Sasha’s POV
It’s been about two weeks since I last spoke with Nadiya – since she kissed me in front of my girlfriend. She’s tried to apologize several times. This time when I came home she was sitting in the kitchen talking to my mom.
”Sasha, can I talk to you?” I was tempted to say no but instead I sat down across from her. ”I’m sorry. What I did was inappropriate and I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry of I caused any trouble between you and Nefertiti.”
”Thank you for the apology. Nef and I are fine.”
”I guess she doesn’t want us being friends anymore.”
”She’s not too keen on it. She doesn’t trust you not to pull something again but she trusts me to respect her and our relationship.”
By the end of my conversation with Nadiya I had two options. I could end my friendship with her or I could try to make this work. I didn’t want her. That much was clear. Yes, she was attractive and fun to hang out with. I had no interest in wanting her in my bed. Nef’s opinion was clear. She didn’t want me to be around her but she would never tell me who I could and couldn’t be friends with. Lana told me to stay away from her. She and Lana were no longer speaking. Lana thought that she was sneaky and underhanded. She said that Nadiya showed no respect for Nef or my relationship with her. I wouldn’t go that far.
I hated losing people I considered to be friends. She seemed to mellow out, even calling Nef to apologize. Nef wasn’t rude but she let it be known that she didn’t like Nadiya and that she didn’t trust her. I ended up being causal friends with Nadiya. We didn’t hang out as much as before and when we did it was always in a group and in a public place. I thought things were going well.
”So, I had a dream about you last night,” I told Nef while we were talking on the phone.
”Dream about me? What kind of dream?”
”It was actually pretty weird. I dreamt that we were in Pittsburgh for the Winter Classic and you were in the stands but instead of rooting for me you had on a blue Crosby jersey.” I couldn’t help but laugh. I knew that Nef hated the power blue jerseys.
”Haha you’re funny…but with an ass like that I’d get over my hatred for that monstrosity.”
”Hey now! None of that.” I really didn’t want to talk about Sidney Crosby’s ass.
”Sorry, I can’t help it. It’s kinda hard to miss but if it makes you uncomfortable I won’t talk about it anymore.” she said sweetly.
”Thank you.”
”Now those lips--”
”Nef!”
I didn’t want to talk about his lips either. She laughed and I’m pretty sure I threatened her with bodily harm.
”Awww poor baby. You know I love you and you alone.”
”You’re coming to the winter classic right?”
”Are you inviting me?”
”No, I’m inviting my other girlfriends...of course I’m inviting you. We can spend the holiday in Pittsburgh.”
”Sounds like a plan.”
I heard Jess shout “Nef! What are you doing?” in the background.
“Talking about Sidney Crosby’s ass!” she shouted back.
“And what a fine ass it is!”
Nef had me on speaker phone so I heard Jesse walk in to Nef’s room.
“I hate you both,” I said.
“Hi Sasha!” Jesse said. “Are you talking to Sasha about Sidney’s ass?”
“Yes! He brought it up.” No, I didn’t! “Well more like he told me he had a dream and in it I was wearing a Crosby jersey. A powder blue Crosby Jersey.”
“Does he know about it?” Jesse asked.
“About what?”
“About her sordid affair last month! Her and Crosby exchange numbers at the NHL awards and they had a passionate rendezvous!”
“What?! She had affair? Tramp! How could you Nef? I though you love me!” I said.
“Sorry! I didn’t mean it! It was the ass! I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame! The Canadian charm worked, okay. I tried to resist.”
“You guys are both nuts!” Jesse said. She’s just as crazy as we are.
Nef and Jesse were getting ready to go somewhere so I didn’t stay on the phone with them for too much longer.
“No more secret affairs,” I said as we were hanging up.
“Does that mean I can have affairs as long as they're not secret?”
“No, smartass.”
“I love you too baby.”
Friday, August 27, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Chapter 41 – So what else didn’t you tell me?
Nef’s POV
”So Nadiya put the moves on Sasha.” That was how my conversation with Lana started. I was sitting on the bed in the guest room talking to her after Sasha and I arrived at Ovie’s place.
”Again? I still don’t understand why he’s still hanging out with her. Clearly she wants him”
”What?” I said into the phone. ”This wasn’t the first time?”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few moments.
”He didn’t tell you?” I could almost hear her mentally curse.
”Tell me what?”
”Well the first time it happened was a couple weeks ago. They’d gone out and she had gotten drunk. He told me that she kissed him. He said that it was a drunken accident on her part.”
”Do you believe that?” I had thought that Nadiya was a nice friend. She seemed sweet enough but this is was not okay.
”No and I told him that. She’s been coming on to him for a while but he was too oblivious to notice it.”
Sasha walked into the room and sat down beside me. After my conversation with Lana I was less than thrilled.
”Why didn’t you tell me that this had happened before?”
”What?” he said.
”Why didn’t you tell me that she had kissed you before?” I repeated. He knew I was on the phone with Lana and he knew that she told me everything.
”Because I didn’t think it was a big deal. She was drunk. It was a mistake on her part and I didn’t take it seriously.”
”And this time?”
”I’m sorry. I didn’t know she would do that.”
I wasn’t appeased. If she had been trying to get to him for a while now he should have ended it. How could he notice if Lana did. How could he not notice if he was warned.
”Look, I know you’re mad and I’m sorry. I made a mistake. It won’t happen again.”
”Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” I questioned.
”Why would you say that?”
”There has to be some reason why you didn’t tell me?”
”I didn’t want it to cause us to fight. I honestly didn’t think it was a big deal. She told me it was because she was drunk and I believed her. Now I know that it was completely stupid to not see through her.” He pulled me into his lap and kissed my temple.
”I’m not okay with you hanging out with her anymore. She…just no. I can’t forbid you from hanging out with her but I’m not comfortable with it.” I told him. I couldn’t believe that she had been so nice to me while she was trying to get Sasha. We’d talked and hung out quite a few times.
”Trust me. I won’t.”
Sasha’s POV
Nef is pissed. She’s pissed at Nadiya and at me. She wasn’t mad at me before but then she talked to Lana. Lana had told her about the incident that happened a few weeks ago. I hadn’t told Nef and I actually had no intentions of telling her. Then Nadiya had kissed me again…in front of my girlfriend. When Nef spoke to Lana she told her everything. She rehashed the entire conversation that we’d had and they came to the conclusion that I’m an idiot for not seeing that she wanted to get in my pants, that I’m an idiot for believing her when she said it happened because she was drunk, and that I’m an idiot for…I don’t remember the third thing.
How did this become my fault? I knew that this could be blown out of proportion so I didn’t want Nef to find out…oh yeah the third thing was that I tried to hide it from my girlfriend. I wasn’t hiding anything. I just didn’t want her to find out unnecessarily.
You know, it’s really annoying when women mutter “Men” under their breath. Really annoying. I resigned myself to the fact that this was my fault for no reason other than I was the one who had a penis.
”I thought it was guys who were supposed to be the bad one, the ones that entice good girls away from their boyfriends.” I said to Nef.
”Nope. Women are just as devious if not worse.”
”Still mad at me?” I asked.
”No, not mad. Just remember the only person allowed to get in your pants is me.”
”I never forgot.”
Later that night I received a text message from my sister apologizing for telling Nef. She said that she thought I told Nef everything and that if I had been honest from the beginning this wouldn’t have happened…well I guess that wasn’t so much an apology as it was a warning not to keep secrets.
After that our time in Moscow was relatively quiet. I met Nef’s friend Anna. She was born in Moscow but moved to the US with her dad and younger brother. She’d moved back to Moscow with her brother after Undergrad.
