As I slowly lifted the teacup to my lips I heard his voice pierce through the silence, "remember when we first met, миленький?"
My first thought was to chastise him for calling me that, but then my mind went through the memories.
It was dark and rainy outside and I'd been working a long shift at a little bar named Oliver's that was within walking distance from my apartment. I was just a little country girl with big ambitions to be a broadway star, but reality gave me a slap in the face, now here I was working at a run down bar full of sleazy old men. Moments after contemplating my life a young man with a dark hood covering most of his face came in, my knight in shining armour. He appeared so wholesome compared to the other customers and so normal that it wasn't until he ordered his first drink I really understood what type of person he was.
Eventually he became a regular. He would come every day at 7pm, rain or shine. It took me weeks, months to talk to him but when I finally did I was rewarded with the feeling of butterflies in chest as I listened to his Russian lilt. He started off by telling me his name and asking mine. After moments of hesitation I replied.
After 6 months of light conversation we started sharing stories, I told him of life growing up on a farm and my aspirations to be on broadway while his stories had darker themes.
He had grown up in Russia with a love for singing and in the last couple of years made it big in a band. But things took a turn of events and he became manipulated by the people around him.
He was being used in the worst ways and hadn't been receiving all the money he had earned. But it was when is childhood friend went missing that he realised how deep he was in.
After a few weeks he had decided to run away and leave the band but they followed him everywhere. He only stayed in the same place for a few weeks before he settled down permanently in this shady neighbourhood.
Weeks later we shared our first kiss and our relationship progressed from that moment. Shortly after we moved in together to save money on rent but it was hard.
We both worked long hours at pathetic jobs so we were constantly stressed slowly our relationship started failing.
It was after my third miscarriage that we decided to separate but my little girl, Aнгел saved us. I knew straight after she was born she was our angel, hence her name, which was angel in Russian.
She kept us from splitting up, but on that cold Thursday morning she turned our lives upside down. She had been walking to school and had been run over by a bus.
We drifted apart; it was to hard for us to be together as we were constantly reminded of her and eventually separated.
Now here we were sitting at a counsellors office discussing all of our problems.
'How did I end up with all these problems before I turned thirty,' I though to myself.
As a little girl I had a strict plan for my life once I finished high school; move to New York, star on broadway, get married, have kids, then eventually retire and pass on.
Instead I have had a hectic life, which I someday hope to move on from.
But for now I refocus on the counsellor and act as if I know what's going on.
~10 years later~
As time passed we reconnected and decided to move out of the city. We moved back to my home town, a little place called Lima which was in Ohio.
From that point we began to rebuild our lives.
Now he is a banker while I am a housewife, we have two children, Звезда who is five years old and Любовь who is three.
~Much Later~
When I finally died at the old age of eighty-six, holding his hand surrounded by our children and grandchildren, I can't help but look back on my life with happiness and gratefulness.
It is then I realise how truly lucky I am that I found my soulmate.
A.N This was originally a one direction fanfic that I wrote for a friend, but I have made some adjustments to it. I purposely chose to not use names so you can choose who's point of view you think it's from, personally I have no idea. Звезда means 'star' in Russian, Звезда means 'love', миленький means 'dear' and Aнгел means 'angel, obviously.