Post by audrey on Oct 13, 2009 10:19:59 GMT 3
Chapter 25
A few months have passed and Sophia was back in Sydney busy with her dance career being cast in more productions and other dance projects. She has also taken up a few ballet classes to teach at the dance academy having enjoyed teaching those little girls back in Moscow. On top of that, she was busily preparing for her upcoming wedding.
Before returning home from Moscow, she had a choice to make and her choice in the end was Tristan. She left Russia with her heart set on being with the man she had known and loved for so many years.
She decided that Marat was simply a temptation who had come into her life and stopped her from seeing clearly. He was right of course saying it was wrong for them to be around each other even though they claimed to only be friends because she was as much of a temptation to him.
She erased him from her phone and address book so that there really was no way she could keep in contact with him. By completely removing Marat from the picture, she found clarity and Sophia’s choice became easier.
She was even more certain about her decision when it turned out that Tristan had just been under immense pressure and stress from work, hence his initial lack of interest in the wedding preparations, the constant traveling and extremely long hours.
But once the work eased, he became a lot more involved and hands-on, accompanying Sophia to most of their appointments to discuss wedding details. He even started to enjoy these meetings and Sophia was delighted that finally, she and Tristan were once again the happy and romantic couple they used to be.
It seemed Marat too had moved on. When Sophia left Moscow without even a goodbye, he knew their friendship was over and he would not hear from her again. He brooded for a while, wondering if he did the right thing by telling her he no longer wanted to be around her.
In the beginning he missed her like crazy, resisting every urge to call her and make amends. But as the days wore on, the feeling of self pity and loneliness became less and once he made a conscious effort to enjoy himself on dates, he found that he could almost forget about Sophia altogether. Almost.
However, she wasn’t completely out of his life thanks to the budding friendship his sister had formed with Sophia. They kept in touch, emailing each other regularly and chatting both online and on the phone.
One night while visiting their parents, Dinara was on her laptop, reading something that was making her giggle hysterically and in the process, interrupting Marat’s conversation with their dad.
“What’s so funny?” Marat had asked her.
“Oh, nothing.” She piped down but kept reading with a small smile formed across her face.
At first, Marat thought it might be an email from a guy she was seeing who he didn’t know about. When she burst out laughing again, he demanded to know why she was laughing so much and proceeded to grab the laptop from her. When he looked, he saw Sophia’s familiar email address.
“You’ve kept in touch with her?” Marat’s tone was casual and cool.
“Yeah, what’s it to you?” Dinara gave him a teasing look as she snatched the laptop back.
“So what did she write?”
“Just about the little girls in her ballet classes that she teaches. They’re so funny!”
He was tempted to lean in and read the rest of her email, but Dinara blocked his view.
After that incident, whenever he heard Dinara talking girl talk he knew it was Sophia on the other line. When he saw her checking emails, he knew it was Sophia’s email that was making her laugh.
There was no mention of him at all in any of Sophia’s correspondence to Dinara and it kind of bothered him. Not even a “How’s your brother?” or “Tell your brother I said hello.” But he knew only he was to blame. This was how he wanted it and Sophia took his word. It was like he didn’t even exist.
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One weekend, Sophia and Tristan were out shopping for his suit to wear to their wedding. They were in a men’s boutique and Tristan was talking to the shop assistant, giving her specific details on what kind of suit he wanted. Sophia was sitting on the lounge, drinking herbal tea as she patiently waited for him to show her how he looked in the suits he had chosen.
He chose 4 different suits to model and he looked great in all of them.
“Yes, honey, but which one do you like best?” Tristan persisted after he came out showing Sophia the last suit and her response was exactly same as when he showed her all the others.
“I like all 4!” she laughed and she meant it.
She was accustomed to Tristan wearing suits all the time due to the nature of his job and there was no denying that he knew how to wear them.
“Seriously, Tristan, you’re going to look handsome and yummy no matter which one you choose.”
She stood up to fix his tie which was a little crooked, then happily looked in the mirror at the pair of them in a loving embrace. They made quite a gorgeous couple – she with her striking features and Tristan with his rugged good looks mixed perfectly with his beautiful and kind green eyes, his athletic build and the air of success and quiet confidence oozing out of him.
Having finally chosen and bought a suit, they then visited a jewellery store to design their wedding rings. Tristan had insisted for Sophia to get an extravagant one for herself but she assured him that the engagement ring he gave her was extravagant enough. It attracted unwanted attention and constant gasps of admiration everywhere she went. In the end, they chose matching rings which were simple and subtle but still no less stunning. For Tristan, nothing was too much for his Sophia.
They went out to dinner that night with some friends, including Sophia’s girlfriends who she didn’t see as often as she used to because of her busy schedule. But she had chosen them to be her bridesmaids and they relished these moments where they could get together and talk weddings and catch up with each others’ lives.
After discussing the bridesmaids’ dresses in detail, Nicola mentioned the US Open which were being held in a month’s time.
“I’ve put in my leave, organized my flights, accommodation and tickets to the Open,” she announced excitedly.
Jessie sulked because she couldn’t get the time off work to go with her while Anna and Sophia listened indifferently to their friend’s woes but gave her sympathetic smiles anyway.
Sophia no longer kept up to date with tennis religiously but was kept well informed nevertheless by Jessie and Nicola who were as obsessed as ever on all the gossip surrounding the tennis world.
Nicola was talking about the players she was hoping to see at the Open. “I’ll get to see Marat Safin again. It’s going to be his last US Open.”
Immediately, the girls froze to watch Sophia's reaction upon hearing his name.
Sophia’s friends knew everything that happened between her and Marat. Without judgement, they listened as she told them the whole story and when she asked for their opinion, they said they were proud of her for doing the right thing.
Although massive Safin fans they were and thrilled she had hooked up with the hottest tennis star, when it came to their friend, they would always choose what was best for Sophia.
“Who needs Marat Safin?” Jessie had scoffed. “Tristan has come back to you and he’s the one who loves you!”
“As bad as it sounds, maybe Marat Safin was just a holiday romance and nothing more was to ever come of it,” added Nicola.
