Roses and Sonatas [Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns]

Chapter 26

I knocked on his door, and Mikhail opened it a moment later. He'd apparently just been getting dressed, as he wore nothing but a pair of faded jeans and held a shirt in his hand. He stepped aside and let me in, and I held up the bag from Yun's as I came in, saying, "I brought this for you in the hopes that you'd feel like eating something?"

He smiled and took the bag from me, setting it on his table. As I watched him, I realized that while I'd seen Kana shirtless many times—he preferred to ride that way in hot weather—I'd never before seen Mikhail without a shirt. Kana was lean and muscular, tanned to a deep bronze in the summer sun, and he had dark hair on his chest that trailed down past his navel and vanished below the waist of his jeans. Mikhail, while also lean, was more lithe and graceful, and though he lacked Kana's bulk, I'd seen firsthand just how strong he was. His skin was very fair, like his hair and eyes, and his chest was smooth and hairless. I thought to myself that if Kana had always brought to mind a big, strong bear, Mikhail reminded me more of a leopard as he silently padded barefoot across the floor.

Turning and catching me staring him, Mikhail smiled and returned to me. "Smells good. Thanks," he said. He put his arms around me and gave me a squeeze, and I rested my cheek against his warm, smooth skin, sighing softly at the sensation. I put my arms around his waist as I leaned against him and felt him suddenly tense.

I pulled back a little and looked up at him questioningly, and blushed to see him gazing down at me, eyes heavy-lidded with barely suppressed desire. He leaned down slowly, not taking his eyes from mine, and kissed me—tenderly at first, then with increasing urgency. I put my arms around his neck, and in one swift, smooth movement, and without breaking our kiss, he lifted me up in his arms.

He carried me over to the sofa and sat down, holding me tightly against him. He broke away and began to nuzzle my neck, whispering into my ear, "No food can satisfy this hunger I feel," before he began to leave little winding trails of gentle, delicate kisses across my neck and throat, over my chin, and back to my lips. He held me firmly against him as his kisses increased in intensity, pressing me tightly to his bare chest, one arm wrapped tightly around my back. His free hand slid up and down the length of my leg, gently sliding along my bare skin from my ankle all the way up to just above the hem of my shorts and then back down again. He gently lay me back on the sofa, his arm under my neck as he rested my head on one of the cushions. Still kissing me, he slid over so that he was stretched out alongside me, propped up on one elbow as he leaned over me, my arms still locked around his neck. His free hand started to slide higher up, along my thigh, brushing lightly over the shorts that covered my hips, and gently slid under my shirt, caressing my side. His fingers softly explored my ribs, the points of my hips, the lean muscles of my belly, and finally slid up and across my bra, gently caressing the roundness of my breasts through the thin fabric as he hungrily devoured my mouth.

I gasped at the shock of the sensation, pushing him back and protesting breathlessly, "Mikhail, no. That... that's going too far."

"Shhh," he replied, nuzzling my neck as he moved his hand away. "I won't do anything you don't want, but do let me kiss you." He slid his hand back down my side and up my belly as he again kissed little paths over my face and down my throat. He reached up and unfastened the top button of my shirt as he continued with his teasing kisses. He slowly kissed down my breastbone to where the button had been, unbuttoning the next at the same time. He continued on down until my shirt lay wide open as he kissed my belly just above my navel. His hand then slid down to the button of my shorts, but I sat up and grabbed his arm.

"No, Mikhail. You need to stop now." He looked at me, slightly dazed and breathing heavily, but he let go of my shorts and sat up.

I swung my legs down and sat next to him, sighing deeply and with not a little regret. I took his hand and said, "Please listen to me. I'm still a virgin, Mikhail. And that's something I can only give away once. So I promised myself years ago, soon after you left, in fact, that I would hold onto that until the right man came along—the man I choose to marry. Admittedly, I haven't really been tempted to break that vow until now. But I won't. If I did, I wouldn't be able to look you in the eyes afterwards, let alone face my reflection in the mirror. I have too much self-respect to just give in the first time I'm tempted. So please, Mikhail, don't try to go any further. I intend to be a virgin until my wedding night."

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him, still breathing hard as he again crushed me against him and kissed my neck, whispering huskily against my skin, "Then marry me, Alice. Marry me now—this very day. I'll give you a wedding night you'll never forget, my dearest, darling, beautiful Alice."

I pushed him away again, saying firmly, "Mikhail, that's lust talking, not love. I'd never accept a marriage proposal from anyone who was looking at me the way you are right now. Sorry, but you'll just have to patient and wait, same as Cam, same as me. If I choose you in the end, then I'll be all yours. But not until then. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is. Believe me, it's not easy for me, either."

He stared off into space for a minute, then turned and looked at me, his eyes still heavy-lidded, and asked, "And what if I can't wait?"

I put my hand on his knee and replied, "Mikhail, I'm not forcing you to stay. You can leave any time. If you want me, you'll have to just be patient and wait. But you can just walk away if it gets to be too much for you."

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, then exhaled a slow sigh. He picked up my hand, turned it over, and tenderly kissed the palm of my hand, sending tingles down my spine. "No, Alice. I'll wait, even if there's no guarantee that I'll win you in the end. Still, I'll wait for as long as it takes. I can't envision life without you." Then he dropped my hand and stood up. "Now, if you will please excuse me, my dearest. I... I think I need to go for a nice, cold swim in the river."

I stood and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek and left. I didn't say anything, but I thought I could use a cold shower myself right about then.

The next morning, I finished collecting the materials Eileen had requested. I took them over to her right away, and we eagerly hurried over to the tunnel. She entered the long, dark passage, instructing me to remain outside, just in case of collapse. From within, I heard a loud commotion as she got to work. She was surprisingly strong and vigorous for someone so willowy.

After a while, she emerged with a triumphant look on her face. "It's done!" she squealed excitedly. "Come and see!" And with that, she grabbed my hand and ran into the tunnel, dragging me along. It was quite light near the end, but grew increasingly dark as we neared the middle. Now and then, we disturbed a bat from its slumber and it flapped away, leathery wings beating the air as it squeaked in alarm. Just as I thought I couldn't bear the increasing darkness and the bats and the dank, stale air any longer, we passed the midpoint and I saw a glimmer of light at the far end. We broke into a run again, and soon afterwards, we burst out into the bright sunlight in Konohana. I shrieked with glee, grabbing Eileen and dancing a joyful little jig with her.

Our antics quickly attracted the attention of others, and before long, villagers from both towns were gathered around, lauding Eileen for her efforts. Next thing I knew, Sheng and Eileen were deep in collaboration, making plans to install a simple series of lights along the tunnel—just enough to light the path and keep people from injuring themselves, nothing extravagant. Having been assured by both Eileen and Sheng that the tunnel was quite safe, the mayors decided to hold a joint celebration the next day, and soon everyone was caught up in the planning: who would bring what food and drink, and what decorations, and music. The talk went late into the night, and it was dark when I made my way home. The only thing that dimmed my delight in the day was that since it was a Monday, Cam hadn't been there to join in the excitement of planning.