AVA
After over ten hours of being trapped in a plane, I can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when the plane finally touches down. The pilot’s voice comes through, informing us that we’ve landed, and the moment the wheels of the plane hit the tarmac, I feel the heavy anxiety that had wrapped my mind during the flight slowly begin to unravel.
I’d barely gotten any sleep throughout the flight and since Nikolai was my only source of distraction whenever the plane would stutter or shake, neither had he.
“Let’s go” Nikolai whispers gently, taking my hand in his. I nod, following his lead and allow myself to relish the feeling of his callous fingertips against my palm as he leads us out of the plane.
The moment my feet touch solid ground again, I’m immediately consumed with a sense of relief and gratitude. I turn to Nikolai, offering him a small smile, which he returns with a gentle squeeze of my hand. Never have I ever been as grateful for the feeling of the earth beneath my feet as I am in this moment as Nikolai leads us through a private terminal.
He walks closely behind me, his presence a silent comfort I cling to without even knowing.
He squeezes my hand as we step into the sleek, modern terminal. He leads us to the waiting lounge, and the minute my heels click against the polished marble floor, I’m immediately met with a blast of cool air from the air conditioner.
The space is quiet, almost too quiet, with only the sound of our footsteps bouncing off the walls and I wonder if anyone else is here.
My question is answered when a lady dressed in a black polo shirt tucked into a pair of white, high-waisted, wide-legged trousers approaches us, her smile almost blinding me. She doesn’t look much older than twenty-six and moves with the kind of confidence you’d expect of someone who looks like her.
“Nikolai, it’s good to see you,” she says, her grin wide enough to reach her eyes. She steps forward, closes the space between them, and presses a quick kiss to each of his cheeks. I watch, half bewildered and half expecting him to push her away. He doesn’t.
“Likewise, Tatiana”, he says, and I can’t tell if he means it or he’s just saying it for formalities.
Wait a minute, did he say, Tatiana? As in his childhood best friend Tatiana? I blink at him and then at her. This is Tatiana? As in the girl he dated because her father thought that they would be a good match. The same Tatiana that I had convinced myself halfway into the flight was just a distant memory. My throat tightens as I stare at her. Pushing down the lump in my throat I try to reconcile the image of the woman I’d imagined Tatiana to be like with the woman in front of me.
She’s a full head taller than me and doesn’t have to stretch to kiss Nikolai’s cheeks the way I had just to bury my face in his neck while we were on the plane. Her glossy raven hair falls down her back in long, silky waves framing her oval-shaped face. Her attention turns to me, and I’m immediately taken aback by how utterly mesmerizing her eyes are. They are grey, and this close, I can see the tiniest hint of silver in them.
“You must be Ava,” she says, her voice light and shockingly sweet. She is exactly the kind of woman I pictured as Nikolai’s type. Her aura radiates the type of confidence that comes naturally without putting in the kind of effort the rest of us have to fake every day.
I return her smile, hoping I’m mirroring the kind that says that I’m happy to meet her as I extend a hand towards her, “And You must be Tatiana” I say, “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
She takes my hand, and my eyes widen as she uses it to pull me against her, wrapping her other hand around me in a hug. The scent of rose petals immediately floods my senses.
She even smells like flowers.
There’s no way this woman is real.
I blink, motionless, partly because her hold on me is uncomfortably tight and I’m not sure if she has the intention of letting go.
“You’re even more stunning in person,” she says when she finally releases me. Her smile doesn’t falter which should’ve made me feel at ease if it weren’t for the knot coiling in my belly.
“Thank you,” I reply, forcing a polite tone, even though I don’t entirely believe her compliment. My shoulders stiffen as her eyes flicker over me, assessing me in a way that makes me feel like I should’ve changed before we got off the flight.
I’m still in the same clothes as yesterday and my skirt is slightly wrinkled from the way Nikolai fisted it during one of our “distracting” sessions.
My cheeks redden at the memory, and I clear my throat, averting my gaze and silently hoping that neither of them can see the heat creeping up my neck.
I’m about to say thank you, but before the words can leave my lips, Nikolai tugs me against him, and a silent gasp escapes my lips when my body collides with his chest.
I tilt my head back, trying to get a look at him but the tight grip of his hand on my waist holds me in place, stopping me.
“I’d be careful how you touch my wife if I were you?” he says, surprising me. I furrow my brows. Don’t tell me he’s jealous because of a hug.
Tatiana’s smile doesn’t falter as she tilts her head to the side, a teasing glint in her eyes, “Jealous? You think she might prefer me to you?”
She says and I think I imagine the challenge in her voice. Nikolai’s lips are thin, and his expression remains unimpressed with Tatiana’s words.
I glance between the two of them, my heart stuttering in my chest. Either I’m crazy, or Tatiana just flirted with me in front of Nikolai, and he feels threatened by it.
I glance between the two of them and Tatiana rolls her eyes as she flicks a wrist in front of her face. “Relax, caveman,” She says, glancing at his hand on my waist.
“I’m getting married in a few days, remember.”
“A relationship never stopped you before,” Nikolai responds coolly, and I have to bite back a gasp as the words slip from his lips.
Tatiana shrugs, clearly unbothered by his words. “Fair point. But not this time; I’ve officially resigned to the one-dick life.” She laughs lightly and turns to me, “Besides, your wife doesn’t strike me as the kind of girl who’d be interested in anything I’d have to offer. Isn’t that right, Ava, or am I wrong?”
I swallow. I don’t know how to reply to that so I don’t. She takes my silence as a no and turns to Nikolai.
