The Shadows of Diplomacy

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Alexei had brought Arya flowers. "So how was your weekend?" He stepped inside her home.

Arya eyed the flowers, she was starting to cultivate resentment towards his romantic gestures, knowing that he hid dark secrets.

"Is it the colour?" Alexei asked.

"What?"

"You look disappointed."

"No, sorry, they're perfect. I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what?" He sat on a stool by the kitchen counter. "May I please have some water?"

Arya put the roses on the counter in front of Alexei, approaching the cupboard to get a glass. She poured him some water, then her eyes met his icy pair that were watching her expectantly. Arya did not know what to say. "About my weekend... I hated spending it without you." She was good at thinking on her feet. "How was yours?"

"Boring. I just had some meetings... you know, regular stuff. Reinforcing Russia's foreign policy and updates on their positions about the war..."

"Oh, ok. Well, how are you?"

"I'm great. How are you?" He had a kind and easygoing countenance like Arya was used to, but as she looked at him, Markus' words echoed through her brain and she wondered if Alexei really could harm her. She thought about coming clean, seeking protection from him, the man she still loved, but she felt afraid. He had drugged her before to keep her away from his secrets, he had cursed at her in public, and he had gotten so angry that he just had to hit something: These were red flags. Arya thought, 'What if he's not at all the man I knew, and he has been pretending all this time? What if he's really capable of killing me? What if the only way to assure my safety is to betray him? Should I just confess now? No — too risky.'

"I'm fine." Arya finally said.

"Okay..." Alexei drawled. "Let's go out to eat."
Despite Arya's recent revelations about Alexei, she loved him nonetheless. A part of her was entirely rejecting what she had discovered so that she could keep seeing him in the innocence she had before. It was Monday evening, and after having gotten dressed, she went out to eat with him. They were both uncertain of the fate of their relationship, they knew that ending it now would spare them unwanted complications, but neither was willing to walk away. They ate in almost perfect silence, and then it was time to go. As they approached Alexei's parked car, Alexei saw a figure running away, he took off after him. Arya froze in a mixture of shock and confusion. She watched as Alexei chased after the man, dodging people scattered in the street. In a desperate attempt to escape from Alexei, the man attempted to beat a passing car to cross the street. Alexei halted on the tip of his toes mere inches away from the car, and the man was on the ground, crouching in pain from having just been hit. Arya walked up quickly, watching from the sidewalk.

Alexei approached the man who was struggling to get to his feet, and as he was nearly there Alexei kicked at the back of his legs, causing him to crouch once more. He took the man by the collars of his black jacket. "Who are you?"

The man smirked devilishly looking straight into Alexei's eyes. Alexei growled, punching the man in the face. "Who are you?"

The man refused to answer, by this time the driver had exited his vehicle and was approaching them. Alexei was punching him over and over, repeating the question "Who are you?"

"Hey! Hey! That's enough." The driver said, easing Alexei off of the man, but Alexei's grip on the man's clothes was firm.

"What the fuck did you do to my car?"