by Lia London
“Augh!” Viktor ducked and tackled her onto the couch. Almost immediately, he rolled off her. “Sorry. It—augh!”
Chucho dove again, thumping across Viktor’s back before crashing into a pile of paperbacks on the coffee table. They scattered to the floor, dragging the cat’s hind end with them.
A single hysterical hiss sounded, and then Chucho licked his lone front paw and limped away in the most aloof manner possible.
Angelika and Viktor burst out laughing, and her heart skipped to see him kneeling at her feet where she sat sprawled on the couch. She couldn’t resist teasing. “Ready to propose, are you? Because how would that work, anyway? If I said yes, would it mean you won, or I did?”
He slumped backwards against the coffee table. “Wait, are you still doing the bet? I thought…”
“No! I’m…” He’d almost grimaced. Had the joke about him proposing been so repulsive? Standing and dusting herself off, she hid a frown. “Come on. Let’s go see what’s left of our dinner.”
Viktor – a few nights later
“What’s this I hear about you dating that frizzy-haired kid who used to cause you such grief?”
Viktor swallowed hard. Why did every phone call from his father have to put him on the defensive?
“Um, frizzy-haired?” It was a lame stall, but he needed to sit down and concentrate if he hoped to leave the conversation with an ounce of dignity.
“The red-headed monster who always made you look so bad.”
Viktor sagged into his home office chair. “If you mean Angelika Aldrich, we connected at the reunion. She’s… changed a lot.”
“And you’re dating her?” The accusation in his father’s tone made Viktor flinch.
“Where did you even hear about this?” The evasion tactic wouldn’t work for long.
His father harrumphed. “If your little high school friends post things on social media, you have to figure it’ll eventually get back to me. I saw you making a stupid wager, which of course you’d win, but then an acquaintance of mine said he actually saw you out with her.”
Viktor ground his teeth. “Who saw us?”
“A golfing friend of mine. You dated his daughter Darcie for a while. Why on earth didn’t you stick with her? She’s a beauty.”
Dragging his hand down his face, Viktor willed his stomach to stop churning. “Dad, Angelika and I have… evolved. We’re not rivals anymore. We’re friends, I guess. Nothing more.” Even as he said it, the abundant memories of her ardent kisses challenged his casual claim.
“Well don’t be stupid and fall for her. A man needs a wife who knows her place. She has to be an asset to make you look good, not emasculate you.”
Viktor flinched. What decade did his father live in? “Dad, please. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but we’re just friends.”
“If you say so, but no son of mine’s going to marry some stuck-up woman who thinks she’s better than her man.”
“Right.” Viktor stifled a groan. “Believe me, she doesn’t have the same competitive streak as before, Dad. She’s settled down. There’s no way she’s making me look bad.”
“What I’m not hearing you say is that you’re not dating.”
Viktor swallowed. “Relax. We’re not getting engaged or anything.”
“Well, good.” His father hung up.
Viktor rubbed at the new ache behind his eyes. No, Angelika wasn’t making him look bad, but she was making him feel good. Really good. For the first time in his life.
Why did his stupid father have to get in the middle of a good thing?
Angelika – the next weekend
Angelika glanced at Viktor as he donned his 3D glasses for the sci-fi action flick. Maybe they made him look a little dorky, but she didn’t care. Shoving her own glasses up her nose, she smiled and leaned an inch closer, basking in the heat washing over the side of her body at the faintest connection.
“I cannot believe what I’m seeing.”
She turned and sucked in a gasp to see Lars and Dev bustling in behind them with two-gallon tubs of popcorn.
Dev leaned forward. “Is this for real? Did you two declare a truce, or are you here to get battle strategies from Captain Zenox?”
Viktor’s face was unreadable. “Couldn’t get a date with anyone but each other?”
“Look who’s talking,” said Dev, jerking a thumb at Angelika. “What’s up with you two going out? I thought you were in a race to find true love.”
