Aki hurriedly wound through the desks in the choreography department of the Figure Skating Federation. People on both sides of her smiled and waved as they recognized her, but she barely returned their greetings. She was in a bit of a hurry, and made her way straight towards the office that was her goal. When she reached it, she made the barest attempt at a knock before swinging the door open, already starting to speak.
"Papa, Otousan said that you have my─"
She stopped talking in mid-sentence as she realized that her papa was not alone in his office. A boy with chestnut hair looked up at her abrupt entrance, and the two of them locked eyes. Aki nearly let out a gasp at the sight of him. His face was chiseled, with a strong chin and striking cheekbones, framed by his bright hair tied back into a loose ponytail. As he looked up at her, a stray strand fell across his face, drawing her attention to his dark eyes.
He was, in a word, gorgeous.
Her papa's eyes flashed a little at the dumbstruck look on her face. He prodded her in a slightly stiff voice, "Yes, Aki, what was it that I have?"
She tore her eyes from the handsome boy with some effort, desperately trying to remember why she was there. "Oh, uh, yeah...that is…"
Her papa sighed. "Aki, if there's nothing you need, then do you mind sending me a text when you remember? We were trying to work."
Ah! Here was something Aki's muddled brain was interested in. She hurriedly said, "Oh, yes, I'm sorry. I was very rude." Returning her eyes to the boy next to her papa, she smiled in a way that she hoped wasn't too much of a simper and said, "Where are my manners? I'm Victor's daughter, Aki." She gave one of her otousan's slight bows from the waist.
The boy's mouth twitched upward at one corner. "I'm Hedeon Sergeyevich Volkov. I'm entering the men's division this year, and Victor Roksanaich is helping me choreograph my debut routines."
Victor broke in, "Yes, and we are quite busy, Aki, which is why—"
"Ah, of course, I'm sorry. I'll leave you two alone. Papa, I'll just wait outside here for you to be done." Aki quickly backed out of the office and shut the door before her papa could protest. Shifting her body to the side, she leaned her back against the wall and sank down slowly, covering her beet-red cheeks with her hands.
Hedeon. That was his name. She turned it over in her head, even mouthing it slightly as she continued to cover her face, just in case she was in anyone's line of sight. She had never had much interest in dating, either boys or girls, but this boy was something else. There was something almost dangerous about the aura he exuded that had attracted her immediately. She desperately tried to quiet her thumping heart as she attempted to think of something to say to him.
She had readily agreed to a retreat from her papa's office so she could ruminate over this problem, leaning against the wall next to the door so she would be out of the way. She was well aware that skaters came and went from the FSFR, never spending much time there, so there was no guarantee that she would run into him coincidentally like this again. Therefore, she had to be sure to make an impression now, while not coming off as desperate. She also knew she likely didn't have much time, as the choreography consultation couldn't last forever.
As she was still trying to decide, her papa's door opened, and he emerged with Hedeon following behind him. Her papa was saying, "...that this doesn't fix all of your problems, but I think it's at least a good starting point. We'll have to have another consultation at some point to finish up."
Pushing herself off the wall, Aki said, "Why don't we have him over for dinner now, then?"
Both of them turned to look at her, and Aki momentarily felt her confidence waver, but pushed through. "Otousan is taking Nika to a game tonight, so they won't be home. It will be nice and quiet, and you can finish up your work."
Her papa stared at her impassively as Hedeon cracked a small smile. "I wouldn't want to impose on your home."
Aki gaped at him, blinded by the smile. His entire face somehow grew more handsome as his lips curled up slightly at the corners. Her papa was the one who responded to Hedeon instead. "It wouldn't really be an imposition, but I don't want to inconvenience you if you have plans." His voice held a slight edge that indicated to Aki that he very much wished Hedeon did indeed have other plans, but she was too busy staring at the boy to notice her papa's feelings on the matter.
"I'm not busy tonight."
"Is that so. Well, I'm afraid that since my husband is going to be gone, I can't offer you much in the way of hospitality."
Hedeon was undeterred. "That's no problem. We would be there to work, really. I'm fine with that if you are available."
Aki cut in, "I was planning to make us dinner anyway, Papa. One more person isn't a problem."
Hedeon's eyes focused on her again, and she felt her chest heat up. "That's very generous of you."
She waved her hand. "Oh, not at all. I like to cook! It's one of my hobbies." She turned to her papa in an effort to calm herself down. "So, should we go then?"
Victor scrutinized her for a moment before turning to the boy at his side. "I can offer you a ride if you are free. Do you need to contact anyone at home before we go?"
Hedeon shook his head. "I'll send my mom a text, but she usually works pretty late. It shouldn't be a problem."
"All right, then." Despite his words of acquiescence, Victor stood still for a prolonged moment before turning to his daughter. "Aki, didn't you say there was something you needed in my office?"
She waved her hand, her lost item the furthest thing from her mind at the moment. "Oh, it's not important, Papa. Let's just get going." She started to walk out of the office, resolutely not looking at her papa.
Hedeon followed behind her, and soon was walking abreast of her. She looked sideways at his profile as they exited the building, taking him in once again. She realized she was staring, and decided to try breaking the silence. "So, uh...you're entering Men's this year?"
He looked at her and nodded once.
Undeterred, she asked, "How long were you in Juniors?"
"Three years," came the brief reply.
