Chapter 17 #2
The receptionist smiled, accepted the document with both hands, bowing slightly in return, and within a few minutes, after Tora had taken in the vastness of the lobby, she was checked in and directed to her room on the ninth floor—9-1813.
When she entered, she stopped almost immediately, letting out a quiet breath at the sight of it, the room was large and the windows revealed a clear view of the arena nearby, as if it were placed there deliberately, just within reach of her gaze.
It was beautiful.
She stood by the window for a few moments and then reached for her phone, connecting to the hotel Wi-Fi, trying to message Alisa, but nothing worked at first, until she remembered the VPN she had installed beforehand. Once it was connected, she finally managed to send a message:
Tora: I checked in, room 9-1813. If anything. Are you already at the arena?
There was no reply.
Well… she probably is at the arena. At this hour, they would already be training.
After a moment, Tora typed again:
Tora: Shall we go to lunch together?
Still nothing.
Tora decided to take a shower first, giving herself a moment to reset after the flight, and she immediately noticed how the bathroom itself was almost a separate space, with both a full bath and a glass shower cabin, everything finished in smooth marble that felt cool under her hands.
Afterward, when there was still no reply from Alisa even after thirty minutes, she decided not to wait any longer and go straight to the arena.
The hotel itself felt almost unreal in its scale and comfort, as if it were trying to prove something with every detail, with these wide spaces, the panoramic windows, the enormous bed, the separate sitting area, the polished surfaces that reflected soft light everywhere, and Tora caught herself wondering if this was what “seven stars” was supposed to feel like, because everything around her seemed carefully designed to impress. She liked it.
The arena wasn’t far at all, it was visible from the hotel windows, and she reached it quickly, moving through the unfamiliar surroundings with growing focus.
After passing through security and registration, she received a visitor’s badge and immediately clipped it onto her jacket, adjusting it automatically as she stepped further inside.
When she entered the main arena, she stopped with a slightly opened mouth.
It was enormous and far larger than she had imagined, the ice stretched out under the bright lights, filled with skaters. It took her a moment to find Alisa among them.
But when she did—
She couldn’t take her eyes away.
Alisa had a special skating style; somehow, it touched her soul every time she watched her skate. Although the music playing in the arena was clearly not from her choreography, Tora still felt goosebumps rise on her arms and spine.
She moved to one of the far rows and sat down, blending into the emptiness of the stands, where only a few scattered figures occupied the front rows—coaches, staff, maybe other athletes watching—and from here, among thousands of empty seats, she was almost invisible.
Apparently, they had already rehearsed the programs in the morning and were now continuing the rest of the training and rehearsing the elements they needed.
Tora knew she couldn’t openly call out to Alisa, so she waited instead, slipping out of the arena afterwards and moving toward the back exit where the skaters usually came out after training.
She leaned lightly against the wall, watching, waiting—
And then she saw her.
Alisa stepped out among the others, surrounded by a small group, laughing lightly, and next to her—too close to her—was a girl with cherry-colored hair, their hands brushing as they walked side by side. Something inside Tora tightened instantly.
Who the hell is that?
She narrowed her eyes slightly, an unfamiliar edge of jealousy rising before she could even stop it, and as the two of them continued forward, still talking about something. Tora pushed herself off the wall and walked toward them from behind.
Without thinking, she reached out and placed her hand on Alisa’s shoulder—
Alisa let out a sharp scream, nearly dropping the bag hanging from her arm.
“Yeb tvoyu mat’!”11 Alisa shouted in Russian, the words felt sharp, the meaning lost for Tora, leaving only the harsh sound.
“Tora—” she said a second later, then her face broke into a smile as she threw herself at her, wrapping her arms around her so suddenly that her hands slipped free from the girl with cherry hair, which glowed brightly in the sunlight.
“Umm… eto zhe… blya, neeeet…”12 the cherry-haired girl muttered under her breath, also in Russian, clearly just as startled.
“Tora M?ller???” she continued, pronouncing the name with a heavy Russian accent.
Tora simply nodded, while the girl stood there in visible shock, clearly unable to understand what the Norwegian world champion was doing here, especially when she hadn’t even applied for the qualifiers, and their country already had all its quotas filled.
Tora couldn’t hold back anymore, she had missed Alisa too much, she cupped her face in both hands and kissed her right there, in front of the cherry-haired girl.
She didn’t care; they were alone enough for far too long, and it was unlikely that anyone here would recognize her or even expect her to be here at all.
The girl only gasped and fell completely silent, and when Tora pulled back, Alisa’s entire face had flushed a deep pink.
“I missed you so much,” Tora said, wrapping her arms around her again.
Alisa hugged her back, but more cautiously and Tora noticed it immediately.
“What are you doing here?” Alisa asked breathlessly, still staring at her, her lips slightly parted after the kiss.
“I came to see you… did you forget?”
“I thought you… I thought you were joking…” Alisa hesitated, her voice softer now, and Tora only pulled her into another hug.
“Just hug me,” she whispered into her ear.
And this time, Alisa did.
“Damn… you’re really here… that’s… incredible…” Alisa murmured quietly, still holding onto her, and then, after a moment, she turned back to the cherry-haired girl.
“This is Tora… um… she’s… my…” Alisa trailed off, clearly unsure how to say it.
The girl raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Girlfriend,” Tora said with a small smile, and, just to make it absolutely clear, she leaned in and kissed Alisa again.
The girl nodded slowly.
“And you didn’t tell me about her? That you’re dating a world champion? One of the top five figure skaters in the world? I’m offended, Alisa, we’re friends!” she said, now switching to English so Tora could understand.
“Let’s just go back to the hotel…” Alisa muttered under her breath, adjusting her bag and taking Tora’s hand.
“Yeah… let’s go,” the girl replied, though she didn’t let it go so easily.
The entire walk turned into a kind of interrogation, questions one after another, about why Tora had come, why she would fly all this way just to watch Alisa, what exactly she was looking for here, whether she was scouting future Olympic competitors or trying to study their programs in advance.
The cherry girl clearly didn’t trust her.
Alisa only laughed at the sharpness of her friend’s questions, brushing them off, but there was still a trace of truth hidden underneath them, because Tora did want to see, to understand who she might be facing at the 2026 Winter Olympics.