Blue Scarf

3.

I knew it was going to be strange to skate with someone else, but it still caught me by surprise just how much. It wasn't that Dario was bad at what he did. He was an excellent athlete with many awards to support that claim, but... he wasn't Valeriy. We simply didn't fit together. I felt like a puzzle piece being forced into the wrong gap.

"I'm sorry." I offered as we skated towards the exit. "Sorry for what?" His question sounded genuine. "For being such a mess. It's all very..."
"I know the feeling. Don't worry, it's normal. After all, you've been together for... how long exactly?"
"Five years." I answered quietly. "It'll get easier." He said gently.

-

"There's definetly a lot to work on, but I think you two have potential worth pursuing." Anjelika said as we were putting our skateguards on. "What are your thoughts?"
"I would love to work together. It'll obviously take a while to adjust, but I agree, this partnerhip has potential." Dario answered. "Vasilisa?" They both looked at me expectantly. I wanted to want to move on. Here was my big opportunity. I was incredibly lucky to find someone who suited me so quickly, yet there I was, unable to bring myself to seal the deal. A simple yes would have been enough, but it wasn't that. Simple, I mean. Those three letters would mean the official end of Valeriy and I. I would be burning up the last bridge between us. Not that I had any illusions of him changing his mind, I knew him better than that. Once Valeriy's decided  something there was no turning back. His will was his biggest ally and most vicious enemy. "I..." I wans't ready. Anjelika knew it too, I saw it in her eyes as they met mine. They were endlessly sad as they told me let's get this over with.

"It's alright, we can try again tomorrow." We both turned towards Dario. "Like I've said, I know what this is like. I'm okay with taking it slow." His words caught me completely by surprise. I was too stunned to say anything. "Thank you for understanding. Let's continue tomorrow then. Is it okay if we start at 7?" Anjelika said, coming to my rescue. "Fine by me."

-

"Dario!" I caught up to him in the parking lot. He turned around and waited for me to catch my breath. "I just... I wanted to say thank you." I panted. "Oh of course. I hope we can make this work." He smiled. "Me too."
"I was thingking we should grab a coffee sometimes. If you're up to it, of course. No pressure, I just want to help. In my experience it is easier to move on when you can talk about it with someone who went through the same thing. Well your situation is a lot more... complicated, but still."
"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that." I nodded, surprised by how much I didn't mind the thought of it. We walked in silence for a while, then he stopped next to a grey Subaru. "This is my car."
"Oh, okay. Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
"You will. Have a nice evening Vasilisa."
"You too. And thank you again."

-

I took a deep breath and knocked. "Come on in!" Came the answer from inside Anjelika's office. She called me last night to ask if I could come in an hour earlier. I agreed and was about to ask her why, but she'd already hung up the phone. It wasn't out of character for her, in fact she rarely explained herself, so I tried not to overthink it. The events of the past couple of weeks didn't exactly make me fond of surprises. I turned the door knob and entered the room, my heart hammering wildly. Anjelika was sitting in her chair, a cup of coffee in her hand. See? Nothing's out of the ordinary, you can calm down. I told myself. "Someone's here to see you." She said motioning towards the left side of the room where Maxim Trankov was sitting in an armchair. "Max?"
"Hey kid, long time no see."

-

"How are you holding up?" He asked after I let go of him. "I've had better days." I sighed. "Let's take a walk." He smiled offering me his arm.