Vanya
A bullet hit the glass at the top of the door and I almost bit a hole in my fucking lip to keep from screaming. I watched them ducking bullets like they were the size of dodge balls instead of the size of well, bullets. A few more hit the glass and I had to put my hand over my mouth because I didn’t want to distract this man as he was in a whole shoot out. I should’ve run and hid in my damn office or behind a desk but I had to be as close to him as possible. Even amid bullets flying, Xerxes was my safety. I knew he would be worried if he looked around and didn’t see me so I stay put right near the door. A bullet struck it causing the door to partially open and Xerxes must’ve had eyes in the back of his head because he reached to close it again and let out a grunt. As a bullet narrowly missed him. He raised his hand to angrily fire back but then I saw his arm jerk. I knew it wasn’t from recoil because he’d been handling both weapons like the pro he was. It took me a few seconds to realize that he’d been shot. Without hesitation, I snatched the door open, pulling him inside with my body over his.
“Quentin! Shoaib!”
“Leave one!” Quentin yelled out that command before doing some signal in the air.
They moved in practiced precision while shots still rang out. I’d been so focused on Xerxes I didn’t see that the ring of cars had gotten tighter around one area and people were hanging out from all sides firing in that direction.
I used to love the tree line in front of my building but now I saw how they could be a huge hinderance to security. I’d never thought about things like this before but it was obvious I would have to in the future.
Xerxes was trying to push me behind him and return to the fight, but I gripped him tight, bringing his eyes off the battle and down to me.
His adrenaline and his anger were driving his responses instead of his common sense. He had people who were handling everything. He didn’t need to be there, he just wanted to be. “Zibā, I am fine, let us finish—”
The gunfire stopped and Xerxes looked through the door annoyed. Quentin and Shoaib lowered their weapons and came in through the door, taking stock of the condition of the glass before turning to Xerxes.
“He got shot.” Xerxes grunted as I ratted him out to his friends. Their eyes went to him and I could sense his on me and his aggravation at me telling them.
“It’s a graze. I vant to see who did zhis!” He started to make a move to the door but I stood in front of him again.
“We need to move. The 911 channels have been blocked so no police are going to respond to the area, but someone could get nosy and want to see what’s going on.” Quentin was giving a report like he was speaking to a general. I had questions, but I was just glad he was telling Xerxes he needed to get a move on.
“Zhe cameras—”
“Anyting zhat wasn’t ours has been cut and disabled so zhey haven’t seen anyzing. Clean up is already vorking to get up every shell casing, body and trace of us being here. Ve need to get him in, Ms. Vanya.” Sho stopped giving his report and turned to me like I held some type of authority. Blood had dripped onto the light tan Berber carpet of my office.
Xerxes turned to Shoaib as he shook his head. “I’m not going in—”
Quentin stepped in and it was clear he was gonna be the tiebreaker. “Rules are rules, Xerx. You already sent out the call and they’ll expect your ass to be there. Your brothers are not going to sit around while you act hardheaded. If nothing else, they’ll be trying to have my Black ass and Sho’s tan one trussed up in some shit that Priest built. No fucking thank you.”
Xerxes chuckled slightly but he grinned as he did. He put his gun away and I noticed the blood on the floor that had leaked from his wound. “That’s how you’re coming? Blackmail?”
“I’m trying to appeal to your love for us.” Quentin was making a joke but looked serious as hell.
“Xerxes, please. You’re bleeding. I’m not even worried about this floor but you’re hurt. Can we at least get someone to look at it? Blame me. I don’t care but I gotta hear from someone else that you’re going to be fine before I lose it.”
His eyes came to mine and I tried to keep the tears back but it didn’t work. It was my fault he’d gotten hurt. I knew he understood the risks, but that didn’t ease the guilt I felt. Xerxes caught it and his face immediately softened. “Fine.”
Quentin was tucking his phone back in his pocket when he caught our attention. “We got the clear. Let’s go.”
“Is one of zhem still breazing?” He was still conducting business as usual and I didn’t understand how he could ignore the pain the way he was.
Shoaib grinned slowly and I felt like his hesitation was because of me. “For now.”