When Sophia decided to cut Marat out of her life, no longer did her friends refer to him as just Marat. It seemed too personal and no longer appropriate. Instead, during the rare occasions they talked about him, they had taken to calling him by his full name as you would when you talk about some untouchable celebrity that you don’t know and only see onscreen or read about in the newspapers and magazines.
For example, “Did you know that Angelina Jolie is going to adopt another child from Asia?” or “I saw James Franco in a GQ magazine and he looked amazing!” or “I can’t wait for the new Channing Tatum movie to come out.”
”I saw Marat Safin lose in another tournament after the second round.”
Anna nudged Nicola. “Why did you have mention his name?” she whispered.
“Sorry, it just slipped out!” Nicola apologized.
But luckily, Sophia was too busy ordering dessert to hear their conversation or any mention of Marat Safin. Her friends avoided talking about him at all costs whenever she was around, thinking it would just complicate things.
While waiting for dessert, Tristan pulled her out of her seat for a slow dance. She gladly took his hand and was led to the dance floor where he lovingly took her in his arms and swayed with her to the music.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he murmured as he looked deep in her eyes.
“Hey,” she replied quietly. They danced as if they were the only two people in the room, completely lost in each other.
“I can’t wait to marry you,” Tristan declared, hugging her tight.
“Hmmm, same here.”
“I promise to make you a very happy bride.”
Sophia nuzzled his neck and in that moment, never felt more content and loved.
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She had just finished teaching a class when she received a call from her dad.
“Hi, dad. You called just in time,” she greeted him cheerfully.
“Hi, Phia,” he replied somberly.
“What’s wrong?” She knew something had happened by the tone of his voice which was usually always upbeat.
“Now, I don’t want you to panic. But it’s your abuela.”
“What? Is she ok?” Despite her dad’s advice, Sophia immediately started getting worried.
“She got admitted to hospital for pneumonia. She caught it after that bad flu she had a couple of weeks ago. But your mum and I have spoken to her and she’s in good spirits.”
This reassurance did not ease Sophia’s anxiousness.
“Dad…she’s ok though, right? I mean, she’ll still be able to fly here for the wedding, won’t she?”
She could almost hear her dad hesitating over the phone. “Well, I’m not sure, sweetheart,” he admitted. “She’s not completely out of the woods yet. She’s still very weak and fragile. We don’t know how long it will take for her to recover.”
Sophia was looking forward to having her abuela attend her wedding. She was going to be her special guest of honour and took care of the arrangements herself to ensure she could be there.
Likewise, Rosa was very excited about her trip to Sydney so she could see her family and watch as her ‘nieta hermosa’ walked down the aisle.
“I’m flying out to Valencia in a few days to see her. All your tias and tios are making their way there, too,” Sophia’s dad continued.
“If she’s ok then why do you need to do that?” she asked suspiciously.
Again, she could sense her dad was uncomfortable having to tell her the truth.
“Well, honey, you know abuela’s old now and at times like these, it’s just better she has her family around to tell her that they love her and help take care of her because we just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“Then doesn’t it make sense if we all went to visit her?” she cried, reading between the lines.
Sophia sniffed, tearing up unwillingly. The thought of getting married without her abuela present was too upsetting. It was even more heartbreaking to think she wasn’t going to be around much longer.
She and Rosa had a very special bond and everyone said it was because they were so alike in looks and personalities. And despite their petite size, they both had such big hearts overflowing with so much love for everyone around them.
Rosa had shared her heart with her husband until the day he died and being a witness to their pure and overwhelming love since she was a child, Sophia wished to be able to one day also find someone she could give her heart to completely.
She went home that night in a rush and packed her bags to make her way to Valencia.
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Marat was on his way to get his morning coffee. It was nearly noon though and the sun was hot. He was better off getting a nice, cold drink, a beer even maybe, but he was tired from a long and ‘busy’ night and he needed the pick-me up.
The girl was still there when he woke up. She’d been doing that a lot lately and he actually didn’t mind. They have been seeing each other for a few weeks now and Marat was growing quite fond of her.
Anya was a fun, lively and kind soul who had caught his eye in a tucked away London bookstore during Wimbledon and after a few, innocent dates and several, sweet text messages, they got together exclusively.
“Let’s go and have lunch at that place over there,” she suggested, pointing to a restaurant across the road. Marat really didn’t want to eat there because the place was too small, too hot and too busy. But Anya was already dragging him inside and he had no further say in the matter.
As they walked in, he scanned the room for a table. It was a popular place for the locals and even though they arrived just before the lunchtime rush, there were barely any seats left available. But they found a couple, right at the far end of the restaurant. Marat took Anya’s hand and led her through the crowded dining area.
A few metres ahead, he saw a familiar face. For a second, his heart stopped but he kept his composure and tried not to make a big deal of it. However, it was Sophia sitting right there.
He didn’t know how they ended up at the same place all the time. They lived on opposite sides of the world yet somehow they managed to have these chance meetings far too often that some may question if they were merely coincidental encounters or the work of a higher being pulling strings to gravitate these two beings towards each other.
Sophia...the girl who managed to take his breath away every single time he saw her and today was no exception. She was in a plain, coral tank top and a pair of short denim shorts, an understated outfit that still somehow managed to show off her assets, including the golden tan she had acquired within minutes of arriving in Valencia.
She was talking animatedly to a guy who Marat recognized as Tristan and laughing unreservedly, her head thrown back in amusement and her eyes positively bright with glee.
When Sophia saw Marat approaching, she stopped laughing and looked at him peculiarly as if she was trying to establish whether it was really him. She was almost expressionless had her face been able to prevent itself from looking so tense.
“Hi Sophia,” Marat said as he got to their table.
“Hi Marat. Nice to see you again,” she replied politely, giving him a tight smile. “This is Tristan, my fiancé.”
Tristan stood up to shake his hand. “Hey, nice to finally meet you. Sophia mentioned you guys knew each other,” he said. “Are you training here for the US Open?”
As much as Marat didn’t want to, he instantly liked Tristan. Just one shake of his hand and he could tell he was a genuine guy.
“Yeah, you too, and yes I am training here. This is Anya, by the way. Anya, this is Sophia and Tristan.”
