Page 131 of Taken By My Grumpy Pakhan

“I’ve waited enough and wasted enough time with her. This is far too overdue.”

He lifted the hand carrying his glass, pointing to me with his index finger. “Remind me to teach you the ways of the heart and how to talk before you go see her. This can’t be the tone you intend to use with her.”

I sent him a warning look. “I’m very capable of speaking to my woman myself.”

“Yup. And where did that land you?”

I ignored his jab. I’d long realized he was thoroughly enjoying watching me suffer, and I stopped giving into his weak baiting after he advised that I call a performer to recite original poems written by me at her doorstep.

Thank goodness Lev was there to talk my desperate self out of the foolery.

“Get the jet ready,” I said, getting back on my feet. “We leave tonight.”

Nikolai smirked, followed by a half bow. “As you wish.”

It was a six-hour flight, but it somehow felt like an eternity.

Ever since Genevieve was rescued from Svetlana, I’d spent every waking and sleeping hour searching for ways to get her to speak to me without being too intrusive.

I’d gone as far as contacting her best friend and was threatened with cutlery.

Everything seemed to fall apart, and I enlisted every trick in the book till Nikolai came up with his genius solution of giving her a break, like I hadn’t already thought of it.

Breaks were fine, but what if she moved on within that time? What if she mistook my space for nonchalance? Everyone knew it was best to strike while the iron was hot.

But after so many failed attempts, I resolved to try a different way, but even then, I couldn’t completely stay away.

With the issue of her forgiveness on pause, I had the time to look into other things.

It was safe to say the flight was my first time being idle since the event, and the thoughts I’d been running from were beginning to close in.

Coward.

The word haunted every corner of my brain. I heard it first thing in the morning, last before I slept, and most times, I’d wake in a pool of my own sweat with it echoing in my head.

Coward.

At first, I wasn’t sure what it meant; I was the man who never hesitated or showed fear, but with every new letter I sent Genevieve, it became clearer. I was indeed a coward.

The admission wasn’t an easy feat for a man of my calibre to accept, but I was no liar.

The truth is, things only got this far because of my failure to admit to what was in front of me and take responsibility for whatever followed.

I dragged my palm through my hair, fisting hard to give the inner turmoil somewhere to go before I punched a hole through something.

Lev had gone behind my back to empty the bar of all forms of alcohol before the flight, and now, I had to deal with my emotions with a clear head.

It was not something I would recommend to anyone.

“We’ll be landing in fifteen minutes,” the pilot announced, causing a sleeping Nikolai to crack open his eyes.

“Where are we?”

“Wonderland,” Lev replied with a stone face.

He sent Lev a death glare, stretching his frame out on the makeshift sofa.

Lev barely acknowledged his gaze, turning to me almost immediately. “What’s the plan, Pakhan? You’ve barely spoken.”