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The room is large and spacious with a tall ceiling with moldings and large windows that offer a view over the green square and old buildings outside.
Antique furniture, wooden panels, and paintings lend the space a fancy yet cozy atmosphere, while the heavy mahogany desk exudes prestige and power. I can easily imagine Grigory in the tall leather executive chair like a king on a throne.
I’m definitely not going to sit in that chair, but the two recliners in front of the desk look very inviting. Really, the whole room does with its carpeted floor and warm colors. Although a bit intimidating too.
“Make yourself comfortable,” Grigory says.
“Do you ever get a chance to use this place?” I ask as my eyes roam over the tall bookshelves and the long couch at the side. If not for the desk, this might as well be a living room meant for long hours of reading and relaxing.
“Several hours a day. Well, that’s when I’m not in Denmark.” Grigory smiles as he places a brown paper bag on the desk, releasing the scent of oriental spices into the room as he opens it. He insisted on getting Indian food for me on the way since I barely ate before we left. And I must say my appetite is slowly starting to return as I inhale the warm scent and imagine myself spending a few hours in here.
“I thought you spent most of your time in rehearsals and preparing for them.”
“Rehearsals are only half of it. A lot of administrative responsibilities come with the job.” He picks up a stack of papers and releases it back onto the surface. “Like budgets.” He shakes his head and pulls his mouth out in a wry expression as he starts unpacking the food. “This organization is a mess, so I spend more time administrating than conducting these days.”
“I thought you liked it here?”
Grigory rounds the desk to lean back against it, waving his large fingers in anapproachgesture.
I step closer and sink into him as he opens his arms for me.
“I do,” he says, cupping the back of my head in his warm hand. “A good challenge keeps me on my toes. And challenges aren’t easy to come by with my age and experience. So this is the perfect place for me, really.” He tips my chin up, his eyes shimmering with something warm as he looks down at me. “And now, you’re here too.”
A smile tugs at my lips for the first time today as I gaze up at him, and the jittery unease fades a little more.
“Will you be okay here for a few hours?” He brushes the back of his fingers over my cheek as concern knits his thick brows together.
“Yeah,” I say, and I do think I will despite my frazzled state. Being here in his office makes me feel close to him and it’s much easier to cope with the idea of him leaving.
“Good.” With a kiss to my head, he pushes off the desk and walks past me. Thinking he’s about to leave, I turn as my stomach twists.
So much for feeling better…
But I’m relieved to find that he has only gone to hang his coat in the closet, and I quickly forget about it when I see the instrument against the wall. It’s an upright piano—a shiny, black one of the expensive-looking kind.
“You even have a piano here?”
“Of course.” Grigory dumps something on the couch. “You’re welcome to play. It’s a great instrument.”
My fingers jitter with the urge to try it out, but my attention has caught on the items on the couch. A pillow and a blanket.
“Do you sleep in here too?”
“Sometimes,” he replies without batting an eye.
“Oh.” I do remember him once telling me he’d slept a few hours in his office after a performance so he could catch an early plane back to me. But seeing the evidence takes me aback like everything else here does. I’m not sure why I’m surprised by the fancy, well-equipped office. Maybe it’s that I’ve never seen anything of Grigory’s before—besides whatever items he packs in his suitcase. I haven’t even seen his place even though he lives a short car ride from here.
“Get something to eat and take a nap if you need it. I’ll try to make it back during intermission, but I can’t promise anything.”
“Thank you,” I say, glancing around at everything with wide eyes. The Indian food on his desk, the couch ready to be slept on, and this comfy space that has Grigory written all over it. But most of all,him.This gruff yet gentle man who goes out of his way to make me comfortable even when it seems an all but impossible task.
Grigory fixes me with an intent stare as he closes the distance and places his hands on my arms. “You’re very important to me,devochka.”
I can’t find the words. I can’t find anything but overwhelming gratitude and the burning desire to belong to this man, body and soul.
***
After Grigory has left, I take a seat in one of the recliners in front of the desk and gobble up a healthy portion of chicken tikka masala. It’s the first time in days I manage to get a whole meal down. It just hasn’t been possible at Markus’s place, where the echo of our crumbling relationship hangs thick in the air.