They smiled and waved at her, both left speechless by how stunning she was.
A little while later, Tristan went outside to take a business call and Anya made a trip to the ladies’, leaving Marat and Sophia alone at their tables.
He took it as an opportunity to speak to her alone for a few minutes and got up to join her. When he sat opposite her taking Tristan’s seat, Sophia stopped drumming her fingers on the table and looked at him bemused.
“Did you have a nice lunch?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you,” she answered curtly. “The food is always good here.”
Marat was going to remind her that it was he who had introduced her to the restaurant but let it go.
“So, how long have you been here?”
“Since 11.30.”
He shook his head and smiled, her dead pan expression reminding him of the first few encounters he ever had with her in Melbourne. She always used it when she wasn’t interested in talking and Marat knew this all too well.
“I meant Valencia,” he confirmed.
“Oh. About a week.”
“Business or pleasure?”
“Ummm….neither actually.” She looked down at her empty plate and cleared her throat nervously.
Marat was puzzled by her answer but she didn’t explain so he didn’t press on.
“Tristan seems like a cool guy,” he commented, changing the subject.
“Yeah, he is.”
“So he knows about what happened between you and me?” he inquired incredulously.
They had been quite intimate and he wasn’t convinced she had told him everything.
“Yeah, he knows it all.”
“And he’s ok with it?”
She stared at him unblinking and her face blank. “Well, I mean, there wasn’t much to tell really. I said it was nothing, just a silly, little romance that didn’t mean anything.”
She sighed impatiently and craned her neck to search for Tristan who was outside still with the phone fixed to his ear. Marat felt a pang of disappointment and pain by her non-chalant description of their relationship. It was a lot more than nothing to him and it certainly wasn’t silly! Again he changed the topic to fill the uncomfortable silence.
“Well, you should’ve told me you were coming here. I would’ve set aside some time to take you and Tristan out,” he offered with all sincerity.
But Sophia looked up at him scornfully and snickered. “This is bull$hit,” she muttered under her breath and she stood up to leave, having seen Tristan finally wave her over.
“I don’t have your contact details,” she admitted, shrugging her shoulders indifferently. “And even if I did, I wouldn’t have told you anything because we’re not friends anymore, are we?”
“Oh come on!” he said in a low, discreet voice, not wanting to cause a scene. “This is f@cking ridiculous. Sophia….”
But he couldn’t continue because she’d already walked away from him.
She spotted Anya returning to their table and made her way over to her to say good bye.
“It was really nice meeting you,” she said, her voice genuine and warm.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Anya replied. “Maybe we can all go out to eat together next time.”
At this, Sophia gave her a patronizing smile. “It’s a nice idea but that probably won’t happen. Have a great time here in Valencia though.”
She walked out swiftly to join Tristan before Anya could question her.
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Dinara was already asleep when she received a phone call from her brother.
“Are you crazy? Do you know what time it is?” she complained. It was one in the morning.
“Yeah, sorry,” Marat said distractedly, sounding anything but sorry.
“Why didn’t you tell me Sophia was here in Valencia?”
“Oh geez! You woke me up to ask me that?” Dina groaned loudly to let him know she was pi$$ed off but ever the obliging sister, she indulged him just the same even at this ungodly hour.
“Well seeing as you no longer wanted anything to do with her, I didn’t bother to mention it. I figured you wouldn’t care anyway.”
She yawned, really wanting to get back to sleep but she knew these late night phone calls from her brother usually required a lot of time and patience.
“I saw her at lunch with Tristan,” he mentioned.
“Oh yeah? Was it awkward?”
“It was between me and her. But Tristan was ok and Anya well, she gets along with anyone. Did you know that she deleted my contact details?”
Dinara hated this. “Ummm, yeah I did,” she confessed guiltily.
It always happened every time Marat broke up with someone. Dinara would get to know the girl, become friends with her, then the girl and Marat would break up and she gets stuck in the middle, forced to choose sides and prove her loyalty to one or the other. The girl would ask her to dish exclusive information about Marat while he would demand her not to say a word. Of course, she always took her brother’s side which made her feel wretched for letting down the broken hearted ex-girlfriend.
But in this circumstance, Marat said he didn’t want to know anything about Sophia and Sophia had kindly asked her not to mention her Valencia trip to him or any other details about her life for that matter.
As far as Dinara was concerned, this was her easiest assignment yet. All she had to do was to keep quiet and she didn’t have to betray anyone!
That is until now when at 1.15 in the morning, Marat decided to ask the difficult questions she had wanted to avoid. She could never lie to him though. Honesty was a deeply rooted value that all the Safins upheld with enormous pride.
“She just did it so she wouldn’t be tempted to contact you,” Dina said quickly by way of explanation, sensing Marat’s anger rising from being kept in the dark by his sister about this one tiny but important detail. “She is just abiding by YOUR rules.”
Marat sighed and knocked the phone on his head repeatedly out of frustration. He didn’t think Sophia would take his word quite so literally. But she was and he was hating himself for it. He could barely remember what he said to her back in that Moscow locker room all those months ago when things turned sour. Obviously Sophia remembered and he wished he could just take it all back so she wasn’t so hostile around him.
“What is she doing here anyway? Following me around?” he joked lightly.
“Ugh, please get over yourself!” Dinara retorted, her tiredness now turning to irritability. “If your big head can believe it, she has much more better things to do than think about you.”
Marat $n!ggered at her snide remark knowing he was annoying his sister.
“I’m just joking. But for real now, why is she here? Answer me and I promise I’ll let you go back to sleep.”
Dinara groaned, knowing she was just about to commit a terrible crime against Sophia. She didn’t want to betray her but what could be so bad about telling Marat anyway?
“Well, I’m surprised she didn’t mention anything,” she began. “But it’s her grandmother. She’s been really sick and her whole family is here visiting her.”
Marat suddenly felt a wave of worry and concern take over him. He was very fond of Rosa and true to his word, visited her every chance he got when he was in Valencia. However, he’d been away for a while and had no knowledge she had gotten sick.
“I have to go the house and see her,” he announced decidedly.
