“I’ll be nearby.”
“Thank you.”
The door closed quietly behind him.
In the silence of the hotel room I moved to the window and looked outside at the beautiful harbor lights. I had finally made it home. I was back in Vancouver.
Shouldn’t I feel something celebratory? I didn’t feel anything other than lonely and jet lagged. I fell face first into my bed with a groan.
I’d feel my feelings tomorrow. Now, all I needed was sleep.
The next morning,I woke up hungry and thirsty. I got up and showered, but there was no answer at Axel’s door when I knocked.
He said he’d be here if I knocked.
I went down to the front desk. “I’m in room 4210. Is there any note for me?”
The day manager handed me an envelope with a smile.
Inside the envelope, there was a short note and two hundred dollars in Canadian currency.
Will be back at 3 p.m. to pick you up. Order room service. Axel
Two days of being married to Axel, and I was already experiencing more freedom than I had in my entire adult life. In Russia, where everyone controlled my life, I had dreamt of this kind of freedom. Now it overwhelmed me.
I considered doing all the things I used to dream of doing. I could walk down by the seawall, or visit the aquarium I used to go to with my parents. I should be celebrating that I was finally breathing Vancouver air again. Instead, the thought of leaving the hotel made my chest feel tight.
I spent most of my day listlessly watching TV on my bed while keeping my eye on the clock. Where was Axel? What was he up to?
It was nearing three thirty now, and he still hadn’t contacted me. What if he never comes back? What if he left me here by myself?
Before I could even process that scary thought, my room phone rang.
I dove for it. “Hello?”
“Mila, it’s Axel.”
“Where are you?” I could hear the anxiety in my own voice.
“I got caught in traffic, but I’m about five minutes away. Can you meet me downstairs?”
I mademy way across the hotel lobby. Axel was standing beside a brand new black truck, his sleeves rolled up over his muscular forearms.
Once I was inside the vehicle, he looked at me with that cool, unreadable expression of his and asked, “How was your day?”
Even with his black eye, he was still the most handsome man I’d ever seen. “I rested most of the day.”
That answer seemed to satisfy him.
“Where are we going?” I asked as he pulled into traffic.
“I want you to look at some potential homes.”
I glanced at him, but he seemed focused on driving, so I didn’t ask anything further. As he drove, I studied the familiar streets of Vancouver. How many nights in the past years had I lain awake trying to remember this place? Now that I was here, it felt like I was having a dream. When we pulled up to a red light, he reached to the seat behind me and pulled out a glossy white bag. He set it on my lap. “This is for you.”
I looked at him, confused, before looking in to find a box for a new phone. I didn’t speak.
“I put you on my phone plan. Your current phone charger won’t fit the outlets here.”
