Gravity

Chapter 3: The long night

Chapter 3: The long night (Aliya's POV)

The funny thing about rivalry, is that you never know where to draw the line. Amidst all the plotting and scheming, the gossip and the poisonous stares, a line might inadvertently be crossed. That’s exactly what happened the moment the seemingly harmless word, ‘Drink?’, was uttered. It was an act of politeness, an extension of friendship even, not rivalry at all. 

With that one word, she had melted her Ice Queen exterior into a runny puddle. Her rock-solid guard came crumbling down before she even opened her mouth to speak. She wasn’t formidable anymore, she was vulnerable. She became like everyone else at the Games – debilitated, weak, and pathetic. She didn’t reek of drive or vitality, but of negligence and inadequacy. There was no way Aliya was any different from her competitors now. She was exposed and naked, giving her competition plenty of opportunities to nip at her and take her down. After all, it was so much simpler to shut people out than to deal with their hollow well wishes and praises. It was too dangerous, but she didn’t care.

In that moment, Aliya knew that she had committed a grave mistake, and that there was no going back. She knew that she had let her guard down, and gone against her coaches and teammates’ expectations of her. She knew that she had betrayed even herself. But she also knew that that simple gesture felt so intoxicatingly good. She didn’t care for the Olympics like she had when she first arrived, she didn’t care for the glory she was to bring to Russia, she didn’t care at all for her routine just yet. In that moment, she was no longer Aliya Mustafina, world champion, but she was just Aliya, a girl who wanted friendship, acceptance, and some fun. Aliya was the girl who longed for liberation and understanding. As much as she loved to push herself further, she knew that there comes a time when she needed to take a step back for a breather. She couldn’t go on at full throttle for the competition all the time, she needed a break. Socialising and acting like a teenager were things she hadn’t done in a while, so why not start with the American?

—--

There she was, teetering on the edge, the word hanging in the air. She felt as though all the air in the room had been sucked out, and everyone was desperately clinging on the silence, hoping for a break in it from the American. Gnawing at the inside of the cheek, Aliya surveyed the American, looking for a fleeting sign of discomfort or unease. Please say yes, or so help me God, I will- Aly nodded her head. She nodded her head. Aliya broke into a broad, satisfied smile. She nodded her head. Aly stepped over her teammates’ legs and took Aliya’s arm in hers, directing her to the bar.

She nodded her head.

——

Ordering their drinks, Aly turned to Aliya, “So, how’d you like London so far?” Aliya chuckled at her clichéd conversation starter, “Good, yes. You?” “Oh, yeah, it’s great.” The two descended into silence one more, Aliya twirling her phone and Aly tapping at the table. Obviously, she hadn’t thought her approach through. What was she thinking? Trying to make friends with people wasn’t her forte, that would be more of Maria’s. Of course, she did not want her first attempt at socialising to be a complete flop. Huffing out her growing frustration, Aliya frantically scanned the room for inspiration. Surely there was something, anything at all, that she could find to talk about. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything special; people were dancing, people were drinking, people were laughing, Vika was lurking- Wait, Vika was lurking?

Aliya narrowed her eyes at the mousy girl, who was currently crouched behind a sofa, and was strategically blocked by a couple that was very engaged in their much-needed ‘ministrations’. Vika peered over the top of the sofa, eagerly trying to keep watch over her best friend. Aliya glowered at her, preparing to walk over to give the smaller girl a proper earful. “Order up, ladies,” the bartender chimed. Turning back towards the American, she picked her drink up and offered the bartender a sweet smile. She glanced back at the sofa to discover that Vika was gone. Shit.