Watching Nef interact with her friends is always amazing. Any person passing by would think that they must really hate each other because of the sarcastic comments and cynicism that seems to come out. However, they are actually really close.
”Anna! I miss you…sweet lord you’ve been in Russia too long. You look emaciated. Do they feed you here?”
”I look good! What are they feeding you in America? Your ass is the size of Wisconsin! I’d hug you but I don’t think I can reach around your boobs.”
”Don’t risk it. They might smother you,” I jokingly warned.
”Ooooo I like this one!” Anna said pulling me into a hug.
Nef threatened to never let me see her boobs again and I held my hands up in surrender. I reached over to kiss her and she turned her face away from mine. I kissed her neck instead.
”You know I love you and your huge boobs.”
”What that really means is that he loves you because of your huge boobs.” I couldn’t help but laugh at Anna.
After a death glare from Nef both Anna and I settled down. They talked endlessly about friends back in the US and what Anna was doing in Moscow. It hardly seemed like they hadn’t seen each other in more than a year.
Nef and Anna opted to go to the shopping center while I caught up with Ovie. Since Nef and Anna would be gone for the rest of the day I would hang out with the guys. This was the first time since Nef had come to Russia that we would be apart for more than a few hours. Ovie and I would get a workout in and then we would go out later tonight. Constantine and Yuri had met us at Ovie’s place and Yuri had been instantly enamored with Nef.
When Ovie and I left the gym there was a text message on my phone.
I’m sorry. It said. It was from Nadiya
I didn’t respond. Instead I deleted it. Over the next several days she texted me frequently and not once did I respond to her. It had gotten to the point when she had my mother call me.
”Why are you not answering the phone?” my mother asked.
”Because I didn’t want to talk to whoever was calling.”
”Nadiya says that you aren’t speaking to her anymore.”
”I don’t think we can be friends anymore.”
”Look, I’m not trying to tell you what to do - ” Since when?
I talked to my mother for a little while longer and I told her exactly what happened and why I didn’t think that Nadiya and I could continue to be friends.
”So Nadiya put the moves on Sasha.” That was how my conversation with Lana started. I was sitting on the bed in the guest room talking to her after Sasha and I arrived at Ovie’s place.
”Again? I still don’t understand why he’s still hanging out with her. Clearly she wants him”
”What?” I said into the phone. ”This wasn’t the first time?”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few moments.
”He didn’t tell you?” I could almost hear her mentally curse.
”Tell me what?”
”Well the first time it happened was a couple weeks ago. They’d gone out and she had gotten drunk. He told me that she kissed him. He said that it was a drunken accident on her part.”
”Do you believe that?” I had thought that Nadiya was a nice friend. She seemed sweet enough but this is was not okay.
”No and I told him that. She’s been coming on to him for a while but he was too oblivious to notice it.”
Sasha walked into the room and sat down beside me. After my conversation with Lana I was less than thrilled.
”Why didn’t you tell me that this had happened before?”
”What?” he said.
”Why didn’t you tell me that she had kissed you before?” I repeated. He knew I was on the phone with Lana and he knew that she told me everything.
”Because I didn’t think it was a big deal. She was drunk. It was a mistake on her part and I didn’t take it seriously.”
”And this time?”
”I’m sorry. I didn’t know she would do that.”
I wasn’t appeased. If she had been trying to get to him for a while now he should have ended it. How could he notice if Lana did. How could he not notice if he was warned.
”Look, I know you’re mad and I’m sorry. I made a mistake. It won’t happen again.”
”Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” I questioned.
”Why would you say that?”
”There has to be some reason why you didn’t tell me?”
”I didn’t want it to cause us to fight. I honestly didn’t think it was a big deal. She told me it was because she was drunk and I believed her. Now I know that it was completely stupid to not see through her.” He pulled me into his lap and kissed my temple.
”I’m not okay with you hanging out with her anymore. She…just no. I can’t forbid you from hanging out with her but I’m not comfortable with it.” I told him. I couldn’t believe that she had been so nice to me while she was trying to get Sasha. We’d talked and hung out quite a few times.
”Trust me. I won’t.”
Sasha’s POV
Nef is pissed. She’s pissed at Nadiya and at me. She wasn’t mad at me before but then she talked to Lana. Lana had told her about the incident that happened a few weeks ago. I hadn’t told Nef and I actually had no intentions of telling her. Then Nadiya had kissed me again…in front of my girlfriend. When Nef spoke to Lana she told her everything. She rehashed the entire conversation that we’d had and they came to the conclusion that I’m an idiot for not seeing that she wanted to get in my pants, that I’m an idiot for believing her when she said it happened because she was drunk, and that I’m an idiot for…I don’t remember the third thing.
How did this become my fault? I knew that this could be blown out of proportion so I didn’t want Nef to find out…oh yeah the third thing was that I tried to hide it from my girlfriend. I wasn’t hiding anything. I just didn’t want her to find out unnecessarily.
You know, it’s really annoying when women mutter “Men” under their breath. Really annoying. I resigned myself to the fact that this was my fault for no reason other than I was the one who had a penis.
”I thought it was guys who were supposed to be the bad one, the ones that entice good girls away from their boyfriends.” I said to Nef.
”Nope. Women are just as devious if not worse.”
”Still mad at me?” I asked.
”No, not mad. Just remember the only person allowed to get in your pants is me.”
”I never forgot.”
Later that night I received a text message from my sister apologizing for telling Nef. She said that she thought I told Nef everything and that if I had been honest from the beginning this wouldn’t have happened…well I guess that wasn’t so much an apology as it was a warning not to keep secrets.
After that our time in Moscow was relatively quiet. I met Nef’s friend Anna. She was born in Moscow but moved to the US with her dad and younger brother. She’d moved back to Moscow with her brother after Undergrad.
Watching Nef interact with her friends is always amazing. Any person passing by would think that they must really hate each other because of the sarcastic comments and cynicism that seems to come out. However, they are actually really close.
”Anna! I miss you…sweet lord you’ve been in Russia too long. You look emaciated. Do they feed you here?”
”I look good! What are they feeding you in America? Your ass is the size of Wisconsin! I’d hug you but I don’t think I can reach around your boobs.”
”Don’t risk it. They might smother you,” I jokingly warned.
”Ooooo I like this one!” Anna said pulling me into a hug.
Nef threatened to never let me see her boobs again and I held my hands up in surrender. I reached over to kiss her and she turned her face away from mine. I kissed her neck instead.
”You know I love you and your huge boobs.”
”What that really means is that he loves you because of your huge boobs.” I couldn’t help but laugh at Anna.
After a death glare from Nef both Anna and I settled down. They talked endlessly about friends back in the US and what Anna was doing in Moscow. It hardly seemed like they hadn’t seen each other in more than a year.
Nef and Anna opted to go to the shopping center while I caught up with Ovie. Since Nef and Anna would be gone for the rest of the day I would hang out with the guys. This was the first time since Nef had come to Russia that we would be apart for more than a few hours. Ovie and I would get a workout in and then we would go out later tonight. Constantine and Yuri had met us at Ovie’s place and Yuri had been instantly enamored with Nef.
When Ovie and I left the gym there was a text message on my phone.
I’m sorry. It said. It was from Nadiya
I didn’t respond. Instead I deleted it. Over the next several days she texted me frequently and not once did I respond to her. It had gotten to the point when she had my mother call me.
”Why are you not answering the phone?” my mother asked.
”Because I didn’t want to talk to whoever was calling.”
”Nadiya says that you aren’t speaking to her anymore.”
”I don’t think we can be friends anymore.”
”Look, I’m not trying to tell you what to do - ” Since when?
