I fell asleep after that. I woke up when Max gently nudged me.
“We’re descending, gorgeous. Welcome to Russia.”
I stretched out lazily and looked out of the window. It was dawn.
“It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful, sunny day,” he smiled.
“Great. I can’t wait to get to the hotel. I could use a shower and a decent breakfast.”
“You’re going to love the view from our room. We’re looking out over the Red Square.”
“I’m so excited to see your hometown, my love.”
“I’m going to spoil you rotten.”
The sun was out once we were out of the airport and on the way to our hotel. Moscow was much more colorful than I’d anticipated.
“What is that?” I asked when our taxi drove past the most unusual building I’d ever seen. The swirly, dome roofs looked like they were made out of candy canes.
“That's Saint Basil’s Cathedral. Isn’t it gorgeous?”
“I’ve never seen so much color in one building. It’s spectacular.”
“It is, isn’t it? There’s our hotel.”
“Fab.”
I was pleasantly surprised at how modern our hotel was. In fact, it was in stark contrast to the medieval feel of the square. I flopped onto the king-size bed as soon as we were in our suite.
“Uhhh, this is exactly what I need right now. Did you sleep on the plane, Babe?”
“Not really. I’ll catch up this afternoon before we go out to dinner.”
“My hard-working boy,” I said and held out my arms.
Max flopped down next to me and wrapped his arms around me.
“I’m glad you came,” he said and kissed me.
It was a tender kiss.
“Are you alright, Max?”
He seemed vulnerable for the first time since we’d met. Max was always strong and in control, so seeing him like that took me by surprise.
“Yeah, of course. I’m just tired.”
“What time is your meeting?”
Max looked at his watch.
“Noon. Will you be okay here while I pop out?”
“I’ll be fine. I saw a pool downstairs. I think I’ll catch some sun while you’re out working hard to bring home the stroganoff.”
“Funny girl.”
“I try.”