“Do?”
“We’re in Greece. I haven’t had a vacation in years. Might as well make the most out of it.”
My mind flashes back to the bed last night. How I laid there, ready to give myself to him, ready to do my duty, and Maksim said no. I was grateful he didn’t force me to have sex but it also hurt that he hadn’t seem interested.
“I’ve never been,” I say. “I wouldn’t know what to do.”
“Well, I was looking into it when we were at the airport and there’s this club we could go to. Dance. Have some drinks.”
“More drinking,” I say flatly.
To his credit, he flushes a little. “Right. But it could be fun to go out dancing. It could be way for us to connect.”
“I don’t like the idea of being in such a crowded place.”
“So what do you want to do then?”
“I kind of just want to stay here and read.”
“Fine then. We’ll just stay here.” I can tell, even though he’s saying it, Maksim doesn’t mean it.
We settle on the couch – me with a book and Maksim on his phone. The silence between us grows louder.
Finally, after a few minutes, Maksim jumps to his feet. “I’m going out. I can’t listen to the quiet.”
“To a club?”
“Yes. It’s what I like to do. I won’t flirt with other women, I promise. I’ll be a good husband. But I need a drink and I need to have some fun.” Without another word, he leaves.
I slump onto the couch. Maksim and I are so different. I prefer quiet solitary things and he needs constant noise. How are we ever going to make this work?
Maybe I should try getting out. It could help me. But where would I go? After searching for a while, I find a park I could check out. It’s surrounded with flowers of all kinds. Peaceful. Exactly what I need.
I leave a note for Maksim, letting him know where I’ll be, before I head out. It’s dusk right now, making the air feel warm but not stifling. A lot of people are out, holding hands, for walks. Lovers in love. A pang of jealousy hits me. I’ll never have that with Maksim. Not when I’m me and he’s… himself.
I find the park after a twenty minute walk and settle down on a bench to enjoy the night air. Peace and quiet here. It’s perfect. I can finally breathe again.
I never thought I would be this happy to be away from my father but nothing has ever felt better. He was a stifling presence and now I’m free of him…
Only to be shackled to Maksim. He seems like a nice enough man but we just can’t find a rhythm. A groove. It’s just… awkward between us. Like neither one of us knows what to say to the other.
It could be worse, I tell myself. Maksim could be the type of man who loves to beat on women so I’m glad he’s not.
I get lost in my head and realize I’ve been sitting in this park for hours after I check the time on my phone. I should get back. The sun has long set.
I begin the walk back to our villa when I’m stopped in the street by two young men.
“Looking to buy a gift?” one of them asks me, holding up a box filled with pretty necklaces.
“I’m good,” I say politely. “But thank you.” I try walking past them but they won’t let me.
“Just buy a gift. You won’t regret it. Something nice to take home with you.”
“I’m good,” I say in a firmer tone. “I’m not interested.”
The man holding the box nods at the other man and before I can react, the man grabs my arm and tugs me down a walkway between houses. It’s dark and there’s not a lot of other people out at this time. How could I be so naïve?
I let out one scream before the men push me against the wall and I know I’m in trouble.
