Chapter6
After her shift at the hospital, Heather spent some time on her studies and the rest on trying on clothes and delving into all the accessories Yuri had sent. Any other time she would’ve refused every single item, but not these presents from Yuri because she believed it to be well placed, from the heart, as he said. He wasn't trying to buy her and he most certainly hadn't put her in the category of gold digger.
She slept fitfully on Saturday night as if she couldn't wait for morning. Of course, it wasn't the run that beckoned but the chance to see Yuri.
He was already inside the park doing stretches when she arrived. She suspected he'd run a few miles to have gotten to that spot already.
“Good morning,” he called as she approached. He held her by her shoulders and kissed her cheek and then her lips with a soft touch. “Are you ready for this?”
“Probably not. I hope you know First Aid.” She joked.
“I'd be only too happy to administer the kiss of life.”
They began at a slow jog. The park was already full of joggers, runners, walkers and people walking their dogs. Blade runners zoomed past them as did people on bikes, but that was all right. They were side by side and talked as if they'd known each other for decades.
“If we take this path, it leads to my apartment,” Yuri said after about fifteen minutes of a more accelerated run. “I've got breakfast waiting, what do you think?”
“I think,” Heather panted, “I'm about ready for some refreshments already. Do you know a short cut?”
“This way.”
Heather followed behind Yuri and watched the easy steps he made. He barely broke a sweat while her own forehead was glistening in the sun and she felt tight across the chest. She was wishing she hadn't smoked so young when all of a sudden, they were out of the park and trotting along a sidewalk filled with tall trees whose branches were covered in blossoms.
Yuri slowed down and put out his hand. “I'm just around the corner. Want to walk the rest of the way?”
“Yuri, if you could carry me all the way, that would be better.”
Immediately, he swooped her up into his arms. She squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck as he looked from side to side before crossing the road. She had never been to this part of Manhattan but knew it to be filled with fashionable apartment buildings. Yuri carried her up the stairs of one and did not let her down while he tapped in the security code.
“Yuri, I'm heavy, put me down.”
“No way,” he said before greeting the security guard, who sat behind a desk reading a newspaper.
“Morning, Mr. Kozlov,” he said.
Yuri responded with a nod and a smile while he pressed the elevator button. Heather noticed how the guard had not taken his eyes off them. She wondered if he thought Yuri was carrying her because she was injured or if he'd found her on the side of the road while running – Yuri certainly didn't set off that morning with a girl in his arms.
But as the elevator door closed, Heather supposed the security guard must wonder why Yuri wasn't going up to his apartment with a blond, she thought as the doors opened and Yuri carried Heather to the end of a long corridor. Finally, he let her get to her feet.
“Thank you,” she giggled.
Yuri opened the door to a wide entrance hall that led directly onto an expansive living room. It was scantily furnished; the colors were all neutral shades of mink and white. There were two over sized canvasses of modern art on the walls and a bar area, behind which there were an array of drinks and glassware. A door led onto a dining room with a large kitchen attached. The dining room and living room looked over the Manhattan streets, which were quiet, and the kitchen looked over a communal garden. There was a courtyard within it and benches to sit and take in the sun.
“I love your place, Yuri.”
Heather noticed the table was laid. The refrigerator in the kitchen was ajar and a short man in a chef's outfit emerged with a bowl of summer fruit.
“Are we ready to eat?” he asked Yuri and then nodded to acknowledge Heather.
Yuri checked with Heather before answering. “Yes, we're ready Max.”
“Then, take seat and I shall begin. First a little fruit bowl to refresh your palate.”
Yuri offered Heather a seat and they sat opposite each other at one end of a long dinner table. Yuri's chef had laid on a banquet. Heather half expected to be joined at any moment by at least five other people, there was so much food.
“If that will be all?” Max asked taking off his apron a little after bringing out another pot of coffee.
“Yes, we can take it from here, Max. It's all wonderful – as usual.”
“Yes, fantastic,” Heather agreed.
Max slipped away and Yuri put his elbows up on the table. “So, alone at last. How are you feeling now?”
