𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙩 - 𝙔𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍𝙀 𝙓 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙍 ✓

34.

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"Wait... what do you mean...?" I question, slipping out of his arms and pushing him back. She does his little, short exhale from his nostrils, holding his laughter. 

"Nothing, nothing... ignore me," Stanislav chuckles to himself, before his eyes flicker from me, back to the reception's front door. "I'm going to get a drink, you don't mind, do you...?" He taunts. I grit my teeth, wiping the tears from my face and sniffling to compose myself. 

"I do," I state. but he only flashes a smile before making his way to the door, turning the doorknob and letting himself into the reception once more without a care for my feelings or opinion. I follow behind him, my stomach stirring in uncomfortable anger and anxiety as he allows himself inside once more.

The music is blaring, the guests are chatting and laughing. Everyone seems unphased until they turn to see Stanislav's tall, dark-clothed figure enter once more, then me following closely behind with cautiousness. Leila's head turn's, also watching and staring with cautious worry. 

I follow Stanislav as he makes his way towards the bar area, serving himself. He pours some wine in a wine glass, swirling it in his grasp before sipping down. As he sips, I see Leila's figure approaching. Her heels click as she grows closer, a forced smile on her face as she speaks to me.

"Y/N, your back! we thought we were gone forever," She chuckles, pulling me into a tight hug and cautiously wiping the tear stains from my face. She knows something happened, but isn't going to ask. She's not the type to push when it's not asked for. 

Her gaze flickers from me to Stanislav, she's weary, careful. But she knows how to put on a front when needed. "Hello, I'm Leila, Y/N's maid-of-honour, and you are?" She flashes a fun smile, sipping from her own wine glass as she crosses her other hand over herself in defence. 

Stanislav's gaze lowers to meet Leila's, dark, and cold. He's analysing her within the second he locks gaze on her figure. He's glazing over her voice, how she speaks, her body language, everything. I can see it in his eyes, and it makes my heart pound through my chest worriedly. 

He moves his wine glass from his lips, glaring into her. "Stanislav." He states quite firmly, and I watch how her face very slightly shifts. Her eyebrows for a split-second lift and drop, and I know this doesn't pass Stanislav by. He tilts his head, slowly turning from her, to me, back to her. 

"Oh, that's such a cool name, so, Russian, right?" She guesses, and he very slowly nods. I watch cautiously as she speaks to Stanislav, and how she shifts around him. "Why do you ask,... Lei-la." He extenuates and almost sneers her name, something of disgust or annoyance laced in his voice. His tongue flicks against his front teeth harshly as he sneers the second part of her name, clearly unimpressed. His face is tense, arched brows, furrowed. His gaze is dark and low. 

"Because I'm curious about you, Stan-is-slav." She mocks, and I watch as his eyebrow shoots up. He didn't like that. He didn't like how she's defensive over him, and clearly so. She's not meek or shy with it, just by the way she's speaking, she's very obviously holding a protective demeanour. 

Stanislav's posture straightens, he's defensive now also. I'm going to be sick; I feel like a nervous wreck. "Leila, let's just go...-" I urge quietly, worried because I know if this continues, she's going to start something that I won't be able to finish. "No, No..." She assures, flashing a condescending smile towards Stanislav. 

"I want to know more about you, Stanislav."

He cocks an eyebrow, jaw tight and a deadpan face. "I'm sure you do." 

She stares, chuckling a little for a moment. "What's with you? you look like you've seen a war," She jokes about his deadpan expression, and it doesn't shift in the slightest as she laughs. Hearing her mock him in this way is only making me more and more terrified, I can't predict what could happen in any way. 

"Maybe I just don't like you."

His words strike her train of thought, and she only begins to laugh more. Oh god. What is going on. She's not scared to be so passive aggressive around a man that could snap at any given moment, and that's what scares the hell out of me. Because I've seen him snap, and it's the most horrifying thing to witness. 

"You're so funny," She continues to giggle and snicker, and my eye's move from her to Stanislav's flat, blunt face which begins to slightly switch and contort into annoyance. "I'm not trying to be funny; I don't like you." He states once more, and she only finds this humorous. 

"You know, you'd be a lot more attractive if you smiled more," She comments with snide, and my jaw slightly drops. Stanislav's eyes lift wide for a moment before relaxing back down, and I tug at the side of her dress. She's going to cause all of our deaths; I swear to God. 

"Your quite rude," He expresses, and she rolls her eyes. "You're the one who barged into my best friend's wedding, obviously made her cry, and now your here, drinking our wine." She comments with passive aggression, and he only continues to sip from the wine glass in his grasp. 

"What are you trying to prove?" He questions, and her train of thought is completely taken off the rails. She chokes on her thoughts for a moment, then her words as she grows defensive. "I-I'm not trying to prove anything...!?" She scoffs, and he's unconvinced. "Then you don't need to call Y/N your 'best friend' every time you speak about her. You wouldn't have to constantly remind me of how utterly close you are to her if you didn't have things to hide." 

It never ceases to surprise me for how scarily easily it is for Stanislav to demolish someone's walls and seep under their skin. I told her, he can see through anyone. Now she sees it. 

I glance at Stanislav, then to her, and back to him. "What...?" I question, what does he mean? things to hide? he barely knows Leila, what's he talking about? my thoughts race and ponder, and I notice how Leila's demeanour has shifted. She's not defensive anymore, she's just dismissive. 

I watch as she attempts to collect her thoughts and speak, but the sight of my husband Ryle catches my glance. He's approaching me, with a casual smile on his face. 

I'm scared, I'm scared to see how Stanislav will interact with my husband. 

Ryle flashes a larger smile and takes me into a tight embrace, and Leila forces a smile to dismiss Stanislav's lasting words. "There you are," Ryle chuckles as he hugs me, hand around my waist as he stands beside me. He meet's Stanislav's gaze, looking up to him and holding a hand out to shake. 

"Hey, you must be from Y/N's side, I'm Ryle, Y/N's husband," Ryle smiles genuinely, my gut turning and my chest pounding overwhelmingly. Stanislav stares coldly, darkly. I watch cautiously as Stanislav's hand seeps out of his slack pocket, reaching to my husband's hand and shaking it slowly. He moves the glass away from his lips and my stomach churns to the sight. 

Stanislav's original deadpan expression shifts into a charming, welcoming smile. 

"Yes, congratulations on your marriage, I'm Stanislav."

His voice isn't in any way aggressive, it's smooth and velvety, calm and collected. 

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