by BWWM Club
Her grandmother smiled and nodded.
“Well, see you out there.”
“I can wait out here…in case you want to fan your face a little more,” her grandfather said.
Athena smiled at him.
“Don’t worry. I’ll only be a few minutes,” she said. “Besides, Evan’s not here yet.”
“Talk about being fashionably late,” Yvette pointed out before the two of them walked out.
Athena looked at her reflection again and smiled. She gently ran her fingers over the bracelet and felt a wave of emotion overwhelm her. All of a sudden, she felt like her mother was right there in the room with her. Her heart was racing as she blinked back her tears.
“I should have gone with waterproof mascara,” she thought to herself as she fanned her face for the umpteenth time. She then sat down in front of the mirror and grabbed the makeup sponge. She dabbed little powder under her eyes and sighed.
“This is it,” she thought. “This is the day I become Mrs. Evan Ridley.”
She didn’t know how long she had been sitting there before she heard the door open. She looked up and saw Carla walking in.
“Hey, I was getting worried,” Athena said as she stood up. She turned around and looked at Carla who was frowning. “What is it? What’s going on?”
Carla walked towards her, a frown on her face. If she didn’t know any better, she could have sworn that there was something wrong. But at that moment, the worst thing she could think of was Evan being late. However, the hesitation in her voice said it all. There was something bigger on her mind. Something worse.
“Carla,” Athena said in a warning tone. “Please tell me what the hell is happening. Why am I still here? What the hell is taking so long?”
“Why don’t you sit down, Athena,” Carla started in a soft voice.
“Why are you telling me to sit down? What happened?” Athena was already hysterical. “Did one of the service providers mess up? Is it the reception flowers?” she asked as Carla put her hands on her friend’s shoulders.
“Sweetie, just listen to me,” Carla said trying as much as she could to calm her down.
“Why are you not telling me what happened?” Athena asked again. This time, she caught a glance of her grandparents standing outside her dressing room. Her grandmother had her head on her husband’s shoulder and from where she was, Athena could see that she was crying. And the tears she had were not tears of joy either. At that moment, panic went through her. This was not good.
“Is it Evan?” she finally asked as Carla looked into her eyes and when her friend didn’t answer she knew that whatever was making her grandmother cry had a lot to do with the fact that her groom was late. Her gaze shifted from her grandparents to Carla as she shook her head.
“Carla…you would tell me if it was something to do with Evan, right? Is he okay? Why won’t you answer me?” Athena asked as she felt her heart beating faster, harder.
“Athena…” Carla started before she pulled her friend into her arms. “Calm down, okay?”
“I can’t…no one is talking to me,” Athena wanted to pull away but Carla was holding her tightly. A tear rolled down Carla’s cheek.
“Athena, there was an accident,” Carla finally said and Athena stopped fighting. She was no longer trying to pull away. It was almost as if she knew what Carla was about to say. “The groom’s convoy…there was a head on collision on the highway. A drunk driver was…” Carla sighed. She didn’t want to overwhelm her with the details. Everything was already too much for her already. “There was a head on collision on the highway,” she said again.
“And Evan?” Athena asked. “What about Evan? What hospital is he in?”
“Athena,” Carla said as she pulled away. “They didn’t take him to the hospital.”
“So he is okay? Where is he?” Athena asked as she looked at Carla. “Tell me where he is and I will go right now!”
Carla held her shoulders again.
“Athena! You have to listen to me!” she said in a voice a little louder than she intended to. “The paramedics never took him to hospital because he…he didn’t make it.”
Athena suddenly felt the color draining from her face. She shook her head as she looked into Carla’s eyes.
“No,” she said in a whisper.
“I’m so sorry sweetie…” Carla started but Athena shook her head again.
“No!” she cried out. ”I want to see him! I want to see him right now!”
Carla pulled her into her arms again and at that moment all the tears she had been holding back began rolling down her cheek.
“This cannot be happening,” she sobbed into Carla’s shoulder. “Not like this….not like this…”
“Look there is a back exit away from everyone,” Carla said as she ran her hand up and down Athena’s back. “Why don’t I take you to my place, huh? I can make you that southern fried chicken you love so much and later we can have ice cream, okay?”
Athena could not talk. She knew that greasy chicken and ice cream would not solve her problems or bring Evan back but at that moment, she just couldn’t imagine being there any longer. Being in the same place where she was supposed to pledge her life to Evan.
“But I got everything…the dress and the food and ….” Athena started saying when Carla pulled away.
“I’m your maid of honor. Let me handle that,” she said. “But right now all I want is to take you away from this place.”
Athena shook her head again.
“I want to see him,” she said in a whisper.
“Sweetie, I don’t think that’s a very good idea,” Carla said and Athena banged her fist against the mirror, so hard that it cracked.
“Carla! I want to see him,” she said again.
Carla looked at her friend’s grandparents who were nodding at her.
“Fine. I’ll take you,” she said in a soft voice.
