Attraction | V.N Y.K [Book 1] ✔️

Chapter 33

My eyes flutter open when I feel someone gently running their fingers through my hair. Through my blurry vision I can see Viktor staring at me with his eyelids hooded and a soft smile playing at his lips.

"Mmmm." I hum, yawning slightly. He lightly laughs, then cuddling up closer to me and nuzzling his face into my neck. I snuggle into the embrace more until our bodies are not able to be any closer and sigh happily, kissing below his ear.

"Good morning, babe." I whisper, my eyes falling closed and my lips sealed together.

"Good morning, sunshine."

I blush slightly at that name but brush it off, smiling.

Last night..

Was great.

But not the after effects.

"How are you feeling, Yuri?" He asks, rubbing my shoulders gently and his breath tickling my neck.

"Sore as hell." I respond, frowning a tiny bit. How the hell am I supposed to skate today?

"Viktor, how am I going to skate?" I ask, sighing. "The competition's in a little less than a month.. I need to practice,"

"I know, I know." He responds, chuckling. "I don't want you skating today though.. That will be painful as hell. So let's just hang out for today and then we can skate our hearts out for the rest of the month."

I think about it for a moment as my head leans up to face him and my fingers fall to stroke his cheek.

I know it's essential to practice, but maybe it isn't such a good idea that I practice today..

"You just want to me to stay home, don't you?" I say flirtatiously, then putting my left leg over his waist and sitting over him in a straddling position.

He smirks, then moving a strand of hair away from my face.

"How you see right through me.. I'll never know," he whispers, then sitting up so that I'm sitting on his lap, facing him.

I can feel my face becoming hot since we're both naked but ignore it, smiling softly.

"Really." I whisper, my eyelids falling slightly and my smile becoming softer as I stare into his flawless blue eyes.

"Yes." He whispers back, his own smile covering his face before then closing the gap between our lips and kissing me gently. I respond in an instant and wrap my arms around his back loosely, running my hands over his bare skin lightly and his hands gently tugging at my hair.

"I love you." He whispers as he pulls away, then resting his forehead on mine and closing his eyes.

I smile, then kissing his cheek. I lean my forehead against his again and then sigh happily.

"I love you too."

"Tell me, Yuri?" He asks. I open my eyes slightly as his are still closed and our heads stay rested where they are.

"Yeah?" I respond, my voice soft.

"Why are you still holding onto me?"

My eyes widen, and my heart starts to pound inside of my chest.

"W-what?" I ask, my voice shaky. "What are you implying?"

"I'm.." He says, then sighing. I see a look of sadness fall over his face but he never opens his eyes.

"..I'm such a lost cause." He whispers, a single tear welling up in his eye and then falling.

I stare at his face for a few seconds before pulling back slightly, but yet wrapping my arms tighter around his back. I stay rested on his lap and my thumb runs under his eye where more tears are beginning to form.

I then bring my face a few inches from his, forcing him to open his eyes slightly and glance up at me.

"Viktor." I whisper gently, then cupping his cheek in my hand. "You are not a lost cause."

"I.." He whimpers, then biting his lip in an attempt to stop the tears that are beginning to fall from his eyes. "I always thought 'I guess I'm just unimportant.. That's why I'm being put through this.' When I was a kid and going through everything." He says, his voice cracking. "Maybe.. It would have been better if I'd never stopped being around her.. Maybe I deserved it all-"

"Viktor, no." I say sternly, resting my fingers under his chin and staring into his eyes. I have a firm look on my face and a small frown on my lips. "What you went through.. No, you did not deserve that. It's just how things happened, baby. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to go through that for so long." I fade into a whisper as I spoke these words to him. He bit his lip harder and all I could do was pull him close to me, hugging him tightly and rubbing his back. It took him a second but after a while he hugged me back, tight.

He held onto me so tight I thought he'd never let go.

"Viktor," I whisper into his ear as we continue to embrace each other. "I'm here now. Please, please don't ever forget that I'm here.."

"And that I'll protect you." I finish, feeling a lump grow in my own throat at his behavior. He hugs me tighter, then lightly sobbing into my shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm such a crybaby." He says. I smile softly, then kissing below his ear.

"No, Viktor. You're not a crybaby, you're human."

"But I'm a man.. I should be better than this.." He replies.

"Viktor." I say, hushing him. "If anything, the fact that you can cry and you let yourself cry makes you more of a man than most people. Holding it in doesn't make you manly; it only makes you become more weak. And that is exactly why you're one of the strongest people I've ever known."

He pulls away, then staring into my eyes with a look full of something I'd seen before, but never this strong. I saw shock, confusion.. And love. And it made me.. Happy.

"Y-yuri.." He whispers, then pecking my lips gently and sniffling as he pulled away. "Thank you."

I blush, although smiling softly and letting myself become lost in his eyes.

"My pleasure, baby."