Update on the Coming Chapter

Hey everyone! I just wanted y'all to know that my Fall Break is coming up on Wednesday. I will be home from then until Sunday, and I will update during that time. I appreciate all of the patience and understanding that y'all have given me!

College has been a blast! I love it here so, so, so much! I hope everyone is doing well and I can't wait to get back into the swing of things once I get home. 

Thank you all so much for your patience! Be looking for an update next week!

Hiatus

Sorry I haven't updated in forever. It's probably going to be a longer before I manage to. I'm in college now and have been for a week doing volunteer, honors-college-sponsored community service. What a mouthful. So now that I've made a ton of friends, I've literally barely sat down since I got here. Last night I didn't get in until midnight. XD

On an awesome note, I'm pretty sure I've lost about 5 pounds or more from all my walking, lmfao.

So anyway, I'm sorry I didn't finish this over the summer like I should've. But I'm so entrenched in the collegiate atmosphere that I just don't see a feasible time to update soon. I WILL finish this, but it may take a while. I thank everyone for their patience and understanding, and I appreciate every single one of my readers and reviewers.

Roll Tide! Support The University of Alabama this year in football. WOOO.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

Once Evgeni and I had fully made up, I took a quick shower. I gingerly touched the place where my head made contact with the floor days ago, yet there wasn't more pain than a little sting. I had healed up. I smiled as I finished washing up, and once I was done, I happily returned to my room with my hair and body wrapped in a towel. Evgeni was on my computer, looking at a Russian website. I peered over his shoulder.

"What does that even mean?" I asked, glancing at all the cyrillic symbols.

"Don't worry. Get dress," he said playfully. He turned in his spot in the chair and watched me as I walked to my closet. "Or not. I like in towel."

"You're a pervert. Now turn your head while I change."

"Are you serious?" he asked with disbelief. "I see you naked."

"So. It's not lady-like to allow a man to ogle you."

"When that stop you?"

I threw one of my pillows at him, which he caught. He smirked wide but obediently turned to look at the computer screen. I let both of my towels fall as I pulled out a green sundress and quickly put it on. I smoothed out the front of it and then ran my hands through my wet hair.

"Don't give me a virus," I said as I walked back to the bathroom to dry my hair. I put a bit of product in it to tone down the frizz, though I knew it was probably of little use. Stray strands of hair still stuck up in random places once it was finished drying, but I smoothed it out using a little hair spray. I put on a bit of eyeshadow and used eyeliner and mascara. My face was too clear to not celebrate by not using concealers and base creams and powder. Once I put on a bit of lip gloss, I was done.

As I walked back to my room, I saw that Evgeni had shut my door. I tried to open it, but he'd locked it too.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked through the door. Long, drawn out moans answered me. "I swear to God, if you get cum on anything, I will be pissed!" I shrieked.

His moans got louder and louder until he opened the door with a smirk.

"I kid," he said. "Now we go, I hungry."

"So you're going to go to Umi in a track suit?"

"They know me."

"Ugh, you're unbelievable sometimes," I said. I grabbed a pair of white sandals and slipped them on and sprayed two squirts of perfume on me. "And you still haven't told me I look hot."

"You know. Why I tell?" he winked.

"Because I want you to."

"You look hot."

I rolled my eyes and linked my arm with his.

---------

After delicious sushi, Evgeni took me back to his house. The large place seemed empty and Evgeni's heavy footsteps echoed through the living room as he plodded on the hard wood floor.

"I never get used to how big this place is."

"Is not very big," Evgeni said with a shrug. "Gonchar - bigger. Mario - bigger. Me? Just big for me."

"It's huge to me. I've lived in a one story, two bedroom, two bath house with a living room and small kitchen all my life."

Evgeni gently placed his hand on my lower back.

"You see where I grow up. Is smaller where you live."

He smiled softly at me and when I looked up at him, he suddenly looked much older. When I was with him, I often forgot that he was Russian and that he'd lived through the Soviet collapse - albeit he was very young - and that no doubt his parents and grandparents had lived through hard times. I often forgot that when he had a history outside of being a hockey star.

I kissed his cheek and moved his hand as he took off his shoes. He plopped onto the couch and I took off my sandals and moved beside him. He wrapped his arm around me and rubbed my shoulder. I curled into him more and laid my head on his chest. It wasn't long before I fell asleep.

