Ava
Tonight has been perfect-almost too perfect. I’ve always believed that nothing could ever be this flawless, at least not without a price and I was right. Because just as the evening was winding down and we were heading home, the car broke down.
Apparently the price of a good evening is a stranded night in the middle of Chicago wearing heels that are pretty close to starnggling my feet.
I glance over at my husband who is on the phone with the mechanic, his jaw tight and his free hand running through his hair in frustration.
That can’t be a good sign.
“How long did he say it’ll take for him to get here” I ask Nikolai when he returns to my side on the pavement. He lets out a breath, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as his gaze meets mine.
“At least an hour,” he replies, his tone rough. He drops his hand from his neck shoving it into the pockets of his pants, “We’re going to have to call an Uber”
I thought as much.
If my legs weren’t killing me I would’ve felt some sense of relief that the car decided to breakdown only a few blocks away from the house. But with the heels I had foolishly insisted on wearing threatening to end my legs and the current chill trying to creep through my dress, the idea of walking even a few feet feels torturous.
Tonight was going so well why did this have to happen?
My gaze flickers back to Nikolai, who is now scrolling through his phone with a look that tells me that the evening is about to get worse.
“Don’t tell me” I groan, titling my head back against the wall.
He sighs, putting his phone down as he meets my gaze again. “The Uber surge is ridiculous,” he tells me with a grimace. “We’ll be waiting all night if we decide to wait for one.”
At this point, it’s hard for me not to think that some divine force is trying to ruin what’s left of the evening. it was probably punishing me for letting myself get swept away by the man who wants to murder my father.
I lean back fully against the wall behind me, frustration bubbling up my throat. Tonight was supposed to be easy, just Nikolai and I enjoying each other’s company, or at least pretending to.
I had left the house earlier with every notion that tonight might not turn out as great or as grand as I had built up in my head but Nikolai proved me wrong from the moment I stepped down the stairs.
He had taken me to my favourite restaurant, danced with me beneath the stars and kissed me, (well my forehead. Real kisses usually happened after the amazing first dates which is exactly what this was. An amazing first date) Nikolai had done all the things I never imagined he was capable of doing and he had done it just for me.
He had done everything and more to make tonight perfect for me and even went as far as asking my best friend for advice which is something I never would’ve imagined he’d do.
‘I want you’
His words from earlier resurface in my mind, clear as day. Usually, when Nikolai tells me he wants me I can always tell what he means. But tonight, when he said it, it felt… different. it felt like something more and it made my heart ring when how easily the words had left his lips. If I’m being honest it terrified me how easily I’d given into his request for one night of pretence and worse of all it scared me how unafraid I was when I looked into his eyes and found him looking at me so intently it felt like he was staring right into my soul.
“Maybe we should just walk,” I suggest, more to pull myself out from my spiraling thoughts than anything else.
Nikolai looks at me like I can’t possibly be serious but I am. Dead serious in fact. I’m tired and my feet are sorer than a boxer’s fist after a ten round fight. So the sooner we get home the sooner I can get out of these shoes and the biting cold and get into something warm and comfortable. “The estate is only a few blocks away by leg and we’ll be home in ten minutes if we start now,”
I push off the wall and I’m guessing the divine entity I mentioned earlier isn’t quite done with me. My legs give out from under me and I stumble, my ankle twisting awkwardly to the side. Nikolai is there in an instant, catching me before I can hit the ground. His hands grip my shoulders, steadying me, his touch firm, searing. it burns into my skin, keeping me upright and for a fleeting moment I forget about the sharp ache burning my feet.
“Khristos, Solnyshko” He curses, gripping me tightly then releasing me when he’s sure I can stand on my own. I hate the fact that I miss his touch almost immediately it’s gone but I do a good job at hiding it. (Christ, Sunshine)
I try to balance on my shaky legs but the sharp pain radiating from my ankle makes it impossible.
“Fuck” I bite down on my bottom lip the pain barely muffled as the pain radiates through out my senses.
“Are you okay?” Nikolai asks on seeing my discomfort. I shake my head and let out a shaky laugh.
“I think I broke my ankle” I say, glancing down at the throbbing limb and wincing.
He steps closer, his movements deliberate, and crouches in front of me. “Let me see,”
Niko drops down on one knee in front of me and hoists my foot up on his thigh, right there in the middle of the street.
Heat instantly floods my face and I drop my hand to his shoulder, steadying myself. “What are you doing?” I say, so shocked by the action I try to pull my leg away.
Nikolai doesn’t let me, of course, and insteads sends me a look so sharp, immediately seizing all efforts I make to pull my leg away.
“I’m trying to see if you have a broken ankle”
He unwinds the straps of my heels with alarming efficiency, cradling my foot in his hand as he examines the swelling.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were in pain?” he asks, lifting his head to look at me and I bite down on my bottom lip.
If my husband notices the blood rushing to my cheeks in silent mortification, he doesn’t say anything.
“It’s not that bad,” I start to say, “Besides it’s heels. Every woman knows to expect the discomfort that comes with a good pair of heels”
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” he states bluntly and I don’t know if should feel offended by his words. I bite down on my lower lip as he examines my leg, his fingers skimming over the back of my calf before he takes my foot.
From this point he’s nothing but dark locks, a tailored suit over a pair of perfectly broad shoulders, and veined, capable hands that work my ankles.
“Does this hurt?” Nikolai asks gently as he digs his fingers into the heel of my foot. I wince nodding my head.
