“What? How? When? But…but Irina is here.”
Irina was my mother’s choice of bride for me ten years ago…and evidently, still is.
“Mother, in case you didn’t know, I didn’t come here to be set up by you, even though I should’ve known better.” I sigh. “And also, what made you think I’d ever listen to you when it comes to who I marry?”
“This is…this is a crisis!” she grits out through a fake smile. “We don’t even know this woman. I need your father! And Denis. He needs to help me deal with this —”
“And on that note, we’re done.” Taking Aurora’s hand, I gently steer her away from my sputtering mother.
“Well, that didn’t go well,” Aurora says.
“She won’t dare cause a scene in front of all these people, no matter how much she wants to right now. Not that I’d give a fuck if she did.” I shrug, grabbing two champagne glasses from the passing waiter.
“She’s vile. I’m sorry, but she is and that’s me saying that when I couldn’t understand half the things she said.” Aurora shudders and I let out a laugh.
“That she is. Had enough yet? Can we leave now?” I ask.
Before she can answer, Denis materializes in front of us. “There you two are. I hear congratulations are in order?”
“I think you misunderstood my mother, Denis.”
“Yeah, there was something about shaking some sense into you.” His chuckle is low and has a cynical quality to it.
“And? Are you not following her orders anymore?”
Denis shoots me a look. “I don’t care what she wants if you’re happy.”
“Could have fooled me.” I finish my drink as Aurora’s eyes ping pong between us.
“You’re my only friend, Sava. I’ll always care about you.”
“Friendship doesn’t have a price tag, yet yours seemed to get one.” Aurora’s voice pierces through the tension. “Sava, I’d like to dance.” She looks up to me.
I pass the glass to Denis without looking, take my girl’s hand and lead her to the dance floor where a few other couples sway to music.
“Was that you making him suffer?” I ask.
“Had to do it to someone, at least. Couldn’t rip into your mother because, you know, still have to respect her.”
“Next time, don’t bother with respect. It won’t ever be reciprocated, so you can go straight for the jugular. Give these vultures a real show.”
“You’re a menace.” She shakes with a quiet laugh that I steal with a kiss.
“And you’re mine.” I kiss her again and am about to guide us out of here when another voice breaks in, shattering the bliss we were in.
“Aurora Johnson, as I live and breathe.” I can feel every muscle and joint in her body snap with tension as a chill runs down her spine.
Her green eyes snap to mine that are already trained on the intruder who wasn’t supposed to be here, before she slowly turns around in my arms.
“Joey,” Aurora says calmly, despite her cold to touch skin.
“It’s really you. Wow, you’ve changed. I haven’t seen you in years.” He smirks, allowing his gaze to eat up my woman as if I’m not here. As if he’s not about to die. Painfully.
“Five. You haven’t seen me in five years.”
“Hmm, yes, yes. What are you doing here?” He assesses her dress, deciding she can’t be part of the serving staff, and does a piss-poor job at hiding his surprise.
I’m a second from snapping his neck when I feel her fingers squeeze mine, silently begging to let her deal with it.
