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Vice was so much older, so much more mature, so much more experienced. I didn’t want to think about him with other women, but I knew he had been with a lot. Dozens probably. Maybe hundreds.
He was handsome enough. And he was so masculine and protective. Women probably swooned at his feet. He made my heart flutter.
I knew my crush was unrealistic. He may have kissed me but we were in close quarters. It didn’t necessarily mean anything.
It didn’t mean that he loved me.
The steam from the hot water made the hair around my temples curl as I waited for the bath to fill. It was a huge soaking tub with a window overlooking the woods outside. I had used it more than once after a hard day’s training. I poured a splash of the scented bath salts Vice had bought me with the other toiletries he had provided.
He had been very… thorough… I mused. Especially when it came to the lingerie department. I pulled out a pretty white nightgown and hung it on the back of the door before pulling off the jeans and black sweater I had been wearing.
I had no idea where Vice had gone shopping for me, but he had selected very classic pieces. Exactly the sort of thing I wore on the weekends and holidays at the convent, when I was free to read, sleep in, chat with my friends, and wander the grounds.
I often found myself visiting the barn, and petting the animals there. My favorite time of year was when the babies were born in the spring. The sweet little lambs would come running when they saw a visitor had come, hoping we had brought a treat. I patted their softness and laughed when they tickled my palm when I brought them slices of apple or something grabbed from the always open snack bar, full of healthy treats, bottled spring water, teas, and coffee for those up late studying.
I was a bit of a night owl, truth be told.
I turned off the water and shimmied out of my panties. I put one foot in the almost-too-hot water and sighed, perching on the rolled edge of the rub to slowly slide in.
The water enveloped my skin, warming and calming me. I sighed, letting my mind wander. Maybe… maybe, everything would actually be okay. Maybe with the help of my cousins, I could actually escape the nightmare I had walked into a few months ago, when my father abruptly yanked me out of school.
Technically I had graduated. But I had never really thought about leaving the school. There were stories of girls who never left. Several of the teachers and a few of the nuns fell into that category.
Not that I wanted to become a nun or a teacher. I didn’t have any burning desire to do either. I hadn’t made plans for my future, but I knew that much. And I did not want to live in Switzerland forever.
But I was finding the United States very strange. Even Russia was strange to me now. I had not expected to feel comfortable here after my crash landing. I certainly had not expected to meet someone who made me safe and excited at the same time.
More than that.
Vice made me feel hopeful.
I knew he had vowed to protect me, but what if I was safe? What if I was free to start my life? I could go to college. Get an apartment. Take dance class. Go to museums. The theater. Travel. I could do a thousand things.
A million. The possibilities were truly endless.
The crazy part was? It sounded very lonely to me. I might make friends eventually, as I had at school. But I was shy by nature. And when I pictured doing those things, I imagined Vice with me.
Vice picking me up from a college campus… waiting for me during dance class… Vice holding me close at night and making coffee in the morning…
I bit my lip and sunk deeper into the bubbles. It was the perfect metaphor. I was in deep. To say I was in over my head when it came to Vice was an understatement.
Dare I tell him? Dare I tell him that I had fallen in love with him? It might be the last thing he wanted.
He might think I was just a silly little girl and be glad to be rid of me.
I stepped out of the bath and dried myself absentmindedly. I was still damp as I slipped into my white cotton lawn nightie. I combed my wet hair and let it lay over my back.
I was a little bit hungry, I realized. Maybe I could make myself some hot chocolate… I thought as I padded downstairs in my bare feet. I didn’t see Vice as I walked into the kitchen and fished through the refrigerator for the milk. He was right, we had left a lot of stuff when we went to the meetup. There was plenty for hot cocoa and our coffee in the morning.