“Good.” He turned to me and it wasn’t until his hand was on my arm did I realize I was shaking. “If it vill make you feel better—”
“It will. The nearest hospital—”
“Is one ve’re not going to. Ve have a facility in our building in Uptown. Come, zibā, let me stop your vorrying about zhis scratch.” He motioned with disgust at his injured arm. “I should awake them from the dead and kill them again for ruining zhis suit.” He looked down angrily at the cuff of his suit and shirt that were now soaked with his blood.
“You were shot and you’re worried about your suit?”
He turned to me and caressed my cheek with the pad of his thumb. “Like you, I take pride in my clothing and my appearance. I’m equally offended by zhe graze as I am zhis hole in my blazer. But come, zibā. Shoaib is playing nursemaid and is already angry. Let us not make it vorse by delaying zhis trip any further.”
He was cursing in Persian.
I didn’t know a lick of the language but I could tell it was cussing. I’d never seen anyone shot before. Not in real life. My back had been turned with whoever shot that girl that had been messing with Frankie. And Patrick had been stabbed even though that was gruesome. Of course, I’d watched the movies that were supposed to be bad for me when I wasn’t supposed to. Had rebelled and watched TVs shows that were supposed to be off limits. There were times after I was married that I had pretended to be sick just to stay home and watch StreamMe without judgment.
But this was different.
This was someone I knew. Not a fictional character that didn’t have any bearing on my real life. This was someone I… I something. And the way I wanted to cry when that shot hit him made me want to set the world on fire. I was angry for him. That anyone would dare try to harm a man who had been so… good. I hadn’t even given thought to protecting him. It came as naturally as it would if I were defending myself. That’s what it felt like. Like I was protecting the best part of me outside of my body.
Xerxes had me waiting outside of the room but his voice was so loud that I could hear him through the walls. I was tense because I didn’t know if he was in that much pain that he was acting like this or that he was that angry.
Maybe both.
“He’s asking for you, Ms. Vanya.”
Quentin had come next to me without me realizing it because I was staring off into space so hard.
I stood up from the chair I’d been sitting in nervously, tapping my leg to abate my anxiety. “Is he okay?”
He thumbed his finger over his shoulder with a grin on his face. “You don’t hear all that fussin’? He’s more than fine.”
Another shout went out causing me to cringe as I looked up at Quentin. “I couldn’t understand him so I wasn’t sure.”
“But you understand tone. Does his tone sound like he’s about to fall off of this earthy plane anytime soon?”
I smiled ruefully at him as I started to follow him. “No. He sounds angry.”
Quentin grinned and I tried to hold back my smile. “That’s more than anger. That man is out for blood and calling for a full investigation of the businesses around your place. He wants to know who thought it was a good idea to take a shot at y’all.”
“Quentin, do you not cuss either?”
“Huh?”
I stared at him because I knew he heard me. “Sorry, I ask questions at inappropriate times. But do you cuss?”
“I do.” He answered so hesitantly like he wasn’t sure where I was going with the question.
“But not around me. Is it because I was a Mormon?”
“What? Nah, I ain’t know no sh-stuff like that.” He caught himself before he did it and now I needed answers.
“Then why?”
“You have to understand to Xerx, cussin’ in front of a lady, a sayyida is crass. He’s as American as can be, but he holds the women he loves in really high regard. He tries not to cuss around his friends’ wives, despite them telling him it’s fine. He slips up, but his heart isn’t there. Even his mama tells him he’s too uptight but he can barely do it around her.” Quentin shrugged as though he was used to Xerxes and no one was going to be able to change him.
That made me feel special, but I still didn’t want him to have people treating me differently.
“But around you?”
He huffed like I should’ve known that Xerxes was no angel. “Cussin’ in four languages. English, French, Farsi and Arabic. You can always tell which one is a cuss word by the emphasis he puts on it. Especially the Middle Eastern languages. It’s like every time he says something he has to put all the feeling behind the words.”
I giggled at how he was telling all of Xerxes secrets but I had to let him know I wasn’t a delicate flower. “I don’t mind if you do it around me.”
“Doesn’t work like that. He’s put you in a position of honor. I go against that and that’s being disrespectful. That’s like cussin’ in front of an elder in the Black community, you just don’t do it.”
“All the elders I knew were white so…”
“Would you cuss around Ms. Safi? Or an older Black woman?” He folded his arms like he was reminding me who I was. Which I appreciated.
“No.”
