Page 17 of Chasing Gold, Catching Her

One fucking point.

Just one.

It echoed louder than the applause.

Still, maybe there was a chance, maybe this wasn’t the end, maybe they would still be taken further, Alisa clung to that thought as if it could keep her steady.

The ceremony continued, medals shining, cameras flashing, and when it was time for photos she wiped her tears quickly, lifting her chin, forcing herself into composure, her expression turning firm and almost cold as she stood there beside Lev, their hands clasped tightly, her body trembling but held together by his quiet support.

And when it was over, when the applause faded and they stepped down from the podium back onto the ice, the brightness of the moment dimmed into something heavier. It was not quite defeat, but something unresolved that followed them as they left the ice behind.

Chapter 5

Alisa was standing under the shower in the hotel after the award ceremony, it was almost eleven o’clock, and she had planned to simply go to bed after such a difficult day and maybe not wake up, although that, of course, was not entirely certain.

Even though the coach had quickly praised them during the evening briefing and said that they had nothing to worry about, that they would continue training and that, in reality, the difference of one point was not so great, which meant they would still go to the Olympic qualifiers if they continued to plow ahead in the same spirit and work tirelessly for the next competitions, Alisa still felt unbearably nervous.

Her clothes were scattered across the bathroom floor, over the snow-white heated marble tiles, because she had come back late after deciding to walk around the city one more time, since tomorrow they would already be flying home and this could be her last evening here, unless, of course, she wanted to wake up at six in the morning and go wandering through the city alone, because Lev had immediately said that he intended to sleep as long as possible and maybe even until the flight itself, which was scheduled for four in the afternoon.

Then Alisa suddenly heard a strange sound.

An odd ringing.

“A phone?” she said aloud in surprise, because it had been so long since she had spoken on one of those old hotel telephones; the last time she had used anything like that had probably been with her grandparents, and they were gone now, which for some reason immediately filled her with a quiet sadness.

She quickly stepped out of the shower, wrapped herself in a towel, and hurried across the bathroom to the ringing phone.

“Hello?” she said softly.

“Alisa?”

The voice was familiar.

It was Tora.

“Yes… what is it?”

“I’m having a party tonight, in an hour, at midnight. The winners will be there, and you’re invited. Along with a few of my friends.”

Alisa frowned and stared at the white wall in front of her.

“I don’t think that’s…” she began uncertainly, not even knowing what she wanted to say. Thank you for inviting me? But she had just gotten out of the shower, her hair was still wet, and she had been planning to fall asleep by eleven like an old woman.

She swallowed nervously.

“Oh, come on,” Tora said lazily. “You don’t get invited to skater parties every day. I’ll even let you see the gold medal up close.”

Alisa clenched her jaw.

“I don’t…” she exhaled so loudly that even through the phone Tora probably heard it.

“Come on,” she insisted again, “let’s not play hard to get. I’ll be there to pick you up in fifteen minutes.”

And then she hung up.

Alisa stared at the receiver for a second, then gasped, dropped it back into place and almost ran into the shower again to quickly rinse the rest of the shower gel and conditioner from her skin and hair.

A party?