“She must be really into you if even I can’t sway her”, she says, and Nikolai grunts, tightening his hold on my waist. She throws a wink in my direction and I almost stumble. I don’t know whether she does it to piss Nikolai off or if she’s flirting with me. Either way, it’s a bad move on her part. As beautiful as she is, I’ve only ever been attracted to one gender except for that one time in high school with Sarah Michelle from tenth grade.
“Shall we get going? I’m sure the two of you must be tired from your trip and you could use the rest.”
Nikolai frowns but nods asking her to lead the way.
With a swift turn on her heels, Tatiana starts walking away. Nikolai slides his hand from my waist to mine, pulling me alongside him as we follow her.
The ride to the resort is thick with silence with neither Tatiana nor Nikolai willing to start a conversation.
My husband sits beside me with his jaw clenched, a hand on my thigh and his eyes closed. The muscles in his face are relaxed and I can’t tell if he’s asleep or he’s just resting his eyes.
“So,” I began, desperate to fill the car with something else other than the quiet hum of the car engine, “How is the wedding planning going?”
Tatiana lets out a frustrated groan and glances at me from the rearview mirror.
“Terrible.” She says dryly, her tone dripping with annoyance.
“My original maid of honour bailed on me at the last minute, so my sister stepped in to be her replacement.”
I narrow my eyes and try to understand why this was such a problem for her. I didn’t have a sister, nor did I have a wedding, so it was hard for me to grasp why this was such a problem for her.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” I ask, confusion filtering my voice.
Tatiana lets out a scoff and shoots me a look that says you have to be kidding. “It would be if my sister wasn’t a total bitch.” She says and I snort. The driver gives her a look, and she shrugs “It’s true. She’s trying to change my wedding. She has opinions about everything. For crying out loud I can’t even pick a centerpiece without her turning it into a debate.”
The way she talks about her sister tells me everything I need to know about their relationship. They aren’t close, and apparently, her sister just came because she had nothing else to do.
Tatiana goes on, her voice thick with irritation. “She’s picking out colors I didn’t approve of, telling me the cake has to be some ridiculous design” She rolls her eyes. “It’s like I’m not even the bride anymore. Everything’s about her and how she can make my wedding better. It’s exhausting.”
“That sucks. I can only imagine how tiring that must be”
I never got to plan my wedding but I imagine that it isn’t an easy feat trying to battle family members and their endless opinions about a day that isn’t even about them.
My eyes drop to my diamond studded ring finger and an unexpected warmth spreads through my chest.
“I’m glad somebody thinks so because apparently, everyone thinks I’m crazy for not wanting my sister’s opinion on every little thing. I mean, it’s my wedding. Shouldn’t I have a say in how things are done?” Tatiana sighs and I nod.
“I get it,” I say, meeting her gaze in the rearview mirror. “I mean, it’s not every day you get to marry the love of your life, so it’s understandable that you’d want everything to go smoothly.”
Her lips curl into a thin smile, and for a brief moment, there’s a softness in her expression that wasn’t there before. “Exactly. But it’s like everyone expects me to just roll over and be okay with it because she’s family.” She sighs, her shoulders slumping as she closes her eyes. “I just wish they understand how important it is to me that everything goes perfectly.”
” Planning a wedding can be exhausting,” I say and she hums in agreement.
“Tell me about it. I wish I’d eloped like Nikolai and you”
She says and I sigh, glancing at the hand on my thigh.
I had wondered what Nikolai had told her about our wedding. I guess it made sense that he told her that we eloped.
“I’m sure it might seem like a great idea now because of everything that’s going on but trust me when I say it’s better this way. I wish I’d done my wedding under the right circumstances, surrounded by family, but Nikolai and I made our choice.”
“You both must really love each other.”
She says and all I can do is nod because I can’t tell her how wrong she is.
Tatiana twists her body in her seat turning to me with an excited expression in her eyes.
“I just had a crazy idea.”
I arch a brow, my stomach twisting. I have a feeling I already know what this crazy idea is.
“How about you be one of my bridesmaids”
She asks with a mixture of hope and excitement.
I blink, my mouth suddenly dry.
“Tatiana, I’m honoured that you’d ask me to be your bridesmaid, but I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I say, my voice steady despite the rising discomfort. “I mean, we barely even know each other.”
Tatiana’s eyes widen slightly but she doesn’t seem at all offended by my rejection.
“Which is exactly why I think it could be fun,” she says, her voice light. “Please, Ava. You’re the only one I’ve spoken to in a while that hasn’t made me feel like I’m losing my mind in a long time.”
I bite on my lower lip, fiddling with the ring on my finger.
“But wouldn’t it be awkward having me there”
She furrows her brows, tilting her head to the side, “Why would it be awkward?” She asks and I want to say because she dated my husband and I’m not entirely sure I like her yet but instead I say
“Because your sister doesn’t know who I am and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t appreciate me being there
She wrinkles her nose as if the thought of her sister physically hurts her, “Fuck her. If I’d met you first you’d be my maid of honor not her controlling ass”.
I don’t know if I should be surprised at her bluntness so I choose to show my reaction in a tight laugh.
“So, you’ll do it?” she asks, her eyes wide with anticipation.
I hesitate for a moment glancing at Nikolai whose eyes are still closed. He squeezes my thigh startling me and it’s only then I realize he’s been listening to our entire conversation.
“Okay, fine. I’ll do it.”
Tatiana lets out an excited squeal, her hands flying up to her mouth in disbelief. She leans toward me, arms wide as if to hug me, but then quickly realizes the seat belt is in the way. She stops abruptly, laughing at herself, her hands still reaching for me like she can’t quite contain her excitement.
“This is going to be so fun. I can’t wait to see the look of Faina’s face when she sees you tomorrow.”
I laugh awkwardly, pushing away the sinking feeling in my stomach.
It’s only for a week. I tell my self. What could possibly go wrong?