The sounds of voices and laughter gradually woke me from one of the best nights of sleep I'd had in a long time. It was a familiar sound, but one that had been forgotten over the years of work and duty. The quiet commotion downstairs wrapped around me like a warm blanket. A part of me was eager to join in, but nothing could tempt me away from where I was at that very moment.
Rose had fallen asleep tucked under my arm last night, and it seemed that neither of us had moved from that position. She fit so perfectly there, it was almost like this was how we were always meant to be. Side by side.
The thought of waking up to her every morning, that face full of sleep…
One day, I promised myself. One day that would be our reality. I wasn't sure when, but I had to believe that there was a future where moments like this wouldn't be a novelty.
I brushed some of her wild hair from across her cheek, smiling to myself as it made her sigh and start to stir. "Good morning, Roza."
Her eyes blinked open and she looked up at me. There was a brief moment where it looked like she was surprised I was right here with her, but it faded into a beautiful smile.
"How long have you been watching me sleep?" she asked, a yawn stealing the last word before she settled a little closer into my embrace.
I circled a spot on her lower back, silently scolding myself for the temptation to wander a little lower until I found the hem of her sleep shirt. I wanted to explore what lay beneath, especially since I didn't remember her putting on any underwear after our little reunion last night. "Only a few minutes. It sounds like everyone is awake downstairs, though, and I figured we should probably get up."
Her lower lip jutted out in an exaggerated pout, obviously not thrilled with the idea. "And if I wanted to just stay in bed with you all day?"
Nothing sounded sweeter. "As much as I'd like that too, I think my family might come looking for us eventually."
"Fine," she groaned, looking totally put out by the idea of leaving our little sanctuary. "But only because something smells good downstairs."
Of course it would be food that eventually pulled Rose from bed. Granted, I felt some of the same pull to check out what my mother was up to (and the smell of coffee that was a perpetual siren's call to me) but it would always amuse me how much food was a motivator for Rose.
The blanket that had been covering us while we slept fell as she sat up, and I couldn't help but stare while she stretched her arms high to work the tired muscles from last night. Not only did it reveal a thin bit of skin where the shirt rode up, but the arch of her back thrust out her chest in the most delicious manner. As much as I had been tempted by breakfast downstairs moments ago, I was now reconsidering eating breakfast in bed.
I grabbed her by the waist, laying her back down amidst the sheets before rolling over her so she was trapped beneath my body. She let out a little squeal, only for it to dissolve into a moan as I kissed her like my very life depended on it. The erection I had woken up with hadn't subsided one bit with her beside me, and I brazenly pressed myself against her hip.
She giggled, only laughing harder when I tried to shush her. "What happened to getting up?"
"I am up," I replied, pausing just long enough to throw her a wink before feasting on her body once more. "Besides, I changed my mind."
"Well, change it again because we really should head downstairs and grab breakfast. Shower first, though." When I fell back with a groan, she laughed again and gave me a quick, rather sweet kiss to reward my good behavior. Throwing off the covers, she moved to the wardrobe before digging through some clothes. Suddenly she paused and glanced back at me over her shoulder. "Unless…"
I raised a brow to her. "Unless?"
"Unless you want to go for a run after we eat."
I couldn't help but smile. "Sounds perfect."
The breakfast table was full of food when we went downstairs. My mother showed her love through her cooking, and I wouldn't be surprised if I put on a few pounds over the next few weeks with how determined she was to serve up my childhood favorites. The leftover black bread from dinner last night sat proudly next to a ramekin of butter. A jar of homemade raspberry jam and some нарезной батон accompanied it nearby. I could see a pot of buckwheat kasha on the stove and didn't hesitate to reach for a bowl. American oatmeal was fine, but it always seemed bland. I often preferred my childhood staple, especially when I noticed the stewed apples beside it.
Rose and I had apparently missed both Karo and Sonya with our little lie-in. However, Vika was happily playing with Paul and Zoya while my grandmother watched over them all and rocked Katya.
"Took you long enough," Vika called over once she noticed Rose and I were at the table. "I was about to send in a search party."
Rose rolled her eyes at my sister's barbs, but I decided to throw a little of her sass back her way. "Sorry, we were a bit worn out. Long night, you know?"
Immediately, Rose's eyes went wide before she backhanded my shoulder, all while Vika looked at us as if she had been totally scandalized.