------------

When I woke up the next morning, I was alone in Evgeni's huge bed. I stretched and scooted onto his side and pulled his pillow close, nuzzling the soft fabric.

"Mmmm," I groaned as I yawned. He'd raised the windows and the curtains were swaying as the wind blew. Sunlight filled the entire room, and the brightness was enhanced by his all-white bedding. I groaned again.

"Bad morning?" I heard. Evgeni re-entered the room, wearing only a pair of basketball shorts over his boxers.

"Mmm. Why's it so bright?"

I rubbed my eyes to see him more clearly. He walked to the bed and crawled in beside me, wrapping me in his arms.

"Is morning. Is why bright!" He grinned. I buried my head in the crook of neck and sighed as he rubbed my back. "You happy?" He asked softly.

"Yeah.. I am."

"Good. I want you be."

"Your family won't be upset, will they?"

Evgeni chuckled. "With my money, they never mad at me. Is amazing."

I smiled a little and kissed his neck.

"I make food," he said, playing with my hair.

"Want me to help you?"

"No, I make food."

"You made food?"

"Yes."

I smiled and untangled myself from his arms and sat up. "Well then. Why didn't you say so?"

--------------

A/N

Sorry it took so long to update. I was on a flow for a while, then I lost it. XD But I'm going to try to update more often. If you're wondering why this was such a fluff chapter, it's because there's still a bit more left. I'm not done yet. :)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

I was released from the hospital later that afternoon. Confusion, blurry vision, and especially headaches would all be normal for the next week. I got into the taxi that my nurse had called for me. I gave the cabbie my address and then gingerly touched the back of my head. I imagine the pain that followed was the equivalent of a nail puncturing your skull.

Once he stopped at my house, I paid the cabbie his fare and gave him an extra fifty dollars from Evgeni's money. He started to say something, but I talked over him.

"I know how much I gave you. It's an ex's money. Use it well," I said with a wink. He nodded vigorously and put the extra money in his pocket. I slowly got out of the car and made my way to the front door. With each step that I made, a throb in my head responded.

Once inside, I sprawled out on the couch. I felt too tired to move another step. I pulled the quilt that rested on the top of the couch over me and instantly fell back asleep.

-------

During the next week, I slowly recovered. The first day alone was killer. I felt dizzy and sometimes my vision blurred, but that was all normal. I made sure to stay hydrated and I ate healthy - most importantly, I rested.

The texts and calls from Evgeni the first day were endless. At first, they began with the usual "I'm sorry", but the newest ones were pleas of, "call me, let me know you're okay" and "please, please, please answer me". I deleted every voicemail and every text message.

The second day of recovery was better. I didn't feel as nauseated and I was able to walk around for longer periods of time. I still had a few dizzy spells, but my blurry and double vision had ended. 

This was the day that I received flowers - a large spray of daisies and tulips in different colors - red, white, orange, and pink. I looked at the card attached to it. It simply said, "Get well soon, Evgeni" in a florist's handwriting. I threw the card away and set the flowers on the kitchen table to add a decorative touch.

By the third day, the only way to tell I had a concussion was the throbbing headache that was left. I had a single dizzy spell when I shot up off the couch too fast to answer the door for the UPS guy. The UPS guy brought me my second, "I'm sorry" present from Evgeni. I signed off for it and slowly walked back to my spot on the couch. Inside was a stuffed penguin and a shirt with his name on the back. A note on the shirt said, "I could use your luck tonight..." Clearly, someone had written the note for him; I'd seen his attempts to write in English and they weren't pretty.

I rolled my eyes and crumpled the note in my hand. "You coulda just sent me flowers," I said with a sigh.

Still, my emotions didn't stop me from watching the Penguins' game that night against Detroit. I curled up with the stuffed penguin and flicked my eyes to my closet where his t-shirt hung. When the game was over and the team had won, I turned off my lamp and fell asleep watching the post-game interviews.

