Skate With Me (Victor Nikiforov x Reader)

Chapter 88: Conscious Commitment

A few days later...

I gracefully skate my way towards the center of the rink for the final spins. Once positioned at the very heart of the rink, I moved my right leg forward, using it as an anchor for my body and ever so swiftly lifted my left leg backward as I bend my body forward, my right hand gracing the cold surface of the rink. My body smoothly rotated downwards and I eventually stood again with my right foot the only part of my body that connects to the ice.

Using the force that continues to hold me in place from the previous illusion spin, I pulled my left leg inward for a scratch pin. My hands held each other as I kept my arms raised throughout the spin while my body rotated for a number of times enough to keep the eyes of everyone glued to me.

As the final rotation came to an end, I placed my right foot back to the ice with my right arm following its gestures. I skated a step forward as my left leg positioned itself in front of the other and my arms raised sidewards. At that moment, everything stopped. Silence ruled the entirety of the rink. Reality seeped back in as my lungs regained composure, my breathing slowly becoming even, and my eyes closed shut.

I'm used to this ordeal of cycle that whenever my skating comes to a stop, it feels like the whole world does too. During the whole moment I'm skating, it feels like time has stopped and I am moving to the music in my own world: a world that exists solely on top of the ice. When everything comes to a halt, the roars of applause follow. But this time is different.

Soft slow claps filled the air, disrupting the reign of deafening silence. Slowly, my eyes opened. My arms fell down to my sides. I turned my head sidewards to see Sandra waiting for me at the entrance to the rink. I let a soft smile grace my lips as I skated towards where she stood.

"Your majesty, you fill my soul with wonder," she said as she did a little curtsy. With that, she held out my blade guards. I gladly took it and placed it upon my blades as I got off the rink. "Thank you," I replied. The smile on my lips never disappeared. I sat on one of the benches. Eventually, Sandra sat beside me offering a bottle in hand.

I thanked her once more before taking the bottle, opening it, and drinking its contents. She watched me swallow up almost half of the water inside the bottle. I gave a sigh of relief before looking at her. "How was it?" I asked.

Before answering, she clapped her hands together, "All ready, you're good to go!" We made our way out of the rink where Donik's car was parked. We passed by the lobby where we thanked the manager before exiting the vicinity. The next thing we knew, we were standing outside of the car.

I was about to reach for the door handle of the driver's side but Sandra stopped me by holding my hand. "You're tired and you still have a flight later," she said. Her free hand held mine as well, clasping it gently. "I'll drive."

I smiled once more. I removed my hand from her grasp and wrapped my arms around her. "Oh," she said as she was taken by surprise. She didn't hesitate in embracing me back. We stood like that for a moment before I spoke, "Thank you."

Unsure of what to respond, she chuckled. "How many times have you thanked me today?" She asked. "Let's see, first was when I helped you pack up this morning. Next was when I extended the rink's private reservation until this morning. Then when I gave you your blade guards and a bottle of water, and now—"

I cut her off before she continued. "Such words will never be enough to give back every bit of support you gave me," I said. My embrace loosened up and we eventually let go of each other. "What's this all of a sudden?" She asked. A pale blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Ah, nothing really," I answered. "It's just that I wasn't able to thank you properly after all these years. My skating career had been so hectic since the beginning. We rarely had time for each other. The last time we spent together long enough was when I took my first break." I walked towards the other side to the passenger's seat. I carefully opened the door and got in. Sandra did the same on the other side.

"It's been thirteen years since then," I continued. "And yet you're still sticking with me."

She chuckled and started the engine. "You know," she began and so did the car. Before I knew it, we were already out of the parking lot and on the road. "It's a conscious commitment, you know?" She continued.

My eyes that were once on the road glanced at her. "Friendship, it's a lot like relationships. Love exists in it just like how it's present between couples. Now tell me, is love a feeling?" She asked. Unsure if I should answer right away, she continued. "Or is it a choice?"

The question made an impact on me that weighed heavier than it should have. My mouth slightly hung open. It was a question so simple yet complex in its own ways. "It's..." I began, but even I am quite unsure of what answer I should give. "...a choice."

I saw the corner of Sandra's lips curve upward. She glanced at me for a moment before her eyes returned back to the road. "Correct!" she said. "Why do you think so?"

I hummed before answering, "There could be a thousand reasons for you to stop loving a person. It's your choice whether you'd look at a certain situation or flaw and decide if it's bigger than your love."

"Very well," she replied. "If we clung to the belief that love is a feeling, we'd never have a lasting relationship of any sort."

There was a short pause as Sandra turned over a corner. "Loving is a choice; a conscious commitment. It is something you choose to make work every day with a person who has chosen the same thing. Eventually at one point, the 'feeling of love' will vanish and fade you wouldn't be happy anymore. Feelings are always changing. You cannot build something that will last on such a shaky foundation."

"Throughout the years, it's still us, aren't we? I mean, we're still the best of friends. Why? Because even if the world is giving us a hundred or maybe even a thousand reasons to end this friendship, we still make it work. Even if you're busy with skating to the point that the only times we spend with each other is at school during class hours, and even if we felt like we're starting to grow apart, we still find ways to make up for what we missed on each other. We're making this work."

The car suddenly came to a stop. I looked at Sandra. "Why did we stop?" I asked. "Pfft!" She suddenly burst out laughing. She's probably laughing harder than she should. Her body was bent over. One hand on the steering wheel and one to her stomach. "Look outside, silly!" She exclaimed. "We're home!" 

I turned around to look out the window and there stood our house. "Oh," was all I was able to say. I felt like my face burned a hundred degrees more than the burning point. I turned back to Sandra and hit her arm, "Stop laughing!" Her laughter filled the car and eventually, I found myself laughing along with her.

In the midst of our laughter, there came a knock on the car's window. I turned around to see Donik leaning over. His action took Sandra and me back to reality and we gradually calmed down from our highs. I pushed the button to pull the windows down. Warm air immediately brushed my face as soon as the glass slid down.

"Y'all even have a plan of getting out there?" Donik asked which threw Sandra and I back into a fit of giggles. "Did I say something funny? Come on, park the car in, I'll open the gate." With that, he walked away and worked on opening the gate. Soon, we got the car parked on the lawn. Donik walked past us and entered the house, leaving Sandra and I by ourselves.

Inside the car, none of us bothered moving. "Hey," I said. Sandra hummed in response as she turned her head to look at me. 

"Do you think that day will ever come?" I asked.

"What day?"

"When you decide to stop choosing me."

"What are you talking about?" She said as she turned her whole body to look at me. "We've already gotten this far. Are we still going to split up by this point?  Doesn't that give us a reason to all the more stay with each other?"

Her answer lit up a smile on my face. "Even if that happens, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to find someone to fill your place in my life. I'd constantly search for ways that will lead me back to you."