Authors: Zoya Tessi
I stopped next to the motorcycle and kept my eyes fixed on the ground, waiting for Alex to right it so we could leave. Instead of that, he moved to face me, put one hand under my chin and raised my face. I blinked in surprise as he forced me to look up at him, and two fat tears broke free and trickled down my face.
The lines deepened on Alex’s forehead, as a
n angry expression passed across his features. Gently, he moved a finger over my cheek, then the other as he wiped away the tears. Rocked by this sudden, tender act, I felt glued to the floor and stood like a statue for some time, staring. His features might have been as rough as usual, but the gray eyes were warmer, and it seemed to me that I might easily lose myself there.
“I... I think we should go,” I
whispered nervously, to which he just nodded and turned the ignition.
When I got inside the apartment, I went straight to the kitchen, chose the largest mug from the cupboard and fixed myself a double measure of black coffee – no sugar. Sinking into a chair right by the window, I leaned over and let my forehead rest against the cold glass and took a few long sips of the bitter black liquid.
“
You are early. Thank God!” I heard Beth's chiding voice behind me.
“
Well, I had enough for today,” I murmured to myself and glanced over my shoulder, “Why? Where's the fire?”
“I’ve been trying to get away from Paolo. He called a dozen times in the last two hours, and he’s really starting to drive me
crazy. I’ll be damned if there’s anyone who can talk more without running out of steam. He went on and on about our plans for Saturday night and…” she fell silent, not finishing her sentence.
“You look pale.
Something happened?”
For a momen
t I thought about playing dumb and saying nothing was wrong, but Beth knew me too well, and she’d spot a lie like that straight off.
“I ran into Tyler
.” I sighed and closed my eyes, “He wanted to get back together.”
“What?”
“Exactly.”
“I can’t believe it! The self-centered bastard! How could he? You didn’t say yes, did you?”
“Of course not. But talking to him… it got to me,” I said quietly, squeezing the cup in my hand.
“I can imagine
.“
Shaking her head, Beth drew close to me and hugged me from behind the chair, stroking my hair gently with one hand. Feeling deflated and miserable, only my stubborn streak prevented me from letting the tears flow.
“Don’t let that idiot get to you.”
“It didn’t even cross my mind. I’m just horrified that I’d let myself be taken in by someone like that.”
“You know what they say, you pay for every experience. Think of it as one of life's lessons.”
“One of?”
I arched one eyebrow, disapproving, “No thanks. One is quite enough for me. As a matter of fact, I plan on staying away from situations that might turn into those life lessons you’re talking about, just in case.”
“Whatever you say, dear.
Just... I have to warn you, things don’t always turn out the way we plan.”
“No shit
they don’t,” I hissed bitterly and regretted it right away.
She was only trying to help, and I always acted like a spoiled bitch when I felt hurt. Nikolai was usually on the receiving end when I was angry, and with good reason. Bethany didn’t deserve to have anything taken out on her – quite the opposite.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“
Sure you didn’t. But apologies won’t save you now and you know it very well.” she put one hand on my shoulder and shook it gently, slowly pointing one finger in the direction of the sink, which was piled high with dirty dishes.
“Aw, come on!
Again?” I shot her a miserable look, hoping she might take pity on me.
“Oh yes. And every time you prattle on like that, be ready to pay the price.
That was the deal, remember?”
“You are one really evil person, you’re aware of that, right?”
“Yes, I am. “
She stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips, adopting the pose of an army general waiting for a new recruit to get to work. Despite the fact that I passionately hated washing the dishes, I rose up from the chair, rolled up my sleeves and got ready to do battle with crusted macaroni, burnt pans and whatever else I might find in the pile.
Heaven help me!
With the air of an explorer, I approached the sink and began to assess the task ahead, rummaging around to drain the dirty water and decide what would get cleaned first. Watching me from behind, Beth giggled, pleased to have played a winning card.
“You know, when I think about it, that sharp tongue of yours has its plus side,” she said, and made a point of examining her perfectly lacquered nails, “I’ll save a fortune on manicures.”
“Is that so?” I grinned mischievously.
Glancing around the sink, I soon found what I was looking for, and my grin widened. Grabbing the detergent bottle with both hands, I quickly turned and squeezed, letting out a shriek as the soapy liquid shot out in Beth’s direction. Or, better said, where I thought she was.
“Oops!” was the only thing I was able to say before I doubled over, laughing hysterically.
Instead of Beth, Alex was standing in front of me, bright green liquid streaking the white t-shirt he’d apparently changed into, and a few drops of the same hanging from his chin. I was sure I‘d never seen a more peculiar sight in my life, but what really threw me was how utterly astonished he looked. He was probably determining the most painful way to strangle me, but I laughed my ass off all the same.
I was aware that Bethany was close by, giggling mercilessly in her high voice, but I couldn’t make out where exactly because tears of laughter got in the way. I was just trying to catch my breath, when a torrent of cold water came down over my head with a splash.
Letting out a scream, I jumped back, almost slipping on the wet kitchen floor.
“You jerk!”
With an empty vase in one hand and a bunch of wilting tulips in the other, Alex was standing in front of me, looking me up and down with blank expression on his face.
“You are a dead man!”
Paying no mind to my shouting, he set the empty vase down on the table and leaned over me, reached out and tucked a single red tulip behind my ear. Then he turned and casually exited the kitchen without a word.
“Sasha, are you alright?” Bethany half mumbled and half snorted, bursting into laughter again.