On the fourth day, my headache regressed into periodic throbs. Although the headaches could be pretty bad, I still had a couple of hours in between without pain. This was the day my next "I'm sorry" gift came. This one was small enough to fit inside the mailbox. I carried it inside with the rest of the mail and opened it. A small card saying, "Get well soon" harbored a ticket to the NHL Awards in Las Vegas. I arched my eyebrow and threw the card away, keeping the ticket as a souvenir to show my future grandchildren.

"I mean, really, what happened to the flowers?" I asked as I gently touched a daisy in the spray of flowers.

On the fifth day, there was a day's break between games. I was feeling much better and opened the windows throughout the house to let fresh air in. I wasn't used to staying in hemmed up in the house for so long. I caught up on a bit of reading and enjoyed watching daytime TV for the first time in years.

A little after two, I heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. I got up as I heard the car door open and close and was at the front door to open it as soon as there was a knock.

Evgeni stood before me in a Penguins' track suit with a cap pulled down over his face.

"Yes?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest.

"I come make sure you okay..." he said, glancing over me.

"I'm fine."

"You get everything..?" he asked softly.

"I got flowers, a penguin, one of your shirts, and a ticket to go watch you get a couple trophies."

He sighed softly and readjusted his cap nervously. "I not know what you like," he admitted softly.

"It's not that hard to figure me out. You've been in my room plenty of times... couldn't you tell something from that?"

"I not pay attention. We alway do other thing," He started. "Beside, what you know of me?"

"I know your favorite color is red and your favorite food is borscht. You like watching kung-fu movies dubbed in Russian and that your favorite band is Ruki Vverh. You started playing hockey when you were about five. One of your most sensitive spots is the area right behind your ear," I said softly. "Want me to go on?"

"No.. I get."

We both were silent for a few minutes. He put his hands in his pockets and stared at my floor as if something magical might come out of it. I kept my arms crossed over my chest and took notes of his hulking figure.

"I never mean feel like this," he said faintly, breaking the silence. "You just suppose be some girl, but you not..."

I didn't say anything. He sighed and moved his head up and took off his cap. His deep brown eyes gazed into mine.

"Evie, I try tell me you not real. That real girl is Oksana, that she my love. But she not. I leave her for you."

"That's funny. You told me she left you for a friend of hers."

"No," he sighed, rubbing his face. "No, I make leave."

"Then why the fuck did you flip out in the hotel?" I demanded. "And I want the truth."

Evgeni's eyes stayed locked firmly on mine for the first time since our ordeal had started. "I mad because I feel I mess up. I see you in bed with Max; you act like do no wrong!" he said firmly. "It not fair. You may not sleep with him, but you still kiss-"

"This is irrelevant when I'm talking to the man who had a girlfriend and then me on the side. Now finish answering my question."

Evgeni's jaw tensed, but he let out a long sigh. His potential flare-up vanished. He softly bit his lip, then continued, "It hurt see you with him. I send her back,  see you with him. I got mad because I mess up."

"So why not tell me this in the first place?"

"Is lie to me. I want believe she hurt me so I feel better of let go after what I see with you."

"So what did Max tell you?"

"That I freak out for nothing. That you did nothing. So I believe. I wanted think I make right choice."

"So if you really did know that we didn't sleep together, why did you freak out the day we had sex and go bat-shit insane?"

It took him a minute to process "bat-shit insane", but he got the general tone and put his hands back into his pockets. His eyes stayed locked onto mine.

"I freak out because I realize that I want you."

"Truth. Now."

"That is truth. I freak out because I want you - I not want anyone else before like this."

"So your perfect response is giving me a concussion?" I asked. If his eyes hadn't stayed unblinking in mine, and his body stay comfortable in its spot inches outside my door, I would've thought he was spewing the worst lie ever.

"I not mean to. You not understand; Russian marry Russian. Sometime girl marry American. But most men marry Russian."

"So, what, because I'm not Russian your family won't like me?"

"They like you until time to marry. Then, it Russian bride." He took a small step forward and uncrossed my arms, taking my hands in his. "I have mad problem. I don't deal with problems; never could. Sometime hockey help, sometime not. I see you. I want you. But I know if I with you, my family may not accept. Is frustrate to think of. I take my frustrate out on you. Is not right or good."

Things fell silent between us. Evgeni still held my small hands in his much larger ones. I could feel his rough callouses as they scratched against my soft palm. I slowly took my hands out of his. Hurt visibly reflected in his eyes.

