12. Andrey

12

ANDREY

The night has unfolded perfectly. Natalia wasn't sure about a dinner party, but Mila and Katya were so excited that she couldn't refuse. They're the ones who coaxed Natalia into the gold wrap dress I haven't been able to take my eyes off of all night.

Her dark hair is draped over her shoulder, and the neckline dips low across her chest, flashing a teasing amount of cleavage.

I could've attempted to look unaffected, but I played my hand the second Natalia walked into the room, so I didn't even bother. She's caught my eyes on her time and time again throughout the dinner, but she seems pleased by the attention, smiling quietly to herself from across the table.

Good .

She saved the full wattage of her smile for the evening's biggest surprise: the arrival of Aunt Annie. The woman practically blew the front door down with her walking stick, sashaying into my house in the dress I sent for her to wear.

I thought Natalia was going to collapse in shock. But as the surprise faded, a wide smile I was beginning to worry I wouldn't see again spread across Natalia's face, and it hasn't left since.

Not while she and Annie caught up in the living room.

Not while Annie figuratively and literally twisted Natalia's arm to get her to play something for us on the piano.

Of all the songs she could've chosen, Natalia went with "Celebration" by Kool & The Gang. The fact that both she and Annie were teary-eyed by the end of it was mystifying to me, but I filed that away as a question for later.

As I'm kicking back after a successful dinner—Pilav did exactly as I requested, cooking all of Natalia's favorites in a bizarre lineup that ranged from lobster to Caesar salad to spaghetti and meatballs—I decide that Natalia might just be pliable enough to enact the final part of my plan.

Cherry pie with homemade vanilla bean ice cream is brought out from the kitchen, and I open my mouth to speak—but Aunt Annie beats me to the punch.

"Sweetheart," her tender voice carries from across the table, "how have you been? I mean, really ?"

A shadow flickers across Natalia's face, followed quickly by a forced grin. "I'm doing better."

It's a passable lie. Some people might even buy it.

But those people didn't hear Natalia screaming in her sleep.

"Are you?" Aunt Annie presses. "Because, as gorgeous as you look right now, you also look tired."

There are dark circles under her eyes. I was distracted by my own ruse—the dress and the nice dinner—but I see them now, too.

"I don't think she's been sleeping very well," Mila butts in.

Natalia can't seem to decide if she's mad at Mila or Leonty for blabbing. Pillow talk was definitely the source for that little snippet of inside information. "That's not true. I sleep fine."

Mila shovels in a bite of pie before she says anything else incriminating, but Aunt Annie isn't so easily swayed. She frowns at Natalia. "You need to take care of yourself, honey. You have to think about your babies."

"I am thinking about the babies," she insists, stealing a quick glance at Misha. "Dr. Abdulov suggested some medications, but they make me feel fuzzy. If I'm going to be here, I want to be here."

Without even realizing it, my fists have clenched under the table.

"What about therapy?" Mila suggests brightly. She says it like it's a fun day at the park—an obvious ploy to talk Natalia into it, though not necessarily a bad one.

But Natalia doesn't bite. "I don't need therapy."

"Yes, you do."

The table goes quiet. Only then do I realize that I've voiced the emphatic thought in my head. It feels so damn good to finally say it out loud that I can't even mourn the demise of my perfectly executed night.

"Excuse me?" Natalia's cheeks are scarlet.

"You're struggling, Natalia. You need help." I can feel Shura's eyes on me, cautioning me, but I charge ahead anyway. "Which is why I've scheduled an appointment for you next week with a therapist. She comes highly recommended, and I think she can help you."

I know I need to hold my tongue, display some level of sensitivity. But the woman's stubbornness grates on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. Why won't she take care of herself, goddammit? Why won't she let me do it for her?

My announcement is followed by a few seconds of drawn-out silence. Everyone looks between Natalia and me, waiting for one of us to break the tension.

Natalia does the honors. "I should have known. I should have known this dinner came with a catch." She looks around the table as though she holds everyone around it equally responsible for the ambush. "Who else voted for this plan? You, Kat?"

Kat rises out of her chair, shaking her head. "No, Nat. I had no idea?—"

"But you agree with him, don't you?"

Katya hesitates. "Nat?—"

"You're supposed to be my friend!"

"I am!" Katya wails. "We all are. We love you, Nat, and we can all see that you're struggling. Right, Mila?"

Mila shrinks down in her seat like she might be able to escape notice, but she sighs when everyone turns to look at her. "Kat's right: we do love you. We just want you to get to a place where you can face your demons head-on."

"I don't have demons." Her fury sputters, drowned out by a barely-concealed sob. "What I have is a bunch of friends who don't have my back."

"Natalia." Annie's voice is quiet and calm, but Natalia's eyes snap to her as if she'd yelled. "That's not fair."

"What would any of you know about it?" she demands, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "None of you understand what I've been through!"

"Because you won't talk about it!" Katya interjects, a little more forcefully than the last time. "Which is why therapy might help."

Natalia ignores Katya and turns her accusing gaze on me. "I don't know how you managed to hoodwink all of them, but it won't work on me. You've interfered in my life enough. I'm not about to let you do any more damage."

There it is. Damage. The crux of all our problems.

"I'm only trying to help repair the damage I've caused, lastochka ," I try again.

She shakes her head as Remi bounds towards her and licks her hand in consolation. "Just stay away from me, okay?" Her gaze sweeps over the whole room. "All of you."

Then she runs out into the dark garden with Remi at her heels.