Chapter 48: Chapter 48

Dimitri

" So she was forced to marry him? " I was sitting next to Lauren as she explained to me the plot of a soap opera we were watching.

" Exactly, and now she is finding out that he is not as bad as she thought," she declared.

I frowned, not understanding how this was possible.

" He's not so bad, he's just going to kill her if she tries to leave? “

That comment made the woman laugh beside me.

" I know, that doesn't make any sense," she laughed along with me.

We were silent again, concentrating on the unfolding of the plot. It had been a few hours since Blair had gone to the hospital to monitor her father's surgery, leaving me there with her mother.

" Anxious? " I asked after a few minutes of silence.

" She hasn't given any news yet.”

"That's good," I assured her in an attempt to tranquilize her.

" How exactly can not hearing from the person you love be good? " she gave me a cross look.

" Bad news comes fast, so if you haven't heard anything yet, it's because so far everything is going well.”

She shook her head in understanding, then shut up again. I checked the time, it was already lunchtime.

" What do you want to eat today? " I asked, preparing to order.

" Is this really necessary? " she groaned in reply.

" Mrs. Ozkan, remember our agreement.”

" You call that an agreement? I call it attempted poisoning," she muttered.

I couldn't help but laugh at the look on her face. Thank God Blair left for the hospital before we could try that salad yesterday, because it was the worst thing I've ever eaten!

" Don't be exaggerated, you didn't even get to taste it, and you agreed to go back to eating your favorite dishes made by good chefs.”

" You told me that either I would do this or you and Blair would cook for me every day!”

" And I meant it, so you'd better pick the restaurant," I winked at the woman.

She mumbled something intelligible before turning her attention back to the TV screen.

" I know anxiety often takes away our appetite, but you need to do this for your husband and Blair.”

Mostly for Blair, I thought to myself, trying another approach with the woman. She took a deep breath, giving me an exhausted look.

" Come on, what do you want to eat?”

" Anything with lentils," she sighed defeated.

Lentil. Great, I know exactly what to order.

" On my last visit Blair introduced me to the best red lentil soup in Istanbul. What do you say? " I proposed, receiving a restrained smile in return that I took as permission to order.

I concentrated on finding the restaurant online while I felt the woman's gaze on me.

" Thank you, Commander Voitovich.”

" No need to thank me, it's not as if I am cooking for you,  and you can call me Dimitri" I assured her as I looked at the restaurant menu.

" Well, I should thank you for staying out of my kitchen, in fact I'll thank you if you and Blair stay out of any kitchen for the rest of your lives.”

All right, I can't take her point away, that salad made me consider never tasting avocados again in my life.

" But that's not what I'm thanking you for, it's Blair, this has all been hard on her, and she needed a little care too," she explained.

I looked away with a small smile on my face.

" That was nothing, I am her friend after all.”

" I know why you did it, and it wasn't out of friendship," she shrugged.

Lauren was pleasant company; at first I felt a little out of place being alone with her, but it only took a few minutes in her company to discover what made Lauren Ozkan the favorite mother of Blair's group of friends.

She was funny, entertaining, and had a distinct sense for dealing with sensitive subjects, something that made it impossible to escape, no matter how much we wished to.

" And how would you know this? " I feigned disinterest, remaining with my gaze fixed on the cell phone screen.

" Well, for starters, Abigail is my daughter's oldest friend, and she didn't get on a plane and come to her aid. How did you know? As far as I know, you two haven't kept in touch.”

" My cousin told me the last time I called," I explained.

" And then you got on a plane," she added.

I merely offered her a wry smile in response. What did she want me to say? That I was pathetic enough not to be able to get over my ex-girlfriend?

" Have you guys talked? " she insisted.

" I promised her that I wouldn't bring it up, I really only came here to help her," I nodded.

" And you're going to miss this chance without even trying?”

Miss the chance. That's a good one! What chance does she think I have? All right, I'm not the same as I was five months ago, but that won't help if she still has the same thought.

