He shook his head, almost furiously. “Don’t.”
She almost shrunk away at the way he was gazing at her.
“I have to go,” Vassi said abruptly and he swung away, leaving her without a backward glance.
Her first instinct was to call out to him, but she managed to swallow her desperate need to cry for his attention.
He needed time, Seri told herself. She of all people knew how much family meant to him, and so she had to give him time.
Tomorrow, she’d tell him.
Tomorrow, surely, he’d realize that what they had wasn’t wrong.
Tomorrow, she would tell him.
But when tomorrow came, no words could leave past her lips.
Chapter Thirteen
“It’s time to blow your candles, baby,” Fyodor told her the next night.
“I know, but could we wait for a few minutes more? I’m sure he’s going to arrive any moment now.” She pretended not to see the strain in her stepfather’s face and turned to her other brothers. “You t-think so, too, right?”
“Of course,” Sergei said automatically even as he mentally cursed his youngest brother to perdition.
“You know how Vassi is,” Misha said. “Anything less than a grand entrance for him is unacceptable.” But even as he spoke, he mentally vowed to beat Vassi up if he dared to skip their little dove’s eighteenth birthday.
Pretending she was convinced by their assurances, she looked up at her stepfather with a bright smile, saying, “See? They think he’s coming, so we’ll just need to wait a bit longer.” She gestured to her guests, saying vaguely, “I’ll just go around and say hi to people while waiting…” Her voice trailed off and she quickly whirled away before they realized how perilously close to tears she was.
She danced and chatted with her friends, drank more than she should, but somehow heartbreak kept her sober, and she just couldn’t make herself stop counting the minutes that passed and Vassi still didn’t arrive.
The grand celebration Fyodor had thrown for her eighteenth birthday was a spectacular success and even though close to four hours had already passed since guests started coming, no one was in the mood to leave. The dance floor was completely packed, and with a popular DJ spinning tracks while waiters served an endless supply of champagne, the party was likely to continue for hours.
It was almost midnight when Sergei suddenly appeared by her side, the sight of him causing her high school friends to suffer a frenzy of excitement.
“Seri.”
“Y-yes?” She almost didn’t want to look at him, knowing that whatever he had to say was about Vassi.
He smiled down at her.
And seeing it, she almost broke down.
His voice was wry as he told her, “Your favorite brother has finally made his appearance.”
Oh.
He nodded towards the main doors, and she didn’t even stop to think.
She just ran.
She reached him in less than a minute, and he looked up even before she could call out to him, as if sensing her presence. He looked drop dead gorgeous in his white tux, and his smile was the definition of devilish charm.
“Happy birthday, solnishka moya.”
She smiled up at him. “Thank you.” Then she punched him in the guts, as hard as she could, and she was rewarded with his very real groan of pain.
“What the fuck?” His voice was muffled, Vassi bent over as he clutched his ribs.
“That’s for being late,” she said sweetly when he straightened. The crowd, hearing her explanation, relaxed, and most of Seri’s friends even cheered and laughed.
“You pack a strong one, leech,” Vassi muttered. “Did you join the UFC while I was gone?”
“Ha. Ha.” But it was hard to be sarcastic when she was busy fighting back sudden tears. She was just so relieved that he hadn’t skipped her eighteenth birthday.
Fyodor and the other boys came to join them. “I won’t even ask you why you’re late,” her stepfather said darkly. “Whatever your excuse is, it’s unacceptable, so…”
Before she realized what was happening, Fyodor had also given his youngest son a hard jab in the middle.
“Papa!”
Sergei and Misha were cracking their fists.
She quickly stepped in front of Vassi, throwing her arms wide open like a human shield. “Don’t hit him!”
Her older brothers scowled.
“So…do you assholes get it now?” Vassi wrapped an arm around her shoulders from behind and pulled her close. “I will always be her favorite brother.” He looked down at Seri. “Right?”
She mumbled incoherently. It was not unusual for Vassi to hold her this way, but somehow—-
It felt different tonight.
Or maybe it was always like this, and she was the one who had changed.
“Enough horsing around,” Fyodor said irritably. “We can finally get her cake out now that Vassi’s here.”
Vassi was visibly surprised. “I thought you’d have her blow her candles right after dinner?”
Sergei looked at him pointedly. “Seri thought we should wait for you.”
Vassi flushed.
Seeing that Sergei was still seriously pissed, she quickly ducked out of Vassi’s hold and gave her oldest brother a quick hug. “Don’t be mad, please? For me?”