When the crazy wheel slows down...

[whoneedsadream]

If Anatoly had learned nothing else in his life, he had at least learned this: nothing, not even grief lasts forever. He'd hidden from the world for awhile, but the time came when he knew that as life went on despite his grief, so must he. His heart might be broken, but it would be shameful for him to broadcast it to all the world. It was only a

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[poison_lipstick]

"Never," Saffron replied with a fond smile as she turned from where she'd been chopping up apples for tarts. Lex was a good friend of hers, one she cared a lot about, but she saw him every day now, and Anatoly was her friend too. "If you want some dessert after that sandwich, these shouldn't take me too long to make."

[whoneedsadream]

"I would love some," Anatoly smiled up at her, relieved to see that she didn't seem to harbor any ill will towards him because of all that had happened with Lex. He had heard through the Island grapevine that the two of them were rooming together and he could only imagine what Lex might have said.

"It's good to see you," he said after taking another bite. "How have you been?"

[poison_lipstick]

She'd made apple tarts so many times she didn't really have to think about what she was doing, and she continued her work as she replied to Anatoly. "I've been all right," she said, which was more or less true even if some days it felt like everything was just one big countdown to who was going to disappear next. "What about you, sugar?" She knew he couldn't have been great, but she asked anyway.

[whoneedsadream]

"I'm fine," Anatoly said casually. It was a lie and he was almost certain that she knew it too, but he didn't want to wallow in his grief any more than he already had. Lex was out of his life and not coming back, and dwelling on it would change nothing.

"Aeneas and Cassie are keeping me busy and out of trouble in their own way. I can't ask for much more than that."

[capable_of]

"Of course not." Lex replied smoothly as he moved past Anatoly without a second glance, heading right for the fridge. Or he was, until he spotted the kettle and after discovering it was still hot, grabbed a cup for tea instead. He angled his body to hide as he reached for the tea that Anatoly liked and had gotten Lex hooked on. Otherwise, he ignored the other man's presence.

[whoneedsadream]

At the sound of that familiar voice, Anatoly froze. He hadn't seen who was passing by, only heard and it had never occurred to him that it could be the one person he wanted to avoid.

"Lex," he said once he'd recovered from his shock. He looked briefly up at him then turned his attention back to his sandwich, not wanting him to see his pained expression.

[capable_of]

Lex took his time preparing his tea, adding milk from the fridge and then looked for the sugar. Unfortunately, it was sitting right by Anatoly, which in hindsight didn't surprise him since he knew intimately how Anatoly took his tea. For a moment he considered just doing without, but he refused to run away from him. He had to deal with the decisions he made.

He walked over to where Anatoly sat. "Could I borrow the sugar?" He asked, rather then reach across.

[whoneedsadream]

"Of course," Anatoly answered softly, wishing with all his heart that his heart hadn't lept with desire at the sight of Lex. There was nothing between them any more and never would be again. His head understood it, why couldn't his heart?

He leaned over to get the bowl then held it out. "You... look well."

[theunascended]

"No, of course not." Daniel smiled a little at Anatoly and gestured at the seat next to him. "I'm just waiting for my coffee to brew." He still hadn't heard from Patrick and he was beginning to lose hope. There was only so much he could take, especially when he'd woken up one day to Owen being gone from the island completely. Maybe that was what had happened to Patrick. Maybe he was just gone completely.

Gone from the island or not, Daniel had to get on with his life.

"I'd offer you a cup, but I've been told my coffee is likely to melt internal organs."

[whoneedsadream]

Anatoly smiled in greeting as he took the offered seat. "That is probably for the best. I am more of a tea drinker."

He lifted his cup in a salute of sorts then took a drink. He made a face as he discovered it wasn't sweet enough then pulled the sugar bowl closer so he could rectify this problem.

Once it was sweet enough to his satisfaction, he leaned against his chair. "How are you doing?"

[theunascended]

"I'm..." Daniel considered how to answer that. "Beginning to think that Valentine's Day is something evil and I may never celebrate it again," he admitted. "I don't suppose you've seen Patrick around?" It was a question he'd gotten used to asking from his friends. It was more reflex right now and he wasn't quite sure what he'd do if he ever got a 'yes' answer.

He stood up when his coffee finished brewing and turned his back to Anatoly both so that he could pour and so he wouldn't have to see the man's expression when his words sunk in.

[whoneedsadream]

At the mention of Valentine's Day, Anatoly winced and stared down at his sandwich for a few moments. "I would have to agree with you," he said once he thought he could keep his voice steady. "It was not... not a good day."

He had taken a few bites from his sandwich when he realized that Daniel had asked him a question and he shook his head. Another disappearance, perhaps, though he hoped for his friend's sake that it wasn't the case. "I haven't seen him around, I'm so sorry."

[dinnerfor1_girl]

"Only in the grander sense that all men are occasionally in women's way," Sally said haughtily and knowingly with a nod of her head. "But as of this exact moment, no, you're not in my way. We can both carry on."

[whoneedsadream]

Anatoly could only laugh ruefully and shake his head. "I don't think I can argue with that, I'm sorry to say. The only thing I can do is offer you some tea. Would you like some?"

[dinnerfor1_girl]

"I'd be mad to ever turn down tea," Sally announced and though she wished that she had some vodka to maybe spike it with, a good herbal tea could do her well about now. "You make it, I'll fetch the sugar and milk? And then you can brief me on the goings-on of your life."

[whoneedsadream]

"I would be delighted to," Anatoly said gallantly and stood up to do just that. "There are few things that can't be solved without tea, an English friend of mine once told me and I think it's possible that she may be right."

As he got out another cup for Sally and dumped the last bit of cold tea from his own, he shook his head wryly. "My life? I don't know that it's all that exciting."

[shot_my_shoes]

Harry shook his head at the question. Having established the kettle was still hot, he poured himself a cup of tea. "The kitchen's big enough that there would probably have to be a lot more people in here for anyone to be in anyone else's way." Unless there were two people wanting to be in exactly the same place at the same time.

He took his tea over to the table. "It's not as if I'm planning to cook in here anyway."

[whoneedsadream]

"I did take a chair between the tea and the sugar," Anatoly said in between bites of his sandwich. "Quite a few people have been wanting to get to the sugar. I could have picked a better place to sit but I wanted to keep the bowl close."

[shot_my_shoes]

"I see." Since he didn't take any tea in his sugar Harry hadn't even thought to look where it was. "Too much sugar is bad for you," he pointed out. "Except in times of great stress," he felt compelled to add, since he wasn't above prescribing sweet tea if the need arose.

[whoneedsadream]

"Perhaps," Anatoly said mildly after a sip of the aforementioned beverage. "But I find that tea is quite undrinkable without it."

"But," he said after a moment, smiling ruefully. "I do put a little too much in. My w - Svetlana always told me so."