“He’s in love with himself,” quipped Angelika, instantly regretting her remark. Why had she slipped back into snarky mode? And why were these two here?
An errant doubt gurgled in her stomach. Was this all part of a plot to make her look dumb? She’d watch Viktor closely for cues, but it was impossible to read his mood in the dim lighting with the bulky glasses covering his eyes.
Dev hummed and made kissing noises while Lars snickered and propped his knees up on the back of Angelika’s chair.
She turned and glared at them. “I swear you act like a twelve-year-old. Isn’t there any other place you could sit in this whole theater?” She waved her finger at the dozens of empty seats.
“Nah, I think this is where the best view for the show will be,” said Dev with a light slap to the side of Viktor’s head.
“Does your dad know you’re out with Angelika? Wouldn’t he be furious?”
“Shut up, Lars. Movie’s starting.” Viktor slouched in his seat, pulling away from Angelika a few inches.
Her ears burned and her throat tightened. With two Cro-Magnon dweebs breathing down their necks, there’d be no chance of a romantic moment. And what had Lars meant about Viktor’s dad? Was that seriously still an issue?
The next two hours passed in a disappointing blur of explosions onscreen and murmured innuendos from Dev.
“Sorry about how that went down,” said Viktor as they stood outside her door at the end of the non-date. “Who knew those jerks would show up?”
“I thought they were your best friends.”
His smile looked strained. “Yeah, but they don’t know when to shut up.”
“Maybe you need to tell them more explicitly.”
“I tried,” he whined. “They don’t get how it is between us now.”
Angelika hesitated, her hand on the doorknob. “And how is it between us now?”
They locked eyes, and Viktor leaned in.
Conflicted, Angelika turned.
His kiss landed on her cheek, and an awkward second passed. “Sorry. I thought…”
“If you won’t claim me in front of your friends, I don’t think it’s right to now.”
Viktor’s eyes widened. “Oh come on, that’s not fair. They were acting like middle schoolers the whole time.”
“Yes, they were. But I didn’t see you tipping them back into adulthood.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Have you told anyone about us?”
“What’s to tell?”
His words hit her hard in the stomach, and she blinked back tears. “My whole family thinks we’re a thing. My roomie thinks we’re a thing. I guess I thought…”
Maybe the whole thing had been his way of cutting off whatever had been starting. He’d called his friends in to sabotage the date on purpose. Maybe. She couldn’t be sure after such a long history of sneaky tricks from Viktor. Had he really changed, or was this all another elaborate scheme?
“Annie.” His hand came up, then hesitated. “I acted like an idiot tonight, but please don’t hold it against me forever.”
His crooked smile tugged at her heartstrings, and she studied his searching eyes. “Okay, idiot. Try one more time.”
He drew a breath. “You won’t pull away?”
Angelika shook her head, standing tall. As he drew near, his whole demeanor humbled. She closed her eyes to receive the kiss, never anticipating how whisper soft it would be.
“Good-night, Annie. I’m sorry.” He was down the path and in his car before she understood the light lip brush
was all he could muster for her.
Viktor – next Saturday morning
Annie, I’m sorry about the other night. Please let me make it up to you. Can I take you out today?
He’d shaved and put on deodorant before she responded to his text. I can’t today. I’m helping move some refugee families into their new housing.
Viktor closed his eyes and shook his head. Surely, he’d blown it and was in Angelika’s bad books now. Mistakes were costly. He knew that. His dad reminded him daily. His boss did, too. If he wanted the acceptance, he had to be outstanding. Perfect.
He leveled a discerning gaze at his reflection. “Well, are you going to man up, or are you going to get left in the dust again?”
He typed back. Tell me where to go. I’ll help.
