When the coffee is finished, I bring the pot and the cups to the table and sit down across from him. I try not to stare at the tattoos visible on his arms while I pour coffee into the cups with nervous hands. Up close, I can see they're incredibly detailed with shading and fine lines that must've taken hours.
"Can I ask you something?" Vadim breaks the silence as I slide his cup in front of him.
"Sure," I say as I sit back and cradle the hot mug in my hands. Doesn’t matter that I'm having coffee this late at night. After that fright, I won’t sleep anyway. Even if it wasn’t Petr, it could’ve been someone else. My brother left me in a shitstorm of trouble with his debts, and his creditors have been hounding me. It could've been them too.
"Why did you give me your number?" He watches my face carefully.
Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I focus on sipping my coffee by sucking it through my teeth so I don't burn my tongue. "I, uh…" I smile nervously and drop my head.
"I noticed you talking to your friend too." He accepts the cup I slide toward him. "And the man you were trying to make jealous."
"Oh, God, no… It wasn’t jealousy I was after." I wrap both hands around my cup and take another sip to buy myself time. The coffee is strong and bitter and exactly what I need. "His name is Petr." I set my cup down. "He comes into the diner a lot, and I wanted him to see that when a woman is interested…" I let my words trail off because I’m overexplaining, which I have a tendency to do when I feel nervous. I bite my lip and Vadim smiles.
"And he bothers you." It's not a question. I can see darkness behind his eyes at the idea that Petr might be someone who scares me. I'm not sure how to feel about that.
"Yes." I trace the rim of my cup with one finger. "He's very persistent."
Vadim nods slowly and takes a drink of his coffee. His eyes never leave my face, and I feel exposed under that steady gaze. Like he's reading everything I'm not saying out loud.
"So you used me to send him a message," he says, and I swear I hear a hint of discouragement.
"I'm sorry." The apology rushes out. "I shouldn't have done that without asking, and honestly, it wasn’t the only reason. I meant to…" Again, I'm babbling, oversharing things I don't need to say. I bite my tongue this time and raise my eyebrows in shame.
"I'm not upset." He sets his cup down. "I'm curious."
"About?" I meet his eyes and immediately regret it because the intensity there makes my breath catch.
"About whether you were serious." He leans forward slightly. "When you gave me your number."
The question surprises me so much, I almost laugh. "Serious?"
"Yes." He doesn't smile, but there's something softer in his expression now. "Did you want me to call you or was it only about making that other man jealous?"
Blood rushes to my cheeks, making them burn as I stare down into my coffee. I've never been so forward in my life and I took a risk, specifically to make Petr mad. But I did have fun flirting a little and it was exhilarating talking to Mina about it, imagining a man liking me.
"Both," I say, slowly looking back up at him. "I think you're very handsome, but I'm not usually that forward."
"Why not?" He tilts his head slightly. "You should be."
"Because men like you don't notice women like me." I gesture at myself in my stained uniform and messy hair. "We're in different worlds."
Vadim's eyes move over my face like he's memorizing every detail. When he speaks again, his voice is softer and there's something almost gentle in it.
"I don't think so," he says.
My heart flips in my chest and I have to look away from his face. This was what I wanted, right? When I slipped him that piece of paper with a heart and a smiley face… I intended for him tocall me and want to do this exact thing, and now I feel silly and nervous, and honestly, I feel happy. A smile tugs at my lips, and I can almost look at him again when he speaks.
"Would you have dinner with me?" Vadim asks. "Tomorrow?"
I look up so fast, I nearly spill my coffee. "What?"
"Dinner." He says it calmly. "If you're interested."
"Yes." The word is out before I can think about it. "I'm interested."
"Good." He finishes his coffee and stands, and I feel like this is some prank or something. Someone somewhere will burst through my door with a camera and tell me I'm being pranked like on those American TV shows. "I should go," he says softly, almost mewling the words. It makes my heart flutter, but I stand too and follow him to the door.
My legs feel unsteady and my mind is racing with questions I don't know how to ask. But he opens the door and steps onto the porch before turning back to look at me.
