Demyan
Once dinner had been served and desserts, people mingled more as a live band formed. Multiple couples took to the dance floor as they danced together which meant Dad and Pa were no exception. I had no idea how they did it.
How they managed to stay so deeply in love whilst letting life pass by. Of course they fought, no parents went on without fighting and trust me they were messy. Pa once took a cricket bat to one of Dad's Lamborghinis once and Dad had most definitely stormed out on multiple occasions yet their fights never lasted more than a few hours before they would be back to giggling and expressing their love for one another.
When I thought about it more, Malia and I had never really fought. We had our small disagreements but it never went further and they were all resolved pretty quickly. With Ethan however someone always said too much or did too much that we could go on for weeks without talking.
It made me chuckle thinking about it, it was quite exhausting. I guessed it was nice to finally be in a relationship where no tantrums were thrown or someone storming out. For once I was calm and it made me happy.
I looked at the watch on my wrist and let out an exhausted sigh. Dad had asked me to stay for at least an hour, I had stayed for three. I was sure that would make him happy. It was not like my siblings or cousins were much fun since they were goofing off and most were with their partners.
Vasilisa, despite throwing a complete tantrum, was walking in the sunshine today since Christina had literally popped up hours before we had to leave for the party. They were glued to each other and even if I wanted to hang out with them, Christina would literally rip my head off.
That was how I sat by the table alone, randomly popping small macaroons in my mouth until I felt like I physically could not anymore. I was sure if I excused myself from Pa and Dad they would let me go. Plus I had promised Malia I would call her before she went to sleep which gave me two hours.
"Planning on leaving?" a voice startled me as I jolted in my seat to find Ethan standing a few inches from me.
His height forced me to crane my head back so I could meet his eyes, "Yes. I have commitments."
He nodded, "Well before you go would you like to dance with me?"
I stood up as I let out an exhausted sigh, "Ethan-"
"Just one dance, Demyan and you don't have to deal with me for the rest of the night, I can assure you."
"You're impossible," I shook my head.
"It's my party Demyan," he grinned, flashing me his perfect white teeth, "Just for old times sake. I'm sure it would make Uncle Ed happy to see us getting along for just a few minutes."
I pursed my lips as I looked away from him to look at Dad who gave me a small smile before he focused on his conversation with Uncle Yavok and his wife. It exhausted me to know how much effort I was willing to put to make him happy even if it meant I had to dance with Ethan for one song.
"Fine," I sighed, "One dance."
He gently took my hand in his, raised it up to his lips and kissed the back of my palm. A violent shiver ran down my spine as a quiet gasp left my lips. "Thank you Demyan."
I found myself unable to even utter a word as he led me to the dance floor where people immediately parted ways for us. My eyes were focused on the ground the entire time until we were standing in front of each other.
"Breathe Demy, I won't bite," he chuckled as his hand gently slipped down to hold my waist whilst he took my other hand in his. I had no choice but to place my hand on his strong broad shoulder that was covered by the perfectly tailored suit he was wearing.
I had been seeing him the entire night but it was only now I got a proper chance to look at him. Ethan never wore suits easily but when he did it was always breathtaking. His strong body that he spent hours perfecting in the gym made everything look good and this was no exception.
Since I had first had memory, Ethan had always had the same haircut. Short at the back and sides whilst the front was grown that perfect curtain bangs framed his face. Now, however, he had a small beard which made his chiselled jaw just look exceptional. His plump pink lips were formed in a permanent closed lip smile as he gently swayed us to the music.
"At least you still know how to dance," I grinned as I looked up to him.
"I'll never forget how to, especially with the amount of hours it took for you to teach me," he chuckled. "I've improved a lot since your eighteenth birthday."
My face flushed as I remembered the day as if it was yesterday, "Well I'm happy for you."
His hand slipped lower down my waist to the small of my back, he spread his fingers out and very gently pulled me closer so I was flush against his chest, "I almost forgot how perfectly your body fit against mine. Almost as if you were made just for me."
I turned to avoid his gaze as I looked down to the gold speckled floor, "Well I wasn't."
"I beg to differ," his deep chuckle caused a rumble in the air which immediately made me light headed as I remembered the sound that used to be my drug when we were still together. "I haven't been able to forget about you Demyan and I'm pretty sure you haven't forgotten about me either."