I talked to my mother for a little while longer and I told her exactly what happened and why I didn’t think that Nadiya and I could continue to be friends.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Chapter 40 – I spy with my little eye.
Nef’s POV
I had fun with Sasha and his family. I expected it to be awkward but it wasn’t. Tatiana didn’t say much to me, especially after the prank we played on them. Her reaction hadn’t been good. She was more annoyed with her husband rather than us.
”How could you say that to them?” she asked when she though no one was paying attention. ”It’s not okay and it would have been a disaster.”
”Because Tanya, if they’re going to do then we won’t be able to stop them. I’d rather not alienate my son. If he makes a mistake then I’ll be there for him. We can’t live for them. They have to learn on their own and besides until she gives me a reason not to trust her I’m going to trust her with my son. She’s done a good job so far.”
I talked to Nadiya. She seemed like a nice girl.
”So how did you two meet?” she asked.
”It was at a Season Ticket Holder event back in DC kinda. The day before, I had gone with one of my roommates to watch a practice after a preseason game. A lady beside me asked if I would hold her baby while she got a jersey signed. I said yes and the little runt spit up on me. Sasha and Ovie saw it and thought it was funny. At the event the next day Ovie say me and started calling me baby puke.”
”Ewww. That’s gross.” she said.
”Yeah. Well they invited me and my roommate Jesse out clubbing and after that Sasha and I just kinda kept hanging out. We started dating about a month after that.”
”So it wasn’t like the two of you just knew.”
”No, we enjoyed each others' company but we were kinda slow in making the connection. We needed a little help from Ovie and Jesse. There was physical attraction yet but we didn’t realize that there was more there…or rather we didn’t want to tell each other.”
”Why?” Nadiya wanted to know.
”Well, honestly I thought he was the stereotypical pro athlete that would sleep with anything with a pulse and I didn’t want to be another conquest. He didn’t know what my intentions were. There are a lot of women out there that want them for all the wrong reasons.”
”He’s not like that.”
”Yeah,I know that now. He’s super sweet, and caring, and wonderful…most of the time.” I looked over at him and he was playing around with Veronika and Ivan. He was great with them.
Later that night I was lying on the hotel bed talking to Lana on the phone. Sasha was with his dad and his trainer working out. He’d skipped his workout yesterday when he picked me up from the airport and he was paying for it. He had an hour workout this evening and he would have a 2 hour session tomorrow.
”So how long are you staying?” she asked.
A little less than two weeks but Sasha and I are going to Moscow to visit Ovie so I’ll be in Krasnoyarsk for a week. I was told that if I came to Russia and didn’t see him I would under no uncertain terms be disowned. I have a friend, Anna, that lives in Moscow too so I want to see her as well.”
We weren’t going to Moscow until closer to the end of my trip. My phone beeped showing a text message from Sasha. Save me, please! I sent him a reply saying that he shouldn’t have skipped his workout.
I didn’t skip it. I just had a different type of workout. ;)
Smart ass. I made plans with Lana for the following day for the time that Sasha would be at the gym. Tomorrow morning Lana and I would go out while Sasha slept in. He would get up for his workout session and I would meet him there at the gym towards the end of it so that we could go back to our hotel room together.
When Sasha finally came back to the hotel room he collapsed face down onto the bed.
”Aww poor baby, are you tired?” I asked jokingly.
”Victor told my Dad that I canceled my workout for yesterday and it didn’t go over so well.”
”Didn’t you tell your dad that you canceled it and would make it up later? Did you tell him about scheduling for the next two weeks?” We had talked about his workout schedule and how everything would fit together. There were some days that his workouts would have to be shifted.
”I hadn’t really told either of them anything. I meant to do that but I forgot. ” he said.
”Sasha!” I chastised him. ”You were supposed to take care of all that before I got here.””
”I got distracted. I talked to Victor and we’ll plan out a schedule tomorrow after my session with him.”
I frowned at him and he pouted his lips out at me. ”I’ll take care of it tomorrow, promise.” he said.
I swatted his butt and said “You’d better.” Today had gone so well and I didn’t want it to slide backward. I had received such high praise from his father that I didn’t want us to start slacking now. Just because it’s the off season does not mean that you can throw everything out of the window.
”Yes, mommy. I promise I’ll take care of it tomorrow. ” Oh that does it.
I swatted the exposed skin on the back of his thighs several times. He winced and rolled away from me.
”That was a joke! ” he said. Oh, I know. I’ll show you mommy.
I grabbed his arm and pulled him back to me. I lifted my hand to swat him again and his hands went back to cover his butt and thighs.
”No, don’t. I’m sorry.” I let go of his arm and he moved away from me. ”You’re such a bully.”
”So what time are we supposed to meet Sasha? ” Lana asked. She had drug me all over the city and we were currently sitting in a coffee shop.
”In about another hour.”
After leaving the coffee show Lana drove me to the training facility that Sasha uses in the off season. He was lying on a yoga mat with a medicine ball between his ankles doing leg lifts. Victor spotted us before Sasha did.
”Hi Svetlana,” Victor said. ”and you must be Nefertiti. Hello.”
Sasha stop to get up and say hello but Victor said ”Don’t get up. You can say hi while you do this.”
”You’re early,” Sasha said as I bent down for a hello kiss.
”Yeah, I actually came to talk to Victor.”
”Me?”
”Yes, Sasha was supposed to take care of this before I got here but he didn’t.”
I spoke with Victor out Sasha’s workout schedule while Sasha ran on a treadmill. While Lana and I were out we drawn up a rough schedule for my trip here, including the days that we would be in Moscow.
”Now, we’re going to Moscow for three days. I spoke with Ovie and his trainer and if you give me a routine for Sasha he can work with Ovie while we’re there.”
Sasha looked at me as if I had grown an extra head. Hey, you were supposed to have this done before I got here and you procrastinated. Now I’m going to make sure it’s done.
”Oh, I like her. She’s feisty.” Victor told Sasha.
By the time Sasha’s workout was complete we had a workout schedule and routine hammered out for the rest of my stay in Russia as well as the week Sasha would be spending with me in Egypt. We had a routine for when we were in Cairo and also for when we would be in the desert with no electricity. Sasha of course grumbled about it, telling Victor that he didn’t need me to oversee his workouts.
”She’s not overseeing it. Think of it as motivation. She’s there to motivate you while on vacation. You know that vacations can be roadblocks to training.”
”I’m just there to make sure that you stay disciplined.”
Sasha smirked and I said ”Not that kind of discipline, you pervert.” After Sasha showered and dressed we went out to get lunch for him before heading back to our hotel.
”So, we have an early dinner with my parents and then out with friends later. How does that sound?”
”Sounds good to me. Tell me where to go and what to wear. You’re my tour guide Alexander Valerovich.”
”Ohhhh, I like it when you let me take charge,” he joked. He liked to make fun of me saying that I have issues with not being in control.
”Well don’t get used to it,” I said smiling.
Sasha’s POV
Dinner with my parents was…I don’t know what it was. When we got there I found out that my mother had invited Nadiya not only to dinner but she had told her about Nef and I going out tonight.
”Mom, what are you doing?” I asked.
”Nadiya is a nice girl and you promised that you would look out for her. I don’t want you to forget about her while Nefertiti is here.” she told me.
”I understand mom but I need to spend time with Nefertiti and my family without her. You don’t have to invite her to everything.”
”Why?” she asked. ”Has Nefertiti said something about it?”
”No, she and Nadiya seem to get along well.”
”Well then it shouldn’t be a problem.”
