Chapter 9 - Yulian
My phone is on speaker, sitting on my workbench. His voice is loud as he lectures me. “Look, man, at this point we’re all starting to think that you’re avoiding us on purpose. When did we last actually see you in person? It’s been over a month now.”
Arkady is annoyed. And he’s right. I have been avoiding everyone. Making excuses, changing plans at the last minute, not wanting to leave Katerina alone for even a second.
I tried a few times to meet up with my brothers for an hour or so. I planned to. But then, when it came down to it, I couldn’t leave her. I couldn’t be away from her.
Of course, she knows nothing of this, and my brothers have no idea she’s here, but clearly, I’m going to have to make a change before they show up at the mansion and things play out in ways I can’t control.
“So?” Arkady snaps impatiently.
“Fine, I’ll come to dinner. I’m bringing a plus-one.”
“A what?” he says, his agitation suddenly gone, replaced with curiosity and surprise.
“I’m bringing someone with me,” I repeat.
“I know what a plus-one is. Who are you bringing? Are you seeing someone? What’s going on? Is this why you’ve been so quiet?” He springs a string of questions on me, and I ignore them all. I need to decide how to go about this, but I have time before dinner tomorrow night.
“I’ll see you at seven,” I say curtly.
“Wait, Yulian, who is it?”
I hang up before the conversation can get out of hand.
Arkady is like a shark scenting a drop of blood when he gets curious about something.
I don’t want to spend an hour on the phone now trying to explain what’s going on.
Then I’ll have all of my brothers showing up here in a rage… and chaos. There will be chaos.
All of them can find out at the same time at dinner. It’s better that way.
My phone sits face-up, and the screen tells me it’s almost five.
My stomach has been groaning for an early dinner for the past hour, so I set my tools aside and decide to call it a day with the shelving.
It’s almost finished, looking really great, actually.
Maybe I’ll bring Katerina in here after dinner to show her how it’s coming along.
The past few days have been different between us.
Things changed when I showed her the studio. She’s been happily working on her business plan, her goals, and her process. She has notebooks filled with sketches and ideas.
It’s incredible to see how happy she is. It’s created a glow about her. Her entire aura is shining in a new way.
I walk into the mansion to find her sitting on the living room floor with sketches spread around her.
Some are of the workshop, a few changes she wants to make to the layout, and are otherwise of fashion design figures in interesting, brightly colored streetwear with chunky-soled sneakers and long flowing coats that have kimono-esque flavors to them.
I’m fascinated by it, but she covers them up before I can get a good look.
“They’re not ready yet,” she says shyly.
“I don’t want you to think it’s silly without being able to get the full idea.
And this is the spring collection with all the colors.
There’s still a winter with gray and whites and autumn with greens, and summer… ”
“It didn’t look silly to me. It looks provocative and exciting,” I smile. “But show me when you’re ready. I know what it’s like to try and explain a design that’s fully formed in your head but not on paper yet.”
She sits cross-legged on the floor, gathering the papers towards her and putting them into neat piles.
“I’m so excited about all of this,” she grins.
“Do you maybe have time tonight to sit with me so I can show you the way I want to shift the studio around a bit? Not big changes, just a better layout for me to work with.”
“We can do it after dinner. I’m going to hop in a shower, and then I’m pretty much ready to eat an entire four-person serving of anything at all before I can think clearly again.”
“Hangry?” she teases.
“Getting there,” I smirk. “Oh, tomorrow night we’re going to dinner at my brother’s place. It’s a family thing. Relaxed, casual. We’ll probably get pizza or something. We’ll leave here at six.”
“We?” she asks, her voice growing tight.
“Yes, you’ll be joining me.”
Her expression becomes strained with worry, but she nods. “Okay,” she says nervously.
“I’ll be quick in the shower. Then we can eat.” I say, turning away from her.
***
The following evening, we park outside my brother’s mansion.
Warm light is glowing through the windows, and soft music is spilling through the open front door.
Katerina shifts nervously in the seat next to me.
She’s wearing pale blue jeans and a baby blue sweater that makes the turquoise of her eyes even more alluring.