Chapter 3
When Athena’s eyelids fluttered open the following morning, it was around six. She sighed when she realized that she was still lying on the couch. Her hand automatically went to her ring pendant. She closed her eyes and sighed loudly as her fingers ran over the surface of ring she had worn on her chain ever since the wedding.
“Another day, another struggle,” she thought as she pulled herself out of the couch. She walked to the bedroom and wondered whether to just get back in bed or go for a run. She was supposed to go and check in on the Aquarium, make sure her clean-up crew had done their work but she was not feeling up to it. And she knew for a fact that having pulled off the charity benefit, she could definitely get away with not being at the office that Saturday. She climbed into bed and pulled the covers before she reached for her TV remote. She had just switched on her TV when she heard her doorbell ring. She sighed loudly.
“What the hell? It’s freaking six in the morning,” she thought as she pulled a pillow over her head.
She wanted to ignore the door but for some reason, whoever was at the door was not giving up. She sighed when she heard the doorbell ring again.
“For God’s sake,” she said to no one in particular as she climbed out of her bed and walked to the front door.
“Well, good morning sleepy head,” Carla said when Athena opened the door.
“What the hell are you doing here so early?” Athena asked as Carla walked in,
“Wait, this whole bathrobe thing is not ironic?” Carla asked. Athena closed the door and shook her head.
“What do you mean ironic? I literally just woke up,” she said. She was now walking to the kitchen. If she was going to have to listen to Carla she was going to need a whole lot of coffee. Preferably cinnamon flavored.
“We were supposed to meet up for a run like we do every weekend,” Carla said following her to the kitchen. Athena looked up from the coffee pot she was filling up.
“I guess that solves the mystery of why the heck you are in sweats,” she said forcing out a smile. Carla rolled her eyes. “Break
fast?” Athena asked as she walked to the fridge. “It’s the least I can do after standing you up.”
“Depends,” Carla said as she leaned on the kitchen counter. “Are you going to make those perfect blueberry pancakes?”
Athena sighed.
“Fine,” she said as she grabbed a bowl from one of the shelves. “I will make pancakes but regular pancakes. I am still a little tired to make pancakes from scratch.”
“You owe me,” Carla said in a warning tone.
“Batter out of a box or no pancakes. You choose,” Athena said looking at Carla who sighed. She smiled and did a victory dance in her head when she realized that she had won that argument.
“So, what happened anyway? Why didn’t you show up at the park?” Carla asked as she took off her hoodie. She helped herself to a grape from the fruit bowl that was in front of her on the counter.
“I don’t know…it was just an exhausting night, I guess,” Athena said shrugging. Carla popped another grape into her mouth and shrugged.
“Are you sure it was just about the job? Because I have seen you pull off three events in one weekend and still look like you just put on fresh makeup,” she said.
“Well this time it was different,” Athena said. “I was a little more spent than usual.”
“Are you sure that was it?” Carla asked and Athena looked at her.
“What else could it be?” she asked as she got the pancake batter from the fridge.
“Well, you appeared a little shaken up after I brought up the whole Evan thing.” Athena looked at her and sighed. “I have not mentioned it for years out of respect but I am not sorry I did. I think it is about time I mentioned it.”
Athena looked up at her friend and shrugged. She opened her mouth to speak but she realized that Carla was right. She had done everything right including packing up and moving to a different state with her.
“I know and I am very grateful but I really don’t want to talk about it right now,” she said as she began washing her hands in the sink.
“Well, it’s been two years Athena.” Carla looked at Athena as she poured two cups of coffee. “Two long years of watching you wallow and I cannot do it anymore.”
“Carla….” Athena started as she placed a cup in front of her friend.
“No, Athena. I am not done yet.” Carla’s voice was a little harsher than she would have wanted it to be. “I have held your hand through it all. But Evan was my friend too and I know more than anyone that he would not be happy seeing you like this.” She reached for her friend’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You need to let the past go.”
“I have,” Athena said and Carla raised an eyebrow over the other.
“Really?” she asked as she reached for the ring dangling from the chain around her neck. “So that’s what this is?”
“This is a little too personal for me, Carla, and you know it,” Athena said as she shook her head.
“Yes, but you know another thing that ring represents?” Carla asked as she gently ran her thumb over her friend’s knuckles. “The past. It is a constant reminder of the most painful day of your life.”
Athena pulled her hand away from Carla’s and shook her head.
“It is not as easy as you make it out to be,” she said.
“Oh I know that and I know it very, very well,” Carla said. “You got closure and I didn’t.”
Athena sighed. Carla was right…about everything. She had been married to a marine and after his third deployment, he never came back home. Everyone believed that he was either killed in action in enemy territory or taken as a prisoner of war.
“Carla…” Athena started again but her friend was not quite done yet.
“You are a beautiful woman who has resigned herself to mere existence and the Evan I know would not like seeing you this way,” she said again. “And I know that for a fact, A.”
Athena looked at Carla for a long time and sighed again.
“I guess I just don’t know how to get back out there,” she started.
“Have you even tried, sweetie?” Carla asked and Athena shrugged.
“Well I did meet someone last night that was a…” Athena started before Carla put her hand up.