"So what are you going to do? Will your family dictate the course of your life?"

"No. I talk Gonchar. He tell me I get help for mad. He also tell me I not help who I want."

"And so what does this all mean. In a nutshell."

"It mean I go see doctor, get help. It mean no matter what family say, I want be with you. It mean when I get sad or frustrate, I talk you and not take out on you again."

"We can't just pick up where we left off."

"I know," he said, stepping back. He closed the door, and then the doorbell rang. I fought a small smile as I opened the door. He still stood there in the doorway and smiled at me. He stuck out his right hand. "I Evgeni," he said.

I finally smiled and clasped my hand in his. "And I'm Evelyn. But call me Evie."

"Nice meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

"I want go Umi's. You come?"

"Only if you're paying, 'cuz I'm broke."

His smile spread a bit more and we moved in for a hug. "I sorry," he said softly. "And is last time you hear it too."

----------

Quick Author's Note:

Sorry about not updating last night! I wasn't feeling very well, so I hit the hay early. This isn't the last chapter of the story, there's still a few more to go. I will be updating tomorrow, provided there isn't a heart-attack inducing acquiring, leaving, or trade tomorrow in the Free Agency. Thank you for reading up to this point! There's still a bit left to go!

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

Shamefully, I let Evgeni stay so we could make up the best way we knew how. I knew it was wrong, I knew it was sluttish, but I couldn't help it. His hands on my hips were dangerous. His body on top of mine was so provocative. And his lips on mine was just so sinful. I found myself clawing at his back, screaming his name before I could even remember why he hadn't been in my bed to begin with.

Evgeni laid beside me once we were finished. I was used to him cuddling against me and kissing me, but he was suspiciously quiet. I turned on my side to face him and slowly rubbed his chest.

"Evgeni.. are you okay...?" I asked softly. I laid my head in the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent that was now mixed with a bit of perspiration. I kissed the sensitive spot behind his ear, and I felt his body lightly shiver in response.

"I fine," he answered shortly. He was staring at the ceiling and I wondered if he'd regretted what we'd just done. I nuzzled his neck and closed my eyes, praying that he'd forgiven me. I wrapped my arms around him and help him tight.

"Please talk to me," I said faintly. He grunted in response and took my arms off of him. I looked up at him, hurt, and wondered what I'd done to deserve this reaction.

"I see you with him," Evgeni finally said. He slowly sat up. "I see you with him. I see him, not me."

"But you know that we didn't do anything! Max even told you we didn't!"

He sighed softly and got out of bed and started to dress: boxers, shorts, then shirt. He stayed silent as he grabbed his keys and slid on his flip-flops and searched for his cap. My mind was racing and I couldn't process what was happening. We had been fine this morning - what the fuck had happened?

"So I guess I'm just your own personal slut, huh?" I said as my voice cracked.

"Not start," he seethed. "Not start that."

"Well, it's true. You came over, and you got laid. You won't even talk to me about what might be wrong! You're just leaving! This is unbelievable; I'm a whore."

Evgeni's eyes seemed to darken and his entire body tensed. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. The bills he threw out appeared to just levitate in the air as they floated to the bed.

"Now you hooker," he snarled. "Go call Max, make few more."

The suspension in the room ended and now real time returned. I sat in bed and stared at my comforter in disbelief. My hands began to shake before I could fully comprehend what had just happened. Evgeni slammed my bedroom door shut as he left. I wrapped the comforter around me and followed after him.

"Wait! Just WAIT!" I begged. He didn't stop. If he heard me, he didn't show it. He just kept walking with a determined look on his face. "WAIT!"

He opened the front door, but when he started to shut it, I blocked it.

"Go put clothe on," he said darkly. "You want whole city know you?"

I slapped him hard across the face. The resounding crack echoed through the living room. Evgeni was silent for a couple of minutes. His face was reddening as he looked from me, to my hand, and to the wall. He repeated the cycle until he brought his hand up to his lip and let the trickle of blood stain the very tips of his fingers.

I stepped back slowly. If he was mad before, he was absolutely furious now. I took another step back. Evgeni closed the front door and moved closer to me. I thought about bolting, but I already knew he would beat me anywhere I tried to go.