Dinara on the other hand was hesitant on the idea. “Uh, I don’t think Sophia would be too pleased to see you there.”
“Well, it’s not her house. Besides, I’m going there to see Rosa. She can’t prevent me from visiting her sick grandmother!”
His sister was done arguing but made one last comment before she hung up. “Ok great, good luck with that. And keep telling yourself you’re going there just to see Rosa. Good night!”
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In the morning, Sophia was in her grandmother’s room keeping her company. Everybody else was out and both women were grateful for this time alone they had together. With so many relatives coming in and out of the villa, they hadn’t had much chance to talk privately.
Although confined to her bed, Rosa was in a good mood nonetheless. She asked about Sophia’s wedding plans and her eyes lit up excitedly upon hearing all the elaborate and exquisite details.
“I’m not going to tell you anymore because it will ruin the surprise!” Sophia said. “You’ll see the rest on my wedding day, abuela.”
Rosa chuckled at her granddaughter’s persistence that she was still going to be able to come to her wedding despite being told the chances were grim. But she was as hopeful as ever and refused to think otherwise.
“So you are very happy with Tristan, yes?” Rosa asked seriously.
“Yes, very happy, abuela,” Sophia replied, giving her a big, reassuring smile.
Rosa had been apprehensive about them getting back together and was very surprised when she found out they were going to get married. She liked Tristan enough but his unfaithfulness to Sophia in the past lost him some credibility and she had been somewhat wary of him since.
“But whatever happened to Marat, honey?” she enquired to which Sophia grimaced. “Don’t tell me you are still not talking to each other?”
She was saddened when Sophia accepted Tristan’s proposal and decided to just remain friends with Marat. Rosa had always been a big fan of “the handsome boy” and became even more so when she saw how happy he made her granddaughter when they were together. She had secretly been rooting for them all along and hoped they could find a way to sort out their issues before it was too late. With the wedding fast approaching, they didn’t have much time left.
“Abuela, he was the one who wanted it this way,” Sophia pointed out stubbornly. “I don’t hear him saying he’s changed his mind. Besides, it’s better like this.”
Rosa scoffed. “How is it better that you aren’t speaking to him?”
Sophia rolled her eyes, not in the mood to hear her grandmother’s praises for the handsome Russian. She resented the fact that she never spoke about Tristan that way.
“Sophia, what you had with him, that feeling doesn’t come along too often. That connection is very rare. A person only had to look at you together for a moment to see there was something really special between the two of you.”
She let out a tired sigh, disappointed that Sophia couldn’t see what she saw.
“You know, when you were together, your face lit up and your happiness was so contagious,” Rosa stated. “It was the face and demeanor of someone who had found the man of her dreams.”
“And what about now, abuela? Now that I’m with Tristan, what does my face say?” she challenged.
Rosa observed her carefully before giving her an honest answer.
“It’s the face of someone who is happy,” she finally said with a small smile. “But by no means is it lit up.”
The doorbell rang then, causing Sophia to jump. She opened the door to find Marat standing outside with a bunch of roses.
“What are you doing here?” she asked nastily.
“I wanted to give these to Rosa. I heard she’s been unwell,” he replied, not paying attention to her rude behaviour. "Why didn't you tell me about her?" He spoke to Sophia softly, hoping to calm her anger.
“Thanks, I’ll take them and tell her you stopped by,” she said hurriedly, ignoring his question. She went to grab the flowers from him but he wouldn’t let go.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked again. "I would've come sooner."
She threw her hands in the air in surrender. "Because you're not family so it's none of your business!" she yelled, ready to slam the door on him.
“Wait! Aren’t you going to let me in?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because she’s asleep,” Sophia lied.
At that very moment, Rosa called out to her, clear as day. “¿Quién está en la puerta?” #
Sophia shook her head and Marat gave her a triumphant look. “I think she just woke up,” he said cheekily, stepping inside the house.
Rosa was extremely delighted by Marat’s visit and the flowers he presented to her which Sophia put in a large vase and placed near her bed. He sat by her bedside and held her hand as he listened to her telling him how she’d had enough of being bedridden.
“But enough about me,” Rosa said dramatically. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while. Are you still chasing girls or have you settled down?”
Sophia, who was sitting next to Rosa on the bed cross-legged and all this time had been watching their exchange in silence, gasped and nearly just about died at her grandmother’s nosy question.
But Marat just laughed at Rosa’s ability to be so frank and yet so endearing. “Actually, I am seeing someone,” he admitted.
Rosa raised her eyebrows and quickly glanced at Sophia who was now busily examining her engagement ring with fervent interest.
“Did you hear that, Sophia? He’s seeing someone.”
“I’m right here, abuela. Of course I heard it and I’ve already met her.”
Rosa turned back to Marat and continued to question him.
“Oh. Is it serious?”
“It could be.”
“Tell me about her, dear.”
As much as Sophia didn’t want to hear this conversation, she was intrigued to find out about Marat’s new woman. And although her first instinct was to get up off the bed and leave the room, she was stuck and couldn’t move, so deep was her curiosity.
“Well, her name is Anya and she’s originally from Moscow like me. But she moved to America when she was 12 and she’s now a professional dancer there.”
Rosa’s eyes widened. “Oh, she’s a dancer, too? Like my Sophia?”
Marat looked over at Sophia who was waiting for his answer. He turned away, all of a sudden feeling uncomfortable talking anymore about Anya in front of her.
“No, not like Sophia. She does latin ballroom.”
Rosa nodded pensively. “That’s lovely, dear. And tell me, is she a nice girl?”
“Yes, she’s very nice.”
“Oh, that’s lovely,” she said again. “Well, as long as you are sure you are with the person you really want to be with, then that’s what matters.”
Sophia had a distinct feeing that her abuela was no longer addressing just Marat but both of them.
“Life is too short to live it without your soul mate. If you’ve found that person, lucky for you. Many people never find theirs and settle on the next best thing or whoever comes along who will make them happy enough. But you deserve to be the happiest person one can possibly be. And you can only ever be that happy when you’ve found true love.”
She smiled serenely at Sophia and Marat who after listening to her advice, were wondering what message she was trying to relay exactly and whether there was anything else behind those seemingly innocent words.
