Aurora
Maybe I had prejudged Bethany because I actually had an enjoyable lunch with her. She was a nice woman. Came from a media background. Her parents were more than thrilled with her marrying Andrei Belov. The arrangements had already been made and the wedding set for December. Not too far away, and she was excited.
During all of her talk of her wedding, not once did she invite me, but I figured it had something to do with Slavik and the whole Bratva thing.
We had lunch several times a week. I invited her to dinner. We talked about everything and nothing. In fact, I’d been that heavily involved with Bethany, I had nearly forgotten about the uncomfortable conversation with Sergei.
He was there all the time, watching and waiting.
Each day, I had a new date with Bethany.
She’d be returning with Andrei to wherever he lived. I couldn’t recall where, but it was in one of the cities. I was never good with locations.
“You and Bethany seem to be hitting it off,” Sergei said.
“Slavik wanted me to be nice and have dinner. She’s only here for a couple more days and then she’s leaving.”
Sergei nodded.
What also played on my mind was the kiss I’d shared with Slavik in the bathroom. There was no one to talk to about it. I wanted to know what a kiss like that meant. Was it normal to share one so intense? Every time I thought about it, my lips tingled, and like now, I touched them.
Would it be so wrong to give in to him?
We hadn’t had sex.
My period had started a few days ago, so that meant no baby. To have a baby you did have to do it regularly, right?
Talking to my mother was useless. She never came to the phone. Isabella was always talking about a party she’d been to and what fun she had. Me, I’d been left with Slavik, confused.
The only place to go would be the internet, and trying to figure out the truth was way too complicated. Also, my searching had sent me to a porn site. If Slavik had a way of checking through what I looked at, there would be questions.
Even our sex didn’t match up to the porn videos.
Sergei parked the car outside a cute Italian place. I’d read the reviews, and they were amazing. I called Bethany up immediately.
I arrived at the table and took a seat. Bethany was ten minutes late, but she arrived. She wore a low-cut dress that stopped above the knee. She was so beautiful.
I got to my feet, kissing her cheek as we’d started to do. This was the first time I’d ever had a girlfriend, and it was glorious.
“Sorry I was late, Andrei, well, he didn’t want me to leave.”
“Oh, are you living with Andrei?”
“Yes.”
This was another part of how different we both were. Her family was happy with her traveling with her husband. The engagement ring was on her finger, and to the rest of the world, they were going to be married. Bethany had confided in me that Andrei wasn’t her first boyfriend. She’d gone to an all-girls school and had met a guy there. She wasn’t a virgin.
A lot of details to take in, but I hadn’t shared a single secret with anyone. Part of me was scared for her.
My virginity for my wedding to Slavik had been a necessity.
I didn’t know if she loved Andrei, not that love played a part in my own marriage. Once again, Slavik kept his distance. He came home and slept beside me, but the only reason I knew that was the dent on his pillow the next morning.
Thinking about my marriage, I felt cold.
There was no love, nor was there any passion. Little by little, I felt like I was dying inside.
Bethany distracted me, telling me about a movie she’d watched. I liked how she talked a lot. It filled the silence. Our meal came, and I noticed she always pushed her salad around the plate.
Her cell phone went off, and she glanced down at the screen and groaned. “I’ve just got to take this. I’ll be right back.”
Again, I was used to her taking calls through our lunches.
I wasn’t hungry.
The waiter came to the table, and I saw Sergei watching me.
“I’ll be back in a moment.” I needed to use the bathroom and with Sergei close, he’d watch the table to make sure none of our stuff was stolen.
I went to the bathroom, washed my hands, and when I chanced a look in the mirror, I saw … sadness.
After pinching my cheeks to add a little pink to my complexion, I left the bathroom, coming to a stop when I saw Bethany just down the hall near the kitchen.
I approached.
“No, please keep talking to me. Anything to stop this from dragging.”
I stopped.
What was dragging?
“Andrei made me ask her to go to lunch, and the last few weeks, that is all we’ve done. She eats all the time, and I’ve never known anyone so dull in all my life. Honestly, I can’t wait to get home. We can go and have some fun. Aurora wouldn’t know fun if it bit her in the ass, and let me tell you, she’s so ugly. Slavik is hot. He’s dangerously hot, he deserves someone so much better than Aurora.”
Biting my lip, I stepped away, leaving her as she continued talking about me.
I headed back to the table, feeling kind of numb. The waiter came and asked about dessert. I told him no and asked for the check.
Looking over at Sergei, I wanted to burst into tears. I’d been so desperate for a friend I hadn’t read the signs.
I was empty. I’d eaten lunch and yet my stomach cramped.
My throat started to burn.
Bethany arrived, and as I looked at her now, I realized the signs I’d been ignoring over the past few weeks. She always arrived late. There was no invitation to her wedding.
“What did I miss?” she asked.
She smiled at me, and part of me thought about playing along, but the truth was, I was so tired of this dance.
The waiter arrived.
I saw the cost and paid it with the cash in my wallet. “I’ve had a call. I’ve got to go. Sorry to cut this short.”
She looked shocked, but I got to my feet, already leaving. She wasn’t used to me being the one to end our time together. Always the damn same.
“I’ll call you,” she said.