Chapter 27
The girls put on their best dresses, and of course both of them were covered in sequins… yes, sequins were absolutely mandatory. Sequins forever.
Alisa twirled in front of the mirror, admiring herself for a moment before her eyes dropped to the ring now decorating her finger.
Was it real?
Was she really engaged?
To a woman?
God… what was even happening to her life anymore?
Nervously, she twisted the ring around her finger before her gaze shifted toward the silver medal lying on the bed. She picked it up slowly, staring at the cold shine of the metal in silence.
Silver.
Was it really a victory?
But then her eyes moved toward the gold medal resting beside it, the one Tora had placed around her neck herself.
And what a gesture that had been.
Alisa sighed heavily. She would have to give it back eventually. Tora had earned it fairly. She had skated the better program. She had been better than Alisa tonight, and perhaps it was finally time for Alisa to admit that to herself instead of fighting reality.
Still holding the medal for a second longer, Alisa looked back at her reflection in the mirror. She spun around once, then again, smiling faintly despite everything.
Finally, she grabbed her shoulder bag, slipped into her shoes, threw on her winter jacket, and headed downstairs.
There was no snow in Milan tonight, and the walk to the taxi stand outside the hotel wasn’t far at all.
Tora was already waiting for her in the hotel lobby.
The moment Alisa stepped out of the elevator, Tora looked up and smiled immediately, as though she had been waiting only for that exact moment.
She was wearing a long white dress that reached all the way to the floor. Black and white—complete opposites, just like the two of them—but the pale fabric suited Tora perfectly, and the beige fur jacket draped over her shoulders only made the entire look even more elegant.
Although, if Alisa was being honest with herself, the first thing she noticed was still Tora’s breasts highlighted by the dress.
Tora gently took Alisa by the chin and tilted her face upward.
“My eyes are up here, babe.”
“Yes, yes, I know,” Alisa muttered immediately. “I just couldn’t help myself again.”
Tora laughed softly and hooked her arm through Alisa’s elbow before leading her outside, where a taxi was already waiting for them.
Like a perfect gentlewoman, Tora opened the door first and let Alisa get in ahead of her before sliding into the back seat beside her.
Their hands found each other almost immediately.
The taxi pulled away from the hotel and headed toward the restaurant where Tora’s parents were apparently waiting for them.
The thought alone made Alisa nervous.
But even more terrifying was the fact that she and Tora still hadn’t truly talked through everything that had happened between them. That betrayal Alisa still felt somewhere deep inside herself.
Still… tonight probably wasn’t the night for another scandal.
Everything had already happened the way it happened, and there was no changing the past now.
Yes, Alisa had won silver.
Yes, she wanted gold.
Yes, she had probably just destroyed her future with the Russian Olympic team by publicly getting engaged to another woman during the award ceremony.
Yes, her parents had abandoned her.
Alisa closed her eyes tightly, trying not to cry again. Her eyes burned painfully from exhaustion, stress, and too many emotions all at once.
Then she felt Tora squeeze her hand tighter.
Tora leaned closer, whispering softly against her ear while Alisa rested her head against her shoulder.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” Tora murmured gently. “No… better than okay, Alisa. Really. I’m here with you. I love you. And honestly… I think my parents already love you too.”
Alisa sniffled quietly but tried desperately to hold back her tears because the last thing she wanted now was for her mascara to start running and ruin the makeup and eyeliner she had spent nearly an hour applying in complete silence in the hotel bathroom.
“I don’t know…” she whispered weakly. “But I’d like to believe that.”
“It’s going to be okay…” Tora repeated softly, gently patting Alisa’s thigh in an attempt to calm her down as the taxi carried them through the night streets of Milan.
Italian music played quietly from the radio while the two of them sat in silence, watching the city lights blur past the windows.
Alisa felt strangely uncomfortable here.
It was difficult to explain properly, but everything about the city felt foreign to her outside the Olympic Village. The buildings seemed too massive somehow, the streets too wide, the sidewalks too open, and the atmosphere itself felt unfamiliar in a way that made her chest tighten slightly.
Maybe Milan simply wasn’t her city.
Everything here felt strange. Strange and distant and somehow hostile, even though logically she knew nobody around her cared enough to hate her personally.
Perhaps it was simply the aftermath of everything that had happened over the last few hours finally settling into her nervous system all at once.