“Then it’s like that. Until boss says so, it’s a no. Besides, there are always flavorful ways to season your words without cussin’.” Quentin winked playfully and it made me smile for the first time in hours. Navi wasn’t here having stayed behind at the office to handle the cleanup for me. I was glad that I wasn’t alone in this waiting room area anymore.
“Flavor your words. I think you’ve been hanging around Xerxes too long.”
“Probably right, but you’ll see. Pretty soon you’ll be sounding just like him.” He put a hand at the top of my back to lead me to the room where Xerxes was. The noise in the room got louder the closer we got to where he was.
When we walked in, the faces of his friends were like stone. I wasn’t sure how far they’d had to come, but they’d all converged on this building in the middle of Uptown like it was a second home. I knew I probably shouldn’t be here, but neither Shoaib nor Quentin would let me leave. I wasn’t worried about being in this room, I’d met these men at least once before, but this situation felt far different.
Xerxes sat in the bed that was at the back of the room. It was a large hospital style suite that looked large enough to be an operating room as well. His arm was bleeding as he fussed at whoever the doctor was. The doctor was handsome, fussing right back at him in his native tongue. I thought he might be Persian but when he turned to raise his voice again; I saw his profile was Black. But who the hell would ever know with these men? Jada called them the United Nations of Niggas.
Xerxes glanced up poised to shout back but he saw me and his entire body relaxed. “Vanya, I vas vorried you’d gone.”
I took another step in the room battling the urge to run to him and check him over. The floor was the same weird tile you found in hospitals and it squeaked when I stepped. “You need to trust your men and your security a lot more. They told me I couldn’t.”
He looked behind me at Quentin and then over to Shoaib who was near the end of the bed. “Vhile I do not revel in the idea of you feeling like a prisoner here, I am grateful I have zhe chance to bask upon your beauty in my time of pain.”
“It wouldn’t be painful if you would just let me give you a shot.”
“ Dast Bardaar (Leave it alone!) ! I have no need for pain medicines when the person who can cure all that ails me has walked into the room.” He looked at me lovingly causing the doctor to do the same.
“This man is about to break out into song if he keeps it up. Vanya, go dap that man up or give him a hug or something. He looks like he’s about to sprout wings and fly to you if you don’t.” Yacouba was smiling at me, a break from the mug he’d been wearing when I walked in. It was wild to see how they’d all dressed in black. I knew it was their funeral attire. Not because they were worried Xerxes was dead. No, they dressed in all black because they were more than ready to send someone to hell.
I took a step toward, tentatively nodding at everyone in the room. Their faces softened as they nodded back and Liam’s face broke out into a grin.
“’Tis good to see yoo, lass. ‘Appy ‘at my friend took care of yoo and yoo of ‘im.” He reached over and gave me a swift hug before gently moving me back on my original path.
Xerxes looked much different than he had any other time I’d seen him before. Gone were the suits and even the shirt that normally covered his body. Instead, his entire chest was bare, something I hadn’t seen until he fully sat up and the sheet had fallen off of him. There were tattoos that covered him from just beneath his collar bones to the waistband of his pants. His arms followed in a similar fashion where his ink stopped just above where his watch and shirt sleeves would start. I couldn’t help but stare because this type of artwork was something I had never seen in person before besides on Liam. But I would never think to stare at him so openly. Now? I couldn’t help myself. The work was just like him: a blend of cultures and colors that fit together masterfully to create a tapestry on his skin. I wanted to get closer to it and took a step forward, which didn’t seem to be the right thing to do.
Xerxes twisted around, looking for something, his actions almost apologetic. “Forgive me, zibā . I forgot. Dr. Davis vill you pass me—”
“We being formal now?” The doctor looked amused, which had Xerxes snarling at him like he wanted to leap off the bed.
He pointed to me like my presence should’ve been self-explanatory. “ Wallah , a lady is present and I’m unclothed. Can you hand me—”
“No, it’s fine. I know you’re hurt. I wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable.” And I liked the view so there was that.
He still looked bothered and I worried I was breaking some type of cultural rule seeing him like this. “More than anyting, I do not vant you to be uncomfortable vith how I am dressed. Or the lack thereof.”
“You’re fine. I mean, it’s fine. It, they, everything is fine.” The heat was back in my cheeks and I tried to put my eyes elsewhere but it was pointless. Like magnets, they were focused unyieldingly on him.