Forty-five minutes later, Viktor pulled up in front of an apartment complex downtown to see a large moving van and four young people with nametags unloading furniture. He took one look into the crowd and shrank back. A family of six huddled around Angelika, some laughing, others crying, their bright white teeth gleaming against coal black skin. A woman in a turban clasped her hands over her face and rocked back and forth, gasping at each item pulled from the truck and calling “Thank you so much!” in a thick accent. A little girl kept stroking Angelika’s long red hair as if it were a rare treasure.
“Viktor! Over here!” Angelika’s bright smile beckoned him closer, and he moved as if through molasses to greet her. This was not his element. He knew it was heart-warming and wonderful, but he’d never been in the middle of a humanitarian effort like this. Not coming from his family where all focus needed to be on his Dad.
“Come and meet my new friends! They’re from the Central African Republic.”
“Hi.” Viktor gave a weak smile and mouthed, Do they speak English?
Angelika’s smile did not change. “French and Sango.”
“Sango?”
“Stick with French,” she suggested. “This is my friend, Viktor,” she explained to the refugees with careful enunciation.
Viktor’s stomach pinched. He’d taken Japanese in high school. “Bonjour. Merci,” he said, summoning the only two words he knew.
To his surprise, the man and his wife crowded closer, patting his arm and smiling. “Bonjour, bonjour!”
The woman broke into an animated monolog with tears and smiles.
Viktor turned wild eyes on Angelika. “What’s she saying?”
Angelika gave the woman a side hug. “I have no idea except for the thanks. This is the first time they’re going to live in something other than a detention center or a tent in six years.”
Viktor stared at the children. He guessed the littlest to be about three years old. Had the mother been pregnant under such circumstances? “Are these kids all hers?”
“Yes, this is Sorella, Boris, Odilon, and Tome.”
The mother nodded, stroking each fuzzy black head in turn as Angelika spoke. She slapped her chest and spoke with her thick accent. “Rose. My name is Rose.” She gestured to the man. “My husband Teddy.”
Angelika beamed. “Isn’t her English good?” She placed a hand on Viktor’s arm. “Can you keep them company for a bit while I go direct traffic? I’ll be right back.” She darted away before he could answer.
“Wait, I…” Viktor gaped, ice rushing down his spine. Moving furniture he understood. Talking to refugees who barely spoke English? Not so much.
“Hi,” he offered.
“Hi, hi, hi!” chimed one of the little boys.
The lone girl, perhaps twelve, grasped his hand in both of hers. “Thank you for this blessing, Mr. Viktor.” Her English was better than her mother’s.
Viktor blanched. “I didn’t do this. I came to…”
“Thank you, Mr. Viktor,” insisted the girl.
Viktor spied Angelika’s red hair through an upstairs window and extracted himself from the girl’s grip to cup his hands and call, “I’ll come up and move stuff, okay?”
He bowed awkwardly as he backed away from the family. Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached the third floor where the missionaries and the furniture created a log jam in the doorway.
“Angelika?” he called.
“In here!”
He squeezed between a mattress and a table, with apologetic mumblings to the other helpers, and rushed into the room where she stood pointing.
“Bunk beds in the corner, and the bookshelf over there by the closet, okay?”
The volunteers got to work, and Viktor jumped in to help.
“What about Teddy and Rose?” asked Angelika. “You left them?”
He grimaced. “I’m not really ambassador quality. Can I just be a common laborer today?”
Angelika’s half smile looked disappointed. “Okay, how about I tell you the vision, and you get them to set it up right. I’ll go back down with the family.”
“Brilliant.”
For the next half hour, he guided the placement of furniture and appliances. Whenever he could, he stole a glimpse of Angelika down in the parking lot, laughing and talking to the refugee family. Did she speak French? Or could she magically make people happy?
“You’re amazing!” he shouted down when the commotion quieted for a moment.
Her cheeks flushed beautifully, but she waved him away. “Get back to work. That’s why I’m paying you the big bucks!”
