Love and Pirouettes - by audrey

[Annaya]

.

[audrey]

Chapter 1

It was a late Thursday night in a small, cosy Italian restaurant in Melbourne. Marat Safin was having a celebratory dinner with a small group of friends at the far end of the room. He was in a really good mood – he was healthy, had no injuries and he just won the third round of the Australian Open against Andy Roddick. It was a good start to the year. However, Marat thought it was a little too early to be celebrating. He needed to remain focused as he still had the semi finals to overcome if he wanted to play in the finals and reclaim this grand slam he once conquered a few years ago. But his coach, Hernan Gumy, insisted they go out tonight. “Come on, you’ve been working really hard.” Hernan pointed out. “Let’s just go out, have some dinner and a drink or two. Tomorrow, we train again, but tonight, let’s celebrate this small victory.” Finally, Marat relented on the condition they ate somewhere low key.

“You played a really good match tonight,” said Marat’s friend, Denis who had joined Marat in Melbourne to offer his support. Hernan and his other friend, Dmitry, agreed.
“Yeah, whatever,” replied Marat, non-chalant. “I don’t want to talk about tennis anymore.” After 11 years on the tennis circuit, Marat was at a stage in his life where he was considering retirement and tennis was the last thing he wanted to discuss once he was off the court.
“Alright, make yourself useful then and get us another round of vodka shots,” demanded Dmitry. Marat gave him a friendly shove before walking up to the bar to order more drinks.

Meanwhile at a table on the other side of the room, another group of friends were also celebrating. They’d come from Sydney to celebrate Sophia’s birthday and watch the Australian Open. To finish off the evening, they ended up at this restaurant for a late night meal and more drinks.
“I really don’t think I should be drinking anymore,” Sophia said as she finished another glass of mojito that she had reluctantly accepted from Jessie. “I’m pretty drunk.” Nicola, Anna and Jessie protested, insisting that a birthday wasn’t a birthday until you you have drunk yourself silly.
“Fine, I’ll buy the round this time,” Sophia declared, getting up from the table. As she made her way to the bar, she managed to trip over herself, trip over a chair and drop her wallet. She bent down to pick it up.

Marat was standing at the bar thinking he really shouldn’t be drinking anymore and decided this second shot would be the last one for the night before he went to bed. “At least I’ll be able to have a good night’s sleep,” he said to himself. His train of thought was interrupted when he felt a presence nearby and heard the sound of coins dropping on the floor. He looked down to his right and saw a magnificent mess of long, dark, curly hair collecting the money on the ground. Sophia stood up and smoothed down her little black dress and her hair, not realizing Marat watching her. She was petite with soft but striking features – a beautiful radiant face, big, brown, sparkling eyes that seemed to be dancing, perfect, pink, kissable lips. But it was her hair that stood out the most. A deep chestnut-colour, her lustrous and thick ringlets flowed all the way down to the middle of her back. Marat was taken aback by her beauty and couldn’t take his eyes away from this lovely creature. Sophia didn’t notice him though and proceeded to the bar as if she hadn’t missed a step. He felt the sudden urge to speak to her. Find out her name, who she was, anything just to hear her voice.
“Hi. Are you ok?” Marat asked, his lame attempt at conversation.
“Fine,” came her short and abrupt reply. She gave off a cold vibe which made him slightly uncomfortable but more intrigued to break down her guard. Sophia stood there waiting for her drinks, twirling a lock of curls absentmindedly, staring straight ahead. Marat tried to speak to her again. “Are you here celebrating?”
She sighed and turned to him slowly. “It’s my birthday,” she replied patiently, meeting his eyes with a steady gaze.
“Oh well, happy birthday,” he greeted her warmly. For a moment, he thought he saw a small smile escape her mouth. Their drinks came and Marat pulled out money from his wallet to pay for both rounds. “I’ll pay for whatever she’s getting,” he said to the bartender.
Sophia rolled her eyes. “Lame,” she muttered under her breath.
“Really, you don’t have to,” she told him.
“Please, I insist,” said Marat. “Consider it a birthday gift.”
“Thanks, but whatever. Your pick up lines suck.” Marat watched her return to her friends, stunned that he’d just been dismissed by a girl. He’d always been the one to brush them off. But now this one girl he actually liked was resisting him? It puzzled and amused him and made him even more determined to pursue her.

“Who was that guy you were talking to?” Anna asked Sophia when she sat back down.
“I don’t know, some guy.”

The next morning, Marat left his room at 7am for a quick breakfast in the hotel restaurant before going to training. Meanwhile, a few floors away, Sophia crept out of her hotel room and decided to head out for breakfast at a nearby café. Always, after a night of drinking, she tended to wake up very early the next day, much to the resistance of her body. The other girls were still asleep but she was hungry and needed a pick-me-up for her slight hangover.

While waiting for the elevator to arrive, she was looking at her reflection in the elevator doors, trying to fix her hair. She assessed her appearance and after a late night, she thought she scrubbed up at least half decent. The indicator bell rang and one of the doors opened.
“Wait, please,” Sophia asked, still trying to tie her hair up. She started walking towards the elevator in a hurry and stumbled on the carpet. She could see the doors slowly closing.
“Hold the door, please,” she yelled out. She stuck her hand out to prevent it from shutting and as she walked in, she half noticed a very tall and athletic guy in a pair of Adidas shorts, a thin, warm-up zipped jacket and sneakers, pressing the button to hold the door open for her. She didn’t know it was Marat Safin and stood with her back to him. But he noticed her straight away. He couldn’t believe his luck. The restaurant girl was staying in the same hotel as him! She looked even more beautiful fresh-faced and make up free with her hair messily tied up high in a bun. Again, he felt the need to make conversation with her.
“Good morning. I hope you’re feeling ok today,” he said to Sophia knowingly.
“Excuse me?” Sophia looked back at him, confused. She stared at his face blankly and he realised she didn’t have any recollection of their conversation from the night before.
The doors opened and all Marat wanted to do was get out of there to save himself from further embarrassment. “Nothing,” he replied, quickly. “I said I hope you have a good day today.” He stepped out and headed towards the restaurant. Sophia shook her head, walked the opposite direction out into the street, thinking what a strange man that was.

[audrey]

Chapter 2

Sophia and her friends arrived at Melbourne Park at 9.30am on the dot when it opened to check out who was practicing. Nicola and Jessie ran off together on a mission to find their favourite players out on the practice courts, preferably shirtless, leaving Sophia and Anna to entertain themselves. They walked around rather aimlessly, having no interest in tennis whatsoever. They were there at the insistence of Nicola and Jessie, their tennis obsessed friends who wanted to pass on their passion of the sport to them. Finally, they stopped at a practice court packed full of spectators. The crowd was moving and they got caught in the middle of it. Sophia tried to make her way out but the swarm of people were closing in on her and there was no escape.
“What’s all the fuss?” she yelled out to no one in particular. A tall, busty, blonde twenty-something looked at her aghast. “Only the hottest guy in the planet has just arrived to practice!” she squealed. With all the pushing and shoving, Sophia and Anna somehow ended up at the front of the pack, standing right behind the tennis player who was about to begin his practice.

Marat was not in the mood for his practice session and the mass of fans surrounding him was not helping. His practice partner was Dmitry Tursunov who was trying to cheer him up by telling him some stupid jokes. He was distracted by thoughts of the girl in the elevator. He’d been thinking about her all morning and the different ways he could impress her if he saw her again. He put his bag down on the ground and started stretching. As if his mind had summoned her, he saw her standing there on the edge of the short fence, leaning forward, looking rather bored. He thought about going up to her again but decided to take the less obvious approach in front of so many people. He walked to his bag and pretended to be searching for something just so he could get a closer look at her and hoped she would look at him. But just as he was doing so, he heard her say to her friend, “Come on, there’s no one here. Let’s go.” And she turned around without even one glance at the infatuated Marat.
“Who are you staring at?” Dmitry asked him quietly, following his gaze.
“What? No one. Come on, are you ready for some a$s whooping?”

A couple of days had passed and Marat hadn’t seen elevator girl again. He looked for her all over the hotel in the most casual manner to avoid looking suspicious. Every time he rode the lifts and the doors opened, he hoped she would appear and he would be able to speak to her again. But they never crossed paths and he worried that she had already checked out and he’d missed his opportunity to get to know this mysterious, beautiful woman. He didn't have much time left in Melbourne either. He lost in the semi finals and was ready to go home.

But on Sophia’s last night in Melbourne, she was walking through the hotel lobby on her own after a long day of shopping. Marat, who was coming from the pool, saw her thick, bouncy curls from the corner of his eye and knew it was her immediately. His heart started beating faster at the sight of her. He followed her as she headed towards the bar but hesitated when he saw his reflection through the glass doors. He looked a mess with his slightly wet, unkempt hair, an old white shirt and even older sweatpants. He wondered whether he should quickly change but thought better of it in case she disappeared again.

He found her sitting by the bar, sipping on a drink, reading a big, heavy book. He asked for some water and stood a few feet away from her. Standing in her presence made him nervous and excited. He kept warning himself not to do or say anything stupid.
“Big book,” he said to her. He shook his head and rolled his eyes. Stupid comment number one.
She looked at him sideways with apprehension. “Uh yeah.”
“I’ve seen you around here. Are you in Melbourne for long?”
"No.”
“So what book is that?” She sighed, slightly miffed at being interrupted by this stranger.
“It’s a biography about Rudolf Nureyev,” she answered.
“Aaah, the ballet guy,” Marat said, nodding as if he was some ballet expert. Sophia rolled her eyes unimpressed. Stupid comment number two. He tried again, thinking of something honest and real to say. She continued reading the book like he was invisible.
“So you really don’t remember me?”
She gave him a puzzled look. “Am I supposed to?”
“Yeah,” Marat said, getting frustrated by her indifference. “I spoke to you on your birthday at the restaurant and the next day on the elevator.” Sophia observed him for a moment and concluded that she could not recall either event.
“Well, you mustn’t have made a good impression because I don’t remember you.”
Marat had had enough. “Are you always this rude?” he asked annoyed.
“I’m not rude, I’m just cautious.” She was still looking at the book but Marat noticed her eyes were no longer moving but fixed to one spot. He sighed. Normally if girls were this hard to talk to, he would’ve moved on already. But her resistance was a challenge he wanted to conquer and he could tell that her tough exterior was breakable. All he needed was a little more perseverance.

“So do you like ballet?” Marat asked, changing the subject.
Sophia smiled at this question, finally putting the book down. “Yeah, I’m a ballet dancer.”
“Really?” He was shocked to hear this.
“Yes really!” Sophia said, defiantly.
“Sorry! I just thought ballet dancers were…” He was going to stop before he put his foot in it even further because he knew he was about to make stupid comment number three but it was too late. “Taller,” he finished with a mumble. Indeed, Sophia was a lot shorter than the average ballerina but what she lacked in height she made up for in performance and she was one of the principal dancers at the ballet company she worked for.
“What the h3ll is your problem?” she shouted. “First, you want to talk to me, then you accuse me of being rude and now you insult me even further by saying I’m short?” She stood up, gathered her things and stormed out of the bar. Just as she opened the door, Dmitry was coming in and she almost knocked him over. He saw her angry face then Marat’s pained expression and put two and two together.
“Hey, that girl was cute. Was that the one you’ve been looking for?” Dmitry asked his tortured friend. “She looked mad though. What did you do?”
“What makes you think I did something?” replied an exasperated Marat.
Dmitry kept silent but just looked at him reproachfully, waiting for him to admit his mistake. But Marat just cursed himself, groaned and returned to his hotel room to degrade himself some more for ruining his chance with elevator girl once again.


Chapter 3

Sophia and her friends were at the airport.
“I can’t believe you’re not coming home with us,” Nicola said, hugging Sophia.
“I’ll be back before you know it. I just need time to get away from it all.” Her friends nodded. They understood what she meant and she offered no more explanation.
“Well, have fun!” Anna said.
Sophia rolled her eyes and giggled. “How much fun do you think I will have staying with my grandmother?”
“You might be surprised.”
“I love my grandmother but I wouldn’t count on it.”
They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Soon after Sophia boarded her plane and settled herself in her seat. She pulled her book out from her bag and placed it on the empty seat next to her.
“Excuse me, miss,” the flight attendant leaned down, getting her attention. “Could you please place your handbag on the ground under the seat in front of you?”
Sophia complied and bent down to place her bag securely. She remembered she also had her ipod in there and started rummaging for it.

At the same time, Marat was getting on his plane with his coach, trainer, Dmitry and Denis. They had all been assigned seats next to each other except Marat. He was trying to swap with one of them but none of them wanted to sit with a stranger for 18 hours.
“Fine,” he grumbled, looking for his seat number. He stopped at E2, five rows from the front. He was about to sit down but saw that it was already occupied…by a book on Rudolf Nureyev. He knew who’s it was. He looked over at the owner and saw just her hair. He smiled at his stroke of luck. It was as if something was pulling him and elevator girl towards the same direction.

“Excuse me, your book is in my seat,” Marat mentioned politely. Sophia sat up, brushing her messy hair off her face and saw him standing over her, smiling his charming smile, his eyes shining from mischief. Sophia snatched her book and placed it on her lap. She pouted and crossed her arms and looked straight ahead, ignoring Marat as he sat down and buckled his seat belt. She couldn’t help noticing how good he smelt though.
“We’re going to have to get along if we’re going to be sitting together during such a long flight,” he pointed out.
“Why can’t we just ignore each other? I’d be more than happy to do that.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Her annoyance amused him and he was actually endeared by it. “Look, I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to insult you in any way. I just wanted a chance to talk to you and you made me nervous.” Sophia shook her head at him with a smile. “Can we start from the beginning?” he asked.
“Ok, sure. What are you doing here, following me?” she questioned him cheekily.
This time it was his turn to shake his head at her. He smiled but didn’t reply.

They’d been on a plane for a couple of hours and Marat was itching to talk to elevator girl. He’d been too scared to say anything else since their truce at the beginning of the flight that he just let her read her book in peace. She was now listening to her ipod so even if he wanted to talk, she wouldn’t be able to hear. A couple of times though their eyes had met and she was definitely responsive. At least she wasn’t so cold towards him anymore. His opportunity for another conversation came when she took off her headphones to eat her lunch.

“So how does a guy like you know who Rudolf Nureyev is anyway?” Sophia asked out of the blue.
Marat laughed. “What kind of guy is that?”
“You don’t look like a guy who’s into ballet.”
He laughed again and she liked the way it sounded.
“Everyone in my country knows who he is. Plus he’s a Tatar like me.”
Suddenly, Dmitry came past and saw who Marat was talking to. He found it incredible how Marat could one day be fighting with a girl then the next have them putty in his hands.
He looked at Sophia appreciatively and decided to have a friendly banter with his friend. “Hey, Denis is snoring too loudly. We can swap seats now if you want.”
“No Dima, I don’t want. I’m happy where I am.”
“I bet you are. Hello, my name’s Dmitry.” He smiled at Sophia who smiled back politely.
“Hi,” she replied.
“You on your way to Valencia for a vacation?”
“Something like that. It’s my first time there since I was a kid but I’m only staying for a week.”
“Do you need a tour guide?” Marat nudged Dima to shut up.
“What?” Dmitry asked him. “I’m just saying, if you do, this guy can help. He moved there when he was 14 and he knows the best places.” He walked away, giving Marat a friendly slap on the shoulder. Sophia suppressed a smile as Marat gave her an apologetic shrug.

“What are you doing in Valencia?” Sophia inquired when they were alone again.
“I’m training there,” he said, amused by her cluelessness.
“Training for what?”
“Tennis. I play tennis.”
“Professional?” She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
“Yes,” he said deciding to formally introduce himself. “I’m Marat. Marat Safin.” Her face remained vacant when he said his name and he was slightly disappointed that his name was unfamiliar to her.
“I’m sorry,” she apologised sincerely, sensing that she had insulted him by not knowing who he was. “Don’t take it personal. I’m not much of a tennis fan and I don’t know any players.” She looked at him cheekily and added, “Well except for you know, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.” It was the first time Marat had seen her really smile and it made his heart skip a beat.
“Just a little payback from yesterday. I’m Sophia by the way.” Marat stuck out his hand and Sophia felt a warm sensation take over her body when she took it into hers.

It was very early in the morning and they were nearing their destination. Marat was woken up by the breakfast trolley that wheeled past him and an unusual heaviness weighing down his right shoulder. He looked down and saw it was Sophia’s head resting peacefully upon him in her slumber. Her scent was delicious and he inhaled it ever so slightly. She smelt like cotton candy, chocolate and fruity bubble gum all rolled into one. He was happy to stay that way but didn’t think it was right so he shook her gently to awaken her. Sophia stirred and realising what position she was in, she quickly sat upright, a little embarrassed.
“Good morning,” Marat said quietly with a smile. Sophia smiled back sleepily and upon opening her eyes, as if the new day had brought on a new light, she suddenly saw Marat as everybody else saw him – a beautiful, sexy, specimen of a man. She felt the sudden urge to run her fingers through his short curly hair, get lost in his smiling hazel eyes and lovingly touch his strong, handsome face. Why hadn’t she noticed this before? Not that she was going to act upon this revelation. She knew why she’d been so oblivious. It’s too soon, she thought. Suddenly conscious about her hair, she tried to smooth it down with her hands.
“Sorry about that. I tend to sleep soundly wherever I am and end up leaning on whoever I’m sitting next to.” He nodded his head in understanding.
She stood up to go to the bathroom to freshen up but just as he made room for her to pass him, there was a small turbulence that caused her to stumble. She was about to fall on to his lap but Marat caught her in time. His hands had landed firmly around her waist and their faces were almost touching. They were frozen and the look on their faces revealed the attraction they had for each other. Sophia tried to conceal hers by pulling away. But Marat was less discreet, holding her tighter and keeping his eyes fixed on hers.
“You can let go now.”
“Are you sure?” He breathed in heavily. Her scent was driving him crazy.
“Yes. I have to go to the bathroom.” With one last look, he released Sophia who practically ran to the toilets. Once there, she had to take deep breaths and compose herself. She wasn’t expecting this. She didn’t think it was right. She took comfort in the fact that they would soon be heading their separate ways and she’d never have to see him again.


