Page 7 of Mikhail Petrov

I roll my eyes like a good daughter should and grab a mug from the cabinet. My father leaves without so much as a good morning. He’s not speaking to me after I came clean about dropping out of school last night. He didn’t say much then either, but something tells me he’s already plotting the next steps of my life without my consent—or so he thinks.

The doorbell rings as I pour my coffee, followed by an unexpected voice.

Mikhail.

I toss my cup into the sink and pull my hair out of the messy bun at the top of my head. “Leah’s in the kitchen,” I hear my mom say.

He’s asking for me.

Drawing in a deep breath, I rest my elbows on the counter...but it pushes my boobs together, and I’m worried it will make me look too desperate.

It’s not like you weren’t dry humping him in his car or anything.

I switch positions and lean over the back of a stool.

But now I look stupid, like I’m waiting for him.

Fuck.

Dashing toward the fridge, I grab a bowl of blueberries and pop a handful into my mouth.

Shit.

Now, I’ll have a mouthful of food when he greets me.

As I try to make a run for the trash bin before he appears at the doorway, I nearly trip over my feet and end up inhaling the fucking berries. I brace a hand on my knee and cover my mouth as I cough violently, trying to expel the fruit from my lungs.

A gentle hand pushes my hair away from my face while the other pats my back.

“Hey, pretty girl, you okay?”

I’m not sure if I want to die of embarrassment, lack of oxygen, or the fact he used my old nickname.

“Breathe,” he croons, walking me over to a stool.

My cough finally settles after a few minutes, but by this time, I want to crawl under a rock. “I’m sorry,” I croak as I try to catch my breath.

He chuckles. “You’re the one choking. No need to apologize.”

Heat rises up my neck and warms my cheeks. God, he must think I’m pathetic. “Death by blueberries, who knew,” I joke, trying to play off my humiliation.

“I’m going to have to keep these away from you now.”

Mikhail’s words make my belly flutter. He’s always affected me this way, but something is different. Maybe it’s because there’s a chance for us. I can feel it. “What are you doing here so early?”

I need to deflect. I’m still relearning how to breathe, and the way his green eyes are focused on me makes expanding my lungs nearly impossible.

He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out my phone, causing a smile to tilt the corners of my mouth as I lift my gaze back to his. “You went back for my phone?”

“It was on the way.” He shrugs.

I shake my head with a grin. “Liar.”

There it is. That look, the fire in his eyes. He’s never looked at me this way in the past. Throwing my arms around him, I press my lips to his neck and whisper a thank you, though he quickly dashes my hopes when his hands pry mine away.

“I did some thinking last night. And we kind of got off to a crazy start. I’ve known you for a while, Leah. We’ve always been friends. And I don’t want that to change.” Is he friend-zoning me? The high I’m riding begins to crash. Friends?

Fucking. Friends.

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