I had noticed that since our conversation Nadiya had become more hands on. She touched me whenever the opportunity arose. Her hands always seemed to graze my arms or legs or my back. Lana had said that she had been doing it all along but I’d just never noticed. Well I was noticing now and it was inappropriate. I didn’t know how to tell my mom that I was no longer comfortable around her. Nef and my dad had hidden themselves away in the living room. They talked about everything whenever they were together. Right now they were talking about the World Cup. When we were in Vegas she had made time to watch the important games. During the US-Algeria game everyone in our hotel had been watching and when Landon Donovan scored they went insane.
”You seem distracted,” Nadiya said coming up behind me.
”No, just watching. My dad and Nef are talking about the World Cup. Nef can be a little intense when it comes to her sports.”
”She’s a sports junky, huh?”
”Yeah, football, American football, and hockey are her favorite sports.”
I felt her hand moved to my shoulder as she came up behind me so I moved farther away from her.
”Don’t do that,” I said.
”Don’t do what?” she asked.
”Touch me like that. I would rather you keep your hands to yourself.”
She looked offended so I told her that I thought it was inappropriate.
”Nefertiti doesn’t like it when girls touch you.”
”No, she has nothing to do with it I’m saying this because it makes me uncomfortable.”
For the rest of that week I tried to keep as far away from Nadiya as I could without being rude. She still called and my mother still invited her over. Nef didn’t seem to notice anything, her and Nadiya actually got closer. Nef hung out with all my friends, not just Nadiya. I thought Nadiya had finally gotten the message.
Nef and I were packing to go to Moscow for a few days. We’d packed up everything at the hotel before going to my house to do laundry and to grab a few things. When I walked in I didn’t expect to see Nadiya in the kitchen with my mom. I didn’t expect to see her at all.
”Sashka, come here,” my mom said to me.
”Yes ma’am?” I handed Nef my duffel bag and she went to the laundry room to dump it for me.
”When are you leaving for Moscow?”
”In a couple of hours.”
My mom asked me to sit with Nadiya while she ran out for a few minutes.
”So you and Nefertiti are going to Moscow for a few days?”
”Yes, we both have friends there.”
When Nef came back I ran upstairs to my room to pack the clothes I wanted to bring with me to Moscow. It didn’t take me long to grab the things I wanted. I was on my way out the door when Nadiya walked in.
”I’ve never been up here before,” she said.
”Is there something you need?” I asked.
”Things are changing between us.” She sat down on my bed.
”A lot of the things that you are doing is inappropriate and I’d like for it to stop.”
She stood and walked toward me. Her hand when to my hair and I ducked away from her.
”Sashka, come here.” I didn’t move toward her.
When I didn’t go to her she came to me.
”I like you a lot Sasha and I know that you’re with her but your mom told me -- ”
”It doesn’t matter what my mom told you.”
This was the second time that she’d managed to kiss me without me noticing. She grabbed my head and pressed her lips to mine. It lasted all of a millisecond before I pushed her away from me.
”Stop it,” I said.
”What’s going on here?” Nef was standing in the door way.
”Nothing, Nadiya was just leaving.”
I grabbed her by the arm and marched her down stairs and out of the front door. When I turned around Nef was standing behind me.
”What just happened?” she asked.
”Nadiya kissed me.”
”I saw that part.”
I told Nef what had happened. She was less than thrilled but otherwise she took it well. She saw that I hadn’t done anything wrong and that I had tried to avoid this happening.
”I don’t think that she and I can be friends anymore.”
I had fun with Sasha and his family. I expected it to be awkward but it wasn’t. Tatiana didn’t say much to me, especially after the prank we played on them. Her reaction hadn’t been good. She was more annoyed with her husband rather than us.
”How could you say that to them?” she asked when she though no one was paying attention. ”It’s not okay and it would have been a disaster.”
”Because Tanya, if they’re going to do then we won’t be able to stop them. I’d rather not alienate my son. If he makes a mistake then I’ll be there for him. We can’t live for them. They have to learn on their own and besides until she gives me a reason not to trust her I’m going to trust her with my son. She’s done a good job so far.”
I talked to Nadiya. She seemed like a nice girl.
”So how did you two meet?” she asked.
”It was at a Season Ticket Holder event back in DC kinda. The day before, I had gone with one of my roommates to watch a practice after a preseason game. A lady beside me asked if I would hold her baby while she got a jersey signed. I said yes and the little runt spit up on me. Sasha and Ovie saw it and thought it was funny. At the event the next day Ovie say me and started calling me baby puke.”
”Ewww. That’s gross.” she said.
”Yeah. Well they invited me and my roommate Jesse out clubbing and after that Sasha and I just kinda kept hanging out. We started dating about a month after that.”
”So it wasn’t like the two of you just knew.”
”No, we enjoyed each others' company but we were kinda slow in making the connection. We needed a little help from Ovie and Jesse. There was physical attraction yet but we didn’t realize that there was more there…or rather we didn’t want to tell each other.”
”Why?” Nadiya wanted to know.
”Well, honestly I thought he was the stereotypical pro athlete that would sleep with anything with a pulse and I didn’t want to be another conquest. He didn’t know what my intentions were. There are a lot of women out there that want them for all the wrong reasons.”
”He’s not like that.”
”Yeah,I know that now. He’s super sweet, and caring, and wonderful…most of the time.” I looked over at him and he was playing around with Veronika and Ivan. He was great with them.
Later that night I was lying on the hotel bed talking to Lana on the phone. Sasha was with his dad and his trainer working out. He’d skipped his workout yesterday when he picked me up from the airport and he was paying for it. He had an hour workout this evening and he would have a 2 hour session tomorrow.
”So how long are you staying?” she asked.
A little less than two weeks but Sasha and I are going to Moscow to visit Ovie so I’ll be in Krasnoyarsk for a week. I was told that if I came to Russia and didn’t see him I would under no uncertain terms be disowned. I have a friend, Anna, that lives in Moscow too so I want to see her as well.”
We weren’t going to Moscow until closer to the end of my trip. My phone beeped showing a text message from Sasha. Save me, please! I sent him a reply saying that he shouldn’t have skipped his workout.
I didn’t skip it. I just had a different type of workout. ;)
Smart ass. I made plans with Lana for the following day for the time that Sasha would be at the gym. Tomorrow morning Lana and I would go out while Sasha slept in. He would get up for his workout session and I would meet him there at the gym towards the end of it so that we could go back to our hotel room together.
When Sasha finally came back to the hotel room he collapsed face down onto the bed.
”Aww poor baby, are you tired?” I asked jokingly.
”Victor told my Dad that I canceled my workout for yesterday and it didn’t go over so well.”
”Didn’t you tell your dad that you canceled it and would make it up later? Did you tell him about scheduling for the next two weeks?” We had talked about his workout schedule and how everything would fit together. There were some days that his workouts would have to be shifted.
”I hadn’t really told either of them anything. I meant to do that but I forgot. ” he said.
”Sasha!” I chastised him. ”You were supposed to take care of all that before I got here.””
”I got distracted. I talked to Victor and we’ll plan out a schedule tomorrow after my session with him.”
I frowned at him and he pouted his lips out at me. ”I’ll take care of it tomorrow, promise.” he said.
I swatted his butt and said “You’d better.” Today had gone so well and I didn’t want it to slide backward. I had received such high praise from his father that I didn’t want us to start slacking now. Just because it’s the off season does not mean that you can throw everything out of the window.
”Yes, mommy. I promise I’ll take care of it tomorrow. ” Oh that does it.
I swatted the exposed skin on the back of his thighs several times. He winced and rolled away from me.
”That was a joke! ” he said. Oh, I know. I’ll show you mommy.
I grabbed his arm and pulled him back to me. I lifted my hand to swat him again and his hands went back to cover his butt and thighs.
”No, don’t. I’m sorry.” I let go of his arm and he moved away from me. ”You’re such a bully.”
