“You good, Francine?” Krystal, one of the early morning groomers stooped to retrieve a brush I dropped before I had the chance to look around for it. She stood up and offered to hand it over.
“Yeah. Just tired....thanks.” I mumbled, not even bothering to take it back. I grabbed another one from my drawer and began gingerly brushing out knots in my Yorkshire terrier client, Lolly.
“If you say so. I’m here if you wanna talk, girl.” Krystal nodded at me, and stashed the brush next to my station before disappearing behind the heavy plastic doors to get
I felt bad rushing Liza through our dinner rendezvous, but I made up for it by filling her in on what went down with Vasha.“Sooo....she got drunk and fought some random stranger at a bar? Three days after your fight?” She cocked a fair brow and folded her hands neatly on the table. When I didn’t say anything, she continued, “and now, she’s asking you to call her for the details? I don’t know, Ceen....she sounds like a handful. Already. You haven’t even met her yet!"Of course I knew how this looked. Vasha was fun....she knew her way around a great joke, and her taste in music was impeccable. It’s what made us friends, but that’s not why I fell in love with her. She was broken. Broken people gravitate toward me and had all my life. I’d learned more about her over the last month than in the little over half a year we’d been acquainted. I didn’t want to share Vasha’s secrets w
The day of the meeting, twenty seven days laterI’d been waiting at Sky Harbor Airport for over an hour on an empty stomach. Charlotte offered to toast me a bagel before I left, but I was in such a hurry I didn't take her up on it. Which was probably for the best, because I have a hard time eating when I'm wracked with nerves like this. Although Vasha’s flight wasn’t due for another ten minutes or so, my anxiety had gotten the better of me. I wanted to be here early just in case. Flying really is unpredictable, after all. The few times I've flown taught me to be prepared for extended layovers and quicker take off times. I didn't want to take any chances with my girlfriend, especially since she was flying internationally.After glancing at my watch another fifty times, I paced around Vasha’s terminal and observed the masses bustling about, stressed. My heart went out to a middle aged bu
The second my bedroom door was closed, Vasha had me pinned against it. Her eyes brimmed with feverish craving as they slowly undressed me, making my heart pound so hard I could feel it's vibration in my ears. "My bunny..." She leaned forward and whispered against my lips, only mere inches away but not actually touching them. I whined with need, squirming in place as Vasha continued to hold my wrists up firmly."Kiss me, Vasilisa...please!" I tried to strain my neck forward, but she'd back away with a sly grin."Inpatient little girl. Maybe I just want to admire my dessert before I taste it.""You've already tasted me!" I protested, hopping a little in place while Vasha smirked. I puckered my lips, and she moved her head a little to the side playfully. We played this game a few more times before I was practically crying from the frustration. Sensing I was at my wits end, Vasha f
I needed some air.With a racing heart, I quietly grabbed my black Twenty One Pilots hoodie and candy apple red converse sneakers before hastily shrugging into everything and quietly leaving the apartment.I tried to focus on the leaves crunching under my feet as I briskly walked around outside, wandering aimlessly. I thanked God for the crisp, cool air and concentrated on inhaling.1....2.....What did Olya mean...she missed Vasha. What was really going on between them? As much as I wanted to believe the message was just a huge misunderstanding, my gut instinct wouldn’t let me.3...4...I broke into a sprint, running until I felt my lungs would burst. I had to let go of this anxiety, otherwise I might smash Vasha’s phone.You shouldn’t have looked at it....I scolded myself sourly. It’s probably nothing.....But what if it isn’t?I wracke
Since Vasha made it crystal clear she wanted to cover everything for the remainder of her vacation, I decided to be sneaky and Uber us all over Phoenix. Waiting on the bus worked out great when I needed to get to and from PetSmart, but not so much while I only had a limited time frame to spend with Vasilisa.“How you guys doin’?” Our Uber driver, Jerome, greeted us with some Smooth Jazz as we slid in the back of his Silver 2018 Camry. I wasn’t much for cars, but I knew Vasha would be impressed. She fingered the all black leather interior in awe and whistled low. Her love for several ton vehicles interested me, because she was so passionate about them.“No complaints! Hope your nights’ going well.” I acknowledged him and we were on our way.“Music ok?” He asked over his shoulder and I nodded.“Yeah, nothing beats good Jazz.”I reminisced the past for a second, thinking about mine and
With everything taken care of as far as Vasha’s currency exchange and a few impromptu snack runs, we spent the next couple of days together in bed. Sex had always been a feverish event for me in the past. Tearing clothes off and smashing our bodies together in the heat of passion. Once it was over, I’d quickly recover and leave awkwardly. Especially when I was still screwing around with Katie. I just didn’t associate sex with anything special, because I’d never felt that deep connection with anyone before.Until now. It wasn’t that way with Vasha at all. I wanted to take my time and explore her every sensitive nerve ending with slow, deliberate attention. My nose craved her natural scent. My lips longed to be pressed against her’s. My mouth watered for her sweetness, that irresistibly sticky honey. I couldn’t even call our intimacy sex. It was gradual and affectionate, like over filling a glass of ice
Lunch was beyond awkward.After Liza and I came back inside, Vasha refused to make eye contact with me as she quietly ate. Char tried keeping everyone’s spirits up by sharing a funny anecdote from work, but since my girlfriend couldn't understand it I was stuck translating. Have you ever tried talking with someone who didn't seem to want anything to do with you in the moment? You say something, they don't even acknowledge it? That's what was happening here, and it crushed me. Finally, I deflated completely and looked down at my lap blinking back tears. “Hey girl, are you ok?”Charlotte touched my arm supportively and tried to look me in the eye. I hate crying, especially in front of other people. My dad called it weak, and that was the last thing I wanted to be as a child. This resulted with me carrying on in private whenever possible. I swallowed the painful lump in my throat and nodded, afraid that if I spoke a tsunami of tears would break f
As curious as everyone had been, I couldn’t bring myself to speak about the falling out with Liza. We tried to get back into the normal groove of the evening but I felt too uncomfortable after what happened and spaced out during conversation. After some time passed, Livvy whisked Charlotte off to a friend’s house party and Vasha mercifully lead me to come to bed with her."Detka?" She touched my wet face as I started weeping. "I hate it when you cry..." The lump in my throat made it impossible to speak, so I just laid in the crook of her arm until sleep eventually took me from my thoughts.The next morning, I snuck out of bed before anyone else was up and disappeared into the bathroom.Maybe I’ll feel better after a hot shower I mused to myself, shuffling my Russian playlist on Spotify. “Compromise” by Bi-2 started playing. Fitting, since my whole damn life felt like one giant compromise. Trading in my best friend to protec