After resting a bit from his arrival, Jake felt strange; he thought he had heard the voice of his favorite Kazakh. He felt bewildered and, at the same time, immensely happy, because that meant his Aibek was in the hotel, on his very same hallway. That was not far from reality at all, and without either of them planning it, they were about to stand face to face, though they would only discover that a few seconds later.
"I promised to find you... and my promise still stands..." a soft but serious voice murmured.
Thus, a certain Canadian opened his room door to go look for something to eat that wasn't what he already had in the minibar. Right across the hall, he heard a noise that made him pay attention; in his heart, he wished with his entire soul and raw emotion that it was his Beky, for whom he had been praying so much. The opposite door began to swing open softly, far too slowly for an impatient Canadian who seemed to be suffering from nerves, almost on the verge of tears.
Then he saw that long hair flutter due to its owner's movement. Aibek didn't even lift his gaze; he seemed completely lost looking at his phone in the standings section. With his headphones on, he heard nothing but the enchanting melody accompanying him, something the Canadian could appreciate quietly because he couldn't help but notice every detail of the younger, black-haired youth. Aibek walked slowly with his eyes fixed on the screen; Jake's heart hammered at the thought that he was walking toward him, but calmed down upon seeing him pass right by. He cleared his throat to make himself noticed, but it didn't work at all, since the younger youth had the volume turned up to the maximum.
"Damn it!" he muttered with a pout that he finally let go of. Tomorrow he could talk to him, so he was about to head back into his room, but he felt the urge to go out and follow him. His strides began to grow larger, and he managed to slip into the elevator where the distracted Kazakh noticed nothing more than the subtle movement of a nudge that made him look up after pressing the button to go to the lobby. It was there that, unconsciously, he caught sight of the Canadian out of the corner of his eye and almost wept at the presence of the one who had pushed him away with his silence and his pride.
"I know you've noticed me by now... Bek..." the older, dark-haired man whispered, daring to extend his arms and wrap the Kazakh in love and deep affection. He caused the named youth's heart to start beating so fast that he felt the blood racing through his entire body, making him tremble by the second.
"No... please..." the Kazakh's voice sounded nearly broken. Trembling from head to toe, he tried to wrench himself free, but only managed to make Jake tighten his grip. The Canadian would not let go of him for anything in the world; he didn't want to be away from him, he didn't want to lose him, despite Aibek trying to push him away.
"No... Bek... forgive me... I didn't mean to put you through all this... forgive me..." he murmured, calling out to his counterpart while burying his nose in that soft, long hair, breathing in the younger youth's delicious fragrance so as not to let him go.
"I don't want to... please..." With that, Aibek cried even harder until the elevator came to a halt. It was then that the Canadian froze, thinking he had acted wrongly upon hearing him weep; therefore, he loosened his hold and watched him run out with his eyes shrouded by his own hair.
"I'm sorry..." JJ whispered, standing static inside the elevator until he noticed a plastic bear-shaped keychain on the floor. He scooped it up, but just as he was about to dash out after Aibek, he crashed head-on into the elevator doors as they slammed shut, blocking his exit.
"That hurt!" he groaned, rubbing his face. He was angry at having to ride back up and stressed by the thought of other people occupying the hallway; he had lost the chance to see his beloved... but he had to plan something for tomorrow. He knew he would find him at the ice rink, or perhaps he thought about ambushing him right as he stepped out of the door across from his.
On the other hand, Aibek found himself outside the hotel complex where he had been resting three hours prior; now he just wept in a distant park while wiping away his tears. He was terrified of what was happening with the Canadian; the man had apologized, but he... he didn't know how to react. He was afraid of that embrace... afraid of feeling the terror that he was going to hurt him again.
"Jake... why? Why now?" he asked the emptiness while crying in silence, until from one moment to the next, he felt a wave of warmth remembering those arms clinging to his body as if they depended on him. "Don't hurt me again... I want to see you... I want to give you my whole heart... I still love you... I really need you..." he whispered softly before lowering his gaze. He couldn't help but weep more, but he had to unburden his heart.
Little by little, the cold began to penetrate his body down to the bones, but Aibek didn't feel it; he only knew he was crying and that his tears fell like fine crystals upon the park's snowy ground. He was releasing his heart from that great heaviness he felt, so he closed his eyes and his mind traveled back to those beautiful memories from five months ago. He wept again, covering his face so no one would see him, but the park was completely deserted thanks to the snow that was beginning to fall, accommodating the younger youth in his sadness.
"Jake... come back to me..." he whispered in silence, until he opened his eyes to the fall of a tiny snowflake on his forehead that chilled him, making him understand it was time to return to his room. Very carefully, he stood up and began to walk with his hands hidden in the pockets of his leather coat, while his scarf covered part of his face and neck to keep himself warm. Thus, as he walked with his sight fixed on the ground, he saw two feet appear in front of him wearing very clean shoes; standing right there was his coach.
"There you are, Bek... come on, let's head back to the hotel, it's freezing and I don't want you to suffer anything worse in your condition..." he mentioned gently before placing a small blanket over his back to cover him. Right after, he led him to the hotel restaurant.
"I thought you'd want to have dinner, so I reserved a table," the coach whispered, guiding him calmly. The Kazakh only let out a resigned sigh; in reality, he wanted to sleep, but he knew dinner would be quiet and he could use his sketchbook to draw. He liked that; his coach truly knew him so well that he gave him the things he enjoyed, besides supporting him as much as if he were his own father. "Well, sit down, get comfortable, and do your things, okay? I'll look into a few errands before joining you," he said goodbye calmly to make the final adjustments for tomorrow.
Aibek remained in silence with his sketchbook, turning to a blank page to begin tracing several lines until the Canadian's face took shape. Now that he had seen him again, he could add new details; he was a very handsome man, and at the thought, he blushed deeply in that instant. Finally, he closed his eyes and cradled the notebook against his chest while listening to the waiter offer him the menu, managing to calm his heart for that night.