Demyan
"Ethan, we've talked about this," I gently pressed my hand against his chest in an effort to pull away from him but his hand resting on my lower back simply pushed me forward. I let out a small gasp when I felt the length of him against my lower stomach.
My entire face heated as I desperately closed my eyes and prayed for once in my life I chose sanity over anything else.
"Is something wrong?" his warm lips gently brushed the shell of my ear as I trembled against him.
"We talked about this," I had to do everything in my power to hold onto my resolve before I fell over the edge.
"I think you talked about it and agreed on my behalf. I can't accept it," his husky heavily accented voice made the hairs at the back of my neck stand in attention. I had travelled to so many places in the world and not once had I ever heard anyone who spoke close to him.
His words always rumbled when an 'r' came in and always had a quick tempo that somehow blended perfectly with his Dutch ancestors and the years he spent in South Africa where he mastered Afrikaans. It was always hypnotic and for a long time he would keep me under a spell when he spoke.
"Well I'm with Malia now," I protested as my hand moved from his shoulder to the back of his neck, "I have a girlfriend and I'm happy."
"If that were the case then why is your body reacting to me," his lips brushed the underside of my jaw forcing my lips to part, "It seems like you are trying to remind yourself that you're happy with Makil."
"Malia," I reprimanded, "You're very familiar with her name, don't pretend like you suddenly don't know who she is."
"I don't," he chuckled, "Because I don't think a trophy girlfriend who is in my space is worth familiarising myself with."
"You had the choice to fight for me Ethan and you blew it," I gripped the back of his neck as our eyes met for a fiery exchange, "You didn't even try. You moved on and no one bashed you when you had a girlfriend after we broke up."
He clenched his jaw as he looked away from me briefly, "I thought I wanted something I did not understand. I thought you were too young."
"The nine year age gap hasn't closed," I rolled my eyes as we still swayed to the music that I swore I barely heard over my frantic heartbeat. "We're still almost a decade apart, so you can't use the excuse that I was too young."
"Twenty was very young," he frowned, "You still needed to mature."
"You didn't seem to find a problem with that when I was in your bed. Don't talk about maturing to me," I glared, "I'm still the same person."
"You're different," he brushed his nose against mine, "We're different. Can't you feel it now? There's a new fire to us we've never experienced before."
"And that is why it will end with even worse results. Whenever we're together it always ends badly. Let's not make the same mistake again."
"You were too young Demyan, I was robbing you of life. I was twenty-nine turning thirty, it was wrong," he defended.
"So then what makes things different now?" I scoffed as I looked up to him, "Why now?"
"You've matured. You're more beautiful than I remember you being. I'm different, I've finally become everything I knew you needed. Someone to take care of you not just then as a manager, I worked hard to become CEO so I could provide for you. Give you the life I knew you deserved."
His words stunted me completely as I looked at him in shock. "You were good enough for me. I didn't care whether you were a manager or a clerk Ethan, I loved you."
"You still love me."
I shook my head, "You caused that boat to sail a long time ago."
"You're lying," he smiled, "Because not once has your eyes looked into mine when I asked you if you still love me. Demyan it's easy for you to say that you would have loved me either way but we both know how you grew up. You need stability, you need someone who can protect you when you're vulnerable and I couldn't give you the life you were used to with my old position."
"I have my own money and my own safety," I hissed, "I don't need a knight in shining armour."
"But I am your knight in shining armour," he argued, "Since you were a toddler Demyan. Even when I thought I just saw you as my little brother, I always protected you and now you're older and I need to learn how to protect you in new ways."
"Like breaking my heart time and time again," I almost cried, "You did a great job at ruining me."
His face fell as his hold on me became weaker which gave me the opportunity to peel myself off him, "Demyan, a lot was going on at that time. That was why I asked you for time."
I shook my head, "You wanted an excuse to leave me and figure out life for a while then wanted to come and reclaim your prize. Your land or whatever piece of territory you believe I am. If we are really soulmates you would have treated me better from the beginning because you knew I breathed for you."
It seemed my words finally rattled him in some way but I had no energy to continue this back and forth with Ethan. The only thing it would result in would be more pain and peeling the wounds and scabs I had worked so hard to heal with his absence.
If I dived into the pool of Ethan once again, I was sure this time it would drown me before I even got a chance to take my last breath.