Chapter 4

Marat was running out of time. The plane had landed and his opportunity to continue talking to Sophia was passing. After the turbulence incident, things became awkward between them. There were no more words spoken and Sophia made sure there was no more physical contact between them. Their arms did brush against each other once and it sent tingles down her spine. The rest of the flight was filled with tension. She couldn’t wait to get out of there.

Now they were at the baggage claims area. Their bags came almost at the same time and Marat even helped her lift her luggage off the carousel. She thanked him quickly and walked outside to wait for her ride, wanting to avoid him. But Marat split from his friends and followed her. He wanted to ask for her number without sounding cheesy but all of a sudden, he had no courage to speak up. Sophia was about to walk out of his life for good and the only thing he could muster was a measly “Good bye” as he walked past her. Misery sunk in as he spotted his sister Dinara’s car pulling up to the kerb. He sighed and was about to walk over to the car when he heard Sophia’s voice.
“Damn it!”
“Are you ok?” he asked, approaching her.
“It’s fine. My uncle was meant to pick me up but I just got a text message to say he can’t make it anymore.” Sophia looked around helplessly at the cars driving past, hoping to be related to someone in one of them who would recognise her and drive her to her grandmother’s house. “I guess I’ll just have to catch a taxi.” She didn’t feel comfortable about this as her Spanish was atrocious.
“Where do you need to go?” He could see another window of opportunity opening up for him. She showed him the address but it wasn’t necessary. He’d already made up his mind that he and his sister would drive Sophia wherever she needed to go just to be close to her a little while longer.
“Are you sure your sister won’t mind?” she asked Marat when he offered her a lift.
“She won’t mind,” he replied. “She loves doing favours for me.” Sophia looked at him hesitantly as he gave her a smile that made her weak in the knees. She couldn’t say no to that and taking his offer would mean being saved from having to converse in a language so unfamiliar to her. She suddenly found herself being lead into the car.
“Hi, I’m Dinara! Welcome to Valencia!” Marat’s sister greeted her happily.
“Thanks!”
“This address is very close to the tennis club where we practice.”
“Oh good. I’m glad it’s not too out of the way for you.”
“Not at all. My brother can practically walk there from where we are when he goes to take you out.” Marat coughed loudly and deliberately to drown out Dinara’s voice but Sophia heard every word. She had to laugh. “He won’t be taking me out,” she explained.
“Oh,” Dinara said, looking disappointed. “Why not?”
Sophia couldn’t reply because she had no answer. Indeed, why not?

While they were in the car, Sophia kept silent during most of the trip, preferring to look out at the sights instead. Besides, she could hear Marat and Dinara talking in a mixture of Russian and Spanish and couldn’t really contribute to their conversation. She wished she could be one of those people who could easily learn another language. “Can you speak Spanish?” Dinara inquired.
“No. I really should learn.” She’d lived in Australia all her life and she had always spoken to her parents in English since she was young. Marat then whispered something in Spanish and she saw Dinara look and smile at her through the rearview mirror and she knew they were talking about her.
“Si,” Dinara said. “Ella es hermosa y agradable.” #
“Si, si,” Marat agreed. “Pienso que me gusta ella.” ## Sophia shifted uncomfortably in her seat and continued to look out the window in silence.

They eventually arrived at Sophia’s grandmother’s house. She lived on a beautiful, old Spanish villa, situated on a large block of land. Marat opened the door and helped her get out the car. He again felt nervous standing so close to her, making it hard for him to speak. “Thanks again for the ride,” Sophia said.
“That’s ok. So I guess I’ll see you around.”
She gave him a small smile before disappearing into the house. “Yeah, maybe.”
Marat got back in the car, deep in thought.
“What are you thinking about?” Dinara asked.
“Sophia only has a week here. I need to think of some places to take her to so she can have a good time.”
Dinara shook her head. “Didn’t you hear her? She doesn’t want you to take her out. I think that’s a subtle brush off.”
“No,” he said confidently. “I don’t think that’s what she really wants.”

Translations:

# Yes, she is beautiful and nice
## Yes, yes, I think I like her



Chapter 5

“Abuela, stop!” Sophia squealed as her grandmother smothered her with kisses.
“Soy muy feliz que usted está aquí!” #
“Me, too, abuela. I’m happy I’m here, too.” Sophia laughed at her abuela who was pinching her cheeks with excitement and marvelling at how much she’d grown up.
“¿Tenía usted un vuelo agradable?”
“It was a long flight, but it was fine.” She smiled at her understated answer. She’d never had a much more pleasant flight, even if it was somewhat awkward.
“¿Usted todavía no sabe decir el español?” ### Her grandmother shook her head at her disapprovingly.
“No, I’m still as hopeless as ever.”
“You should learn,” Abuela demanded, speaking in English for the first time since Sophia arrived. “Use your vacation here as an opportunity to learn the language of your antepasados.” ####
“Yes, abuela,” Sophia said in a monotone voice.
“How did you get here anyway? How did the taxi driver understand to take you here?”
“Abuela, I didn’t catch a taxi. Ummm…a friend dropped me off.”
“You have a friend in Valencia?”
Sophia rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to be interrogated by her grandmother. She tried to be as vague as possible.
“We met on the plane and my friend was nice enough to give me a lift when I got the message that tio couldn’t pick me up.”
“Hmmm,” Abuela said suspiciously. “You are a beautiful girl, hija. You are going to break many hearts here.”
Sophia giggled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you do. And all I’m saying is I want you to have fun. That’s what you are here for. Meet people, eat, drink and dance lots. Forget the past, si?” Sophia nodded, suddenly overcome with emotion. She hugged her abuela, the most wisest and kindest person she knew. She hadn’t had a chance to explain her sudden desire to visit her but abuela knew enough about what had happened to Sophia and didn’t probe. She just gladly offered her home to Sophia, thankful she could do her little bit to ease her granddaughter’s pain.

Translations:

# I'm so happy you are here
## Did you have a nice flight?
### You still can't speak Spanish?
#### ancestors

[audrey]

Chapter 6

The next day Marat had an early practice with Hernan. He was in a good mood, hitting the ball well, serving fast and strong and being very talkative.
“You haven’t stopped grinning like an idiot since we started practice,” Hernan pointed out as they were packing up. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with that girl on the plane, would it?” Marat just shrugged his shoulders and laughed. He himself didn’t know what had come over him but he was giddy with excitement. In truth, it was knowing that Sophia was close by that made him restless and that at any moment he could turn a corner and she would be right there.
“What do you have planned for the rest of the day?”
“I don’t know,” Marat said, non-chalant. “I’ll think of something.” In fact, he already had an idea in mind.

After a quick shower and change, he made his way down the road to the house where he had dropped off Sophia the day before. Dinara was right, it was a stone’s throw away from the establishment where they practiced. When he arrived, he was greeted by a sweet, old woman who was tending to the flowers in her front garden.
“Hello, can I help you?” she asked in Spanish with a smiling face.
“Hello, I’m looking for Sophia,” Marat replied, also in Spanish.
“She’s not home right now. She’s gone to a class at the ballet studio in town.” She walked up to him to get a closer look at his face. “I’m Rosalita, Sophia’s abuela, but you can call me Rosa.”
“Nice to meet you, Rosa. I’m Marat.” As they shook hands, he noticed how Sophia and her grandmother shared the same kind, smiling eyes and he took to her immediately because of this. “Yes, yes, Mr. Safin. I know you,” Rosa confirmed. “I’m a very big fan.” He laughed, not expecting such a declaration from her. “Oh thank you. At least you are a fan. Sophia did not even know I play tennis.”
“Of course I’m a fan! Valencia is full of tennis players. Tennis has become a big part of our life. As for Sophia, don’t worry about her,” Rosa scoffed, shaking her head and laughing. “Dancing has consumed most of her life. It would do her some good, finding some other interest.” She raised her eyebrows suggestively. Marat laughed again at her boldness and cheekiness. “Well, you should go to the studio now before you miss Sophia.”
“Yes, ok. See you later.”
“Oh, one more thing,” Rosa called out to him. “If Sophia has been cold towards you, be patient. She’s just very cautious but she’ll come around.” Marat nodded even though he didn’t know what she meant by that.



Chapter 7

Marat found the ballet studio Rosa told him about. The class in the studio was just about to finish up and there were a couple of people watching as they waited in the back of the room for the next one to start. He decided to join them and hope he could stand around without being noticed. But it was hard not to notice him being so tall and the only male in the room. Not to mention that his drop dead gorgeous looks always caused him unwanted attention. The girls giggled and stared at him and tried to make conversation and he politely chatted to them even though he felt a bit uncomfortable. He was distracted by the sight of Sophia at the barre, her face serene and lovely, looking every bit the part of a perfect ballerina. She was checking her form in the mirror as she performed an arabesque and a double pirouette with ease. Her body was well proportioned, curvy in the right places and toned all over. Marat could not take his eyes off her as she danced. He became mesmerised with every movement she made. It was only when the music stopped that he snapped out of his reverie and he realised she was staring right at him with surprise as the dance ended which had her facing his direction.

Sophia grabbed her bag and walked towards Marat. “How did you find me here?” she asked him accusingly.
Marat smirked. He was amused by the fiery personality that belonged to this tiny person. “Well, hello to you, too,” he said. When he saw that she actually wanted him to give her a straight answer, he sighed and admitted he had gone to visit her at her grandmother’s. “And she told you I was here? Gosh, what is she trying to do?” She made her way out the studio, purposely walking fast to try and lose Marat but it was no use. He knew where she was staying and within a few strides, he was able to catch up to her. “Where are you going?” he inquired.
“Away from you,” she answered, still walking very fast, her head held high and her eyes staring straight ahead.
“Wait!” Marat said, grabbing her arm gently to pull her back. “Why are you trying to avoid me? Do I smell or something?” He definitely didn’t smell bad. In fact, he smelt so good that Sophia wanted to inhale every inch of him. She finally faced him with a pleading look in her eyes. “Marat, you don’t want anything to do with me. It’s better that you leave me alone.” She was tearing up and Marat wanted to hug her but she shrugged him off and stood away from him.
“I don’t want to leave you alone,” Marat said quietly, stepping towards her and closing the distance between them. He remembered what Rosa had said about being patient and was determined to get Sophia to agree to at least one date. “Why wouldn’t I want anything to do with you? I’ve been wanting to get to know more about you ever since I met you.”
Sophia groaned. “You don’t want to do that.”
“Why not?” he challenged.
“Because….I’m a mess and a guy harassing me is the last thing I need right now.”
He touched her arm again. “I’m not harassing you. I just thought you might want some company while you’re here.”
Sophia was about to give Marat another snappy reply but stopped herself. Her conscience was getting the better of her, reminding her that all this guy had been trying to do from the beginning was be nice to her and she just kept being mean. She looked at him thoughtfully. He was incredibly sweet and persistent. And she could no longer deny that she was attracted to him. It was the main reason why she was pushing him away in the first place. She sighed and decided right then and there to take her grandmother’s advice and just have a bit of fun. After all, it might help her forget.
“Ok, so what did you have in mind?” Sophia finally asked, softening up.
Marat smiled, relief flooding through him at her surrender. “Well, you must be hungry. How about lunch?”
Sophia agreed. “Can we go back to my grandmother’s first? I just have to let her know since I told her I would come home to eat.” They rode in Marat’s car and talked all the way back to the villa.



Chapter 8

“Abuela, I’m home!” Sophia called out as they entered the house. They could hear a slow shuffle in the adjoining room. “¿Sophia, qué hace usted aquí?” # Rosa yelled out from the kitchen. “Un hermoso muchacho le buscaba.” ##
Marat laughed out loud and Sophia rolled her eyes and blushed at her abuela’s remark. “Yes, abuela, the handsome boy is here,” she announced sarcastically. Marat looked over at Sophia confused but didn’t comment.
A few seconds later, Rosa poked her head out from the kitchen and smiled cheekily at them. “Oh, hola! Siento, pensé que mi nieta era sola,” ### she said to Marat, embarrassed. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
“Nope, not alone, abuela. I just came to tell you that I’m going out for lunch.” Again, Marat gave her a puzzled look. This time she noticed and smiled to herself. “I’ll see you later tonight!” She pushed Marat out the door before Rosa made any other embarrassing comments.

“You said you couldn’t speak Spanish!” Marat pointed out as they were back in his car.
“Yes, I did because I can’t. But I never said I couldn’t understand!” Sophia giggled. Realisation set in and Marat dreaded to even ask. “So when I was talking to my sister yesterday, you understood what I said?”
Sophia nodded her head sympathetically. “Sorry.”
Marat coughed nervously. “Uuuhh…aahhh…You weren’t supposed to hear that.” He wanted to crawl into a hole in shame.
Sophia laughed again at his awkwardness. “It’s ok. I won’t hold it against you. Besides, it was cute,” she said. He was pleasantly surprised by her comment.
“So…you think I’m cute,” Marat said self-assuredly. Sophia immediately stopped laughing after that and stayed silent. Marat smiled to himself, knowing he was right and she just didn’t want to admit it.

Now that things were going so well between them and the ice had been broken, Marat felt bold enough to ask her something personal. “So when we first met, you were a real snob,” he started as they were eating their lunch at a café. Sophia threw a piece of bread in his face in mock anger. He liked that he could joke around with her and she got it. “You told me you weren’t being rude but cautious. What did you mean by that?” Her face turned serious and for a moment, he thought she would close up again but he was surprised when she candidly revealed why she had been so uptight.
“I just got out of a three year relationship a few months ago,” Sophia began in a sad voice. “And the break up just made me very weary about letting people in after I was left heartbroken. How stupid, right? It’s been a while and I should just get over it.” She looked away with misty eyes. “It had nothing to do with you. You’ve been nothing but sweet,” she added quietly, wanting to let Marat know that he’d clearly made an impression on her right from the start.
“I understand. You’re worried about getting hurt.” She nodded, thankful that she didn’t have to explain it all to him. “I’m not going to hurt you.” Marat reassured her. He carefully placed his hand on hers where it stayed for the rest of their lunch.

Sophia was spent by the end of the day. Marat had been the perfect tour guide, taking her around to see what the city had to offer. Being an adopted son of Valencia, he was also privy to the hidden gems that only the locals knew about and had shown her all these secret locales. Sophia fell in love with the city, in awe of the many beautiful, historic buildings, the amazing aquarium and theatres. He took photos of her with his camera as she posed amongst the many attractions he showed her. Marat had become quite the budding photographer of late and never failed to bring his camera wherever he went. As a dancer, Sophia was not one to shy away from a camera and he became even more besotted with her upon seeing her beautiful, photogenic and playful face staring at him on the screen.

# What are you doing here?
## A handsome boy was looking for you.
### Oh hello! I’m sorry, I thought my granddaughter was alone.



Chapter 9

Sophia had the most incredible day with Marat, a man she barely knew when she arrived but had learnt so much about in one day. They were so comfortable in each other’s company that they found themselves willingly and openly revealing intimate details about their lives. She talked about her love of dancing which was her passion and her whole life while Marat spoke about his love of tennis which had previously been his passion and his whole life. “But now I’m ready for something else,” he revealed. “The rest of my life can start.”
“What would you do after tennis?” Sophia asked. Marat continued to be asked this question many times by reporters after he had indicated his plans to retire and it frustrated him to no end. His answer was always that he had a few things in mind but wasn’t ready to share it with the world yet until they were more concrete. He hated repeating himself, yet they asked him the same question over and over again. But Sophia didn’t know any better and she was just so easy to talk to and seemed very genuine in her concern that he couldn’t help telling her things.
“Well, whatever you decide to do, I think you’re going to do really well,” she said encouragingly after he told her his plans. “I can tell you’re a pretty smart guy.” He was overwhelmed by her belief in him. Even though they had only known each other for a brief period of time, her opinion somehow already mattered and he was glad she was in favour of his ideas.

They were sitting on one of the benches in the Turia Gardens, Sophia resting her poor aching feet before going home. “How can your feet hurt from walking?” Marat asked in disbelief. “You dance on your toes for hours without any pain!”
Sophia laughed sarcastically. “How would you know I dance without pain? Dancing on pointe is torture. Ballerinas just learn to deal with it.”
He thought about it and conceded. “I guess it’s the same as how tennis players just get used to playing in extreme heat.”
“Ok, I’m ready,” Sophia said, standing up. “I told my grandma I would definitely have dinner with her tonight.” Marat followed reluctantly, not wanting the day to end. He hoped to spend some more time with her but didn’t know how to say it.
“You’re abuela seems really nice,” he commented.
Sophia giggled. “Yeah, she’s the best. She’s a bit eccentric but she’s very sweet. She seemed to like you a lot, too, by the sound of things!” They walked in silence until Sophia suggested timidly as an afterthought, “Do you want to join us for dinner?” She too didn’t want to separate from him just yet.
Marat hesitated. This wasn’t his idea of spending more time with her. “With you and your abuela?”
Sophia tried to play it cool. “Yeah I mean, I know she’s going to be asking me a lot of questions about you so it would just be easier if you were there to answer them yourself.” One look at her smiling, playful eyes and Marat was sold. He couldn’t say no even if he wanted to.

