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Vienna’s legs were still a bit sore when she stepped off the ice the next morning. She pushed thoughts of the previous day out of her mind. Her competition was early Saturday morning, which meant today was the last day of practice in Chehalis. Tomorrow was Friday, and today she would be leaving for Seattle shortly after lunch. That would give her most of Friday to get accustomed to the rink in Seattle and plenty of time to rest. She was down to the wire. Her stomach was in knots, but she wasn’t sure all her excitement was over the competition.
Ethan sat in the stands, cellphone in hand, pulling up the video of each of her programs while she took off her skates and laced her running shoes up.
“Do you want to watch them now?”
“No. Let’s go back to my place and eat. I need to pack so I can leave right after lunch.”
“I’ll meet you over there. I need to grab a few things.”
Vienna nodded, lost in thought. She walked out of the building, not even noticing when Ethan leaned down to kiss her. He smiled at her back as she walked away. She was in the zone and nothing was going to distract her. He found this side of her amusing. She was so driven and so goal-oriented. It was one of the things he liked most about her.
Vienna got into her car and drove to her home, leaving the door unlocked behind her so Ethan could let himself in. She’d spent so much of yesterday wrapped in his arms she hadn’t gotten around to packing.
She put her large duffle bag on the bed, pulling her costumes out. She packed one for each program and two more in case something happened to the first two. She tossed her competition skates into the bag, wrapped in a towel so the brads for her laces didn’t snag on any of her clothes.
She made a quick sweep of her room and the bathroom, making sure she had everything for her stay in Washington. The competition started on Saturday and ended Sunday afternoon. It was going to be a long weekend, but she was ready.
If she did well this weekend, she would set her sights on qualifying for the Olympics. She closed her eyes, envisioning that for a moment before she pushed it to the side. One dream at a time. And right now, she was focused on the World Championship. Next week, she would reevaluate and plot her course. Now, she had to stay focused.
She could smell the food cooking before she realized that Ethan was already there. She was going to miss his cooking while she was gone.
Vienna lugged her bag into the living room, setting it down by the door and pulling up a chair at the table.
Ethan had sautéed chicken to go on a beautiful salad he’d already prepared and placed on her plate. He brought the sizzling pan over to the table, pushing half the chicken onto her salad and putting the rest on his.
“This looks delicious, thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
They ate in companionable silence, Ethan watching Vienna as she lost herself in thought over and over.
She looked up and caught him smiling at her.
“What?”
“You’re cute when you’re mulling over stuff.”
“Thanks. I’m just trying to visualize everything. It helps keep me calm before a competition.”
“Oh. I forgot to bring my phone in.”
He scooped up her empty plate and set it in the sink with his before racing outside to his car to get his phone.
When he returned, Vienna furrowed her brows in confusion.
“What’s in the bag?”
“My stuff.”
“For what?”
“For the weekend.”
“Which hotel are you staying at?”
His smile faltered.
“Whichever one you’re staying at.”
“What? No you can’t stay with me. My coach won’t like that and I have to focus.”
“So I can’t share a room with you?”
“No. The rooms we reserved are for competitors only. Even pairs skaters that are married don’t share a room.”
“My parents did.”
“Well that’s different.”
“So I can’t stay with you? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Of course not. I have to focus and rest. I can’t do that if you’re underfoot.”
“Is it alright if I come and watch you, or is that too distracting too?”
“Ethan, I don’t mean it that way. I want you to come to the competition, but the rest of the time, I need my space. I don’t know why you don’t understand.”
“I understand alright. It’s okay to sleep with me, but you don’t want to be seen in public with someone like me.”
“What do you mean someone like you? You’re amazing.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“It’s just the way it is.”
“I don’t buy it,” he said, turning to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going home, where I’m welcome. I wouldn’t want to break your concentration and ruin your competition. Goodbye and good luck.”
“Ethan please don’t-”
But the slamming door cut her off mid-sentence. Hot tears threatened an instant before they spilled over. This was the last thing she needed before a competition. He should understand. It’s not like the figure skating world was new to him. But maybe they were too different.
Vienna moved around her home in a daze, tears flowing and heart broken. She hadn’t meant to hurt him, but her priorities were clear. Double checking her heavy bag, she zipped it back up and hefted it over her shoulder. She didn’t have to leave for another hour, but she might as well.
There was no reason for her to stay here.