By now they were standing in front of her papa's convertible. As they stood by the pink car, Hedeon looked back and forth a little, as if in disbelief that this car was their ride. Aki felt her cheeks flush a little. She had never before been embarrassed by her papa's choice of vehicle, but now she felt like she was being personally slighted by the hot pink convertible. Her papa approached, unlocking the doors and sliding smoothly into the driver's seat. Aki stood awkwardly for a moment. Usually she would sit right next to her papa, as her otousan and brother didn't like being seen in the car. But now she hesitated, and finally opened the back door. As she slid across the seat to make room for Hedeon, she caught her papa's raised eyebrows in the rearview mirror, and carefully averted her gaze, busying herself with buckling in instead.
Victor tapped the rearview mirror to adjust it. "Everyone ready to go?"
"Yes, Papa." Aki glanced over at Hedeon, and noticed that he hadn't bothered buckling his seat belt. She paused, unsure if she should say something. Hedeon caught her eye on him, and smiled. She stared, once again enjoying the effect of the smile on his face, and then returned it. She decided it wasn't a big deal. Not everyone liked being restricted by a seat belt.
She tried to shake herself out of her thoughts and continue the fragment of conversation they had started. "So you said you skated three years in Juniors?"
Hedeon nodded, turning his gaze forward as the car began to move.
Aki pursued her questions, undeterred. "So what made you decide to enter Men's this year?"
Her partner shrugged. "I just figured it was time. My coach says I can probably handle it, so he sent me to Victor Roksanaich for choreography."
"Oh, cool. Yeah, Papa is the best. He's choreographed several gold medal-winning performances. He'll make sure that you have the best debut you can." Aware that she was babbling a little, Aki shut her mouth, facing forward. Out of the side of her vision, she saw Hedeon's mouth turn up a little at the corner. The sight threw her stomach into a flutter, and she spent the rest of the short ride back home in uncharacteristic silence.
When they pulled into their parking lot, Aki exited the car with surprising speed. As she started up the stairs, she called to her papa who was still gathering his things, "I'll just go in and start dinner." Not looking behind her, she ran up the stairs to their floor in bounds, resisting the urge to slam the apartment door behind her. She did, however, lean on it momentarily as Makkachin bounded over to greet her. She smiled, patting the poodle on his head as she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. This was no time to get all flustered over a cute boy visiting her apartment. She had a job to do.
Resolutely, she pushed herself off the door and went to the kitchen, looking in the fridge and cabinets to decide what to make for dinner. She had planned on just making omurice, but for a handsome guest that seemed a little simplistic. After perusing the available ingredients, she decided instead upon beef stroganoff over noodles, with a side of roasted potatoes. She got to work, becoming completely absorbed in her task to the point of not noticing the other people in the house.
When it was almost done, she gathered three plates out of the cabinet, and then paused, unsure if she should set the dishes in the kitchen or the dining room. On one hand, the kitchen felt very intimate...but maybe it was too intimate. On the other hand, the dining room was formal enough for a guest, but seemed like overkill with only three people. In the end, she couldn't decide which of her family's four spots at the kitchen table would house a potential guest, so she set the dishes in the dining room.
By the time she was done fussing over that, the meal was ready, and she put it into serving dishes. As she carried them out to the dining room, she called, "Dinner's ready!"
A few moments later, her papa entered the room, taking his traditional seat at the head of the table. Aki paused, then sat in her usual spot, leaving her otousan's seat empty between herself and her papa. Taking the inferred invitation, Hedeon placed himself between the two of them.
Victor looked at the dishes appreciatively. "It looks lovely, Akiya."
She smiled carefully. "Thanks, Papa." Turning to their guest, she said, "I hope you like stroganoff."
Hedeon nodded once, taking the serving bowl she offered to him and doling food out onto his plate. There was brief silence while they all served themselves, and Aki had to stop herself from staring at the boy next to her as he took his first bite.
Victor broke into the quiet. "Akiya, it tastes as good as it looks." He smiled at her, the first unguarded smile he had shown around their guest.
To her surprise, Hedeon agreed. "Yes, it's quite good."
She stared at him in shock before forcing her gaze back to her plate. She felt her cheeks blush as she silently thanked her otousan for teaching her how to make this dish.
After that, her papa kept up most of the conversation, wrapping up a few minor details with Hedeon. Once that was finished, he turned to his daughter and started asking her about her day at school. Aki tried desperately to deflect his questions, more interested in getting their guest to talk. Her efforts didn't bear much fruit, however, as Hedeon only gave the bare minimum of responses required of him each time before returning to his meal. Eventually, Aki gave up, and started dully supplying answers to her papa's questions.
When they had finished, Victor rose from his seat. "Since you cooked, Aki, I'll clean up." He gathered the leftovers and took them into the kitchen to put them away, leaving the two teens alone. Aki stared at her plate, unsure of what to say since all her attempts at conversation had been stunted.
She was shocked when the boy next to her spoke. "Do you mind giving me your contact info?"
She turned to look at him, blinking up into his dark eyes. Had he really just asked her that?
He put her mind at ease by elaborating, "Do you use WhatsApp?"
Aki jumped in her seat a little. "Oh! Yeah! I can give you my number." She watched as he opened the messaging app, and she automatically recited the numbers for her phone.
He saved the contact then tucked his phone away just as her papa reentered the room to gather the dirty dishes. Hedeon stood up and said, "I should get going now, Victor Roksanaich. Thank you very much for your help and your hospitality." He directed this last part at Aki, including a small smile that left her dazed in her seat.
Victor responded in her stead, "It was no problem. You have my contact information, so please let me know if any problems arise with your choreography, and I'll do my best." Setting the dishes down, he walked around the table and started to guide their guest to the front door.
Just before he left, Hedeon turned around and fixed Aki with a piercing stare that went straight through her core.
Oh, yeah. She was in trouble.