Rosa fussed over Sophia and Marat when they returned to her house, extremely delighted for the extra company of her granddaughter and “the handsome boy”. She welcomed him with open arms and made him feel at home, feeding him with too much food and making sure his wine glass was always full. Sophia was happy and relieved that her abuela approved of her new friend. Her opinion mattered to her tremendously and was a huge influence on any decisions she made. And it was her abuela’s fondness for Marat that helped to cement her growing feelings for him. She watched him as he patiently conversed with Rosa and laughed at her quirky jokes and thought how gracious he was for keeping her abuela amused and entertained. Every now and then they would exchange looks and smile helplessly at each other, both too respectful to stop Rosa from talking.

It was late when Marat left Rosa’s place. Despite having talked more to Rosa than Sophia, he had really enjoyed the night. Just having Sophia close by and being able to see her face was comforting. As they parted, he kissed her on both cheeks and breathed in her hair which had the most wonderful smell. It was all he could do not to touch it and hold her closer to him.
“Me gustaría a hasta manana,” # Marat hinted quietly as Sophia walked him to his car.
She smiled shyly at him. “I’d like that, too,” she said.
“Ok, so I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he confirmed. He got into his car and she leaned in the open window. “You know, since you can already understand Spanish, you’re halfway there. You should really learn to speak it.”
She rolled her eyes. “You sound like my abuela.”
He flashed her one of his gorgeous smiles that showed off his dimples and her heart stopped. She had never seen anything so beautiful. She dreamily walked back into the house and impatiently waited for the next day to come.

# I’d like to see you tomorrow



Chapter 10

Sophia woke up to a beeping sound coming from her computer. It was a notification to say a friend was online and wanted to chat. When she logged on, she found her two friends, Nicola and Jessie, on the webcam.
“Phia, we miss you!” they cried out. She waved to them sleepily and managed a smile.
“How are you? Are you having fun?”
She nodded while yawning. “I’m good. I’m having a good time.”
“So what have you been doing?” She thought twice about mentioning anything about Marat but these were two of her best friends. She’d have to tell them eventually.
“Can I ask you guys something?” she started. They leaned in closer to the camera, listening intently to what she was about to say. “If I said I met someone here and I actually think I like them, do you think it’s wrong?” She waited nervously for their answer.
Nicola and Jessie looked at each other then both screamed in delight.
“You met someone, that’s fantastic!” Jessie exclaimed. “Good for you. It’s about time!”
“This guy must be something,” Nicola piped in. “You’ve rejected everybody else.”
Jessie clapped her hands excitedly. “So who is he? What’s he like? Is he a Spanish hottie?”
Sophia laughed nervously. “Ummm…not exactly. He’s Russian actually.”
“Russian? You’re in Spain and you managed to meet a Russian guy instead?”
“I know, weird, right.”
“So describe him! What’s so great about this guy?” Jessie pressed.
Sophia thought about Marat and she couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t know. He’s just funny and kind and smart and sweet.” Her friends nodded their heads, leaning in even closer, eager to know more. “And he’s gorgeous!” she added, unable to contain herself any longer. “He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen!” Nicola and Jessie beamed at her, delighted that their friend had finally stepped back into the dating scene. They had shared her heartbreak and knew she had lost interest in meeting anybody since her last boyfriend.
“And I guess something of interest to you is that he plays tennis,” Sophia said off-handedly. She was still completely unaware of how big a tennis star Marat was and his celebrity status was non-existent to her.
But the girls were impressed. “Athletic, too. Sounds perfect,” Nicola commented.
“Yeah, he plays professionally so you might know him. His name is Marat Safin.” What ensued next was dead silence on the other line for what seemed like hours. Both Nicola and Jessie sat there with mouths open and a look of utter disbelief.
“Did you hear me? I said his name is Marat Safin!” Sophia repeated. “Do you know him?”
“We heard you the first time!” Nicola finally spoke up. She and Jessie screamed again.
“Sh!t! Sophia, he’s like a tennis god! Why didn’t you tell us who he was sooner?”
“Oh my god! He’s soooo hot! You lucky b!tch!” They were jumping up and down in their seats and squealing, ignoring Sophia for a moment while they talked amongst themselves about Marat’s yumminess. Sophia patiently waited for them to calm down, very confused about their excitement.
“Phia, do you know who you’re dating?” Jessie asked her rhetorically.
“I guess not,” she replied. “What’s the big deal?” They rolled their eyes at their clueless friend.
“He is!” Nicola exclaimed. “He’s a big deal! You need to Google him and find out for yourself.”
“I’m not going to Google him! That’s so silly!” She giggled at the absurdity of it all.
"You're being naive, Sophia," Nicola pointed out. "You think guys you've dated haven’t done it to you when they've found out you're a famous ballerina?"
Sophia scoffed at her friend's comment. "I'm hardly a famous ballerina." She suddenly felt uneasy at the thought of anybody looking her up on the Internet.
“Whatever, but you can't deny the fact that guys have checked you out online. Anyway, at the moment you don’t even know that you’re dating a tennis star and you should find out just how special this guy is because you’re probably the only one out there who doesn’t know!” It was true, Sophia thought. Even her abuela seemed to be clued in about handsome boy’s achievements. And so once their conversation ended, she decided to secretly take her friends’ advice and went to Google on the Internet and typed MARAT SAFIN on the search engine. She found the most interesting articles about Marat, her affection for him growing with every story she read. His talent and the way he used it played a huge part in his appeal and for once in her life, Sophia found tennis such a fascinating sport. She was curious about his on-court temper, a side she’d obviously never seen, and became a bit uncomfortable with stories about his playboy reputation. But the articles about him and Dinara and their closeness as brother and sister pulled at her heartstrings and she was glad to know that he truly was a sweetheart. Most of all, she was extremely proud of his success and heartbroken by his losses and injuries. Sophia needed no further proof that Marat was someone the world thought special when she came across a couple of fan sites dedicated to him. The loyalty his fans showed him was overwhelming and she read accounts from many of them who had met him and found him to be very gracious and kind and always generous with his time. She wasn’t surprised by this from what she’d gathered about him the day before. He really did seem big-hearted. Even other tennis players, his opponents, had nothing but praise for him and showed him a respect that was bestowed upon only to the elite. By the time she came out of her room, Sophia had become a Safinette. But she was also in a state of shock and couldn’t quite work out how she had nabbed such an amazing guy.

"What is wrong with you today?" Hernan asked Marat during practice. "You're not playing your best."
"Don't you think I can see that?" he answered back angrily, hitting the ball so hard and fast that he nearly put a hole on the wall. He wasn't sure why his practice session had gone so horribly wrong. He was having an 'off day' when nothing was going his way. He couldn't wait to finish up and be done with tennis for the day. He was starting to feel that way more and more, his motivation dropping even further with every match he lost."I know you're meant to be retiring at the end of this year but it doesn't mean you should be slacking off on your game," Hernan advised.
Marat shook his head in disagreement. "I'm not slacking off. I just wasn't feeling it today."
"Is it because of Sophia?" Hernan knew that Marat could get very distracted by a girl. The more good looking the girl, the less concentration he had.
"No, it's not her," he lied. The truth was she had been on his mind all night and all day. He thought after over 10 years on the tennis circuit, he had the ability not to let his personal relationships get in the way of his tennis and for the most part he had. But thoughts of Sophia had been consuming his brain since they met. He couldn't get her face and her wonderful scent out of his head. "Ok well I guess we're done for the day," Hernan said resignedly. He was sure he wouldn't be able to get anything more out of Marat. "But if you want to win some matches in your final year, you better get your act together and show people your real talent. You still have so much to offer."Marat was in a bad mood when he left practice. He didn't need to be reminded that he'd been losing a lot lately and that there were many out there who considered him wasted talent. Although he didn't care much about what was written or said about him, it still hurt every time he heard about a bad comment made regarding his abilities as a tennis player. So when he arrived at Rosa's house, he was still in a negative frame of mind. He rang the doorbell, comforted by the fact that Sophia was just over the other side of the door and he would soon be seeing her once again.

[audrey]

Chapter 11

She bolted to the front door and opened it with excitement. Before Marat could even say hello, Sophia had leapt into his arms and had him in a tight hug. He was shocked by her affection but returned it with the same eagerness. "You are amazing," Sophia whispered in his ear. "I'm sorry, I've been so clueless, but you're incredible." Marat's spirits soared from her praises, easing his temper. He hugged her tighter and didn't want to let go. Her compliments instantly made him feel better. He could feel her soft skin through her clothes and wanted to touch the rest of her body. When she finally let go, he saw that she was dressed in a cute, white halter neck dress that came just above her knees. It showed off her great body and her perfect posture and did nothing to quell his desire for her. His eyes travelled longingly from her long, sexy curls all the way down to her tanned and well toned legs. Sophia had chosen this outfit carefully and was pleased by Marat's response to it. "That was a very nice greeting but I don't understand," he said.
Sophia took his hand as they walked out the door. "Oh, I just did some research on the famous Marat Safin and I have to say, I'm now a huge fan," she flirted.
“Don’t believe everything you read,” he advised, rolling his eyes.
“But they were all good things!” Marat looked at her unconvinced. “Ok, fine, some were a bit harsh but I don’t care about those.” She squeezed his hand for reassurance. “You’re a great person and you’re a great player and that’s all that should matter.” His heart was full of emotion for Sophia. Her encouragement was just what he needed at a time when he was feeling low. “But I’m sure you read things about my temper and my mood swings. Does that not bother you?”
Sophia laughed at his anxiousness. “Marat, I know all about those, trust me,” she explained. “I get so stressed out with ballet that I could tear my hair out from frustration.” He smiled at her and touched her hair tenderly, feeling its softness. “There are lots of things we still need to find out about each other and in time, we’ll learn the good side and the bad side. It’s just up to you whether you want to stick around when you learn about all the little nasty things about me.”
Marat chuckled, not believing that there could be anything nasty about Sophia. “You’re perfect,” he told her, giving her one of his breathtaking smiles. “And I want to learn everything about you.”
“No, I’m not and you’re not either but that’s what I’m trying to say,” she replied. “I accept you just the way you are, flaws and all and I hope you will honour me the same privilege.”
He nodded silently, looking into her eyes with all seriousness. “Thank you for your honesty and I accept you, too…with all your perfection,” he said. Sophia shook her head and hit him on the arm. Marat then took a candid picture of her, capturing this playful moment and Sophia in her pretty, little, white dress. She was as close to an angel he’d ever laid eyes on.

On this beautiful and glorious day, the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was mild. It was a perfect day to be out and about so Marat decided to take Sophia on a horse and carriage ride around the city. They sat close together with their hands intertwined. By now, Sophia had fallen in love with Valencia but this romantic journey added to its splendour and she was mesmerised by all the wonderful sights she saw. Marat however was captivated by the beauty that was Sophia. He wanted to just take her in his arms and kiss her but she seemed content to hold hands for now and he didn’t want to seem too eager. He continued to take photos of her as a way to distract himself but she was growing weary of his snap-happy fingers. She grabbed the camera from him and pointed it at his face. “No, no, I hate photos of myself,” he declared, turning away from it.
“Why? You have a beautiful face,” Sophia said breathlessly. When he continued to avoid looking at the camera, she snuggled up closer to him and pressed her head to his. “Here, let’s take a photo together then.” She took a couple of shots of them before handing the camera back to him. He reviewed the pictures and thought how well-matched they were. He stared at one for a long time, their faces close to each other and their smiles showing the happiness they felt on that horse and carriage ride. That night as Sophia was checking her emails, she received one from a strange address. It was from Marat with a small message:

Dear Sophia

These last two days have been great. I’ve been having a really good time with you. I hope you’re enjoying your stay in Valencia. When you go back home to Sydney, I sincerely hope we will keep in touch.

Marat

He included an attachment in the email and when she opened it, she found a copy of the photo of them together that she took earlier on. She printed it out and stuck it on the mirror of her dresser. She too stared at it for a long time before she finally went to bed.


Chapter 12

One morning, Marat came to Rosa’s villa nice and early, carrying with him a bunch of beautiful red roses. When Sophia opened the door and saw them, her eyes lit up. She kissed him on the cheek. “Marat, you shouldn’t have!” He kissed her back and smiled cheekily. “I didn’t, these are for your abuela.”
Sophia frowned and turned away, disappointed. “Oh, I guess that’s nice, too.” Rosa appeared from out of the kitchen as soon as she heard Marat’s voice. “Such a nice boy!” she said. “Muchos gracias.” Sophia watched them interact and thought it was too cute seeing how they got along so well.
“I’m going to miss you coming around when Sophia is gone,” Rosa told him.
“Don’t worry, I’ll come and visit you whenever I’m in Valencia,” he reassured her. Rosa beamed and touched him affectionately on the arm.

“You are such a suck up!” Sophia teased Marat as they were walking to his car.
“What?”
“Flowers are one definite way to get to my grandmother’s heart, or any woman for that matter!”
“I don’t need to suck up. Your grandmother loved me from the beginning.”
“Well, you’ve really done it now.”
He suppressed a smile. “Sorry, I know you thought they were for you.”
“Whatever,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, pretending not to be concerned.
“For some reason, I didn’t think roses were your choice of flowers.” He walked around to her side of the car and opened the door for her. “So I got you some tulips instead.” She saw the flowers sitting on the passenger seat, a great big bunch of bright yellow tulips greeting her. “They’re perfect,” Sophia said all choked up. She looked at him with the biggest smile and he felt such gratification making her happy. They stood there silently staring at each other, their growing desire too difficult to resist any longer. They had yet to have their first kiss although Marat did fantasise about it often. And he was doing so right that very moment. But it wasn’t he who made the move. It was Sophia who put her arms around his neck, stood on her tippy toes, closed her eyes and tilted her head back, waiting to be kissed by him. And Marat leaned in, nervous and excited at the same time to finally be kissing the girl who had been in his dreams for the past several days. Finally their lips touched feverishly and their kiss was sweet and gentle and passionate. One of his hands was buried in her hair and the other was wrapped tightly around her waist. Sophia moaned and was weakened by his touch. She hugged him tighter to keep her balance. Marat thought it was an invitation to kiss her more fervently and his lips became even more persistent. She pulled away slightly, panting from the temporary loss of air supply. He caressed her cheek which now had a rosy glow about them and he smiled playfully at her. She smiled back and said, “I told you you were a suck up.”
“It worked though, didn’t it?” he laughed.

Now that their relationship had been sealed with a delicious and passionate kiss, Marat wanted more of Sophia. They were again at the ballet studio where she was doing her final stretches after taking in a class. The other students had already left and Sophia found herself alone with a very restless, though very affectionate Marat. He was standing behind her by the barre, kissing her neck as she tried to stretch. She giggled but continued her exercises. He then stepped even closer to her and grabbed her waist with his strong hands, turning her around so that she was facing him.
“Do you know how sexy you are when you dance? You’re driving me crazy!” Marat admitted, pulling out the hair tie in her hair so that it flowed freely down her back the way he liked it.
“And you are making it very hard for me to concentrate, you know that?” she said jokingly. She looked at their reflection through the mirrors and thought what a great dance partner he would be with his extremely attractive features and strong, masculine body to carry her.
“I know, that’s the idea,” Marat murmured as he traced her collar bone with his lips.
“Mmmmm, ok, it’s working, what did you have in mind?” She was really finding it difficult to think straight. Her eyes were closing from pleasure and she was no longer moving. Instead, she was standing very still, wanting to feel and be completely in tune with every single one of his touch. When he didn’t answer she opened her eyes to find him staring longingly at her and she knew exactly what he wanted. “Let’s get out of here,” she whispered suggestively in his ear. He nodded silently, kissed her and took her hand. He couldn’t drive fast enough back to his place.

Marat could barely concentrate as Sophia’s hand caressed his thigh during the entire ride to his apartment. By the time they entered the doorway, he was so hungry for her that he’d already taken off her cardigan and pulled down her leotard, exposing her body. They both moaned and continued to take off each other’s clothes with urgency. They fell on his bed in no time, both not knowing when or how they got there. Marat was a fantastic lover – very attentive, patient, full of passion and aimed to please. Sophia was in a state of euphoria. The pleasure was almost too much to bare that she couldn’t help herself when she screamed out in delight multiple times. She too had made him groan frequently and was only too willing and happy to satisfy him in ways he’d never been satisfied. For someone who was very closed and uptight when they first met, Sophia was now lost in the moment and completely uninhibited with Marat. She found him so irresistible and deliciously sexy and she wanted to show him how he made her feel and what she felt being with him. When they finally exploded together, they were both panting and breathing hard, their hearts beating quickly. The sheets were tangled and damp with their sweat and the bed itself had moved a couple of inches from its original location. Afterwards, he held her in a tight embrace, moving his fingers up and down her back.
“That was amazing,” she said, kissing his neck and instantly arousing him again.
“I could do that all day,” he declared, his hands becoming insistent once more.
“Mmmm, me too,” Sophia found herself saying in between kisses.
“You shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to take your word for it.” He was now flipping her on to her back so he could get a glimpse of her body from the front. It was flawless and the way she was arched, he could tell that flawless body wanted him again, too.
“Sure take my word for it. Now take me, Marat,” she said flirtatiously. He smiled, turned on by her desire for him.
“But what about our plans for the rest of the day?” he teased, grabbing her wrists and placing them above head as he kissed her neck. She wriggled and writhed with every kiss he gave her. “What? Oh right, our plans…well, we won’t take much longer,” she panted.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Just…just…just one more hour, please Marat.” She was about to let out another scream.
“Ok, Sophia, anything for you. We’ll stay here a while longer.”
And so they did as one more hour turned into three.


