Once Lilia leaves, Yuri lets out a long, quiet breath.
(Before Skate Canada, he'd been so keyed up that he'd barely slept the night before the short program. The contrast between that night and tonight couldn't be more different.)
Two glasses of water before bed, Lilia had said, so he wanders back into the bathroom and fills a glass of water, then downs the whole thing right there at the sink. He refills the glass and carries it out of the bathroom and over to the desk, where the last pirozhok is waiting in its grease-spotted paper bag. He can deal with a few crumbs in the sheets, so he takes the bag and the glass and sits down on the bedcovers, his back against the headboard and his legs stretched out in front of him as he takes the first bite.
Tomorrow. Agape. Telling his story on the ice, the search for that unconditional love that supports and soothes and strengthens. That gives freely, wholeheartedly, and doesn't ask for anything in return. That washes away doubts and fears. That makes people want to be better than they are. He'd tried to show it as best he could at Skate Canada, but it hadn't been quite enough then. This time, it will all be different.
I hope you're sleeping well tonight, Dedka. Yuri takes another bite, chewing slowly to make the moment last as long as possible. I'll show my love for everything you've done for me, everything you mean to me. You'll see how strong I've become...and this is only the beginning, I promise you. So please --
Suddenly, inexplicably, his eyes are burning again, and he lets out an irritated noise as he scrubs at them with the back of the hand that isn't holding the pirozhok. He really should just go to bed already, or his head will start throbbing with the effort of staying awake.
The glass of water helps wash down the last two bites, and Yuri heads back into the bathroom to brush his teeth and refill the water glass for a third and final time. Once he's done and back in bed, he checks his alarms and plugs in his phone to charge overnight -- and after a beat of hesitation, he shuts down his music player and taps open his white noise app. Three pre-selected sound settings pop up: a waterfall, an ocean at night, and a rainstorm.
In the darkness of his hotel room, the last thing he hears as he sinks into sleep is the cold, clear rush of falling water.
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(Before Skate Canada, he'd been so keyed up that he'd barely slept the night before the short program. The contrast between that night and tonight couldn't be more different.)
Two glasses of water before bed, Lilia had said, so he wanders back into the bathroom and fills a glass of water, then downs the whole thing right there at the sink. He refills the glass and carries it out of the bathroom and over to the desk, where the last pirozhok is waiting in its grease-spotted paper bag. He can deal with a few crumbs in the sheets, so he takes the bag and the glass and sits down on the bedcovers, his back against the headboard and his legs stretched out in front of him as he takes the first bite.
Tomorrow. Agape. Telling his story on the ice, the search for that unconditional love that supports and soothes and strengthens. That gives freely, wholeheartedly, and doesn't ask for anything in return. That washes away doubts and fears. That makes people want to be better than they are. He'd tried to show it as best he could at Skate Canada, but it hadn't been quite enough then. This time, it will all be different.
I hope you're sleeping well tonight, Dedka. Yuri takes another bite, chewing slowly to make the moment last as long as possible. I'll show my love for everything you've done for me, everything you mean to me. You'll see how strong I've become...and this is only the beginning, I promise you. So please --
Suddenly, inexplicably, his eyes are burning again, and he lets out an irritated noise as he scrubs at them with the back of the hand that isn't holding the pirozhok. He really should just go to bed already, or his head will start throbbing with the effort of staying awake.
The glass of water helps wash down the last two bites, and Yuri heads back into the bathroom to brush his teeth and refill the water glass for a third and final time. Once he's done and back in bed, he checks his alarms and plugs in his phone to charge overnight -- and after a beat of hesitation, he shuts down his music player and taps open his white noise app. Three pre-selected sound settings pop up: a waterfall, an ocean at night, and a rainstorm.
In the darkness of his hotel room, the last thing he hears as he sinks into sleep is the cold, clear rush of falling water.