A funny word called Love

Chapter 9

Time moved quickly for Yuri. There was always something to be done, skating practice to go to, studies to attend to, competitions, you name it, so it always seemed to go by so fast. The next year was a blur for Yuri. Competitions came and went, and at each competition he got to see Otabek, which was always nice, for no matter how much they skyped, called, and texted, it was nothing like hanging out with him in person. They never had much time together in person, though. Maybe an evening that they could spend together, not nearly enough.

So, Yuri got to thinking that maybe, just maybe, since it was the off season and there were no competitions right around the corner, that maybe, just maybe, Otabek could come to St Petersburg for a week, and he had decided that he had to at least give it a shot.

Yuri dialed Otabek's number, his heart thumping as the line ringed. He had never invited somebody to come to his house. As a child, it's not like he had play dates or anything like that. He was too concentrated on skating to try and make friends. Sure, he was acquaintances with his rink-mates, but he was careful not to get too close to any of them. They were competition, after all.

"Hello Yuratchka," Otabek said when he picked up. It no longer surprised Yuri when he got called his nickname, over the year, the two had called each other their nicknames more and more until it was habit instead of something surprising and odd.

"Hey Beka! So, uhmmmm, I was ehm wondering if since it's the offseason, you might like to come to St Petersburg?" Yuri said, rushing through the sentence with anxiety.

"Oh, of course! That sounds lovely. When would you like me to come?" Otabek replied, sounding surprised yet pleased.

"Maybe next week? Unless that's too early to get a flight. Idk just come when there's a cheap flight and when you can get off of practice! I can take you to all the sights in St Petersburg and you can meet my cat and I can cook you some pirozhkis!"

"Sounds great, but you'll have to visit Almaty sometime, okay? I haven't been back in Kazakhstan for too long but I could still show you around."

"Awesome! Let me know when you figure out you can come so I have time to clean up. My rooms kinda a mess."

"I hope that not all of it's broken. You should only buy things that are immune to being kicked, and things that won't break if they have something thrown at them or if they are thrown at something!"

"Haha very funny."

The conversation once again continued from subject to subject, never pausing for silence to sing. Though these two tended to have very few words for others, or in Yuri's case, only angry words for other, they both could not stop talking in the presence of one another, for they had both grown very comfortable with each other over the past year.