"Why you not let go?" He asked. The lids of his eyes had reddened and he kept sucking his bottom lip. "Why not let leave?"

I closed my eyes and I felt his enormous hands close around my arms. He shook me until the comforter fell around me, leaving me naked to his eyes.

"Shluha vokzal'naja..." he said bitterly. I closed my eyes, wishing I knew Russian. I wished I had some clue as to what was coming. I held my breath and waited for something terrible.

Evgeni finally sighed. I opened my eyes and looked at him. Some of his anger had left him; he wasn't nearly as red-faced. Still, he was angry enough to push me away from him. My feet slid on the comforter that had pooled around my ankles, and I found myself falling backward. I waved my arms to catch myself, but the comforter was slick on the floor. I remembered falling, but I didn't remember anything after.

--------

I woke up later when there was a light shining in my eye. I squeezed both of my eyes shut and hissed. My head began to throb incessantly.

"Ma'am... are you awake? Can you hear me?"

I opened my eyes once the shining light was put away. A middle-aged man with a gray goatee was inches from my face. I blinked my eyes.

"I hear you," I said weakly. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, ma'am. You took quite a nasty fall. What is your name?" he asked, backing off.

"Evelyn."

"And when were you born?"

"October fifteenth."

"What year?"

"Nineteen-ninety."

The man moved aside. Right behind him stood Evgeni, who looked miserable. His eyes were red, but for a different reason than anger. Dried tear-tracks stained his face. He pulled his cap lower when he saw my eyes flick to him.

"Can you recognize this man?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah. His name's Evgeni," I replied softly.

"Alright Evelyn," the doctor started. "You took a nasty spill, but I believe you're alright. You have a concussion, but we haven't found anything severe or alarming. We're gonna let you get your bearings and give you some Tylenol to go home with, alright? Then you're going to need to take it easy for a few days."

I nodded a little and watched as he left the room.

"You scare me," Evgeni nearly whispered.

"I want you to leave," I replied. "What exactly did you tell them anyway?!" I winced when I raised my voice and shut my eyes to keep my head from swimming.

"We play," he muttered.

"And what did they say when they found me naked?"

"You not naked... I dress..."

"You dressed me before getting help?!" My head throbbed worse, but I couldn't contain my anger. "You let me sit on the floor, knocked out, while you dressed me so you wouldn't be held accountable?"

He took a breath, and I knew more than anything he wanted to tell me that he was sorry. I clenched my fists and hissed, staring straight at the ceiling.

"You're going to pay for my doctor bill," I started. "Every fucking penny, you're going to pay. Do you hear me? And if you don't, the doctor will find out exactly how I got my slight concussion. Do you understand?"

Evgeni nodded and sat down in the chair beside the bed. He tried to take my hand but I snatched it from him. I refused to turn my head his way.

"Fuck you," I spat. "I want you to go. I'll hand deliver your bill each month."

"How you get home?" he asked softly.

"I'll take a fucking taxi. Leave me money for that too."

He silently took money out of his wallet and laid it on the table beside the bed. He left the room making very little noise. A couple of minutes after he left, I pressed a button for the nurse to come in.

"Is there a problem, ma'am?" One asked as she came into the room.

"Yeah.. I want my doctor back..."

"Ma'am, can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm seeing double of everything right now, and quite frankly, it's freaking me out."

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

The flight home was lonely and boring, and I felt as if I had a migraine. The morning's events had effectively rendered me useless for the rest of the day. It was hard to form a thought, it was hard to remember what I was doing or wanted to do, and it was hard to even move.

I was sitting next to a fat man who had his laptop out on the folded-down tray. My head seemed to throb in time with every keystroke his sausage-like fingers made. Behind me, a mother and her small child were giggling as they played some kind of game to stay occupied. The shrill sounds of their laughter seemed to cut straight through my brain. In front of me, a person (I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman) was blaring hard rock music from his or her iPod. I could hear the angry cursing and wild guitar perfectly clear, and it was annoying me further.

"Excuse me," I said to the man next to me. "I need to get up to use the restroom." I needed a few quiet minutes away from these people and the only safe-haven on a plane was in the bathroom.

"Can't ya see I'm workin'?" He said angrily, motioning to the screen. "Can ya wait a minute lady?"

