Hello, Privet! #1: Hello/Привет

Chapter 46

ANTON

In the plane back to New York, I pretend to sleep and she listens to music in her iPhone and reads a book. All I know is I cannot talk to her about what happened, and she does not seem to want to talk of it too.

Henry—he is sitting between us—he does not ask us questions. Maybe he is used to us like this.

Back in New York, it is daytime when we arrive. Then, after customs, when we come out, I don't know why, but I wait for her to get her bags from the conveyor belt. Sophie owns that brown one. She brought, I think, ten books with her. I grab it from the luggage (it is heavy) and say, "Here, I have it," I tell her, just as she reaches for the bag at the same time. Our hands touch and she jumps back from me.

"You don't have to—" she says, not looking at me. She only wants to look at her shoes.

"No, it's okay."

"I brought a cart," she says and shows me.

"Okay." I load it with my bags, my tennis gear, but her books, I have it in my right hand. I push our cart and the photographers, they are waiting outside for us.

"They all want to talk to you," Henry says to me. "This is the first time you reached a semifinal in—two years."

"That long time?"

Henry shrugs. "You've been playing trash for a long time."

"Thank you," I say quietly.

"But all of this is going to change. I know it."

Above all the photographers calling my name and journalists asking me questions, I hear someone say, "Sophie. Sophie!"

A guy with a clean-shaven face, carrying white flowers, comes to Sophie. I know at once that this is Tal, the boyfriend from Israel. The smile on his face seems to grow wider as he comes closer to Sophie.

"What are you doing here?" Sophie asks him.

"I've got a car waiting. I'll drop you off at your place."

"Oh." She looks at me, then turns back to him again. "But what are you doing here? I mean, how did you know I would be—"

"I just got back in, too. I was on an earlier flight. I thought I'd wait for you to arrive." The guy is nervous and I begin to understand why. He gives the flowers to her. "These are for you."

Sophie takes the flowers. "Okay." Then she turns back to me, taking her bag. "Thanks."

I almost don't notice Henry standing beside me, watching with me as Sophie goes home with that guy.

Henry gives me a knowing look.

"Shto?" I ask irritably.

He watches Sophie and then says, "When I told you to find a nice girl—"

I walk quickly and pass him, but Henry is fast on his feet too. "I don't know what you are talking about," I tell him.

"Anton," he says firmly. Then, gently, so I know he is serious, "Don't go messing around with this girl."

"Why are you telling me this?" I ask.

"I would like her to stick around, so don't do anything stupid," he warns me.

"Yeah, well, she deserves a better guy than him."

"Well, well..." Henry shakes his head, smiling in a way that makes me feel embarrassed as if he has caught me doing something wrong. "Listen to you..."