Betrothed (currently being edited)

Chapter 60-Feeling Alone

Dimitri's car: 1968 Shelby GT500

More than two weeks after the incident at Zeus things were back to normal; except Dimitri and I.  He was back to workaholic mode and I hadn't seen him in about that time.  Coming in at all hours, I would feel him in bed, he would always put his arms around me but we hadn't had a regular conversation that wasn't a text message, voice mail, or a single syllable and we hadn't been intimate in as long.  I was feeling alone and I didn't like this feeling.  I could go back to New York and be alone there.  Thursday when I got up to go to work I packed a bag, I was going to Moscow.  I needed a mom so I called Natasha.  I broke down and cried and she was so sweet about it, she had been through this many times and I thought perhaps she could help me get through this without losing my mind.  Anatoly was away on business so it would just be us.

It was 4:30 already and Liam brought the car around and when he got out to open my door I asked him to take me to the landing strip.  He looked surprised and confused.  "Uh, does Dimitri know?"  I sighed and snapped "I can do things without his permission, I am an adult!"  "Sorry Carina.  I will take you."  I sighed again.  "No Liam.  I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have snapped at you.  I'm just frustrated."  He nodded sympathetically but said "If he asks me I won't lie to him Carina".  I said I wouldn't ask him to do that and betray Dimitri's trust.  Dimitri would probably lose his mind finding our bed empty tonight.  For some reason I couldn't stop myself from looking at my phone every 5 seconds, but nothing.  I sighed and threw the hateful thing back on the table, put my earbuds in and listened to Pink Floyd; that seemed to be the only thing I enjoyed these days.  I must have slept the entire two hours because the flight attendant was gently shaking my shoulder telling me that we had landed.  I grabbed my bag and stepped from the plane into an awaiting car sent by Natasha and we sped off to her house.

Thirty minutes later we were pulling into their great driveway and up to the house.  Natasha was waiting for me on the porch with arms wide open.  "Come here my dear" she said softly.  This was what I needed.  We just stood there for a moment then we went inside.  We went into the sitting room and she fixed us a drink.  I was a bit surprised as I didn't think his mom drank alcohol.  "Oh yes my dear" she started "I do indulge ever once in a while; it's a simple pleasure sometimes."  I nodded in agreement.  "Now, tell me what's brought you here looking like you lost your best friend."  I laughed at the irony of what she said.  "Well I do feel like I've lost my best friend" I said.  I explained about what happened the night we went to Zeus, that after all that time since I hadn't really seen Dimitri, I might get a brief phone call maybe a text and we hadn't been intimate in that time either.  "I just feel like if I'm going to be lone I'd be better off back in New York."  She studied me for a moment and then spoke.  "First off I know how you feel.  I went through this twice; once with Dimitri's father and with Anatoly.  I can tell you this, it would break Dimitri's heart if you left and went back to New York.  He's a workaholic my dear.  I'm sure you've figured that out.  But Carina that man loves you, so much.  I've never seen him so in love with anyone.  He lives and breaths for you.  This business is all he knows.  He's been doing it alone, and what I mean by that is without a mate or partner, since he was 21.  This is new for him to dorogoya.  I can see both sides having been on both sides.  You just have to gently remind him sometimes that he has men that can take care of things for him; that's why they are called employees."  Her words made sense and they made me feel better.  We talked some more and then she said "Come.  I want to show you something."

Dimitri was about to lose his mind.  He had Marco bring him by Fusion only to find out that Carina had been there but was already gone.  He picked up his phone and called Liam.  "Liam, do you know where my wife is?" he asked frustrated and worried.  "Yeah boss.  I left you three voice mails.  You didn't get them?"  Shit!  He had heard his phone ping three times earlier but he thought it was Carina and since he was going by the club he would talk to her then.  "No Liam.  Obviously I didn't check my voice mail if I'm asking you" he finished curtly.  Liam explained how Carina had him take her to the air strip and how he'd tried to stop her but she had let him have it.  "Do you know where she was going?" his heart in his throat now.  "No.  She didn't tell me."  Goddamn it!  "If you hear from her let me know right away!" he said hanging up.  He dialed one number praying to God that's where she was.  A female voice answered.  "Mom" he said.  "It's okay Dimitri" she said soothingly.  "She's here."

Dimitri listened to Liam's voice mails.  It was his fault he hadn't checked his voice mails earlier, he might have been able to stop her.  After talking to his mom for a long time, her telling him about her conversation with Carina he understood why she took off.  He was furious at himself for doing that to her again.  He was a little put out that she hadn't tried to talk to him about it but then again if Liam couldn't get a hold of him how did he expect his wife to?  His plane finally landed and he and Marco jumped into the car and sped off to his parent's house.  Just like before his mom was waiting on the porch with open arms.  "Don't be too hard on her or yourself Dimitri.  This is new to both of you.  You haven't even been married six months yet; but you have to communicate, both of you."  He ran long fingers through his hair and sighed.  "I know mom.  I'm just so used to being by myself that sometimes I forget that I have that support from her and I try to take care of everything by myself.  It's how I'm wired and I don't know how to change that."  He got some sage advice from his mother.  "Don't try to change who you are just adapt and compromise."  He nodded.  "You're right.  You always are.  Where is she?" he asked.  "She's out in the garage."  Wait, what?  What was she doing out there?  He walked out and down the stone pathway to the garage, saw both doors open and he couldn't believe what he saw next.  His wife in cut-off shorts, a tight black tee shirt, her hair in a messy bun, black work boots and she was bent over the hood of his car; funny thing is she looked like she knew what she was doing!