# Who's at the door?
A few months have passed and Sophia was back in Sydney busy with her dance career being cast in more productions and other dance projects. She has also taken up a few ballet classes to teach at the dance academy having enjoyed teaching those little girls back in Moscow. On top of that, she was busily preparing for her upcoming wedding.
Before returning home from Moscow, she had a choice to make and her choice in the end was Tristan. She left Russia with her heart set on being with the man she had known and loved for so many years.
She decided that Marat was simply a temptation who had come into her life and stopped her from seeing clearly. He was right of course saying it was wrong for them to be around each other even though they claimed to only be friends because she was as much of a temptation to him.
She erased him from her phone and address book so that there really was no way she could keep in contact with him. By completely removing Marat from the picture, she found clarity and Sophia’s choice became easier.
She was even more certain about her decision when it turned out that Tristan had just been under immense pressure and stress from work, hence his initial lack of interest in the wedding preparations, the constant traveling and extremely long hours.
But once the work eased, he became a lot more involved and hands-on, accompanying Sophia to most of their appointments to discuss wedding details. He even started to enjoy these meetings and Sophia was delighted that finally, she and Tristan were once again the happy and romantic couple they used to be.
It seemed Marat too had moved on. When Sophia left Moscow without even a goodbye, he knew their friendship was over and he would not hear from her again. He brooded for a while, wondering if he did the right thing by telling her he no longer wanted to be around her.
In the beginning he missed her like crazy, resisting every urge to call her and make amends. But as the days wore on, the feeling of self pity and loneliness became less and once he made a conscious effort to enjoy himself on dates, he found that he could almost forget about Sophia altogether. Almost.
However, she wasn’t completely out of his life thanks to the budding friendship his sister had formed with Sophia. They kept in touch, emailing each other regularly and chatting both online and on the phone.
One night while visiting their parents, Dinara was on her laptop, reading something that was making her giggle hysterically and in the process, interrupting Marat’s conversation with their dad.
“What’s so funny?” Marat had asked her.
“Oh, nothing.” She piped down but kept reading with a small smile formed across her face.
At first, Marat thought it might be an email from a guy she was seeing who he didn’t know about. When she burst out laughing again, he demanded to know why she was laughing so much and proceeded to grab the laptop from her. When he looked, he saw Sophia’s familiar email address.
“You’ve kept in touch with her?” Marat’s tone was casual and cool.
“Yeah, what’s it to you?” Dinara gave him a teasing look as she snatched the laptop back.
“So what did she write?”
“Just about the little girls in her ballet classes that she teaches. They’re so funny!”
He was tempted to lean in and read the rest of her email, but Dinara blocked his view.
After that incident, whenever he heard Dinara talking girl talk he knew it was Sophia on the other line. When he saw her checking emails, he knew it was Sophia’s email that was making her laugh.
There was no mention of him at all in any of Sophia’s correspondence to Dinara and it kind of bothered him. Not even a “How’s your brother?” or “Tell your brother I said hello.” But he knew only he was to blame. This was how he wanted it and Sophia took his word. It was like he didn’t even exist.
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One weekend, Sophia and Tristan were out shopping for his suit to wear to their wedding. They were in a men’s boutique and Tristan was talking to the shop assistant, giving her specific details on what kind of suit he wanted. Sophia was sitting on the lounge, drinking herbal tea as she patiently waited for him to show her how he looked in the suits he had chosen.
He chose 4 different suits to model and he looked great in all of them.
“Yes, honey, but which one do you like best?” Tristan persisted after he came out showing Sophia the last suit and her response was exactly same as when he showed her all the others.
“I like all 4!” she laughed and she meant it.
She was accustomed to Tristan wearing suits all the time due to the nature of his job and there was no denying that he knew how to wear them.
“Seriously, Tristan, you’re going to look handsome and yummy no matter which one you choose.”
She stood up to fix his tie which was a little crooked, then happily looked in the mirror at the pair of them in a loving embrace. They made quite a gorgeous couple – she with her striking features and Tristan with his rugged good looks mixed perfectly with his beautiful and kind green eyes, his athletic build and the air of success and quiet confidence oozing out of him.
Having finally chosen and bought a suit, they then visited a jewellery store to design their wedding rings. Tristan had insisted for Sophia to get an extravagant one for herself but she assured him that the engagement ring he gave her was extravagant enough. It attracted unwanted attention and constant gasps of admiration everywhere she went. In the end, they chose matching rings which were simple and subtle but still no less stunning. For Tristan, nothing was too much for his Sophia.
They went out to dinner that night with some friends, including Sophia’s girlfriends who she didn’t see as often as she used to because of her busy schedule. But she had chosen them to be her bridesmaids and they relished these moments where they could get together and talk weddings and catch up with each others’ lives.
After discussing the bridesmaids’ dresses in detail, Nicola mentioned the US Open which were being held in a month’s time.
“I’ve put in my leave, organized my flights, accommodation and tickets to the Open,” she announced excitedly.
Jessie sulked because she couldn’t get the time off work to go with her while Anna and Sophia listened indifferently to their friend’s woes but gave her sympathetic smiles anyway.
Sophia no longer kept up to date with tennis religiously but was kept well informed nevertheless by Jessie and Nicola who were as obsessed as ever on all the gossip surrounding the tennis world.
Nicola was talking about the players she was hoping to see at the Open. “I’ll get to see Marat Safin again. It’s going to be his last US Open.”
Immediately, the girls froze to watch Sophia's reaction upon hearing his name.
Sophia’s friends knew everything that happened between her and Marat. Without judgement, they listened as she told them the whole story and when she asked for their opinion, they said they were proud of her for doing the right thing.
Although massive Safin fans they were and thrilled she had hooked up with the hottest tennis star, when it came to their friend, they would always choose what was best for Sophia.
“Who needs Marat Safin?” Jessie had scoffed. “Tristan has come back to you and he’s the one who loves you!”
“As bad as it sounds, maybe Marat Safin was just a holiday romance and nothing more was to ever come of it,” added Nicola.
