Artur. What would he think if he found out I was sitting here having dinner with this family? Would he be furious? Of course, he would. Regardless of whether or not my uncle was a liar, I am still betraying my brother by enjoying my time with these people. There is still a history, a divide between our families.
Ali gets up from her seat on the other side of the table and comes to sit next to me.
“So, do you also have a ton of older brothers who like to boss you around?” she asks, crossing her legs and sipping her drink.
“Actually, yes, three brothers and one sister. My brothers are all very overprotective,” I grin.
“They can’t be worse than this lot,” she gestures around the table.
“Don’t be so sure. I think at the end of the day, they’re all the same. Annoying and controlling, in their own stupid loving ways.”
“It’s a pain in the ass, right, that they hardly let you do anything or go anywhere,” she huffs.
“Agreed. And even though I get it, I mean, the whole Bratva world and the dangers and all …sometimes I just wish I could live a normal life,” I sigh dreamily. I miss the days from before we moved, when things weren’t so intense. Before my brother took over from Boris.
“Same.” She sighs, too.
Ali and I chat for ages about what it was like growing up as we did. It turns out we’re really similar in a lot of ways. We get on so well. It’s crazy to think I came here and made a genuine friend in her.
“Another martini?” Ali asks, reaching across the table and grabbing my empty glass. “Jade needs one, too.”
“Sure,” I grin. “That sounds great.”
“Ali has become an expert martini maker over the past month. She’s been making them for me every night,” Jade smiles at me. She’s beautiful, confident, and friendly.
“I’ll be right back,” Ali calls out before she disappears from the dining room.
Jade turns to Rad and giggles as he runs his hand over her side. I blush, feeling like I’m intruding on something intimate, and redirect my attention to her brothers, chatting amongst themselves. Yulian turns his body towards me and whispers, “Are you doing okay?”
“I am, your family is…they’re really nice.”
He chuckles. “Not what you were expecting?”
“Obviously not,” I whisper, shaking my head.
Beneath the table, he takes me by surprise by doing exactly what I did earlier. He places his hand softly on my thigh and brushes it over my leg. “Do you want another slice of pizza?” he asks.
“No, thanks, it was so good, and I already ate too much of it.”
“Did you leave room for brownies and ice cream?” he grins.
“There’s always room for dessert. Everyone knows that,” I smile, my eyes sparkling as I look at him and think how easy it is to be around him. How he makes me feel seen and beautiful. I’ve noticed him watching me all night. He does it often, even athome. He sits quietly with that soft smile on his face, and he just watches me. Like I’m something special or captivating.
Stop this, Kat. This is a dangerous thought.
His hand is still on my leg, though. And it feels really good.
“I’m going to clear the plates,” I blurt out, standing up, trying to escape the direction of my thoughts.
“I’ll help,” Yulian says, doing the same and starting to gather the empty boxes and plates.
He carries them to the kitchen with me following behind, not knowing my way around his brother’s place.
My heart is beating really fast for some reason. I’m suddenly nervous to be alone with him as we step into the kitchen, and I set the dishes down near the sink.
It’s silly, because I’ve been living with him. We’re alone together all day, every day.
But something feels different tonight. More intimate. More secretive.
