When We Were Young

Seventy-two: Present Day

Seventy-two:

Present day

They left the crow club and they walked together. He was surprised when Alina reached out and grabbed his hand. "Why did you come to the wedding, Aleks? I thought you and Mal still hated each other."

Aleksander sighed. "He reached out a few months ago. He mentioned he was engaged to someone, but he didn't say who."

Alina frowned. "Were you worried that it was me?"

Aleksander nodded. "I tried to forget you. I really did. I tried to forget you with Luda, but she wasn't you. No one was ever you."

She smiled up at him. "We were pretty spectacular, weren't we?"

"Yeah," he said softly, "we were. Are you safe? Are you well?"

"I'm safe," she said with a nod, "I'm...okay. I live with Genya, and I've been working as her nanny. I tried working as a cartographer, but everyone knows who I am now, and they're very reluctant to hire me because they don't want to go against the Queen. Everyone knows that I was supposed to marry Rasmus, that I didn't and that he.... well..."

"Died mysteriously after he kidnapped you?"

"Yes," said Alina, "but I swear, I didn't have anything to do with that."

He smiled softy at her. "Do you think I would care if you had? Alina, he took you from me. He ruined our life. I hope that that man rots."

"From what I'm told, he was taken care of."

"Who told you that?"

Alina smiled. "Tamar says hello."

"Ah. She at least always looked out for you, if nothing else."

"Well, it was her job."

"What about your grandfather?"

"He died, around the same time that I was taken. That was why it took so long for me to be found. There was no one that cared. My grandmother wanted me in Fjerda, married to Rasmus. As far as she was concerned, I was exactly where I was supposed to be. She didn't know what Rasmus was making me do and she didn't care."

"I'm sorry," he said, "you moved in with me, and that was when everything went wrong. If I hadn't let you live with me, maybe none of this would have happened."

She shook her head. "You can't think like that."

"Losing you is all I think about. I won't think about anything else, until I have you back. I need you in my life Alina."

"I told you that you could have me."

"I know you did," he said smiling, "and I love you for that. I love you. I always have, and I always will."

"Me too," she said, "can I ask you something though?"

"You can ask me anything."

"Can we not make our first date be at the wedding? It's already going to be hard enough. Everyone knows what happened, and I know they are going to ask a million questions. I just want to focus on our friends getting married."

He sighed. "You're really going to wait to make me be with you?"

She sighed. "I don't want to, but I've got the reception tonight and then I'm supposed to be back at the hotel for the night..."

He stared at her. "You've got a room?"

She blushed. "I do have a room."

"Well, you know the wedding is my destination tomorrow, too. I could stop by if you wanted me to. It wouldn't be so weird for me to do that. Would it?"

Alina smiled. "Aleks..."

"Come on, you are going to give me a second chance, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," she said, "but I don't think----"

He cupped her face, and he kissed her deeply. Alina laughed a little, and a mewling sound came from her. "Aleks," she whined. He pulled away and he stroked her chin with his finger.

"Come on, sweetheart. I haven't been with you for ages. I want you. I've needed you terribly for quite some time, Alina. Let me be with you. Let me how you how much I've missed you."

She sighed. Her eyes danced with mischief. "Okay. Fine. Come with me. I've got my car."

"Okay."

Alina held his hand, and the two of them headed back in the direction of The Crow Club. "There's my ride."

Aleksander's eyes widened as he saw the car that was there. "My car," he said, "I always wondered what the hell happened to it."

"Yeah, well, you let me drive it," she said, "and um, that was when he um...."

"When he took you," Aleksander said softly, "how did you get the car back?"

"I'm not too sure on that one. You'd have to ask Mal. I was unconscious for that part."

"Unconscious?"

"It was ages ago, Aleks."

"That doesn't mean that's still not worrisome."

She kissed him, and then she handed him his keys, still complete with the old Ravka U keychain on there. "I'll be nice and let you drive, sweetheart." She winked at him and went around to the side of the car.

Aleksander chuckled. "Saints, I've missed you. You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"You have no idea how much I've missed you," she returned, smiling at him.

They got into the car, and Aleksander drove them to the hotel with Alina giving him directions as they did. It gave them something to talk about. He still kept on waiting for someone to tell him that he couldn't be with her. He still remembered the time that they had driven together and someone from Fjerda had shot him. It had messed his shoulder up, made it so that he had to quite his football career, and it was a constant reminder of how he had lost Alina. He was not going to let the same thing happen again. No, he was playing for keeps, like he always had been.