I closed my eyes and fought the urge to slap his face clear off his head. I took in a deep breath.

"Sir, I've had a terribly shitty morning and I am not in a good mood. I have a headache the size of the Grand Canyon, and if you don't let me up to use the bathroom, so help me God, I will tear off your head and shit down your throat. That's the kind of mood I'm in, and I'm not even PMSing yet. And let's hope to God that doesn't start while we're on this plane," I finished calmly. My voice never wavered and I used a polite tone. The man had stopped typing and looked at me as though I was insane - though, I couldn't say I blamed him. Carefully, he shut his laptop and lifted the fold-up tray so that I could squeeze by.

I felt dizzy as I walked toward the bathroom, but I kept taking deep breaths to stay steady. Once I was inside one of the tiny spaces and the door was shut tight, I turned on the sink and splashed some water on my face.

This morning had not been a great one. Once I'd pushed Max off of me, I put on my clothes from the night before and went back down the hallway. I pounded on the door to Evgeni's room, and he opened it, still-flushed and clearly angry.

"What you want?!" he spat.

"I came to get my stuff, I'm going to the airport," I replied, pushing past him. I grabbed my bags and stuffed my dirty clothes on the floor inside of it.

"I try forgive you, for what you say yesterday. Now you do this?!" he fumed, waving his arms in the air. "Is why Kris come here? Because you fuck last night!"

"I didn't fuck anyone, last night or this morning."

Evgeni's huge hand swiped one of room's lamps from its place on the small table. It crashed onto the floor and I could hear the bulb break. I stared at the mess on the floor.

"LOOK AT ME," he raged again, slamming his hands down on the table. I jumped at the noise and my eyes were instantly attached to his - his nearly-black, red-rimmed eyes. "You think me idiot?!" he spat. "You think I not know English, I idiot?!"

"I think you're a royal asshole right now! What, you think you're gonna solve things by breaking lamps and pounding your fists!?" My resolve was breaking. I wasn't sure what Evgeni would or wouldn't do at this point. For once, I was scared.

"Get out," he said, much softer than he had been. "Just get out. Go home."

I didn't want to stick around to see if his temper would flare up again, so I grabbed my bags and practically ran out of the hotel.

A knocking on the bathroom door brought me out of my trance.

"Just a minute," I said, splashing water on my face. I felt miserable. I'd thought that getting revenge on Evgeni would feel great, but it only made me feel like a terrible person. I sighed and stepped out of the bathroom, making the trek back to my seat.

--------

My parents were gone by the time I got back. Really, it didn't surprise me. I dropped my bags in the living room and went straight to my room, slamming my door angrily although no one was around to witness my tantrum. I collapsed on my bed and rubbed my aching temples.

When that didn't work, I pulled a pillow over my face.

"Please just suffocate, please just die," I thought to myself. It became a chant in my mind. "Please suffocate... please suffocate."

Then, when it really did start to get uncomfortable to breathe, I pulled the pillow off. "God, I suck," I said out loud. I rolled out of the bed and peeled off my clothes and walked naked to the bathroom. I looked in the mirror and examined myself.

My fake-shit-green eyes were still as fake and shitty-green as ever. My wavy brown hair was uncontrollable and hard to style. My skin was still pale. And I knew lurking underneath my makeup was my dusting of freckles waiting to pop out. Sighing, I reached in the cabinet and pulled out my contact solution and case. Within a few seconds, I had my contacts out, and my fake-shit-green eyes turned into their natural brown-shit colored eyes.

What was it that Evgeni saw in me? Why would he want to keep fooling around with me when he had a goddess at his beck-and-call? I wasn't ugly by any means, but I also wasn't knockout gorgeous. People always said I was "cute" or sometimes I got "pretty". But I didn't get the "beautifuls" and "gorgeouses" that even Mary got. So what was it?

I turned on the water and poured my bubble bath into the water. I slid inside once it was filled and at the perfect temperature. My muscles relaxed and I sighed softly, enjoying my warm bath.

--------

The next morning, I was awakened by the door bell. I groaned and pulled on a pair of sweats over my sleep shorts and a sweatshirt over my tank top. With a yawn, I opened the door and put a hand over my eyes as the morning light flooded in.

