AllFreeNovel
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“I like that car. And I didn’t want to deal with going to a car dealership.”
“The dynamics between you two are really strange,” she says.
“Yeah, you could say that. I often wonder how come I haven’t strangled him yet. He nags me all the time, can’t cook worth shit, and leaves his stuff all over my place.” I shrug. “He did save my life a couple of times while we worked together, but he’s losing those points rapidly.”
“A couple of times? What were you two working on when he saved your life more than once?”
Oh, we are so not going there. I stand up from the table and whistle for Mimi. “Want to stretch your legs? I have to walk Mimi before I go to work.”
She watches me for a couple of moments, then nods. “Okay.”
“But no running away this time, Angelina.”
She just smiles.
* * *
I throw the stick for Mimi to chase and turn around to find Angelina sprawled on the grass behind me, eyes shut and her face tilted to the sky.
“I feel like I’ve run a mile,” she says.
“Tired?”
“A bit. My legs are shaking.”
“Starving oneself can do that to a person.” I sit down on the grass next to her, lean back on my elbows and look at the setting sun on the horizon. “You still don’t want to tell me why you did it?”
“Nope.”
“Then I guess you’ll be staying with us.”
“Not really. I need a few days to gather more strength, then I’ll try running away again.”
“Thanks for the heads up.” I laugh.
She tilts her head to the side and looks at me with hooded eyes “Or you could just let me go?”
“Not happening. Sorry.”
“Why?”
“I’m rather amused with having you here. Especially your fruitless escape attempts.” I meet her gaze, reaching out with my hand to grab behind her neck, and lean to whisper in her ear, “And I haven’t been amused for a very long time.”
Angelina’s already big, dark eyes grow impossibly round, and I wonder what she’d do if she knew the kind of thoughts running through my mind at this moment. Her. Naked. Pressed under my body as I pound into her with all my might.
I move my gaze from her eyes to the side of her chin. There is no yellowish tint there anymore. The bruise has disappeared,leaving soft healed skin. It doesn’t matter, because I still remember how it looked. Someone had hit her before she came to me, and for it to leave the bruise that size, it had to be a very strong punch. Undoubtedly, it was a male who’d hit her. The familiar feeling of burning starts forming at the pit of my stomach, then spreads to my chest. My vision dims. Mimi starts barking somewhere behind me but the sound seems muted.
“Sergei.”
It feels like I’m in a tunnel, isolated from the rest of the world. My vision dims even more. I can see Angelina’s face in front of mine, she’s saying something and the look in her eyes seems worried. I blink, hoping to clear my head. It works sometimes. Not now.
“Sergei!”
I feel small hands grab at my face, squeezing lightly. My hand is still at the back of Angelina’s neck. I move it until I feel her pulse under my fingers, then press on it, focusing on the rhythm of her heartbeat.
“Are you okay? Sergei!”
My vision clears a little and Angelina’s face comes back into focus. The feeling of isolation dissipates.
