Surreptitiously In Love

Stay.

気持ち (Kimochi) — Feelings

We will finally leave for NHK today.

It's early in the morning. Coach and I went to rink earlier than Yuzuru. We wondered why though, because usually, he would come here first with that excited face mixed with a tad of nervousness. But now, he's not yet here.

How many days are left for me to be with him? Three days? I get frustrated whenever I count my days left in being Yuzuru's assistant. It feels like I'm counting my last days on Earth. That's how it strikes my heart.

That reminds me, I still haven't told him about that. Whenever I try.. he does something that makes me wanna stay and forget about it. I end up having my tongue tied. The only day left for me to tell him is at the end of the competition. I don't wanna distract him.

"Where is he?" Coach impatiently looked at his watch, resting his free hand in his luggage's handle.

I raised a brow. "I should've fetched him.. I thought he was here before me so.."

"Nevermind." Coach cut my words as Yuzuru enter the establishment with his bags. He hurriedly ran towards us, grinning sheepishly.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't hear my alarm.." Yuzuru laughed, obviously embarrassed for being late. Then, his eyes shifted to me, the smile in his face fading.

"So, let's go?" Coach Brian said. Just when I was about to get Yuzu's luggage, he spoke.

"Ah, I'll have to get my skates in the locker room! I forgot to bring it home yesterday.."

"That's weird, you never forget your skates." Coach furrowed his brows. Yuzuru shrugged and sighed.

"I'll get it!" I volunteered, making my way to the locker room.

"I'll go with you, I think I remember where I last put it." Yuzuru told me and ran beside me.

"Alright, but be fast, okay." Coach said.

The door closed. I looked at the empty benches and corners of the room, but his skates are nowhere to be found.

"So, where is it?" I turned to Yuzuru, and found him shrugging.

"It was right here.." He walked towards a bench and looked under it, but he didn't see anything.

"Are you sure you remember?" I asked, checking every place in the room, but no skates. I mean, there are, but it's not his.

"Not.. really." Yuzuru scratched his head and searched at the opposite direction.

I sighed. We're running out of time, we still have a flight to catch but here we are, looking for a top figure skater's skates who never lose it.

"How did you forget? It's unusual for you to forget your own skates." I started.

"I was too focused yesterday and completely forgot about it. I didn't realize that I wasn't carrying my skates."

"That explains why your bags were a bit lighter."

"Was it always heavy?" He asked, chuckling.

"It's not like I'm complaining or anything but, do you carry a bunch of bricks inside your bags or?"

Yuzuru laughed once again and so did I. It's been a while since we talked like this because he was too concentrated on his trainings I could barely tell him a joke. But it's nice to be like this for once in a while.

Especially when..

And so, we kept searching— at the top of the lockers, under the benches. But the skates aren't around. Is he sure that he left it here?