Playing with Fire | Yuzuru Hanyu

46. Quiet

Through the course of the following hours, Aria had the opportunity to get to know Saya a lot better than she expected.

She wasn't even sure what the plan had been but from the moment they were in the car, they seemed to connect in ways that Aria hadn't felt in a long time with any other woman.

Saya was easy to talk to and didn't seem judgmental as Aria slowly took the whole new reality in front of her eyes. Certainly, the other woman seemed to understand the weight of her brother's fame in the lives of others surrounding him.

They found conversation easily and slowly drifted from any conversation related to him. It was easy to just fall into conversation about the most pointless of girly things like makeup and romantic comedies that they were both into.

Even after arriving in the hotel room, Aria's bags were just discarded in a corner as they kept the conversation flowing so naturally.

She even started to wonder if this was what friends should be like. People you could easily talk to without judgment or fear. Maybe it was still the heavyweight of her previous career but Aria had never really been able to make a connection like she was making with Saya and it felt so good that she didn't want to let it go.

Thinking of how easily her friendship with her best friend had vanished from the moment she changed careers should have probably been enough to tell that it wasn't that strong of a connection in the first place.

They both lost count of the hours they spent talking, only being interrupted by the sound of the hotel door opening and revealing a confused Yuzuru.

"You're still here?" he asked Saya right away.

"Well, your girlfriend is pretty cool and I was enjoying talking with her." she said with a hint of a smirk on her lips, almost as if in an attempt to piss him off.

The effect, however, seemed different, only bringing a big grin to his face.

"I'm glad! It's good that you made each other some company. Everything was ok at the airport?"

"Yeah, no media in sight."

"Good, let's keep it that way. I have your tickets, you don't mind going with Aria, right?"

"No... I told you I would help..."

"First practice is tomorrow at 9."

Saya seemed to note the dismissal so easily that it surprised Aria. The siblings seemed closer than she expected given that they lived so far away from one another. Connections were easy to disappear.

Just as fast as Yuzuru had appeared, his sister was vanishing from the room, waving her goodbyes and gently teasing him with a small "have fun" comment that made Aria giggle like a madwoman.

As soon as the door closed, she felt two strong arms envelop her in a tight hug.

"Are you alright?" he asked right away, the tone of his voice noticeably different from what he had just used with his sister. She would have never caught on to it if it wasn't for the sudden change.

"Yeah, it was all fine for me. You were the one dealing with all of that craziness and flashes. I would probably just have a seizure if I was in your place."

Yuzuru's shoulders seemed to relax as she said that in a joking manner, finally understanding that she was fine, unharmed, and not scared about the events of the day.

"Are you sure it wasn't too much?"

"I just landed, left the plane and got taken to a hotel. It was fine for me, really. Didn't feel any different from other airport arrivals in my life."

That seemed to be enough to reassure him as he finally kissed her lips for the first time in hours.

The sweetness of his embrace wasn't lost on her. Yuzuru always made her feel at home, no matter where they were.

"I'm so scared of losing you because of who I am."

His honesty surprised her. Yuzuru wasn't the type to talk about his fears so openly and she always thought it was connected with him being an athlete who didn't want to expose his vulnerabilities to his competitors.

"I'm not going anywhere, Hanyu-san. You will need a whole lot more to scare me away."

The confidence in her voice only seemed to make him happier, kissing her again with a desperation that she never expected while he was preparing for such a big competition.

"I want you." he said as openly as she had grown to know him in need of her.

"I think you should be saving your energy." she joked right away in between his irresistible kisses. Aria knew that she wasn't going to resist him for long but it was always fun to tease him a bit and bring a little bit of that despair that made him so hot.

"Thankfully, I still have a few days until the competition starts and I did promise to have you in my bed." 

Yuzuru exuded sexiness with his confident tone. It was so easy to forgo the fact that he could be like this when he was usually so cute and adorable outside of the bedroom that it shocked her every time.

He picked her up, not taking no for an answer, making Aria giggle like a schoolgirl.

"Yuzu!"

"Don't scream too loud, pretty girl, the walls are thin and we don't want anyone too interested in us. I kind of prefer if we keep your presence a secret."

Her eyes widened with the realization that well, this wasn't her condo and they weren't surrounded by her almost deaf, old neighbors. The last thing she wanted was to get him in trouble.

"Oh hell no! I will get you in trouble."

"Aria..."

"No way, I can't relax knowing someone might be able to hear us!"

"You just have to be quiet."

That was definitely easier said than done.