Alisa didn’t fully understand her own emotions anymore.
Without thinking, she pressed herself closer against Tora’s side while Tora continued absentmindedly stroking her thigh, trying to calm the restless tension constantly running through Alisa’s body.
The drive passed quickly while Alisa dissociated against the car window, staring blankly at the flashing lights outside and thinking about what she was even supposed to do now.
Where was I supposed to go?
Could I even return to Russia anymore?
If the news channels had already started reporting the kiss with Tora, then perhaps returning home was no longer just emotionally impossible, but genuinely dangerous. The thought of airports, border control, reporters, officials, it all made her stomach twist painfully.
She felt completely lost.
Tora clearly sensed it too and stayed close beside her the entire drive, silently trying to anchor Alisa back to reality just through touch alone.
Eventually the taxi stopped outside Cantine Milano.
Tora stepped out first and immediately offered her hand to Alisa. Alisa accepted it automatically, leaning lightly against her as she climbed out of the taxi as well.
Still holding hands, they walked toward the restaurant entrance together.
The moment they entered, they were greeted by a hostess. Tora gave her name along with the reservation, and the woman smiled politely before leading them deeper into the restaurant toward a table where Tora’s parents were already sitting together, quietly talking among themselves.
On the table stood two enormous bouquets of flowers.
Identical bouquets of deep red roses.
Their fragrance seemed strong enough to fill the entire restaurant or at least that was how it felt to Alisa in that moment.
The interior itself was beautiful. Everything was decorated in dark brown and black tones with expensive polished wood and warm lighting that reflected softly across the restaurant. The atmosphere practically radiated quiet luxury without feeling vulgar about it.
It was elegant.
For the first time that entire evening, Alisa stepped into a place that actually felt peaceful.
Tora’s mother turned first, as if she had instinctively sensed her daughter’s arrival. She waved them over toward the table immediately, her face lighting up with recognition.
She stood up and walked to meet Tora first, pulling her into a warm embrace, and then without hesitation she hugged Alisa as well.
“Good evening, girls…” she said gently.
Tora’s father waved from the table too, then rose and joined them, wrapping both Tora and Alisa into a wide, slightly overwhelming group hug that somehow managed to be both formal and affectionate at the same time.
For a second, Alisa felt like she might cry right there on the spot.
Tora’s father helped them take off their jackets with careful politeness and guided them toward the coat rack like they belonged there naturally.
“Sit down, dear ladies!” he said with an easy, charming smile, pulling out chairs for both of them.
He seated Tora and Alisa side by side across from the parents, and almost immediately a waiter appeared with menus.
“Does everyone agree on red wine?” Tora’s mother asked calmly.
Everyone nodded.
The waiter took their orders and returned quickly with a bottle, opening it right there in front of them with practiced elegance before pouring the first glass.
He handed it first to Tora’s mother, who accepted it with a small smile and tasted it carefully—just a sip—like she was evaluating something far more important than just wine.
She had the same kind of calm, composed beauty as Tora, even in the way she held the glass.
Then the waiter poured for everyone before quietly stepping away, leaving them alone.
Tora raised her glass immediately.
“Well, girls, here’s to winning the Olympics!”
“For the winning!” her father echoed proudly.
“For the winning!” Tora repeated, turning her gaze toward Alisa with a bright smile.
Alisa rolled her eyes slightly, but a faint, ironic smile still slipped through.
“Yes… for the winning.”
They clinked glasses and took a sip together.
“Now, Alisa,” Tora’s mother said warmly, leaning forward a little, “tell us about yourself.”
“Mom, you already know everything about her,” Tora interrupted immediately.
“Shh, Tora,” she replied softly but firmly. “I want to hear it from her.”
Alisa exhaled, then leaned back slightly in her chair, thinking for a moment as if trying to summarize her entire existence in a single sentence.
“Well…” she began slowly, “I’m an Olympic silver medalist from the 2026 Games.”
The table chuckled in unison.
“Well, that part is obvious,” Tora’s father said amusedly.
Tora’s mother let out a soft, almost childlike giggle and took another sip of wine, gently swirling it in her glass.
“Okay,” Alisa continued after a pause, “I live in… well… I guess I lived in Saint Petersburg for a while… but I’m originally from Novosibirsk.”
“Ah… and where is that exactly?” Tora’s father asked politely.
“It’s in Siberia.”