Page 12 of The Fire Beneath the Frost

God, he was difficult.Fascinating.Maddening.Every time I thought I had a read on him, he’d tilt his head just a little to the side and blur again.His face looked like it had been carved from a block of ice.But I wanted to see it crack.I wanted to know what his laugh sounded like.

So, I kept trying.

“Did you hear about the time they caught Comrade Pavlov, the factory maintenance man, over there,” I tilted my head toward the back table, “trying to smuggle a goat in under his coat?Said it was his cousin visiting from Belarus.”

Dimitri blinked at me.Slowly.

“Not even a smile?”I leaned in, resting my elbows on the table.

“It’s nonsense,” he said, but I saw it—a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

So I pressed harder.

“He kept calling it Comrade Kozlov, swore it had documents and everything.Even tried to teach it how to salute.”

Dimitri dropped his spoon with a clatter.

And laughed.

Not just a polite chuckle, not one of those exhale-through-the-nose things people do when they want to be polite.No.This was an actual laugh.A real, unguarded sound that cracked through his mask like spring thaw breaking ice.

It hit me right in the chest.That sound.That smile.I saw it in his eyes.For a second, he looked like a completely different man.Younger.Lighter.Like whoever had taught him to be so careful had stepped out of the room.

I didn’t realize I was smiling until the lunch bell rang and he glanced down at his empty food containers.

“Back to the noise,” he said, already retreating into himself.

I stood with him, slower, reluctant.I wanted to sit there a little longer, wanted to keep coaxing that spark out of him.Wanted to see if I could do it again.

We made our way toward the door, falling into step like it was something we’d done a hundred times.

And then—

Vera.

She was walking in as we were walking out, clipboard in hand, eyes scanning everything.When she saw us, she stopped and cocked her head.

“Well?”she said, half-amused.“Is our newest worker still alive?”

“Barely,” I said, grinning.“I made him laugh, though.I think I’m wearing him down.”

She lifted her brows and stepped forward, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

It was meant to be nothing.Friendly.Familiar.The way she always did it when people were watching.

I flinched.

Her eyes flicked up to mine.And then she winked.

I turned toward Dimitri instinctively—just in time to watch his expression shift.The lightness from earlier was gone.The laughter, the flicker of warmth—it had all vanished.

He said nothing, and neither did I.

We walked out together, but it didn’t feel like before.

I couldn’t help but wonder—had he seen more than I meant to show?And if so...what exactly had he seen?

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