Chapter 3

NOTE BEFORE READING: In case you haven't (re)read it lately, a couple of weeks ago, I made a small change in the first chapter to make JJ the Canadian senior bronze medalist instead of gold as I wrote originally. I didn't want him to have been chosen to be on the Olympic team going to Sochi in 2014, so in this universe, Canada only had two spots for the Olympics, which were given to Patrick Chan (love!) and Kevin Reynolds. Patrick still won the silver in Sochi as he did in real life, but Viktor took the gold instead of Yuzuru Hanyu and Chris was bronze medalist instead of Denis Ten (RIP). Yuzuru and Denis (who was the real-life inspiration behind Otabek's character) don't exist in this universe.

The next morning, Otabek was awakened by somebody lightly shaking him by the shoulder.

"Hey, did you really hook up with Sam last night?"

Otabek cracked open an eyelid, groaning as he looked up at the person standing at his bedside. "JJ?" His head was killing him, feeling like as if a thousand tiny people had taken up residence inside his skull, pounding on his brain with equally tiny sledgehammers. "What time is it?" he asked, rubbing at his eye.

"Seven-thirty. We're about to leave for Mass." Indeed, on closer inspection, he noticed JJ was dressed in his Sunday best: a freshly-pressed white shirt, gray slacks, and a navy tie. "Never mind that, though," JJ said, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. "Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That you fooled around with Sam at the party."

Otabek furrowed his brow. His memories of the previous night were on the fuzzy side, but he didn't remember any guys named – No, wait. The girl he had slept with – her name was Sam, right? Short for Samira? Samantha?

"Was she the blonde who was wearing the plaid skirt?"

"Yeah."

"Then, yeah, we fucked." Otabek sat up and immediately regretted it, groaning again as he grabbed his throbbing head. "O believers! Intoxicants, gambling, idols, and drawing lots for decisions are all evil of Satan's handiwork. So shun them so you may be successful," he mumbled in Arabic, resolving never to touch a drop of alcohol ever again. Otabek may have disagreed with some of the Prophet's teachings, but he reckoned he knew a thing or two about what he was talking about when it came to drinking.

JJ tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?"

"It's from the Quran. It means, um...never mind." He doubted JJ was really interested. "How do you even know about me and Sam anyway?" He had vague memories of JJ driving him home after the party and helping him up to his room; had it slipped out then? He didn't think he would tell JJ about it, but, then again, he had done a lot of things last night he never thought he would.

"She's Bella's best friend. She told Bella, and Bella texted me this morning." JJ frowned. "I thought you...you know, liked guys?" he said, lowering his voice.

That's what bothered him? Otabek had expected more of a lecture about sleeping with someone he had just met while under the influence of alcohol. JJ didn't strike him as the type of guy who approved of casual hook-ups.

"I like both. I'm bi."

"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense," JJ murmured, seeming to be talking more to himself than Otabek.

"And you don't have to act like it's some big secret. Your parents already know."

"They do?"

"I wasn't going to move halfway around the world and train with people who don't accept who I am," Otabek said, running a hand through his messy hair. "They said they were fine with it."

"Oh. So...everybody knows?"

"I never made a big coming-out post on social media, if that's what you mean." He never said much at all on social media, to be honest, not getting the hype. He mostly just posted pretty landscape photos he had taken during his travels and the occasional training video. Back when he was training in Colorado, his ex-boyfriend Leo had posted a few photos of the two of them together on his much more active Instagram page, but despite his interest in photography, Otabek had never been a huge fan of having his own picture taken, much more comfortable behind a camera than in front of one. "But I've never attempted to hide it either." He pointed to his skate bag on the floor near the foot of his bed. Among the grouping of pins attached to the side of the bag were a couple of pride pins, including a circular one featuring the magenta, purple, and blue stripes of the bisexual flag.

"Ah. I guess I never really noticed," JJ admitted sheepishly. "Well, anyway, since you slept together, does that mean Sam's your girlfriend now?"

Otabek wasn't sure. They hadn't said much to each other afterwards, although he had promised to call her sometime. "I… guess?" After all, he didn't want to be seen as a "one-night stand" kind of guy, even if that pretty much what it was.

"Cool, cool. That means we can go on double dates," JJ said. "Ask her if she's free next Saturday. Me and Bella are going to see the new Marvel movie. We should all go together. It'll be fun."

Fun for who? Certainly not for him. Watching JJ and Isabella be all lovey-dovey with each other sounded about as pleasant as getting a cavity filled, but he couldn't think of a way to decline the invite without making things awkward between them again.

