Chapter 33 – Stay

Nef’s POV

I do not do well with waiting. In 6 days I’d be heading to Vegas to spend a week with Sasha. Since I booked my flight I’d been counting down the weeks, days, hours, and minutes until I see him. I sent him a copy of a video letter I had spent a little more than a month working on. I’d started at the end of the season and wanted to continue it through the playoffs. It was just a silly little idea that had popped into my head one day. He called me the day after he got to Moscow…slightly hung over because the guys had gone out the night before.

“Thank you for my present. It was sweet.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” I said into the phone.

I had roped Ovie into my plan to send Sasha the video.

“I didn’t know what it was. Ovie just threw DVD case at my head and say “Watch it.” I not know it was from you.”

That was the idea. It was a surprise. There were several times over the last month that flowers were sent to my apartment from Sasha. Even though we were apart he still managed to make me feel special. With each bouquet of flowers he sent me letters and notes that said how much he thought of me and how often he missed me.

“What day are you leaving?” my mom asked. I’d gone home for dinner with the family.

“The morning of the 21st so I’ll be home for my birthday and for father’s day.”

“Who is meeting you at the airport?”

“No one Ommy. Sasha’s flight lands a few hours after mine. I might wait for him. He told me to just go to the hotel and check in.”

“I don’t want you to be at the Las Vegas airport alone. It’s not safe,” she told me. My parents had this habit of treating me like a child. I’ll be 24 in four days. You would think that I am capable of taking a trip alone.

“I’ll be fine Ommy. It’s a morning flight so I’ll be there in the early afternoon. Sasha flight lands at 5:30 if it’s not delayed. That’s only a few hours at the airport alone.“

The morning of my birthday I was still at home with my family. My mom made my favorite breakfast – chocolate chip pancakes. There was a delivery of a dozen red roses from Sasha with a note.

”I’m sorry I could be there on your birthday but I’m excited to see you in just a few days. I miss you so much. Can’t wait to hold you close, my sweet. – Your Sashenka.”

It was so unbelievably sappy and sweet. I loved it! I called him to tell him that I had gotten the flowers, that I missed him, and that I was excited to finally see him again. I didn’t stay on the phone too long; birthday mornings are family oriented. Later that day I drove back to Silver Spring. My friends were taking me out to go clubbing in Adam’s Morgan. I still had to back for my week with Sasha.

“Hey Nef?” Jesse asked as I walked into our apartment. “Have you taken the boyfriend trip to Victoria’s Secret?”

“Boyfriend trip to Victoria’s Secret?” What’s a boyfriend trip to Victoria’s Secret?

“You’re seeing your boyfriend for the first time in a month and a half. You should probably wear sexy lingerie.”

Oh. That. Makes sense. “Ummm, I probably won’t be in it long enough to justify buying it and besides he has a thing for my belly dancing costumes. I’ve got a couple of new ones that I want to wear for him.”

“Ooooo, going for the exotic beauty.”

“Not really, more like playing toward the boy’s fetishes. I’ve only danced for him once and he definitely wants it to happen again.”

Jesse had asked me a little while ago to teach her how to belly dance. I told her that we could do it over the summer when we both would have more time.

“We’ve got a couple of hours to kill so I could give you a lesson now if you want.”
Jesse and I spent the rest of the afternoon going over the basics.


Sasha’s POV


”Come on Sasha, we’re going to be late,” Nadiya said to me. We were going out with a group of her friends and my friends.

I had been hanging out with her while I was home and since I got back from Moscow we’d gone out to a few bars and clubs. I introduced her to my sister, Svetlana. They seemed to get along and Lana was able to introduce her to other women in Krasnoyarsk. Tonight we were going out to Planet Krasnoyarsk; it’s the biggest club in the city and it has the best DJs.

”I’ll be there in a second!” I shouted after her. I was on the phone with Nef, wishing her a happy birthday. With the 12 hour time difference between Krasnoyarsk and DC she was sitting down to have breakfast with her family.

”I’ll see you in a few days,” she said as we hung up.

We met Nadiya’s friends, Yuri, Mikhail, and Svetlana at Planet Krasnoyarsk. It was crowded to say the least but the atmosphere was amazing. From the moment we walked in there was good music and lots of good alcohol. You haven’t been partying until you have been to a Russian Club. I had rarely had the chance to hang out with my sister in this type of environment. She was after all married with two young children. Most of her nights were spend running around after kids, giving baths, and telling bed time stories. She was actually a fun time.

”Come here my wonderful little brother,” her arms wrapped around my neck. We were dancing together on the dance floor.

”Lana, you’re drunk.”

”No, no, no I’m not drunk. I’ve only had three drinks.” That just means you’re a lightweight.

”Lana, Come take a shot with me!” Nadiya yelled from the dance floor.

I saw Lana and Nadiya go toward the bar as I started dancing with one of Nadiya’s friends. I hadn’t bothered to learn their names. This one was super thin and her hair was bleached platinum blond. When Nadiya and Lana came back toward me they each had a shot in hand.

”Oh baby brother!” she crooned in a singsong voice. This can’t be good.

”You need to catch up. Drink these.”

I don’t know what they gave me but it burned. I wasn’t trying to get drunk but it seemed like Lana and Nadiya had other ideas. They wanted to get me as drunk as they were. A little while later we were sitting around a table lounging.

”I had fun tonight,” Nadiya told me as she leaned toward me. Her words were slightly slurred. ”It’s nice to be able to hang out with you.”

”I had fun too.”

We spent a little while talking about her adventures at school. Her friends had a lot of drunken stories to tell.

”I am not that bad. she protested. The platinum blond one was telling a story about how Nadiya had gotten pissy drunk and broke up with one of her ex-boyfriends. Apparently she yelled at him and broke up with him at a party. She had done it in front of everyone.

”Don’t forget about that time at the lake,” the blonde one said. ”You almost got arrested because you wanted to walk around naked!,”

”Shut up!” Nadiya shrieked.


”Woah, wait. You have to tell this story,” Lana urged.

”Well we were having a camping trip at the lake and decided to go skinny dipping. A long story short the cops showed up and told us that we couldn’t do that. Drunk Miss Nadiya gets into it with the officers about her God given right to walk around naked. They almost arrested her for it. ”

It was closer to 3 am when we left. I rode with Svetlana and Nadiya in a cab to make sure she got home safely.


”It’s late. You can stay here until the morning,” she offered.

”It’s okay. I still have to make sure that Lana gets home.”

”She can stay too.” she grabbed my hand a pulled me insider of her apartment.

”She can’t. I don’t think her husband would appreciate her staying out all night.” I made sure that Nadiya was safe insider her apartment and then I turned to walk toward the door.

”Please be safe. I’ll worry about you.” I told her that I would be fine.

After dropping Lana off at home I finally made it to my bed at about 4:30 am.