Dance Only With Me

Lian Victor stepped into his office with determined strides. Without hesitation, he sat behind his desk, powered on his laptop, and began reviewing recordings of his students' recent performances. The practice rink had been full of effort and energy in the past few days, and now it was time for him to critically analyze every movement.

An hour passed. The same staff member who had previously been tasked with delivering a message to Maya entered the room.

"Mr. Victor, here's the list of potential competitors for this year's competition."

Without taking his eyes off the screen, Lian replied,

"Thanks. Leave it on the desk."

The staff member placed the paper down and turned to leave, but Lian unexpectedly said,

"By the way... Don't say anything to Maya yet."

Confused, the staff paused, glanced at Lian still absorbed in the footage, and simply replied,

"Understood," before leaving the room.

As the hours ticked by and dusk began to settle in, fatigue showed on Lian's face. He stretched, stood, and walked to the window overlooking the ice rink. Two of the Silver House teens were practicing figure skating. Just then, Maya entered silently and stood off to the side, observing the others.

But Lian noticed something different. Maya wasn't just watching—she was mentally mirroring the technical elements she saw, subtly moving her body as though rehearsing them in her mind. Her deep focus caught his attention.

He stepped away from the window, poured himself a coffee, and sat back down. Glancing at the competitor list again, he let out a deep sigh and sipped from his cup.

Later, Maya returned to her dorm. With a tired greeting to Lucy and Sophia, she threw herself onto her bed.

"I'm so exhausted I could sleep for two whole days."

Lucy laughed.

"It's just the beginning. If you're already this tired, how do you plan to become a pro figure skater?"

Maya groaned,

"I don't know… I'm starting to question if this goal is even realistic."

Lucy grinned.

"Wait till you see the twenty-hour training sessions."

Maya sat up, wide-eyed.

"Twenty hours of practice?!"

Sophia explained,

"Yeah. Skaters preparing for the Olympics often sleep just four hours a day near the final weeks. The rest is all training."

Maya muttered,

"Just thinking about that scares me… Even if I give it my all, I don't think I can train more than 12 or 13 hours a day."

Sophia said firmly,

"If you want to stay here, you'll have to push beyond your limits."

Maya, her voice tinged with hope,

"I want to fulfill my grandmother's dream… and to be honest, now it's become my dream too."

Lucy smiled warmly.

"I believe you can stay. Our coach might seem cold on the outside, but deep down, he's got a kind heart."

Sophia smirked,

"Yeah, too bad we haven't seen that kindness yet."

Maya chuckled tiredly.

"With the way he looked at me, I doubt I'll be seeing it either... I'm going to nap a bit. Please wake me in two or three hours—I don't want to miss my night practice."

Three hours later, Lucy woke Maya. Despite her exhaustion, she dragged herself out of bed, grabbed her gear, and headed to the rink.

In his office, Lian had dozed off in his chair. A sudden noise jolted him awake. He checked the clock, yawned, and started packing up to leave. But another noise caught his attention. He walked to the window and saw a girl sitting on the ice, massaging her ankle. As she stood up, he recognized her—Maya.

She skated to the edge of the rink, sprayed her ankle, and returned to the ice with quiet determination. Lian watched intently. At that moment, a voice behind him said,

"Still planning to kick her out?"

Startled, he turned.

"Auntie! You scared the life out of me!"

She approached the window, skipping formalities.

"For several nights now, this girl's been practicing past midnight. You really think she's wasting her time on distractions?"

Lian exhaled,

"Everyone's training hard. Why is she so special to you? No one becomes a champion on just four or five hours a day."

His aunt replied calmly,

"Your eyes tell me she matters to you too. I've never seen you give anyone two chances before."

Lian, left speechless, finally muttered,

"Auntie, why are you still up? Go to bed."

He stepped out of the room.

His aunt smiled softly and whispered,

"You've only gotten grumpier since your wife left."

Lian headed to the parking lot but stopped midway. He turned back, re-entered the building, and quietly took a seat in the audience stands where he wouldn't be seen.

On the ice, Maya practiced with quiet intensity, running through figure skating elements with fluidity and grit. Lian, now captivated by her relentless drive, watched as she attempted difficult elements like the Triple Lutz and pancake spin—falling, rising, trying again.

After half an hour, Maya, breathing heavily, retreated to the edge of the rink, removed her skates, and quietly slipped into her sleeping bag. Lian stood up, walked to his car, and turned it on. But upon seeing the time—past 2 a.m.—he paused, shut off the engine, reclined his seat, and pulled his coat over his shoulders to sleep right there.

And so, in the silence of the frozen night, Maya and Lian both drifted to sleep—one on the ice, the other in a car—but with the same thought in their hearts:

Maybe tomorrow would mark the beginning of something new.

The sharp screech of car brakes in the parking lot jolted Lian Victor from a light sleep. Half-opening his eyes, he glanced at the dashboard clock: 7:00 a.m. Rubbing his face, he started the engine and slowly drove out of the parking structure.

At that exact moment, his gaze locked onto a familiar face on the sidewalk—Maya, walking with a backpack slung over her shoulder. Lian turned the wheel to the right, rolled down the window, and was just about to call out to her when Maya, unaware of his presence, stepped into a small convenience store.

From a distance, Lian watched her silently. She picked up a cup of instant noodles from the shelf, sat at one of the small metal tables, and quietly began to eat. Inside the stillness of his car, Lian studied her closely—as if he were trying to uncover layers of Maya that had remained hidden in the training rink.

A moment later, he made his decision—today, he would be Maya's shadow.

As usual, Maya walked to the bus stop and boarded. Her destination was clear: the lakeside rink that had become her sanctuary for off-hours practice. Wearing a cap and sunglasses, Lian stayed at a safe distance, ensuring he wouldn't be recognized. All day long, he observed her discreetly—from her edge jumps to her intricate spins on the ice.

When Maya knelt down to patiently guide young skaters through the basics of figure skating, a faint smile formed on Lian's lips. Under his breath, he murmured:

"She hasn't even entered the competition, and she's already a coach…"

Around noon, the growl of his stomach interrupted his focus. He placed a hand over it and muttered with a hint of mischief:

"I'm really hungry…"

Turning to a passerby, he asked:

— "Excuse me, is there a restaurant nearby?"

— "Yeah, just down that street. Big place, you can't miss it."

— "Thanks!"

Before heading off, he cast one last glance at Maya, still on the ice, helping the children blend spins into their movements—then walked toward the restaurant.

The next two days followed the same pattern. Lian spent the nights secretly watching Maya's solo training at the Silver House rink, and during the day, he shadowed her quietly. The lack of sleep began to show—frequent yawns and heavy eyelids—yet he remained determined, still focused on finalizing selections at the skating center.

And at last, the day of Maya's performance arrived.

She stepped onto the ice with visible anxiety in her eyes. Spotlights danced across the rink's surface as a heavy, expectant silence fell over the arena. Arms crossed, Lian stood quietly in the corner, saying nothing—no judgments, just observation.

Today wasn't just about a performance—it was a test.

Was Maya truly ready to shine on the ice?