Beyond the Sound | Yuzuru Hanyu

13.

Maya had no idea how to react.

Was Yuzuru inviting her to the show?

"You mean to work?"

She needed that clarification. Her brain needed to know how to process the information.

"No. No. I meant to watch the show... if you wanted, of course."

"I...I'm not really sure."

"It would be a good way for you to get more familiar with my performance... you know, for the show at the Dome."

Yuzuru was giving her a way to accept his invitation without making it too obvious that this had nothing to do with work.

Maya, however, didn't want that in the slightest.

"If I come..."

"You should..."

"If I come, it won't be for work, Yuzuru."

She had no idea how he would react, but still went for it. 

His reaction was better than any possibility she had conjured in her brain.

"That only makes you more welcome." he told her with a big grin. The skater looked quite happy and pleased with her answer. Maybe even more than she expected.

"I'll come."

"I'll leave a pass for you at the entrance... I can send it to your address as well if you prefer."

"No, no. I can get it when I arrive."

"Okay... I will see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yes. See you tomorrow."

The awkwardness that seemed inherent to them hadn't vanished and was at an all-time high at that moment. It was only interrupted by one of his hugs.

Maya could now conclude, after just two hugs from the skater, that she enjoyed having him close. In fact, she enjoyed it way too much.

Whatever that meant was something that she wasn't ready to think about. It was best to just enjoy the moments and forget whatever her brain was telling her.

The only thing that mattered at that moment was how warm he was.

🎚️

Even after arriving home, the giddiness that the skater had somehow instilled in her was still there. 

Maya had no idea what it was about Yuzuru that made her react so easily, but she knew that overthinking was probably an effective way to ruin everything.

The one thing that she wouldn't be able to escape were Chiara's questions.

"Where the hell were you?"

"Helping out someone."

"Do what?"

"Sound."

"What for?"

"A show."

"What show?"

"Ice show."

Maya had been answering so fast that she barely realized how easy she made things for Chiara. Now she had no doubts that her friend would give her hell.

"Oh..."

"Don't start..."

"Hanyu again, huh?"

"He needed help with his show in Yokohama. His sound tech was terrible."

"And his first choice was you? Interesting."

"Don't make a big deal out of it. I beg of you."

"I'm just saying that it's interesting."

"I was the only person he knew."

Chiara didn't seem to take that excuse.

"Sweetie, he has been doing shows for years. There's no way you're the only sound engineer he knows."

"Maybe I was the only one close enough."

"Use whatever excuse you want, but I think that him asking you was no coincidence."

Maya didn't want to think about it. It was the same as it was with his hugs. Whatever Yuzuru's reasons were, she preferred not to know for sure. This way, there were no confusion or messes.

"When are you seeing him again?" Chiara broke her line of thought again.

"Tomorrow."

"Already?"

"He invited me for the show."

"Of course he did..."

"What?"

"Nothing..."

"You're even more infuriating when you don't say things straight away."

"You know what? I won't say anything else. It seems to me like going with the flow is working for you. Whatever is going on with the skater boy, I will let you figure it out yourself...I'm starting to think I underestimated Hanyu."

This was unusual for the Italian and Maya knew that she probably had a good reason.  A reason that she preferred not to know for her mental health sake.

Maya knew, deep down, that her friend had noted the interest that she had in Yuzuru. It wasn't hard to like the guy, he was cute and endearing most of the time but could stand up for himself as well.

The respectfulness with which he treated every employee only made her like him more.

But while he was a great guy, the sound engineer knew she had to get a hold of herself. He was like that with everyone else and she barely knew him.

Developing any kind of emotional connection to someone as popular as him was a recipe for disaster, especially given that they had a show to prepare together.

After all of this was done, they would go back to their lives and probably never see one another again.

So yes, whatever these butterflies in her stomach were, she needed them controlled right away.

Still, even if her brain said that it isn't often that her heart speaks louder. This time, however, it was too overwhelming.

And even Chiara saw that.

"You look like you're scared. Are you down that bad?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Honey, you like the skater. Anyone with eyes can see that."

"We're working together, that's all."

"You abdicated your free days to help out the guy. You don't do that for anyone."

"You should've heard his voice. The poor man was desperate. I couldn't say no."

"You've said no to people that almost kneeled in front of you. Maya, you're usually cold and disconnected from emotions on anything work-related, why is it different  with Hanyu?"

And that...that was the true question that her brain was still trying to solve.