72

Chapter 23
Aurora
I walk to the bedroom, and opening the door, I see Abbie sitting on my bed, her face blotchy from crying.
“My God,” she sniffles. “That was so romantic and sad. It makes Romeo and Juliet’s story look like a walk in the park.”
“Yeah.” I take a seat on the bed and let out a sigh. “Do you think my dad–”
“He’ll kill both of you,” Abbie answers before I can finish the sentence. “He hates the bratva.”
My shoulders slump in defeat. “You’re right.”
“I need comfort food after today. It’s been rough,” Abbie says as she climbs to her feet. “Let’s order something and go to the waterfall.”
“I just want to change into something warmer.” I grab sweatpants and quickly pull them on before taking a jacket. “Let’s go.”
Finding my sneakers in the living room, I shove my feet into them and walk to the door. “What are you in the mood for?”
Abbie steps into the hallway and almost bumps into Instructor Nikolai, who’s walking toward his suite.
He takes one look at her blotchy face, then grabs her shoulder, and demands, “Why did you cry?”
She blinks at him for a couple of seconds, then answers, “I watched a sad story.” The corner of her mouth lifts in a mischievous smile. “Nice to know you care.”
Yanking his hand away from her, he shakes his head, and stalks down the hallway.
Abbie turns to me with a wide grin. “Am I wrong? He cares, right?”
I step into the hallway and shut the door. “One sad story at a time.
There’s no way your father will let you date Nikolai.”
“Ugh,” she huffs as we walk toward the stairs. “For that man’s abs, I’ll leave my family.”
I raise an eyebrow at her. “Really?”
She lets out a chuckle. “Not really, but let me have my fantasy.”
Walking into the dining hall, I instantly see Misha sitting at a table with Alek and Armani. It looks like they’re having a serious conversation.
Abbie grabs a menu and waves a server closer. “I want fried feta balls.
Also, buffalo wings, don’t skimp on the spice. Aaaaand…”
I look at the menu, then say, “Cheezy garlic bread and fries with bacon and cheese toppings.”
“Yes!” Abbie grins at me. “You know me so well.” “Is that for both of you?” the server asks.
“No, that’s mine,” Abbie chuckles.
“I’ll have…” I glance over the menu again, then go with my usual favorite, “BBQ riblets. Please cut them for me.”
“Yes, Madam,” the server murmurs before he rushes to the kitchen. “It’s to-go,” Abbie yells.
My eyes snap to Misha, and seeing that he’s staring at me, I try not to make it obvious when I smile at him.
The corner of his mouth lifts, and it has Alek and Armani glancing over their shoulders, matching frowns on their foreheads.
Crap. Act cool.
Look away.
“Do you think it’s too late to make an appointment at the spa?” Abbie asks.
Grabbing her arm, I tug her toward the doorway. “Let’s go check if they’re still open.”
When we get to the section the spa is in, all the lights are off, and the door’s locked.
“Boo,” Abbie mutters.
“We can wake up early and see if they can squeeze us in?”
She shakes her head. “I’m not waking up at the crack of dawn for a manicure. We can stay in bed and do it ourselves while watching a sappy romance movie.”
Walking back to the dining hall, we take a seat at a table while we wait for our food. I stare at Abbie so I won’t look at Misha.
“Is there something on my face?” she asks. “No. I’m trying hard not to stare at Misha.”
She lets out a chuckle. “You look constipated.” Laughter bursts over my lips.
Abbie rests her chin on her palm and lets out a sigh. “I wish I could wave a magic wand so you can have your man.”
“Me too.” I pick up a napkin and start to fold it into different shapes. “Have you ever thought of running away?”
“No,” Abbie answers honestly. “I love you too much, and besides, my parents will find me before I cross the border.”
“True,” I mutter.
“There’s our food!” Abbie’s up from her chair before I can move a muscle. “My hero.” She takes the paper bag from the server and gives him a dazzling smile. “Thank you.”