“Like I might explode.”
“I like that you actually eat. I've never dated a woman who had more than a lettuce leaf for dinner. These women are crazy. On the West Coast they're even worse.”
“You've been with a lot of women then?” asked Heather.
“I can't deny that. But I always wanted to settle down. Well, more recently anyway. All I needed was the right woman.”
Heather said nothing for a while before stretching both her arms in the air. “I'll help you with these dishes and then I should get home and—“
“No you won't. I'm going to run you a bath.”
“But I don't have anything to...” she looked at him and smiled. “But you already thought of that haven't you?”
Yuri nodded. “You relax, I'll tell you when it's ready.”
The sunken bath in the center of Yuri's bathroom was big enough to fit a small family. “How would you feel if I joined you?” he asked her just when it looked as if he was about to give Heather her privacy.
“I think I might like that,” she said.
Heather pulled off her running clothes feeling the release in the tension on her skin the supportive fibers had given her. She stood naked in the bathroom and Yuri drew closer to her, tilting her chin upwards to kiss her.
“Your turn,” she said and turned to make her way into the beckoning bath.
She slipped in and faced him as he removed his running clothes piece by piece. His running shoes and socks first, and then he stood with his legs astride as he pulled the top over his head. His face disappeared momentarily but Heather took the opportunity to take in the definition of his abdomen, the breadth and strength of his upper body and his powerful shoulders and arms.
He lowered the running shorts and Heather's chest rose and held still when she saw he was already hard. He walked towards her as she tried to maintain eye contact and sank into the bath alongside her. He stretched his arms onto the ledges of the bath and moved his face in close to Heather's.
She gently held his strong jawline in her delicate hands, tilted her head and touched her open lips to his, feeling his tongue immediately enter her mouth. His hands were on her now, stroking the wet skin of her breasts, caressing her erect nipples before moving his lips to them. She tilted back her head as he began to create a deeper state of arousal in her by licking and sucking on her nipples. He was not gentle and she liked that.
His hands glided under the water in between her legs. His forefinger was weaving in and around all the right places. Heather tipped her head fully back; her breath was a high pitched sigh that echoed in the room. He bit down on her nipples and she moaned louder, squeezing her thighs together and gyrating her hips. He moved his finger faster until her sighing breath told him she was coming. He did not stop until he felt the last convulsions of her orgasm die away.
“Your turn,” she said and stepped out of the water.
Tiny bubbles melted onto her skin and dripped down her body. Heather took Yuri's hand and led him to the open door of the bedroom that adjoined the bathroom. The bed was large and round, the satin sheets dragged with her on her wet skin as she edged backwards along the bed and lay her head on the pillow, her legs apart. Yuri stretched out on top of her, stopping to kiss the damp skin on her stomach and then up along to her breast. He sank his tongue deep into her mouth at the same time as she guided him inside her.
Yuri immediately began to thrust deep and hard. Heather's hips jerked up and down in time with him. His face was close to hers and was beginning to perspire. She saw the look of heightened pleasure on his face and knew he was coming soon. He gripped her shoulders, his movements became faster until he reached a point of total pleasure, coming with a deep moan and a long exhale which she felt like warm air at the side of her face.
They looked at each other and smiled. “I wasn't expecting this to happen,” he said, pulling out.
“I thought you had this all planned, Yuri.”
“Not at all. Admittedly, it has been a while since I've been with a woman but a kiss was all I hoped for.”
“Well, it's been a hell of a long time since I had anyone so...”
“How long?” he asked her.
“Years.”
“I don't believe you, a beautiful woman like you? I would’ve thought you'd have men lining up to date you.”
“I never seemed to meet the right guy.”
“Tell me about your last boyfriend.”
Heather rolled slightly onto her side and looked towards the window.
“If it's painful,” he said, “you don't have to tell me. It's all right. What matters is that we have each other now, right?”
She turned back to face him and smiled. “We do. Let's not spoil things and talk about my past. I don't have a family to speak of. I'm on my own and have been looking after myself, just working hard to keep things together.”
