Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Not too long after, Ania and Lia arrive. I stand up the second I see Lia walk into the room. She’s wearing faded blue jeans and a loose-fitting T-shirt that makes her look more beautiful and sexier, making me want her even more. It’s like the looseness of the T-shirt is begging for me to lift it, revealing her curvy body and her big, juicy tits.
“Lia,” I say.
She takes a few steps, her mouth slightly open. Her eyes are brimming with confusion. She wants me. She’s scared of me. She hates me for lying.
“Dimitri,” she whispers.
I almost grab and kiss her, but then Lia looks at Mikhail and Mila. “Hello.”
“Lia, this is Mikhail, my baby brother.”
“The better brother, you mean,” Mikhail says, standing and walking around the table, offering Lia his hand. “It’s a pleasure.”
“Likewise,” Lia says, smiling.
“And this is Mila,” I mutter. “The… woman I told you about.”
It’s like Lia struggles to look at Mila. Mila walks around the table with a nervous smile. She can probably sense the tension, too. They shake hands, and then everybody sits down. I sit next to Lia, leaving the head of the table empty out of some warped respect for my father, but mostly so I can feel Lia’s leg brushing against mine.
Yuri appears once everybody is seated, with perfect timing as usual. “What would everybody like to drink?”
The meal this evening is a hearty serving of pelmeni (dumplings with meat), vegetables, and garnish on the side.
“Wow,” Lia says after taking her first bite. “This tastes… just wow.” She cuts into another one.
I’ve got a big smile on my face, hearing the simple satisfaction in her voice.
“Yuri makes the best Russian cuisine,” Ania says.
“Better than my borscht?” I say, smirking at my little sister.
Ania giggles. “Isn’t that supposed to be a soup? Yours was more of a sludge, no offense.”
Everyone laughs, and Ania looks proud of herself. Her cheeks turn red, and she stares at her food like she’s done something wrong.
“I’ll let you be the judge next time,” I say, winking at Lia.
She smiles at me like it’s a reflex, an automatic response she didn’t choose. Then she frowns like she’s pissed at herself for smiling so easily. I get it; not long ago, she saw me kill a man. I twisted her whole worldview into a new shape.
“Why don’t you tell everybody about your video game?” I ask Mikhail after a couple of minutes of silence.
Typically, I don’t mind eating in silence. That’s usually the way I prefer to eat. I can shovel the food down and then get on with whatever work I need to do or hit the gym. Apart from Bratva functions, where socializing is forced, dinner is usually just a necessary chore. Yet now, with Lia here, I feel like I need to try.
“My video game,” Mikhail says, rolling his eyes. “I don’t think anyone cares, brother.”
“I do,” Ania says.
“So do I,” Mila says, again looking at Mikhail in a way that won’t end well for her. Selfishly, if I read her correctly, and she does have a crush, I’ll be relieved more than anything. It’s better that she wants him than me, even if it’ll cause issues for Mikhail when he eventually tells her no.
“It’s a small game,” Mikhail says. “I’ve been playing with the tools for years. It’s a 2-D side scroller rogue-like,” he smirks. “Does that make sense to any of you?”
“Nope,” I say, laughing.
“Basically, you go through a level, get your ass beat, then try again with better gear and skills, get your ass beat, and repeat.”
“Sounds just like life,” I mutter.
“Exactly,” Mikhail says. “Just with worse graphics.”
“What’s the setting?” Mila asks.
“An orphanage.”
Beside me, Lia stiffens. She was bringing her fork to her mouth, but she paused. It’s like a jolt of ice moves through her whole body, making her rigid.
“Are you okay?” I whisper.
Lia shakes her head quickly. I can read her better every single moment we spend together. She’s not saying, No, I’m not okay. She’s saying, Please don’t ask me about this.
Mikhail gives me a look, asking if he should go on. Before I can reply, Lia speaks in a sharp, almost angry tone. “Why an orphanage?”
“The story of the game is minimalist,” Mikhail says. “It’s about a young orphan trying to escape the home. Hence, the abilities improve each time until they can finally escape.”
“But why there?” Lia persists.
“Hmm, I don’t know,” Mikhail says. “It just felt like the right choice.”
“Like you with your painting, Lia,” I say. “He just listens to his muse…”
She says nothing, cutting into her food. Ania watches her with her typically empathetic, curious expression. She’s probably come to the same conclusion I have, but this isn’t the best time to speak about it.
“You’re a painter?” Mila asks Lia.
Lia glances at her, her expression cold, but then she smiles. Lia is doing a lousy job of hiding her real feelings, taking a long time to put her shield up. “Yeah, I’m trying to be,” she says.