Chapter 13

Sophia was still in a state of bliss the next morning as she was getting ready and her computer came to life again. This time it was just Nicola on the webcam. But unlike the other day when she and Jessie were full of excitement, she was in a much more sombre mood. "Nic, what's wrong?" Sophia asked, sensing trouble.
"Listen, I know you're coming home soon, but I thought you should know that someone was asking about you."
Sophia tensed up straight away. "Who are you talking about?" But she didn't have to ask. She was pretty sure she knew who it was.
"It was Tristan. He wanted to know how you were, said that he misses you."
"He said that?"
"Yeah, he did.” There was silence and Nicola knew her friend’s mind was ticking and that thoughts of her ex-boyfriend Tristan were now running through her brain. “Look, don't read into it too much. You know your break up was the best thing in the long run."
Sophia nodded in agreement. Besides, she had made such good progress. Especially since coming to Valencia and meeting Marat. She hadn't thought about Tristan once.
"Thanks for letting me know, Nic. I'll see you in a couple of days."

The news about Tristan snapped Sophia out of her ecstasy. Although they were no longer together, she couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic at the thought of him.
She was madly in love with him until the end but unfortunately, the feeling was no longer mutual by the time they separated. Sophia was heartbroken by their break up and it took her a long time to admit there were signs she failed to see were present long ago or that it was all for the best. She wasn’t interested in dating again even two months after, though many guys were more than willing to help her forget about Tristan. Sophia looked over at her dresser and stared at the photo with Marat. She knew she was over her ex. The photo comforted her and made her smile because she was grateful for him for helping her get to a better place. For it was only when Marat appeared in her life that she felt like moving on and he was the first man since the break up who she wanted to continue seeing. In fact, she was completely taken by surprise at how quickly she developed feelings for Marat. Even with Tristan, it was a month after dating before they became intimate and even longer before she could say ‘I love you’. But with Marat, it was different. Her feelings for him were so certain and instant. It was going to be hard saying good bye.

Sophia heard his footsteps running up the stairs then a soft knock on her door.
“Come in!” she called out as she smoothed down her tangle of curls. He walked in to her bedroom and shut the door, ready to pounce on her already.
“Wait, wait, wait!” she squealed, backing away from him. But he was too quick for her and had his arms around her waist in a second, already smothering her neck with his kisses. “My grandmother is downstairs!” she warned. “Marat, stop!” She pushed him away slightly but let his arms stay wrapped around her.
“Yesterday, you didn’t want me to stop. It was Marat again, again, again. Now you say, Marat stop. What do you want?” he teased, kissing the tip of her nose.
She kissed him long and passionately. Marat had never known a better kisser and felt completely helpless by the power her kisses held over him. He felt weak and had to lean against the door for support. Finally, she let him breathe. “I want you,” she replied softly, sending shivers down his spine. “But my vacation is ending soon and we can’t spend the whole day locked inside.”
“Why not?” Sophia rolled her eyes in response.
“Ok fine,” he groaned. “Will you come to the courts with me first before we hang out? I have practice.”
“Sure! I’d love to see you practice.”
“It’s not that exciting.” He said it with no enthusiasm whatsoever. “I’d rather be doing something else, to tell you the truth.” He sat on the edge of her bed, looking miserable all of a sudden.
Sophia sat next to him, took his hand and kissed it. “If you don’t like it anymore, why don’t you just quit already?” she asked innocently.
“It’s not that easy.”
“Why?”
“Well, what am I going to do between now and next year when my plans are meant to happen? There’s only tennis. Besides, I have to earn money to buy you presents.” He touched her hair and gave her one of his breathtaking smiles.
“I don’t need you to buy me presents,” Sophia said.
“Ok, presents for my sister then and my mother for putting up with me.”
“Oh, please, Marat, you have no problems in the money department. You’re set for life. Why don’t you just go on vacation?”
“I’ll be doing that when the season ends.”
“Take a longer one then. Go travelling now.”
“Why would I go travelling, spend my own money, when the ATP practically pays for me to do that and I get to earn a bit more playing a sport I’m pretty good at?”
“But you’re miserable, Marat. It’s obvious you’re heart is not there anymore otherwise you wouldn’t be complaining so much about practice.”

Marat didn’t say anything. There was some truth to what Sophia was saying. He would love to go travelling to a country of his choice, not because it’s the place where the next tournament is going to be held. If he could, he would go back with her to Sydney for a while and continue to enjoy this brand-new relationship they both wanted to work. Admittedly, his heart wasn’t in the right place anymore for tennis but he was sticking around because of that lingering hope that maybe, just maybe, he could still win a title or two before his official retirement. His brain was playing tricks on him. On one hand he was a professional athlete and athletes are fighters who do not accept defeat. They fight for a win until the very end. This had been ingrained into Marat’s head since he was a boy, to never give up. On the other hand, he worked so hard practicing, working out and taking care of his body but he could no longer achieve the same spectacular results of his past. Sometimes, he wondered whether his efforts were all in vain and this frustrated him to no end.

“I just want you to be happy,” Sophia said, running her fingers through his hair. “You should be out there doing something you enjoy. Just think about it, all right?”

For Sophia’s last night in Valencia, Rosa had organised a party at the villa with their relatives and friends, including Dinara and a couple of Marat’s friends who had already met Sophia. Now that it was almost time to leave, Sophia wished she could stay longer. But she had a life back in Sydney waiting for her and a dance career that she couldn’t abandon. She wondered how she and Marat were going to keep their relationship alive. Dinara saw Sophia staring at her brother lovingly and as if reading her mind, eased her troubled thoughts. “You guys are going to be far away from each other but you’ll make it work.”
“Oh yeah? What makes you so sure?”
“He told me,” Dinara said simply. “He’s serious about you and I have to believe him because he doesn’t say that about many girls. And you know he’s seen plenty but he’s never fallen for them so quickly like you.”
“Really?”
“Trust me. I haven’t seen him this crazy about a girl in years and you’ve only known each other for what, 2 weeks? Plus he never introduces girls to our family unless he’s serious about them and I met you the first day you arrived!” Sophia smiled and felt comforted knowing Marat had these feelings for her. She wanted to be with him even if it had to be long distance.

Marat watched as Sophia and Dinara talked and bonded in one corner of the room. He was pleased to see them getting along. Dinara had always been a sweetheart and tried to be friendly towards his girlfriends but she was also a protective little sister who let him know her opinion about each of them. She had taken a special liking to Sophia though, because of her down to earth nature and her unpretentiousness. Many of the girls her brother dated, though nice, were just groupies who followed him around wherever he went and had no shame in being so brazen and offered themselves freely and willingly to him. They wanted to be seen with someone famous and good looking to be in magazines or tabloids and get their ten seconds of fame. And who better to choose than one of the sexiest athletes on the planet? And Marat, surrounded by so many options and being a man with needs, had a good time with such girls. But none of these hook ups had any substance. He was ashamed to admit it, but he used these girls as much as they used him for their own personal gain.

Sophia on the other hand was not interested in such pretentious acts and couldn’t care less about his fame and celebrity. His status as a tennis star was lost on her. Sure she appreciated his amazing talent but Dinara could see that she liked Marat for the person that he was – the kind, generous, funny and crazy Marat that only a select few people were privileged to know. Indeed, when Marat asked Dinara her thoughts on Sophia, she only had good things to say about her. “I think she’s perfect for you,” she declared.

He didn’t know what had come over him. It wasn’t like him to fall so hard and fast for someone in such a short amount of time. But the moment he first met Sophia, he just felt so right about her and he knew he wanted to be with her. Spending time with her in Valencia and having gotten to know her only made his affection grow even more. She was the nicest person he’d ever met who was so kind-hearted and beautiful. He was ready for everyone to know she belonged to him. He was excited by the idea of introducing her as his girlfriend. It had taken forever for a girl to come along that could make him feel so loved up. But when Sophia arrived, he knew immediately that the wait was finally over.

He watched her as she played with her little cousins who wanted her to show them how to dance ballet. They were speaking in Spanish but couldn’t understand her English instructions and the look of frustration on her face was priceless. Marat was so endeared by her helplessness and he had to laugh out loud. Sophia turned and scowled at him. “Isn’t it her last night here tonight?” Dmitry asked, walking towards Marat.
“Yeah, it is,” Marat sighed.
“What are you doing standing on the other side of the room from her then? If I were you, I wouldn’t leave her for a second.” Dmitry tilted his head and checked Sophia out. Marat whacked him playfully on the chest with the back of his hand. As he walked up to her, he checked her out himself. She was looking particularly gorgeous tonight, as if to tease him, so that she could watch him beg her to stay. Her short, black dress exposed her sexy back and graceful arms and her high heeled shoes made her legs almost a sin to look at. He wanted to take her right then and there.
“Hey, pretty girl,” Marat said, grabbing her waist and turning her around.
“Hey, handsome boy,” she replied, her eyes lighting up at the sight of him. She put her arms around his neck and swayed her hips, dancing to the beat of the music in the background.
“Are you having fun?” he asked, slow dancing with her.
“I am. My grandmother knows how to throw a party.”
Marat pulled her closer to him and inhaled her sweet scent. “You smell unbelievable,” he whispered.
“Mmm, so do you,” she said.
“Are you going to spend your last night here with me?”
“Actually, I was thinking I would spend it with that guy from down the road…” she joked. “Baby, of course I will. There’s nowhere else I would rather be than with you.”
He kissed her on the cheek. “You better prepare yourself because we’re not sleeping tonight.”
“You promise?”

A little later on, Marat was talking to his friends. They too were amazed at how quickly his relationship with Sophia developed.
“She’s really a great girl. It’s not hard to fall for someone like her,” Dmitry commented. They all agreed and marvelled at Marat’s blessed life. “Are you willing to have a long distance relationship though?” Hernan asked. “From what I hear, she’s a pretty ambitious ballet dancer and is focused on her career. She’s not going to be one of those girls who will just follow you all around the world for your tournaments.”
Marat sighed heavily. He was aware of the challenges they were going to have to face with their differing locations. “Well, her dance company travels to Europe a lot for shows,” he explained. “So it won’t be as bad as it seems.” He was hopeful they could make it work. He wanted this one to last.



Chapter 14

Back at his place after the party, Sophia had stripped Marat down to just his boxers. She was straddled on his back as she gave him a sensual massage on his bed. He had his eyes closed, thoroughly enjoying the sensation of her gentle touch.
“Can’t you just come and work for me? You can be my masseuse. I’d pay you,” he suggested.
“You already have a masseur and I would do this for free,” Sophia said.
“But you’re a lot sexier than him and you feel so much better.” She laid kisses all over his back as if to confirm his point.
“I’m really going to miss you, handsome boy,” she told him.
Marat turned over and brought her into his arms. “I’m going to miss you, too. But we’ll see each other soon so it’s ok.”
“Are you going to date other people in my absence?” she asked seriously. Before replying, Marat kissed her fully on the mouth. She tasted so good and he didn’t want to stop kissing those lips. He had to restrain himself otherwise he was going to have to taste the rest of her body already when he knew she first wanted to have this talk. When he pulled away, it was obvious Sophia wanted him to continue. She was dazed and confused and had forgotten what she had asked him. “No, I’m not going to date other girls. I’m crazy about you, Sophia. I promise, it’s just going to be you,” Marat declared. “What about you?”
“I’m not going to date other girls either,” Sophia giggled. He shook his head and waited for her proper answer. So she then looked straight into his eyes and answered him with the truth that was in her heart. “You are the most amazing guy. I can’t believe I met you only the other week and I feel so right about you already. There will be no one else but you, I promise.” Marat beamed at her, kissed her again and this time he went further, tasting much more than just her lips.

It was in the middle of the night and Sophia had gotten hungry. She found ice cream in his freezer and was eating it straight out of the small tub. Marat loved how she loved to eat and wasn’t afraid to show him that she enjoyed food. She was sitting on top of the kitchen bench with nothing on but one of Marat’s Adidas shirts. It was very loose on her and didn’t show any of her wonderful curves but Marat had never seen anything so sexy, especially with her hair tied up in that ‘just got out of bed’ way. And she literally just had. They were only taking a break to satisfy her hunger.
“Are you going to offer me some?” he asked.
She looked up from the tub. “I thought you said you don’t eat dessert.”
“You’re right, I don’t.”
“Are you sure? It tastes really good,” she teased, waving a spoonful in front of him. He opened her legs and stood in between them.
“I’m sure I’ve tasted better,” he disagreed, leaning down to kiss her collarbone.
“No, this is better.” Sophia said, ready for him again. Marat took the tub and spoon from her and took off the shirt she was wearing. He scooped out some ice cream from the tub and fed her. She moaned. He then scooped some more but this time he spread it down the front of her body. He gave her a devilish grin before licking it all off. Sophia was crying out from pleasure but Marat was nowhere near done yet. He slid her body towards the edge of the bench so that their bodies were touching and she could wrap her legs around him, all the while showering her with kisses. She pressed herself to his bare chest before he lifted her off the bench and carried her back to his bed to finish her off.

A while later, they heard a panicked knock on Marat’s door. “Who is that?” Sophia asked worried. He shrugged his shoulders as he got out of bed, put some pants on and went to see who the visitor was. She heard him open the door and the low mumbling of voices between him and another person. When he returned to the bedroom, he had the biggest smile on his face. “What are you smiling at?” Sophia inquired.
“That was the old lady next door,” he answered, suppressing his laugh. “She said she was woken up by loud noises and a lot of banging coming from my apartment.” Sophia’s eyes widened from mortification and buried her head in a pillow. “She thought someone was getting attacked and wanted to make sure I was ok.” He couldn’t hold it any longer and went into a fit of laughter. Sophia on the other hand just shook her head in shame and hid under the sheets. “Oh my god, what did you say to her?”
“I told her I was definitely fine and that there was no one attacking me as such.”
“Marat!”
“What? She didn’t get it and besides, she hasn’t heard anything yet. You’re going to be screaming so much you’re going to wake up everybody in the building and you won’t have a voice left by the time I’m through with you.”
She took him by the hand and brought him back to bed. “Oh baby, make me scream as much as you want, but I guarantee you will never be through with me because after tonight, you’re not going to want to let me go.”

[audrey]

Chapter 15

And Sophia was right. By the time Marat took her to the airport much later on that day, he couldn't leave her side. He'd become completely addicted to her and didn't want to let go of her hand for a minute. Rosa was delighted for her granddaughter that Marat had come along to cheer her up and help her forget about the pain of her break up. She thought he was a much better match for Sophia than Tristan ever was anyway. "Now, don't you go breaking her heart, Marat, or you'll have to answer to me," Rosa warned.
"Abuela, no one is going to break hearts, ok. No one has even given away any hearts to break," Sophia said
"Why not? I can see what's going on between you. You can't deny it. And if you feel something, you have to say it."
Marat and Sophia looked away from each other. They were both embarrassed that Rosa could see right through them. "The first time I met your grandfather, I knew I loved him right away and we were together for 65 years, God bless his soul."
"Whoa! Abuela, I think it's a little too early to be talking about love," Sophia interrupted. "Marat and I only just met."
"Who cares?! When love comes along, you have to grab it. There's nothing wrong about loving someone too soon if it makes you feel good." Rosa smiled knowingly at both of them before walking away to let her words sink in.
Marat was indeed smitten with Sophia but he couldn't quite admit that what he was feeling for her was already love. Surely it takes at least a couple of months before that word was even considered, sometimes even years! But could Rosa be right? He looked at Sophia's beautiful face and felt the same kind of happiness he felt when he'd been with his ex-girlfriends Sylvia and Dasha...maybe even more.

"Sorry about that. My abuela is a bit of a romantic," Sophia apologised sheepishly. He was walking her to her gate where he would soon have to leave her. Marat shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "She made some sense though," he said. "I think she's saying that life's too short to play games and people should be honest about their feelings." Sophia felt her heart throbbing, anxious about what Marat was about to say next. She was so nervous that she dropped her boarding pass and passport on the ground. "Personally, I think a week is too soon to say you love someone, don't you think?" He picked up Sophia's things and didn't see the disappointment in her face. After all, Rosa wasn't the only romantic in the family. Sophia loved being in love and had a heart as big as her grandmother's that they shared the same views on the subject. But she was playing it safe with Marat and didn't want to scare him with her true feelings and the only thing she could do was nod in response. They had arrived at the gate so Sophia kissed him and said good-bye. She stared into his twinkling eyes that were smiling at her, leaving her speechless. "Before you go, can I tell you something?" Marat asked nervously. Sophia nodded again and squeezed his hand for confidence.
"I could love you though, Sophia," he revealed. She looked at him in surprise, not expecting this revelation. "I could," he repeated. "It's very easy to fall in love with you because you're such a beautiful person. But I hope you can understand my hesitation to say that I do for sure because I think it is too soon. I just want us to part with you knowing that I am falling for you and I want us to be together long enough for me to be able to say I love you one day. Because I do want to say it to you, you know. Just now isn't the right time." Again, Marat didn’t know what had come over him. Did he really just utter those words? He was surprised by the impulsive statements he kept making when Sophia was around. But while they did seem unusual for him, he knew that his words were honest and true. Marat was grateful when Sophia brought him in and hugged him tight because he didn't want her to see him so vulnerable at that very moment.
"I understand. Let’s just see where this takes us," she whispered in his ear. "Promise to call everyday until we see each other again?"
"Of course. I would miss your voice too much."
"I miss you already, handsome boy."
"Bye pretty girl. Don't forget about me."
Sophia walked through the gate and was gone.



