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"Good morning!"
Gabriella only grunted in response. She crossed the large kitchen and dropped her body onto a stool at the counter.
Madison chuckled. She poured out two mugs of coffee—one she left black, one she mixed in some oat milk. The latte was pressed into Gabriella's hands, while Madison kept the black coffee for herself. "Ready for today?" Her eyes were already bright, the brilliant blue almost sparking in its vigor.
Gabriella was much less enthused at this early hour. Safe to say, she was not a morning person. There was nothing worth smiling over when everything was dark and her brain felt like mush. In response to the question, however, she grunted once more and flopped her body into the other woman's side. Madison was warm and strong beneath her pajama flannel. She brought the mug to her lips and took a large gulp. Perhaps risky in theory, but she trusted Madison.
The coffee was the perfect temperature, and the perfect amount of milk in relation. The roast of the beans were balanced out by the creamy out milk. It lingered on her tongue as it warmed her esophagus.
Madison curled around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. The calming scent of her body wove with the aroma of coffee and settled into Gabriella's solar plexus. God, she loved women. They were so much softer and warmer than men, and they smelled nicer, too. She could tuck her face into the crook of Madison's chin without recoiling from beard stubble or poor hygiene. The thought of Guillaume was far, far away.
For the next several minutes, the two women sat in silence at the counter, taking sips from their mugs. The view outside the window lightened as birds began to chirp and warble. Gabriella felt her brain kick to life as the caffeine entered her system. She felt ready for social interaction (Madi didn't count) almost.
All good things came to an end eventually. Gabriella cleaned up the dishes while Madison changed out of her pajamas. Then, knowing what kind of day laid before her, Gabriella picked out an all-black ensemble from her suitcase. Thin black tanktop, long-sleeved mesh shirt on top, black leggings under a pair of baggy sweatpants. Her hair she gathered in a high bun. By the time she re-emerged from the guest bedroom, she felt presentable enough to be seen by other people. With her official skating career still on hiatus, this would be the first time in a while that she was skating in front of a public camera.
When they were both ready, Madison's SUV was loaded with their skating equipment and the engine was sufficiently warmed. Ontario was waking up around them, but thankfully the roads were fairly quiet. Gabriella sat in the passenger seat, alternating between staring out the window and watching Madison's hands flex on the wheel. The chipped paint of her ring finger, the scar on her right thumb… Gabriella knew every wrinkle and nick, and the stories behind each. Her chest warmed at the trust and vulnerability.
Though they were on their way to be interviewed, some facts about Madison remained a secret between the two of them. It was the same for Gabriella—she loved speaking with the media and her followers, but she learned the hard way early in her career to keep some cards close to her chest. To this day, Madison was the only other person who knew her darkest secrets. She was considering telling the public, but that would all depend on the journo. Maybe she should write a book.
A few students were getting an early start at the IAMO rink. The smell of shoe cleaner and ice hit Gabriella's nose. It was the same smell that had greeted her at Gadbois, at both Olympics, at any rink she visited.
"The reporter's supposed to get here at ten… want to get some ice time before then?"
Gabriella said, "Sure," then headed to the locker room. Now that she felt more awake, her brain was raring to go. She had spent most of last night drawing things out and trying moves on her own, but she didn't know how it would work with two people yet. She was looking forward to finding out.
—
Madison checked her watch. "Reporter should be here any minute. Water break?"
"Yeah," Gabriella gasped out. She'd forgotten how arduous skating was on the body. That was funny to think, but half a year was apparently long enough to forget. The past couple of hours were exhilarating. With Jordan from On Ice Perspectives tracking them, Madison and Gabriella had hashed out a rough program. Bouncing ideas off each other and finally having a chance to volunteer her own concepts was a stark different to her first partner. He-who-would-not-be-named. She'd do anything to hear Madison ask, "What's your vision, my love?" again.
