Falling Fast

Chapter 34 - Almost lover

Papa Nikolai’s was once again quiet when we got there. There were a couple of couples in there obviously on dates and, honestly, that’s what this place was geared towards. It was the perfect romantic setting. Then we walked in laughing at Dan tripping over his shoelaces because he’d been too lazy to tie them up and we ruined the atmosphere completely.

“I was beginning to think you’d forgotten our deal,” Papa Nikolai jovially called.

“Srtasvoystseeia,” Dad said.

“That’s not how you say it, Dad. Idiot points all the same,” I said and took over with the Russian. “Good evening, how are you?”

Papa Nikolai’s face completely lit up and he kissed my hand. “Very well thank you!” he replied, also in Russian. “These are your parents? Your mother is very beautiful. Ah, but you did not tell me your name when you were here last.”

“Zoey. This is my Dad, Peter. My mother, Ellen and you remember Dan.”

“Of course, of course,” he said shaking Dan’s hand and reverting to English. He’d shaken Dad’s hand too, but kissed Mum’s. She was still blushing. “Nice to meet you all. Here, I show you a table. You all want blini?”

He sat us close to the counter and offered to put our coats on the hooks that were on the nearby wall. I didn’t like the idea of coats on hooks in a public place, but according to Lexie there were a few restaurants like that in Russia and they were situated so close to the table the people were sat at so pick-pocketing wasn’t normally a problem.

“What can I get for you?” he asked and got a note pad out.

“Time to show off, Zoey,” Dad said.

I looked over to him panicking a little. I’d never spoken Russian with anyone outside of my class until just a few moments ago and now he wanted me to order dinner? Oh what the hell. I ordered the first round of blini in what I hoped was perfect Russian.

“How you English pick up accent I do not know,” he said with an amused shake of his head. “It was perfect.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

“She has a test tomorrow,” Mum explained. “Been revising hard all week.”

“It is working for her I see. I come back in few minutes.”

“See, nothing to worry about,” Dan said and elbowed me.

“Apart from reading and writing.”

“You’ll be fine,” Mum soothed. “Try not to think about it tonight. Ok? Isn’t this place lovely, Peter?” she asked Dad to get off the topic.

“It’s great! But… what are these seats made out of?”

“Velvet,” I automatically supplied. “High quality velvet. I think it’s the stuff you can get from the place I get my fabric from. Oh, speaking of, Mum, they’re having a lace sale and I thought we could go and see if there’s any you like.”

“What for?” she asked.

“Wedding dress.”

Her eyes sparkled. It was weird how exited about this she was when for years she’d been so against it. “Saturday? We can go for a spa too.”

“Yes!” I said slapping both palms on the table and leaning forward. “After this week I need it.”

“We should watch DS9 and ENT,” Dad said to Dan.

“Ok!” Mum and I laughed together.

“We won’t talk about weddings or spas if you didn’t go all nerdosaurous on us,” I said.