Page 99 of Chasing Gold, Catching Her

Anfisa rolled her eyes and hissed, “What? Hermann? That idiot with crooked blades who ruins the ice every time he skates?”

Alisa rolled her eyes right back. “Oh, come on, you obviously have something going on.”

“No, we don’t. And we never will,” Anfisa snapped, already heading into the shower.

Alisa didn’t stop.

“Never say never! It’s one step from love to hate, it works both ways!” she called through the closed door while rummaging through her things.

“Argh!” came the muffled response, followed by the sound of running water.

Alisa burst out laughing.

Tora stepped into the room then and sat down on the bed, watching her with quiet amusement as Alisa continued digging through her suitcase.

“You’re being a bit hard on her,” Tora said with a soft giggle.

“Honestly, it’s time for them to just get it over with,” Alisa replied, grinning as she finally found what she was looking for. “They have so much tension between them that I’m starting to think that sex is the only thing that will save them… otherwise one day they’re just going to destroy the arena with those looks alone.”

She started changing right there without a second thought.

Tora leaned back on her hands slightly, watching her, eyes following every movement with quiet, unmistakable interest.

“Did yesterday’s striptease reach a new level?” Tora giggled, her eyes dancing with mischief.

Alisa rolled her eyes, but a small, helpless smile tugged at her lips. “Yes,” she admitted.

With a playful, lingering gaze, Alisa began to shed the clothes she had worn the previous day. Piece by piece, she discarded the fabric, her movements very slow, savoring the way Tora watched her every move. When she was finally naked, Tora extended two fingers, beckoning her closer in a silent, irresistible summons.

Alisa’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson. She licked her lips, her heart hammering against her ribs as she crawled toward Tora. She pressed her face against Tora’s stomach, her warm breath sending a sudden cascade of goosebumps across her own skin. Her clitoris throbbed with a renewed ache; she was so close to the edge again that the slightest touch would send her over.

Gently, Alisa ran her hands through Tora’s hair, her fingers massaging the sensitive skin behind her ears. Tora closed her eyes, a soft sigh escaping her, her breathing slowing and deepening. She patted Alisa on the back with both hands and then let her go gently, without taking her eyes off her girlfriend.

Alisa still could not believe that they had met each other for real, that they were dating, and that Tora had come to China for her…

Tora was gnawed by this quiet feeling of guilt that Alisa did not know about all the problems unfolding in her life, that Tora herself was worried all the time now, carrying all of it alone, but now was not the time for any of that, not now, not when Alisa had to prepare for the Olympics next fortunately, and Tora too, and in twice the volume as before… especially after everything she had seen at these qualifiers for quotas. She understood it clearly that there wasn’t much chance of winning as things stood now… she would have to prepare harder, push further, and that thought unsettled her, pressed somewhere deep inside, but she didn’t want to put that weight on Alisa, didn’t want to upset her or cloud this moment for her with those thoughts.

She drifted into it too deeply, got lost in her own head while Alisa was changing clothes, so lost that she didn’t even notice how long she had been staring somewhere through space and time—

And Alisa noticed.

She had never seen Tora like that before. Not like this, not quiet, distant and almost sad. Alisa stepped closer and waved her hand in front of her face.

“Alisa is calling Tora, over!”

Tora blinked.

Alisa smiled and, without hesitation, climbed onto her lap, wrapping her arms around Tora’s neck.

Tora looked at her and forced her expression back into something softer.

“Welcome back to Earth, where have you been?” Alisa tried to smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, and she pressed her lips together slightly, waiting for an answer.

Tora sighed and gently shifted, standing up and lowering Alisa back onto the floor.

“Just thinking about the upcoming training sessions and competitions… I’m getting tired… and the flight didn’t really help, you know… jet lag and all that…”

Alisa felt it immediately, that something was left unsaid, that this wasn’t the whole truth.