"Okay, I'll check with her," Otabek agreed. If he was lucky, maybe she already had plans for Saturday.

At that moment, they heard Nathalie shouting up the stairs. "JJ, we're ready to leave. Hurry up and get down here!"

"Coming, Maman!" JJ yelled back, Otabek wincing at the volume. Turning his attention back to Otabek, he stood up and said, "Gotta go. There's some aspirin in the medicine cabinet located the powder room downstairs if you need it."

"Thanks."

JJ stopped at the door. "By the way, we'll be late getting home today," he informed Otabek. "The church is having a bake sale. Probably won't be back until around noon or so."

"Okay, good to know. Have fun."

"See you later!"

After JJ finally left, Otabek laid back down and attempted to get a little more sleep, but it was no use. The pounding in his head wouldn't stop. Groaning, he gave it up as a lost cause and rolled out of bed, trudging down to the powder room where he found the bottle of aspirin JJ had mentioned. He shook out a couple of pills then headed to the kitchen, where he washed them down with a glass of water. Though he wasn't particularly hungry, Otabek rummaged around for some breakfast, settling for a banana as he sat down at the island and pulled out his phone.

He scrolled through his short list of contacts until he found the girl's number listed under the name "Samantha 'Sam' Winters". He should probably call her, right? That seemed the proper thing to do after you slept with somebody for the first time. But was it too early? Like JJ, she might be on her way to church, too. Perhaps it was better to text her, instead.

No, this was definitely more of a "call" situation.

Sighing, Otabek set his half-eaten banana to the side and hit "Call". If she didn't answer, he could always leave a message and ask her to call him back later.

The phone rang three times before Samantha picked up. "Hello?" she mumbled, not sounding entirely awake.

"Samantha? Hi. It's Otabek," he said. "You know, from the party?" He winced, realizing how idiotic he sounded as soon as the words left his mouth. After all, how many Otabeks could she possibly know? He would bet good money that he was the only one currently living in the greater Toronto area.

"Oh, hi, Otabek!" Her voice perked up a little. "Good morning."

"Good morning. I didn't wake you or anything?"

"No, no, I was already up," she said despite fighting back what sounded like a yawn.

"Good. Um, so how are you?"

"Oh. Okay, I guess? A little hungover."

"Yeah, me, too," he admitted.

A long pause followed, Otabek wishing he had spent more time thinking about what he wanted to say before he called. What was there for them to even talk about, though? He barely knew her, despite the physical intimacy they had shared the night before.

Fortunately, Samantha broke the stalemate. "I wasn't expecting you to call today. I'm really glad you did, though."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Last night… Um, it was my first time."

At least they had that in common. "Mine, too."

"You, too?" She let out a nervous giggle. "This is kinda weird, isn't it?"

"Yeah." He was beginning to sound like a broken record. Otabek blamed it on his headache. He never had been the most social person, but this was terrible, even by his low standards.

"I...don't expect anything," she continued. "I mean, I know we were both drinking last night, so if you want to pretend it never happened…"

"Actually, I kind of already told JJ you were my girlfriend," he said, a decision he was beginning to regret. Samantha seemed like a nice enough girl, but if all their interactions were going to be as awkward as this, maybe it would have been better just to forget everything, to pass it off as a stupid drunken mistake.

"Oh!"

"I mean, if you don't want to be, I –"

"No! I don't mind," Samantha said. "If you don't mind?"

"It's okay with me." As if he could say otherwise without sounding like the biggest jackass in the world...

"Cool."

"Cool," he repeated, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um, that's part of the reason why I called you. JJ wants us to go on a double date with him and Isabella to see that new superhero movie next Saturday."

Please say 'no'. Please say 'no', he silently begged, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Yeah, I can go," she said. "Sounds like fun! I love those movies."

Of course she did.

Otabek held back the urge to sigh, forcing a smile to his face even though she couldn't see him over the phone. "Great! JJ didn't tell me what showing they're planning to see, so I'll text you when I find out more details."

"Okay, sounds good."

Yet another awkward silence followed.

"Well, I guess I'll let you go –" Samantha said at the same time Otabek asked, "Um, what about this morning? Do you have any plans?"

He cringed, not even sure why he had asked that. Samantha seemed happy, though, her voice brightening.

"Oh! No, I'm free. I told my dad I wasn't feeling well, so he went to church without me."