Viktor bit his lip and closed the window. For once, he didn’t want big bucks. He just wanted to make sure he hadn’t ruined everything with her by being too chicken in front of his friends. Yet here he was being a chicken in front of strangers, too. Experience had taught him how little it took to get on his father’s bad side. Was Angelika the same?
He determined to work harder and make up for the social fumbles. The more he worked, the more confused he felt. Compared to Angelika, he was useless. All his accolades, his money, his scholarships, his raises, his prizes… it all meant nothing to the refugees. Not a soul here would be impressed with him beyond how well he kept pace with the other grunt workers hauling furniture up three flights of stairs. He wasn’t anything special here, and he wasn’t used to the feeling. Ashamed at how badly he had treated Angelika back in high school, he threw himself into the labor more, as if in penance for his unspeakable crimes of smug arrogance. When the furniture ended and the boxes began, he hesitated. He didn’t know how to unpack clothes or kitchenware into someone else’s home.
Two female volunteers began tearing open the boxes on the kitchen table.
“Um. I think this is my cue to go,” said Viktor. “I have no idea where all that goes.”
One of the young women grinned. “It’s okay. We can get this part easy. Thanks so much for carrying stuff up. You were a beast!”
He floundered down the stairs and stopped at the stairwell entry. Angelika was playing catch with the family using a simple supermarket bouncy ball. For a minute, he stood and admired the way the sunlight shone in her hair and the easy way she laughed with the children. Then his sense of inadequacy crashed down on him.
“Hey, Annie!” he called out. “I’m going to head home and shower up, okay?”
She caught the ball and handed it off to one of the boys. “Wait up. You’re leaving?”
He made a slow beeline for his car. “I have to go.”
“But you said you wanted to get together today.” Her eyes skimmed across his shoulders and up to his face. “There’s still more to do.”
“I stink.” He paused. Her sweet lips tempted him, but he felt too much a fool. He’d fallen short. He couldn’t even talk to the nice refugee family.
“Are you sure?”
He hitched his shoulder. “Thanks for letting me come.” He waved and called, “Sayonara!”
Angelika stifled a snort. “French, Viktor. Not Japanese.”
“Right. Adios!”
Angelika – later that night
Though pleased Viktor showed up and worked so hard, she couldn’t shake the disappointment over how h
e’d left in such a hurry. Did he think her efforts were boring and not worth his time? He hadn’t even stuck around to help the second family move in.
Physically tired and emotionally jumbled, she flopped down on the couch with Gerianne, ignoring the don’t-interrupt-me glare. “Ger, what do you think of Viktor? Is he too snobby?”
“Where’d that come from? I thought you liked the guy now.”
“I thought so, too, but now I’m wondering if I’m crazy.” She turned and earnestly consulted her friend. “Do you think I’m setting myself up for another heartbreak?”
Gerianne inserted her thumb as a bookmark in her novel and dropped the book to her lap. She studied Angelika with pursed lips. “Have you ever seriously been heartbroken?”
“How can you say that? I’ve suffered disaster after disaster relationship-wise.”
“Yeah, because you pick losers. Were you actually in love with them?”
Angelika stiffened. The truth hurt.
Gerianne held up a hand, a rare smile playing at the corner of her lips. “You’re a very good friend, Angelika. I don’t know how you’ve put up with me all these years. You have a big heart, and you care about helping others, but that’s not the same thing as a romantic relationship—a partnership you build your life around.”
“Says the woman who never goes out on dates at all.”
“I believe you’re the one who started this conversation, so now you’re stuck with my opinions.”
Angelika snickered.
Gerianne hefted her latest novel. “I read about them all the time. Relationships, I mean. Epic ones. Battle-inducing, kingdom-crushing love affairs. Call it research. You haven’t been there yet. Not that I can see.”
Angelika held out her hand to Chucho, who hobbled out from under the coffee table to lick his paw. “But what about Viktor?”
“He’s the best candidate you’ve brought home, but it all depends on you. Is there chemistry? Do you feel the sparks?”