She sits up the moment she hears my voice. Her gaze locks onto mine and then her entire face crumples like the world just collapsed in on her. I sit down at her side. Immediately, she leans into me, her head resting against my shoulder.
“He says—he says he can’t be my friend anymore,” she says in between sobs. “He b-basically said he can’t be in my life.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean it,” I say because it sounds like the right thing to say. But fuck if I know.
“He did,” she says. “I know Chris. This time, he meant it.”
“You wanna tell me what happened?”
“I’ll tell you what should have happened. I should have kept my stupid mouth shut.”
I wait for her to continue. She wipes her eyes clumsily and gives a derisive snort of laughter. “I called his bluff. I asked him if the reason he was giving me such a hard time about you is because he had feelings for me.”
“He didn’t deny them?”
“No. What’s worse, he gave me a choice.”
“Me or him?”
She turns towards me. Her eyes are bright and filled with doubt. “I tried to make him understand… but…”
I nod knowingly. “He sees me as the enemy.”
“I can’t exactly blame him. I saw you as the enemy not too long ago.”
“Are you asking me to sleep with him? That’s what changed your mind, but I think I’ll have to draw the line somewhere.”
She shoots me a glare, but I can see the smile she’s trying to suppress. “Don’t be funny. Not now.”
I stroke a fallen lock of hair back from her face. “Kotyonok, don’t stress out about this. Just breathe and relax. Everything will be okay.”
“How can I be relaxed, Anton?” she demands, getting back on her feet so that she can turn and face me. “Everything can’t be okay, because everything I knew is gone. Everything I counted on is gone. I don’t have a job anymore. I don’t live in my apartment anymore. There’s a murderous psychopath after me, I’m pregnant and hormonal, and something I don’t understand is going on between us.” She throws up her hands in frustration. “We’re having a baby together, we have sex on occasion. But I have no idea what I am to you.”
“You are the mother of my child.”
She sighs. “Anything else?”
“What word do you want me to use?”
“What I want is not the point. I want to know what you want. How would you choose to describe me?”
I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to go there. To admit to being in another relationship after my nightmare of a marriage. I consider it for a moment and then give the most honest answer I can.
“My woman.”
“Your woman?” she repeats, her eyes wide. “Your woman.” Eventually, she gives a resigned nod. “I guess I can live with that.” She comes and sits back down beside me. “Thank you for buying me all those clothes.”
“You're welcome.”
She frowns. “I should probably go back to my apartment, though.”
“The thought doesn’t bring a smile to your face,” I notice.
“The thought of walking past Freya’s apartment… of going back there…” She sighs and shakes her head. “But I should probably break my rental agreement, right? And I have stuff there I want. My cookbooks and photographs and documents. I can’t abandon it, as much as I wish I could.”
“I can take care of all of that for you.”
“Only if you want.”