Her white sneakers give her a cute, fun look, and her wavy blonde hair is pulled up into a loose bun on top of her head.
She looks stunning, but also, she looks terrified.
I know this is a big step and a huge risk bringing her here. I’m opening a massive can of worms, and I have no idea how they are going to react. Actually, I do know, they’ll be furious with me. But I also know they’ll have to get over it.
Katerina stays in the car, too nervous to get out until I pull her door open and take her hand, pulling her to her feet. “It’ll be fine, I promise.”
She bites at her lower lip, sending a current of desire through me.
She’s quiet as I lead her up the steps towards the door.
My heart is racing when we step through it, my arm around her waist, holding her close, keeping her safe.
There was no way I could get out of this dinner. I can’t keep avoiding my family. But there was also no way I was going to leave her alone and be away from her for an entire night. This is what has to happen. This was unavoidable.
Arkady is the first to spot me, and he comes rushing over, still plagued with curiosity after our phone call the previous night.
“Yul, and his date…friend…guest?” he teases, pulling me into a hug.
“Hey man, how are you?” I ask.
My other brothers are quick to realize I’ve arrived with my mystery guest that Arkady has obviously warned them all about, and they surround us, saying hello, staring at Katerina with intense curiosity.
“So, who is your beautiful date for the evening?” Luka asks, his eyes roaming over her, narrowed, waiting.
Everyone falls silent, turning to me for an answer. Katerina steps closer to me, and my heart hammers wildly.
“This is Katerina,” I say boldly, then hesitate for the briefest second before I add, “Katerina Krolik.”
Arkady’s eyes shoot wide. Luka snorts in shock. Niko takes a step back and mutters, “What the fuck,” under his breath. But not quietly enough. Katerina lets out the softest whimper, her fingers digging into my side.
“Katerina is my guest; she’s been staying with me for a while.”
“She’s living with you? At the mansion?” Luka blurts out.
“What the hell is really going on here, Yulian?” Niko demands.
“This is Artur’s sister!” Arkady snaps, his face flooded with confusion.
I hold my hands up, trying to get them to calm down and stop flooding us with comments and questions. “Guys, just take a breath, Katerina is…”
“Katerina is a part of the Krolik family,” Luka says, interrupting me.
“Katerina is here as my…”
“She shouldn’t be here at all,” Arkady glares at me.
I’m quickly losing my patience, ready to pull her closer and walk out of here with her.
“Hi,” Aliyah says loudly, shoving her way through my brothers to stand in front of Katerina.
She stands in front of Kat, grinning. “Wow, you’re gorgeous. Your eyes are ridiculously beautifully. Are you wearing contacts?”
Kat smiles nervously. “No, um, these are my real eyes. I mean, the real color.”
“Wow, you’re so lucky!” Aliyah blurts out, then reaches up to tuck a stray curl behind Katerina’s ear. “The blue of your sweater really brings them out. I’m Aliyah. These morons were too rude to introduce us. I’m their annoying little sister,” she grins.
Next to me, Katerina’s body relaxes a bit, a fraction of the tension easing out of her. Mine does, too.
“Hi, I’m Katerina,” Kat smiles at Ali.
“Can I offer you a drink? I think it’s the perfect night for a chocolate martini. Usually, they make me too full to eat dinner, but we can have one. I’m really good at making them lately. It’s my go-to drink for colder evenings.”
“It sounds lovely. I haven’t had one,” Kat says, tilting her head to the side and letting Ali pull her away from me.
I reluctantly let Kat go, but only because Ali has silenced my brother’s onslaught of chaos and put a stop to the rude welcome.
Ali reminded everyone in the subtlest way that Kat is still a guest here and should be treated as such.
With relief, I watch her lead Kat towards the bar in the living room.
I turn to Arkady, grin, and ask, “Are we ordering pizza?”
He snorts with laughter and shakes his head. “It’s on the way already.” Then he follows everyone else back into the living room.
“Where’s Jade?’ I ask, looking around for my other sister.
“She and Rad are going to be a bit late,” Luka shrugs. “They had some anniversary lunch or something.”
“Nice, they still seem really happy,” I say, thinking out loud as I stare at Katerina.
