Page 13 of Chasing Gold, Catching Her

“Yeah, for sure!” Alisa laughed.

She couldn’t take the biting chill any longer and hurried inside the hotel, leaving Tora standing outside. Making her way to her room, Alisa quickly shed her clothes, eager to escape the frigid temperature.

As she climbed into the warm, inviting bed, Alisa’s mind began to race with fantasies of her rival. Memories of Tora’s naked form, glistening with water and soap, flashed through her thoughts. Alisa’s heart raced as she wondered, could Tora have really sent her those nudes?

Alisa bit her lip, smiling to herself as she imagined all the things she wanted to do to Tora’s stunning body. She cursed herself for not agreeing to Tora’s bold flirt.

But even as regret threatened to consume her, Alisa felt her eyelids growing heavy. Tora’s parting words echoed in her mind, urging her to let go, to surrender to the call of her desires. With a soft sigh, Alisa let her eyes drift shut, a smile still playing at the corners of her mouth as she tumbled into a deep, dream-filled slumber.

* * *

In the morning, the team gathered for a briefing about yesterday’s performance. Pike held a tablet in her hands, scrolling through yesterday’s results, while Alisa and Lev quietly took their seats at the long table in the meeting room.

Second place… second place… second place… Alisa muttered silently to herself, her mind replaying every small mistake from yesterday. She tried to calm herself, hoping the coach wouldn’t be aggressive like yesterday.

But Pike seemed composed. She went through the debrief calmly, pointing out what could be corrected today and what elements they could add to their program. Today’s routine was longer, more complex, and if executed perfectly, it could make up for lost points.

“You have a chance to win back what you lost,” Pike said, looking at both of them. “Don’t worry about yesterday. Focus on today.”

Lev nodded, his face determined. “We’ll catch up. Everything will be fine.”

Alisa tried to push her nervous thoughts aside, but they returned relentlessly, reviewing her missteps over and over again.

“Let’s catch up and win!” Lev said with an encouraging smile.

“Yes, that’s why you’re here,” Pike added confidently.

“We wake up, smile, and go shine, go earn the gold!” Pike continued, gesturing to the team. Alisa nodded along, trying to absorb the positivity, but inside, her chest tightened. The fear of not performing perfectly lingered. Missing the Olympics or even the qualifiers was unthinkable. Today was the another step on that path, and they had to dominate.

After the briefing, they moved on to stretching and light warm-up, and then to breakfast. Alisa was silent, lost in thought, conserving her energy for the performance ahead.

“We can catch up with them,” Lev broke her mental silence, glancing at her with a reassuring look. Around them, the dining hall buzzed with chatter, clinking cutlery, and the smell of breakfast.

Alisa remained calm, almost predatory in her focus, as if yesterday’s encounter with Tora had shifted something inside her. She couldn’t quite define it, but the sharp, aggressive edge she remembered on the ice had softened. Tora seemed… almost sympathetic and tender. Alisa didn’t understand it yet, but it lingered in her mind.

Lev leaned closer, his voice low. “The main thing is — we’re in the strongest group today.”

“Yes… and with those Norwegians…” Alisa replied, her stomach tightening slightly.

“Well, it’s not obvious who’ll take the first place yet, but we’re going to be at each other’s throats for it,” Lev confirmed with a mischief in his eyes.

Alisa sighed, nervously shoveling food into her mouth without tasting it. Her mind raced with strategy and anticipation.

“We’re going to win, you’ll see. Today, we win,” Lev said, squeezing her hand lightly.

“Yes… that’s why we’re here,” Alisa whispered, determination hardening in her chest. “To win. To qualify for the Olympics. That was the condition for both of us.”

Lev’s expression brightened. “Yes. We’re here to win.”

“Win,” Alisa echoed.

“Win,” they said together, smiling faintly.

* * *

The arena was buzzing with life, though “buzzing” hardly captured it. The air itself seemed to hum with tension, vibrating like a taut string, as if you could bite it off like cotton candy swirling in the winter wind. It felt like a vibration all around, and everyone and everything was feeling it.

Alisa and Lev stood at the corridor’s edge, fully dressed and warmed up, waiting for their moment. Pike had warned them: they would be the first of five couples to perform in the final. Setting the bar for the day, carrying the weight of everyone’s eyes upon them, they had only five minutes, five minutes to define everything.