"Mitya, really?" I choked a little on my coffee as my mother appeared out of nowhere.
Rose looked at me in confusion as she mouthed the nickname my mother had christened me with as a child. Mitya?
I waved off Rose's question before apologizing to my mother. "Мне очень жаль, мама." The temptation to justify myself with 'she started it' was strong, but I resisted. Despite my mother's affectionate nickname, I wasn't twelve anymore.
After thanking my mother for breakfast, we began discussing what our days would entail. Almost immediately, Rose asked if Vika wanted to join us on our run. I nearly started to protest, selfishly wanting my girlfriend to myself for a while. Thankfully my sister turned down the offer. Not just that, but she almost looked disgusted by the idea.
"Ugh, no. Running sucks. Isn't that right, Zoya?" My niece babbled a little at the attention, which only encouraged my Vika's antics. Voice pitched and playful, she continued, "That's right. You tell them. Plus, I went running with you yesterday, Rose."
"Yes, but it's a good habit to have," Rose cut in, repeating some of the same encouragement I had given her when we first met. "It keeps your endurance up. Plus, you're going into your senior year; you can't afford to slack off."
Vika glanced at me, but if she was looking for some brotherly support, she wasn't going to find it. As much as I wanted to steal Rose for myself, she was right. Not only should Vika be running daily, but she should also be working with Rose on all the other skills she'd need for next year. Truth be told, I should probably run her through her paces while I was here, too.
"I was hoping to go see Nikolai this morning," Vika said as a final plea. "He and a few other people were going to check out that new movie at the cinema later."
Rose's face softened, even as I wanted to push and ask who this Nickolai was. "Okay," she said, "but tomorrow you're coming with us."
About a half hour later, Rose and I were slipping on our running shoes. She was finishing up with her laces as I stretched my quads a little. Even though I had only missed a day on the track because of all the travel time it took to get here, I still felt a little stiff. I'm sure being stuffed into a too-small seat for over a dozen hours was partly to blame, but I sincerely hoped that it wouldn't slow me any because lord knows Rose wouldn't let me live it down if she beat me.
"I was thinking I could take you up to the bluffs." A hint of a question hid underneath the suggestion. "There's an incline for the first half, but it's worth it."
"That sounds great." She could have asked me to run to Moscow and back with her, and I probably would have agreed. "I love all the photos you've been sending. It would be nice to see it in person."
Her smile shone brighter than the sun across her face. She quickly double-checked to make sure her water bottle was secured to her hip pack before pulling out her phone and fiddling with it a bit. It took me a moment to realize that she was loading up the running app, and when I gave her a questioning look, she shrugged.
"I'm part of the 'Around the World' running challenge," she said as an explanation. "This tracks my miles, and if I can manage it by the end of the year, I get a prize. Well, it's really just one of those digital badges, but still…"
"Oh? And how far have you gotten?" I asked, deciding to activate my tracker as well.
She shrugged. "About a third of the way across the US. But I only started a few weeks ago."
"Not bad." Impressive actually.
It took us about a half hour to make it to the top of the bluffs, and when Rose slowed to a stop, I immediately recognized the view as the one I had seen time and time again over the past few months. I had watched spring unfurl into summer through photographs, but nothing quite compared to seeing it in real life. It seemed like others agreed because a bench had been placed at the overlook, situated perfectly for people to just sit and marvel.
Rose sat down and gestured for me to join her. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Stunning." I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close. Even with us both breathless and sweat-soaked, neither of us minded. This was who we were. We hadn't fallen in love over flowers and romantic evenings. It had been over early mornings on the track and afternoons at the weight bench. Our dates didn't include dinner or movies, but late nights in the sparring ring.
"There are a few other trails I like to run occasionally, but this one is still my favorite." She gestured further up the hill. "It goes on for another couple of miles, but things start to get dicey past those rocks there. Probably great for hiking, but I scrapped my knee up pretty badly when I tried to run it a couple weeks ago. I decided it wasn't worth the broken ankle."
"Probably a good choice," I said with a laugh, knowing that it took a whole lot to make Rose back down from a challenge. "Maybe we can grab some lunch next week and see if we can hike it properly. It looks like it might go all the way to the summit."
She leaned her head against my shoulder and cuddled into me for a moment. "I like that idea."