”So what time are we supposed to meet Sasha? ” Lana asked. She had drug me all over the city and we were currently sitting in a coffee shop.
”In about another hour.”
After leaving the coffee show Lana drove me to the training facility that Sasha uses in the off season. He was lying on a yoga mat with a medicine ball between his ankles doing leg lifts. Victor spotted us before Sasha did.
”Hi Svetlana,” Victor said. ”and you must be Nefertiti. Hello.”
Sasha stop to get up and say hello but Victor said ”Don’t get up. You can say hi while you do this.”
”You’re early,” Sasha said as I bent down for a hello kiss.
”Yeah, I actually came to talk to Victor.”
”Me?”
”Yes, Sasha was supposed to take care of this before I got here but he didn’t.”
I spoke with Victor out Sasha’s workout schedule while Sasha ran on a treadmill. While Lana and I were out we drawn up a rough schedule for my trip here, including the days that we would be in Moscow.
”Now, we’re going to Moscow for three days. I spoke with Ovie and his trainer and if you give me a routine for Sasha he can work with Ovie while we’re there.”
Sasha looked at me as if I had grown an extra head. Hey, you were supposed to have this done before I got here and you procrastinated. Now I’m going to make sure it’s done.
”Oh, I like her. She’s feisty.” Victor told Sasha.
By the time Sasha’s workout was complete we had a workout schedule and routine hammered out for the rest of my stay in Russia as well as the week Sasha would be spending with me in Egypt. We had a routine for when we were in Cairo and also for when we would be in the desert with no electricity. Sasha of course grumbled about it, telling Victor that he didn’t need me to oversee his workouts.
”She’s not overseeing it. Think of it as motivation. She’s there to motivate you while on vacation. You know that vacations can be roadblocks to training.”
”I’m just there to make sure that you stay disciplined.”
Sasha smirked and I said ”Not that kind of discipline, you pervert.” After Sasha showered and dressed we went out to get lunch for him before heading back to our hotel.
”So, we have an early dinner with my parents and then out with friends later. How does that sound?”
”Sounds good to me. Tell me where to go and what to wear. You’re my tour guide Alexander Valerovich.”
”Ohhhh, I like it when you let me take charge,” he joked. He liked to make fun of me saying that I have issues with not being in control.
”Well don’t get used to it,” I said smiling.
Sasha’s POV
Dinner with my parents was…I don’t know what it was. When we got there I found out that my mother had invited Nadiya not only to dinner but she had told her about Nef and I going out tonight.
”Mom, what are you doing?” I asked.
”Nadiya is a nice girl and you promised that you would look out for her. I don’t want you to forget about her while Nefertiti is here.” she told me.
”I understand mom but I need to spend time with Nefertiti and my family without her. You don’t have to invite her to everything.”
”Why?” she asked. ”Has Nefertiti said something about it?”
”No, she and Nadiya seem to get along well.”
”Well then it shouldn’t be a problem.”
I had noticed that since our conversation Nadiya had become more hands on. She touched me whenever the opportunity arose. Her hands always seemed to graze my arms or legs or my back. Lana had said that she had been doing it all along but I’d just never noticed. Well I was noticing now and it was inappropriate. I didn’t know how to tell my mom that I was no longer comfortable around her. Nef and my dad had hidden themselves away in the living room. They talked about everything whenever they were together. Right now they were talking about the World Cup. When we were in Vegas she had made time to watch the important games. During the US-Algeria game everyone in our hotel had been watching and when Landon Donovan scored they went insane.
”You seem distracted,” Nadiya said coming up behind me.
”No, just watching. My dad and Nef are talking about the World Cup. Nef can be a little intense when it comes to her sports.”
”She’s a sports junky, huh?”
”Yeah, football, American football, and hockey are her favorite sports.”
I felt her hand moved to my shoulder as she came up behind me so I moved farther away from her.
”Don’t do that,” I said.
”Don’t do what?” she asked.
”Touch me like that. I would rather you keep your hands to yourself.”
She looked offended so I told her that I thought it was inappropriate.
”Nefertiti doesn’t like it when girls touch you.”
”No, she has nothing to do with it I’m saying this because it makes me uncomfortable.”
For the rest of that week I tried to keep as far away from Nadiya as I could without being rude. She still called and my mother still invited her over. Nef didn’t seem to notice anything, her and Nadiya actually got closer. Nef hung out with all my friends, not just Nadiya. I thought Nadiya had finally gotten the message.
Nef and I were packing to go to Moscow for a few days. We’d packed up everything at the hotel before going to my house to do laundry and to grab a few things. When I walked in I didn’t expect to see Nadiya in the kitchen with my mom. I didn’t expect to see her at all.
”Sashka, come here,” my mom said to me.
”Yes ma’am?” I handed Nef my duffel bag and she went to the laundry room to dump it for me.
”When are you leaving for Moscow?”
”In a couple of hours.”
My mom asked me to sit with Nadiya while she ran out for a few minutes.
”So you and Nefertiti are going to Moscow for a few days?”
”Yes, we both have friends there.”
When Nef came back I ran upstairs to my room to pack the clothes I wanted to bring with me to Moscow. It didn’t take me long to grab the things I wanted. I was on my way out the door when Nadiya walked in.
”I’ve never been up here before,” she said.
”Is there something you need?” I asked.
”Things are changing between us.” She sat down on my bed.
”A lot of the things that you are doing is inappropriate and I’d like for it to stop.”
She stood and walked toward me. Her hand when to my hair and I ducked away from her.
”Sashka, come here.” I didn’t move toward her.
When I didn’t go to her she came to me.
”I like you a lot Sasha and I know that you’re with her but your mom told me -- ”
”It doesn’t matter what my mom told you.”
This was the second time that she’d managed to kiss me without me noticing. She grabbed my head and pressed her lips to mine. It lasted all of a millisecond before I pushed her away from me.
”Stop it,” I said.
”What’s going on here?” Nef was standing in the door way.
”Nothing, Nadiya was just leaving.”
I grabbed her by the arm and marched her down stairs and out of the front door. When I turned around Nef was standing behind me.
”What just happened?” she asked.
”Nadiya kissed me.”
”I saw that part.”
I told Nef what had happened. She was less than thrilled but otherwise she took it well. She saw that I hadn’t done anything wrong and that I had tried to avoid this happening.
”I don’t think that she and I can be friends anymore.”
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Chapter 39 – All in.
Soundtrack: Ne-Yo – Sexy Love
Nef’s POV
Today Sasha and I were going yachting with his family on the Krasnoyarsk Reservoir. We were supposed to meet them there at 11:30am but we ended up being late because Sasha couldn’t get out of bed.
“Sasha, wake up. We’re going to be late.”
He mumbled something before rolling over and pulling the bed sheet over his head. I showered, got dressed, and Sasha was still in bed.
“Get up.” I pulled on the sheet until it came off the bed.
“I tired woman. Let me sleep!” he snapped. He can be rather unpleasant in the morning when he’s tired. We had been up making love for most of yesterday and last night. I knew that he would be physically tired but we'd both agreed to go.
I grabbed his car keys and said “I’m leaving at 11 and your car is going with me.”
I sat at the foot of the bed brushing my hair up into a ponytail. At 11 am he still hadn’t moved so I grabbed my tote bag, slipped on my shoes, and walked out the door. I had made it to the end of the hall when Sasha called me back to the room. When I turned around he was standing in the door way with the bed sheet wrapped around his waist.
“Okay. I up. Give me 10 minutes.”
He was showered and ready to go in 10 minutes.
“Evil,” he muttered under his breath when we got in the car. Hey, it worked.
When we pulled up to the dock Sasha’s family was already there and waiting.