Chapter 16

For the next few weeks, Marat and Sophia were constantly on the phone to each other. Hernan was going mad because he couldn't take the phone away from Marat even during practice. They missed each other terribly and were suffering from their separation. Sophia was thankful for ballet to keep her occupied otherwise she would've been a mess, pining for him beyond reason. She put so much into ballet that she had never danced better in her life and the company directors took notice. A surprise production was in the works and they were considering her for the lead role. They brought her into the office for a chat one day after class. "Sophia, as one of our principal dancers, we're offering you a chance to dance in our upcoming production of Sleeping Beauty," Juliette, the artistic director said.
"Wow, thank you so much." Sophia smiled from ear to ear. "Sleeping Beauty is such a great story to dance to."
“We’ll be starting rehearsals soon which will continue on when we go to Europe. We’re going to do a few shows in 4 different countries, starting with England, France, Italy and Russia.”
Sophia’s eyes lit up upon hearing that she’d be travelling to Europe. She’d be reunited with Marat in no time! She couldn’t wait to tell him the good news and wasted no time sharing her upcoming travel plans with him.
“That’s great! So we’ll be seeing each other really soon?” Marat asked excitedly.
“Yeah! I’ll be in Europe in about a month.”
His heart sank. “A month? That’s still too long.”
“No it’s not,” she giggled. “I’ll be there before you know it.”
On the other end of the line, she could hear someone shouting. “Marat, let’s go! Stop wasting time! If you spent as much time practicing as you do being on the phone, you might actually get the results we’ve been trying to achieve.”
Marat groaned. “I have to go. Hernan is killing me.”
“Wait! So are you going to watch my performance?”
“Of course. Send me the details and I’ll be sure to meet you somewhere when you arrive in this part of the world. Now I really have to go. We’ll talk soon.”
“Ok, I miss you! Bye!”

Little did they know that this would be the last conversation they would be having for a while.

Over a month later, Marat was having breakfast with his sister. Dinara had joined him in the hotel breakfast room because they hadn’t seen each other in a couple of weeks and she wanted to cheer him up. He was in a foul mood and not even his sister could put a smile on his face. She was trying her hardest just the same, talking animatedly and telling him about her latest win in Madrid. But Marat was distracted, staring into his cup of coffee and looking sullen.

After Sophia told him that she would be going to Europe for some shows, she suddenly disappeared, never to be heard from again. She stopped calling him, didn't reply to his calls or text messages and no longer turned on her webcam. At first Marat was worried, fearing the worst but then he called Rosa and found that Sophia was in Sydney, safe and sound but busy with ballet. After that, he was just mad, concluding that he was just a holiday fling to her and had basically been dumped by this woman who lured him in with her beauty and charm then discarded him without a second thought. The worst part was he wasn't even that mad at Sophia, he was more mad with himself for being a fool and falling for her trap. He couldn't believe how he easily let himself fall for her and allowed himself to become so vulnerable. And to think that the word love had even come into the equation and he was the one who brought it up! He felt so stupid and humiliated.

"So you're still thinking about her, huh?" Dinara asked her brother with concern. They were catching up for the first time since they arrived in Rome.
"No," he lied, gripping his cup of coffee tighter.
"Well, there's a players' party tonight. Maybe you should go, take your mind off things. We can go together."
Marat looked up. "Wait a minute. Since when did you start going to these parties? You'd normally be locked up in your hotel room watching your movies than be partying."
Dina giggled. "From the advice of Zeljko. He thinks I need to find a balance between tennis and other interests. He's worried that tennis is completely taking over my life and he doesn't find it healthy."
"I've been trying to tell you that a long time ago and you never listened."
"Yeah well, you haven't found much of a balance either so why would I listen to you? You seem to concentrate more on other interests these days than tennis."
"Good point."
"So you want to go to the party or what?"
"Sure, might as well have a bit of fun before the start of another tournament. Besides, it's time to stop brooding and forget about the Australian."
"That's the spirit! See you tonight!"


Chapter 17

As discussed, Marat arrived at the players' party with his sister along with a few of the other boys from the Russian team. It was held at a fashionably chic bar, complete with handsome bartenders pouring sexy c0cktails, beautiful waitresses serving drinks, rocking music, hanging chandeliers, plush lounges and beds and an impressive list of attendees. As soon as Marat entered the room, girls immediately swarmed around him, asking him to dance or offering him a drink. He gladly accepted their offers, feeling liberated at not being tied down to anyone. He wondered why he wasted so much time thinking about Sophia when he could've been making better use of it by being in the company of so many beautiful girls. His first match of the tournament wasn't for another two days and he could afford to drink a little. However, with so many people buying him drinks, he quickly lost count of how many he had actually drunk and he was intoxicated in no time.

Marat was sitting on a couch with a blonde girl on his lap and a brunette sitting cozily next to him. Dinara came up to him looking disgusted. "I'm going back to the hotel," she told him.
"What? It's still early," he slurred.
"No, it's past midnight and I have practice tomorrow at 8. Can I speak to you alone for a second?" Without waiting for his response, she pulled him out of his seat and dragged him away to a corner for some privacy.
"What is the matter with you?" Dinara hissed.
"What?"
"Why do you have to have so many girls hanging off of you like leeches? I suggested for you to come tonight to take your mind off things, but not like this!"
"Relax. It's just a bit of fun and it's all consensual."
Dinara shook her head and scoffed at him. "Being with these girls is not going to make you forget about Sophia. It just shows how much you still want her. God, you're so transparent." She gave him a good shove before walking out of the club.
Marat looked in disbelief at the back of his sister as she walked away . She was really coming into her own and was now able to stand up to him without fear. Her words were still ringing loud and clear when he sat back down with the blonde and the brunette. All of a sudden, he didn't much want their company any longer. His confrontation with Dinara sobered him up a little and he wanted to leave the party right then and there. He made a pathetic excuse to the two girls and was making his way out of the club when he spotted something familiar in the crowd. A magnificent tangle of brown curls bobbing up and down to the music. She was dancing with a group of girls. He couldn't see her face but he was sure it was her and he felt that peace and comfort take over him when he knew that she was close by. He began weaving through the mass of people on the dance floor to get to her. He wasn't sure what he would do when he finally caught up to her, whether he should be elated or angry but he just knew that he wanted to see her beautiful face once more. However, when he got to the very spot where he was certain she was dancing, he found noone there except for a couple of guys dancing with their girlfriends. He looked around again, hoping to catch another glimpse of the bouncing curls but without success.


Chapter 18

"You were probably just hallucinating!" Dinara said the next morning. Marat had called her during practice and interrupted her session with her coach.
"I'm telling you, it felt so real. She was there, I swear."
"Ok well, I don't have time for this right now so can we talk later? Come shopping with me."
Marat nearly choked on his cup of coffee. "Shopping? Since when do you go shopping during a tournament?"
"Very funny. I told you, it's my new regime."
"Alright, meet me at that cafe that I go to near the Trevi. 1pm."

And so that afternoon, Marat unenthusiastically followed his sister as she visited store after store to find a new pair of shoes and handbag to match. She was really a girls girl off-court who loved fashion and saw nothing wrong with browsing a store for nearly an hour. But even though he hated shopping, Dinara was the only one on tour who he could really talk to about such things and therefore had to put up with her and her shopping spree.
"I thought you said you were going to forget about Sophia?" Dinara asked him as she approached the counter to pay for her new Chanel handbag.
"I want to, believe me," Marat sighed loudly. "But somehow I can't. It's never been this difficult before! Especially with someone I was with for only a few weeks."
"Why don't you just send her a thousand emails and a thousand text messages until she gets it that you at least want a reason for going AWOL on you."
"First of all, that's a stupid idea. Second of all, that will make me look desperate and I'm not." Dina rolled her eyes at this point. "Thirdly, I already know the reason...I was just a fling to her." He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration before muttering something incomprehensible in Russian.
"I don't believe that," Dina argued. "She seemed so nice. It just doesn't seem like something she would do. And the way I saw her around you, I could tell she really wanted to be with you. Surely, there's got to be a good reason." Marat merely shrugged at his sister's observations. He opened the door for her as they walked out of Chanel. "I mean, you don't really believe that you were just a fling, do you?" She looked at him waiting for an answer, then looked over his shoulder and blinked as if something caught her eye.
"I really want to believe that I wasn't but what other explanation could there be?" he finally responded.
"Why don't you just ask her?" Dina pressed.
"Dinara! I told you I'm not going to send emails or text messages to try and get an answer!" he growled.
Dinara shook her head and touched him on his chest to calm him down. "No," she told him, still looking over his shoulder. "I meant, why don't you ask her in person? She's coming straight towards us."

Marat turned around slowly so as to not look too eager. And there she was. He found Sophia amongst the crowd, walking with a friend, smiling her pretty smile, her feet gliding along the busy Italian street and her head held high like the confident dancer that she was. She made Marat short of breath. But she looked different somehow which made him frown. And of course it only took him a second to realise what it was because it was his most favourite physical feature of hers that had changed. Her beautiful, long, curly locks were curly no more. Instead she now wore her hair dead straight, pulled back from her face with a plain, black headband. He kept his eyes on her, willing Sophia to look at him. They were only a store away when her friend pointed at the Chanel sign and gestured for them to go in. "Oh my god, Marat, she's going into this store," Dinara whispered. Sophia's friend dragged her to the front of the shop but they were prevented from entering because the Safin siblings were in the way. Marat's eyes hadn't left Sophia's face since spotting her and she finally looked up and saw him. At first, her face lit up but then her expression changed to one of shock, happiness and fear. "Marat!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe I'm meeting you here." She stood on her tip toes and brought him into a warm hug. Although this made his heart skip a beat, he didn't show any emotion and stood perfectly still, his hands at his sides expressing no hint of returning her embrace. Sophia let go and looked at him a little hurt.

"Hi, Sophia, nice to see you again," Dinara spoke up, trying to break the tension.
"Dinara, hi!" Sophia replied breaking her gaze and kissed Dina on both cheeks.
"Well, I'm going to check out the store next door. Do you want to come along?" Dinara asked Sophia's friend, Anna, who all this time had remained silent with her mouth slightly open in surprise at this chance encounter. She merely nodded in response and followed Dinara.

Marat and Sophia stood in front of Chanel, looking at each other in silence. "It's good to see you," Sophia said quietly, wringing her fingers around nervously.
"Nice hair," Marat commented. She self-consciously touched it and immediately took off her headband, opting to tie it back with the hairtie on her wrist.
"Are you and your sister here for a tournament?"
"Yes," he replied shortly, trying to keep calm and refusing to be the one to bring up the subject about her disappearance.
"Right. So how have you been?"
"Oh Sophia, cut the crap!" he said, raising his voice. He couldn't contain himself anymore. "How do you think I've been? You disappear out of the blue, stop taking my calls, don't reply to my messages, don't explain why you don't want to keep in touch and you still have the nerve to ask me how I've been?"
Sophia put her hands up in surrender. "Ok, ok! You don't deserve that. I'm sorry."
"You're damn right I don't deserve that. What happened? Where have you been?" Marat's pleading eyes were desperate for an honest answer and Sophia couldn't bear to look at them.
"It's complicated," she began.
"Try me." Sophia didn't want to have this conversation that very moment. Not in public and not in such a busy street where there was bound to be someone who would recognise Marat and eavesdrop on his personal life. But Marat took Sophia's silence as a refusal to explain herself. "You know what? I don't have time for this," he said. "Go away, Sophia. Go and find another guy you can play and screw over."
This time it was Sophia who raised her voice. "What? You think I played you? Marat, I'm not like that!"
"Then tell me why you just disappeared?" Marat shouted. Again, Sophia couldn't get the words out and did nothing but look at him with remorse. "See, you can't even defend yourself. When you can come up with a better reason, come and find me and maybe I'll listen." He shook his head before walking away, leaving Sophia with her tears.

Later that night, Sophia and Anna were having dinner. Sophia didn't have much of an appetite and was absent-mindedly swirling her pasta around her plate with a fork.
"Cheer up, Sophia," Anna said. "Everything's going to be fine."
"No, Anna, it's not. How am I going to explain this one?"
"You just need to be honest. He can't ask for more than that."
"He's going to hate me. And I really don't want him to hate me."
"No he's not." Anna smiled at her reassuringly. But then Anna had a thought and needed to question her friend. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”
“No, I haven’t. This is what I’ve wanted for so long,” Sophia sighed, pushing her plate away from her.
Her long-awaited dream was finally coming true but after seeing Marat, it was like he’d brought her back to reality and suddenly she found herself wondering if she still wanted this dream to be realised. She really did think she was ready for a whirlwind romance with Marat, but then things happened so quickly and unexpectedly and well…it turns out she wasn’t ready after all.

Sophia returned to her hotel room late. As she was getting into her pyjamas, she heard a voice come from behind.
“Hey, you’re back. How was your day?” the voice asked sleepily in the dark.
She turned around and mustered a smile. “It was fine,” she replied.
“Anything exciting happen?”
“No, not really.”
“Ok then. Are you coming to bed soon?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.” Sophia turned back to look at herself in the mirror and picked up a hairbrush. She scrunched up her face as she put it through her hair. With one last heavy sigh, she began walking towards the bed and slid next to Tristan. He cuddled closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist as she took off her engagement ring and placed it carefully on the bedside table before falling into an uneasy and interrupted sleep.

[audrey]

Chapter 19

Marat also had a sleepless night. He kept playing the meeting with Sophia earlier over and over in his head. He knew he should’ve taken a more gentle approach when he spoke to her. After all, he wanted to work things out though he wasn’t off to a very good start if he had already upset her. But all the frustrations he had over the past month just came out and Sophia was an easy target. To make up for it, Marat decided he was going to try again and have a more civilized conversation with Sophia. It didn’t matter that she disappeared on him. Now that they were again in contact and staying in the same city, she wouldn’t be able to avoid him any longer and he just wanted another chance with her. He was going to pull out all the charm and charisma he possessed that it would be impossible for her not to want to continue what they had started.

Anna had mentioned to Dinara as they were shopping where she and Sophia were staying in Rome and Dina was quick to pass on the message to her brother. Seeing as Marat was up anyway, he made his way to their hotel very early in the morning. He entered the empty hotel lobby and sat down on the lounge. A young woman at reception initially looked at him suspiciously but then she recognized him and when Marat briefly glanced over her way, she gave him the most flirtatious and sexiest smile she could muster. He returned it with a slight nod of his head and a small wave, showing no interest in her at all. The girl frowned and grumpily returned to her filing.

Sophia had an early rehearsal and left her room before Tristan woke up. She made her way down to the breakfast room shortly after Marat arrived. He saw her getting out of the elevator and began following her. She was wearing her trademark ballet practice outfit of black tights, black leotard, black skirt and pink cardigan. He had always loved the dancer’s look and she pulled it off so well. The only thing he was disappointed in was her hair, long and dead straight, tied up in a ponytail. He caught up to her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder which made her jump. When Sophia turned around, Marat noticed she looked miserable but upon seeing him, her eyes lit up for a second and he could’ve sworn he heard her breathe a sigh of relief.
“Hey,” she greeted him nervously. “What are you doing here?” She looked around the room with an anxious look on her face.
“I came to see you,” he said just as nervously.
“It’s a bit early for you to be up, isn’t it? You’d normally still be in a deep sleep at this time.” She was making jokes. This eased Marat’s nerves a little. It meant she wasn’t angry at him for going off at her in public the day before.
“I wanted to catch you before you went out. Are you ok?” Marat noticed Sophia was agitated, her eyes darting back and forth from the elevator to the lobby.
“Fine!” she said, almost too excitedly. “Can we catch up while we walk? Otherwise I’m going to be late.” She quickly grabbed some fruit and a croissant from the buffet table, placed them in her bag and started walking out. This wasn’t how Marat envisioned their conversation to be. He thought they could sit down, have a nice breakfast, talk openly, reconcile, hold hands, maybe even sneak in a make up kiss. But it seemed Sophia had a busy schedule that morning and didn’t even have time for a proper breakfast. Never mind. Marat would just have to improvise.

“I’m glad you came this morning actually,” Sophia admitted as they made their way through the lobby.
“Really, why?” Marat asked.
“I just want to apologise for yesterday and for the past month. You know, with me being non-existent all of sudden. I owe you an explanation.”
Marat shook his head. “No, I’m sorry for shouting at you yesterday. I didn’t mean that part about you playing and screwing guys over. I know you’re not like that. Hey, what’s happened to your hair?” He couldn’t help himself, he had to ask the question.
But Sophia ignored him and changed the subject. “Can we meet tonight? We can have a proper talk. My performance finishes at 9pm.”
Marat smiled at her proposal. “Sure, I’ll meet you after. Where are you performing?”
“At the Teatro Nazionale Roma.”
“Ok, I’ll see you after 9. Hey, did you injure your left hand?”
Sophia looked up at him, confused. “No, what makes you say that?”
“I notice you keep squeezing it with your right hand. Since yesterday.” Sophia didn’t even realise she’d been doing this. Funnily enough, she only ever did it when Marat was around.
“Oh yes, actually it’s just a small injury,” she lied. “I hurt it during rehearsal.”
Marat looked concerned and went to grab her hand. “Here let me look at it.”
“No, no, no!” Sophia assured him, putting her hands behind her back. “It’s fine!”
“Ok, because we wouldn’t want anything serious to happen to those hands. They work wonders,” he said with a glint in his eyes and a suggestive smile on his face.
Sophia blushed and looked down at her feet. “Yes well umm, I have to go now. See you tonight.” She plucked up the courage to look at his face which was so beautiful and perfect. She longed to touch it.
“Are you sure you’re ok?” Marat asked her once again.
“I’m great!” she declared. “Why?”
He studied her carefully, noticing that she wasn’t smiling as much as she did before and her eyes had lost some of their sparkle. “Hmmm, you seem different somehow,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. “I’ll see you tonight.” He bent down and kissed her on her cheeks which were warm and soft. His face lingered on hers for a while and Sophia smelt the familiar scent of his cologne that had always made her weak in the knees. With one last kiss on her forehead, Marat reluctantly pulled away and left.

