Melody of You | Yuzuru Hanyu

7.

The walk to the hotel had been short and almost silent. Sophia didn't complain, it allowed her to look at him in a different, closer way.

"Javi isn't usually like that, you know?" Yuzuru said breaking the silence. "Obvious, I mean"

"It's okay, I didn't stop him either"

"You like him," he said, not a question, an affirmation.

"He's good looking"

"I see"

"Yuzuru, what's up with you? Seriously, you're so confusing to me" She asked before being able to stop herself, noticing how she had crossed the boundaries and called him by his first name only. He seemingly noticed her panicked expression and touched her shoulder in reassurance.

"It's okay, I don't mind you calling me Yuzuru"

"Uh, ok"

"And nothing is up, Javi is one of my best friends, I don't want him to get hurt"

Sophia snorted at that "Please, he knew very well what he wanted."

"He just broke up with his girlfriend, Javi is stupid that way"

"Good thing nothing happened, I guess". She didn't miss the look he gave her, but once again couldn't place what it meant.

"Yeah, good thing"

They were in silence after that and soon arrived at her door. Saying hurried goodbyes.

Sophia entered her room frustrated, she didn't understand the Japanese man. For a few moments that night, she even thought he might have been jealous. The obvious conclusion she reached after a while and in an analysis of their conversation that night was that he probably had feelings for Javier and didn't enjoy the older skater's advances on her. It made sense, a lot of figure skaters were gay.

Still, she was restless that night. Either because her body expected sex or because of the man that had been occupying too much of her thoughts.

The next morning, Sophia woke up with dark heavy eyes from the almost sleepless night. Still, she had a rehearsal to attend once again.

Taking her violin, she headed to the venue where Shinya was already waiting for her.

"Hard night?" The pianist asked when they finished after about an hour.

"Had some trouble sleeping"

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"Not really."

The older man laughed and looked at her with a knowing look she didn't understand. "It's a shame...I was thinking we could try another song, just for fun, to end the rehearsal, but you seem tired"

Sophia's eyes shined at that, she had been so focused on the show that she was feeling like she was playing robotically.

"Not that tired... What should we play?"

"I don't know, you can choose"

She looked through some of her music sheets and her eyes fell on a song by Saint-Saens. Not the one she had promised to play to Yuzuru, but one of her favorite pieces of music nonetheless.

'Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso' was one of those songs that were loved by musicians all around but only a few would dare to play. She showed her pick to Shinya who gave her a huge smile in return.

"Good pick, let me find a piano accompaniment"

It wasn't hard, the internet made musicians' lives easier than ever. Still, the skill to play completely from zero, without any previous practice was not one a lot of them had.

Sophia allowed Shinya a few moments to review over the piece as she took a look at the familiar sheet of music, remembering all the fingerings and allowing the muscle memory to come back.

He gestured he was ready and they started playing. They played as if they had been doing it together all their lives. It's not often that two musicians get along so well, but when you found that balance, it would sound extraordinary.

Sophia usually entered an entirely different world whenever she was playing her favorite songs, she played by heart, eyes closed, purely enjoying the sounds that left her instrument. Because of this, she didn't notice someone else sneakily enter the room.

Shinya smiled at the other man as he took his skate guards and glided on the ice, feeling the music guide his body instinctively.

No matter how entranced the violinist was, she has to be aware of the sounds surrounding her to be able to play, especially those coming from the piano. She opened her eyes when the sounds of gliding on the ice filled her ears and her vision was completely consumed by him.

If you were to ask Sophia how she managed to keep playing through her amazement, she wouldn't be able to say.
She watched him skate to the music, nothing choreographed, no jumps, just letting his body flow with the melody, and the strange feeling she felt in her body was inexplicable.
This was the first time she realized that he complimented the music perfectly, every note accented by a movement, it was truly mesmerizing. It was something she wasn't able to see when he skated to the other songs of the show.

Shinya couldn't help but smile at the way the other two complimented each other so well, none of them realizing how their gazes were completely fixed on the other's movements.

The song ended and they were both out of breath. Sophia didn't know why, he was the one doing physical activity, she was just playing.
She clapped softly at the performance and turned her attention to Shinya, hoping she could avoid the skater. It still felt weird to look him in the eye after considering she almost slept with Javi yesterday and she was convinced Yuzuru loved him.

"That was brilliant. If you're ever in Japan during my tour, you're invited to come and perform, it would be amazing." The pianist said and she smiled in gratitude.

"It would be an honor, Shinya"

Still, on the ice, Yuzuru eyed her cautiously, his gaze too obvious for anyone with eyes. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, how her music made him feel, how he wanted to skate to her playing and how beautiful she was with her violin. But it was stupid and she would leave soon.

He broke his thoughts when the other skaters arrived and now it was time to focus on skating.