HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I wanted to ring in the New Year with Wheeler and Linka...but they're still in Christmas mode...let's pretend we still use that old Julian Calendar that Linka was talking about since I'm behind!

Chapter 11

Baby, It's Cold Outside

AAAAH!!! HE IS SO FRUSTRATING!!! I thought Wheeler was the most frustrating man I have ever met..but no...I have reconsidered. Wheeler is perfect. My brother on the other hand...WHY COULD I HAVE NOT BEEN AN ONLY CHILD!? He still treats me like a kid…telling me how to live my life, bossing me around. I have been living on my own and making my own decisions for years now, and I think I have done just fine without him.

"Babe?"

"Finally! The Geo Cruiser is locked and…where are our bags?"

"Inside. You don't really wanna leave. Your Grandmother went through so much trouble to make that meal…and I'm starving."

"But Mishka…"

"…Is just being a big brother. I'd be the same way. What did you expect?"

"I expected him to treat me like an adult! And to be honest, I did not feel comfortable sharing a room with you here, but I did not know how to tell you. But I wanted that to be my decision, not have Mishka make it for me...he has no right..."

"Soooo, problem solved. We're not sharing a room, you didn't have to be the one to tell me, but even if you did, I'd understand. I know you were uncomfortable staying at my parents' house last month…I figured you'd be the same way here…except worse…and I'm ok with that. I wasn't expecting that we'd be sharing a room," he says.

"But we have not…we were going to…"

"I know. And as much as it kills me to say this…looks like we're going to have to wait a few days…err, a week."

"A week?!" I say.

"Yeah. You said that New Years was a bigger deal here than Christmas, so I thought we'd stick around and celebrate the new year here."

"Oh. I was hoping that we would go back to New York, to the hotel."

"Yeah…we will. Time difference, remember? We'll celebrate here, then fly back West to New York, and celebrate there…two New Years. It's like we'll be going back in time!"

"That sounds fun. Not many people can say they have done that!"

"Yeah, and I'm sure we can find some alone time during the week," he says suggestively as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close.

"Well, Mishka does have to go to work and Grandmother goes out grocery shopping…" I purr as I pull his head down for a kiss.

He pulls away suddenly.

"What is wrong?" I ask.

"Your brother…what if he sees…I mean…I don't want him to get pissed."

"Let him," I say as I reach for him to draw him towards me for another kiss. Right before our lips meet, he says,

"What if he kicks my ass?"

"Then I will kick his," I promise with a smile as I close the small distance between us, wrapping my arms around him as we kiss.

When we finish, I rest my cheek on his chest and pull him as close to me as I can. He bends his head and buries his nose in my hair.

"Wheeler…I have a confession."

"What?" He asks, sounding worried.

"When Mishka and I were arguing…I told him that I loved you."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I…sort of told him that after…"

"After what?" He asks, pulling away slightly so that he can look me in the eyes.

"After I told him that it did not matter where we slept because it was not like we had never…done anything before. And that he could keep us apart while we were in Russia, but he had no control over me when I was on Hope Island…and that we would just make up for all the lost time when we got home."

"Linka!" He exclaims in shock and his cheeks turn red…and it is not from the cold. "Oh crap! Gran! She heard all that too?!"

"Da. Probably."

"No...definitely! SHE ASKED ME IF I WANTED HER TO TRANSLATE!!! Oh man…no wonder she was looking at me like that with that…smile…Awww no! And when she asked me if I wanted to know what you were saying…she was sort of...laughing. How am I supposed to go back there and face her?!"

"Wheeler…do you honestly think that they did not already know?"

"Well…I mean…I'm sure if they thought about it, they'd assume…but you just put it right out there! Now they're gonna think I'm just some scumbag from Brooklyn who's…violating their little sister and granddaughter!"

"Well…you are!" I tease.

"Funny."

"Except you are not a 'scumbag.' You are my boyfriend, and I like it when we violate!" I chuckle.

