Then I see someone standing near the fence outside my building. Relief floods through me so fast, I almost stumble. Whoever is following me won't do anything if there's a witness. At least Ihope they won’t. So I hurry toward the figure and I'm almost at my front gate when I realize who it is.
Vadim stands with his hands in his jacket pockets and his back against the fence. The streetlight above him creates dark shadows on his face, but I recognize the set of his shoulders and the way he holds himself perfectly still. My relief wavers into confusion. I look up at him and must seem lost or something, because how does he know where I live, and why would he come here?
"Hello," he says when I stop a few feet away from him.
I glance over my shoulder, but the street behind me is empty now. The footsteps have stopped and whoever was following me has disappeared. My heart's still racing and my hands are still shaking when I turn back to Vadim. But I feel safer now, not threatened. I don't know Vadim any better than I know Petr, but there is something about his presence that instantly calms me instead of frightening me, though the confusion lingers.
"Hi." My voice comes out breathless. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you." He pushes off the fence and takes a step closer. "I hope that's okay."
"How'd you know where I live?" The question sounds rude, but I'm too rattled to care about politeness. Someone just followed me home from work. I'm sort of shaken.
"Online yellow pages…" He gestures toward my small, beaten-down home. "There aren't many Petrovics in this neighborhood."
That's probably true, but it still feels odd that he went looking for my address. I clutch my phone tighter and try to slowmy breathing. The street's quiet now and the feeling of being followed has completely disappeared.
"Is everything alright?" Vadim's eyes move over my face. "You look scared."
"I thought someone was following me." I glance behind me again. "But they're gone now."
His expression doesn't change, but something shifts in his posture. He looks past me down the empty street and his jaw tightens slightly. When he looks back at me, his eyes are colder than they were a moment ago.
"Did you see who it was?" he asks.
"No." I shake my head. "Just footsteps." I study him for a second and wonder if it was him or one of his friends, but then he was here ahead of me. And while he's very handsome, and probably very strong, I doubt he is capable of being in two places at once. I should just relax and let his presence keep me calm.
"You should be more careful walking alone at night." He says it gently, but there's an edge underneath. "Anything could happen."
"I know." My hands finally stop their shaking, but now I feel flustered. I gave this man my number and then he shows up at my house? If he could see my cheeks, I'm sure they'd be bright red. "I usually don't think about it."
We stand there in awkward silence for a moment. I should probably go inside and lock my door, but part of me doesn't want to be alone yet. The fear from being followed is still too fresh, and having Vadim here makes me feel safer even though I barely know him.
"Would you like to come in for coffee?" The words are out before I can stop them. "Real coffee, not the stuff from the diner."
Vadim studies me for a long moment, and I'm certain he's going to say no. It's almost eleven at night and I'm asking a stranger into my house. No reasonable person would accept that invitation. But his lips curve into a curt smile and he nods his head at me.
"Yes," he says. "Thank you."
I unlock the gate and lead him up the cracked walkway to the front door that sticks when I push it. I have to use my shoulder to force it open. It's a problem for the landlord, though he never does much to fix things, and if I threaten to withhold rent, he'll just evict me.
Vadim follows me in, and I set my bag and purse down on the table by the door, then shut it after him. He stands in the center of my bare living room as I turn on a few lights and wince at the fact that this place is as much of a dump today as it was when I celebrated being able to afford it. I can't change that fact, because I’m too broke all the time, but maybe he doesn’t care.
"Sit wherever you want." I gesture toward the small table with two mismatched chairs where I eat breakfast every morning. "I'll make the coffee."
He chooses the chair that faces the door and sits down while I fill the kettle with water. My hands are steadier now, but I'm hyperaware of him watching me move around the tiny kitchen. What was I thinking giving him my phone number? I feel silly now, entirely out of my league. He's handsome and strong, and way older than me. Mina was right. I'm an idiot, a silly girl, but I can't just make him leave.
So I pull down my good coffee from the top shelf and measure it into the old percolator and flip the switch.
"You didn't have to invite me in," Vadim says as he relaxes back in the seat. When I turn to smile at him, he's admiring my body the way Petr usually does. But instead of making me cringe, it makes me blush more.
"I know." I set out two cups. "But I wanted to thank you."
"For what?" He leans back in his chair. "I didn't do anything."
"For being there." I pour hot water over the coffee grounds. "I really did think someone was following me."
"That might've been coincidence," he says, but his tone suggests he doesn't believe that any more than I do.
