Page 100 of Chasing Gold, Catching Her

But she didn’t push.

Not now.

Because at that moment, Anfisa stepped out of the shower, already dressed for breakfast, and the moment slipped away. So the three of them went downstairs to the hotel restaurant together.

They caught the eyes of a few other athletes who were also eating in pairs or small groups, exchanged brief looks of recognition, and then moved to a nearby table with trays already filled.

For breakfast, Alisa chose simply, her favorite boiled eggs, bread with butter and jam, a handful of cucumbers, and a slice of cheese that she placed neatly on top of the bread… and then her attention was caught by a thick, fatty sausage, and she took it too, licking her lips almost absentmindedly, along with a cappuccino.

Today, she allowed herself that.

Today, she could celebrate and eat whatever she wanted, without counting calories, without thinking about restrictions.

Two days off a strict diet wouldn’t ruin anything.

She deserved something delicious.

* * *

After breakfast, Tora invited Alisa on a date to walk around the city, to see different places, to finally be alone, and Anfisa, understanding everything without needing to ask, let her go off on her little adventure with her girlfriend.

The streets of Beijing were flooded with sunlight, the air warm and soft, and Tora took Alisa’s hand as they walked through the park. The trees were still green, but in places the leaves had already begun to turn yellow, quietly announcing the arrival of autumn, it was slowly settling in, gaining its strength, its rightful place… and soon it would be cold again.

Alisa felt good just walking hand in hand with Tora in a park somewhere in China, where no one knew them, where no one looked twice, and it felt so easy to just exist together without fear and judgment… because in Russia, things would have been different, she knew that far too well, she had seen enough videos, enough stories online where people being shouted at, mocked, even attacked, and that thought alone still sat somewhere inside her.

But here, everything felt… safe. Or at least safer.

Tora suddenly slowed down, noticing a small flower stall by the path, and with a smile tugged Alisa gently toward it.

“Where are you going? Why?” Alisa squinted at her, confused, but Tora only laughed and pulled her along more insistently.

“Which ones do you like?” Tora asked pointing toward the bouquets displayed behind the glass.

They were all beautiful, bright and carefully arranged, but Alisa’s eyes lingered on one, it was a bouquet of pink and blue chrysanthemums. Something about them caught her attention immediately. They were… so soft.

So pretty…

Tora noticed it right away, of course she did.

Without asking again, she pointed at the exact bouquet Alisa had been staring at, and Alisa nodded a little awkwardly, almost shyly.

They exchanged a few quiet gestures with the flower seller, Tora pulled out her phone, scanned the QR code, paid, and within seconds the saleswoman handed the bouquet directly into Alisa’s hands, adding a small chocolate bar with a kind smile.

Alisa thanked her in Chinese and the woman replied warmly, they exchanged those simple pleasantries. And then Tora took her hand again.

Now Alisa held the bouquet in her other hand, the scent of the flowers so satisfying to her senses, she felt something inside her bloom, just like those same flowers had somehow taken root in her chest, warmed by the sun.

No one had ever bought her flowers before.

No one had given her that kind of attention.

And it made her blush deeply in a way she couldn’t quite hide.

She turned to Tora, who had been watching her for who knows how long, and finally asked the question that had been sitting somewhere in the back of her mind.

“Did you really tell your parents about us? Is that true?” Alisa raised her eyebrows slightly, feeling Tora’s hand tighten around hers as she swung their joined hands between them playfully.

“Yes,” Tora said simply. “They know we’re dating.”