While all this was happening, the girl at reception had been watching Marat and Sophia with fervent interest. She knew that Sophia and Tristan were sharing the same room and had even seen them walk through the lobby hand in hand so she was certain they were a couple. But after seeing Sophia with Marat, she didn’t know what to think anymore. As Sophia made her way out the door, the girl gave her a knowing smile. Sophia gave her a quizzical look before walking out and tried her hardest not to look guilty for committing something wrong and getting caught along the way.



Chapter 20

Marat thought he’d surprise Sophia by coming to watch her performance later on that night. He had previously promised her that he would watch one of her European shows and what better timing? He asked Dinara to come with him but she had a match the next day and needed her rest. So he invited Dmitry instead, who he knew wouldn’t turn down the chance to watch a show full of beautiful women. He was able to get seats with a very good view of the stage and once they’d sat down, he found himself giddy with anticipation at being able to see Sophia in her element.

The moment Sophia appeared on stage, Marat was mesmerized. She looked exquisite out there in her elaborate costumes and executing every step with such grace and elegance. She was so light on her feet that she made all her leaps, jumps and turns look effortless. She danced with the same confident ease Marat played tennis. It was as if she was born to dance on that stage just as Marat was born to play in the international tennis circuit. His admiration for Sophia grew tenfold by the time the show was finished.
“Hey, close your mouth, you’re going to swallow a fly soon,” Dmitry teased Marat, who was still in awe, giving Sophia a standing ovation and clapping enthusiastically.
“Did you see her? She was amazing!” Marat said proudly.
“Yeah, I saw her. Unfortunately, you saw her first so I’m going to talk to the evil fairy instead.” Dmitry excused himself and headed backstage.

Marat followed Dmitry shortly after to see Sophia and give her a bunch of flowers he’d bought for her prior to the show. He had no problems getting backstage as he was easily recognized and they let him in immediately. An after party was being held and a waiter walked past offering him a glass of champagne. He grabbed one and took one big gulp to calm his nerves. He just wanted to make things work with Sophia and he didn’t want anything to go wrong tonight. She said so herself, they were going to have a “proper talk” and whatever issues she thinks they may have, they would work through it after this talk.

He looked around at the sea of faces and found Dmitry chatting up the evil fairy indeed. His friend saw him and gave him a cheeky grin to which Marat shook his head in amusement. He continued his search for Sophia and at last found her standing alone on the other side of the room with a drink in her hand. He stopped dead in his tracks. She was breathtakingly beautiful. No longer in costume, she had changed into a stunning Grecian silk dress and her hair was all out, once again back to their normal curls! He smiled, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Marat watched Sophia for a while, admiring every little detail of hers. She glanced around the room then looked at her watch nervously. It was nearly 9 and Marat knew she would soon be making her way out to meet him. He figured it was the right time to approach her now and started making his way towards her direction when the scene taking place in front of him stopped Marat from taking one step further.

He saw a man, roughly the same age as him and a good few inches shorter, get to Sophia first. He put his arm around her shoulders, kissed her on the neck and whispered something in her ear. Sophia gave the man a faint smile and pulled away slightly from him. But the man didn’t let go and held her hand. She looked at her watch again and downed the rest of her champagne before grabbing another one and downing that as well. It was just on 9. Looking anxious and impatient, she put a strand of locks behind her ear with her free left hand and then Marat spotted it. A big, glittery diamond ring on her left ring finger.

Marat couldn’t believe it. There he was thinking stupidly that he and Sophia were going to pick things up where they left off when all along she was already engaged! He wanted to bang his head against the wall. He had been right all along and he cursed himself over and over for not following his instincts about her. Suddenly, Sophia started making a move. She excused herself from the man and quickly exited through the back door. Marat followed and caught up to her after a few easy strides.
“You making your way to see me?” he asked her from behind, making Sophia jump again.
She turned around and found Marat all tall, dark and handsome in a simple but classy designer black suit. She beamed at him but what she got in return was the famous Safin scowl.
“I was actually,” she replied. “I was meant to meet you out front. How did you get back here?”
“I watched you tonight and I went backstage,” he said quietly. “Great performance, by the way.” Marat’s eyes stared at her ring.
“Oh. Oh.” Realisation set in and Sophia quickly tried to hide her hand.
“You don’t have to hide it. I’ve seen your ring, Sophia,” Marat said. “And you don’t have to explain anything. I get it all now.”
Sophia shook her head furiously. “No, no, no, you don’t. Please,” she begged. She took one step closer to him but Marat took a step back.
“What’s not to get?” he asked, frustrated. “You’re engaged to that guy in there. Sure, we had a good time but now you’re engaged and see you later to me, it was fun while it lasted. Does that sound about right?” He stared at her face, breathing heavily.
Sophia looked down at the ground, willing herself not to cry. But the tears came and when she finally looked up, they were flowing freely all down her cheeks.
“There’s more to it than that,” she cried. “It’s complicated and I didn’t want you to find out like this. I didn’t even know he was going to come tonight. I had the rest of the night planned for just you and I to talk and I was going to explain everything.”
Marat threw his hands up in resignation. “It doesn’t matter how I found out! The point is I did and let’s just leave it at that, ok? Now you can go and live happily ever after and I can get on with my life. Because you know what? I feel like my life has stopped, waiting for you and wondering about you for the last month! But this here is my closure. Now I can just forget about you. Here, these are for you. Good bye, Sophia.” He handed her a bunch of yellow tulips, turned around and walked away, his hands in his pockets and his head hung low.

[audrey]

Chapter 21

It was another early morning start for Sophia. After Marat walked off on her the night before, she was left speechless. He didn’t even give her a chance to speak and just decided that was the end. But that’s not what she wanted and she was going to tell him so.

No longer was she going to be the weak, tearful Sophia who couldn’t get the words out to explain anything to him. Instead, she would exude confidence and strength and command his attention! With a new resolve, she tracked him down with the help of Dinara and arrived at his hotel at a convenient time when she knew he’d still be there.

She had to knock quite loudly a few times before he opened the door. He stood there, naked to the waist with nothing on but a pair of shorts, surveying her with a weary expression. He truly was a beautiful sight to see.

“Does your fiancé know you’re here?” Marat asked sarcastically, ruffling his already messy hair.

“Shut up,” Sophia replied, pushing him inside the room with her palm on his bare chest.

She pushed him right back to the edge of his bed where he sat with his elbows on his knees and waited for her to speak.

“This is my last day in Rome. I’m leaving tomorrow,” Sophia began. Silence.

“Last night, you said good bye, like it was the end. Like you wanted me out of your life for good. Is that what you really want?” Silence.

“Because if you tell me now that it is, then I’ll say good bye too and I’ll never bother you again. But I really don’t want to do that.” Silence.

Sophia sighed loudly before starting her monologue. “Marat, I’m sorry if you think I played you. In Valencia, I really was single. Tristan and I hadn’t been together for months. I felt like I was ready to move on with you and everything I said at the time, I meant every word. But what you’ve got to understand is that I was with Tristan for over 3 years. I was so in love with him. We talked about marriage a long time ago. He got me all excited about it and I would’ve given up everything to be his wife, including relocating wherever his law firm was assigning him to. I mean, I’m a principal dancer at my ballet company now but I would’ve given that up and started all over again so I could be with him. But after waiting and waiting and waiting, the proposal never came. He became real busy with work, I hardly ever saw him anymore and then there was a rumour about a woman, a colleague, who he’d been seeing behind my back. At first I didn’t believe it, but I came across enough evidence to know the truth. So we broke up.”

Sophia looked at Marat’s impassive face and couldn’t work out what he was thinking but his jaw was clenched. Still, he remained silent so she continued.

“Shortly after I got back to Sydney from Valencia, Tristan came and visited me. We talked, he apologized, he promised that I would always come before work and that it was just a brief, meaningless fling with the other woman and there would be no one else but me. Then he proposed. So imagine hearing that from the person you’d been waiting to hear it from for years?! But contrary to what you may think, I didn’t accept straight away. I thought about it for a few days before I finally let him put the ring on my finger. You were a part of those thoughts, Marat.” He was looking out the window but turned to her when she said this.

“Yeah, you were. I guess you were the one thing that was stopping me from saying yes to Tristan. I mean, I had a choice between someone who had hurt me but was now proposing, ready to commit and saying that he loves me and someone who I have the best time with and wants to say he loves me but needs to make sure of his feelings first before he makes such a bold statement. And in no way was I expecting you to make the same declarations as Tristan but I’m ready to settle down and his proposal was a long time coming. I wanted to tell you all this but I was just scared and that’s why you stopped hearing from me. I know now that there never is a good time to break bad news.” Marat smirked and shook his head.

“I’m sorry that things haven’t quite worked out the way you expected them to. But I can’t accept that you can just say good bye or that you’re going to just forget about me. Marat, I love our friendship. I want us to still be friends. You became such a good friend to me in a short amount of time. Even if we hadn’t become intimate, I’m certain our friendship would’ve blossomed just the same. It’ll be a waste if we just threw it all away so no matter what you say, you will always be my friend and I’ll always think of you.”

An uncomfortable silence ensued. Sophia had run out of things to say and was standing awkwardly as Marat continued to sit on the bed with his head now looking down at the floor.

Sophia shook her head and rolled her eyes, convinced that he really wasn’t interested in her suggestion to continue their friendship and she’d just spent a good 15 minutes spilling her heart out for nothing.

“Well ok. That’s all I wanted to say. Good bye then,” she said hesitantly, making her way towards the door. Before she opened it, she finally heard him speak.

“You said yes to the proposal, but do you love him?”

She turned around and walked back to Marat. “Yeah, sure I do.”

“Are you happy?”

“Yeah,” she replied after a moment’s thought.

He got up from the bed and stood in front of her. “I don’t want you out of my life,” he admitted. “It’s bad enough we can’t be together, it will be worse if we aren’t friends.”

Relief flooded through Sophia’s whole body. Marat enveloped her into a hug that she almost didn’t want to be released from. His arms were so comforting and protective, it left her little doubt that all was well between them once again.

“So where are you flying off to next?” he asked as she was leaving.

“Moscow.” She gave him one, big, beautiful smile.

“Really? Maybe we can catch up while you’re there.”

“Yeah, maybe,” she said. “But you might still be here winning some more matches.”

Marat $n!ggered. “I doubt it.”

“Still not motivated, huh?”

Marat just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"I keep telling you, you should go on vacation already," she reminded him. "Then you wouldn't have to worry about tennis anymore."

“Alright, see you later then, pretty girl,” he said softly, kissing her on the cheek.

“See you, handsome boy,” she replied a little sadly, returning his kiss.



Chapter 22


On their last day in Rome, Tristan and Sophia went out sightseeing. She was glad they could spend some time together because she worried she’d been neglecting him with her rehearsals and performances.

But he wasn’t too concerned because he had brought work with him to keep him occupied while Sophia was busy, much to her dismay.

“You promised you wouldn’t even think about work while you’re here!” she had complained.

“I know, but this is for a case that came up just before I left. I need to work on a few urgent things now and I promise the rest can wait until I get home.” Sophia relented, knowing how important Tristan’s job was.

They were sitting down in front of a fountain in a piazza, taking a break and eating gelato. Tristan was observing Sophia carefully.

“What?” she asked cautiously when she found him staring.

“Nothing. It’s just that I like your hair better straight. Why did you go back?”

Sophia shrugged her shoulders. “It didn’t really feel like me. Don’t you like my hair curly?”

“Yeah, but I prefer it straight.” She looked away and ate her gelato in silence.

“So Moscow next huh?” Tristan mentioned apprehensively.

“Mmhhm.”

“Are you excited?”

“Of course! It’s going to be amazing. And the best thing is that we’ll be there together!”

Tristan stood up and shuffled his feet nervously. “Well about that…” he began.

“Oh no,” she sighed, sensing bad news.

“Something’s come up at work and they need me back home so I won’t be able to come with you.”

“Tristan! You promised!!!” Sophia couldn’t hide the disappointment in her voice.

“I know, I’m sorry but without my help, this case is going to fall to pieces.”

“But you’re meant to be on leave for 10 days. You’ve only been away for 3.”

Tristan hugged her and apologized again and again. He was being sincere and Sophia couldn’t get mad at him.

The next day, they were at the airport about to go their separate ways. Tristan was extra attentive and loving since the night before, feeling very guilty that he had to leave Sophia prematurely. They made the most of the time they had left together locked up in their hotel room.

“So what are you going to do with your free time in Moscow without me?” he asked jokingly.

“If I can ever get any!” she said. “Rehearsals take up most of my time and we’re only there for a few days so I don’t even know if I’ll have a second to spare.”

Suddenly, she looked over at the tv screen behind Tristan that was showing a tennis match from the previous day. Footage of Marat losing to Fernando Verdasco in four sets appeared. Her heart sank as she saw the final score.

“Damn,” she muttered under her breath.

Tristan looked at her with a smile on his face. “I didn’t know you liked tennis.”

“Oh, it’s a new interest!” she admitted. “My abuela got me into it recently.” And that was quite true actually.

A couple of days later, Marat arrived home in Moscow and was on his way to visit his parents. They didn’t live too far and it was a nice day out so he decided to go for a walk.

He was walking past a dance studio and thoughts of Sophia immediately sprang to his mind.

“She’d be here right now,” he thought to himself.

Then, as if he had summoned her, Sophia appeared, stepping out of the studio, looking distressed.

“Excuse me, I’m interested in taking a ballet class,” he joked, coming up from behind her.

She turned around and gave him the biggest smile. “Hey! I was wondering when we’d be bumping into each other again.”

They hugged and like always, their embrace felt too good to let go of. As they stood there, he noticed her right foot was heavily bandaged.

“What happened to your foot?” Marat asked her with concern.

Sophia sighed, the frustration evident on her face. “I sprained it during practice,” she answered. “The day I arrived here, can you believe it? So now I’m not allowed to perform for the rest of our trip. Uuggghh!!!”

“What are you doing here in a dance studio though?”

She explained how she’d been asked to teach a group of girls by her artistic director who was good friends with the owner of the studio.

“It will be a good experience for these girls to be taught by someone who’s from a different company. You won’t even need to move around a lot. You’re just teaching them the basic steps,” she’d been instructed.

“So I agreed to do it. It’s only for a day and seeing as I can’t dance myself right now, I might as well help these girls who can,” she told Marat. “Oh, they are a handful but they’re so cute! They’re actually daughters of expats so thank goodness language isn’t a barrier. Do you want to come up and see?”

But she didn’t wait for him to answer. She just took him by the hand and dragged him inside.

“Sophia, who is that?” asked 5 year old Chelsea. She was pointing at Marat and along with the rest of the class, was looking up and up and up at him.

“This is my friend Marat,” she replied.

He smiled kindly and gave them a small wave. She realized she was still holding his hand and quickly let go.

“Are we ready to continue?”

But the little girls were no longer interested in dancing and ignored her question.

“Is he your boyfriend?” 6 year old Melody piped up.

Sophia and Marat looked at each other and laughed.

“No, he’s not my boyfriend.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s just a friend.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

“Well, where is he?”

“He’s at home.”

“I think Marat should be your boyfriend!” Chelsea called out excitedly.

Sophia looked aghast as she watched Marat for his reaction. She was half-smiling and half-grimacing from the awkwardness of the moment. But he just winked at Chelsea who was now next to him, tugging his jeans.

“Do you think Miss Sophia is pretty?” she asked him seriously.

“Yes, very,” he replied, crouching down to her level.

“Are you married?”

“No. I’m only 29. Don’t you think that’s still too young?”

Chelsea made a face. “I don’t know. I only know how to count to 20.”

Marat pretended to cough to cover the laughter that was about to come out of his mouth. The little girl spun around to face Sophia with the most delighted expression.

“Miss Sophia, he looks like a prince! He should be your boyfriend,” she repeated.

Sophia blushed and didn't dare look at Marat. "Can we just get on with the class, please?" she instructed.

Marat stayed until the lesson ended. He watched as Sophia patiently taught the girls the five main ballet positions and a couple of fun little steps she thought they would like.

She then put all the steps together and made up a simple dance for them to practice during the rest of the class. She was a great instructor and really seemed to enjoy teaching.

“I’m so sorry about the girls earlier!” she apologized to Marat as they were leaving the studio.

“They were fine. No problem,” he laughed. “Where are you off to now?”

“Just going back to the hotel. I might ask the concierge to recommend a place where I can eat some authentic Russian food…unless you know a place.”

“Actually, I do. I’ll take you there,” he said. “It’ll be the best Russian food you’ll ever taste. I’ll just make a reservation now.”

He made a phone call while Sophia stood close by, wondering if it was a good idea to have dinner with Marat. “Why wouldn't it be? You guys are just friends,” her conscience told her.

As they stepped out onto the street, Sophia’s sprained foot buckled under and she nearly fell over. But Marat caught her in his arms just in time.

“I’ve got you,” he told her softly, his mouth close to her ear.

She brushed herself off and moved away from him uncomfortably.

Marat smirked and rolled his eyes. “Are you good? Do you need me to carry you?”

“No, thanks. I’ll be fine,” she answered stiffly, knowing he would’ve if she said yes.

“Marat, where are we? Where’s the restaurant?” Sophia demanded when they stopped in front of a residential building.

“We’re eating at my parents’ house,” he said casually, walking up the steps.

Sophia stared at him, horrified. “You sneak! You didn’t say you were taking me to your parents’ place!” She struggled to pull him back with both of her hands gripped to his forearms.

“Well, you said you wanted authentic Russian food. This is the best place for it.” He gently pried her hands off him and smiled at her encouragingly.

She looked apprehensively at the building, then at Marat then back at the building. “I don’t know. Doesn’t this seem a little bit weird?”

He shook his head and frowned. “What’s weird? We’re friends. I introduce my friends to my parents and you’re hungry. They love feeding my friends.”

