In record timing, we arrived at the train station, checked in and found our seats. "And now we sit back and take in the scenery," I said, settling into my seat. We settled in for the long train ride to Hokkaido. Viktor had pulled this morning's newspaper out of his coat pocket and had it open to the sports section.
I stared out the window, lost in thought, Maccachin curled on the seat next to me. "The world is expecting the great Viktor Nikiforov to return to the world of skating. Do you really want to be the one who is blamed for Vik-"
"Zvyozdochka! My goodness, you were lost in thought. Are you ok?" Viktor asked as he shook me gently, his newspaper lying abandoned. I snapped back to reality, shaking my head. "Ah, I'm sorry, Aibou, I was just thinking of something Chris said," I said casually, my mind racing.
Just then the dinner trolley rolled by. "Anything from the trolley, gents?" asked the kindly old woman, poking her head into our compartment.
"We will take one of everything," Viktor said, smiling as he got up to hand her the money and retrieve the food. "Thank you!" he said as he slid the compartment door closed.
We ate in silence, looking out the window, taking in the beautiful scenery as it slowly changed from green and lush to white. "Nope, no sharing for Maccachin! We don't want a repeat of last time," I said, winking at Maccachin, who had been eyeing my sandwich.
"Would you look at that? I've never seen anything like it," Viktor said softly, as he gazed out the window at the pristine white landscape. "It is beautiful up here. No wonder my parents came here for business," I said, grinning.
The train slowed down as we pulled into the Hokkaido train station. "Ready?" I asked, grinning, as I grabbed Maccachin's leash. Viktor silently took my hand, and we disembarked the train.
We hailed a passing cab and climbed into it, eager to warm up. "You folks must be visiting. It does get cold up here," our driver said, smiling as he glanced in the rear-view mirror, looking at our flushed faces.
"Yes, we are here on vacation," Viktor said, grabbing my hand and rubbing it between his, Maccachin curled up at our feet.
The cab rolled to a stop, as our driver said cheerfully, "Enjoy your visit, folks!" As I tightened my grip on Maccachin's leash, I tipped our driver while Viktor gathered our luggage from the trunk. "Thanks again!" I said, waving as he drove off.
We walked through the front door of the resort, eager to get in out of the cold. "Welcome, folks! Do you have a reservation?" the front desk agent asked, smiling. "Yes, it's under Katsuki Yuri," I said, handing her the print out of our reservation.
"Ah! Here we are, Katsuki-san! You are in 406! The restaurant starts serving at 5 pm. Enjoy your stay here in Hokkaido!" she said, handing me the keys to our room. "Thank you!" I said, smiling.
We walked to the elevator and, after a while, arrived at the 4th floor. We walked down the hall, scanning the doors until we found our room. "Ah! Here we are!" I said, stopping in front of our room. I unlocked the door and pushed it open as Maccachin ran inside.
"Wow, what a view of the mountain," Viktor whispered as I set our luggage down in the bedroom, pausing to stare out the window.
"I was told this room had the best view in the resort. I'm going to shower and change," I said, grinning as I joined him at the window. Maccachin had settled on the couch, tired from the long trip.
I pecked Viktor on the cheek and went to shower and change for dinner, as Viktor continued to stare out the window. "Aibou, do you want to shower before we go down for dinner?" I asked as I came into the sitting room towel drying my hair. "Aibou? Are you ok?"
"Oh, yes, I'm fine, zvyozdochka," he said, turning and smiling. He pecked me on the cheek and went to shower.
I stood staring out the window, fiddling with the ring on my right hand. A lot has changed in such a short period of time. With so much still to say, I thought.
Suddenly, a pair of arms enveloped me from behind, and a warm voice whispered in my ear, "Ready?" I turned, smiling. "Yep, let's go," I said.
Not wanting a repeat of what happened when we were away in Russia, Viktor checked the entire hotel room (twice) to be sure that Maccachin couldn't get into anything.
"Be good, Maccachin. We will be back," Viktor said, as we left. Understanding Viktor's message, Maccachin lowered his head and happily went back to napping.
My stomach growled loudly as we rode the elevator down to the restaurant. Silently, I took Viktor's hand as the elevator arrives at the lobby floor. "Ah, here we are," I said, as we walked through the door.
"Welcome, gents! Just two for you this evening?" the host asked, smiling. "Right, if you would follow me." He led us to the corner of the restaurant. "Here we are," he said, seating us before disappearing.
As Viktor started to say something, our server approached our table, a bottle of wine and two stemmed glasses in his hand. He set our glasses down, and chatting animatedly. "Are you folks here for business or just visiting?" he asked.
"We are here on vacation," I said, grinning as my ring caught the firelight.
"Well, welcome to Hokkaido! Congratulations on your engagement!" he replied, grinning from ear to ear. After taking our dinner order, our server left, leaving us to our conversation.
"So, Aibou, I was thinking," Viktor started, as he stared, the light of the fireplace catching his ring. "I know we were planning to wait to get married, so that our friends and family could be a part of the planning process, but, what if we held the wedding here?"
I stared silent, contemplating what Viktor had just said. Silently, I reached across the table and took his hand in mine. "I would love that. We can call everyone and have them come here," I said, grinning from ear to ear.
"It's settled then," Viktor said, smiling as he kissed my hand.
Just then, our server appeared, carrying a tray laden with dishes. "Right then, here we are!" our server said, setting our dishes down before us. My stomach gave an impatient growl, as I took a sip of wine. "Can I get you anything else?" he asked, stepping back.
"No, I think this is perfect. Thank you so much!" I said, smiling. Our server nodded, saying, "enjoy your dinner, folks. Let me know if there is anything else I can get for you" He walked away, leaving us to our conversation.
"There is so much to do! We will have to call everyone, let the hotel know what we are doing, order th- "
Viktor placed his hand over mine, cutting off my rambling. "Aibou, relax. We have plenty of time to get things done," he said gently, grinning.
We sat in silence, eating our dinner, my mind racing over the mental list I was drawing up. Soon enough, we were finished and our server was back. "Did you gents enjoy everything? Is there anything else I can get for you?" he asked, as he gathered our empty plates and placed them on an empty tray.
"I think we are set," Viktor said, smiling as he reached into his jacket pocket for his wallet.
Our server held up his hand. "Your meal has been taken care of, so you are all set. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Hokkaido," he said, grinning.
I stared at our server, puzzled. "Who took care of our meal?" I asked.
"I was told to keep it a secret, but you gents are all set! Enjoy the rest of your stay in Hokkaido!" he said, winking as he left with the tray of dishes.
We stood, and left the restaurant, ready to go back to our room. "I'm ready for a warm shower and to crash," Viktor said into my shoulder as we arrived at the 4th floor.
"Same here. We've had a long day of travel," I yawned as we walked down the hallway towards our room. I paused to unlock the door and, after opening it a crack, was knocked to the floor by a very eager dog.
"Well, Maccachin! Did you miss us?" Viktor chuckled, as he patted Maccachin on the head before helping me up.
After another warm shower, we crawled into bed, exhausted from travelling. Viktor fell asleep instantly, wrapping his arms around me. I, on the other hand, laid awake for most of the night, going over everything that needed to be done.
Transaltions:
zvyozdochka-little star