"I love it when we violate!" He laughs also as he holds my face in his hands as we kiss.

I make my way from his lips to his neck and lean my head on his shoulder so I can nuzzle my nose against his neck. He kisses my cheek then moves to press his lips against my ear as he rubs his hands up and down my back and says,

"What're we doin' standing out here? Baby, it's cold outside," he says in a singsong voice, causing me to chuckle.

"Let us go inside then. I do not want you catching a cold…I want you healthy so that when we leave here…" I trail off as I place light kisses up his neck, to his ear, and then press my nose against his cheek for warmth.

"Violating?"

"Da…lots of violating!"

We go inside and Wheeler takes a deep breath, taking in the aromas of Grandmushka's cooking.

"Ooooh, look who came back?" Mishka antagonizes me.

"Da. Lucky for you Wheeler has the magic touch and can convince me to change my mind with just a little kiss…or in this case, several, not so little kisses."

"Smells great! When do we eat?" Wheeler asks, expertly trying to change the subject.

"After church!" Mishka bites back.

"After?"

"Da. After."

"I will make you a sandwich, Lyubov moya," I tell Wheeler.

"What about the fast?" Mishka asks me in Russian.

"Speak English when Wheeler is around…it is rude to speak when he cannot understand."

"Sorry," he says sincerely.

"And Wheeler does not need to fast. He does not need to practice our customs…"

"Wait…what? Customs? No, I wanna do whatever it is that you do," my sweet Wheeler says.

"Nyet Yankee, you have not eaten all day."

"Yeah, that's kinda the point of fasting Babe...and neither have you. I can wait."

"You do not have to Wheeler," I say as I take his hand and smile at him.

"I want to," he says, brushing his fingertips down my cheek and looking at me as if I am the only person in the room. "All year I've shared my customs with you…now you share yours with me."

"Ok," I say as I gently kiss his lips. I do not do it to anger Mishka or put on a show. I do it because I love the man standing in front of me with all my heart.

"Linka darling, you and Wheeler must be tired from your travels…perhaps you would like to stay home and get some rest," Grandmother says with a wink.

Ok, that is a little…nyet, very awkward. Is my grandmother trying to give Wheeler and I some 'alone time'? Too weird. The real question is, is it wrong that I want to skip church to be with Wheeler?

"She cannot miss church! And she cannot be left alone with her boyfriend! She has made it perfectly clear what her intentions with him are!"

"ZATK`NIS MISHKA!!!" I yell.

"What happened to only speaking English?" He asks.

"Fine…SHUT UP MISHKA!!! Just for that, we will stay home, and the whole time you are at church, you can wonder what Wheeler and I are doing…and where we are doing it! My room, your room, the living room…the kitchen!?"

"LINKA!" Wheeler gasps.

"I am not going to church then. I will stay here and babysit if I must!" Mishka says.

"Nyet Mishka, you are going to church," Grandmother says.

"But…"

"Nyet! Linka and Wheeler have an excuse to miss it. They have been traveling all day. She only said those things to upset you, I am sure. And I am disappointed in BOTH of you and your behavior. You are both adults…now act like it!" she says sternly.

"Da, Babushka," we say at the same time.

"Umm, if it's ok with you Babe, I'd like to go to church…"

Huh?!

"I mean…we actually gained a few hours, it's still evening in our time zone…so I'm not really that tired…and it is Christmas…we really should go to Church."

Durak!

"What is the point? You are not going to be able to understand anything!" I say, trying to salvage any chance we have of being alone.

"Doesn't matter…I don't really get it when it's in English either! Haha! Seriously though, praying is praying and church is church. Doesn't matter what religion or what language, as long as I'm actually INSIDE a church on Christmas, I won't feel guilty!"

"Ok…if that is what you want, that is what we'll do," I say.

"Whatever you would normally do on Christmas Eve, that's what I want to do," he says.

"I love you," I say softly as I wrap my arms around his neck.

"I love you too!" he replies as he kisses my cheek.

To Be Continued...