“ Dieu m’a béni .” His voice had a lighter, reverent sound to it and I wondered what he was saying.
“Not him pulling out the French…” Yacouba was snickering and I was glad that the atmosphere wasn’t so heavy. It meant that he was going to be fine.
“What does that mean?” I didn’t want to hear it from anyone but him.
His dreamy eyes stared at me with the same combination of adoration and lust before he answered. “It means God has blessed me .”
“Miss…”
I snapped out of the trance that Xerxes’ eyes had me in and turned to the doctor. “Vanya. I’m sorry. I’m being rude.”
The doctor’s smile widened and he held his hand out for me to shake. “No apologies necessary, gorgeous—”
“ Je te couperai la langue et te la ferai manger. ” By the way Xerxes spat out the words and the men in the room, including the one that was the object of the sentence laughed, it had to be something crazy.
“That didn’t sound friendly.” I looked at them all and none of them seemed concerned by whatever Xerxes said. He was on the bed glaring at the doctor like he was going to swing.
“It wasn’t. It seems Mr. Cannon here has taken offense to my harmless compliment. He said he would cut out my tongue and make me eat it.” The doctor folded his arms as the grin never left his face.
“And you’re laughing.”
The doctor chuckled at my concern and I wondered if he was just as crazy as the rest of them. Of course he is Vanya, he’s here isn’t he?
“He’s harmless.”
“Well, that much I know is a lie. The man is a… he’s… Xerxes.”
Xerxes bowed his head in thanks and I watched in fascination at the way his abs flexed beneath his skin. He wasn’t some extra buff man that looked like he was one whole day of chicken away from ‘roid rage. But he was broad and muscular, his frame firm and tall. Defined even beneath his clothing.
“Zhank you, zibā. Zhat was a beautiful compliment.”
“Anyway, Ms. Vanya. I need to sew up his arm and he’s refusing to let me until you can be in here. Do you mind sitting with him for a minute while I get him patched up?”
“Why aren’t you listening to the doctor?”
He furrowed his brows without a hint of contriteness. “Because it is little more zhan a flesh vound and vill heal on its own.”
The doctor chuckled before he turned his now annoyed face toward Xerxes. “I’m here, I say you need the thread. You know they’ll hold your big ass—”
“Not in front of the lady, Dr. Davis.” Quentin butt in from behind me and I shot him a look chastising him for keeping to that stupid rule. He just smiled like he was happy to be annoying me and I wondered if I would hurt his feelings if I gave him the middle finger.
When I turned around, Dr. Davis looked at me apologetically and I wanted to roll my eyes at how they were really following this man up. While it felt good to feel respected, I also wanted people to be themselves around me. I’d been outsider-ed my whole life and didn’t want that now.
“My fault. You know they’ll hold you down while I either numb you up or knock you out. The choice is simple but if you’d rather make it hard…” He shrugged like he almost wanted Xerxes to battle with him. Like he wanted him to put up a fight.
Definitely as crazy as the rest of them.
“Tavior, it is a small hole in my arm. It vill be fine vith no need for surgery.” Xerxes looked completely disgusted at the idea of having his arm sewn up and I watched the blood saturate the cloth that was covering it every time he moved. That couldn’t be good and I glanced around, looking at the mix of concerned and angry faces.
I reached out to Xerxes turning his face to me by his chin. His face was filled with surprise and then softened seeing what I could only guess was the worry on my face. “Xerxes, I think we might need to listen to him.”
“Thank you, Ms. Vanya.” Even from behind me, I could hear how smug Dr. Davis sounded, but I couldn’t be bothered with that when I needed Xerxes to cooperate.
“You vant to side against me? I zhought ve vere building somezing.”
“I can’t build with someone who is too stubborn to listen to good advice. You’re letting your anger dictate your actions instead of being the calculated man we know you to be. If you rush, you’re going to make a mistake. And I feel as though they’re hoping to have flared your anger enough so that you do something out of character. Don’t let them get the best of you because you wanted to move quickly instead of being smart.”
“Yoor fate is sealed, lass. I ‘ope yoo ken yoo cannae get rid of any of us now.”
I turned and looked at Liam who was grinning without a care as to how I felt about this proclamation. “Well, you’re my best friend’s husband so you were going to be around no matter what.”
“And me?” Xerxes question was asked so gently I didn’t feel the need to tease him.
