Page 16 of Thorns of Lust
“Ummm, are you talking to Kostya?” Aurora asked, pulling my attention to her and my best friend. They looked like two idiots, swinging back and forth on the chair, trying to reach the top of the tree. They were both shorter than me, so unless they grew a few inches, that star would remain where it was.
“So what if I am,” I snapped. It was my place; I could do whatever I wanted here. I didn’t invite them here. Couldn’t I just be left alone?
“Just don’t expect an answer back,” she joked.
I rolled my eyes. “How long are you staying?”
The two of them shared a look. Tension was palpable in the air. I didn’t have the energy for it. I just wanted to be alone. Grief wasmyprison. Not theirs. The agony I suffered wasn’t for anyone to witness. Seconds ticked by slowly, each heartbeat more agonizing than the last. Every second passed slower than the last.
I’d say sleep would be better but then the dreams plagued me. The scent of citrus, sandalwood, and spice would linger in the air, then something I couldn’t identify would rear its ugly head and my heart bled. My screams pierced the air and sliced through my soul.
The pain was so raw that it cracked my insides piece by piece, they’d never fit together again. My heart and soul were forever altered, even the pitter patter of my heart refused to beat the same.
There was something I needed to remember, but I couldn’t. It was tearing me apart.
Why can’t I remember?
A soft slap on my face startled me and I glared at my nephew.
“What was that for?” Little Kostya just gave me a toothless smile, his small body comfortable using me as his own personal jungle gym. “You keep this up and I’ll be forced to choose a favorite nephew,” I warned in a low voice. “Nikola has never slapped me.”
Clearly Kostya, just like his father, didn’t give a shit because his little chubby palm slapped against my cheek again.
I sighed. “I don’t have time for this,” I muttered under my breath. With him in my arms, I shifted off the floor and stood up, then strode towards the mini-bar. “I need a drink if you all will be nagging me today.”
Taking the crystal lid off the top of the decanter, I poured myself a glass.
“I’d offer you some, but Alexei would kill me,” I said, looking at Kostya seriously. His eyes watched my every move, and he listened intently like he could understand my every word. Of course, he couldn’t. The only thing he understood was pooping and peeing in his diaper, and eating. Let’s not forget slapping his aunt.
“I’ll pay you back when you start dating,” I mumbled under my breath, then tilted my head and downed my drink. The warm liquid trickled down my throat, and into my empty belly. The heat was almost instant.
Unfortunately, the oblivion wasn’t.
My first Christmas without him.Even before we started dating, Adrian was around for Christmas. He always celebrated it with us. For almost twenty years.
“Hey, pipsqueak,” Adrian greeted me with that dreadful nickname. Sasha said it was a term of endearment. More like embarrassment. “Merry Christmas!”
Adrian knew the term grated on my nerves. I just turned eighteen; I was a young woman. A damn grown up, not some little kid. When would Adrian start looking at me as such? I wanted to be his girlfriend, not the baby sister of his best friend.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he questioned with a tilt to his head and a knowing smirk on his lips.
I tried to school my features like the grown up I was supposed to be. “I’m not looking at you in any particular way, Adrian,” I retorted with a huff. He refused to look away. Stubborn man.
“Merry Christmas,” I sighed, reluctantly giving up my disappointment.
“I got you something,” he continued with a grin, holding out a small package wrapped in gold paper.
I stared at it, stunned. In all the years he’d been coming here for Christmas, he’d never given me anything wrapped in a golden paper. “What did you get me?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Why don’t you just open it and find out.”
I looked at the box he’d placed in my hands. It looked to be the right size for jewelry. Maybe it was a ring. Just the thought of it had my heart drumming faster. Maybe Adrian finally felt what I’d felt since I first met him! We were destined to be together. Did he talk to Vasili? Maybe I’d marry him and we’d have a fairy tale.
Tearing the paper off eagerly, I tore at the shiny paper and opened the box. My heart sank to find a pair of gold stud earrings staring back at me.
But I wasn’t the giving up type. This was a start. It showed that he no longer saw me as a child. I could work with this.
With a smile plastered on my face, I met Adrian’s green gaze and said, “Thank you. They’re beautiful. I’ll cherish them. Always.”