Slowly turning to her, feeling my face redden in anger, I threw her a look that threatened violence. She, of course, didn’t pay attention at all, writhing in laughter as she was, one hand supporting her weight against the wall.
“And you, my best friend in the world!” I hissed and ran to my room, squelching as water trickled behind me on the floor.
***
The afternoon was scorching, so Bethany and I agreed to spend it lounging on the balcony, hoping to catch some rays. My hair was still wet from washing it after the trick Alex had played, so lying about in the sun saved me using the dryer.
I couldn’t figure out how he’d dared to act like that. Apart from Vova, Nikolai’s people had always sort of kept their distance. If any of them had so much as looked at me funny, he would have ended up in a ditch pretty soon, probably in more than one bag. Nonetheless, it seemed like Alex had some special status in my father’s eyes, a fact he was obviously aware of. I wondered what he’d done to earn that.
“Would you believe it? Look at what that no-good’s doing,” I shook my head and looked towards the living room.
Sunk into a couch in front of TV, Alex was gripping a joystick with obvious enthusiasm, blasting at zombies on the screen.
“I'm pretty sure that’s what you were doing all last weekend.”
“So what? Unlike me, he’s...” I started, but stopped short.
It was obvious that I was starting to lose my grip, because I almost blurted out that Alex wasn’t
being paid to play video games. I’d caught myself in time, thank God. There would have been a lot to explain if I didn’t.
“What?”
“Nothing. Forget it,” I quickly dismissed it and leaned back in my lounger.
Apparently, the
whole this situation didn’t throw Alex off kilter much. I, on the other hand, found myself on tenterhooks thanks to this stranger in my apartment. It wasn’t that I thought he might hurt me, though. If Nikolai had any special talent, it was in judging character. What drove me nuts was the constant anxiety I felt in his presence, a feeling that intensified when he walked around shirtless. I was sure he was doing it on purpose.
“You know, to me Alex doesn’t look lik
e a guy who’d be interested in Art history at all,” Beth commented and glanced over at him slyly.
“Hah! I’d be surprised if he could
tell the difference between Michelangelo's David and Duchamp’s pissoir.”
“You never know... Maybe there’s a sensitive soul underneath that tough exterior.”
I almost choked on the juice I was drinking, so I sat bolt upright in the lounger and regarded Bethany over the rim of my sunglasses.
“Yeah, sure.
I'll bet he writes romantic poetry by candlelight while we’re sleeping.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” she laughed, “but you always start off with a bad opinion of people and wait to be proved right.”
“When you expect the worst, you won’t be disappointed. And if it turns out you’re wrong, you can only be surprised in a good way. I don’t see any problem with that attitude.”
“Are you sure it’s the best approach?”
“I'm not saying it’s ideal, but I like it better than the alternative,” I shrugged.
I wasn’t in the mood for a deep and meaningful conversation, especially since I knew Bethany was right. It looked like I was turning into an angry, bitter person with no faith in the human spirit. Maybe I ought to make an effort to be less cynical, but really it didn’t seem to matter. The sad truth was that despite my show of attitude and my big mouth, I was a coward.
Afraid of being disappointed again.
“You know... I think it's time our
roommate with hidden artistic aspirations started contributing to the household,” changing the subject, I got up from the lounger.
I strode into the room confidently and, hands on hips, placed myself between Alex and the TV. Casting the joystick aside, he leaned back further and raised an eyebrow at me. I imagined fires being put out by one of his cold stares.
“Don’t you think it's time to earn some of the money Nikolai pays you?” I asked quietly, careful not to let Beth overhear.
“On the contrary, Princess.
I don’t think Nikolai pays me enough. Spending all my days in your sweet company qualifies me for special, early retirement.”
“Oh really...“ I looked him fully in the face and pointed to the chandelier, “The bulb blew this morning and needs replacing.”
“You’re right,” he nodded and continued to look at me, with no intention of making a move.
“Are you trying to make me lose it, or am I just imagining it?”
"No. I’m waiting for you to ask me nicely.”
“It wouldn’t cross my mind to ask you for anything.”
“You don’t need ask me, exactly, just a few polite words: Alex, would you change the bulb? It’s not hard, trust me.”
“Are you serious?”
I couldn’t believe that he, of all people, felt entitled to instruct me about manners. God, he was infuriating. I narrowed my eyes and regarded him carefully, a wicked smile building at the corners of my mouth.
“Alex, honey, would you be so kind as to change the bulb in the chandelier, it would mean such a lot to me?” I asked in the most sugary voice possible.
I watched as a barely noticeable look of satisfaction appeared on his face, and smiled even more. Some men actually lived in the conviction that their word must always be the last.
“And please, while you do that…” I blinked at him like some kind of cartoon, “...be sure and get electrocuted, would you?”
Alex snorted in response, shook his head and slowly got up from the couch. Without breaking eye contact, he was looking down at me as if I were an insect that could easily be trodden under foot. While it was true that I’d spent my life surrounded by tough guys and had learned to handle them, having Alex leaning over me sure made me falter.
“Stop looking at me like that.
” I hissed
“I'm not sure what you mean. How am I looking at you?”
“Like I'm some kind of dessert and you’re about to eat me up.”
“And risk f
ood poisoning? I don’t think so.”
“I doubt you’d die, somehow. It’s impossible to get rid of people like you.”
Though it wasn’t easy by any means, I forced myself to hold his gaze, my jaw clenched tightly. I felt sure this was a special achievement and thought I might even add it to my resume.