Page 60 of Bratva Bride

“Not if he wants to live, no,” I replied, one hundred percent serious. I would fucking kill him if he did something like that.

Tatiana laughed. “Of course, look who I’m talking to here.” She shook her head. “Alright! Let’s get planning!”

I groaned and plopped down next to her. “I told you, I didn’t want any part in the planning. I’m fine with getting married at City Hall or some shit.”

“You arenotgetting married at City Hall. Over my dead body. Come on, I need you to make some decisions.”

Sighing loudly, I hunkered down and prepared for the worst time of my life. The ‘decisions’ she needed me to make were so insignificant I couldn’t even fake being interested. Whenever she gave me options on something – the flowers, the linen, the silverware - I just chose at random, not giving a flying shit. Because I didn’t. I wasn’t this type of woman. I liked weapons, fighting, doing dangerous and reckless shit. Not frilly dresses and fucking centrepieces. It all gave me a headache and by the second hour I couldn’t even pretend to give a shit anymore.

I shook my head, slamming the binder filled with different colour combinations shut with a growl. “I’m done! No more. For the love of God please, no more.”

Tatiana sighed and took the binder from me. “I’m surprised you lasted that long, to be honest. I was expecting you to chuck in the towel within ten minutes.” She placed all the binders to the side, stacking them on top of one another. “At least I got you to pick some things. Better than nothing.”

Yes, it was.

“You hungry? Want something to eat?”

“Yes fucking please.”

We stood and made our way to the kitchen. Flora and a few of the maids were preparing lunch, slicing food and putting them in the large pots sitting on the stove.

“What can I do for you girls?” Flora asked, adding a bunch of onions into the boiling water.

“Got anything to munch on?” I asked, leaning on the kitchen bench.

She pursed her lips. “You’ll ruin your appetite for lunch.”

“It’s for T,” I said, nodding towards my best friend.

“There’s some leftover pizza in the fridge from last night. But I think it’s your brothers.”

“Which brother?” If it was Aleksandr’s, it was a big no-no. He’d lose his fucking mind if someone ate his pizza. He was a territorial motherfucker when it came to his food, like me.

“Nikolai,” Flora responded.

“Oh, goody.” Tatiana opened the fridge and took the box of pizza, opening it and taking a slice out of the box. “Don’t mind if I do.” She bit into it, moaning in delight.

“Gimme a piece,” I whispered, and she subtly handed me a thick piece filled with chicken and cheese.

“Illayana!” Flora shouted with disappointment.

I laughed and ran out of the kitchen, Tatiana hot on my heels. We went back to the lounge room, kicked up our feet and sat back, enjoying the pizza.

“So, what’s been going on with you lately?” I asked, taking a big bite out of my slice.

She shrugged. “Nothing really. Dad’s been a real tight ass. He doesn’t want me going to college next year.”

“Why not?”

“He’s worried about my safety.” She rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t get that I can’t just sit on my ass anymore and do nothing. I already deferred for a few years because he wasn’t comfortable with me leaving home. I want to do something with my life. Study, travel, anything. Right now, the most exciting thing happening in my life is your wedding. How depressing is that?”

I looked at my best friend and the sadness flickering across her face made my heart clench. Tatiana might be a little crazy, but she had the sweetest soul. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for the people she cared about, the people she loved. She was always the first person here to comfort me whenever something shitty happened in my life, with a bottle of vodka in one hand and a joint in the other, ready to help drown my sorrows.

“Would your dad be willing to compromise?”

Hope flashed in her eyes. “Compromise how?”

“Instead of you going off to college, what if we signed you up for some online classes? Nowadays, you can study a range of things online from the comfort of your home and you’ve only got to go onto campus a few times a week.”

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