”It’s not my fault! He wouldn’t get out of bed,” I said.
Sasha made a face at me then told me to shut up and get on the boat. We had such a wonderful, loving relationship.
”I hope you don’t mind Sasha. I invited Nadiya,” his mother said.
I saw him grimace but then he said that it was okay. If I’m not mistaken I saw Svetlana roll her eyes. It was a few more minutes before she showed up. She was tall, thin, and brunette. Sasha had told me that she was a friend of his from childhood. She’d gone away for school and he went to the States for hockey. Only recently had she moved back to Krasnoyarsk.
Valeri had decided to drive the boat leaving Sasha to play the role of host.
”Well everyone knows pretty much everyone except for you two. Nef, this is Nadiya. I told you about her. Nadiya this is my girlfriend Nefertiti.”
We exchanged the normal pleasantries. The “it’s nice to meet you,” before joining into other conversations. Lana and I dived into the conversation, talking about everything under the sun. She and I always got along. We’d spoken on the phone many times since she left the States in January. We had a few days of my trip booked out for a couple of girlie days.
”I missed you!” we both said.
”My little chocolate truffle, what have you and my brother been up too?”
”Chocolate truffle?” I questioned. I’d never been called that before.
”Hey! Don’t judge me. I was watching this French soap opera and the guy called a girl that.”
”Well my lovely vanilla sweet,” I said playing along with her, ”Your brother and I have been up to nothing interesting. Just missing each other and trying to spend as much time together as we can.”
We giggled hysterically causing Sasha, Valeri, and Ivan Senior (Lana’s husband who was called him Vanya) looked over at us. Vanya mumble “crazy women” under his breath and we threw grapes at him.
”Nothing interesting? I don’t believe it!”
”Well, he did finally say it. I told me he loved me last night.” I whispered.
”Finally,” she all but shouted. The boys turned toward us again and she lowered her voice. “He’s being going back and forth about it for weeks! He’s worse than a woman.”
I fell into another fit of giggles and Lana couldn’t help but laugh too. I knew how Sasha could obsess and worry over things.
”What is going on with you two?” Sasha asked.
”Nothing,” I mumbled.
”The feelings are mutual?” she asked.
I looked at him. I watched the warm sunlight reflect off the water and it seemed to surround him in a soft glow.
”Yes.”
Lana squealed. Loudly. She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me with all the strength that she had.
”Lana…Lana. I can’t breathe.”
”That makes me so happy!” She let go. ”Have I told you how much I like you?”
Sasha came to sit beside me and wrapped his arms around me.
”I know something is up. What are you two talking about?”
Lana and I both looked at him and said ”You.”
”Me? What about me?”
”Just stuff. Can’t two women have a conversation without having to explain it to the men in their lives?” I mumbled.
Sasha, Valeri, and Vanya all turned to me and said ”No.” Well damn. I rolled my eyes and continued talking to Lana – we really were having a good conversation. When he stood he pulled me up and tossed me over his shoulder. He walked to the back of the yacht where the ladder was that led down to the water. Why hadn’t I noticed that the door to that part of the boat was open? When had Sasha taken off his shirt and shorts for his swim trunks…although those little purple shorts could hardly be called trunks.
”Tell me or I’ll toss you over.” he threatened.
”No! Stop, you’ll ruin my phone.” I shrieked.
I tried to get down but if I struggled too much I could accidentally fall in. He flipped off my shoes before he turned me in his arms bridal style. He tugged on my dress once and it slipped down. Damn maxi dress! I had slipped it on over a swim suit this morning. My phone was in the pocket of the dress so it wasn’t a problem anymore.
”Bad Sasha! This isn’t funny.” I shrieked.
”Tell me or I’ll toss you over.” he said again but this time his arms started to sway like he was actually going to throw me overboard.
”Okay! Okay! I’ll tell you, just put me down.”
”No, tell me and then I’ll put you down.”
”Last night. We were talking about last night. She told me you talked to her about it.”
”What else?”
”What do you mean what else? I told you what we were talking about.” He swung his arms back and my arms went around his neck. ”Alright!!!! She asked if I felt the same. She said that you really put thought into it and wanted to be sure.”
”Say it.” he said
”Say what? I told you everything.” Well almost everything. ”Put me down.”
”Say it! Tell me you love me.”
”No, you big brute. I told you everything. Now put me down!”
He leaned closer to the edge. ”I love you! You’re the best, most wonderful, kindest, and thoughtful boyfriend ever!”
”Now, kiss me!”
I had never kissed him in front of his family before. The closest we’d ever gotten was a kiss to the forehead, so I did that.
”Un-uhn, a real kiss. Like you mean it.”
I glanced back at his family. Valeri and Vanya were laughing. Ivan kept saying ”Throw her in!” Veronika was laughing at her uncle and her big brother while Lana looked like she was trying to find a way to save me without getting tossed in herself. Tatiana had that same frown on her face that I had grown used to.
I hesitated too long and he tossed me into the water. It was cold! Freezing cold…well maybe not freezing but the water was pretty damn cold. When I surfaced I promised all sorts of retribution. Everyone was laughing, even Lana. Sasha was hunched over with his hands on his knees laughing. I saw Lana run up behind him and push him overboard. Before he surfaced I swam to the ladder and tried to get out of the water, only to be pulled back in by him. I wrapped myself around him.
”Oh, you’re going to pay for that!” I threatened. I don’t know how but I’ll get him back.
Sasha’s POV
I pulled both myself and Nefertiti out of the water. I had thrown her overboard when she didn’t give me the kiss that I asked for. She was currently threatening my life and promising bodily harm.
”But sweetheart, I love you.” I said wrapping my arms around her.
She pushed me away and said ”Riiiight. Sure you do. Show a girl you love her by throwing her off a boat.”
We sat back down and I wrapped her in a large fully towel. It was lunch time and I was starving from us not having breakfast. We’d both opted to sleep in…me a little more so than Nef. Lana and Nef continued their talk and my father called me over to him.
”Yeah, Dad?”
”I want to talk to you about your relationship with Nef.” he said.
”Yeah?”
”You two have gotten closer.” he started. ”You love each other now?”
”Yes.”
”I want to tell you that...” he paused.
”Dad, before you go on, there is something that Nef and I need to tell you.”
I took her hand in mine. She looked up at me and smiled.
”Oh my God, you’re pregnant!” Lana shouted.
There was a collective gasp.
”No! That’s not it.” Nef said smiling.
She reached in to her purse and slipped on a ring and then slipped another on to my finger.
”We got married in Vegas…just before we left.” I said.
There was complete and total silence.
”It just seemed right.” she said looking into my eyes.
”I don’t…you…you’re…” my mom stuttered. She looked confused and her expression grew angrier by the second. I thought she might explode.
My father looked pensive, almost like he wanted to say something but was choosing his words carefully. Lana looked back and forth between Nef and I.
”I love her…and she loves me.” I said pulling Nef closer to me and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. I could feel her smirking against the kiss. Neither of us would last much longer.
”What were you thinking?” my mom began to shout. ”How could you do this?”
When we pulled away Nef buried her face in my shoulder. Her body was shaking and it looked as if she was crying. It was several moments before she could pull herself together.
”Married? So soon?” my dad asked.
”But if you two didn’t tell each other--” my sister started but a murderous glare from me and a loud, rather dramatic sob from Nef stopped her mid-sentence.
”No, this isn’t happening,” my mom said.
”It is.” I said. I buried my face in Nef’s shoulder much like she’d done to me. “I love her. She loves me and we’re happy together.”