This time it was he who took her hand to bring her inside and a moment later, Sophia was standing inside the Safin residence, being introduced to Rausa and Mubin, Marat’s mother and father.

“Welcome!” Rausa greeted Sophia warmly. “You and Marat came just in time. Dinner is almost ready.”

“Thank you for having me at such short notice. I thought Marat made reservations at a restaurant, not your home,” Sophia said sheepishly, giving Marat a murderous look to which he just laughed at.

As all four of them sat down at the dining table, Marat couldn’t help but feel proud of his parents who were the perfect hosts to Sophia, asking her about her dance career, her life in Australia and what she thought of Moscow.

She too was a wonderful guest being her cheerful and lively self the way Marat knew her and answering all their questions candidly. She ate and loved all the food that was put in front of her and complimented Rausa on her fabulous cooking.

Rausa was very modest but was clearly flattered. Sophia then offered to clear up after they finished their meals. But of course his mother refused, insisting Sophia was a guest and therefore wasn’t allowed to do anything. However, Sophia stood up anyway and helped take the dirty dishes away.

Rausa was impressed by this and looked over at Marat with a very delighted expression on her face.

Later on, Sophia and Marat were in the lounge room alone after dinner. They were joking around and having a good time, both relieved that they could remain friends because they had thoroughly missed each other’s company.

Sophia was looking at the pictures all around the room. They were mostly of Marat and Dinara at different ages. She kept giggling at the photos of him as a toddler and a young boy.

“Don’t be embarrassed!” Sophia teased. “You were so cute and adorable!”

Marat shook his head. “Yeah? And what am I now?” he asked, the corners of his mouth twitching.

But Sophia pretended not to hear and looked at the rest of the photos quietly.

“So are you ready to go?” Marat was standing waiting patiently for her.

She turned around slowly to find him checking his watch. It was 10 o’clock.

“Why? Do you need to be somewhere?” she inquired still distracted by the photos.

“Actually I do,” he replied. “I have a date.” That got her attention.

Sophia looked up at him and tried her hardest not to look shocked.

“Really? Who is it?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “You don’t know her but she’s someone I catch up with every now and then when I’m home. I’m meeting her at the bar where she works.”

“Oh,” she said deflated. “Isn’t it a bit late?”

Marat laughed and put his arm around her shoulders as he led her out of the apartment. “Sophia, you’re so funny. Who are you, my mother? The night is still young. Moscow’s party scene doesn’t start til late.”

Sophia didn’t know why she suddenly felt depressed. It wasn’t like she had any ownership on Marat. He could do whatever he liked and was free to see anybody he chose to see. “Of course he would date other girls,” she thought. “Because I have Tristan now and he’s moved on as well.” She was silent as he took her back to the hotel.

”Hey, we should hang out again tomorrow, if you’re not busy,” suggested Marat.

“I think the question should be if you don’t have another date to go on,” Sophia blurted out.

He looked at her puzzled. He didn’t understand her sudden change in moods. She was in such good spirits at his parents’, now she was sullen and cranky.

“Where did that come from?” he asked.

Sophia sighed. “Sorry, I’m just tired.” She forced herself to give him a small smile.

He looked at her carefully and laughed quietly. “I’ll pick you up in the morning,” he whispered in her ear as he kissed her goodbye.

He then went on his date and Sophia spent the rest of the night wondering what Marat was getting up to.

[audrey]

Chapter 23

“So you’re not going to be there when I come home?” Sophia was on the phone to Tristan. She wanted to hear his voice but instead of a nice, light-hearted conversation, they were arguing.

“I’m sorry but duty calls. This Asia trip is necessary.”

“But we were meant to start our wedding preparations. You were going to come along and see the florist and photographer.”

“I know and I feel terrible. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“Whatever happened to your other promise about work no longer being your first priority?” her voice was raised and she regretted ever calling him.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. When she opened it, she was blinded by a flash of light that greeted her. It was Marat with his camera right in her face. She hit him on the arm and gestured for him to be quiet.

“Phia, do you want me to lose my job?” Tristan asked. “I’m working my butt off so we can have a nice life together. This is for our future. You’ll see that it’ll be worth it in the end.”

Sophia locked herself in the bathroom for some privacy. “But you promised!” she hissed into the phone. “That’s why I agreed to marry you because of your promises which you haven’t much lived up to!”

“Listen Sophia, can we talk about this later? I have to go to a meeting now.”

She’d had enough. “Fine, whatever! You do whatever you want and how about I just see you when you’re ready to come home,” she said sarcastically.

But Tristan was too distracted to even notice the disdain in her voice. “Oh, thanks honey, I knew you’d understand. See you later.”

She looked at the phone in disgusted disbelief. She wanted to throw it against the wall. She felt like she came second place next to Tristan’s job, much like she did before. Nothing had really changed but she wasn’t prepared to admit it yet.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sophia yanked the bathroom door open in anger.

“Everything all right?” Marat asked cautiously.

“Fine,” she replied abruptly, leaning against the threshold.

“I take it that was your boyfriend.”

“Fiance,” she corrected. “Not that it’s any of your business but yes it was.” Marat decided not to ask what they were talking about to make her upset, lest she got angry at him, too.

“So, how was your hot date last night?” she inquired, changing the subject. She wanted to talk about anything but Tristan.

“Not that it’s any of your business but it was good,” Marat answered mockingly.

She gave him a sarcastic smile. “It mustn’t have been that good if you went home alone.”

“How do you know I went home alone?”

“Because you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t. You’d still be in bed with her.” Sophia scoffed because for once, he was lost for words.

When she walked over to sit next to Marat, he saw that she was limping a lot worse than before. “It’s just swollen, don’t worry,” she mentioned, noticing the worried expression on his face. “But I’m afraid I can’t really do much walking today.”

So Marat’s plans to be her tour guide again went out the window. “What do you want to do then?” he asked.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to just stay in,” Sophia replied.

“Why? To sulk?” Even though she didn’t tell him, he knew that everything was not fine with Tristan.

“No!” she said defensively. “I’m in pain and I’m tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Thinking about someone so much that it drove you crazy and kept you up, huh?” Marat said innocently, referring to Tristan.

Sophia grimaced and gave him a weird look. “Yeah, something like that,” she replied, NOT referring to Tristan.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marat agreed for her to “stay in” but not cooped up in her hotel room so instead he took her for a nice drive out of Moscow and to the countryside not too far out of the city. Once they got there, Sophia just had to step out of the car to breathe in the fresh air and appreciate the scenery which was completely different to the city life. There were no big buildings or traffic jams, just cute, little cottages, streams, paddocks and fields. Being there in the stillness of the countryside made her feel ten times better. Of course, Marat’s company was a big help, too, and she was glad he had persuaded her to come out.

He also took her to the Arkhangelskoye Estate where they spent the rest of the afternoon admiring the beautiful buildings and the Italian gardens with its ornate bridges and marble statues.

But by the end of the day, Sophia’s swollen foot was really aching. Marat saw her wince with every step she took. Without warning, he lifted her off the ground with one easy swoop and had her in his arms to take her back to the car.

“Hey! Put me down! I’m not an invalid, you know!” Sophia shouted indignantly.

“Don’t be silly,” Marat said, ignoring her request. “Where are your painkillers?”

“At the hotel. Marat, please! This is embarrassing!”

“Never mind. I know exactly what to give you for the pain.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Vodka?” Sophia looked at the near full bottle Marat placed in front of her. They were back at his apartment.

“Trust me, it will numb the pain after you’ve had a couple.”

She wasn’t totally convinced but seeing as she was no longer committed to anymore performances, that and the fact she wanted to forget the argument she had with Tristan in the morning, she decided to let loose and have a few drinks.

“Ok, fine. I’ll have some lemonade with it, thanks,” she requested.

Marat furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her in astonishment. He then laughed and Sophia got annoyed. “What?”

“You don’t drink vodka with lemonade,” Marat explained, unable to hide the amusement in his voice. “You don’t drink it with anything. If another Russian saw me letting you drink vodka with lemonade, they would kill me first then you.”

He poured a rather large serving in a glass and handed it to her. “Here, drink it straight.”

Before she even put the glass to her mouth, she smelt the strong fumes of the alcohol and felt it sting her nose. She almost gagged and found Marat chortling on the other side of the kitchen bench where she couldn’t harm him.

“Aren’t you going to have a glass with me?” she asked.

“I’m not the one with the swollen foot,” he smirked.

“So you’re going to make me drink by myself? What kind of host are you? Where’s the fun in that?”

Marat sighed and relented. “This was actually meant to be just for medicinal purposes but seeing as you’re being such a baby about it, fine, I will have a drink with you.”

He poured himself a double shot and together they clinked their glasses and drank it in one gulp. It was chilled vodka but as soon it went down her throat, Sophia felt the warmest sensation take over her body. The taste was quite strong but it gave her an instant buzz that she poured herself and Marat another round immediately.

After the second shot, Marat left her alone in the kitchen while he attended to some business calls. There was one personal call from a girl who left him a rather brazen voicemail, saying she wanted to see him that night so that they “could have a good time”.

Normally, he would’ve accepted the invitation but Marat wanted to see how the night played out with Sophia so he said he was busy. Not that he expected anything to happen or that he would even try to put the moves on her seeing as she was engaged. Besides, he had to keep reminding himself that they were just friends. But the whole day she’d been acting strange and he knew she was distracted by thoughts of Tristan even though she never admitted it. And with a bottle of vodka to help loosen her tongue, who knew what sorts of things she would start revealing. Admittedly, he was intrigued to find out more about her relationship with this Tristan and if she decided to go into details, then he was not going to stop her.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marat returned to Sophia about half an hour later and found her on his couch, completely relaxed with a ridiculous grin on her face. He checked the bottle of vodka and it looked a lot emptier than when he left it.

“Hey!” Sophia shouted from across the room, waving at him.

He came over and sat down next to her. “Sophia, how much more have you had to drink?”

“Just another 3 glasses,” she giggled.

“Great,” he said sarcastically.

Sophia leaned in closer to him and whispered, “Marat, I am f*cked.”

He let out a short laugh. “Yeah, I can see that. Do you want to lie down?”

“No, no! I want to go dancing. Can you take me dancing?”

She got up and tried to pull Marat out of the couch. When he stood up, she raised his arm that she was holding, did a little twirl and continued to dance around him…or hobbling more like it.

Marat watched all of this with endearment. She was really making it hard for him to not want her. She was too lovable. He found everything she did charming and cute.

Still, there was no point in pining over her. She was unavailable.

“So where are you taking me?” Sophia pressed, poking his chest with her finger.

“Well, there is a party I was invited to tonight. I suppose you could be my plus one,” he said after careful consideration. “But what about your foot?”

Sophia giggled. “Ah foot schmoot! I’m too drunk to even notice. And I resent you for calling me your plus one!” She stopped moving and stepped closer, looking up into his face. “Can’t you call me something nicer, like your date?”

Oh, how Marat wanted to kiss her!!!

“Ok, you can be my date. Are you allowed to be on a date even if you’re engaged?” It was a serious question. If Marat was with Sophia, there would never come a time when she would want to go on a date with any other man but him.

She groaned loudly. “I can do whatever I want because he does whatever he wants. Now, am I dressed ok for this party?” Fortunately, she was wearing a classic, strapless black dress that day which she could simply dress up with the coat she brought with her in case it got cold.

“You look beautiful,” Marat told her with a smile that made his eyes twinkle and his dimples appear for the briefest of moments.

Sophia realized she’d stopped breathing as she stared dumbly back at him. “Thanks,” she said absent-mindedly.

Just before they left his apartment, she insisted they have another drink together so that by the time they arrived at the party, she was well and truly intoxicated. But fortunately, Sophia was a good drunk. She didn’t become obnoxious, loud or aggressive. She just became even more friendly and talkative. Marat’s friends found her to be a real delight.

“Yeah, she is something,” Marat sighed as Misha and Igor complimented him on his choice for a date. They watched her as she happily mingled with their crowd.

“So how long have you two been going out?” Misha asked.

“We’re not,” Marat said darkly. “We’re just friends.”

Misha and Igor smiled at each other, knowing Marat found it very hard to just be friends with a woman he was attracted to.

The party was for the launch of the spring collection of an up-and-coming designer that Marat had agreed to do a photo shoot for. The clientele was mostly Moscow’s young, rich and famous and not really Marat’s crowd. But Sophia looked like she was having a good time so he decided to just grin and bear it.

He found her at the bar buying another drink and trying to brush off a creepy guy standing next to her. When Marat approached her, he placed a protective arm around her shoulder and stared at the guy as if daring him to put anymore moves on Sophia.

She was relieved that Marat came to her rescue and immediately turned on an act.

“Oh honey, there you are! I was just saying that I’d lost you.” She snuggled closer to him and made it even more believable that they were a couple. “Don’t leave me like that again,” she added very quietly so that only he could hear.

“Sorry, I didn’t know she was with you,” the guy said fearfully.

“You should’ve listened to the lady,” he snapped, taking her back to the VIP lounge.

Before they got there, they were stopped by a tall and leggy blonde who purposely blocked their way. It was the woman who left him the rather bold voicemail.

"Hey, Marat," the blonde said. "You said you were busy tonight. Is this what's keeping you busy?" She looked down at Sophia with dislike but Sophia took it all in her stride.

"Yeah, I'm his date," she declared proudly, nodding her head and looking innocent and sweet. "He turned you down earlier, didn't he?" The woman was too appalled to speak. "I'll tell you why? Because he'd rather be with me." She giggled and the blonde walked off in a huff before Marat could apologise.

He shook his head in resignation. "You are unbelievable," he said, unable to hide his amusement. Sophia just shrugged her shoulders and smiled sweetly at him, sipping her drink.

"Can you drop the 'we're a couple' act now? Unless you mean it."

She gave him a funny look and left him as she made her way to socialise on the dance floor.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While Sophia danced with some friendly girls that she met, she saw Marat sitting down talking to his friends.

“Killjoy,” she said, walking up to him. “What are you doing just sitting down with a bunch of guys?” She plonked herself next to Marat for a small rest.

“All right, party girl. What do you suggest I be doing?” he asked trying to pry away the drink from her hand but she refused.

“I don’t know! Wouldn’t you usually have a couple of girls sitting on your lap like you did at that party in Rome?”

Marat looked at her in surprise. “Hey, first of all there was only one girl sitting on my lap. The other girl was just sitting next to me. Secondly, how do you even know about that?”

Sophia regretted mentioning anything. She’d been caught out and was now trying to play dumb. “What?” she asked, feigning innocence. “Ooh, I like this song! I’m gonna go dance.”

But before she could hobble away, Marat stopped her and pulled her back gently by the hand.

He faced her and looked into her eyes to find the truth. “You were there, weren’t you, at the players’ party in Rome?”

Sophia blinked and looked away without saying anything. But a small cheeky smile that she was trying to hide was formed across her face.

“I knew it!” Marat exclaimed. “I saw someone dancing and I knew it was you. Why didn’t you come and say hello?”

Sophia laughed mockingly. “Because you were clearly busy, weren’t you?” Her voice had a note of resentment in it which did not go unnoticed with Marat.

“Look, when my friends found out about the party, they thought it would be funny to try and get in to see some celebrities. We didn’t think they would actually let us through. I saw you straight away and I wanted to approach you but you were ‘pre-occupied’ so I just left it.”

She stared at him unblinking and Marat saw fire in her eyes. He only ever saw eyes like that from his ex-girlfriends when he did something to upset them and then it hit him. “Wait a second….were you jealous?” he asked uncertainly.

“No!” Sophia replied a little too quickly. She was denying it but everything else about her was telling him otherwise. From her expression, to her tone, to her look.

This girl was driving Marat crazy. She’s with someone else but she got jealous when she saw him with another woman? And tonight she goes out with him, insists on being his date and drinks herself to a stupor because she wants to forget about her fiancé for one night? He was desperate for answers and decided it was as good time as any to try and get them.

“Sophia, what do you want?” he implored, willing her to tell him the absolute truth. “If it’s really Tristan that you want to be with then I promise I’ll do my best to always be a good friend to you.” Marat held her hand and she squeezed his tight. She started breathing heavily.

“But if there’s any chance at all that you might still be wondering about you and me, then I have to know,” he continued. “So that I know my feelings for you aren’t just in vain. Sophia, I can’t pretend anymore that I don’t want to be with you because I do. I still do. I always have.”

She looked at him and started feeling nauseous. She wasn’t sure if it was from too much alcohol or her conflicted heart. Maybe it was both. Marat kissed her forehead and she grimaced. By now, her face had turned pale and her mouth was dry.

“Marat?” she managed to say. He watched her with expectant eyes, excited and anxious to hear her answer. She gripped his forearm tight. “I’m going to be sick,” she heaved. “Can you take me to the ladies?”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While Marat waited outside the toilets, Sophia was locked in one of the cubicles, leaning against the door, trying to catch her breath after spewing up what felt like all her insides.

After the day’s events and especially after hearing Marat’s confession to her, she wanted to be reassured that she had chosen correctly and Tristan was still the right one. She drunk-dialled his number and waited for him to pick up the phone.

“Hello?” Tristan answered in a gruff, muffled voice.

“Tristan, it’s Sophia,” she said sweetly.

“Hey. What are you doing?” He was still half asleep and his responses were short and snappy.

“I’m feeling really sick actually. I wish you were here to take care of me.”

“What the heck, Phia? It’s 5.30am here.” He must’ve checked the clock and he sounded irritated. “I’ve only had 4 hours sleep so far. You’re a big girl, you can take care of yourself. I’ll call you later.”

And just like that, he hung up.

