Gold, love and mint tea (Yuzuru Hanyu )

6 - Bad boy behind the glass

Munich, October 25th 2015 - 23:49

It has been almost two months since the big move to Germany. I'd love to be able to say that this time has been exciting or filled with adventure but the truth is it's been exhausting. I haven't been anywhere but the rink, my apartment and the occasional restaurant or coffee shop. Getting used to a whole new training regiment has been like hell, my muscles stiff and aching every night. My mind was even more exhausted than my body, struggling to keep up with all this new information and trying not to fall behind on my online school lessons.

Although my training was harsh on me, mentally and physically, it was going well. My free program came together quite nicely and I was getting along with my coaches. Svetlana was nice and a brilliant coach but a bit cold, I guess some people would call it professionalism, while Michael was warm and funny, always there to encourage and support me. He reminded me of my dad, and I guess I missed having a paternal figure in my life.

There were only six days left until Skate Canada, my first competition in two years. I wasn't sure if I was ready for that kind of pressure or if I was even ready to compete. Don't get me wrong, my jumps are consistent enough even though I don't have my triple Axel anymore but am I stable enough to show what I'm capable of at a senior Grand Prix. My first senior Grand Prix.

The only interesting part of my routine were my evening jogs. They were the only thing that helped me sleep, aside from my mint teas, but they also made my nights a bit more exciting. I'm not usually a person that likes falling into a routine but I needed a constant amid the recent never ending changes in my life. And stolen glances at the dark haired boy on the first floor were becoming an oddly indispensable part of that routine.

Sometimes I just quickly look at him playing video games on his PC when I walk past his apartment window, sometimes he looks at me from his balcony while I stretch after my run. Every now and again we exchange pleasantries, chatting for a couple of minutes before I go back home to take a shower and sleep.

I was glad to have found some friends here. Christina and I were getting closer and closer everyday and despite the fact that we're technically supposed to be rivals or something, it was nice to have someone who understands you. She's the type of friend that you don't fight with, even though we don't always agree and we're both stubborn. Roman was still being treated like the village idiot, but it was all in good fun and I actually enjoyed hanging out with him. The three of us quickly became inseparable and I like to think that it's thanks to me!

My brother and I didn't hang out much except for occasional dinners, but that didn't bother me because it had always been that way. Despite that I knew I could always count on him when I needed him. The same thing applied to Yulia and Zhenya, we didn't have time to talk much but we kept in touch when we could.

Wow that was a lot to think about... I look at my watch surprised to see that it had been 25 minutes since I started jogging. I usually run to change my mind and forget about everything for a while but today I was using the time to evaluate the past two months. My steps pounding in time with my heartbeat and my mind racing faster than my feet.

As per usual I make my way towards the courtyard but instead of stretching I just sit back on the bench turning up the volume of my music, enjoying the midnight air and humming to 'Kiss from a rose'. I feel him watching me again so I snap my head towards his balcony, and as predicted he's looking right at me. I raise my eyebrow and smirk at him, daring him to say something as I remove my earphones.