”Well, if you’re certain. I do wish that you two had put a little more thought into this.” my dad acquiesced. ”Congratulations and best of luck. ”
Nef and I turned to my father and said ”Thank you,” before bursting. We were laughing hysterically. Everyone still looked confused.
”That was a joke.” Nef told them giggling. ”Awww thanks Valeri but come on you know we’re more responsible than that!”
”That’s it. You’re both going overboard!” Lana threatened.
”You don’t love me anymore?” Nef said. ”I thought you would appreciate my sense of humor.”
”I almost thought that you two had gone and gotten married without inviting me!” Women and their priorities.
I handed the ring back to Nef before it slipped off my finger. It was a little loose. She gave it back to me, slipping it this time onto my middle finger. She then took the ring that she was wearing and did the same. For the first time I actually looked at it. The band was thick and there were Egyptian hieroglyphs engraved on the band. I looked at her ring and it matched mine. I could tell that the rings were very old. The hieroglyphs matched almost exactly to a part of the tattoo she had running down her back on the right side. (AN: Picture of the ring at the bottom.)
”What’s this?” I asked.
”A present. Don’t lose it.” she said sternly.
”I won’t.” I kissed her forehead.
Lana pulled Nef away from me and they went back to their conversation. I went back to talking to my dad but not before I tried to dodge the swat that I knew was coming from him. He tried to hit me on the side of my head. I take it he didn’t find our little joke funny.
”You and Nef. It’s more serious than I thought.” my dad said.
”What do you mean?” I asked.
”When you first brought Nef home for us to meet I wasn’t sure if it was serious. You know how you young ones are with dating but things have changed between the two of you. So far I have no complaints about her. She’s a good girl.”
”Dad, what are you trying to say?”
”I guess I’m trying to say that if she makes you happy then good. I’ve noticed a change in you. You’re more settled, more focused. You played one of your best seasons in DC while having a huge distraction…no let me finish.” he said. I was about to tell him that Nef wasn’t a distraction. ”Being in a relationship with someone is a distraction, sometimes good and sometimes bad. You were able to find that balance that made it work...now if only we can figure out this monster that is the post-season.”
”Thanks Dad…I think…that was a compliment, right?” I said jokingly.
He swiped at my head again before pulling me into a hug. I love my dad but it wasn’t often that we had talks like this. There wasn’t much to talk about when it came to my love life. There wasn’t exactly a whole lot of time for one and when I was seeing someone I didn’t bring them home to meet my parents. It often times didn’t make it that far. This time was different. I was excited to bring her home and introduce her to my family. My dad had always been the one to sit down and talk to me about stuff and how it related to hockey. He was the one that was always critical…not bad critical but when I wasn’t working hard enough he was the first one to tell me and make suggestions on how I could improved.
The level of effort that I put in this year was different from previous years. There was a hunger that was there that couldn’t be sated easily. This year I think that we learned that you can’t just want something. You have to fight for it. Just being hungry for it isn’t enough.
”Wanting it isn’t enough. You have to be willing to fight for it. Montreal fought harder than you and they won” my dad said after the Montreal series. ”The question now becomes are you willing to fight for it?”
”I’m not going to lie. At first I was a little worried that she would be a bad distraction but she’s not. I’m glad you chose well. I told your mom that I would be ready to step in if it was needed but it wasn’t.”
”Thanks Dad.”
-----------
The ring
Nef’s POV
Today Sasha and I were going yachting with his family on the Krasnoyarsk Reservoir. We were supposed to meet them there at 11:30am but we ended up being late because Sasha couldn’t get out of bed.
“Sasha, wake up. We’re going to be late.”
He mumbled something before rolling over and pulling the bed sheet over his head. I showered, got dressed, and Sasha was still in bed.
“Get up.” I pulled on the sheet until it came off the bed.
“I tired woman. Let me sleep!” he snapped. He can be rather unpleasant in the morning when he’s tired. We had been up making love for most of yesterday and last night. I knew that he would be physically tired but we'd both agreed to go.
I grabbed his car keys and said “I’m leaving at 11 and your car is going with me.”
I sat at the foot of the bed brushing my hair up into a ponytail. At 11 am he still hadn’t moved so I grabbed my tote bag, slipped on my shoes, and walked out the door. I had made it to the end of the hall when Sasha called me back to the room. When I turned around he was standing in the door way with the bed sheet wrapped around his waist.
“Okay. I up. Give me 10 minutes.”
He was showered and ready to go in 10 minutes.
“Evil,” he muttered under his breath when we got in the car. Hey, it worked.
When we pulled up to the dock Sasha’s family was already there and waiting.
”It’s not my fault! He wouldn’t get out of bed,” I said.
Sasha made a face at me then told me to shut up and get on the boat. We had such a wonderful, loving relationship.
”I hope you don’t mind Sasha. I invited Nadiya,” his mother said.
I saw him grimace but then he said that it was okay. If I’m not mistaken I saw Svetlana roll her eyes. It was a few more minutes before she showed up. She was tall, thin, and brunette. Sasha had told me that she was a friend of his from childhood. She’d gone away for school and he went to the States for hockey. Only recently had she moved back to Krasnoyarsk.
Valeri had decided to drive the boat leaving Sasha to play the role of host.
”Well everyone knows pretty much everyone except for you two. Nef, this is Nadiya. I told you about her. Nadiya this is my girlfriend Nefertiti.”
We exchanged the normal pleasantries. The “it’s nice to meet you,” before joining into other conversations. Lana and I dived into the conversation, talking about everything under the sun. She and I always got along. We’d spoken on the phone many times since she left the States in January. We had a few days of my trip booked out for a couple of girlie days.
”I missed you!” we both said.
”My little chocolate truffle, what have you and my brother been up too?”
”Chocolate truffle?” I questioned. I’d never been called that before.
”Hey! Don’t judge me. I was watching this French soap opera and the guy called a girl that.”
”Well my lovely vanilla sweet,” I said playing along with her, ”Your brother and I have been up to nothing interesting. Just missing each other and trying to spend as much time together as we can.”
We giggled hysterically causing Sasha, Valeri, and Ivan Senior (Lana’s husband who was called him Vanya) looked over at us. Vanya mumble “crazy women” under his breath and we threw grapes at him.
”Nothing interesting? I don’t believe it!”
”Well, he did finally say it. I told me he loved me last night.” I whispered.
”Finally,” she all but shouted. The boys turned toward us again and she lowered her voice. “He’s being going back and forth about it for weeks! He’s worse than a woman.”
I fell into another fit of giggles and Lana couldn’t help but laugh too. I knew how Sasha could obsess and worry over things.
”What is going on with you two?” Sasha asked.
”Nothing,” I mumbled.
”The feelings are mutual?” she asked.
I looked at him. I watched the warm sunlight reflect off the water and it seemed to surround him in a soft glow.
”Yes.”
Lana squealed. Loudly. She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me with all the strength that she had.
”Lana…Lana. I can’t breathe.”
”That makes me so happy!” She let go. ”Have I told you how much I like you?”
Sasha came to sit beside me and wrapped his arms around me.
”I know something is up. What are you two talking about?”
Lana and I both looked at him and said ”You.”
”Me? What about me?”
”Just stuff. Can’t two women have a conversation without having to explain it to the men in their lives?” I mumbled.
Sasha, Valeri, and Vanya all turned to me and said ”No.” Well damn. I rolled my eyes and continued talking to Lana – we really were having a good conversation. When he stood he pulled me up and tossed me over his shoulder. He walked to the back of the yacht where the ladder was that led down to the water. Why hadn’t I noticed that the door to that part of the boat was open? When had Sasha taken off his shirt and shorts for his swim trunks…although those little purple shorts could hardly be called trunks.
”Tell me or I’ll toss you over.” he threatened.