When Sophia decided to cut Marat out of her life, no longer did her friends refer to him as just Marat. It seemed too personal and no longer appropriate. Instead, during the rare occasions they talked about him, they had taken to calling him by his full name as you would when you talk about some untouchable celebrity that you don’t know and only see onscreen or read about in the newspapers and magazines.
For example, “Did you know that Angelina Jolie is going to adopt another child from Asia?” or “I saw James Franco in a GQ magazine and he looked amazing!” or “I can’t wait for the new Channing Tatum movie to come out.”
”I saw Marat Safin lose in another tournament after the second round.”
Anna nudged Nicola. “Why did you have mention his name?” she whispered.
“Sorry, it just slipped out!” Nicola apologized.
But luckily, Sophia was too busy ordering dessert to hear their conversation or any mention of Marat Safin. Her friends avoided talking about him at all costs whenever she was around, thinking it would just complicate things.
While waiting for dessert, Tristan pulled her out of her seat for a slow dance. She gladly took his hand and was led to the dance floor where he lovingly took her in his arms and swayed with her to the music.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he murmured as he looked deep in her eyes.
“Hey,” she replied quietly. They danced as if they were the only two people in the room, completely lost in each other.
“I can’t wait to marry you,” Tristan declared, hugging her tight.
“Hmmm, same here.”
“I promise to make you a very happy bride.”
Sophia nuzzled his neck and in that moment, never felt more content and loved.
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She had just finished teaching a class when she received a call from her dad.
“Hi, dad. You called just in time,” she greeted him cheerfully.
“Hi, Phia,” he replied somberly.
“What’s wrong?” She knew something had happened by the tone of his voice which was usually always upbeat.
“Now, I don’t want you to panic. But it’s your abuela.”
“What? Is she ok?” Despite her dad’s advice, Sophia immediately started getting worried.
“She got admitted to hospital for pneumonia. She caught it after that bad flu she had a couple of weeks ago. But your mum and I have spoken to her and she’s in good spirits.”
This reassurance did not ease Sophia’s anxiousness.
“Dad…she’s ok though, right? I mean, she’ll still be able to fly here for the wedding, won’t she?”
She could almost hear her dad hesitating over the phone. “Well, I’m not sure, sweetheart,” he admitted. “She’s not completely out of the woods yet. She’s still very weak and fragile. We don’t know how long it will take for her to recover.”
Sophia was looking forward to having her abuela attend her wedding. She was going to be her special guest of honour and took care of the arrangements herself to ensure she could be there.
Likewise, Rosa was very excited about her trip to Sydney so she could see her family and watch as her ‘nieta hermosa’ walked down the aisle.
“I’m flying out to Valencia in a few days to see her. All your tias and tios are making their way there, too,” Sophia’s dad continued.
“If she’s ok then why do you need to do that?” she asked suspiciously.
Again, she could sense her dad was uncomfortable having to tell her the truth.
“Well, honey, you know abuela’s old now and at times like these, it’s just better she has her family around to tell her that they love her and help take care of her because we just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“Then doesn’t it make sense if we all went to visit her?” she cried, reading between the lines.
Sophia sniffed, tearing up unwillingly. The thought of getting married without her abuela present was too upsetting. It was even more heartbreaking to think she wasn’t going to be around much longer.
She and Rosa had a very special bond and everyone said it was because they were so alike in looks and personalities. And despite their petite size, they both had such big hearts overflowing with so much love for everyone around them.
Rosa had shared her heart with her husband until the day he died and being a witness to their pure and overwhelming love since she was a child, Sophia wished to be able to one day also find someone she could give her heart to completely.
She went home that night in a rush and packed her bags to make her way to Valencia.
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Marat was on his way to get his morning coffee. It was nearly noon though and the sun was hot. He was better off getting a nice, cold drink, a beer even maybe, but he was tired from a long and ‘busy’ night and he needed the pick-me up.
The girl was still there when he woke up. She’d been doing that a lot lately and he actually didn’t mind. They have been seeing each other for a few weeks now and Marat was growing quite fond of her.
Anya was a fun, lively and kind soul who had caught his eye in a tucked away London bookstore during Wimbledon and after a few, innocent dates and several, sweet text messages, they got together exclusively.
“Let’s go and have lunch at that place over there,” she suggested, pointing to a restaurant across the road. Marat really didn’t want to eat there because the place was too small, too hot and too busy. But Anya was already dragging him inside and he had no further say in the matter.
As they walked in, he scanned the room for a table. It was a popular place for the locals and even though they arrived just before the lunchtime rush, there were barely any seats left available. But they found a couple, right at the far end of the restaurant. Marat took Anya’s hand and led her through the crowded dining area.
A few metres ahead, he saw a familiar face. For a second, his heart stopped but he kept his composure and tried not to make a big deal of it. However, it was Sophia sitting right there.
He didn’t know how they ended up at the same place all the time. They lived on opposite sides of the world yet somehow they managed to have these chance meetings far too often that some may question if they were merely coincidental encounters or the work of a higher being pulling strings to gravitate these two beings towards each other.
Sophia...the girl who managed to take his breath away every single time he saw her and today was no exception. She was in a plain, coral tank top and a pair of short denim shorts, an understated outfit that still somehow managed to show off her assets, including the golden tan she had acquired within minutes of arriving in Valencia.
She was talking animatedly to a guy who Marat recognized as Tristan and laughing unreservedly, her head thrown back in amusement and her eyes positively bright with glee.
When Sophia saw Marat approaching, she stopped laughing and looked at him peculiarly as if she was trying to establish whether it was really him. She was almost expressionless had her face been able to prevent itself from looking so tense.
“Hi Sophia,” Marat said as he got to their table.
“Hi Marat. Nice to see you again,” she replied politely, giving him a tight smile. “This is Tristan, my fiancé.”
Tristan stood up to shake his hand. “Hey, nice to finally meet you. Sophia mentioned you guys knew each other,” he said. “Are you training here for the US Open?”
As much as Marat didn’t want to, he instantly liked Tristan. Just one shake of his hand and he could tell he was a genuine guy.
“Yeah, you too, and yes I am training here. This is Anya, by the way. Anya, this is Sophia and Tristan.”