" Sometimes trying is no use, patience is all I can do," I took a deep breath, "if she's willing to try one more time, I'll be waiting, but I can't force her into anything.”

My answer seemed to have been enough for the woman, who turned her attention back to the unfolding plot on TV. We remained silent for a few minutes until she spoke again.

" You are a good man, Commander Voitovich… Dimitri... The kind worth fighting for. If my daughter doesn't see it, another woman will," she assured me, bringing the subject to a close.

I know that this sentence was meant to comfort me, but it served no purpose.

I didn't want someone to fight for me; if that were the case, I would be with Olga. I just wanted Blair to be willing to stand by me, if that makes sense.

We didn't take up that subject again for the rest of the afternoon. We watched TV programs together and waited for news. It was almost dark when Blair called us, letting us know that everything had gone well and that her father was recovering. She was just waiting to be released to see him postoperatively.

That news was like a balm to Lauren, who recovered her spirits almost immediately. She would have gotten up and cooked Blair's favorite dish if I hadn't stopped her, so she settled for buying food from her favorite restaurant.

My former mother-in-law's happiness was visible when her daughter came home. I stayed with them, but I couldn't share the same joy at that moment.

Not when it was time to say goodbye to Blair for good. That huge emptiness took over my being, distressing me. I had missed her for so long, how could I say goodbye one more time?

As time went by my agony only increased, until finally it was time to say goodbye. I hoped with all my strength that Blair would say something during our farewell.

She led me to the door, stepping out into the hallway with me.

" What time are you boarding tomorrow? " she asked a little awkwardly.

" Eight o'clock.”

She took a deep breath, looking away at my answer.

Come on, Blair, I promised I wouldn't talk, but if it comes from you.

" Thanks for everything, Commander. I don't know what I would have done if it weren't for you, I have no way of repaying you," she steadied her voice, which threatened to falter, lifting her face to look into my eyes.

My heart squeezed at hearing that sentence.

" I didn't do it expecting something in return, don't worry," I assured her, looking away.

She launched herself toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck, and I didn't hesitate as I returned the hug, inhaling her citrus scent.

" I'll never forget this, Dimitri," she whispered, causing me to close my eyes and take a deep breath, containing the urge to kiss her.

I pulled away from her at a safe distance, causing her to give me a wry smile, looking uncomfortable with the situation.

" I hope you'll go back to posting pictures of the cities you visit, I used to love it," she asked.

" It will take me a while to get back out of Russia, I've been reassigned to domestic flights," I replied without much thought.

Blair stared at me in surprise at the information and I mentally reproached myself for my slip. I didn't want her to know that the price for these days off had been to cover the vacancy of a pilot who would be retiring in a few days.

" Domestic flights? Why?”

" I'm going to cover for a friend for a while," I blurted out.

She watched me suspiciously before deciding to accept my answer. Without much thought I leaned over, kissing her cheek for a few seconds before pulling away completely.

" Bye, Blair.”

She nodded, saying nothing as I walked away, trying to control my breathing.

What I am left with now is the hope that she will for some reason go back on her decision. As I told Lauren earlier, I can't force her into something she doesn't want.

My biggest surprise was taking my phone out of airplane mode after landing in St Petersburg, and finding a selfie of Blair on the balcony of her parents' apartment.

"I doubt you have a landscape as beautiful as this, Commander.”

A feeling of nostalgia came over me as I received that message, reminding me of when we first met, I never would have imagined how much I would fall in love with that woman back then.

But then confusion, and soon, hope took over me. What did this gesture mean? Has she changed her mind? Does she want to start over? Or is it just a gesture of friendship?

Putting those uncertainties aside for a moment, I did the only thing in my power, I took a picture of the airport arrivals area, sending it to Blair afterwards.

" It may not be as pretty, but I like it anyway."

I sent the message with a small smile on my face, putting the cell phone away before heading home.