3. Emily
3
EMILY
Danil’s eyes on me are like a physical touch as I head inside my apartment building.
I know he’s only watching to make sure I make it inside safely, but that doesn’t stop me from swaying my hips a little more than usual with each step.
You can’t blame a girl for trying.
As I step inside the elevator and take it up to the fourth floor, I can’t shake the disappointment at Danil turning down my invitation to watch a movie.
Granted, that a movie was a euphemism for the sex I’m so desperate to have with him, but as always, he was a perfect gentleman.
I shouldn’t complain.
Danil is the greatest friend I’ve ever had. Even more so than Jana, who I’ve known since middle school. So, I really need to stop fantasizing about him, which is hard, considering how incredibly attractive he is.
Everyone always says that a guy and a girl can’t just be friends, and for so long, I thought that was such a ridiculous statement. But that was before I became friends with Danil.
I know it’s probably just the alcohol that is making these feelings toward him so overwhelming, so as soon as I get inside my apartment, I decide it’s best to take a shower and wash off the night.
Kicking off my heels and sighing as my bare feet hit the wooden floor, I pad down the hallway that leads to my bedroom.
While my apartment isn’t nearly as lavish as the penthouse my sister lives in, it’s perfect for me.
Six months ago, I was finally able to save up enough money to move out into the city, which not only saved me from commuting from Queens to college every day; but also from my father’s overbearing rules.
Living alone has been freeing. Though I can’t help but wish that I sometimes had someone to warm my bed at night.
“You’ve just earned yourself a cold shower,” I mutter to myself as I push open the door to my bedroom, only to find that someone has left me a gift in the middle of my bed.
“Oh, my god!”
All the blood drains from my body.
Some girls might find a new set of pale pink lingerie laid on their bed, with a note on top telling them to wear it tonight, a thoughtful and somewhat erotic gift.
But not me.
Especially considering the fact I don’t have a boyfriend, or even a situationship, that could have sent it. And I also don’t have a roommate.
Which means, in order for the gift to have appeared on my bed, someone must have broken into my apartment.
I fumble in my clutch for my phone and immediately go to call Danil.
But I stop.
He can’t know about this.
Because it’s not just the lingerie that I’ve been sent, and I really don’t want to have to tell him the whole truth behind the unwanted gift.
So, I scroll past his name and decide to call my sister instead.
My hand shakes as I hold the phone up to my ear, my pulse quickening with each ring.
“Emily? What time is it?”
“I’m so sorry to call this late, but…can you come over?” My voice cracks as I think of someone being in my room.
What if I had been asleep?
The thought almost has me running to the toilet to throw up all the tequila that is sloshing around in my stomach.
“Is everything all right?”
“N-not really.”
“Give me fifteen minutes.”
Zara arrives at my apartment in ten, wearing her pink striped pajamas underneath a trench coat with her hair pulled back in a braid.
Everyone always says how much we look alike, with our matching hair and eyes. Though I inherited our father’s height, making me a few inches taller than Zara, which makes everyone assume that I’m the older out of the two of us.
In this moment, I’m so glad that I’m not because I really need my big sister.
“What’s the matter? What happened?” Her voice sounds panicked as I step aside to let her in.
“I… There’s…”
I can’t seem to get the words out.
There’s no way I can tell Zara about the gift without also coming clean about the rest of the story behind it.
Zara glances nervously around my apartment. “What is going on?”
Taking a deep breath, I push my hair out of my face and plaster on a brave face, not just for Zara’s sake, but for my own, too.
“I need to tell you something, but I need you to promise that you won’t freak out.”
“Emily… What the hell is going on?” Zara’s face has drained of color as I lead her through into my bedroom where the pink lingerie still laid out on my bed with the handwritten note on top.
“You called me over at midnight to ask my opinion on lingerie ? Are you kidding m?—”
“Will you let me explain first?”
She scoffs, making to leave. “I’m not sure I want to know, Emily.”
I move to block the doorway. “It’s not what it looks like.”
“Oh, in that case, I’d love to know.”
I scowl at Zara before storming over to the bed and picking up the note and thrusting it in her hand.
“I’m still not getting it, Emily. I mean, I’m a little hurt that you didn’t tell me you were seeing someone, but?—”
“I’m not. That’s the problem.”
Zara reads the note again and frowns.
“Emily, do you know who this is from?”
“Yes.”
“But from the look on your face, I assume it isn’t from someone you want to receive lingerie from?”
I nod. “He broke into my apartment to leave it for me. And it’s not the first time.”
Zara lets out a long breath as she reads the note again, though I don’t miss the way her hands shake as she reads it.
“I need to know what else he sent you.”
“Two bouquets of flowers and some fancy chocolates.”
“Did you keep the box? Maybe a print can be lifted off them.”
I shake my head, my eyes sting with tears.
“I threw them out the moment I received them.”
“Well, Dad might still find something based on this note. Maybe he can run some sort of analysis on it.”
“Zara, no. You can’t tell Dad!”
“I don’t understand. He’s the only logical person to call in this scenario, what with him being an ex-cop.”
“That’s exactly why you can’t tell him. He’ll be so angry with me.”
