Maya was trying to face the situation with humor, as she usually did, but he was having none of it.
"There is no one else."
"Why not? I don't expect you to be celibate for a whole month before coming here."
"Do you really think I would come to Tokyo if I had someone at home?" he asked with a raised brow.
"Maybe you wanted someone different, I don't know."
"You're the only one I've been with in ages."
"You're famous..."
"Exactly."
"What is that even supposed to mean?"
"Being famous makes it harder, not easier."
"It must be very hard for you to find company... I can almost believe that."
Yuzuru didn't want a fight with her, but he wanted her to understand that things weren't as easy as she made them seem. Not for him.
"It's hard to find people I can trust." he said louder than he probably should have. The room turned silent at that moment, both of them in deep thought and with Maya trying to gather all of the information that had been dropped on her. "I've told you before... It's hard for me to do things when I know they can show up in the news on the next day."
After a few seconds of thinking, she finally said something.
"As it ever happened? Someone talking to the press?"
"Not any of my...hum... lovers. Mostly other things."
"But it made you more cautious."
"Yeah. I haven't slept with a Japanese girl in years. It had always been foreigners in the past."
That made her raise her brow in question and look at him with a serious expression.
"Well, I am Japanese but I barely look like I am... I think you have a type, Mr. Hanyu."
"Not really. It isn't because I find foreigners more attractive. It's just because I knew that most of them had no idea who I was. It's harder to find that in Japan."
"So... no one since you moved back?"
"No."
"Only in Canada?"
"And in some competitions... sometimes... rarely."
"Never in Japan?"
His face was quick to nod in a negative motion.
"Until you."
The implication of those words wasn't lost on her. Until now, she had been seeing Yuzuru as this hot athlete who had his fair share of women in secret through the years. Realizing now that like her, he had been celibate for a few years was more shocking than she could admit out loud.
"That's a while without anyone."
"I know. You weren't the only one needing to get some tension out."
"So... no one else..."
"No. I'm not a playboy, Maya."
She should've known.
All of this was so on-brand for him that she was starting to feel stupid.
Yuzuru had given her no indication of seeing other people and yet, she just assumed that to be the case because he wasn't constantly by her side.
Well, it made sense.
If she could survive without sex, it was no wonder he could too.
"I have a question." she eventually muttered and he knew it couldn't be good.
"Why do I have a feeling you're about to ask something embarrassing?"
"I'm just curious"
"Ask away..."
"If never in Japan... did you lose your virginity to a foreigner?"
He laughed at her question, a big smile settling on his face.
"Yeah, so did you. What's the big deal?"
Maya looked seriously at him.
"You can't know that for sure..."
"I know you lived in Italy for quite some time. From the little information you told me, my guess is that you were young when you moved there. I doubt you did it before that."
"Smart of you."
"Thank you."
His smile was almost irritating but also adorable in her eyes, every time she got to spend some more time with him, talking about things other than work, the small things she learned would always make her like him more.
"You could tell me the story."
"Will you tell me yours?"
"Absolutely not."
"Then I guess it goes both ways."
"Oh, come on..."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because it's embarrassing."
"It always is..."
"There is no good reason for me to tell. You would make fun of me forever."
"It can't be that bad."
"It can."
"A little hint?"
"Let's just say that I was 19 and a newly crowned Olympic champion who thought he was the best thing ever. I realized very quickly that I had plenty to learn in life."
Maya smiled and kissed his lips.
"I can't imagine a cocky Yuzu."
"I grew out of it. Your turn..."
Maya groaned in response. It was only fair...
"I was 21, actually."
"Oh? I figured it would've been earlier for you."
"I was an introverted kid who liked classical music. You think any guy wanted that?"
"They were stupid then... How was it?"
"Terrible. Back alley of a club. Swore I would never drink again."
"Did you? Never drink again?"
"No. But I never got drunk either. Congrats... you're the only one I've ever admitted that to."
"Not even Chiara?"
"Not even Chiara."
He was the one kissing her now, reminding her that all of those past lovers had nothing on this handsome Japanese.
"Thank you for telling me."
"It was fair... Did you ever see the person again?"
"No. I don't even know her name. You?"
"I was drunk, barely remember anything... What do you think?"
He smiled and brought her body closer.
"It's all about the experiences, right? They make us who we are?"
"I guess so. Learning from mistakes is important."
Yuzuru seemed to be in deep thought, staying silent for a while before he finally asked.
"Will we learn anything from this?"
Maya knew where he was reaching, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to answer that question either.
"Do you think this is a mistake?" she questioned back.
"Right now? I don't know. Ask me after the show."
YOU ARE READING
Beyond the Sound | Yuzuru Hanyu
RomanceA sound engineer is suddenly faced with a new exciting challenge when she meets a certain Olympic champion. None of them is willing to take the lead and dive into a relationship but yet, being faced with feelings is never something that you can igno...