"Then...do you maybe want to come over? Listen to music or something?" he asked. Now that they were officially dating, it probably was a good idea to get to know each other at least a little better before their movie date. "JJ and his family just left. They won't be back until this afternoon."

"Yeah, I'd like that. What's the address?"

Otabek gave her the address to the Leroys' house. Samantha said she'd be over around eight-thirty, giving him just enough time to take a shower and make himself presentable. Even though he had changed into his usual night clothes before going to bed, the stale smell of vomit and beer still clung to him, Otabek crinkling his nose when he caught a whiff climbing up the stairs.

He was never getting drunk ever again...

After his shower, Otabek brought his laptop downstairs to the seldom used living room. He felt much better – much more like his usual self – after bathing and brushing his teeth. Even his headache had begun to fade, the aspirin working its magic. Now it was more like a faint throb, rather than the unrelenting pounding that had assaulted his brain when he first woke up.

He was in the middle of preparing a playlist of some of his favorite songs when the doorbell rang. Sucking in a sharp breath, Otabek wiped his suddenly sweaty hands on his jeans as he stood back up and walked over to the entryway.

Why was he nervous? They had already slept together, after all.

"Hey," he said as he opened the front door.

Samantha gave him a small smile. "Hi."

She was prettier than Otabek remembered from the alcohol-impaired haze of last night. A slender blonde with delicate features, her bright green eyes stood out to him as being particularly striking. He'd always had a bit of a thing for people with green eyes; they reminded him of the first boy he had ever crushed on. Samantha wasn't particularly curvy, with a small chest and narrow hips, but she had long legs like a dancer. In her cute platform sandals, she was about the same height as him, maybe even a centimeter or two taller.

"So, um, welcome. Come in." Otabek opened the door wider to allow her entry. "Do you want anything to drink? I mean, non-alcoholic, of course?"

She giggled. "A Diet Coke, if you have it?"

"Ah, I don't think we do. Soda isn't on our meal plan. How about some bottled water? Or I think we might have some orange juice?"

"Water is fine."

"Okay. Make yourself at home." He gestured toward the living room. "I'll be back in a minute."

After grabbing a couple of bottles of water from the refrigerator, Otabek returned to the living room, finding Samantha sitting on the center cushion of one of the couches. "Here," he said, handing her a bottle.

"Oh, thanks."

He took a seat on her right, twisting the cap off his bottle and taking a couple of gulps of water before setting it aside. Determined to prove that he was capable of decent conversation after the horrible impression he made over the phone, Otabek decided to stick to a topic he knew well.

"So, what kind of music do you like?"

"Oh, all kinds! Lately, though, I've really been into Justin Bieber."

Oh, so she was a Top 40 girl. He probably should have guessed that. She gave off that kind of vibe, the type of teenage girl who liked whatever was considered popular and trendy at the time.

"What about you?" Samantha asked.

"I'm mainly into rock and R&B, some electronica, and a bit of rap and heavy metal," Otabek said. "Right before I moved here, I trained in Detroit, and it was cool since the city is known for its music scene and being the birthplace of Motown. My ex-boyfriend back when I lived in Colorado Springs introduced me to a lot of incredible African-American artists while we were dating, so I loved exploring the city on my days off from practice and learning the history behind their music and careers." He paused, glancing over at Samantha to gauge her reaction. She had said she was cool with the possibility of him having had a boyfriend at the party, but it was one thing to say that, and another for her new boyfriend to actually confirm he was bi.

Her eyes did widen a bit at the revelation, her lips forming a soft "o", but, fortunately, after her initial surprise, Samantha took it in stride. "Sounds like it was a fun place to live."

"It was." Relieved, he took another sip of water. "I also enjoy classical music, too, though. Probably because I'm a skater, so I hear it all the time."

"I saw you skate the other day. I don't know much about it, but you were really good. I loved those spins you did. I would get so dizzy if I ever tried doing something like that!"

She obviously knew nothing about skating if she was praising his notoriously poor spinning ability, but he accepted the compliment anyway. "Thanks."

"Are there any videos of your routines online?"

Though Otabek inwardly cringed at the word "routines", he didn't bother correcting her. "Yeah, some. I'll look them up."

He grabbed his laptop from the coffee table and pulled up YouTube. There weren't a ton of videos of his programs posted, but he found a few from the Junior Grand Prix and Junior Worlds, as well as Kazakhstan's national championship. He decided to start with last season's Nationals first, showing Samantha his free skate. In his opinion, it was the best he had ever skated, winning him his first senior national title even though he was still competing as a junior internationally.