The poor man’s so stunned by Abbie’s beautiful smile it looks like he forgets how to function.
I get up, and when we walk out of the dining hall and toward the side door, I say, “Every time you smile like that near a man, it looks like he falls instantly in love. Careful you don’t give the wrong person the wrong idea.”
“I’m just flirting a little.”
I make a disgusted face. “The server is old enough to be your grandpa!” “Age is just–”
“A number,” I complete her sentence. “You do you, girl, but that’s a hard no for me.”
“Everyone who’s not Misha is a hard no for you,” she teases me.
Walking out into the cool night air, lights twinkle across the grounds.
“It’s so beautiful here,” Abbie sighs. “When I get my own place, I want my garden to look like this.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty,” I agree.
When we reach the path leading to the waterfall, Abbie bumps her shoulder against mine. “Sooo…are you going to tell me how it was?”
The corner of my mouth lifts. “It was everything I dreamed about and more.”
“Ooooh!” She holds her hand up for a high-five, and when I slap hers, she says, “Tell me everything.”
We’re close, but we’ve never discussed our sex lives, or non-existence of it, with each other.
I go with something safe to share. “Misha told me he loves me.”
“I heard that when I was eavesdropping in the bedroom. Give me the juicy bits. Did it hurt?”
I let out a burst of laughter. “It’s still freaking hurting.”
We reach the waterfall, and sitting down on the cobbled stones, Abbie places the paper bag between us. She pulls the containers out, and opening one, she helps herself to a buffalo wing.
“If you’re still hurting, I’m going to assume Misha is packing.” Frowning, I ask, “Didn’t it hurt when you lost your virginity?” She shrugs. “No. Honestly, I wasn’t sure he was in.”
“Oh, my God,” I shriek with laughter. “Do I know him?” “No. I lost it on vacation to Bali. He was a bartender.”
I scrunch my nose. “I wish yours would grow back so you can lose it to someone better.”
Abbie wags her eyebrows. “Like Nikolai Vetrov.”
I check the containers, and finding my ribs, I take a bite of one. “You really have the hots for him, don’t you?”
Abbie nods. “Yeah, but he doesn’t think of me that way.” “How do you know?”
She shrugs. “It’s clear I annoy him during every class, and he’s always snapping at me like I’m some punk kid.”
“Maybe it’s the age gap. Not everyone is into that kind of thing,” I say, trying to make her feel better.
“Yeah. Still sucks, though.”
“What about one of Misha’s friends?” I ask to take her mind off Nikolai.
Abbie gives me a have-you-lost-your-mind look. “Alek is batshit crazy.” She takes a bite of her garlic bread, and after swallowing, she continues, “Armani is hot as fuck, but he’s too serious for me.”
Changing the subject, she asks, “How do you feel about going out?”
“Tonight?” I gasp, so not in the mood to get dressed up. “It’s already past nine.”
“Not tonight.” She laughs at my shocked reaction. “Next week? Maybe the week after.” She shrugs. “I need a change of scenery. But our parents can’t find out, or we’ll have an army of guards.”
“How about shopping next Saturday? During the day, we should be fine in Geneva. No one will expect us to leave St. Monarch’s grounds. Right?”
Abbie’s face lights up. “Yes! No changing your mind.”
“As long as you don’t drag me to a nightclub, I’ll go anywhere,” I joke.
She breaks a piece of garlic bread off and throws it at me. “Hey, you met Misha because I dragged you to that nightclub.”
“Yeah, I did.”
She raises her eyebrows at me. “Thank you, Abbie.”
Giving her a warm smile, I whisper, “Thank you, Abbie.”
We spend another hour outside, eating and talking about the most random topics. After gathering the containers and shoving them in the paper bag, we walk back to the castle.
“You’re my best friend,” Abbie says as she hooks her arm through mine.
“Ahh…I freaking hope so,” I laugh.
“No, I mean it, Ra-Ra. I’d die for you.” “I’d die for you, too.”