The Sinner's Saint

THE WEEK 2/2

End of June

THURSDAY
I'm in the middle of deep cleaning all three kids' rooms, laundry included, when Viktor texts me saying when I'm done I should go do something because he's got the afternoon with his kids. Questionable so I ask questions until I'm satisfied. He just wants to spend time with them. Fair enough.

After I finish everything I text the kids to let them know what's up and leave.

I have a whole productive afternoon planned out. Shoot some Content, some studio time, answer brand emails I've been avoiding. My manager was genuinely impressed when I ran it by him and that man is impossible to impress so I felt good about it.

I get through most of it until Lev calls at 4:15.

Are you free?

Very much not a question more like verify what ik.

Yh
whats up

Come over. Please.

Shit he aint gotta tell me twice.

He doesn't have to tell me twice.

I cab over and walk up to his house. He opens the door already walking back toward the kitchen, no greeting, just the door and then his back. I leave my shoes in his unnecessarily beautiful entryway cabinet and follow.

He is cooking, or at least preparing to cook. The counter is covered in things arranged in that way of his that looks chaotic but has a system. He hands me a knife and points at a pile of vegetables without explanation.

"What are we making?" I ask washing my hands.

"Food."

"Lev."

"Just cut them." Don't tell me what to do.

Anyway, I cut them and He cooks. We move around each other in the kitchen smoothly, like we just know each other's radius by heart. His kitchen is genuinely stunning and I've told him this a bajjilion times and he always receives the compliment the same way, like I told him his ceiling is an acceptable height. he just nods and moves on.

An hour later we're eating at the island. Something good obviously because he cooks the way he does everything else, thoroughly and without asking for credit. There's a show on in the background that neither of us is watching.

We all know what happened with William except him. To be fair no one knows except my best friend but yh, I've just been figuring out what I want to say and in what order and specifically how to say it to him.

"Fine," I shrug, keeping my eyes on my plate.

Lev doesnt say anything, but I feel him detect it because hes just like that. He looks at me for one beat longer than usual and then looks back at the screen.

He doesn't push, He never pushes. He just leaves a door open and waits near it. I change the subject and He lets me like he always does.

An hour later we've cleaned up and we're in the living room building a LEGO set. He knows exactly what to do with me. Something's on TV in the background but neither of us is watching that either.

He is quiet in a particular way like hes thinking of a lot of something. Same as Sasha except Sasha eventually just spews everything. Anyway, I don't point it out instead let him arrange it in his head.

Then he says, "I called Emiliano this morning." My LEGO piece drops to the carpet, not dramatically. My hand just stops moving because my brain needs a second to process what I just heard. I look at him. He's still putting pieces together, eyes on the instructions, completely unbothered, like he just told me he switched phone carriers.