "I'll be fine." I gave him a smile, but I don't know if that smile was an assuring or not.
"I understand. I'll come back in a week. Goodbye, Megumi." Yuzu smiled at me once again and closed the door. The driver started the engine and off it went. Away from me.
It's only a week. Just a week.

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Yuzuru

I look out the window of the airplane as we just wait in the plane. I replay the conversation with Meg before I closed the door again in my head. I'm ruminating about how not to think about her during the competition. This is so unlike me, thinking about a girl during competition, that I'm starting to get afraid of falling into an irrational love imagination.
Just as I'm pondering, Mom hands me a mask to keep the air I breathe in warm. I do not want asthma for competitions.
"Thanks, Mom." I say as I put on my mask.
"Yuzu, I think what the girl said is right." She says calmly, looking the back of the seat in her front. "You should stay focused, no matter using what method."
I don't know how Mom knows what I'm thinking but I try to hind my surprise. I do not make a sound so Mom goes on.
"I can see the difference in your eyes." She turns to me. "You like her, don't you."
I blush immediately.
"Umm... Mom...." I swallow my saliva.
Mom chuckles brightly and she turns her body at me. "Even though you're always a strong boy, but there are more gentleness and happiness in your eyes now. Before, you almost only cared about skating, but now she's in your mind as well." She shifts a little to turn more to face me. "When did you meet her? You don't look like you know her only when she went in the rink weeks ago."
Mom, as sharp as always, knows everything about me.
"This April, when I visited Waseda."
"She's a university student?"
"No, she's in high school. She was there because her sister is a student there."
"I see. Then?"
"Accidentally, she was at the ice show that night as well. And accidentally, I gave her my phone number and we added each other in Line" I skip intentionally the details because won't it be weird to tell Mom everything about what happened between Meg and me?
"Everything happened accidentally. Well, I like her." Mom says in her gentle voice. Mom's voice is the subtlest and coziest voice for me, and hearing that Mom likes Meg gets me excited.
"Really? You do?"
"Yea. She looks sweet and very considerate. I can see that she loves you a lot but at the same time, she's letting you to have some space. She made a brilliant move to tell you not to think about her while you're on a competition. That's pretty hard for a girl who is in love to say that. I guess she must have say that sentence with a lot of courage. That's why I like her."
"Thanks, Mom." I say sheepishly.
"For what?" She asks.
"For liking Meg." I answer. "I think she'll be very happy to know that you like her as well. She said that you are a great woman when we ate dinner together one night, and she admires you a lot."
"Admire Me? Why?" Mom looks at me with her eyebrows high jumping high above her eyes.
"Meg says that you did a lot for me and she likes the water bottle bag you made for me every season." I explain with excitement. I want to let Mom know more how nice and adorable Meg is. "She was so excited when she told me."
"Meg is a lovely girl." Mom smiles.
"Isn't she." I say the words in a satisfied voice. But the satisfaction does not last long as Mom continues to ask a question.
"How about you?" Mom inquires.
I do not know how to answer her question of 3 words. How complicated is this 3 WORDS! There are only THREE WORDS and I can't answer it. I pause for a while.