Gabriella unscrewed her water bottle and took a large gulp as she scanned the perimeter of the rink. She recognized the students and personnel… but one person stood out. The first thing she noticed was the close-cropped black hair, slicked back against the head. Next was the navy suit, perhaps made of corduroy? They spoke on the phone as they leaned against the railing, a spiral notebook in the right hand. She kept this person in the corner of her eye as she tuned back into what Madison was saying. She was offering some tips to her students, who were practicing a lift.
The young suited figure approached them. Gabriella could see a weathered press badge was clipped to the breast pocket of the suit jacket. The journalist held their hand out. "Hi, I'm Seojung Lee, he/him, Graphite Mag." His clipped accent reminded her of Madison. Perhaps he was from the same region? Over one shoulder, the black strap to a leather briefcase swung. A thin tie bar glinted against his skinny necktie.
They each gave their greeting, but Gabriella shifted uncomfortably on her feet. She didn't want to rock the boat, but she had only asked for one thing from the magazine. Madison, bless her, bit the bullet for both of them. "I don't mean to be rude, but we requested a female reporter, so I just wanted to ask if you were aware?" Gabriella squeezed her hand in silent thanks.
Seojung flashed an easy grin. "I figured one of you would ask. Yes, I am aware, and I was tapped for this job with that request in mind. I am a queer woman and masculine lesbian, who happens to use he/him pronouns. I don't want to give the long-winded queer history explanation, but keywords include 'butch lesbian' and 'Harlem Renaissance'." Seojung pushed his glasses up further on his nose. "I always stress that I am not a man and I'm not really trying to be one—rather pronouns are part of my 'gender toolbox' to help with my gender presentation. Does that clear things up?"
Gabriella raised her eyebrows. She'd never considered women using pronouns other than "she" and "her". French was such a gendered language, she was actively trying to rethink the concept of gendered items. Perhaps she should look into this later. She made a mental note.
She glanced at the woman beside her. Madison seemed to take it in stride. Seojung's explanation seemed sufficient, because she nodded and gave a small smile. "Where do you want us?"
"Actually, I'll defer to you, since you know this place better than I do. I'll take anywhere that's quiet… and ideally some chairs to sit on."
—
Seojung was the consummate professional as soon as his two recorders started running. Gabriella couldn't speak for Madison, but she enjoyed the interview very much. He asked all the right questions and stayed quiet when Madison and Gabriella were building off each other. At the end of the official interview, both women enjoyed the conversation so much that they stayed put as the recorders were stowed in Seojung's satchel.
"It's curious," the reporter mentioned, almost in passing, "how different you two are. And yet, your chemistry seems better than most married couples I've seen." His expression was telling. There were undoubtedly stories he wished he could tell, if not for the NDAs and his professional boundary. "Do you think your differences made it hard to become friends, or expedited things?"
Gabriella and Madison shared a pleased glance. Madison raised an eyebrow a microscopic millimeter, non-verbally asking if she wanted to answer the question first. She shook her head. English was still an enemy.
Madison chuckled and turned back to the reporter. "The important things, like our ethics and morals, have always been aligned. But, yeah, I mean—I can only speak for myself, but I first approached Gabi because I noticed how different she seemed from the outset. That intrigued me."
"I was intimidated by Madison at first. I was so sure that she was… out of my league, yes? She was popular, American, knew a lot of the other students… but when she came to me and asked to by my friend, I thought to myself, 'Why not'?" Gabriella hesitated as Madison snorted dryly. "I like being challenged and surrounding myself with diversity in all forms."
Seojung leaned forward, his notebook forgotten. "This is for purely selfish reasons, and off the record, of course… but how exactly did this all start? What's the origin story? I tried to find information about it online and came up empty. It was driving me up the wall yesterday."
"It all started," laughed Gabriella, "when Madi joined Gadbois in 2015."
Madison pulled a face. "Wow, thinking about the date makes me feel old. It'll be a decade of knowing each other in two years—can you believe that, babe?" She nudged Gabriella with her shoulder.
"I cannot." She stuck her tongue out. "So, a baby-faced Madison walks into the Centre Gadbois in a pair of combat boots…"
———
