Dmitri couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. With every woman he had ever been with, he detested their need to always pry into his life. But now, for the first time, he was slightly disappointed Sasha avoided inquiring about his past.
“I want you to know.”
Sasha smiled. “So tell me. I’m all ears!”
He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of a heavy knock at the front door. Reluctantly, he separated himself from her immediately missing her warmth and answered it. Dmitri felt ice run through his veins at the sight before him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked in shock.
Chapter Ten
Dmitri looked down into the eyes of his younger sister Nadia. His breath hitched in his throat as he took her in completely. At nearly 5’ 11”, Nadia had grown into a tall and beautiful woman but as his gaze travelled down her body he soon realized the truth. She was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans that seemed to just drown her in the material.
“Dmitri,” she whispered. He heard the thud of something dropping at his feet before he felt her body thrown against his own. Her tiny arms wrapped around his neck and she delved her face into his shoulder, sobbing.
He stood for several minutes in a complete state of shock before he slowly returned her embrace. He felt his throat clog with the effort of holding back tears as the memories of time spent with his younger sister came flooding back all at once. Dmitri lowered his head and breathed in her familiar scent, a smile on his face as hugged her for the first time in years.
Finally, they broke apart. Nadia bent down and grabbed a large suitcase before looking back up at him with eyes reddened with tears. Her smile quivered as she said, “It’s been so long.”
At the sound of her voice, the reason for his initial harshness returned. “Nadia, you never answered my question. What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in the hospital.”
Once again, she avoided answering his question. Instead, she playfully pushed him out of the way and entered his condo. Her steps halted at the sight of a short black woman standing in the middle of his living room. Nadia immediately paid attention to her size, taking in the thickness of her thighs and the slight roundness to her tummy. Her hair was thick and styled in dreadlocks that flowed to her mid-back. Dismissively, she turned to her brother and tilted her head in the direction of the stranger in a ‘who’s this?’ way.
Dmitri closed his door and turned to his younger sister. Some things seemed to never change. He could honestly admit without hesitation that Nadia was very well-loved by his entire family; she was their princess and always had been. And her behavior indicated as such.
“Nadia, answer my question,” he said firmly. “Are you not supposed to be in the hospital? How did you even get here? Travel is too much stress to be putting on your body.”
Nadia rolled her eyes. “My friend brought me. And no, I haven’t been in the hospital. I’m not sick!”
Sasha awkwardly stood there, not sure what to make of the tall woman that had entered Dmitri’s condo. He obviously knew her but she was afraid to know in what capacity. The young woman was beautiful with her milky white skin and dark hair. Nadia, as he had called her, had full, plump lips accentuated by a straight nose and large wide eyes. Sasha continued to observe them, deciding it was probably best not to interrupt.
Dmitri grunted at Nadia’s response. “Does Father know you are gone?”
Nadia shrugged, “He should by now. I’ve been away for several days. I left my phone so he wouldn’t bother me though. He probably put a tracker on it anyways.”
It all made sense to him then as he stood in front of his sister. The true reason for Dominic’s visit and his father’s sudden change of heart hadn’t been because of Nadia’s worsening health- though, judging from her appearance, he could easily tell that it hadn’t gotten better in any way. His father had known when she disappeared that she would be going to see him, her long lost brother, and had tried to pass an olive branch only so Dmitri would be persuaded to return her home.
Dmitri’s jaw clenched at this revelation and his fists tightened in anger.
“That manipulative bastard,” he whispered to himself.
Sasha, at the sign of Dmitri’s distress, finally decided to intervene. “Dmitri, what’s wrong? What’s going on?”
The sound of Sasha’s voice, tinged with heartfelt worry, brought him from his dark thoughts. He hadn’t seen her standing before them. With great effort, he loosened his fists and tried to ignore the swell of anger that had settled in his chest.
“Sasha, this is my younger sister Nadia. Nadia, this is Sasha.”
Nadia looked over at the other woman who smiled at her politely. “Are you the maid or something?” Nadia asked; her chin lifted snobbishly.
