Skate With Me (Victor Nikiforov x Reader)

Chapter 92: Eight Months

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I passed by a full-body mirror on the way back to the rink from the arena's snack store and I can't help but stop in my tracks to take a moment to appreciate myself. My white turtle neck sweater clings to my curves exquisitely even if covered by a fluffy gray cardigan. My black distressed jeans don't just hug my legs perfectly but they also go well with my black heeled boots. 

"You look fantastic, queen!" I thought as I mentally winked at myself through the mirror. Before I get too caught up on how I look, I turned around and walked towards the rink. I went to the snack store a while ago to refill Yuuri's tumbler with water. Tonight's practice is about to end. I'm sure our Yuuri is as thirsty as can be.

Fortunately, once I reached the rink, the practice is still ongoing. Victor leans on one side of the rink edge as I approached from behind. I wrapped my arms around his waist earning a small flinch in return. "It's me," I said as I laid my head on his broad back. I felt his muscles relax as soon as he found out it's me.

A while later, I let go and stood beside him. The tumbler in my hand is now placed on top of the rink's edge. "Yuuri's aggressive jump combination includes a quadruple flip," I said. This is the first time we talked about Yuuri's free skate since our arrival today. "Can he now land it?"

I expect that Yuuri can land the jump now since we were given quite a plenty of time after the Rostelecom Cup to prepare for this year's Grand Prix. Victor shook his head, "He's yet to land it." A sigh left my lips as I heard Victor's answers. Well, it's okay; It'll be. Yuuri can and he will land it.

"If he sticks with his old jumps," Victor said. "Even if he skates a flawless program..."

"...JJ has a higher base score," I continued. Victor gave a nod in response.

"After the Rostelecom Cup, Yuuri spent his remaining days until today maximizing his practice time. When I think about it, it's already been eight months since we first came to Hasetsu."

"I think the part you've enjoyed most was that every day, you've been able to bathe in a bath bigger than any tub, and you can eat all the delicious pork cutlet bowls you want."

"It was heaven on earth, indeed," Victor replied. He turned sideways to look at me. I did the same and faced him. He had a soft smile on his face, a smile that makes my heart melt. Just that simple smile was enough to replace the past days I wasn't able to spend with him.

"But do you know which part was really the best?" Victor asked. Both of us were leaning against the rink side with our elbows. He moves his arm a bit to reach for my hand. His gesture made me smile as I entwined my fingers with his gloved ones. "What?" I asked.

Victor brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it. I felt my heart start to beat a little louder the moment his lips pressed against my bare hands. It's the small gestures that make my heart flutter the most.

"The best part of it was that I was able to spend almost all the time of the day with you. I was able to take you out on casual dates just like what normal couples do. You were just one embrace away," He answered. "Back when I was skating, especially back when you were too, even though we trained under the same coach and in the same rink, it felt as though there was a big wall of responsibilities standing in between that both of us had to do alone."

And it's true. During my break, I thought Victor and I would be able to spend much more time with each other. We did spend a little more time but it was still limited since Victor was still skating and he had to practice almost more than half a day every day. But ever since he took a break as well, during those eight months, I feel like we've got a lot more closely with each other.