Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Everyonewantedapieceof us immediately after that. Mark and Olga, of course, began congratulating us before we had the chance to move. I thanked them for all they had done for us, cutting them off. We would never have gotten here without them. It was harder to know what to say to everyone else, though.
There were too many reporters who wanted to talk to us. We would have to talk to the ones from home as soon as we had a few free minutes, I was certain, but I didn’t know when that would be. As soon as they had read the final results, people had poured out onto the ice to get things ready for the medal ceremony. Most of the competitions would have their medals awarded together, because the ceremonies needed to be done somewhere inside. It was the only way to get the flags raised, have the national anthems playing, and ensure that people could see what was going on. Figure skating was one of the few disciplines that lent itself nicely to a ceremony just after the results were read, though. Everyone who wanted to see the results the most was already here, neatly sat in rows that allowedthem all to get a great view of the ice. Music was no problem either, given that it had been playing throughout.
Dom and I were led to where the other skaters were waiting. They were mostly quiet. We were all medalists, but they wanted to get the one that was about to be placed around my neck. I had been on the receiving end of congratulations from gold medalists before when I was getting silver or bronze. I had always appreciated the congratulations, but it was hard not to be bitter about the fact that they had just beaten you. It was preferable to feeling like you were being ignored, though. I guess that was my answer.
After I started congratulating, it seemed like everyone just went around in a circle repeating the same words to each other. What more was there to say? I knew that some of the others weren’t very comfortable speaking in English, but at least they understood me.
It didn’t take long before the podium was out and ready for us. There was carpeting laid around it, allowing whoever was going to be presenting the medals and the flowers to walk without concern of slipping. Once that happened, an official got us organized into the order we would walk out in. After she was satisfied, she went to the front of the line.
After everyone who would take part in the ceremony walked in, it was time for us. Dom and I followed the bronze medalists in. In the team skate, there had been tons of us trying to cram into the spot behind the podium while we waited to be announced. Each of the countries had a minimum of six skaters, but often more. We’d had to organize ourselves so the women were in the front and the men were in the back to ensure that we could all see and be seen. I’d been in front of Dom and Nick, since we had to get four women into the front row. It had been cramped and loud and we had been so giddy about winning that even those things had made me giggle. I’d had to step out of theway for Dom to receive his medal. Today, I wouldn’t have to. Instead of being a big team, we would be up there alone.
Even though we had much more room, Dom and I stood so close together that our arms kept brushing against each other. I had to fight the urge to whisper to him. I wanted to voice how surreal it felt that we were here, but I knew I had to try to be professional. The silver and bronze medalists deserved their time to shine. There would be more than enough time for us to talk about what we had accomplished later.
Finally, while Evgenia and Pavel raised their hands to wave after receiving their silver medals, it was our turn. Dom and I held hands as we stepped onto the top level of the podium, grinning so widely that my cheeks had started to hurt. With most of the lights dimmed and spotlights pointing our way, it was hard to see where our families were sitting. I wished I could see their reactions. Instead, I waved blindly at the faceless, nameless crowd I could hear but not see.
I had to bend down so the man could place the medal around my neck. The thick medal felt heavy hanging from my neck. It shone in the bright lights, standing out around the dark fabric of my dress. My fingers were drawn to the cold metal, running along the bottom. I had to force myself to look away from it long enough to take the bouquet that was being held out to me. “Thank you,” I said, my voice drowned by the cheers. I had just enough time to look to my left to see Dom bow down far enough to receive his own medal.
He looked my way as he straightened up, eyes shining and grinning more widely than he ever had in his life. My heart swelled with happiness. Winning was one thing. Winning with him was something else. We had been partners for the better part of a decade. I had spent more time with him over the last few years than I’d spent with anyone else in my life. I had enjoyed almost every minute of it. Even when my body wasbruised and sore from falling, I didn’t want to be anywhere else or with anyone else. Sometime over the years, he had become my closest and dearest friend. And after last night, we were starting a new chapter.
When the opening notes of the national anthem played, Dom snaked his arm around my waist. I leaned into him, enjoying the closeness. I couldn’t stop smiling. Even his loud, off-key singing in my ear made me smile wider. We were on top of the world.