“Whoa, hold up,” she said cutting her friend off mid-sentence. “You met someone last night? I thought you said that you were too busy or something like that.”
Athena forced out a smiled.
“I might have lied.”
“Might have or most definitely were?” Carla asked and Athena shrugged again.
“I didn’t want to say anything because I honestly didn’t know what to do. I still don’t,” she said. “But he was the first person who I talked to in a long time that didn’t make me want to blow my head off.”
“And who is this mystery man, pray tell.” Carla was popping another grape into her mouth. “And you have to tell me if he is cute too.”
Athena smiled and nodded.
“Yeah, he is cute. And he has an amazingly hot European accent,” she gushed.
“Europe’s a pretty big place, you know,” Carla started as she reached for another grape. “Are we talking German, French, Italian, British?”
“Russian,” she said as she took a pan and set it on the stove.
“Okay, I definitely didn’t expect that one,” Carla said.
“I know, me either.” Athena smiled as she turned on the fire. “But I actually enjoyed his company. He was actually trying to connect with me and not just get into my pants.” She took a sip of her coffee. “I think I would be open to seeing him again.”
“Okay, now I have to know who he is,” Carla said excitedly.
“His name is Evgeni Markovic,” Athena said as she poured the batter into the bowl in front of her.
“Wait. Russian guy whose name is Evgeni Markovic,” Carla repeated as she reached for her phone and began typing. Athena raised an eyebrow at her and then grabbed a ladle from a container on the counter before she poured a ladle full of batter onto the pan. “Is this him? Is this the guy you are talking about?” Carla asked as she held her phone in front of Athena.
“Yeah, why?” Athena asked. “You know him or something?”
“Uh…yeah. The whole world does,” Carla said excitedly.
“The whole world,” she echoed.
“The whole freaking world,” Carla said nodding. Athena shook her head and walked around to where her friend was.
“What do you mean ‘the whole world’? Is he some kind of celebrity or something?” she asked and Carla looked at her, raising an eyebrow over the other.
“Kim Kardashian is some kind of celebrity,” Carla said as she handed Athena her phone. “Evgeni Markovic makes The Kardashian celebrity status look like some kind of drop in the ocean.”
“Wait, Forbes?” Athena asked as her eyes ran down the page. “This article is on freaking Forbes?”
Carla walked around to the other side of the table and flipped the pancake that had already began browning on the sides.
“Wait…holy shit,” Athena said under her breath. She suddenly didn’t feel good enough to even talk to Evgeni. “His net worth…”
“I know, right. Three hundred million and growing by the day,” Carla said and then frowned. “You didn’t know?”
“Hell no, I didn’t know!” Athena put the phone down. “I mean, I know that the Markovic Foundation donated five million at the benefit but I didn’t think he was the Markovic.”
“Well, he was and he is,” Carla said and Athena sighed.
*****
When Evgeni woke up the next morning, all he could think about was Athena. He should have been thinking of the news Viktor gave him the previous night but he just couldn’t seem to get Athena out of his head. He walked to his living room and looked outside the quiet leafy grounds below.
In a perfect world, he would have been standing there next to Athena as they sipped on coffee. He would have loved having her back here to claim her as his own all nig
ht long but sadly that never happened. He had noticed how withdrawn she had been when they got to her place, almost as if she was hiding something. He did not know what it was about this woman that called out to him so much. He would have done anything to take her pain away, to just make her feel like she could trust him. That was all he really wanted and it was strange too because he had not felt this way for anyone in a very long time, not since Natalya, his ex-wife.
He was still standing there when he heard a familiar female voice behind him.
“Good morning, Mr. Markovic.”
He turned around and came face to face with Inez, his housekeeper.
“Good morning Inez. Cómo te va,” he said with a smile.
“Bien, gracias,” she said in a soft voice.
“Why are you here? It’s Sunday,” he said raising an eyebrow.
“I did not do the laundry yesterday and I thought I could do it before I go to church.”
Evgeni shook his head.
“Aren’t you supposed to keep the Sabbath holy or something?” he asked and she shrugged as she put her bag down.
“I’m Catholic not Jewish. We can still do some tasks on Sundays, like cook and make sure our employers don’t starve,” she said as she started to walk towards the kitchen. “And I have three hours before mass anyway.”
“Yes, but it is your day off,” Evgeni said as he followed her to the kitchen.
“It is but I know for a fact that I cannot tell you to get the load out of the washer and into the dryer.” She started on the coffee and then opened the fridge and got a pitcher pf orange juice. “And I can always take a day off whenever I want, Mr. Markovic.”
Evgeni smiled. He did not even know why he had engaged her in this conversation. If there was anything that he had learned from the eight years Inez had been working for him, it was that she acted like she was the boss and not the other way around. But he had never had a problem with that since she was such a good employee. Actually, she was more of a friend than an employee.
“I’m making spiced eggs, Mr. Markovic then I will get the load in the washer,” she said as she poured him a glass of juice.
“I love your spiced eggs,” Evgeni said as he reached for the glass.