She had never in her life been nervous about approaching Kolya. The big, playful Russian was nearly always in a good mood and everyone liked him. Tall, blonde, heavily muscled with a square jaw, high cheekbones, and sparkling blue eyes, he could easily have played the roll of a prick and still had women falling all over him. Despite his popularity, he was still friendly and kind, making him even more desirable. There was a reason people went to him with their problems and there was a reason he was always laughing.

If given a choice between sobriety and intoxication, he would always choose the latter. But that was yet another amazing trait of Kolya – it was a choice. There were times in the past when he had to be sober and of clear mind for weeks at a time and during those times, he wouldn't touch a drop of liquor or enter a room if it was full of smoke. Luckily for Lindsey, this was not one of those times.

It was a chilly evening as Lindsey entered the warehouse, her heavy boots clomping across the hard floor. It was unusually quiet and every noise echoed as she made her way across the great room. For a place known for rowdy parties and an even rowdier bunch of people, the house was surprisingly immaculate. Full bottles of booze sat gleaming behind the bar in various colors and glasses hung by their stems, polished and ready for the next event. The shiny dance floor was buffed so well, she could see her reflection in it. But anyone who knew Yorgi knew he did not tolerate clutter and filth.

She made her way through the maze of hallways and stair cases until she arrived at Kolya's room. She could hear a TV playing from inside. She knocked and waited until he answered, "Da."

Creaking open the heavy door, she found him lounging on his bed in nothing but a pair of black leather pants, staring at the large flat screen that hung from his wall. Like her own, his large room was dark with painted black walls and no window. Ornate black furniture filled the room and in the dark, she felt as though she'd stumbled into the dangerous, sexy environment of a vampire. But Kolya would never make a good vampire. He was too loud.

He sat up and turned down the volume on his TV. "Hey."

"Hey," she said uncertainly, hovering in the doorway.

"Come in," he said, looking confused as to why she hadn't already. That was the loveable thing about him – there was an innocence that resonated from him, despite the things he was capable of. And yes, he was capable of so many things.

Biting her lower lip, Lindsey closed the door behind her. "Kolya, I need to talk to you about something."

He cocked an eyebrow at her and said nothing.

"I. . . I need something from you."

An unreadable look came over his face as he stood and advanced towards her. "I knew this day would come," he said in his gravelly accent. "It okay. You could not resist me for ever."

"What? Kolya, I. . . No!" she yelled in surprise.

He stopped mid-step and threw his head back, laughing. "You are too easy."

A smile pulled at her lips and for the first time in a long time she laughed.

He licked his lips and ran a hand over his face, trying to calm himself. He drew a long breath through his nose and asked, "What do you need?"

"To escape," she replied simply.

He studied her for a minute, then went to his dresser and opened a drawer. "Booze is not doing it for you." It wasn't a question.

Lindsey closed her eyes for a moment, appreciating Kolya's understanding. "Hang overs," she said. She didn't need to explain, but felt compelled to do so anyway.

He was silent as he packed the green herb into the small metal bowl. She watched as he worked, grabbing a bottle of frosty water from the mini refrigerator next to his bed, pouring a careful measure of it, holding his thumb over the small hole with one hand and running his Zippo on the leg of his pants, then holding the flame above the bowl. He took several long drags, filling the chamber with smoke, then pulled his thumb back and quickly inhaled. He swallowed a couple times, then opened his jaw to allow the thickest white smoke she'd ever seen drift upwards from his throat like the smoke of a chimney.

He extended the bong to her. With a shaky hand, she accepted it and sat on his bed. Mimicking his actions, she inhaled the sickly sweet smoke and immediately began to choke.

"Now you be really fucked up," he smirked.

She felt like her lungs were going to explode. This was nothing like cigarette smoke. Her eyes streamed and she hacked deep, painful coughs, her lungs protesting against the thick smoke. She gasped for air, her throat raw. Still coughing, she handed it back to him.

For the better part of thirty minutes, they passed the smoke back and forth between them, and she slowly was able to regain control of her coughing. As the embers in the bowl finally died out, Kolya replaced the bong on his dresser and laid back on his bed. There was a heavy cloud of smoke lingering in the room.

Eyes half open, a hazy, happy feeling engulfed Lindsey as she stared at the TV on the wall. This was amazing. She hadn't felt this calm in months. Her head felt heavy and clouded. Kolya turned the volume back up on the television and they both laughed aloud at the ventriloquist on stage.

"Jalapeno on a stick!" Kolya mimicked. They both burst into a fit of giggles and laughed until their sides hurt. Tears streamed down Kolya's face and Lindsey laughed to the point where no sound was coming out.

"Oh my god, Kolya, I'm so fucked up," Lindsey groaned, her hands on either side of her face.

"Good," he answered.

Lindsey's stomach growled. "I'm starving."

Kolya grabbed some candy and chips from the top of the mini-fridge and tossed them on the bed. They munched happily on snacks, still laughing as the credits rolled and Kolya changed the channel.

"Spongebob? Really?" Lindsey snickered, shoving a handful of chips into her mouth.

"Don't judge me."

About ten minutes into the show, Lindsey realized that Spongebob was hilarious. She'd always despised the bouncing, noisy yellow square before.

Laughing softly, she laid back on the bed, her feet dangling over the footboard, and stared at the glowing fish tank against one wall of Kolya's room. He turned and lay with his head next to hers, his bare feet propped up against the intricately carved black headboard.

"Kolya?"

"Hmm?"

"Can fish drown?"

He laughed a deep, bellowing laugh and drew his knees to his chest.

"Seriously! Can fish drown?"

"How in fuck could fish drown?"

"You know, like, if you held their gills closed. Would they drown?"

"No, would suffocate."

"No, they suffocate if you take them out of the water."

"Suffocate if hold gills closed, too."

"Noooo," she said, giggling again. "They'd drown."

"Suffocate."

"Okay, fine. Then what if there was no oxygen in the water? Would they drown then?"

Horror spread across his face. "Fish CAN drown."