”No! Stop, you’ll ruin my phone.” I shrieked.
I tried to get down but if I struggled too much I could accidentally fall in. He flipped off my shoes before he turned me in his arms bridal style. He tugged on my dress once and it slipped down. Damn maxi dress! I had slipped it on over a swim suit this morning. My phone was in the pocket of the dress so it wasn’t a problem anymore.
”Bad Sasha! This isn’t funny.” I shrieked.
”Tell me or I’ll toss you over.” he said again but this time his arms started to sway like he was actually going to throw me overboard.
”Okay! Okay! I’ll tell you, just put me down.”
”No, tell me and then I’ll put you down.”
”Last night. We were talking about last night. She told me you talked to her about it.”
”What else?”
”What do you mean what else? I told you what we were talking about.” He swung his arms back and my arms went around his neck. ”Alright!!!! She asked if I felt the same. She said that you really put thought into it and wanted to be sure.”
”Say it.” he said
”Say what? I told you everything.” Well almost everything. ”Put me down.”
”Say it! Tell me you love me.”
”No, you big brute. I told you everything. Now put me down!”
He leaned closer to the edge. ”I love you! You’re the best, most wonderful, kindest, and thoughtful boyfriend ever!”
”Now, kiss me!”
I had never kissed him in front of his family before. The closest we’d ever gotten was a kiss to the forehead, so I did that.
”Un-uhn, a real kiss. Like you mean it.”
I glanced back at his family. Valeri and Vanya were laughing. Ivan kept saying ”Throw her in!” Veronika was laughing at her uncle and her big brother while Lana looked like she was trying to find a way to save me without getting tossed in herself. Tatiana had that same frown on her face that I had grown used to.
I hesitated too long and he tossed me into the water. It was cold! Freezing cold…well maybe not freezing but the water was pretty damn cold. When I surfaced I promised all sorts of retribution. Everyone was laughing, even Lana. Sasha was hunched over with his hands on his knees laughing. I saw Lana run up behind him and push him overboard. Before he surfaced I swam to the ladder and tried to get out of the water, only to be pulled back in by him. I wrapped myself around him.
”Oh, you’re going to pay for that!” I threatened. I don’t know how but I’ll get him back.
Sasha’s POV
I pulled both myself and Nefertiti out of the water. I had thrown her overboard when she didn’t give me the kiss that I asked for. She was currently threatening my life and promising bodily harm.
”But sweetheart, I love you.” I said wrapping my arms around her.
She pushed me away and said ”Riiiight. Sure you do. Show a girl you love her by throwing her off a boat.”
We sat back down and I wrapped her in a large fully towel. It was lunch time and I was starving from us not having breakfast. We’d both opted to sleep in…me a little more so than Nef. Lana and Nef continued their talk and my father called me over to him.
”Yeah, Dad?”
”I want to talk to you about your relationship with Nef.” he said.
”Yeah?”
”You two have gotten closer.” he started. ”You love each other now?”
”Yes.”
”I want to tell you that...” he paused.
”Dad, before you go on, there is something that Nef and I need to tell you.”
I took her hand in mine. She looked up at me and smiled.
”Oh my God, you’re pregnant!” Lana shouted.
There was a collective gasp.
”No! That’s not it.” Nef said smiling.
She reached in to her purse and slipped on a ring and then slipped another on to my finger.
”We got married in Vegas…just before we left.” I said.
There was complete and total silence.
”It just seemed right.” she said looking into my eyes.
”I don’t…you…you’re…” my mom stuttered. She looked confused and her expression grew angrier by the second. I thought she might explode.
My father looked pensive, almost like he wanted to say something but was choosing his words carefully. Lana looked back and forth between Nef and I.
”I love her…and she loves me.” I said pulling Nef closer to me and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. I could feel her smirking against the kiss. Neither of us would last much longer.
”What were you thinking?” my mom began to shout. ”How could you do this?”
When we pulled away Nef buried her face in my shoulder. Her body was shaking and it looked as if she was crying. It was several moments before she could pull herself together.
”Married? So soon?” my dad asked.
”But if you two didn’t tell each other--” my sister started but a murderous glare from me and a loud, rather dramatic sob from Nef stopped her mid-sentence.
”No, this isn’t happening,” my mom said.
”It is.” I said. I buried my face in Nef’s shoulder much like she’d done to me. “I love her. She loves me and we’re happy together.”
”Well, if you’re certain. I do wish that you two had put a little more thought into this.” my dad acquiesced. ”Congratulations and best of luck. ”
Nef and I turned to my father and said ”Thank you,” before bursting. We were laughing hysterically. Everyone still looked confused.
”That was a joke.” Nef told them giggling. ”Awww thanks Valeri but come on you know we’re more responsible than that!”
”That’s it. You’re both going overboard!” Lana threatened.
”You don’t love me anymore?” Nef said. ”I thought you would appreciate my sense of humor.”
”I almost thought that you two had gone and gotten married without inviting me!” Women and their priorities.
I handed the ring back to Nef before it slipped off my finger. It was a little loose. She gave it back to me, slipping it this time onto my middle finger. She then took the ring that she was wearing and did the same. For the first time I actually looked at it. The band was thick and there were Egyptian hieroglyphs engraved on the band. I looked at her ring and it matched mine. I could tell that the rings were very old. The hieroglyphs matched almost exactly to a part of the tattoo she had running down her back on the right side. (AN: Picture of the ring at the bottom.)
”What’s this?” I asked.
”A present. Don’t lose it.” she said sternly.
”I won’t.” I kissed her forehead.
Lana pulled Nef away from me and they went back to their conversation. I went back to talking to my dad but not before I tried to dodge the swat that I knew was coming from him. He tried to hit me on the side of my head. I take it he didn’t find our little joke funny.
”You and Nef. It’s more serious than I thought.” my dad said.
”What do you mean?” I asked.
”When you first brought Nef home for us to meet I wasn’t sure if it was serious. You know how you young ones are with dating but things have changed between the two of you. So far I have no complaints about her. She’s a good girl.”
”Dad, what are you trying to say?”
”I guess I’m trying to say that if she makes you happy then good. I’ve noticed a change in you. You’re more settled, more focused. You played one of your best seasons in DC while having a huge distraction…no let me finish.” he said. I was about to tell him that Nef wasn’t a distraction. ”Being in a relationship with someone is a distraction, sometimes good and sometimes bad. You were able to find that balance that made it work...now if only we can figure out this monster that is the post-season.”
”Thanks Dad…I think…that was a compliment, right?” I said jokingly.
He swiped at my head again before pulling me into a hug. I love my dad but it wasn’t often that we had talks like this. There wasn’t much to talk about when it came to my love life. There wasn’t exactly a whole lot of time for one and when I was seeing someone I didn’t bring them home to meet my parents. It often times didn’t make it that far. This time was different. I was excited to bring her home and introduce her to my family. My dad had always been the one to sit down and talk to me about stuff and how it related to hockey. He was the one that was always critical…not bad critical but when I wasn’t working hard enough he was the first one to tell me and make suggestions on how I could improved.
The level of effort that I put in this year was different from previous years. There was a hunger that was there that couldn’t be sated easily. This year I think that we learned that you can’t just want something. You have to fight for it. Just being hungry for it isn’t enough.
”Wanting it isn’t enough. You have to be willing to fight for it. Montreal fought harder than you and they won” my dad said after the Montreal series. ”The question now becomes are you willing to fight for it?”
”I’m not going to lie. At first I was a little worried that she would be a bad distraction but she’s not. I’m glad you chose well. I told your mom that I would be ready to step in if it was needed but it wasn’t.”
”Thanks Dad.”
-----------
The ring
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