“They are. We all are. But man, what is going on here?” Luka whispers, gesturing towards Kat.
“Nothing, she’s just my guest. Where’s Tania?”
“She’s on some weekend retreat with a few friends.”
“Would have been nice for Kat to have another Krolik here, for moral support,” I muse.
He clenches his jaw, but relents, leaving it at that for the moment.
Ali has all of her older brothers wrapped around her little finger.
If Ali wants it, she gets it. She’s the baby in the family, and we all rally to protect her and keep her happy.
That’s why it was so easy for her to get everyone to accept Kat.
Thank goodness. I don’t know what would have happened if she hadn’t stepped in tonight.
Sitting around the dinner table, pizza boxes spread over it, and everyone chatting happily, the atmosphere is relaxed, but I can still sense a lot of curiosity around Katerina being here.
She’s sitting close to me, her leg against mine under the table. I imagine my touch is a source of security for her among the people she doesn’t know. We are all technically her enemies, and Kat looks wary, even though she’s smiling.
“How long have you known my brother?” Ali asks, ignoring the tension.
“Not long at all,” Kat replies, picking up a piece of pizza and putting it on her plate.
“Have you heard him singing Phantom of the Opera yet?” she asks, and my stomach instantly bubbles with embarrassment.
“Ali!” I scold her. “We don’t have to tell that story.”
She giggles and shakes her head. “If she’s a guest at your place, I’m surprised she hasn’t heard it yet.”
“He sings Phantom of the Opera?” Kat asks, her brows furrowed and a little smile creeping onto her face. She’s so damn cute when she looks naughty like that. Like she’s up to mischief.
“Sing…is probably a generous way of putting it. He’s terrible. When we were younger, he used to sing in the shower, and like, the entire house would cringe because he was so loud and off-key. He got banned from singing, but it still didn’t stop him.”
“Ali!” I laugh loudly, feeling my cheeks heat. “We can talk about other things.”
“Okay, sure, like the time you found a baby goat on the side of the road when you were walking home from school, and you tried to convince Mom it was a puppy that you’d saved.
And she was too soft-hearted to make you give it up, so she let you keep it, and when it got older, it literally ate everything in your room.
You cried because it ate your Game Boy.”
“Oh my word, no, not that either. Let’s talk about stuff that doesn’t involve embarrassing moments from my childhood,” I laugh even louder. I’d forgotten about Blue the Goat and the chaos he reigned over my life.
I glance at Katerina, who seems to be loving the stories.
“Even after Blue ate everything, I still didn’t give him up, because he was my best friend and I thought I could train him not to be a goat,” I chuckle.
“Hi, everyone, sorry we’re late.” Jade and Rad walk in, their eyes immediately falling on Kat.
I stand to introduce them, watching the flicker of shock across Jade’s face when I mention her name.
“Hi, it’s good to meet you,” she leans towards Kat, holding out her hand and hiding her confusion with more skill than my brothers managed. She and Rad take a seat at the table, sharing an unspoken glance between themselves.
Ali ignores the renewed awkwardness and carries on with her antics.
“Did you tell her how you got that scar?” Ali’s grin grows even wider as she points to a small scar above my left eye. My eyes are on Kat again, captivated by her warmth as she listens to the stories.
“Ali….” I warn her. “I got this scar in some brave and dangerous way. Something like…battling a wild tiger or taking down seven men when they tried to attack me,” I say boldly.
Kat giggles, catching on that that is definitely not how I got the scar.
“Ooorrrr”—Ali winks at Kat—“you got that scar when Blue headbutted you and gave you a concussion.”
“A goat gave you a concussion?” Kat can’t hold her laughter back.
“Shush, both of you.” I can’t stop smiling.
“We teased him for weeks. He had a massive blue bump on his forehead.” Luka is in on it, too, now, and everyone around the table is laughing at my misfortune.
Beneath the table, Katerina brushes her hand over my leg, smiling her most beautiful smile at me. I think the gesture takes her as much by surprise as it does me, because she’s quick to withdraw her touch, and at the same time, her cheeks turn a beautiful shade of pink.
She’s mesmerizing. So beautiful to watch. I could stare at her for eternity and never tire of it.