Preston
I complete the grocery order on my phone, the text blown up so large like I'm a boomer, and drop my phone into my lap. I'm cocooned in one corner of Vadim's deep sofa, surrounded by more pillows than I figured a guy like him would own, and have a camel cashmere blanket pulled halfway up my chest.
Once he made sure I was comfortable, he fetched me a glass of water, a Diet Coke filled with ice, and placed the remote for the biggest TV I've seen in my life close enough that I don't have to reach for it.
Then he left the room for a few minutes.
I wasted no time, jumping onto Instacart and planning out our next few days of meals.
I don't want to feel like even more of an imposition than I already do.
When Vadim told me he'd be working from home for the next few days, that sealed the deal.
He didn't have to do that, and I certainly wasn't expecting him to.
Cooking a few lunches and dinners is the least I can do to repay his kindness.
Plus, I am in serious need of some comfort food.
When he returned with his laptop, I noticed he'd changed out of his black jeans into black sweats. Seriously, does he not own clothes in any other color?
He's settled at the other end of the couch, legs out, bare feet crossed at the ankle, working away, oblivious to me gaping at him like a psycho, having a pinch-me moment.
He's so handsome, so effortlessly masculine, so the complete polar opposite of any guy I've ever dated.
It's too bad he's just a last-minute stand-in to fool Mom into thinking I'm seeing someone and not an actual potential boyfriend.
"You good?" he asks, a small smirk curving the corners of his mouth, like maybe I haven't been as stealthy as I thought.
"Yep, yep. Groceries are ordered. Should be here soon, and then I'll make a start on lunch?"
"Great." He maintains eye contact for a few seconds then focuses back on whatever he was working on.
"So, how'd you end up in Reno?" Vadim asks over the grilled cheese and tomato soup we're eating at his massive kitchen island.
I finish chewing and dab at the corners of my mouth with a napkin. "It's a long story."
Vadim, with his spoon halfway to his mouth, lowers his forehead and lifts his brows. "Good thing we've got time then."
"Alright. But don't say I didn't warn you. It's actually Ellie's fault."
"Really?" Vadim replies flatly.
"Yeah. During our third year of college, we started talking about how cool it would be to do a cross-country road trip to celebrate finishing our studies."
"What were you studying?"
"My undergrad was in exercise science. Ellie got his Bachelor of Fine Arts."
"Right."
"After graduation, we flew to New York, picked up a cheap van, and spent the next six weeks driving down the Eastern Seaboard before making our way back to the West Coast."
"Sounds like that would have been fun."
"Oh, it was. We both loved it. Geography has never been my strong suit, and I severely underestimated just how big this country is. And it was so cool ticking off bucket list places we'd always wanted to visit."
"Like where?"
"Like New Orleans. Zion National Park. Nashville because Ellie loves country music. Naturally, we ended up in Vegas."
"Naturally," Vadim murmurs under his breath, chewing on his melted cheese.
"Ellie met a guy. Thought it would be a one-night stand.
It turned into a two-time thing. Then a three-time thing.
It became obvious pretty quickly that they were becoming something more serious.
The guy lived in Reno and suggested Ellie go back with him.
By this stage, we only had about a week left of our trip, so I was fine to spend a few days by myself.
I wanted to go to LA and check out San Diego.
Ellie wouldn't hear of it and was about to tell Stuart, that was the guy's name, that he wasn't going with him.
I didn't want to be the reason for Ellie possibly missing out on his true love, so I said I'd join them.
To be honest, I didn't know much about Reno before coming here.
I thought it was basically a smaller, sadder version of Vegas, with a few casinos, a whole lot of desert, and not much else. "
"A lot of people do." Vadim slides his tongue along his lower lip, catching a wayward drop of tomato soup. "Did you know Reno was once the divorce capital of the country?"
"Really?"
Vadim nods. "Back in the day, we're talking early last century, getting divorced was basically illegal everywhere in the country.
But not in Nevada. You didn't need to prove fault, and you only needed six weeks of residency before filing.
It became a big thing apparently, a whole industry sprang up.
Saying 'we're going to Reno' became a euphemism for getting a divorce.
Then, no-fault divorce became available everywhere, and Reno lost its advantage. "
I cup the bowl in both hands and take a sip. "I didn't know any of that."
"Now you do. Anyway, I interrupted you. Go on."
"After a few days here, it became obvious Ellie had fallen head over heels in love with Stuart, and I fell in love with Reno.
I love being near the mountains, the outdoor activities are insane, and it's really affordable.
We both wanted to stay, for our own reasons.
When Ellie told Stuart about my undergrad, he set up a meeting for me with his good friend, Tripp, who owns the Desert Rose.
I met him, and he offered me a job once I completed a massage therapy qualification.
So that's what I did. I started working there and began my physical therapy studies shortly after that.
A few months later, Ellie and Stuart broke up. "
"That's too bad."
"It's okay. They're still really good friends even though Ellie burned his house down."
Vadim stops eating. "Do I want to know?"
"Probably not." I chuckle at the memory but go on. "Ellie and I are both really happy here. He found work at a small interior design firm and dreams about going out on his own one day."
Vadim repositions himself on his bar stool, not quite settling. "You and Ellie seem…close."
"We are. He's been my best friend since he moved in with his aunt and uncle who lived next door to us."
"When was that?"
"When we were six."
"Why did he move in with his uncle and aunt?"
I let out a long breath through my nose. "He was orphaned. His parents died, and his aunt and uncle took him in."
Vadim glances at me then drops his gaze to the soup. "I see."
Ellie hasn't exactly been the epitome of friendly to Vadim the few brief instances they've met. To say he's not a fan of Vadim at all would be putting it mildly. I wonder if the feeling might be mutual. Vadim doesn't seem particularly fond of Ellie either.
"He's very protective of me," I explain.
"So I gathered."
"He really is a wonderful person."
Vadim pulls a whatever-you-say face.
"He might just have an…incorrect impression of who you are."
"He doesn't even know me," Vadim says, his voice taking on an edge, his eyes darkening.
"Exactly." I reach over and gently press his forearm.
"But I do. Well, I know more about you than he does.
Which, admittedly, isn't a whole lot, but whatever.
My point is, I'm my own person. No one tells me what to do.
I appreciate his input and his concern, and I do value his opinion and take it under consideration, but I make my own decisions. I'm here, aren't I?"
Vadim's shoulders loosen a little. "You are."
I leave out the part where Ellie practically had a fit when I told him I'd be staying here. I value Ellie's opinions more than anyone's, but I am my own man.
Vadim goes back to his meal.
I do the same as something warm settles in my chest. And it's not the soup. I assumed Vadim only invited me to stay with him out of guilt over what happened. The thought that he might actually like me crosses my mind before I can stop it.
I'm being ridiculous.
I don't know anything about him or where he's at when it comes to dating and relationships. But even if he were single, interested, and emotionally available, there's no way anything could happen between us.
In a year from now, I'm going to be completely blind.