Part Nineteen

Two hundred forty-seven, two hundred forty-eight, two hundred forty-nine, two hundred fifty…

I stared at the tiles of my bedroom ceiling and contemplated purgatory.

Two hundred sixty-eight, two hundred sixty-nine, two hundred seventy, end. Like Sisyphus: one, two, three, four…

The ( Read more... )

Part Eighteen

I clicked off the light as I left the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my waist, using a smaller one to slowly towel my hair dry. My whole body felt heavy with the weight of emotions and uncertainties that I piled atop myself, and putting on clothes seemed like an effort far beyond my grasp; instead I leaned tiredly ( Read more... )

Part Seventeen

“Mmm…”

I sighed contently as a hot stream of water hit the back of my neck. The glass door of the shower fogged up as steam rose from the heated water, soothing my tired muscles; washing the dirt and sweat from my skin. I ducked my head beneath the pounding spray, closing my eyes as the water slicked my hair ( Read more... )

          “Have Rostislav and Nash given up their attempt to make love in every room in Nationwide yet?”

I snorted. “Are you kidding? They’ve already gone through the entire first floor-and it’s only three months into the season.”

Igor let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking his head. His eyes crinkled at the corners, amusement ( Read more... )

Part Fifteen

“So how did you not notice you had an ulcer in your stomach?”

I winced, turning the steering wheel forty-five degrees to make a left turn onto Nationwide Blvd. Nikolai was watching me expectantly from the passenger’s seat, however, and I wrinkled my nose.

With the promised continuation of our ( Read more... )

Part Fourteen

Later that night, after a suitably bland meal-pasta and a white sauce with a mozzarella base; I was warned off tomatoes in any form-I was just turning off the lamp next to my bed, about to go to sleep, when a soft knock sounded on my door.

“Come in,” I called, stifling a yawn.

Nikolai eased the door ( Read more... )

Part Twelve

Vlad just woke up-

…coma, permanent damage to the brain…

He doesn’t remember you, Sergei. He doesn’t remember anyone. He can barely remember who he is…

Slava! Slava, why did you let this happen? Why?!

…contusions, fractures; loss of basic motor functions…

-250 aboard, no ( Read more... )

Part Ten

“I remember things clearer now. Like Ukraine, and Elemash. Anton, Alexei…my parents’ faces, and my cousins. Stuff from a long time ago, from my childhood. It’s not much, but-it’s so much more vivid now.”

“Things are starting to come back?” I asked softly, rubbing my cheek against Nikolai’s chest.

We were lying on ( Read more... )

Part Seven

The trip to the neurologist’s went well. They did an MRI and there wasn’t any swelling, or bruising, or anything horribly wrong with Nikolai’s head aside from the fact he couldn’t remember things. The doctor reassured me that he would regain his memory in time, though he might never remember the events just before the crash ( Read more... )

Part One

It was just barely dawn when frantic knocking sounded on the door to my apartment. I heard shouts, from different voices, and erratic pounding as they tried to break through the thick wood. I couldn’t be bothered to go and open it. Instead I sat slumped in my computer chair, staring at the screen of my laptop, reading those ( Read more... )