Page 115 of You + Me – Against the World

“What about me?” Lily asks in a timid voice.

“No, leave me alone.”

Neither of them take any notice, coming into my room anyway. My little sister curls up at the foot of my bed, her knees pulled up under her chin. She tries to make herself as small as possible. My mother sits down beside me, brushing away the strands of hair stuck to my wet cheeks. I turn over and face away from her.

“Alma, listen to me. I think you’re old enough for us to have this conversation. And since Lily is here, she might as well hear it too. You both know that your father is not always the perfect husband. I believe his mistresses are now common knowledge.”

“Mistresses… plural?” Lily whispers indignantly.

“It doesn’t matter how many there are, how many there have been, or how many there will be. The only thing that matters is what I’m going to tell you now. I’ve asked myself these questions a billion times, questions that both of you will inevitably ask yourselves one day: Is my love strong enough to put up with this? Is my love big enough to get past this? Out of love, am I capable of forgiving? Am I ready to sacrifice myself?”

“You shouldn’t!” I hiss, turning back around.

“Alma, love makes you do extraordinary things. It sweeps everything away in its path. Reason, principles, pain, promises. It’s so powerful that there’s no way you can comprehend it until you actually feel it. It’s normal that it seems impossible for you to understand. But your father and I have loved each other for thirty years.”

“Well, he sure has a funny way of loving you,” my pouting sister blurts out.

“We don’t always love each other the way we want to,” my mother sighs. “But, Alma, it’s your turn to ask yourself the question now: Give up or keep loving? Run away or accept that you’ll suffer? You sacrificed yourself for Vadim; that’s the most beautiful proof of love. But you can’t spend the next three months moping or resenting him. If your love for him is strong enough, big enough, then you simply have to wait for him, endure his absence, and love him twice as much when he comes back. If it’s beyond what you can handle, then that love isn’t worth it. Only you can know.”

My mother stands up, her eyes glistening with tears. She places a kiss on the top of my head and walks out of my bedroom. The room falls silent again—until Lily dashes off, screaming hysterically, “I’m never going to love anyone! No one! Ever!”

My little Lily, if you only knew…

My mother’s words have stunned me. Trying to pull myself together, I sit up in bed, close my eyes, and visualize Vadim’s handsome face. Above all, I try not to forget a single detail. His wild hair, his piercing eyes, his smirk, and the small scar that crosses his lip. I could tell you exactly where it is, down to the tiniest fraction of an inch.

Fresh tears gather on my lashes. Will they ever stop?

“Alma?”

There is a soft knock at my door. Georgia pokes her head in, as she often does, but this time she has an odd expression on her face. It lacks the usual compassion I know her for, that almost maternal tenderness she shows whenever something happens to me or one of my siblings.

“Alma, there’s someone here for you. I sent them up.”

Probably Clémentine. Maybe she’s finally remembered she has a best friend.

“I dare you to stop crying.”

My heart pounds. I know that voice.

My heart races. I know it so well.

My heart bursts. I know that face; I was picturing it in my head just a minute ago.

“Vadim!” Screaming out of both joy and relief, I jump into his arms.

“Were you crying for me, Princess Lancaster of England?”

I sniffle and I give his broad back a little pat.

“You’re right, it was going to be way too cold in Russia,” he murmurs, holding me tight. “And I can’t begin to learn Russian when I’ve only just started getting to grips with French. That wouldn’t make any sense. Besides, I’ve got a short film to finish here. Abrams would have missed me too much. Who would he pick on if I wasn’t here, huh? And let’s not forget my brother—it would be a shame to lose the incredible bond we’re already forming! Those are more than enough reasons not to freeze my ass off.”

“So, you’re really staying?” I study him, incredulous.

“Yes. Michelle Kerry is going to find me other commercials. Who needs a movie when I’ve got such a bright, shiny future in shampoo?”

“Cut out the sarcasm already, Arcadi! Why are you here? Promise me you’re not going to regret this.”

“You + Me…” He whispers the magic formula in my ear, and I melt. “This time, I didn’t dare to follow my dream. Not without you, Alma.”