𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 ⚔︎

15

the next morning, jesse was awakened by heavy footsteps in the hallway. he felt an unusual warmth around his torso and pressed against his back. a soft breath huffed down the nape of his neck.

he opened his eyes and looked down to see an arm around his waist. startled, he sat up, watching as giovanni's hand slid off of him. the other man peeled his eyes open and immediately took his arm away.

"sorry," giovanni said, laughing lightly.

"it's okay," jesse said, getting out of bed.

"what time is it?"

jesse glanced at the little antique clock on the bedside table. "it's nine."

"still an hour for breakfast," giovanni said, yawning. he stood up and stretched his arms out and up above his head, his eyes shut as he did so. jesse found it quite hard to look away as both of them were dressed only in their boxer briefs — the muscles in giovanni's arms bulged largely, his abdominals flexing like those of an olympic gymnast in training.

jesse cleared his throat and averted his eyes. "uh, yeah. i'm gonna go and get ready."

after a short breakfast, the boys checked out of the inn. they called a taxi to pick them up and they set off again to berezenki.

the roads were long and tedious as they drove through the rural southeast of moscow. thick trees of pine and spruce stood tall against a clouded grey sky. the entire landscape was painted with muted shades of sage green and brown, decorated by rolling hillsides and endless forests. when they veered off of the highway and onto the country roads, they went past countless fields, the corn and vegetables inside them steadily growing bigger for harvest. herds of cattle and sheep grazed in pastures with their offspring frolicking and playing beside them. when the main road got too busy, the taxi took them through shortcuts, passing by small, quaint villages and secluded hamlets. for the whole journey, jesse had gazed out of the window to take in the view. giovanni had been right: it was entirely different to new york. no wonder it had taken the young man so long to adjust! jesse could not imagine living in such a place as this. he thought it was a little bit too beautiful — perhaps there was something hiding underneath.

jesse turned to look at him. "when are you seeing natasha?"

giovanni squinted his eyes in thought. "tomorrow, i think. or maybe the day after," he said. "i'm going to call her today to ask what she prefers."

jesse playfully elbowed him in the side. "look at you, lover boy."

giovanni laughed. "do you want to come with me?"

"where? to moscow?"

"yes, to see natasha," giovanni said. "i figured it would probably be a bit awkward for you if you had to sit around the house all day with my father."

jesse was surprised at his suggestion. he had assumed that the two of them wanted to be alone. "well, yeah, if you're offering. i've never been before. i'd quite like to see it."

giovanni nodded with a small smile. "i think you'll like natasha. you're quite similar."

what the hell did he mean by that? jesse thought to himself. "oh, nice."

at just after lunchtime, the taxi arrived in berezenki, pulling onto the side of the road beside a field. giovanni payed the driver — very generously — and got out of the car with jesse, their suitcases in hand. the taxi sped off.

giovanni spent a few minutes looking at the house with a straight face, his heart rate getting faster as each second passed. eventually, collecting his thoughts, he crossed the wide, pot-holed road and opened the metal entrance gate, jesse shortly following him through. they walked up a dirt path, stones crunching underfoot, passing by a hen sitting on her eggs. the air was damp due to the thunderstorm last night, now moderately cool against their cheeks and the tips of their ears as they had been cooped up in that little car for so long. jesse popped the collar of his duffle coat in an attempt to ward the cold off.