The smile on Sasha’s face immediately disappeared. The hand she had been bringing up to greet Nadia fell back to her side and she stood there in shocked silence.
“Nadia!” Dmitri chastised. He waited for her to turn back to him before continuing. “Do not come into my home with such disrespect. Sasha is my” he glanced at her quickly, “friend.”
If Nadia’s disrespect was not enough of a shock, Dmitri’s comment was enough for Sasha’s breath to audibly hitch. She put on a stiff smile when Nadia glanced at her suspiciously. Her hands quivered slightly as she tried to mask the hurt she immediately felt at his words. She tried to tell herself not to think much of it but it was hard to ignore its implications and importance when being introduced to his family.
“It is nice meeting you Nadia. I’ll get back to dinner and allow you two to talk,” she stated. Without waiting for a response from either of them, she walked back to the kitchen.
Dmitri silently cursed himself as he watched her walk away. Before he could delve too deeply into his thoughts on Sasha, Nadia stole his attention once more. She grabbed onto his arm and pulled him to the couch, forcing him to sit down next to her.
“I’ve missed you so much, Dmitri. What Daddy did to you was cruel and I’ve wanted to see you to apologize for so long. I know you were only looking out for me.”
Dmitri didn’t want to reconsider the past but this day had been filled with it. First, Dominic in his office and now…Nadia. Despite her beauty, she looked sickly; there didn’t seem to be an ounce of fat or muscle on her body even with the baggy clothes to hide it. Her face no longer had its youthful fullness like he remembered. Dmitri brought up a hand and gently cupped her cheek.
“Why are you here, Nadia?”
She seemed to be hurt by his question. Tears sprung in her eyes and she shook her head as she said passionately, “How could you even ask me that? I haven’t seen you in years, Dmitri! You knew how I felt being in that house; how my mother treated me. And you still didn’t fight Daddy- you didn’t bother to fight for me.”
Dmitri bristled at her pleas. It seemed he had disappointed more than just himself but both of his siblings. He was not surprised by Nadia’s outcries but he had been shocked by Dominic’s emotional outburst earlier today. “I never abandoned you, Nadia. But it is not my battle to fight. If you want to leave them behind, you are old enough to do so but you will never be free from them if you don’t take care of yourself. You need to be in a rehabilitation center. I told Father that before I left- I told you! But you are still in denial about how sick you are!”
Nadia scowled at him at the mere mention of it. “I am not-”
“Yes, you are! And I will not stand as a scape goat for you and your problems. I am here for you; I will always be here for support. You are my little sister, Nady, and I love you. But I cannot fight your battles for you.”
At the sound of her nickname, Nadia seemed to crumble before him. She fell into his arms and sobbed as he gently patted her dark hair. Her hands clenched into fists as she shivered in his arms.
“I need you, Dmitri. Daddy doesn’t understand; he thinks I’m being ridiculous. I can’t control it, though. I-I just can’t live there anymore. Pleas
e…please let me stay with you.”
When he didn’t respond, she rushed ahead. “Just for a little while. I think the change would be good for me and I’ll get better. Please don’t abandon me, Dmitri. I need you now.”
Dmitri looked down at her and nodded his head with a sigh. She was right; he couldn’t take her back when she so obviously needed to be away from his Father and her mother. “But, if I don’t see you getting better, I will take you back. Maybe then I can convince Father to enter you into rehabilitation.”
Hesitantly, Nadia agreed.
They sat there for several minutes, until the sounds coming from the kitchen finally entered their cocoon. Nadia pushed herself away from her brother and wiped her eyes with a sniffle. She watched as Dmitri stood up and walked into the kitchen. She continued to sit on the couch, thinking of the tiny black woman he had introduced her to.
Though Dmitri had identified her as a friend, she knew they had to be more. And it didn’t make sense to her. Her brother deserved someone better, Nadia contemplated. With the large age difference between them as half-siblings and her parents’ absence as she grew up, Dmitri was more of a father figure to her. This made his departure even more painful. He had always been the one to listen to her while everyone else often ignored what they considered to be the annoying ramblings of a child.