“Luckily I don’t think it’s broken but you’re going to have to keep your weight off it for a while”
Nikolai gently presses his fingers around the swollen area in an attempt to ease the pain. A very good one I might add. An embarrassing moan slips from my throat and when Nikolai lifts his gaze to meet mine, a smug smile tilting his lips, I feel like I’m about to fall.
“Does that feel okay?” he asks and I nod again unable to form words because every part of me is trying to endure the pain.
He applies pressure kneading my ankle as his expert fingers work their way from the instep of my foot to the arch and then back again.
He presses down on the exact spot where it hurts and I wince fisting the fabric of his shirt on his shoulders.
“Where did you learn to do that?” I ask, trying to keep my voice even as his fingers skim past my swollen skin.
Nikolai tilts his head to look at me once more, a self satisfied gleam in his eyes.
“You learn a lot about the human body when you’re in a business like mine” is his simple reply as he drops my foot carefully to the ground and lifts the other one, doing the same until the pain is nothing but a dull ache.
“Better?” He asks, his voice low and full of quiet satisfaction as he looks up at me, still kneeling.
I nod, my throat now dry and unable to form words. How could I, when my entire body feels like it’s been set aflame under his careful attention.
He rises to his feet with ease, shoulders mirroring the movement and rolling back. My husband towers over me, like the fucking eitfle tower over Paris, his presence both domineering and a welcome knowledge.
“What are we going to do about my shoes” I say pointing at the pair of strappy heels now in my husband’s hands. He’s holding them by the pointy end and dangling them with a casual carelessness that makes me smile a little despite myself.
Nikolai looks down at the pair of black slingbacks in his hand and then at me. “I’ll get you a new pair tomorrow, something more comfortable to walk in for next time.”
“You don’t have to” I say, then start to reach for the heels but he pulls it away right before I can touch it.
“Of course, I do. You are my wife Solnyshko. It’s my job to make sure that you’re comfortable. Even when you don’t want me to notice”
He’s been saying things like that a lot tonight and I honestly don’t think I hate it enough to tell him to stop.
“Fine,” I say “But how are we going to get home now?” I can barely stand, let alone walk in my condition.
“I’ll carry you,”
I lift a brow, disbelief clouding my features “You want to carry me to the house.”
He nods.
“You can’t be serious” I mutter, half laughing. The sheer audacity of this man to think he can carry me six blocks is outstanding.
“You don’t think I can do it?”
Oh I know he can. I’ve lived with Nikolai long enough to know that those muscles he has going on for him aren’t just for show.
“That’s not the point” I say, crossing my hand across my chest as I tilt my head at him, “I just don’t think it’s wise for you to…”
The words are barely out of my lips before the world tilts. Nikolai bends, tucking his arm under my knee and scoops me up in his arms with one fluid motion as if I weighed nothing more than a feather.
“Nikolai!” I hiss, my voice a mix of embarrassment and surprise. “This is highly unnecessary. ” I squeal, “Put me down this instant”
“No”
I scrunch my brows, “What do you mean no? I’m telling you to put me down”
He doesn’t and proceeds to walk down the sidewalk.
“Why are you being so… so stubborn”
His gaze meets mine, lifting a brow, “I am being stubborn? I am not the one refusing help despite having worn a pair of heels that nearly amputated her foot”
I roll my eyes, wrapping my arms around his neck, “It didn’t nearly amputate my foot” I say defensively.
“Of course it didn’t” Nikolai smirks then adjusts his grip around my waist.
I glare at him but the heat creeping up my face says a different story. “You’re impossible you know that?”
He shrugs, “Don’t forget charming, handsome and a man who knows how to make his wife scream”
I really, really hate that he’s joking right now and yet my stupid heart skips a beat.
“People are definitely staring,” I mutter, glancing around as we pass by a couple who do a double take at us. What happened to good old fashioned passing and ignoring?
“Why is that such a problem for you?”
It’s not that it’s a problem for me, I start to say then stop because I know I would be lying.
Something about having everyone’s attention solely focused on me has always made me uneasy, even as a child. My mother used to call me her low maintenance child because while my older brother thrived on attention, I didn’t. I preferred staying in the background, where it was safe and quiet than being in the spotlight
With Nikolai, however, I’m quickly learning that there is no background only green spotlights that never seem to stray when I’m near.
Nikolai tilts his head, his expression curious but not mocking. “You do not like the attention” he says, not as a question but a fact.
“Not really,” I admit honestly.
“Why?”
I give him a pointed look, “How would you like to be carried about like a sack of potatoes while everybody else stared at you.”
Nikolai laughs. The sound rumbling from his chest through me. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him laugh in a way that wasn’t a chuckle. it sounds… nice.
“This isn’t funny” I say but the corner of my mouth twitches.
“No it certainly is not”.
I let my head fall into his chest, allowing the steady beating of his heart to lull me into a false sense of security.
“Am I heavy?” I ask after a while. We’re almost home now, just one more block.
Nikolai shakes his head and adjusts his grip on me, cradling me closer, “You’re not heavy,” Nikolai murmurs, his voice low and soothing. “You feel perfect in my arms just like this.”
Oh.
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words.” I say, pulling back just enough to look at him
The corner of his mouth curves slightly and he looks down at me with that same sparkle I saw twinkling in his eyes when we danced.
“I believe you’re the first, Solnyshko”
I stay quiet the rest of the way home, allowing the sound of Nikolai’s heartbeat to soothe me until we reach the gate.