pop! - alysa liu - pt1
synopsis: Alysa had never expected to fall in love, much less with an ice dancer, much less with you. Who knew someone she met at a sponsor's pop up, would keep her hooked long enough for her to yearn?
Pop ━━━━━━━━━━ Harry Styles
After the Olympics at Milano Cortina, Alysa's shedule had been packed. Constant brand deals, photoshoots, interviews, appearances, red carpets. The timing made her have to pull out of the Prague World Championships, but despite it all, she found time to do loads of stuff.
After all, she liked finding her balance. She just never expected balance to include someone new.
So that morning, it went by like every other. She almost fell out of her bed, sheets crinkled at her bare feet (who even sleeps with socks on? socks off 100%). She got ready, had a quick breakfast, then a car drove her to a fitting for an interview.
The hours went by fast, she got dressed for a pop-up event, one of her sponsors, Rare Beauty opening a new store somewhere near Oakland. Bored, she kept scrolling on tiktok as the silence stretched on, a song caught her attention, "First time, tasting, it's nice to mix two flavours...."
Some artist's lyric video, but she'd already scrolled when the lyrics processed. By the time she tried scrolling up, that stupid thing happened, reloading her feed.
She lost the video.
And yet, during the day, she kept humming that strange catchy tune. Once she arrived at the event, those lyrics still in her mind, she looked around. Some influencers, celebrities leaving black limo's and dressed in suits or fitted dresses. Alysa wore blue loose jeans and one of those Rare Beauty dark pink-maroonish hoodies, the kind of merch she'd gotten in a PR box.
Her eyes flitted across the room, calm, nonchalant.
Until they caught on you.
You were smiling at a reporter, wearing a black skirt along with a matching waiscoat over a white blouse, paired with boots. Hair loose, soft but sharp eyeliner. Difficult to describe, a certain pop, her brain provided. Nothing like her, but...
"It's nice to mix two flavours,"
Her brain brought the lyrics back to her, unfortunately. She didn't even get a second to process her thoughts, as soon as a journalist saw her, she was pulled into the usual line of questioning.
The event went by as usual, but her eyes kept returning to wherever they could find you. Pictures were taken, more questions were asked, she got gifts, and tested products.
Who knew fate would be so kind to properly introduce you to her?
"So, we've noticed you might not know most around here," A journalist had been saying. The sentence snapped her back to reality, she nodded and smiled. "Tell me about it, it's great and all, but yeah." Alysa replied.
"So, we thought we'd introduce you to someone around your circuit." The woman smiled.
Her circuit?
"This is Ivory Miller, Canadian ice dancer." The journalist continued, calling me over. Oh, her circuit.
"Hi," You waved, standing next to her. Pointing at yourself, you added, "I'm Ivy." Oh, pop girl.
"Hey," Alysa replied, smiling. "Alysa Liu."
You chuckled. "I know, you're a hit, Liu." Liu. You knew how to pronounce her name. Pretty and considerate."So, Alysa, let me tell you a bit about Ivory here. She just won gold at the Edge Cup in Poland." The journalist said, gesturing at her. "I did, but, please, I don't want to blow my chance talking to Alysa Liu." You shook your head. "I have to ask, about the Gaga program you scrapped after US nationals, why?" It caught her off guard, she was obviously used to questions, but never from someone as... pop as you. "It wasn't very polished," She said, after a beat. "I still felt like it missed things that McArthur Park already had." You nodded, thoughtfuly. "I have watched your free skate, so many times, I must have it memorized." "In regards to that, Ivory-" The journalist spoke up, but you smiled, interrupting, "Just Ivy, please." "Of course, well, Ivy, you've talked about how you were sure that if she skated to McArthur park, Alysa would have been guaranteed the gold at Milan." She said, "How were you so certain?" "I just knew. I saw the free skate at Worlds last year, and honestly, I knew it my bones, I actually remember telling myself when I finished watching it the first time. If she skates this at the Olympics, she's a champion." You spoke with such conviction, it seemed like you knew something she didn't. "It was just a kind of a, pop feeling." You smiled, nodding.
Pop, the word she'd been using to describe how she felt when she first saw you... she almost felt like this was a bad joke.
Almost.
"A what?" Alysa snorted, amused. "A pop feeling? It's kind of like being pinched, but by fate." You laughed. The rest of the interview felt easy, easier than most, even to her standards. Comfortable, almost as if you and her had already spoken before. You were both very different, she wore baggy jeans, you had a skirt, spot the difference? Beyond that, you even talked about the differences in ice-dancing and figure skating. You admitted to knowing certain jumps, but how the main focus of the sport, especially in singles, was the artistry and ice flow. By the end of the event, most influencers gone, you had already traded numbers.
"What should I save you as, miss pop?" Alysa laughed, adding your number on her phone. "Well everyone calls me Ivy." You rolled your eyes, not annoyed, amused.
"I noticed." She mumbled, fingers hovering over the keyboard. "Why not Ivory?"
You shrugged. "Ivy's more me."
"You have a cryptic language, Ivy." The name rolled off her tongue just as easy as talking to you felt.
"Why thank you, Liu." You smiled, and coming to the event felt worth it for a second.
"What are you saving me as?" She asked after a second, finally deciding on typing your contact in, just Ivy, for now. "Two gold medal emojis next to your initial." You said, casually. She couldn't help it, she laughed. "Why?" She finally managed. "Because," You deadpaned. "You won two gold medals, and your name starts with an A."
You shut off your phone, slipping it into your pocket. "Impeccable reasoning." Alysa sighed, just as the car meant to pick her up arrived. "Well, Ivy," She said, slowly. "I might have to go." "I might have to let you." You tilted your head, the reply easy, fast. She grinned. "I will be texting you." She said, already beginning to leave. "I will be texting you back." You laughed, shaking your head. And even as she got into the car, seeing you wave from inside the pop-up store, as her eyes lost you from their line of sight, those lyrics were still in her head. "It's nice to mix two flavours."
And what was it she had thought? What was it you had said?
Pop.
a/n: hi ya'll, i'm going through withdrawal, and my coping mechanism was writing an alysa liu fic. this is my first time, and english is not my first language. also, sorry if i'm too long in narrating things. also, i gave the character a name, because y/n's great and shit, but it's odd. ivory miller is you. also, this is only part 1. keep up with me for pt2!
people, i have a concept for the pop thing, just keep up with me, please.
imjustagirlinthewideworld - please don't copy, pretty please