Coming to live with him had been partly a whim of youthful disobedience but also the desperate act to see and be with her brother once more. She knew the part she played in his ‘banishment’ and regretted her immature and impulsive actions the moment she saw him leave. Nadia came to make things right and the first thing on her agenda, she thought as she walked into the kitchen and noticed their physical closeness, was to get rid of the woman who was obviously not good enough for her brother.
Sasha jumped when she felt a hand rest on her lower back. Her pulse calmed at the familiar feel of Dmitri’s soft lips against her cheek, however. She had just finished cleaning off the glass table after the three of them had had a rather awkward dinner together. Besides being asked rather intrusive questions on the part of Dmitri’s younger sister, she had not bothered to speak much; instead, deciding it was best to have them reacquaint themselves with one another. She had heard a few tidbits of their conversation in the living room while she had cooked but hadn’t been able to make much sense of it.
It was obvious that Nadia wasn’t a fan of hers. Nadia’s sly comments about her eating a large portion of the spaghetti and asking if she regularly went to the gym seemed to have gotten past Dmitri but Sasha had been exposed to enough underhanded insults from Faye and Jaelynn to identify them. Sasha’s enthusiasm about her budding relationship with Dmitri had curtailed dramatically. So, she didn’t lean into Dmitri’s kiss as she would have usually done. Instead, her back stiffened and her head turned away.
Dmitri noted this and let out a deep sigh. Nadia had retired for the night, claiming travel exhaustion. He was thankful she had left because he could now focus on mending the rift his statement seemed to have created in their relationship.
“Come on, Sasha. Let’s go to bed. It’s getting late.”
She walked away from him, placing the surface sponge near the sink. “I was thinking I should take the bus and just go back to my apartment. I overheard that you and your sister haven’t seen each other for a while and I’d rather not stand in the way.” She started to walk in the direction of the living room to fetch her overnight bag.
Lightning quick, Dmitri grasped her forearm and spun her back around. “Do not do that,” he said sternly. “Don’t lie to me. I know what this is really about. And I’m sorry you were hurt but…what would you have me say? I’m not ready to introduce you to my family as more than just a friend right now, okay? Geez, I wasn’t expecting her. I was planning to simply talk about my family for the first time with you, not have you meet one of them! I won’t apologize for not wanting to put a label on us just yet!”
She tore her arm from his grasp. “A ‘friend’, Dmitri? It’s been close to a month! Admittedly, I’m not very experienced with matters like this but I would think that after a month of spending almost every day together, I would be just a little more than a friend. Heck, all you had to say was this is the woman I’ve been dating. But…you d-didn’t. You denied even the semblance of a romantic relationship with me, Dmitri. As if…you’re ashamed of it.” She paused. Sasha closed her eyes, her lips trembling in fear at his response to her next question. “Are you?”
If it were possible, Dmitri’s eyes darkened even more in anger. He backed away from her and paced in the kitchen, his hands constantly brushing through his dark locks in frustration. With a growl, he faced her once more. “How can you blow something so minute-”
She shook her head sorrowfully. “That’s where you’re wrong, Dmitri. It was your chance to show me that…this relationship means something to you. Enough for you to not want to hide it.” If the situation wasn’t so serious, Sasha would have laughed at the cute look of utter bewilderment on his face. “It’s because you consider it to be temporary, isn’t it?” Her heartbeat was racing as she engaged in this verbal altercation with him. They didn’t usually butt heads but this felt different. She felt an ominous ambience in the room as she continued, “Tell me, have you told anyone about me? Slade even?”
She knew the answer the moment a red flush came over his cheeks. “I’ve told everyone,” she said in a whisper though it was pointless. Her fight seemed to just deflate after this. She turned away from him and tried to search for her overnight bag again. Her hands were shaking so much she could hardly grasp the strap when she found it on the floor.
To her shock, Dmitri had rushed over. Not willing to let her walk out like this, he impulsively picked Sasha up and carried her down the hallway to his room. Closing the door, he dropped her onto the bed and stood before her with the same scowl spread across his handsome features.
