Chapter 3 — Chapter 3

In the evening, I was meeting my friend with a couple of salads and some fish to share, along with some imported wine from the fridge. We each had a glass of wine and sat in silence for a bit before she spoke up:

"Leave the cake in the hallway. Bring it in, we'll eat it to cope with the stress."

"We will. And we'll wash it down too," I replied, heading to get the dessert.

After slicing the cake, we had another glass of wine and looked at each other inquisitively.

"You or me?" Kate asked, that being my friend's name.

"You," I waved at her, leaning back against the kitchen chair.

"He cheated on me. Caught him with some bitch riding him. You remember that blonde tramp from the third entrance?" she briefly explained, staring at the countertop.

"No way? Valera cheated on you too? Did he at least say anything in his defense?" I was surprised, not expecting such a turn of events.

"He said it was my fault!" my friend snapped and reached for the wine again.

"How so?" I raised my eyebrows, looking at her.

"He said I don't spend enough time with him and work too much! He's lonely, apparently!" she said, gripping the bottle tightly and taking a deep breath to calm down.

"Did you kick him out?" I asked, breaking the silence that had settled.

"Of course. I packed his stuff and threw him out, changed the locks right away, and blocked his number. Now I want to get drunk enough to go to a bar and pick someone up," Kate sighed.

"Good idea. I want to do that too. Shall we drink?"

"Let's drink! Cheers! Now it's your turn."

"Nothing much to tell. I met someone, slept with him, fell in love. He left and disappeared for two days, then got on the same flight and asked me to marry him. I told him to get lost and moved to a different class. That's it," I replied, trying hard to suppress my regret.

"Let's drink to us! Open the second bottle, and then we'll head to the bar."

"Let's drink!"

Two hours later, we were on our third bottle of wine.

"Do you regret it?" my friend asked, carefully studying me.

"I do," I admitted with a sob.

"Grab your phone and call him," she commanded briskly.

"I can't!"

"Why?"

"Nowhere to call. No address, no phone number, no last name... Just a name, that's all."

"What an idiot," Kate concluded.

"An idiot," I repeated after her.

"Finish the wine and head to the bar?"

"Yeah... Hic, finish it."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and my friend got up from the table, looking at me.

"Valera, that bastard, probably came looking for me. I'll send him away and be right back," she guessed and staggered to the hallway.

Feeling a bit down, I poked at the cake, tears dropping into it. There was a noise, and someone entered the kitchen, stopping next to me. Looking up, I saw Michael, who was looking at me with a pained expression. Kneeling down, he pressed himself against my legs and hugged me without saying a word.

"Is it him?" my friend asked, following him in.

"It's him," I sobbed, clutching the man's hair.

"There are two more out there. Can I have one at least? They're so handsome..." she asked dreamily, rolling her eyes.

Turning to the doorway, I noticed two elves standing there. They looked exactly like the twins from my last story. Reaching for my wine glass, I downed it and asked:

"Elves?"

One of them coughed, while the other looked at me with interest.

"Elves," he replied with a smile.

"And why are you here?" I asked, completely bewildered.

"We're with him. Keeping an eye on things."

"I'll keep an eye on him myself. Take Kate and get to the bedroom, but keep her safe. You'll stay there overnight too. Kate, lead the way!" I said, regaining some composure and nudging my friend towards the exit. She quickly grabbed the guys by the arms and led them away, closing the door behind her.

"Shall we talk?" Michael asked, looking into my eyes and holding my hands.

"No, let's sleep now. We'll talk tomorrow, if I survive."

The man picked me up and carried me to the bedroom, where he undressed me and held me close. I passed out immediately. Three bottles of wine between the two of us was definitely too much.

The morning started predictably badly. I took some pills and refused to get up, wrapping myself tightly in the blanket. Hearing the chatter of my friend who had arrived with the elves, I groaned and covered my head with a pillow, burrowing deeper into the bed.

"They have wonderful drops! Drink them and you'll feel like new! Then take a shower and we'll go to my country house to grill some shish kebabs!" Kate exclaimed, trying to pull me out of my makeshift cocoon.

"Get away, Satan," I pleaded, but she was relentless.

"Sasha, drink this. You'll feel better!" Michael appeared next to us and handed me a glass with some liquid. Looking at it skeptically, I took it and drank, grimacing at the strange taste.

"Come on, pull yourself together. We'll go shopping and then bring back the meat to marinate!" my friend said and ran off, in an excellent mood.

Somewhere in the distance, a door slammed, and I winced from the headache. "What a racket she makes," I thought irritably, as Michael pulled me out of the blanket and started massaging my neck and shoulders.

"Mmm... More, please," I asked, enjoying his strong hands.

The pain and nausea gradually subsided, and he lifted me from the bed and carried me to the bathroom, putting me under the shower and quickly washing me, but without any ulterior motives. After drying me with a towel and laying me back on the bed, the man sat down on a chair opposite me.

"Sasha, I need to explain," he said.

"Okay," I replied and sat up on the bed with a sigh.

"You see, I'm not good at talking to women. Usually, I'm not lucky with them. Being under someone else's control, I had to go ask my boss for permission and thought I'd be back by evening, but there was an emergency at work. I couldn't let you know because I didn't even have a chance to call. When I rushed to the hotel, I was too late, but at the last moment, I managed to get on the same flight as you. When I heard you crying, I lost all my words. All I could do was propose, but when you scolded me, I realized what an idiot I was. I thought you needed time, so I tracked you and Kate down and waited for my friends to come help," Michael explained awkwardly, stumbling over his words and clearly embarrassed.

"Why me? I'm forty-five, have two jobs, and all I have is this apartment, since my son will soon move abroad. Why me?" I shook my head in response.

"I love you. Give me a chance, please. I'll prove everything! I have enough money so you don't have to work, and your stories can be published because I know a publisher. I'll do everything to make you happy with me," the man said firmly and convincingly.

"Okay, let's give it a try, but don't pressure me, please. I'm not ready to leave everything behind yet," I shrugged.

"I live in Moscow, just seventy kilometers away from you. Do you think it's hard for me to come to you? And age doesn't matter to me. Just believe me, I'm older. I don't need anyone else, just you," he continued.

There was a brief silence, but it was interrupted by the sound of the door and Kate, who rushed through my apartment like a meteor. She talked non-stop, packing my things and trying to get me dressed. Her energy seemed endless, so Michael took pity on me and silently ushered her into the kitchen. Closing the door behind him, he helped me get dressed and brushed my hair, braiding it into a ponytail. I didn't resist much, so soon I was ready, and we went to the living room where everyone was waiting for us. The guys had Kate between them, whispering something in her ears, and she was blushing and giggling.

"Finally! We're all set. Let's go," my friend stood up when she saw me and Michael.

"Did you buy drinks?" I asked her.

"Yes. Your coffee, tea, and some snacks. I washed the dishes and took out the trash. Let's go!" she was full of enthusiasm, and I rolled my eyes at her foresight.

Our group grabbed the bags and left, deciding to take the guys' car. It was a large vehicle, and though I didn't know much about cars, it looked like a jeep. Soon we left the city and headed to Kate's country house, which was a plot in a village inherited from her grandmother. The latter had turned it into a recreation area, with no vegetable gardens except for some herbs and berries. We were greeted by a garden, a sea of flowers, and a house that had almost everything, including an electric boiler for the winter.