"Wow, that was amazing!" she said, clapping when the video ended. "You won, right?"

"Yeah, but Nationals isn't that competitive in Kazakhstan." In some years, Nationals weren't even held at all, due to a lack of entrants. "Not like the Canadian championships. JJ was incredible to win the bronze at his first senior nationals behind Kevin Reynolds and the amazing Patrick Chan."

"Well, I still think your skating is great." Samantha scooted closer. "Can I see more?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. If you want." Otabek hadn't expected her to be so interested. He had to admit, it gave him a bit of an ego boost.

He played her the rest of the videos, save for the Carmen free skate he used for his first season on the junior circuit. Nobody needed to see that, least of all, him. Fortunately, the title of the video was written in Cyrillic, so she didn't even notice that he had skipped over it.

Around the middle of the fifth or sixth video, Otabek realized Samantha had moved even closer to him, her hand resting on his thigh. He swallowed hard as he tried to focus on the video, his jeans becoming uncomfortably tight. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to invite her over after all…

Who are you kidding? he thought. Don't pretend you're some innocent Prince Charming. This is exactly why you invited her over.

"Otabek?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his name, her voice pulling him from his less-than-pure thoughts. "Yeah? Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

"The video is over," Samantha said, nodding toward the laptop.

"Oh, right." He clicked out of the video and looked back at the search results, but that appeared to be the last of his performances available online. The rest were just reposts of the same programs, maybe with different commentary. Otabek closed the YouTube webpage and sat back against the cushions, doing his best to ignore the fact that Samantha's hand had slid to an even higher position on his leg, entering the danger zone. "I think that's all of them. So, what do you want to do now?"

She shrugged. "Netflix and chill?"

Otabek considered himself to have a fairly good grasp of English idioms and slang after living in North America for awhile, but that was a new one for him. He wasn't quite sure what it meant, although he at least knew what Netflix was. "I don't know the password to the Leroys' account." He didn't watch many movies, so he'd never thought to ask.

"Oh, that's okay. We can use my dad's. He won't mind. Can I see that?"

She pointed to the laptop, finally removing her hand from his leg. He nodded his permission, Samantha grabbing the computer from the coffee table and signing into Netflix with her father's password.

"Is there anything you want to watch in particular?" she asked.

"No, you can pick."

After browsing the new releases, she selected some romantic period drama with lavish costumes, setting the laptop back on the coffee table before snuggling against Otabek's side. They watched the movie for the first fifteen minutes or so, but it didn't really capture Otabek's interest. He preferred movies with a little more action. Even though it had been her choice, Samantha didn't seem too engrossed in it either, her hand once again finding its way up his thigh as she turned her head to look up at him in expectation.

Oh, she wants me to kiss her, he realized, starting to understand what the "chill" part meant. Finding making out a far more tempting proposition, Otabek lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers, Samantha falling back against the cushions as she pulled him on top of her.

It didn't take long before they forgot all about the movie still playing on the laptop, swapping messy, frenzied kisses as they grinded against each other, fully-clothed. Otabek pulled back when Samantha started to fumble with the fly of his jeans, realizing that the Leroys' pristine white couch was probably not the best place to engage in such activities.

"So, do you, um, want to maybe see my room?" he asked breathlessly, staring down at her. If things were going to go any further – and Otabek was pretty sure they were – he needed to grab a condom from his stash in his desk.

Her pretty face flushed, Samantha nodded.

Otabek quickly shut the lid of his laptop and pulled her to her feet, leading her upstairs to his bedroom to pick things up where they had left off...

The next Saturday afternoon after practice, JJ knocked on the door to Otabek's bedroom and popped his head inside. "Hey, ready to head out?"

Otabek fought back a sigh, setting aside the newest issue of Rolling Stone he had been reading. No, not really, if he was being honest. He had been dreading their double date all week. Though tempted to pretend he had a headache, it wouldn't be right to stand Samantha up last minute.

"Yeah, just give me a minute..."

Otabek pulled on a hoodie to ward off the usual chill of the movie theater, then followed JJ out to his car, heading for the passenger side seat as always.

"Hey, mind sitting in the back today?" JJ asked as Otabek reached for the door handle. "I forgot to tell you. Bella's car is in the shop, so I promised we'd pick her up on the way."

"Oh. Yeah, sure." Sighing, he opened the back door instead and climbed inside.

