15. Ilias
ILIAS
J udge McTiernan clearly wasn’t pleased to be called to another Commission wedding. He frowned at us, even as Vaso chuckled in response to his sour attitude.
“Can we offer you a beverage?” Vaso swept a hand toward the bar cart.
His mouth tensed with unwarranted distaste, considering how much he was being paid to be here. “No, thank you.” He moved to the table and opened his briefcase, glancing at Galena. “Is this your bride?”
Galena stepped to my side with an easy smile that surprised me. “That’s me.”
“You just need to sign here and here. I’ll witness. That’s it.” He shuffled some more papers around .
“Very romantic,” Vaso muttered, rolling his eyes. “Geez, bro.”
He wasn’t wrong, and I felt like a heel as a flush crept up Galena’s cheeks, but I signed with a flourish.
I hadn’t really planned on being romantic.
This was all set up as a rush job, but now I wondered if I should have put in a little more effort.
She took the pen from me and signed carefully above the printed name, ‘Galena Volkova’, probably the first time she had signed the name that was on her legal birth certificate.
“Alright. That’s it.” Judge McTiernan signed the paper as the witness and gave me a nod. “I’ll file the paperwork in the morning. Have a nice evening, Mr. and Mrs. Anthakos.”
Later, when my brothers had gone, Galena hovered in the kitchen a while longer, fiddling with one of those elusive curls of hers. She looked smaller in the dim light, not fragile exactly, but thoughtful. Grounded in a way that made my chest ache.
“I thought that we’d start with these.” I pulled out the ring box from my pocket. “I wasn’t sure what kind of ring you’d like to wear, so I started simple until you could go with me to pick one out. ”
I opened the box to reveal the slender eternity band I’d gotten.
Her fingers were so delicate that I chose the thinnest one I could so it wouldn’t overwhelm her hand.
Theo had said that it was important when I asked for her opinion.
Usually, I wouldn’t have gone to my sister for advice about such things, but I didn’t know Galena yet, and Theo did have a decent handle on all things fashion. (Most of the time.)
Her hand trembled a little, and I was a prick enough to feel satisfied that I wasn’t the only one who was nervous about what was happening. My heart pounded as I gently slid it onto her finger, and I was thankful when it fit.
“Can I put yours on?” she asked tentatively, pulling the men’s band from the box.
I held my hand out, still, watching her bent head as she moved closer.
Her breath hitched, almost imperceptibly, but I felt it.
I thought I would feel trapped by the weight of the oath…
but this wasn’t that. Instead, I felt comforted.
I curled my palm around hers. Saw the way her chest rose a little higher.
The way her lashes fluttered. When her fingers brushed mine, sliding the band onto my finger, it meant something big.
“You had to survive alone, but now you don’t. You can share the heavy stuff with me.” I realized that sounded really sappy, but I liked the idea of it. She didn’t look away. Didn’t step back. Her fingers stayed laced with mine.
“Sometimes I feel like that day broke me into a million pieces.” Her voice caught a little on the words, and she ducked her head, hiding those beautiful eyes from me. “Do you think I’ll ever be normal again?”
I didn’t smile. Didn’t offer something soft to make it easier. Because she didn’t need soft, she needed truth. “I think you’ll be better than before.”
She stepped into me like gravity itself had changed. Her body aligned with mine, chest to chest, eyes searching mine for something she didn’t need to say out loud.
I didn’t wait. My hand slid to the back of her neck, fingers threading through the soft weight of her hair, tilting her face up to mine.
Her breath hitched again, her lips parting in anticipation.
She wanted me to kiss her. I was sure, but I paused to give her a moment to say no or to pull away.
Instead, she gripped me tighter and gave me a small nod. It was all over.
It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t careful.
She melted into me, her hands clutching the front of my shirt like she needed to hold herself steady.
Her mouth opened under mine, and she emitted a sound—low, desperate, and feminine.
It sent a jolt through every nerve in my body like a fuse.
I deepened the kiss, our mouths hot and open, tongues tasting.
She pressed closer, her hips brushing mine. There was nothing accidental about it.
She wanted me too.
And I was in so much fucking trouble for promising to be roommates.
I broke the kiss only when the need for air made it impossible to keep going, but I didn’t let her go. Resting my forehead to hers, my hands cupping her face, I let my thumbs brush her cheekbones. “You’re not alone anymore,” I said. She didn’t answer, not with words.
But the way she kissed me again told me everything I needed to know.