I can’t hold back the tears any longer. I bury my face in my hands, my body shaking uncontrollably as the weight of this secret threatens to consume me.
Zara’s hand lands on my arm, and I let her guide me over to the bed, where we perch on the edge.
“Angry with you about what? Emily, I can’t help if I don’t know what’s going on.”
The tears run down my cheeks and spill onto my lap, creating dark stains on my dress.
“A few months ago… Jana convinced me to work with her as a hostess at some high-class party.” My throat feels so thick with tears that each word is physically painful.
“Okay…”
“It was right after I caught Tom….”
Zara sighs. “I remember.”
“Jana sold the gig to me by saying that I could earn a stack of money and forget about Tom all in one night because we’d essentially be paid for partying. So…I agreed.”
As a full-time college student, money has been tight. My father is an ex-cop, and my mother is a semi-retired teacher, so we’re not exactly rolling in it, and I refuse to take handouts from Zara’s husband.
This gig was meant to be a one-off thing so that it would take the financial pressure off for the rest of the school year, nothing more.
“What happened, Emily?”
“Most of the men in attendance were criminals with connections to organized crime gangs.”
Zara gasps, but she thankfully stays quiet.
“One guy in particular was paying me a lot of attention, which made me feel uncomfortable. He just wouldn’t leave me alone and kept insisting that we go have some fun together.”
While I’ve never been able to confirm it, I’m pretty sure that guy is the one who’s been sending me these gifts. He’s a criminal after all, so he would think nothing of breaking into a girl's apartment.
“Please, Zara. Don’t tell Dad. He’ll lose his shit and make me pack up my stuff and move back home.”
“Emily…”
I take her hand in both f mine. “I need you to promise me you won’t tell him, Zara. I can’t have him knowing about the gig, or that I was out drinking tonight.”
“You were drinking tonight?”
“It doesn’t matter… What does is keeping this from Dad. I can’t have him being disappointed in me.”
At least, not any more than he already is.
Zara chews on her lower lip for a moment, and I know she’s torn.
The logical thing would have been to keep this to myself, but the thought of being alone in my apartment scares the crap out of me.
I thought all of this was behind me. I hadn’t received a gift in months, but it seems like I’m not getting rid of him that easily.
At least, not until I cross a line that I have absolutely no intention of crossing.
“Zara…”
“I promise I won’t tell Dad.”
“Thank you so much. You have no?—”
She raises her free hand. “But… I’m going to speak to Dimitri.”
“What? Why?” I drop her hand.
“Because he might have Rurik look into this guy.”
“No, Zara. You can’t tell Dimitri.”
“Why?”
“Because…” Because I don’t want Danil finding out and thinking I’m stupid and na?ve for taking a job at one of those parties.
I hate the thought of him thinking less of me for a silly decision I made because I was strapped for cash.
“I feel enough of an idiot as it is, Zara. I don’t want Dimitri knowing.”
“Emily, you’re not an idiot.”
“Yes, I am. Which is exactly why I don’t want anyone other than you knowing about this.”
She shakes her head. “Fine… I’ll keep it to myself, but only on the condition that I stay the night.”
“I was hoping you would?—”
She holds up a finger. “And that you agree to having Dimitri install a security system in your apartment? I promise I won’t tell him any details, but I think it would give both you and me some peace of mind.”
“I agree.”
Zara takes my hand and squeezes it once.
“Go take a shower, and I’ll get Netflix loaded on the TV like a proper slumber party.”
My eyes sting with tears once more, but this time from relief.
I throw my arms around Zara’s neck and hug her tightly. “Thank you for being the best big sister ever.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go take a shower. You reek of tequila.”
By the time I get out of the shower smelling like vanilla sugar rather than alcohol, Zara is already curled up in the middle of bed and snoring softly.
I chuckle as I glance at the TV, noticing she’s barely made it to the opening credits of an episode of Friends .
I put my phone onto the charging dock beside my bed and climb in beside her. I smile at Zara’s sleeping form.
Sharing a bed with her like this makes me feel like a kid again. I used to sneak into her room all the time when I was little because I was terrified of the dark, and Zara would sing to me until I fell asleep.
Tonight though, I’ll have to settle for the Friends theme song to lull me into a slumber.
Just as my eyes are starting to close, my phone buzzes on the bedside table.
There’s only one person who would be messaging me this late, so I eagerly reach for my phone and smile at the sight of Danil’s name on the screen.
Danil
Just checking you made it home safely…
Me
You walked me to the door, remember? Or did you pound tequila shots too? ;)
Danil
You can never be too careful…
Me
Well, I’m safely tucked up in bed.
Danil
Wish I was too :(
In my bed… not yours.
Not that yours wouldn’t be comfortable
Shit, you know what I mean
I chuckle to myself as the bubble appears and disappears a few more times.
I’m tempted to reply to tell him he’s welcome in my bed anytime, but I know that would be a terrible idea. So, I send a much tamer reply and hope that by the time I wake up in the morning, my attraction to Danil will be safely repressed once more.
Me
I got what you meant, don't worry :) I’ll message you tomorrow.
I put my phone down on the bedside, where it buzzes again with one final message from Danil that has me falling asleep with a smile on my face.
Danil
Can’t wait ;)