Running downhill was always more physically demanding than running uphill. Even though the grade wasn't too bad, we took it a little slower. Once we reached the outskirts of town, we decided to just walk the last mile or so. I didn't hesitate to take Rose's hand, proudly and publically claiming her as mine just as much as I was hers. I waved to a few people here or there that I had known years ago, but with me being gone so long, there were quite a few people I didn't recognize or didn't recognize me. It was somewhat odd to have Rose introducing me to the community I had grown up in rather than the other way around, but I quickly shed the feeling as I reveled in how comfortable she seemed in her new home. Almost everyone greeted her in Russian, and even though some switched to English for the rest of the conversation, I did notice her attempts to use Russian whenever she could. It created this weird hybrid language, but it seemed nobody really minded. In fact, they seemed to appreciate the effort.
And then I saw someone that set my senses on high alert. Someone who I would have been happy to never see again in my life. I moved in front of Rose a little, creating a small shield between her, Ibraham Mazur, and the two guardians I saw nearby.
"Dimitri," Zmey greeted with a disturbingly pleasant smile. I knew better than to trust it. "It's good to see you again, boy. I heard you might be back in town for a while."
Before I could question how he knew, Rose interrupted us.
"Why are you here?" She sidestepped around me, even though I tried to tug her back. "I thought I told you to leave me alone."
He almost looked amused at her outburst. "I'm in Baia for business, I assure you. Still, it's always a pleasure to see you, Rosemarie."
"My name is Rose. Not Rosemarie." I don't think either of us missed the slight growl as she corrected him. Rose hated her full name and didn't shy away from letting people know. I had only called used it once when I had first met her—long ago on the streets of Portland in the dead of night. The way she corrected me back then kept me from ever doing so again. It was an instant way to get on her bad side.
That didn't seem to dissuade Zmey, however. If anything, her annoyance encouraged him.
"What do you want?" I asked, reaching for Rose's hand as I stood beside her. He gave me an infuriatingly dismissive look, almost as if he was annoyed that I was interrupting their banter. Still, I pressed on. "Is this about our agreement? If so, you can leave Rose out of it. She had nothing to do with…"
"That debt is settled, Dimitri."
My brow furrowed a moment as I tried to figure out when and how I could have possibly paid that debt. Suddenly, something clicked.
"The cheque? That was you?" Rose glanced between us in confusion. I had never told her about the mysterious money that had been waiting for me when I came back from Spokane. Initially, I assumed it was a mistake. If it was from Zmey, then it clearly was a mistake, at least on my part. Wouldn't it have meant I only owed him more? The last thing I wanted was to owe him more than I already did. "Why?"
He took a step closer, and I automatically pulled Rose behind me. I knew she wouldn't appreciate it, but I didn't care. She could lay into me later if she wanted, but I wasn't going to let her walk into a danger she may not fully understand.
"That's why," he said, noting my overprotective maneuver. "You have a habit of sticking your neck out for people you care about. It's clear that my daughter ranks high on that list, and I would be a fool not to show my gratitude and appreciation for helping her when she needed it."
I struggled a bit to catch up with what he was saying. He was right that I'd do anything to protect those I love, but what did he mean by…
"Daughter?" Rose asked, finishing my unspoken thoughts.
Abe glanced around me. "Perhaps it's time for me to introduce myself properly, Kizim."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
First and foremost, I want to say thank you. The outpouring of support over the past two weeks has meant so much to me and I really do appreciate your patience and continued encouragement. You'll be happy to know that the short break not only inspired some ideas for this story, but quite a few ideas for future projects, too. I'll keep you guys posted :)
This chapter was full of entertaining moments throughout (HELLO ABE!) but one detail I had fun with was letting Dimitri shed his tightly-held professionalism and relax with his family. Specifically, his siblings. I'm not sure how many of you can relate, but the minute I get together again with my siblings it's like we all regress to teenagers. We immediately start teasing one another. It drives my mother nuts but my children think it's hilarious. I got a pretty hilarious scolding from my oldest last summer because "don't hit your brother" is practically a mantra in our house yet the moment I saw my own brother, I gave him a hug and then smacked him upside the head (lovingly, of course.) I adore the idea of even straight-laced Dimitri doing something similar with his sisters.
Thank you for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful week!