Dangerous Lines | Yuzuru Hanyu

12. Conflict

You could be certain that her brain suffered a small malfunction when he swiftly suggested helping her.

Oh hell no, it was a perfect disaster.

For most people, it would be quite a unique opportunity but when you have been thinking so much of someone, it was probably best to just keep some distance.

Remember you're a married woman, she kept telling herself.

"I doubt I will be doing this often." she found herself answering in an attempt to dismiss the whole idea without being rude. It was nothing about Yuzuru in particular, but rather the fact that she couldn't trust herself in this.

Seemingly understanding her point of view, she saw him gently point out to the exit of the ice.

"How about you get some rest out of the ice? Just to make sure you're really ok once the shock wears off."

Make no mistake, in no shape or form did she think that there was any need for something like that but Yaeko quickly found that saying no to him was very difficult.

She heard him quickly mutter to the same boy "Kaito! Do your cooldown, I'll watch from the outside."

Yuzuru held her hand and gently guided her out of the ice, not even bothering to wait for a proper answer. Once they sat down, Yaeko found herself looking at the little boy, wondering what was his connection to the man by her side.

It was obvious that he was training him, but she wasn't really sure if that was something he did commonly.

Silence settled between them. It was painfully obvious how weird it was for both of them to talk to one another.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here." she said in an attempt to break the ice.

Looking at her in the eye, he didn't lose much time before answering her.

"I can say the same thing. I honestly thought I wouldn't see you again."

Yae wanted answers. For starters, she wanted to know why he was even thinking of when he would see her again but more than anything, she wished to know the exact impact she had on this man that made him remember her name.

She wondered immediately what he thought of her presence there and what implications it had.

Did he think she was following him or something?

"I had no idea you were a local hero until I saw all the stuff outside. " Quickly realizing how it could sound, she decided to change her words. "I mean, I had realized by now that you were a bit famous, but I didn't know you were from Sendai."

Yuzuru just laughed softly.

"I guess fate deemed it that we should meet again."

He said those things with so much calm that she truly couldn't understand it. She was so affected by them that it made her run away.

"Now seriously, I wouldn't imagine that you do this often."

Yuzuru seemed in deep thought for a few moments, almost as if he was considering what to share with her, something easily understandable given his status.

"I don't, not really. My nephew had been begging me for some coaching sessions, and this is the only way I can fit it into my schedule without making him endure crazy hours."

Nephew... for some kind of reason, that made her relieved to hear.

"That's very considerate of you."

Chuckling, she saw him scratch the back of his head, a pattern that was noticeable before and one that a person like her, used to reading people's body language, could interpret as being nervous.

"You say that 'cause you don't know my sister. She can be scary."

The ease that he seemed to have to share these things with her was completely undeniable and she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it.

"I'm sure she appreciates your effort."

"And what does bring you around here? I don't think I've ever seen you around Sendai before."

"Oh, so you know everyone around here, huh?" she joked right away in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Not everyone, but I did grow up around here and it's not that big of a place."

It didn't take much effort to realize that this man, besides the very obvious fact of being ridiculously attractive in her eyes, was also very smart. That was something that she could easily tell just from the way he spoke.

"Fair enough..."

Yaeko then considered the whole thing, whether she should admit the true nature of her visit or if she should just lie. In the end, the conflicting emotions made her go to half-term,  not fully lying but all at the same time, trying to protect him from the full truth.

"You don't have to tell me." he eventually muttered with uncertainty once he realized how long she was taking to reply.

"My husband is here in business, I just came along."

The sudden mention of her husband brought up a reaction she didn't expect in his face. Surely enough, Yuzuru was sneaky, but she could still somehow read his expressions. It was almost as if he had completely forgotten about that detail about her.

"I hope you're having a good time, then."

She didn't miss the way he suddenly distanced himself from her, both physically and emotionally but then again, wasn't that what she wanted from the start?

It was important to remember that this wasn't about her or what she wanted. Yuzuru was a sweet guy, smart, and with a bright future ahead of him. Just thinking of a world where she could be responsible for any consequences on his life wasn't something she was ready for.

Distance was the absolute best choice. He deserved more.