“You’re pretty much guaranteed a spot which guarantees one for everyone else. Now will you please let the doctor, who went through many years of school, sew you up? It would make me feel much better about this. You’ve got blood dripping down your arm and I can’t sit by and watch the literal life drain out of you.”
“You sound as zhough your heart is breaking.” He sounded hopeful that I was experiencing some type of pain, which should’ve been obvious from how I worried over him the entire way here.
“My something is something. So I need you around to ensure that we can figure out what all of that is. Okay?”
“Your every vish is mine to fulfill.” I wanted to kiss him, but I wasn’t sure if now was the right time. Or if he would let me. In all the time we’d been around one another, Xerxes never got in my personal space. It was always a very carefully controlled, respectable distance that he kept while still emphasizing that he wanted me.
“While Tavior is sewin’ up yoor poke, I think we need to ‘ave a discussion.” Liam stepped forward looking between me and Xerxes.
“You don’t think this can wait? He got shot.” I stood up in front of Liam keeping Xerxes behind me but he immediately moved me out of the way. My actions only made Liam smile even more, which irritated me.
“Aye, ‘e did. Comin’ tae yoor rescue.”
His words weren’t a jab, but I flinched all the same, which caused Xerxes to shift behind me. I didn’t turn around but I could tell he’d been held back from moving. “Which I’m very grateful for.”
“But ‘e’s the reason yoo were in danger to begin with.”
I didn’t believe anything that they were saying was true. I glanced around the room noting that not one face held a smidge of humor before turning back to Xerxes. His once relaxed face was now tense and I knew it wasn’t because of the needled going through his skin.
“Xerxes?”
“It is noting to vorry about, zibā . I vill keep you safe always.”
His words were sincere and the clench of his jaw wasn’t from the needle that was sewing up his arm. No, it was clearly because Liam had spoken on something Xerxes didn’t want me to know.
“Not to talk out of turn, shahzadeh , but she vas keeping you safe as vell.”
Xerxes’ face turned thunderous as Shoaib spoke and he turned to me angrily. “About zhat, do not ever put your body in harm’s vay for me.”
My hands went to my hips because I didn’t know who he thought he was talking to. “Well, what am I supposed to do? Let you get hit again? That seems like a terrible idea!”
“No more terrible zhan zhe zhought of you getting harmed trying to protect me. It is my job. My privilege and honor to see to your safety. Do not deprive me of zhat.” He smacked himself on his chest with his good hand and by God I was a heathen because I was aroused by it.
“If the two of y’all are done trying to out romance each other—”
“Jahmir, I do not zhink you are one to talk about romance.” Xerxes’ eyes were still on me as he teased his friend but I could tell he wasn’t angry at me. He was angry and some other emotion about my actions.
Hell, so was I, really.
“Yeah well, we need to talk about marriage.” Xerxes and I both turned to Jahmir who was standing there like he’d just asked us what we were having for dinner.
“What about it?” I looked between the two of them as they had a silent stare off, waiting for them to answer. When neither did I looked at the rest of the men in the room and all of them avoided my eyes.
I turned back to the only person who would give me answers and he was now shaking his head. “Xerx—”
“No. I’m not doing zhat.” His eyes were darkened, his jaw stubbornly set and I could already tell they were about to argue about something.
“That’s the best solution.” Yacouba spoke up from where he was casually leaning against the wall.
Xerxes was shaking his head on the bed as Dr. Davis tied off the thread he’d used to sew his wound closed. “Zhen ve vill find anozer one.”
Liam rubbed the side of his head like he was already tired of the conversation. “Xerxes, yoo ken ‘ow—”
“I ken a lot. I also know zhat I am not forcing anyone into anyzing zhey do not vant.”
Okay but, what?
“I will assume ‘at is a blow at me. I will take it because ‘at forcin’ now ‘as my woman as my wife. And a son terrorizin’ ‘is big sister on a daily.” Liam’s jaw was clenched and there were subtleties I was missing. The last thing I wanted was for them to be arguing if there was a way I could help avoid it.
“Can someone fill me in, please?”
“My fazer’s family are trying to keep us apart.” He made the confession as he worked his jaw in annoyance.
“We aren’t together.” It tasted like a lie, but we weren’t. Right?
That man stabbed a dude in the throat in your apartment. Y’all are something.
