An Unexpected Love (A Yuri Plisetsky Fanfiction)

Chapter 38: Barcelona

Ayu: Sorry Yura. Can't reply for the next few days. I'll just see you at the Final, okay? (12/01, 10:00am)

It was an early December afternoon, and Yuri found himself at the Gothic Quarters in Barcelona. The public practice ended not too long ago, and he decided to take a walk around the city to think.

He read the last text Ayumi sent him and sighed. It has been a week since that message, and he has not heard from her since then.

As soon as Yakov's team arrived at the city, it became apparent why the girl was rushed to Spain. Ayumi was all over the news. It turns out the partnership of the Matsumoto Corporation and Telefonica Group was a high-profile merger of their subsidiary companies, and Ayumi was to oversee the entire process. The deal has been months in the making, and that December was when it was finally going to push through.

The press followed Ayumi on pretty much every event and meeting she had to attend since arriving at Barcelona. Being featured in Forbes' 30 under 30 list made her well-known in Europe as the future of the telecommunications industry. With all that and being a figure skater to boot, many people watched the girl's every move.

Just as Yuri expected, the girl has been absent in all the practice sessions so far. She has also been unable to respond to any calls or messages from Yakov or the event organizers. They have been assured by Kamoshita, however, that she was going to be available during the week of the Grand Prix.

Yuri did not miss the pale look of her face in all the press photos, though. How is she even holding up?

"Yuratchka!!! Where are you???"

The boy panicked at the sound of girls screaming his name. He knew perfectly well who they were and immediately broke off in a run. He found himself hiding in a dark alley, hoping for a chance of escape.

"I can smell Yuratchka! It's coming from over there!" "Oh, this hair is Yuratchka's!"

Crap! How do I get myself out of this?

He was surprised to hear a motorbike roar beside him. He turned to look, and there was Otabek Altin from Kazakhstan, one of his fellow competitors for the final.

"Yuri! Get on!"

"Huh? Why would you—" Yuri started, confused.

The screams got even louder, and Otabek tossed him a helmet. "Are you coming or not?"

He looked back at the fangirls who've already spotted them, screaming at the top of their lungs. He really did not have to think twice.

------

The two men found themselves at Park Güell and climbed up the Doric Temple just as the sun was about to set. They started talking, and Yuri discovered that he and Otabek trained together at Yakov's summer camp five years before.

"Really? I don't remember that!"

"At the time, I was in my first year in the junior division," Otabek explained. "But I couldn't keep up with the Russian junior skaters. I was put in the novice class, which is where I met you. Yuri Plisetsky. You had the unforgettable eyes of a soldier."

Yuri was stunned. "A soldier? Me?"

They then talked about the struggles they have faced in training to be figure skaters. Yuri told him about how he left his grandpa to move to Saint Petersburg, while Otabek recalled the numerous times he had to change his training locations before he got back home to Almaty.

Yuri was surprised he was having that conversation at all. Ever since he started competing, he has never seen himself talking to his opponents. It just never seemed ideal, especially when his goal was to intimidate anyone who stood in his way of winning a gold medal.

"Otabek, why are you even talking to me?" he accused. "We're rivals, aren't we?"

Otabek was calm as he answered. "Since I met you at that summer camp, I always thought we were alike. That's all there is to it. So, are you going to become friends with me or not?"

That question caught Yuri off guard. Never in his entire life has a rival asked to be friends with him. But he somehow liked Otabek as a person—he seemed like someone who was sensible and smart.

He shook the Kazakh skater's hand, and suddenly he was reminded of the first time he and Ayumi ever became friends. He remembered the bright smile she gave him after walking home from their awkward "date" at the café. He remembered how she took initiative and comforted him with a song from her phone. He remembered her cheerful voice when she asked him:

"So, see you tomorrow at practice?"

He remembered how happy those simple words made him feel. Yuri smiled at the memory.

Otabek noticed this and became curious. "What's up with you?"

Yuri was conflicted. He decided that it might be a good idea to talk to his new friend about Ayumi. After all, the guy was three years older than he was. If anything, he must have more experience when it comes to love.

"It's just that... I remembered my best friend. She was the first person to ever befriend me two years ago. Since then we've been through a lot together, and she's become really important to me."

"Ahh..." Otabek reacted. "I've seen you talk to that girl on livestreams. She's that company heiress, right? The one who hasn't been attending practice?"

Yuri looked out to the sunset again. "Yeah. Ayumi."

"She's quite a character for such a young girl, isn't she? A millionaire and already calling the shots at 15? Impressive."

The boy sighed. "Yeah, and it honestly intimidates me sometimes. But then I realized: she never made herself seem like that to me. She was just Ayu. She was always understanding, kind and easy to talk to... and I love her. But I haven't had the courage to tell her."

"Well, that's quite amusing." Otabek smirked. "I never thought someone as confident as Yuri Plisetsky would have trouble confessing to a girl."

Ok, now Yuri was starting to get annoyed.

"But," the Kazakh continued. "You're a figure skater, aren't you? If you're confident enough to express so much emotion on the ice, then you could surely do it in front of the girl you love, don't you think?"

Yuri wondered what exactly Otabek meant, but he did not have the nerve to ask as they made their way to a café.