It didn't take long to reach Isabella's house. JJ texted her after parking in the driveway to tell her they had arrived, and a couple of minutes later, she came out, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Hey, babe!" Isabella leaned over to kiss JJ, Otabek awkwardly glancing out the window. "Thanks again for picking me up. It looks like I'm not going to get my car back until Wednesday at the earliest."

"Seriously?" JJ started the engine and pulled out of the driveway. "Man, that sucks. Did they figure out what was wrong with it?"

"Something about the alternator failing or whatever. I wasn't paying much attention… Oh, hey, Otabek."

Otabek lifted his hand in a small wave. At least she had noticed him that time, unlike when they had arrived at Jeremy's party last weekend. "Hey."

"Are we picking Sam up, too?"

She directed the question more to JJ, but Otabek answered first. "She said she'll just meet us at the theater."

"Oh, okay." Isabella turned around in her seat, looking back at Otabek. "By the way, I'm really glad you two got together," she said. "Sam's been crushing on you ever since the first time she saw you skating at the rink."

"What? I didn't know that," JJ said. "You should have told me! We could have played matchmaker for them."

"Well, to be honest, I wasn't sure if she was Otabek's type at first. I didn't want to get her hopes up if he didn't feel the same way about her, but I guess it all worked out, right?"

"Um, yeah." Otabek squirmed a little in his seat, already wishing he had canceled the date after all. "Sam's a great girl."

"Yeah, she is," Isabella said, smiling in approval. "We've been friends since fifth grade. She's kinda been going through a rough patch lately with her parents' divorce, so it's good that she has someone to help keep her mind off things and cheer her up."

Samantha's parents were divorced? That was news to Otabek, although, admittedly, they didn't talk a lot about personal stuff...or much at all, really. Since Sunday, they'd gotten together a couple of more times during the week when Samantha showed up at the rink to take him out for lunch, but inevitably, they would end up hooking up in the backseat of her car after going through the drive-thru at Tim Horton's, no need to bother with conversation.

Fifteen long minutes later, they arrived at the theater. Samantha was already waiting for them in the lobby and waved as soon as they walked through the door, Isabella hanging onto JJ's arm like a life preserver while Otabek followed behind them. He walked straight over to greet her, glad for a break from the JJ and Isabella Show he'd had to suffer through on the drive.

"Hey." Aware that JJ and Isabella were probably watching, Otabek kissed Samantha chastely on the cheek. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I didn't know we were picking up Isabella, too."

"It's fine," she said, smiling. "I wasn't waiting long. I just got here myself a couple of minutes ago. Traffic was terrible." Samantha reached for his hand, threading her fingers with his, and began pulling him in the direction of the box office, where JJ and Isabella were already queued. "Come on, we better get in line for our tickets. I hope it's not sold out."

It wasn't. They bought their tickets, then headed over to the concession stand.

Rubbing his chin, JJ studied the menu while they waited in line. "How about splitting the Mega Monster tub of popcorn between the four of us, my treat?" he suggested.

"Oh, babe, you know I'm not a big fan of popcorn," Isabella said. "The kernels always get stuck in my teeth. I think I'm more in the mood for a hot dog."

Glancing over his shoulder, JJ arched an eyebrow. "Beka? Sam? What do you say? The offer's still open."

Samantha shrugged. "Sure, I could go for some popcorn, if Otabek wants some."

"Yeah, sounds good," Otabek said, having no real preference.

"Great!" The man ahead of them had finished getting his order, so JJ turned his head back around and stepped up to the counter, slinging an arm around Isabella's neck. "I'll have one Mega Monster size tub of popcorn, lightly buttered, two medium Diet Cokes, and one hot dog for my best girl here."

"Hey, do you want anything else?" Otabek whispered to Samantha. Since JJ was buying Isabella's food, it seemed only polite to ask.

"Oh! Um, just a medium Sprite will be fine. I don't think I could manage to eat anything else." Her eyes went wide as the girl behind the counter handed over the humongous bucket of popcorn JJ had ordered, which was nearly twice the size of his head. Even between the three of them, it would be a challenge to eat it all.

Otabek bought their drinks, along with a large chocolate candy bar for himself. Definitely not on their diet plan, but if he was going to be forced to hang out with JJ and Isabella for the next two or three hours, he deserved a treat.

After their orders had been filled, JJ took the lead as they made their way to the proper theatre. It wasn't yet completely full, but it was close, only a few seats still available. Otabek doubted they would be able to find seats for all four of them to sit together, much to his relief. He started to pull Samantha in the direction of some nearby empty chairs he had spotted in the third to last row when JJ pointed to a row near the front.

