It’s gorgeous.
Mainly because of the sleek, mahogany bed and the stunning blue-and-green Persian carpet rolled over most of the teak wood floors. I walk through the maze of it, running my feet through the shag and trying not to squeak with delight too obnoxiously.
“Oh my God! This is—”
“I thought you’d like it.”
I yelp. When I turn around, I realize that Svetlana is gone…
And Uri is standing in her place.
He’s even more dazzling in the light, which is highly annoying. I’m just gonna have to try not to look directly at him. A little pinky swear from me to me.
“Thanks for the room,” I mumble shyly. “It’s beautiful.”
“Just so you know, the windows and doors lock from the outside.”
I roll my eyes, all sense of gratitude immediately vanishing. “Where am I going to run? This place is a fortress and I live right next door. I have nowhere to go.”
“This coming from the woman who scaled my fence to retrieve a package.”
“One time.”
“Once is enough.”
I purse my lips. “You’re really gonna lock me up in here?”
I’m fully prepared to argue but he surprises me with a compromise I’m not expecting. “You will be locked in your room only at night. During the day, you have freedom of the house and the gardens.”
“Oh… okay.”
“There is one condition.”
“You mean apart from the condition of not running away?” He scowls, so I sigh deeply. “Alright. Hit me.”
“On certain weekends, you will be required to go back down to the basement.”
“On certain weekends?”
He nods. “That’s nonnegotiable.”
“Can I know why?”
“No,” he replies curtly, putting an end to any further questions.
I get the feeling that the kiss we shared in the basement might be the reason he’s being so brusque with me right now. Maybe I’d gotten a little too close. A little too vulnerable.
“I’ll leave you now,” he says with a weird, stiff formality.
“But you won’t lock the door, right?”
The corner of his mouth edges up and he makes a show of leaving it halfway open. It’s not total freedom.
But it’s something.
And boy, is it something!
After almost a week in that basement, freedom of the house feels like America after a lifetime in a Siberian prison camp.
I can breathe again!
I can feel the sunlight on my skin again!
I can touch the grass underneath my feet again!
My first day of freedom is spent lying on the rolling green lawn like I’m starring in a Sound of Music remake, gazing up at the sky and counting clouds and humming under my breath.
At some point, I sit up and realize that the living room blinds are drawn back. There’s a ripple on the side and Lev’s face pops up for a second. He catches sight of me, his eyes go wide, and then he disappears as fast as he came.
Smiling, I peel myself off the lawn and walk barefoot back into the living room. Lev is crouching by the edge of the windows, making no secret of the fact that he was spying on me.
Something he has in common with his big brother.
“Hey, Lev!”
He flinches, his body curving inwards. He looks like he wants to make himself smaller. I approach him carefully, making sure to keep the sofa between us. “I’m glad to see you again.”
He swallows. “Why?”
“Because I enjoyed spending time with you.”
He blushes red. “Why aren’t you in the basement?”
“Your brother agreed to let me out for a breather. I was missing the sun.”
“I hate the sun. It’s too bright.”
“It’s life-giving, Lev. If it weren’t for the sun, it’d be dark and cold and scary all the time.” I inch towards him a little, watching his face the whole time to see if I tread too close. “But I’ve seen you go outside sometimes. When you play football with Uri.”
“It’s our quality time,” he recites in a mumble.
I smile. Something about big, scary Uri inviting his younger brother out for “quality time” makes me feel all warm and squiggly inside. “Would you like to come outside right now and spend some quality time with me?”
He stiffens instantly and his gaze darts towards the closed blinds. “Now?”
“I’ll tell you what: we can make a happy compromise. We’ll find a blanket and I’ll put it under the big tree in the corner so you’re not directly under the sun. How’s that?”