Playing with Fire | Yuzuru Hanyu

55. Jealously & Gold

For the days that followed and unlike everything that Aria expected, she found herself attending every practice session with happiness.

Every single opportunity to watch him skate was now worth every sacrifice and she would take them with open arms.

Her relationship with Saya also seemed to be improving with each day that passed. Yuzuru's sister was her companion in every session, every little stroll she took without him and to be quite honest, in the moments that she shared with the other woman, it was easy to forget how much she missed him and wished for his presence by her side.

On the day of the free program, Yuzu woke up quite early, getting up from bed and dutifully packing every single thing he would need for the performance. She watched him from the bed, a clear sated look on her face and a curious expression gracing her face as she watched him carefully place the glittery costume in its own dedicated bag.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked her with a mirroring expression.

"Can't I smile as I watch you?"

"You can, of course. I was just wondering why."

"I find it fascinating to watch you so focused, that's all. The costume is very pretty too."

"I'll let my designer know that you approve" he joked right away, making her think that there was another woman who constantly touched him other than her. It was inevitable that a frown settled on her face.

"Hum..."

"What's up with you now? You turned all mad suddenly."

"This costume designer... she's a woman, yes?"

Yuzuru raised his brow at her, a wondering expression on his face.

"Yes... why?"

"And I bet she gets all close and personal when you're doing fittings..."

Yuzuru couldn't help but laugh at her jealous act. For all of Aria's confidence, it was nice to see that she worried about these things as well, even if she had no reason to.

"Yeah, I let her touch all she wants." Yuzuru added more fire to the trouble topic, enjoying every single reaction he was eliciting from the beautiful woman.

Aria was quick to kick him in the leg, not even bothering to worry about the possibility of injuring him when he was being such a brat.

"Keep that going and don't even bother asking me for anything. I'll redirect you to your costume designer."

It was with another chuckle that he kissed her lips lovingly. "As if I would ever need anyone else when you're in my life."

When messing with him didn't seem to work, Aria just fully embraced the reality of having him close, all hers to have and not share.

🔥

Being in the arena on the day of the free program turned out to be something that Aria would be incredibly proud of being able to say.

Not only did her boyfriend look pretty and handsome in the gradient from green to blue of his beautifully made costume but he also decided to make history right in front of her eyes.

It almost felt amazing to be so jealous on that morning because he just decided to show her and everyone watching that Yuzuru Hanyu was still at the very top and that he was there to stay.

Maybe it was the fact that Aria knew nothing about the sport itself but the reality was that she never expected him to go out there and steal first place with such an ease that it felt unreal.

At least it looked easy from where she was standing, the truth was that it was probably anything but that.

Still, just watching her man smile widely as he received his gold-colored medal was worth every sacrifice from the trip. She never thought she would see him break records that astonished even his coaches, she never thought how crazy the reaction around her would be.

But that was just the thing about the man she loved, he was completely and utterly unpredictable and in most cases, it was an absolute joy to see and experience.

Saya was over the moon as well and it was so easy to just smile and enjoy the moment.

Never in a million years was she expecting all of this when she woke up and teased him in the morning.

Maybe this was yet another chance to remind herself that this man, unlike most of the people that she came across during her life, never gave up.

🔥

When Yuzu told her that he wanted her to be by his side at the banquet after the gala, Aria didn't know what to expect. The truth was that this was the gold medalist and everyone's attention would be on him.

Was it wise to just go and pretend like everyone wouldn't be looking at her weirdly?

His reassurance about the whole thing seemed to be enough. Apparently, the whole event was just for the skaters and members of the federation, meaning that no one from the media or fans would be able to know what happened there.

This, of course, if everyone valued privacy...

Getting dressed in the one decent dress she brought to Helsinki and marveling at her handsome boyfriend wearing a suit, Aria didn't feel ready at all for the evening that awaited them.

Yuzuru, on the other side, seemed excited.

"I want to introduce you to a few people."

She wasn't so sure about it all. The true reality of their relationship dawned on her.

But well, she had said on more than one occasion that she was fully into this adventure that was dating him so if it meant attending these things, she would just have to deal with it and make him happy.

If anything, it meant that he didn't want to hide her from his peers.

What neither of them expected was for Aria to finally have her awaited confrontation.