They smiled and waved at her, both left speechless by how stunning she was.
A little while later, Tristan went outside to take a business call and Anya made a trip to the ladies’, leaving Marat and Sophia alone at their tables.
He took it as an opportunity to speak to her alone for a few minutes and got up to join her. When he sat opposite her taking Tristan’s seat, Sophia stopped drumming her fingers on the table and looked at him bemused.
“Did you have a nice lunch?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you,” she answered curtly. “The food is always good here.”
Marat was going to remind her that it was he who had introduced her to the restaurant but let it go.
“So, how long have you been here?”
“Since 11.30.”
He shook his head and smiled, her dead pan expression reminding him of the first few encounters he ever had with her in Melbourne. She always used it when she wasn’t interested in talking and Marat knew this all too well.
“I meant Valencia,” he confirmed.
“Oh. About a week.”
“Business or pleasure?”
“Ummm….neither actually.” She looked down at her empty plate and cleared her throat nervously.
Marat was puzzled by her answer but she didn’t explain so he didn’t press on.
“Tristan seems like a cool guy,” he commented, changing the subject.
“Yeah, he is.”
“So he knows about what happened between you and me?” he inquired incredulously.
They had been quite intimate and he wasn’t convinced she had told him everything.
“Yeah, he knows it all.”
“And he’s ok with it?”
She stared at him unblinking and her face blank. “Well, I mean, there wasn’t much to tell really. I said it was nothing, just a silly, little romance that didn’t mean anything.”
She sighed impatiently and craned her neck to search for Tristan who was outside still with the phone fixed to his ear. Marat felt a pang of disappointment and pain by her non-chalant description of their relationship. It was a lot more than nothing to him and it certainly wasn’t silly! Again he changed the topic to fill the uncomfortable silence.
“Well, you should’ve told me you were coming here. I would’ve set aside some time to take you and Tristan out,” he offered with all sincerity.
But Sophia looked up at him scornfully and snickered. “This is bull$hit,” she muttered under her breath and she stood up to leave, having seen Tristan finally wave her over.
“I don’t have your contact details,” she admitted, shrugging her shoulders indifferently. “And even if I did, I wouldn’t have told you anything because we’re not friends anymore, are we?”
“Oh come on!” he said in a low, discreet voice, not wanting to cause a scene. “This is f@cking ridiculous. Sophia….”
But he couldn’t continue because she’d already walked away from him.
She spotted Anya returning to their table and made her way over to her to say good bye.
“It was really nice meeting you,” she said, her voice genuine and warm.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Anya replied. “Maybe we can all go out to eat together next time.”
At this, Sophia gave her a patronizing smile. “It’s a nice idea but that probably won’t happen. Have a great time here in Valencia though.”
She walked out swiftly to join Tristan before Anya could question her.
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Dinara was already asleep when she received a phone call from her brother.
“Are you crazy? Do you know what time it is?” she complained. It was one in the morning.
“Yeah, sorry,” Marat said distractedly, sounding anything but sorry.
“Why didn’t you tell me Sophia was here in Valencia?”
“Oh geez! You woke me up to ask me that?” Dina groaned loudly to let him know she was pi$$ed off but ever the obliging sister, she indulged him just the same even at this ungodly hour.
“Well seeing as you no longer wanted anything to do with her, I didn’t bother to mention it. I figured you wouldn’t care anyway.”
She yawned, really wanting to get back to sleep but she knew these late night phone calls from her brother usually required a lot of time and patience.
“I saw her at lunch with Tristan,” he mentioned.
“Oh yeah? Was it awkward?”
“It was between me and her. But Tristan was ok and Anya well, she gets along with anyone. Did you know that she deleted my contact details?”
Dinara hated this. “Ummm, yeah I did,” she confessed guiltily.
It always happened every time Marat broke up with someone. Dinara would get to know the girl, become friends with her, then the girl and Marat would break up and she gets stuck in the middle, forced to choose sides and prove her loyalty to one or the other. The girl would ask her to dish exclusive information about Marat while he would demand her not to say a word. Of course, she always took her brother’s side which made her feel wretched for letting down the broken hearted ex-girlfriend.
But in this circumstance, Marat said he didn’t want to know anything about Sophia and Sophia had kindly asked her not to mention her Valencia trip to him or any other details about her life for that matter.
As far as Dinara was concerned, this was her easiest assignment yet. All she had to do was to keep quiet and she didn’t have to betray anyone!
That is until now when at 1.15 in the morning, Marat decided to ask the difficult questions she had wanted to avoid. She could never lie to him though. Honesty was a deeply rooted value that all the Safins upheld with enormous pride.
“She just did it so she wouldn’t be tempted to contact you,” Dina said quickly by way of explanation, sensing Marat’s anger rising from being kept in the dark by his sister about this one tiny but important detail. “She is just abiding by YOUR rules.”
Marat sighed and knocked the phone on his head repeatedly out of frustration. He didn’t think Sophia would take his word quite so literally. But she was and he was hating himself for it. He could barely remember what he said to her back in that Moscow locker room all those months ago when things turned sour. Obviously Sophia remembered and he wished he could just take it all back so she wasn’t so hostile around him.
“What is she doing here anyway? Following me around?” he joked lightly.
“Ugh, please get over yourself!” Dinara retorted, her tiredness now turning to irritability. “If your big head can believe it, she has much more better things to do than think about you.”
Marat $n!ggered at her snide remark knowing he was annoying his sister.
“I’m just joking. But for real now, why is she here? Answer me and I promise I’ll let you go back to sleep.”
Dinara groaned, knowing she was just about to commit a terrible crime against Sophia. She didn’t want to betray her but what could be so bad about telling Marat anyway?
“Well, I’m surprised she didn’t mention anything,” she began. “But it’s her grandmother. She’s been really sick and her whole family is here visiting her.”
Marat suddenly felt a wave of worry and concern take over him. He was very fond of Rosa and true to his word, visited her every chance he got when he was in Valencia. However, he’d been away for a while and had no knowledge she had gotten sick.
“I have to go the house and see her,” he announced decidedly.
Dinara on the other hand was hesitant on the idea. “Uh, I don’t think Sophia would be too pleased to see you there.”
