My feet padded softly against the floor as I strolled to answer the door. When I opened it, I was shocked to find Adrik standing outside. Not because I hadn’t been expecting him, but because he never knocked on my door. Never. He always just walked right in.
Not this time, obviously.
“Can I come in?” he asked politely.
I pursed my lips, then stepped away from the entrance.
He walked inside, the scent of his cologne filling the air. This evening, he was wearing a pair of loose black pants and a white singlet that hugged his rigid frame.
His hair was combed, and his skin glistened under the warm glow of the chandelier. He wasn’t the soldier in the street who saved my life. Mean and serious-faced. He was a clean, attractive man who smelled like something edible.
Something I’d love to devour.
“How are you holding up?” he asked, looking at me.
I sniffled and wiped my damp hair backwards. “I’m, uh…I’m fine, I guess.”
“Yeah?” he murmured under his breath.
“How’s Sergei?” I asked, concerned about the man’s condition. “Will he survive?”
“I wouldn’t worry about him if I were you,” he answered, his voice sweet and tender. “That man has been shot fifteentimes in the last two years. Trust me, those two bullets are nothing compared to what he’s survived.”
A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips. “That’s a relief.”
Silence.
Adrik’s eyes were latched onto me in a way that set fire to my heart.
I cleared my throat, breaking eye contact. “What about the others? How many casualties?”
“That’s not your problem to worry about, Emi.”
“I just wanna know.” I shrugged my shoulders, fighting back the tears gathering behind my eyes. “Maybe it’ll….”
He stepped forward. “Help you sleep better?”
I blinked, struggling so hard not to break down again. “I…I can—I can still hear their screams, Adrik.” My voice cracked under the weight of the guilt jolting through my body. “I just wanna know how many of them survived.”
“Shhh.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me to himself. “You have to let it go.”
“But how?” Tears began flowing. “They’re dead, and it’s my fault.”
“Hey, listen to me.” He raised my chin, his gaze locked to mine. “This has nothing to do with you, okay? I need you to stop feeling guilty.”
I shook my head. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” he blurted out. “Those weremymen; they were out there undermyinstructions. Letmecarry the burden as I’ve always done.” His thumb wiped my tears.
Silence.
He continued, “What happened was tragic. But what would’ve been more tragic would’ve been losing you in that incident.”
The sound of his voice and the sweetness of his tone fanned the flames ignited within me. It was clear now that I meant something to him, and that realization thawed something frozen inside me.
He slipped his hand to the back of my neck. “You’re alive, Emi. And that’s all that matters to me right now.”
My lips curled into a faint grin before my expression darkened slightly. “Can you do me a favor?”