We moved closer, making room for the others to join us on the top of the podium for photographs. We all put on our best smiles for the cameras, holding our flowers in front of us but making sure we didn’t block the view of our medals. That was what everyone would really want to see.
Dom and I had a moment atop the podium, alone again after the others stepped back down. I wished we had some actual privacy, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen for a while. There would be too many people trying to get a hold of us in the coming hours.
Sure enough, we hardly had a moment to breathe after we got off the ice. I still had my performance makeup and hair when we were taken to do a quick interview with the national broadcast service that had the rights to coverage. My team jacket and leggings seemed far too casual when paired with it, but at least I was comfy while trying to navigate the interview.
“First of all, congratulations. You have won gold twice over the past week,” the interviewer began. Dom and I murmured our thanks. “I have been hearing the most talk about your short program, which was yesterday. Tell me a bit about that skate.”
“At the start of the season our wonderful coach, Mark Abbott, and our choreographer, Olga Malinova, brought us the idea of choosing some music that was different from what we had done in the past,” I replied. “They wanted something modern and catchy, in the hopes that it would get people excited about us,our skating, and the sport. If people were talking about it, then it did exactly what our team hoped it would accomplish.”
The rest of the questions were just as easy to answer. The interviewer had decades of experience and kept the topic on our skating, rather than our personal lives. I was starting to feel at ease, despite the cameras, when he asked a question that threw me for a loop. “So, now that you are gold medalists, what is next for you?”
Dom and I exchanged a glance. “We haven’t had time to talk about that yet. We will compete in the World Championships next month, but we haven’t talked about next season. For now, I think we both just want to celebrate what we have accomplished here and enjoy it, rather than thinking about what will come next.”
“Well, I think I speak for the entire country when I say we look forward to seeing where your career takes you.” He then turned from us to the cameras, reading what was going to be broadcast next from the screen of a teleprompter. He spoke so naturally, I never would have guessed he was reading what he had to say if I wasn’t looking at the words rolling by myself.
I was thankful Dom had taken the last question. Truthfully, I’d barely thought about Worlds. I hadn’t even thought in depth about the exhibition gala that we would skate in before flying home. I had spent so much of the past year thinking of all the things we had to do like a checklist. As soon as we’d completed one task, we’d had to move onto the next one immediately. There had been no time to take a breather or to relax. I had, perhaps naively, hoped that the feeling would abate after the Winter Games, win or lose. To hear talk already turning to not just Worlds but what might come next season was a shock to the system.
I was quiet as we left the studio. The last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind. I wished that Dom and I could have amoment to ourselves. Not just because I wanted the chance to crawl into bed with him — although that certainly was part of it — but to process everything that had happened. Unfortunately, we were due to meet up with our families and friends to celebrate at a restaurant a bit out of the way of the sporting events.
Dom and I had barely set foot in before we were pulled apart, with everyone talking to us at once. The good food, sparkling wine, and more dessert than I had eaten since Christmas helped ease the disappointment of being separated from him. I was happy, full, and tipsy, but my gaze was continuously drawn to Dom like a magnet. He kept looking for excuses to stand beside me again. Clearly, I wasn't the only one struggling.
While I was talking to my brothers, Dom came over with two full glasses of sparkling wine. He offered one to me wordlessly. "Thanks," I said, taking a tiny sip. How had I ever questioned that being more than friends with him could be a bad idea?
Dom cleared his throat and gripped the back of the chair I was sitting in. "Excuse me, everyone." The chattering stopped and all eyes were on us. "I just want to thank everyone here for all that you've done to help Hazel and I get to this point. We couldn't have done it without all the years of support." He turned to me then, and the butterflies returned. "But, most of all, I want to thank Hazel." He smirked and, a split second before he continued, I knew what he was going to say. "My girlfriend."
The reaction to that was almost as good as the reaction to our skate. My mother's hands flew over her mouth, while Issac said, "Fucking finally." Our skating friends laughed and spoke over each other, all trying to be heard above the others. Quietest and most knowing of all was Mark who, in his chair next to my father, had a smirk of his own.
Chapter 37
Epilogue
Nearly four years later