“Okay, you’re angry with me,” he stated obviously. “But I will not let you just leave in the middle of the night because of a disagreement. At least let me explain!” He took in a deep breath, taking in her small stature sitting at the edge of the king size bed.
“I’m not ashamed of you, Sasha. I’m not,” he repeated at the look of disbelief on her face. He sighed, “Calling you a ‘friend’ wasn’t meant to devalue what we have.” Dmitri took a seat next to her and, despite her efforts at pushing him away he wrapped his arms around her frame and buried his face in her neck. “Come on, baby. Don’t be mad at me.”
Sasha felt her body unwillingly respond to his closeness. Groaning in frustration, she fruitlessly slapped at his back. “Dmitri, let me go.”
Reluctantly, he released her but still kept hold of her arms within his hands so that she couldn’t move away. “Listen,” he waited for her eyes to connect with his before continuing, “you’re right about me trying to hide our relationship but you are wrong about why, Sasha.” His hands moved up to cup her face when he saw her begin to fight him again. “Please, listen.”
He waited for the heat in her eyes to wane before beginning again. “You said yourself that I’m a private person. There’s a reason for that. My family…they’re not trustworthy. They’re manipulative and will use any weakness you have to their advantage. I’ve made the mistake of having my father know my weakness-my sister, Nadia- and he tore her from me. I practically raised her since I was thirteen; she was the only reason I stayed close to them and I haven’t seen her for five years! That’s what he does- if you don’t obey him he punishes you by taking away the people you cherish the most.”
Dmitri felt his eyes swell with unwanted tears but he swallowed and forced them back. Sasha eyed him, watching his jaw tick with the effort at controlling his emotions.
“No matter how happy I am to see Nadia once again, I can’t forget that despite her many acts of rebellion against him, she is still under his thumb. If he finds out about you, Sasha…with the amount of money at his disposal, he’ll use you in any way that he
can for the sole purpose of getting to me.”
Sasha shook her head. “I don’t understand. What did you do to make him want to separate you from your sister? What does he want from you?”
He released a deep sigh. She watched as his shoulders simply deflated at her questions. “Before I left, I was the first to notice Nadia’s…sickness.” Abruptly he looked back up at her for confirmation. “You saw her. It’s as if she is withering away. And it all could have been prevented if my father had simply listened to me. They were so caught up in keeping up appearances they ignored the signs that Nadia had an eating disorder.
“She had always been on the rebellious side, which we are all at fault for because we coddled her so much. First, it was minor things; I would catch her smoking pot or find her alone in the room with boys too old for her.” He laughed, humorlessly. “I didn’t tell anyone at first because I thought it was just a stage and I-I wanted to be there for her. I knew if I told my father he would simply exacerbate any necessary punishment simply for the sake of his own egocentric sense of power. But I should have known it was her way of calling out for help.
“Her behavior got better after my constant lecturing and I assumed that the ‘stage’ was over. It took me awhile to notice her distorted eating habits, though. I was working under my father during that time and I was so focused on pleasing him, I didn’t notice how thin she was getting or that whenever we would eat out she would do nothing but play with her food. But when I did finally figure it out, I approached my father about it. I never once assumed it was anorexia; I just thought that maybe she should get therapy.”
She had never seen him look as vulnerable as he did right then. On instinct, she reached out to comfort him, placing her arms around his shoulders and bringing him down so that his face once more nestled against her neck. “He didn’t believe you, did he?” she asked.
“No, he didn’t. I remember him being irrationally angry at even the suggestion of it. He made me promise never to discuss it again but when I saw her getting worse, I acted on instinct. I tricked her into going to therapy and…she told my father. When my father feels betrayed, he holds a grudge. I defied him and aired our dirty laundry by having her see a therapist- at least that’s the way he saw it. He told me since I seemed to hold no loyalty to the family, I should leave. And so I did. Nadia was in such a state of denial, nothing I could do would have helped her.”
Sasha: The Wallflower (The Wallflower Series Book 1) Page 9