"Quick, over there!" he whispered loudly.

JJ let Isabella go first as they squeezed past a trio of college-aged guys to reach the four empty seats in the middle of the row. Otabek supposed he should have let Samantha go after JJ to be polite, but he was unable to resist the temptation of sitting next to JJ.

"Here, Beka." JJ held out the large bucket of popcorn. "Since you're in the middle, you should probably be in charge of the bucket."

Otabek had his hands full with his cup and candy bar. He set his drink in the cup holder on the armrest between him and JJ, then took the bucket, placing it securely in between his legs so that his hands were free to pull open the wrapper of his candy bar. While he was preoccupied with that, Samantha and JJ both reached over at the same time to grab a handful of popcorn.

His breath hitched at the back of his throat.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't such a great idea to sit between his girlfriend and unfortunately-heterosexual crush after all. There was no way to suggest switching seats with Samantha that didn't come across as weird, though, so Otabek resolved to just deal with it until the end of the movie.

Beside him, JJ wrapped his free arm around Isabella's shoulders, then stuffed some of the popcorn into his mouth. Otabek, fighting back the urge to frown at the sight, bit off a large piece of his chocolate and turned his attention to the big screen as the previews came to an end and the movie began.

Otabek didn't consider himself a fan of superhero movies, but it was actually pretty fun, in a turn-your-mind-off-and-just-enjoy-the-spectacle kind of way. The good thing about getting seats so close to the front was that JJ and Isabella were forced to behave. Every once in a while, Otabek noticed Isabella giggling during a part of the movie where nothing particularly funny was happening on screen and looked over to see JJ whispering something in her ear or kissing the back of her hand, but it was easy enough to ignore them…

...at least until JJ grabbed Otabek's drink from the cup holder in between them.

"Uh, that's –"

He was too late. JJ took a sip, his eyes widening when he realized the cup was filled with Sprite instead of the Diet Coke he had ordered. "Oh, crap, sorry, man!" JJ whispered, handing the cup back to Otabek. "Wasn't thinking. I thought that one was mine."

"No, it's fine," Otabek said. "Easy mistake to make."

"Want me to grab you another straw?" Samantha asked. "I need to go to the ladies' room anyway."

"It's fine. No big deal." It wasn't as if they hadn't swapped spit before... To prove it, he pushed back the memory of that stolen kiss and took a long sip.

"Oh, okay." After setting her own drink in the cup holder between them, Samantha sat forward in her seat, preparing to stand. "Do you, maybe, wanna come with?"

"I'm okay right now," Otabek said, tossing some popcorn into his mouth.

"Are you sure?"

It was only when she reached over to place a hand on his thigh that Otabek realized what she had in mind.

Unfortunately, with a mouthful of popcorn, he was unable to change his answer in time, Isabella taking her up on the offer instead. "I'll join you, Sam," she said, pecking JJ on the cheek before scooting past him and Otabek to reach the aisle. "Be back soon."

As far as Otabek was concerned, they could take all the time they wanted. If only it was just him and JJ, on an actual date… Holding hands, sharing a drink between them, maybe even stealing a kiss or two when nobody was looking…

Damn it, this had been a stupid idea. Why had he agreed to JJ's suggestion of a double date in the first place?

"Beka, you okay?" JJ asked, startling him from his thoughts.

"Huh, what?"

"You've been staring at me for, like, the past minute or so." He reached up, rubbing at his chiseled jawline. "I don't have something on my face, do I?"

"N-No, you look good. I mean, fine. You look fine." Wait, wasn't "fine" sometimes used as slang, too, for "hot"? "Not like fine fine. I'm not hitting on you. I just meant…" Otabek leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling, wishing a gigantic hole would open up beneath him. "Oh, fuck me."

Not literally...unless JJ wanted to.

Which of course he didn't.

JJ burst out laughing, causing a couple of the people in the row in front of them to turn around and glare, and Otabek slunk further down in his seat, grateful the relative darkness of the theatre hid his burning cheeks. Stupid English. Stupid JJ.

"Anyway, there's nothing on your face," he mumbled when JJ finally stopped laughing. "More popcorn?"

Otabek shoved the half-eaten tub of popcorn in front of JJ. "Don't mind if I do," JJ said, grabbing a huge handful and stuffing it straight into his mouth.

At least it kept him quiet.

The girls returned a short time later, JJ wrapping his arm around Isabella as soon as she sat back down and giving her a kiss. Pushing his earlier forbidden thoughts aside, Otabek did the same with Samantha and settled back in to watch the rest of the film.

