Page 59 of One of Them

“What do you mean? The wedding isn’t for another eight hours.”

“Ilya’s freaking out about something,” Luka said, “and he sent me to bring you two.”

Maxim sat up, wrapping the blanket around his waist. “Right now?” His hair was a mess of curls, and I couldn’t look away.

“Yeah. It’s urgent,” Luka replied, clearing his throat.

Maxim rolled his eyes, unaffected, and lay back down.

“I’ll wait in the car,” his brother said, before disappearing down the hall.

“How did you know it was him?” Maxim asked, watching me as I scanned the floor for my belongings, gathering the little I had in this room.

“Everybody walks a certain way.”

I stopped by the edge of his side, and that’s when I spotted my discarded underwear on the nightstand. I hoped Luka hadn’t read the room too much.

“You can tell if you listen closely,” I explained. “I catalog faces, movements, sounds, and the rhythm of their steps.”

I nudged Maxim’s jeans with the tip of my foot, tossing the pair at his face as a signal to get moving.

Without a word, he stood up to his full height, slipping his legs into the jeans. I couldn’t help but admire the body in front of me. He didn’t even bother with underwear, clearly unfazed by who we were about to meet.

The image of him was stored in my mind, a lingering memory sure to resurface later. If it wasn’t so urgent and his brother wasn’t waiting for us upstairs, I would’ve done anything to get more of what he’d offered.

Was this becoming a regular thing?

“That’s kinda hot,” Maxim commented, reacting to my earlier words.

Or you’re kinda deranged, I thought.

Before I could process it, he reached over and pocketed my underwear with a wink, one he’d given me before. Then he moved toward the door.

“Yeah, only you would think so,” I called after him.

At the door frame, he paused, tracing the outline of his jaw with his thumb. He stared at me with a ridiculous smile for a while before finally exiting, the mood of the moment leaving with him.

Alisa had hours before she needed to get ready, so she stayed behind. Still splayed out on the couch, her sleepy head nodded as I spoke.

Enzo, a godsend, brewed us coffee to go. Hesitant at first, he agreed to keep her company until Andrei picked her up.

With arrangements out of the way, we said our goodbyes.

Maxim’s black Mercedes, nearly identical to mine, roared to life under his touch. When the house disappeared from view, a hint of

sadness settled in.

It was a longing for the peaceful weekends we sorarely had.

Once on the road, I turned to Luka in the back seat. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that Malek came by this morning, and he and Ilya talked for hours.”

Malek?

“What about?” Maxim asked, his focus set on the road.

“Like I said, no idea. Andrei didn’t know either.”

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