Standing in front of me was Evgeni, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He wore a hole-ridden t-shirt and a pair of shorts with bleach spots on them; his cap was pulled low down over his eyes. In his hands was a bouquet of pretty carnations.

"You came dressed to impress," I said snottily. As guilty as I had felt about our situation, I was still angry enough to muster rudeness towards him. "What do you want?"

"I come say sorry. I talk Max... he tell me you two not do sex," he said softly, his eyes darting to the ground. "I come in?"

I thought about telling him no. But his scent filled the air around me and all I really wanted to do was fling my arms around his neck and kiss all over his face. He offered me the red and white carnations with a small, hopeful smile. I took them from him and set them on coffee table.

"So you think you can give me flowers and you're forgiven?" I huffed.

Evgeni sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I come explain."

"Explain what?"

"Yesterday morning. Why I mad."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm listening."

"I get off phone Oksana. She tell me she go back Russia, marry friend who rich. First, I get mad. I think, why she leave me? What I do? Then I realize we be together and she not there. So, I get Kris's key, get breakfast, go see in room. Then, you there with Max. I get mad because I feel two woman hurt me."

"That's still no reason to break things and slam things around."

"I know. I know I act bad. But I sorry, and now we be together. No Oksana," he said hopefully.

"We'll talk about it - later. But first you have to prove that you can be faithful. I won't be like Oksana and let flings go."

"Is fine. I over fling."

"I mean it, Evgeni. You've really put me through hell the last couple of months that I've known you. And I'm just tired of never knowing what your next move is going to be."

He cupped my face with his hands and kissed my forehead.

"I know how feel now. Don't worry."

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

Max and I walked and explored the streets of Detroit together. Somewhere deep down, I realized that it wasn't the best decision to explore such a huge city with a man that you barely know - let alone one that wants to have sex with you. But I was mad at Evgeni, and that anger overruled rational thought.

So I let Max show me his favorite spots in the city - or, rather, his favorite spots near the hotel and Joe Louis Arena. I was content because he'd bought me ice cream, he seemed like a nice guy on the whole, and I was away from the Russian.

"You seem pre-occupied," he said smoothly, looking over to me.

"You gave me ice cream. Of course I'm pre-occupied."

"I know we haven't talked about what you said earlier-"

"No, really, I meant it," I said firmly. I thought about trying to lick the ice cream from my spoon in a sexy way, but before I embarrassed myself, I realized that only porn stars know how to do that. Shrugging, I took another bite.

"I know you're mad at Evgeni."

"Understatement of the year."

"But that doesn't mean you should just sleep with the first thing you see."

"I usually don't sleep with them," I said casually. His brows furrowed a bit. "I give them blowjobs."

Max stopped dead in his tracks while I kept walking. I scraped the bottom of the plastic container with my spoon, trying to get the last of the ice cream.

"Wait up!" I heard him call. I looked back as he semi-jogged his way to catch up with me. "I didn't hear that," he said.

"Hear what?" I asked nonchalantly. I threw the container away along with my spoon.

"What you said."

"And what did I say?"

Max growled. "C'mon, I have to get ready for the game."

I smirked and wiped my hands on my pants and began to walk back to the hotel.

----

Max took me to the room where he'd stayed the previous night and introduced me to two more of Evgeni's teammates: Kris and Sid. Kris was overly shy and overly adorable because of it. He rarely moved his sight from the TV screen where he and Sid had managed to rig an X-box. Sid was a bit more outgoing and wasn't nearly as concentrated on the screen.

I lounged on one of the beds as the boys took turns playing a shooting game. When nap time came, I laid at the end of the bed where Max was resting and watched TV on low. After a little while, I got up and laid out all three of their suits and ironed their shirts the best that I could with the cheap iron from the hotel.

By the time I was finished, they began to rouse from their naps and get ready. I got Max's room card from him so I could go back to mine and Evgeni's room to change. 

"Be good," he said as I left. I dreaded going into the room and facing Evgeni since this morning.

I stood outside of the door for a few minutes and took in a deep breath as I slid the card in the slot. I walked in unannounced and silent. Evgeni was already mostly dressed. He looked at me when I came in, but didn't say anything while I gathered my clothes for the night. I changed in the middle of the room and I could feel his eyes on me as I did. He leaned against the wall and watched me as I moved on to the bathroom, where I brushed my teeth and fixed my hair and reapplied my makeup.