“Well, it’s not her house. Besides, I’m going there to see Rosa. She can’t prevent me from visiting her sick grandmother!”
His sister was done arguing but made one last comment before she hung up. “Ok great, good luck with that. And keep telling yourself you’re going there just to see Rosa. Good night!”
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In the morning, Sophia was in her grandmother’s room keeping her company. Everybody else was out and both women were grateful for this time alone they had together. With so many relatives coming in and out of the villa, they hadn’t had much chance to talk privately.
Although confined to her bed, Rosa was in a good mood nonetheless. She asked about Sophia’s wedding plans and her eyes lit up excitedly upon hearing all the elaborate and exquisite details.
“I’m not going to tell you anymore because it will ruin the surprise!” Sophia said. “You’ll see the rest on my wedding day, abuela.”
Rosa chuckled at her granddaughter’s persistence that she was still going to be able to come to her wedding despite being told the chances were grim. But she was as hopeful as ever and refused to think otherwise.
“So you are very happy with Tristan, yes?” Rosa asked seriously.
“Yes, very happy, abuela,” Sophia replied, giving her a big, reassuring smile.
Rosa had been apprehensive about them getting back together and was very surprised when she found out they were going to get married. She liked Tristan enough but his unfaithfulness to Sophia in the past lost him some credibility and she had been somewhat wary of him since.
“But whatever happened to Marat, honey?” she enquired to which Sophia grimaced. “Don’t tell me you are still not talking to each other?”
She was saddened when Sophia accepted Tristan’s proposal and decided to just remain friends with Marat. Rosa had always been a big fan of “the handsome boy” and became even more so when she saw how happy he made her granddaughter when they were together. She had secretly been rooting for them all along and hoped they could find a way to sort out their issues before it was too late. With the wedding fast approaching, they didn’t have much time left.
“Abuela, he was the one who wanted it this way,” Sophia pointed out stubbornly. “I don’t hear him saying he’s changed his mind. Besides, it’s better like this.”
Rosa scoffed. “How is it better that you aren’t speaking to him?”
Sophia rolled her eyes, not in the mood to hear her grandmother’s praises for the handsome Russian. She resented the fact that she never spoke about Tristan that way.
“Sophia, what you had with him, that feeling doesn’t come along too often. That connection is very rare. A person only had to look at you together for a moment to see there was something really special between the two of you.”
She let out a tired sigh, disappointed that Sophia couldn’t see what she saw.
“You know, when you were together, your face lit up and your happiness was so contagious,” Rosa stated. “It was the face and demeanor of someone who had found the man of her dreams.”
“And what about now, abuela? Now that I’m with Tristan, what does my face say?” she challenged.
Rosa observed her carefully before giving her an honest answer.
“It’s the face of someone who is happy,” she finally said with a small smile. “But by no means is it lit up.”
The doorbell rang then, causing Sophia to jump. She opened the door to find Marat standing outside with a bunch of roses.
“What are you doing here?” she asked nastily.
“I wanted to give these to Rosa. I heard she’s been unwell,” he replied, not paying attention to her rude behaviour. "Why didn't you tell me about her?" He spoke to Sophia softly, hoping to calm her anger.
“Thanks, I’ll take them and tell her you stopped by,” she said hurriedly, ignoring his question. She went to grab the flowers from him but he wouldn’t let go.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked again. "I would've come sooner."
She threw her hands in the air in surrender. "Because you're not family so it's none of your business!" she yelled, ready to slam the door on him.
“Wait! Aren’t you going to let me in?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because she’s asleep,” Sophia lied.
At that very moment, Rosa called out to her, clear as day. “¿Quién está en la puerta?” #
Sophia shook her head and Marat gave her a triumphant look. “I think she just woke up,” he said cheekily, stepping inside the house.
Rosa was extremely delighted by Marat’s visit and the flowers he presented to her which Sophia put in a large vase and placed near her bed. He sat by her bedside and held her hand as he listened to her telling him how she’d had enough of being bedridden.
“But enough about me,” Rosa said dramatically. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while. Are you still chasing girls or have you settled down?”
Sophia, who was sitting next to Rosa on the bed cross-legged and all this time had been watching their exchange in silence, gasped and nearly just about died at her grandmother’s nosy question.
But Marat just laughed at Rosa’s ability to be so frank and yet so endearing. “Actually, I am seeing someone,” he admitted.
Rosa raised her eyebrows and quickly glanced at Sophia who was now busily examining her engagement ring with fervent interest.
“Did you hear that, Sophia? He’s seeing someone.”
“I’m right here, abuela. Of course I heard it and I’ve already met her.”
Rosa turned back to Marat and continued to question him.
“Oh. Is it serious?”
“It could be.”
“Tell me about her, dear.”
As much as Sophia didn’t want to hear this conversation, she was intrigued to find out about Marat’s new woman. And although her first instinct was to get up off the bed and leave the room, she was stuck and couldn’t move, so deep was her curiosity.
“Well, her name is Anya and she’s originally from Moscow like me. But she moved to America when she was 12 and she’s now a professional dancer there.”
Rosa’s eyes widened. “Oh, she’s a dancer, too? Like my Sophia?”
Marat looked over at Sophia who was waiting for his answer. He turned away, all of a sudden feeling uncomfortable talking anymore about Anya in front of her.
“No, not like Sophia. She does latin ballroom.”
Rosa nodded pensively. “That’s lovely, dear. And tell me, is she a nice girl?”
“Yes, she’s very nice.”
“Oh, that’s lovely,” she said again. “Well, as long as you are sure you are with the person you really want to be with, then that’s what matters.”
Sophia had a distinct feeing that her abuela was no longer addressing just Marat but both of them.
“Life is too short to live it without your soul mate. If you’ve found that person, lucky for you. Many people never find theirs and settle on the next best thing or whoever comes along who will make them happy enough. But you deserve to be the happiest person one can possibly be. And you can only ever be that happy when you’ve found true love.”
She smiled serenely at Sophia and Marat who after listening to her advice, were wondering what message she was trying to relay exactly and whether there was anything else behind those seemingly innocent words.
# Who's at the door?
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