"That last fight scene was awesome, wasn't it?"

JJ punched the air as they exited the theatre after the post-credits scene. "It was so fast-paced and unpredictable," he continued. "I thought for sure the bad guys had him cornered, but then he was like, Pow! and Whoosh! and Bam! Those losers didn't see it coming!"

"Yeah, I thought the special effects were amazing, too," Samantha said. "The CG was much better integrated than it was in the first film."

"The romance was such a disappointment, though." Isabella grabbed onto JJ's arm, a pout crossing her red lips. "I mean, they share that passionate kiss before he goes off to fight, and then at the end of the movie, he has the nerve to dump her, again? Seriously, either make a commitment or let her go for good. It's not fair for him to keep stringing her along."

"I vote for dumping her for good. She deserves better, and everybody knows he has way better chemistry with his sidekick anyway."

Isabella rolled her eyes. "You and your silly fangirl delusions… For the thousandth time, he's not into guys, Sam."

"I don't know about that… You could just feel the unresolved sexual tension between them during that training montage. I mean… Wow, like, get a room? That was so hot!" Samantha said, fanning herself. "Back me up, Otabek. You saw it, too, right?"

Otabek rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh...um… Yeah, I guess?" Truthfully, he had spent most of said training montage staring at the actors' six pack abs and chiseled biceps and trying to hide his raging boner with the bucket of popcorn to pay much attention to anything else.

"I can see it, too," JJ said unexpectedly, "the chemistry between them. I mean, I doubt the writers would be brave enough to ever make it canon, but…"

Isabella's eyes widened in shock, staring at her boyfriend as if he had suddenly grown a second head. "Come on, he's been in love with her since they were teenagers. They have to be endgame!"

"Aw, let us have our fantasies, Bells!" Samantha exclaimed. "JJ's right. The writers will never have the guts to actually do it, but that's what fanfiction is for, right?"

"Well, whatever. As long as he finally comes to his senses and we get the wedding we've all been waiting for at the end of the trilogy, I'll be happy," Isabella said as JJ gallantly opened the door to the exit for the rest of them.

It was close to six, but the sun was still shining brightly, the daylight hours getting longer and longer as the upcoming summer solstice approached. Otabek unzipped his hoodie, the warm breeze a welcome change from the air-conditioned chill of the theatre.

"So, how about a lift home, Otabek?" Samantha offered, pulling her keys from her pocket.

"Oh, uh…" Otabek hesitated. He could certainly use a break from JJ and Isabella, but it didn't make much sense when he and JJ were heading to the same place. Samantha's house was located in the opposite direction, so she'd have to go out of her way to drop him off.

"Go ahead," JJ said, making his decision easier. "I think I'm gonna hang out at Bella's place for awhile, anyway." Grinning, he wrapped an arm around Isabella's waist. "It's Saturday night, so that means Mama Yang's making her famous ginger beef. It feels like forever since I've had some!"

Isabella laughed. "You know, sometimes I wonder if you love me or Mama's ginger beef more."

"Don't be silly!" He kissed her temple. "Of course I love you more...but the ginger beef comes in a very close second, I must admit. You think if I butter her up, she'll give me the recipe?"

"The top secret family recipe? No way. Not unless you plan to marry into the family, she won't!"

"Well, that settles it. We'll have to get married then, the sooner, the better," JJ joked, Isabella playfully slapping him on the chest.

Having heard enough, Otabek reached for Samantha's hand. "So, where did you park?" he asked.

"Over there, in Row 2." Samantha pointed to the far left-hand side of the parking lot.

"I guess this will be where we'll take our leave then," JJ said. Thankfully, he had parked his car all the way on the other side of the lot. "Thanks for joining us. It was fun!"

"Yeah, we should do it again sometime," Isabella said, almost sounding as if she meant it.

"Definitely!" Samantha agreed.

After saying good-bye, Otabek and Samantha walked over to her car. He slid into the passenger side seat and immediately switched the radio over from Samantha's favorite Top 40 station to one he preferred, having been given blanket permission to change it whenever he wanted. Devin Townsend's "Kingdom" blasted from the speakers as the car pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway.

As usual, they didn't talk much. Samantha gushed about the movie a little more, then asked Otabek how practice had gone earlier, but that was about the extent of their conversation until they approached the red light right before the exit Samantha needed to take to get to JJ's house.

"Hey, why didn't you tell me your parents were divorced?" Otabek asked as the car braked to a stop.

