I’m surprised when I don’t immediately spill all the details. The memories of everything that Dima and I shared suddenly feel too precious to tell anyone else. I’m not sure how I’d even put it all into words. What we experienced together feels like it’s beyond description, and I worry that trying to share it will just ruin the intimacy.
“Well?” she says when I still haven’t said anything.
“Well, I’m no longer a virgin,” I say, feeling like I can at least give her that tidbit.
“Duh, Gina. I could tell that the second I walked in the room. Nobody looks that damn happy while still having a fully intact hymen.”
I laugh at the bluntness of her words, but still don’t say anything. She studies me before giving me a knowing smile. “Damn, you’ve got it bad.” Giving me a sweet smile, she asks, “Does he feel the same way?”
“Yes, he told me he loves me. I’m almost too scared to believe it’s true, Jamie. I mean, it was perfect. Beyond perfect, actually. I’m so afraid that it’s going to disappear, that he’s going to wake up tomorrow and realize he can do a lot better.”
“That’s not going to happen.” She wraps an arm around me, pulling me in for a tight side hug. “You’re the only person who’s ever managed to get close to him. Aleksei told me he’s never seen Dmitri like this. That’s huge, Gina. He wouldn’t tell you he loves you and let you get this close to him if he didn’t mean it.”
I rest my head on her shoulder, amazed at how she always knows the exact thing to say to make me feel better. “Thanks, Jamie. You’re the best.”
“Of course I am,” she says, making me laugh. “Now, I understand that you don’t want to give me all the juicy details that I so desperately want and feel I deserve after sharing so much with you over the years, but can you at least give me a little hint? Was it as amazing as I imagine it probably was?”
I laugh at the excited, eager tone of her voice and shake my head yes. “It was fucking amazing. I had no idea anything could be like that.”
She lets out a happy sigh and hugs me tighter. “That’s all I needed to know. I’m really happy for you. You deserve this. God knows you’ve waited long enough for it.”
I laugh again and fall back onto the bed, scooting over so she can share the pillow with me. When we’re both stretched out and comfy, she says, “So, what about your dad?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Baby steps. I’m just going to have to slowly convince him that Dima isn’t the monster he thinks he is.”
“That should be fun.”
“I know, right? He’s hated him for so long. What if I can’t ever get him to change his mind?”
“You will.” I cling to the confidence I hear in her voice. “Your dad can be stubborn, but he loves you, Gina, and I know you’ll find a way to make him see reason. Maybe your mom can meet him first and get to know him and sort of soften your dad up to the idea.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I admit, “but that’s a really good idea. I’ll text Dima tomorrow and see how he feels about meeting her.”
“I do tend to come up with brilliant plans, don’t I?”
I laugh and gently elbow her ribs. “Brilliant plans and a humble nature, that’s you in a nutshell."
She spends the next few minutes telling me about what she did over the weekend and how great things are going with Aleksei, and I notice how she doesn’t feel the need to hold anything back.
Finally, I stop her and say, “Okay, don’t tell me everything. I have to face that guy again. How the hell am I ever going to be able to meet his eyes if I know all his favorite sexual positions?”
“Okay, okay,” she finally relents. “No more juicy details.”
“Thank you.”
She gets up and tosses a throw pillow at my head. “Get some sleep, Gina, you look exhausted. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’d spent the last five days fucking nonstop.”
Her eyebrows do a comical lift when my face breaks out into a huge grin.
“Interesting,” is all she says before grabbing her purse and giving me a wink. “Text me tomorrow and let me know how things are going.”
“Will do,” I tell her, too tired to do much except crawl under the covers and give her a small wave as she walks out the door.
It doesn’t take sleep long to find me, and the next thing I know I’m opening my eyes to a bright, sunny day. Giving a big stretch, I reach for my phone, smiling when I see a text from Dima.
Morning, beautiful. I hope you slept well. I missed you in my bed last night. When can I see you again? I’ll be at the club all day, so text or call when you can. ;)
I quickly respond, letting him know I miss him and that I’ll call when I’m done with work. Noticing that I’ve slept in a bit, I hurry up and jump in the shower, knowing the day at work is going to feel like it lasts forever. After grabbing a banana, I head out the door and hope like hell the minutes pass quickly.