I zoned back in just as Yacouba walked forward and stood next to Liam and Jahmir. He was looking at Xerxes like he was silently telling him to say something and Xerxes sighed before turning to me to… confess? “They understand that I have an attachment to you that is emotional.”
“How would they know?”
“Zhat is someting zhat needs to be discovered. But ve have spent a lot of time togezer, zibā . Rumors were already going around because of your ex. And now—”
“So they sent someone with a bomb and guns to my business? To hurt you?” Okay, now I was mad. This man didn’t really bother anyone as far as I could see, but to kill an innocent person just because he was seen out with a woman was ridiculous. And who the hell was spying on him?
“Or me. I zhink zhey wouldn’t have minded finally getting rid of me.”
“Finally? You make this sound normal!”
His shoulders lifted unbothered as Dr. Davis wrapped up his arm. “A relative always gets a vild hair and tries to dispose of me. I’m used to it. But zhis time it is different. Zhis time zhey came after an innocent and I can’t allow zhat.”
“But why is anyone talking about getting married? If they want us to be apart wouldn’t they be happy if we just left each other alone?”
“The threat to you would still be there, Vanya. The need to rule out Xerxes from doubling back to you so to speak.” I knew Yacouba tried to make his words sound less terrible, but there was really no way for ‘ they gone kill you girl ’ to sound less bad. He tried, though. A for effort and all.
“So because they know you have an interest they would kill me even if you were to leave me alone.”
“Yes.”
“Holy fuck.” My hand went to my mouth because I shouldn’t have said that out loud.
“Priest, she sounds like Ny when she cusses.” Another man, as handsome as the rest of them with deep brown skin and long locs spoke up from where he stood with Quentin and Shoaib. This was Jada’s Smoke.
“It’s very precious, but fitting. This is a fuck of holy proportions. No disrespect intended, shahzadeh, calm down.” Jahmir rushed through that last part as Xerxes bristled on the bed at his language.
“Xerxes, please stop getting mad at people for how they normally speak. I want people to be comfortable around me and you’re making it hard for them to do that by being all growly.”
“We don’t mind, Van, it’s a respect thing. Your man wants to ensure everyone around you is giving you the ultimate respect. He’ll calm down about it. Probably sooner than you think.” Yacouba was grinning like he knew a secret I didn’t, but it wasn’t in the bad way. Like how my old family would look right before they ruined my life or killed one of my dreams.
Fingers on my hand directed my attention back toward the bed, and Xerxes pulled me closer to him. Dr. Davis was back standing and I was impressed at how quickly he worked.
“I might not understand all zhat I need to about your situation before, but I know it vasn’t ideal. I don’t vant zhat for you, especially not vith me.” Xerxes voice was low, being respectful of what he knew of my past even in a room full of people.
“What does that mean?” My eyes searched his silently begging him to be honest with me.
“I vould never vant zhis between us to be somezing zhat was zhrown togezer because of a zhreat. I can have a team of trained guards here to follow you around until zhey tire of zhis game.”
“Who knows how long that would last?”
“He’s trying to make you feel better, but they haven’t stopped their foolishness with him in thirty years.” I glanced up at Jahmir and he looked sympathetic to the position I was in.
“How would marriage change anything? That would just keep me around even more.”
“Because zhey can’t interfere with a covenant made wiz god. Despite zhe immoral vays my family behaves, zhey couldn’t keep coming afzer you zhe way zhey did today.” He still seemed reluctant to explain all of this, but I was happy he’d done it.
“That sounds crazy.”
“Everyone has zheir zhing, Vanya. Multiple wives might be acceptable—”
My head snapped back because that shit was not about to fly. “Multiple?!”
He rubbed the back of my hand as though to reassure me but I needed some words with the actions. “Zhere would never be anozer wife for me but you, zibā.”
“Would they leave you alone as well?”
“For long enough.” His answer was flip but the meaning was clear. Long enough until he handled them permanently.
“Even I understand what that means.”
His thumb was back caressing my hand and I felt myself lulled by his touch. “One zhing I will never do is force your hand. My friends are here and we are all united in ensuring zhat you are safe. Do not let zhe fear of idiots have you leaping into someting you are not sure of. But if you are open to the idea, I’m sure you know it vould be zhe greatest honor of my life if you agreed to be my vife. But zhe choice, zibā, is entirely yours.”