“And I can see you're a survivor. I like that.”
“What about your family,” she asked him. “Where do they live?”
“A long way from here. Every blood relation I have is in Russia. I never see them, hear from them, nothing.”
“Am I allowed to ask?”
“Not today. Today, we’re all about each other. How about we make a pledge to talk about what we left behind when we have nothing else to talk about?”
“That suits me. And how about we go and raid the kitchen to see what's left? I'm hungry again.”
“Sounds like an ideal plan.”
*
The romance between Yuri and Heather burned strong. Heather realized that a month had gone by and she had not had to reveal anymore of her past to Yuri. He had not asked her again and she hadn't questioned him either. Even as they grew closer emotionally, she couldn't help but wonder if that was an unhealthy aspect of their relationship. Other couples would talk about their past, surely.
They were together as often as work commitments would allow and with Heather about to take her SATs, their time together was limited. But still, every time she saw Yuri, every time they went on a date or made love, she wondered if her secret past was any better or worse than his.
He had made something of himself, at least. Whatever his background, he had done well. But he would always have succeeded, she thought, because he was a highly intelligent man. And while she was no fool, herself, her choices had been foolish – very foolish indeed, like the choice she made to drop out of school at age fifteen. Ten years on and she finally had a chance to start again. She wasn't going to blow it.
Falling in love with Yuri, she knew, was the best thing that could ever have happened to her.
***
On the day she received the results of her SATs, she called Yuri to come around to her apartment to read the results for her; she had been too afraid to open the envelope. He arrived at her door minutes after she had come home from work. She had been distracted all day at work, so much so that she had nearly sliced her finger off on one of the machines.
“What the hell has gotten into you?” Janey had asked. “Is this love or are you pregnant?”
“Neither,” she had answered absentmindedly.
Yuri's knock on the door was loud and startled her. She shoved the brown envelope into his hand the minute he walked in, then rushed to sit on the sofa with her hands over her eyes.
“Come on!” she said to Yuri who was taking too long to open the envelope.
He sat beside her and pulled out the sheet of paper. Heather had her eyes wrinkled closed. “What does it say?” she asked.
“Well, aren't you going to look?”
“Just tell me.” Heather sprang to her feet and began to wring her hands together.
“You got a score of 1576. Congratulations, Heather, you could get into any college you wanted. This would get you into Brown, NYU...” He jumped up from the sofa to join Heather who was already leaping up and down off the floor.
“That's way higher than I expected,” she said.
“Well done, genius. Stop jumping and let me kiss you.” Yuri gave her a long, deep kiss.
She sighed and wrapped her arms around him. “It's thanks to you,” she said.
“Don't be silly, this is all you.”
“But with you, everything is just going so right for me.”
“I could say the same thing, that's why...” Here Yuri got down on one knee.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her eyes widening. “Yuri, what is this?”
“Quiet, Heather, you're ruining the moment. I just knew your results would be good news so...” He took a small box from the back pocket of his jeans and held her hand. “I wanted to take advantage of your good mood when I asked you this next question.”
“This is unfair.” Heather giggled. “You know that, right? I would say yes to anything right now.”
“Precisely, that's why...Heather Nicholls...love of my life...my reason to get out of bed in the morning...the subject of all my dreams...will you marry me?”
Heather's eyes closed, tears falling from them as she shook her head up and down. “Yes, Yuri, yes, I'll marry you.”
He opened the box and showed her the ring. An enormous diamond gleamed back at her. He looked at her for approval, which she readily gave by nodding her head. He placed the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly but she could barely see it because of the tears fogging her eyes.
Yuri stood. “Don't cry. Aren't you happy?” he asked.
“So happy, you wouldn't believe but...”
“But what?”
“We only have each other. No family. Who will be at our wedding?”
“Who else do we need but each other?”
He dried away the tears on her face and kissed her lips. “Seriously, Heather. You're all I'll ever need and I hope you feel the same.”
“I do. I definitely do.”
Heather threw her arms around Yuri and stared up at the ceiling as they hugged. Just the two of them, she thought. It was perfect.