Sophia came out of the bathrooms looking worse for wear. Her face was pallid and her body was weak. Unable to walk without support, Marat escorted her slowly back to the car and to the hotel with his arms around her to prevent her from collapsing.

“Where’s your hotel key?” he asked as they entered the elevator.

“In my purse,” she mumbled, her head on his shoulders and her lips softly brushing his neck. It sent shivers down his spine.

He found her key and opened the door to the room. He led her to the bed where she gladly fell down in a heap. As Marat took off her shoes, Sophia looked at him briefly with her hazy eyes.

“You’re so nice,” she observed with a raspy voice. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

He stared at her sleepy face without saying anything. Her eyes were fighting to stay open. He was about to walk away when he heard her speak again.

“I don’t know what I want anymore,” she said, her response to his question earlier. “But it should be easy, right? Because you’re here and he’s not. You took care of me and he didn’t even care.”

He sat down next to her on the edge of the bed and caressed her cheek. “I’m confused,” Sophia whispered, her last words before finally falling asleep.

In the darkness, Marat found himself quite sleepy as well and was struggling to stay upright. He put his head down on one of Sophia’s pillows and closed his eyes. “Just for a few minutes,” he said to himself.

[audrey]

Chapter 24

Sophia felt the heavy pounding of her head before she even woke up. She was afraid to open her eyes in case it worsened the pain. She thought she was lying on her bed but something hard and solid was underneath her.

“Oh my god, where am I?” she panicked.

She finally managed to open her eyes and lifted her head with tremendous effort.
Thankfully, she was safe and sound in her hotel room. Next to her was Marat, sleeping peacefully, undisturbed by her head on his chest, half her body leaned into his torso and her arm draped across his stomach.

This completely woke her up. She groaned fearing the worst but fortunately when she looked under the covers, she saw they were both still fully clothed.

Sophia tried to get up slowly and quietly then but Marat stirred and wouldn’t let her go. He just pulled her closer to him.

“Hey, wake up,” she said softly.

When she nudged him, he released her from his grip, turned to his side and continued to sleep. She nudged him again, harder this time and he groaned.

“Morning,” Marat mumbled.

Sophia sat up but saw the room spinning so she lied back down next to him, placing her arm across her eyes to keep away any form of light.

“Marat, what are you doing in my room?” she asked hoarsely.

“I took you home last night,” he replied sleepily, turning on his back.

“That doesn’t really answer my question. What are you doing here?”

Marat opened one eye and looked over at Sophia who was suffering from a bad case of a hangover.

“Sorry, I must’ve fallen asleep. I can go if you want.”

It took her a while to reply but when she felt him about to get out of bed, she told him to stay and wait for her to get ready so they could go out to eat. Marat was glad because he really didn’t want to go yet.

The night before made things clear for him. As long as Sophia was around and she wasn’t married yet and she was still happy to have his company, then there was a chance they might eventually end up together. Besides, from what she revealed in her drunken state, all was not well between her and Tristan. More importantly Marat knew, he felt it, that she had been thinking about him and in the process doubting her whole relationship with her fiancé.

He wasn’t normally one to break up a relationship and he honestly hadn’t purposely done anything to make Sophia cheat on Tristan or have second thoughts about him. In fact, Sophia had been nothing but a faithful girlfriend on the surface. Sure she complained about Tristan and didn’t hide the fact they had issues but she ignored the advances of other guys at the party and resisted the temptation to do anything with Marat even though she was clearly still very much attracted to him. Having him at such close proximity, any other girl would’ve jumped him by now but Sophia was well disciplined. And he was in bed next to her no less!

As far as Marat was concerned, he’d just been his normal self, being nice to Sophia and treating her right. It wasn’t his fault if Tristan was different and she was starting to see that there was someone out there, right in her face to be precise, who was a much better man for her than her soon-to-be husband.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Uuugghh! Remind me never to trust you again when it comes to pain management,” Sophia grumbled as she stepped out of the bathroom, fresh out of the shower and smelling delicious.

She had put on a maxi dress with a plunging neckline and Marat had to look away so he wouldn’t be caught staring. Even while nursing a hangover, she was still so beautiful.

Her damp hair was all out and she was trying to dry it rather unsuccessfully because there was so much of it. It reminded him of one day in Valencia when she was at his place and he had dragged her into the shower with him and got her all wet and….well, let’s just say they spent a good amount of time in that shower and Sophia’s hair took forever to dry afterwards.

“Ok, give it to me. How bad was I last night?” she asked, her head underneath the towel.

He smiled. “Not so bad. What do you remember?”

She came up and furrowed her eyebrows in deep thought. “Honestly, I think I must’ve blacked out at one point because the last thing I remember was going to the bar and talking to some creepy guy who was trying to get my number.”

Marat gave her an incredulous look. “Sophia, that was so early in the night. You don’t remember anything else?”

“No, nothing,” she said, frustrated.

“I didn’t know you could drink so much, you party animal,” he teased.

She rolled her eyes and groaned. “Oh god, never again. I feel like my head is going to explode.”

As Marat laughed, she shook her head in shame and then gasped. “Did I insult you in any way or say anything stupid to you?”

“No, you definitely did not insult me or say anything stupid.”

“Oh, good,” she sighed. “I’m sorry if I was a little out of control.”

“No, no, you weren’t,” Marat reassured her, his lips twitching. “You were just…very honest.”

She wondered what he meant by that but didn’t ask him because she was too afraid to find out.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her foot was worse than ever, thanks to a crazy night of alcohol and way too much dancing. She sat back down on the bed and stretched out her injured foot to strap it up.

“Here, let me help,” Marat offered, taking the bandage from her hand.

He took hold of her foot very gently and placed it on his thigh. He wrapped it with the bandage carefully, making sure he didn’t strap it too tightly or too loose. All of this he did with precision and care and in silence. He was thinking about how he could casually mention what was said last night because although he remembered everything, Sophia’s memory was still blurred.

He didn’t notice Sophia watching him fondly while he strapped up her foot until he was finished. He then became a little self conscious and started fidgeting, removing her foot from his thigh and running his hand through his messy hair.

“What?” he asked, letting out a short, nervous laugh, when he found her still staring at him.

“Nothing,” she hesitated. “It’s just…you’re really good at this, you know, taking care of me.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Who else is going to? I mean, while you’re here.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although Sophia was no longer tied to any work commitments for the rest of her stay, Marat still had to attend practice. They were on their way to his apartment so he could freshen up and collect his gear.

“Have you heard from Tristan this morning?” he asked her, non-chalant. He wanted to make her acutely aware of her absent fiancé and remind her that while Tristan was god knows where, he on the other hand was right by her side.

She sighed and looked out of the car window without saying a word. One thing had come back to her and she remembered calling him in the bathroom and how he practically hung up on her when she needed him then. She hadn’t heard from him since.

“Ok, touchy subject, I guess,” Marat muttered under his breath.

Sophia scowled at him and remained silent for the rest of the way.

When they arrived at his apartment, he quickly had a shower and rushed around trying to pack his tennis equipment to take to practice. Sophia patiently waited for him on the lounge, grateful for the peace and quiet as she squeezed her forehead with two fingers to stop the constant throbbing in her head.

“Can I get a drink from the kitchen?” she called out.

Marat was in his room and when he appeared, he was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. “Sure, help yourself. But lay off the vodka.”

“Very funny. I’m just getting some water.” She looked everywhere but at him, embarrassed at seeing his exposed body.

He saw that she was blushing and smiled boldly. “Oh come on! Sophia, you’ve seen a lot more of me than this. How can you be embarrassed?”

He stood there grinning wickedly, hands on his waist, watching her as she drank a full glass of water. She was saved by the bell when she heard the phone ringing in her bag. She grabbed it, expecting the caller to be Tristan but she was wrong.

“Sophia, my darling! Have you forgotten about your poor, old, lonely abuela?”

She rolled her eyes at her grandmother’s impeccable timing. They hadn’t spoken in a while but trust her to call when Marat was close by. Rosa talked to Sophia for 5 minutes and another 15 with Marat.

“She said she was confused,” he whispered.

Sophia could hear Marat speaking to her abuela in the other room. No doubt Rosa was relaying some words of wisdom to him and he was listening intently. She caught his responses but they didn’t make any sense to her. She was sure they were talking about her and she wanted to know what was being said.

“Yes, I know, I know.”
“You don’t know how much.”
“I’ll try.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The apartment became silent again and all Sophia could hear then was Marat’s shuffling. She followed him in his bedroom and realized it was the first time she’d seen it. It was messy, with clothes on the floor, the bed unmade and luggage half-unpacked.

As she approached the bed, she picked up his clothes along the way then nervously started smoothing down the bedsheets.

“Marat, what am I supposedly confused about?” she asked, plumping his pillows and meeting his gaze. By now he’d changed into shorts but he was still shirtless.

He sat on his leather armchair and put on his shoes. “I don’t know, you tell me,” he said. “You said you were confused right before you fell asleep last night.”

“Oh. Is that all I said?” Sophia looked at him apprehensively.

She cursed herself for drinking so much because it was becoming obvious that she’d revealed a lot more than she ever intended. “Hmmm, I don’t know why I would’ve said that,” she lied.

The truth was flashbacks from the night before suddenly came back to her. She remembered the shots, the c0cktails, the dancing, the incessant chatting, the dizziness, the vomiting, the ride home, Marat removing her shoes, Marat tucking her in, Marat touching her cheek, Marat listening to her confession, Marat sitting there as she passed out.

Yes, she remembered it all.

But there was no way Sophia was going to tell him that. If she did, it would mean getting herself caught up in a complicated mess which she would rather avoid. She was content with the way things were going. She and Marat were great friends and there was no pressure to be anything more than that. Sure there was definitely some serious $exua1 tension between them, but it was only natural given their history.

She hesitated owning up to her feelings for Marat because she prided herself in being a faithful partner and she believed in doing the right thing. Painfully remembering what it was like being cheated on, Sophia vowed never to be unfaithful because she didn’t think it was right for anybody to have to suffer like that.

Besides, it just wasn’t meant to be anyway. Marat was on the dating scene and he was enjoying himself. She was with Tristan and they would soon be married. Life was just as it should be and so she continued to pretend she was oblivious to last night’s events.

Marat sighed and leaned back into the chair, surveying her wearily. His instincts were telling him Sophia wasn’t being honest and this irritated him. It was weird. He’d never had this feeling towards her before. But his exasperation only came from a place inside of him that wanted her so much.

“Aren’t you going to get that? It might be your boyfriend,” he said shortly. Her phone was ringing again.

“Fiance,” she corrected, letting it ring out.

Marat shook his head in annoyance. “Whatever. Why do you keep correcting me?”

“Because that’s who he is, my fiancé! And why are you mad all of a sudden?”

He walked up to her and took away the bedsheets from her hands. He could no longer contain what had been bothering him since she came to Moscow without Tristan. “Because Sophia, you say he’s your fiancé but why are you here with me? You don’t need to dance anymore, you can go home if you want to. But no, you’re here…with me. Not him, me.”

Sophia looked hurt and confused. She’d seen him get angry, but never at her.

“I can’t go home because we’ve been discussing our next production while we’re here and I can’t miss out on any meetings seeing as I’m already out of commission,” she explained in a quiet but firm voice.

“I’m not here with Tristan because he works hard and is trying to build a life for us. We’re not as lucky as some people who can retire at 29 because they are already a millionaire. We still have to earn a living to live a good life. And I choose to spend my time here with you because all my friends are busy dancing and you’re the only one who’ll put up with me. And we’re supposed to be friends, aren’t we?”

Marat had nothing to say to that. He couldn’t very well accuse her and shout “You’re lying!” because she sounded so convincing. He was embarrassed because he realized how arrogant he had sounded.

“Yeah, we are,” he replied sheepishly.

“Ok good. Now, can we stop arguing so we can get you to practice?”

She shoved him lightly and grabbed the towel around his neck, slipping it on her own before walking out of the room. He let out a defeated sigh as he followed her.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sophia sat on the bench next to Marat’s gear and watched him hit a few balls with Dima. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses.

The guys had been practicing for a while and both had taken their shirts off to move around more comfortably. Sophia could see the beads of sweat on Marat’s body and his blue Calvin Klein underwear peeking through his shorts. She found herself a little breathless and light-headed and it wasn’t because she was hung over. She was captivated by his athletic, muscular body running around the court.

“Hey Marat, who do you think Sophia’s checking out behind those sunglasses, me or you?” Dima called out in Russian from across the net.

“Neither!” Marat grunted, returning the ball extra hard. “She’s going to be a married woman soon, remember?”

“So what? That doesn’t mean she can’t look and appreciate a good body when she sees one. I can bet you a million dollars right now she’s checking me out.”

Marat laughed. “Yeah, sure, she’s checking you out,” he said sarcastically.

He could feel Sophia’s eyes following him and sure enough when he looked over at her, Sophia’s face was turned towards him and her mouth was slightly ajar. When she was caught staring, she quickly looked away and again Marat felt irritated.

After practice, he disappeared for a long time, leaving Sophia alone on the bench. She got impatient and went looking for him. She walked around aimlessly until she bumped into Dima who was heading out. She asked him where Marat was and he pointed towards the direction of the locker room.

She tiptoed in, hoping she would not see anything she wasn’t supposed to.

Sophia found Marat lying face down on a massage table. His masseur had already worked on him because his back was covered in massage oil.

“There you are,” she whispered. “Are you asleep?”

Marat’s body stiffened. With his head face down, she couldn’t see him grit his teeth.

“No. You’re not meant to be here,” he mumbled.

She approached him carefully, noticing how tense he was.

Instinctively, she reached out to him and started massaging his shoulders.

Her gentle touch awakened his senses and he shuddered. Marat wanted her to stop but he couldn’t find the words because he was also enjoying the moment too much. He had always loved her hands that worked miracles on his body.

“Relax. Why are you so wound up?” she asked.

Sophia started working down his back, pressing firmly into his muscles to loosen them up. She didn’t know that no matter how hard she tried, Marat’s body would remain tight because her presence was the cause of it.

He resisted from groaning and forced himself to think straight.

“I think you should stop now,” Marat suggested, reason coming back to him.

“But, look, you’re still so tense!”

Sophia dug into his back even deeper but this time he shrugged her off and sat up.

“I said stop!”

She let go and looked hurt. “What’s wrong?”

He sighed loudly and stared at her with his piercing eyes. “Oh Sophia, you don’t know what you’re doing to me.”

“I don’t understand,” she said innocently, her forehead furrowed in confusion.

“You’re being a tease!” he yelled. She looked at him stunned.

“Yeah, that’s right. You’re a tease!” he repeated. “And it’s too hard being around you. You can’t just come in here and start massaging me all sensual…”

“I’m not being sensual!” she shouted back infuriated.

“…and hug me while you’re sleeping and keep looking at me with your bedroom eyes and then say you only want to be friends!”

Marat was breathing hard, his rage about to reveal itself in all its glory.

“Why is it too hard being around me?”

“Because I want you!!!” His eyes were wild and furious.

Sophia was just as enraged. “You want me? You’re the one going out on dates and getting invitations from girls for a rendezvous in the middle of the night! I suppose they mean nothing to you?” She glared at him spitefully.

“No, they don’t! They’re just stupid, meaningless dates I go on to pass the time. But I want to be with you! I lied to you the other night because that date I went on? I didn’t have a good time at all. And I went home alone because I had you in my head all night. Anyway, why would you care if they did mean something?”

She kept silent, knowing any response she gave would only confirm her true feelings which she was still trying desperately to hide.

But it was no use because Marat could see right through her.

“You see? You’d care because you’d be jealous,” he pointed out, his voice a lot gentler.

Sophia sat down and buried her face in her hands, trying to catch her breath.

"Why can't you just admit it?" Marat begged desperately.

“Admit what?,” she asked, her voice now barely above a whisper.

Marat groaned in frustration. “Oh f@ck! Admit that you want to be with me!!! Sophia, stop lying! Why are you trying to fight us? Me and you, we just make sense! We just work. From the moment we met, even when you were angry at me. It was so easy from the beginning. Can’t you see that? You and Tristan, you’re going to be married but you’re not even in the same zip code. Not even the same planet!”

She shoved him angrily, as hard as she could but he barely moved an inch.

In the moment of this heated and passionate confrontation, Marat was filled with so many emotions. But his longing for Sophia overpowered all the others and he could no longer restrain his desire. He reached for the back of her neck and pulled her in to kiss her.

He’d been wanting to kiss her and touch her for such a long time. She was exactly as he remembered…soft, lovely and delicious.

The only thing was, Sophia wasn’t kissing him back and as soon as she realized what was happening, she pushed him away and wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

Marat was livid. “Oh, so you don’t want me? Are you honestly telling me that you’re confused about who you want to be with?”

Sophia couldn’t speak. She couldn’t answer him.

He grabbed her hands and kissed them fiercely. “Look Sophia, I want you, so badly you don’t know how much.” It hurt her to see him in pain and all because of her.

“But I think it’s best if we cool off our friendship for a while.”

She looked up at him. “What? But why?” she cried out.

“Because I can’t be around you anymore. You’re too much for me. I’m not going to just sit and watch while you PRETEND to be happily engaged when I know that deep down, you feel the same as I do.”

He wanted her to confess to him that she wanted him, too, that she was going to choose him, that he meant more to her than Tristan did. But she said nothing and he realized then that he was wrong after all. Maybe there wasn’t any hope for him and Sophia.

She reached out to him but he winced, no longer wanting to feel her touch because it was going to make their parting so much more difficult. He turned away from her, not even wanting to see her face anymore. He was crushed that she was denying him.

“Until you’ve made up your mind that you finally want to be with me, I don’t want to be around you,” he said sadly still with his back to her.

Sophia fought back her tears as she stumbled out of the locker room and out of Marat’s life for good.