"What?" She reached for the knob on the radio console to turn down the volume. "I never told you?" she said after he repeated the question.

"No, you didn't." Otabek frowned. "I heard about it from Isabella on the drive to the theatre. She seemed concerned about you."

"Oh, Bells… She's always such a worrywart!" Samantha laughed, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's no big deal. They're better off not being married. All they did for the past couple of years is fight, fight, fight. To be honest, it was a relief when they finally announced they had decided to call it quits."

"I'm sorry," he said, not really sure what else to say.

Glancing over at him, Samantha smiled sadly. "You're sweet to be concerned, but I'm okay, really. Though I did have a bit of a rough time dealing with it at first, things are getting better...especially now that I have you in my life." She reached over the center console between their seats and reached for Otabek's hand, giving it a grateful squeeze that he hardly felt he deserved.

Otabek's stomach lurched as the light turned green and Samantha released his hand, turning her attention back to the road. He really was a shitty boyfriend. He'd been so focused on his own feelings and desires that he had barely given a thought to what Samantha might be going through in her own life, seeing her as little more than a warm body to fuck. Even today, instead of enjoying her company, he had spent the majority of their double date wishing she and Isabella would disappear so that he could have JJ all to himself, when JJ didn't even want him like that...

Otabek resolved to do better, starting now. Samantha deserved a boyfriend who actually took an interest in her, someone she could confide in and depend on. No more dreaming of a love that would never be when he already had a sweet and pretty girlfriend by his side.

"So, you live with your father?" he asked in an attempt to get to know her better, realizing that Samantha had never once mentioned her mother in the short time they had known each other. In hindsight, that probably should have been his first clue that her parents were no longer together.

"Yeah, my mom took a new job in Vancouver a few months ago. I didn't want to change schools right before senior year, so it was decided I would stay here with Dad until graduation," she said. "Actually… I'm supposed to go visit her next week. I'll be gone until after Canada Day."

Canada Day… That was July 1st, wasn't it? That morning, one of the skaters at the rink had gone around asking if anyone wanted to join her at the fireworks show happening that night in celebration. "Oh. When are you leaving?"

"On Wednesday. Sorry, I wanted to tell you earlier, but I thought it best to wait until I knew for certain when I'd be gone. The plans were just finalized today."

So she would be gone for two whole weeks… "You must be looking forward to it, seeing your mom for the first time in a long while."

Samantha shrugged. "Sure, I guess," she said. Otabek raised an eyebrow at her lack of enthusiasm, and she sighed. "To be honest, we were never all that close, and she was only able to get a few days off for Canada Day, so I'll probably be on my own most of the time anyway. I'd much rather stay home and hang out with you and Bells if given a choice, but two weeks during the summer was part of the custody agreement, so…"

"Well, at least Vancouver seems like a cool city," Otabek said. Granted, most of what he knew about Vancouver was from the cultural featurettes shown on TV during coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics, but he always thought it would be a nice place to visit one day.

"Yeah, I heard they film a lot of movie and TV shows in that area. Maybe I'll luck out and come across a shoot. Still… I wish you could come with me. It would be so fun to explore the city together..." Samantha sighed again before shaking her head. "Enough talking about my trip. We still have four days before I leave, so we should make the most of it."

"Do you have something in mind?"

"Hmm...do you have a curfew?"

"Technically eleven o'clock on weekends, but I really should be home by ten at the latest so I can video-chat with my family." He tilted his head to the side. "Why?"

"Wanna come over to my place for a while?" she asked. "Dad's on a business trip this weekend, so we'll have the whole house to ourselves. We can order some take-out, watch some Netflix…"

"...and chill?" Otabek guessed.

"If you want."

"You're not in the mood?"

"Truthfully?"

"Yeah."

"Not at the moment, no," she admitted, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Is that, you know, okay?"

"Um, yeah, of course." He certainly didn't want to force her into doing anything she didn't want to do. "We can just hang out, get to know each other better."

"I'd like that." Samantha smiled. "So, that's a 'yes'?"

"Yeah," Otabek agreed, returning the smile. "I'd like that, too."

DISCLAIMER: "Yuri! On Ice" doesn't belong to me.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! BTW, the untitled Marvel movie they went to see was created for this story, so any similarities to a real Marvel movie are completely coincidental. I've never actually watched one myself! Also, if you're wondering why Nathalie and Alain didn't tell their kids about Otabek's bisexuality beforehand, they felt it best to let him decide how much he wanted JJ and his siblings to know. Chapter Three should be posted in early November.

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