"You still mad?" he finally spoke.

"That's a dumb question."

He sighed and rubbed his face. "I tired."

"Me too."

"No, I tired. I tired try please everyone."

I leaned on the door frame opposite him. "You can't please everyone, Evgeni. No one can. You have to do what makes you happy, and if the person loves you, they can come along for the ride."

"You love me?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going back to Max's and then I'm gonna come get my stuff tonight."

"No, wait!" he said as he grabbed my arm. I moved out of his grip and walked back down the hall. I didn't feel like dealing with his shit.

------

With a back-to-back loss, no one was in a great mood that night. I returned to Max's room before all three returned, laying on one of the beds. The three boys walked in dejected, but their moods seemed to be lighter than what I had expected. They undressed to comfortable clothes and Max slid in beside me.

Kris and Sid were building a huge wall of pillows to separate them in the other bed. Max was noticeably amused.

"I managed to take over the bed by sneaking in the bed and cuddling with Kris last night," he said laughing. "The guy thought he'd been raped when he woke up to me!"

"I'm still not sure that I wasn't," Kris spat, putting the final pillow in between he and Sid. "He said he'd just sleep with Sid, but he ended up tormenting me!"

Sid rolled his eyes. "It'd be nice if the captain got a bed to himself once in a while. Every time someone gets the boot from their room, they always come to mine first. And guess who has to have a bed mate by the end of it all? I have no idea why you fuckers are complaining."

Kris and Max ignored his complaint.

"Well," Max started. "I have an excellent bedmate tonight!"

I laughed and lightly pushed him. Kris got a horrified look on his face.

"Oh, fuck this, I'm rooming with Geno. He's got an extra bed in the room," he said while shaking his head. He gathered his pillows and left the room.

Sid looked mildly pleased. "Look, if you two must, just be quiet, okay?" He settled into bed and fully stretched out.

"We'll see," Max said with a wink to me. "Hey, if you wanna change, you can steal a shirt and shorts from my bag."

"Thanks," I said, getting up. "I meant to go get my stuff from Evgeni's room, but after the game, I felt like crap and didn't want to see him."

Max nodded and relaxed in bed. I picked out the cleanest looking shirt and the cleanest looking pair of basketball shorts and went to the bathroom to change. Once out, I dropped my clothes beside the bed and placed a pillow between Max and I.

"Hey, I thought we were sleeping together tonight!" he said.

"And I thought you said that I didn't have to sleep with the first thing I saw."

"But you promised a blowjob."

"We'll see."

Max huffed and turned out the light. He seemed to settle down quickly, and before long, his and Sid's soft breathing filled the room as they slept.

------

The next morning, I was wakened by Max hovering on top of me.

"Oh God," I groaned. "Please tell me you didn't do anything morally shameful."

He laughed and rolled off of me. "No, I just like to use the element of surprise as a wake-up call."

I closed my eyes and rubbed my face.

"Where's Sid?" I asked.

"Breakfast. He and some of the guys went out to get pancakes."

"Ugh... I need to get up and pack, but I don't have the strength. My flight leaves at two."

"For the short time we've known each other, I'll miss you."

"You'll see me around in Pittsburgh..."

"I hope so," he said with a smile. His hand rested on my thigh and he slowly ran his hand up and down. He moved up on his side and looked down at me, as if asking for permission. Under normal circumstances, I would've said no, but this was revenge.

I leaned up and kissed him, ignoring the scratch of his beard. He moved back over me again and his hands roamed under my shirt.

In the midst of undressing, neither of us heard the click from the room key being inserted in the slot, nor did we hear the door open.

But we did hear the resounding "BLYADISCHA*!" that filled the room. Max and I looked over at Evgeni who was red-faced and mad. He threw the coffee and danish he was carrying to the ground as he walked out.

I sighed and pushed Max off before it got any further. If Evgeni was hurting, let him hurt. Now he'd know how it felt to be me.

-------------

*Blyadischa means "whore" in Russian. I tried typing it into a standard translator and it wouldn't translate, so I'm just putting the meaning here. :)