What the hell was that?

Louise is sitting in the middle of a loud group of shrieking fans, but all she can hear is the pounding of her heart through her ears, recalling what just happened back in the dressing room.

Not me getting a kabedon from the hottest guy in here.

It's freezing inside the rink, but for the first time, Louise is not bothered by the cold. She feels the hot flush of her skin, and she is sweating all over her body just remembering it.

Just like J-dorama.

Everyone suddenly got wild when a woman announced the start of the last group of skaters' warm-ups. Distracted by her own thoughts, she didn't make any movement while she sits straight in her seat when those people sitting to her left and right, punch and nudges her in the face, shrieking in excitement.

***

The focus of the camera turned to the throngs of spectators waving their flags and banners of Japan. Some of them have cheek tattoos and are wearing haoris, sporting headbands with the Nippon flag on them. When they spot their favorite skater, the entire crowd erupts in loud cheers. Their cell phones and cameras instantly focused on Ojiro Korishima as he enters the rink, accompanied by a member of the Nippon Skating Federation staff and his coach.

They walk past the cameras and event staffs, stepping back to make a room for them as they make their way, joining other skaters in the side of the rink's enclosure.

Other staff stop what they are doing just to get a glimpse of him, while other skaters contending in the group nudge each other, pointing to who will be the first to wish him a nice skate.

As much as he wanted to keep his mind in full focus, he couldn't help but be distracted by that image in his head: A confused, blushing Louise, wearing oversize jacket that he sent her.

"Kawaii..." He holds his breath to keep him from blurting that out loud, pretending to fix his gloves.

He and Louise rarely communicated with each other for many days because of all the preparations and his packed schedule for the ongoing competition. He was really looking forward to meeting her in that room...

...only to find her laughing with Austin Brown.

He gave the back of the American's head a killer glare as his towering figure stands in front of him. He saw her with him, and he just lost it. Before he could stop himself, he rushed to her, pinned her to the wall, and told her to focus all of her attention on him and only him alone.

Baka! Stupid! Why did you do that?

He let himself get so driven by his own emotions that he forgot to think about the consequences of his action. He only managed to calm down when he saw her flushed face and watery eyes looking at him in surprise. Ojiro perfectly knows her capability to produce an emergency siren through her mouth, but she didn't utter a word or sound. She must be pretty taken aback by what he did.

"Kuso." He cursed under his breath. "Shit." When he thought that he could resist all the possible distractions just like he had mastered over the years, all it took was Louise's innocent blushing to destroy it and mess his mind up.

***

After calming her ass down, Louise lets herself sit back and relax as the fans get wild around her. Ojiro has saved a spot in the front seats for her, where she can watch him in perfect view. As someone who has never been in any sports competition before, she can't help but get mesmerized by how big the place is and how it almost got occupied by Ojiro's fans.

A lady announces the start of warm-ups for the last group of skaters. They entered the ice one by one as the lady presented each person and the country they represent.

Louise can't help but check on the guys, and she admits they're all looking fine with the air of competitiveness in them, but then there's Ojiro...

She can't explain it either, but she felt like there was something in the room—his presence that dominated the ice, making everyone fall into hypnosis.

All eyes are on him.

Her anxious ass almost jumps when loud cheers erupt around her as Ojiro skates too close to the spot where she was seated. She sees him glance in her direction, and she can't help but look to her left and right to check if she isn't just being tricked by her eyes.

When she glances at him again, his cold, dark eyes are still staring as he takes his jacket off to reveal his black royal prince costume. She can hear his voice in the dressing room saying, "Don't take your eyes off me."

Everything happened so fast that no one could possibly resemble that silent eye exchange as everyone in her row shrieks in excitement.

Sitting tightly, she does what he commanded her to do obediently. She doesn't take her eyes off of him even for a second; until the warm-up finishes and all the skaters leave the ice, she only manages to sigh in relief, fanning herself more.

That made her sweat more profusely than her working out attempts in the morning.

---Continue to Next Chapter