Agape (book 2)

Chapter 33

   I watch Yuri as he plays with his new puppy in the warm light of the morning sun. Makkachin watches the newest addition to our family with curiosity but he doesn't want to move from his warm patch in the sunlight to investigate her further. The puppy is chasing after Yuri's hands as he circles them around his body as he sits on the floor. She looks so content to chase after his fingers as they drag across the carpet and even more determined to capture them in her tiny jaws. Yuri is chuckling at her adorable innocence as she continues to pursue after his fingers. 

   There is a happiness that is through me as I watch Yuri fall deeply in love with his new puppy, but there is a nagging sense of guilt and apprehension that can't seem to leave me alone. All this time Yuri had thought I had been cheating on him. The thought of him truly believing that I would ever be unfaithful to him leaves a lasting bitter taste that coats my tongue with its poison. Perhaps I shouldn't have kept it such a secret. I had wanted to surprise Yuri and to use his time out of the country to my advantage. 

   The original plan had been that he would still be in Barcelona while I retrieved our new little ball of fluff. He would qualify for his spot in the Grand Prix Final and when he came home not only would I be here to congratulate him, but there would be a new member of the family waiting for him. My plan was decimated when Yuri had came home early, but now that I know that Yuri had been suspicious of me and suffering all on his own I think it was for the best that my plan was ruined. 

   Yuri looks over at me with a smile and I give him a gentle smile in return. He thought that I was cheating on him. He really believed that I was capable of such a crime. It makes my heart ache slightly. Yuri's eyes narrow confusedly as he rises from the floor, his unnamed puppy chasing after his feet with excitement. I watch him in silence as he walks over to the kitchen table that I am sitting in, keeping my smile in place. He takes a seat right across the table from me and stares at me seriously. 

   "Is something bothering you?" He asks with a small, concerned smile. I shake my head from side to side and he frowns at me as his expression shifts from gentle concern to stern. "Victor." I chuckle at his sudden shift in tone. His expression softens slightly at the sound but he grabs my hand and holds my eyes prisoner in his amber irises.

   "Did you really think that I was cheating on you?" Yuri's face goes slack as he looks at me in blatant surprise. It would appear that my question has caught him off guard.

   "I..." He stops himself from responding as he bites on his bottom lip in thought. 

   "I want to know Yuri." He looks into my eyes with an anxiousness, but I remain firm. "It is important to me to know what you thought." 

    He sighs, "I didn't know what to think." I stare at him in silence as he leans back in his chair and stares down into his lap. His eyes remaining focused on the contents of his lap as he continues to murmur. "You had been acting so strange, distant and secretive. I didn't know what you were doing or what secrets you were keeping." His cheeks color slightly as he continues to stare down into his lap. "Cheating had been the first assumption, sorry." 

   No words escape me as I allow his words to sink into my mind and register into my memory. So he did think that I was being unfaithful. He had a right to be suspicious of me and the motives behind my behavior surely, but the assumption hurts all the same. He glances up at me through his lashes nervously and I remain impassive as he peeks at me. 

   "Are you angry at me?" 

   "No." 

   "You're not?" Yuri asks confusedly as he begins to grow emboldened and finds the nerve to look at me directly.

   "No," I murmur. "I have no reason to be angry." 

   "But you're upset." Something inside of me shudders at the realization that what he just said wasn't a question. I open my mouth to respond but Yuri beats me to it. "I know you are, so don't say that you're not." I frown at him before reconsidering my next few words. 

   "This isn't how I had expected this to go." I reply carefully. 

   "I'm sure." Yuri replies with an equally careful smile. 

   "It hurts a bit." 

   "I'm sorry." 

   "I still don't understand how you remained so calm through the entire thing." 

   "What do you mean?" 

   "For someone who was suspicious of their partner being unfaithful you were surprisingly calm about the whole thing."

   "Would you have preferred that I was crazy and accused you at the very beginning?" He asks with a raised eyebrow and a confused frown. 

   "I just don't understand how you were able to do that." 

   "It's not that complicated really." My eyes narrow slightly in impatience as I stare at Yuri, not allowing myself to swim in his eyes and get lost in the gentle curves of his lips. I want to remember what he says here. I need to remember. "Even though I had my suspicions about what you were doing I didn't act on them." 

   "Why?"

   "Because they were just suspicions, I didn't have any proof to support them. Why should I have treated you as guilty when all of the facts were pointing towards your innocence?"

   "So you doubted that it was true the whole time?" Yuri's fingers tighten around my hand and I glance down at our joined hands briefly.

   "I love you Victor." He replies softly. "I trust you with my life and with my heart. I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and in doing so you proved that I was right to trust you." 

   "You never lost faith in me." I whisper softly. Yuri shakes his head slowly. My heart trembles slightly as I look into those warm eyes and fall deep into their depths. 

   "I love you." He whispers with a softness that raises goosebumps on my skin. I lift myself from my chair slightly and lean across the table to close the distance between us. Our lips press together with a passionate gentleness that makes my heart quiver and my eyes water. Yuri presses a gentle hand to my cheek as he presses even closer to me. I can feel my skin beginning to heat as the overwhelming love that I feel for this man begins to overflow from my heart.

   Yuri curls his fingers into my hair as he continues to kiss me. Disjointed whispers of I love you break through the kisses. There are moments in the kiss where I don't know if I am the one speaking or if it is only Yuri. All I know is that it feels like my entire being is melting as he kisses me with such a gentle and sweet love that it almost feels unreal. Such a love should not exist and yet here it is, kissing me softly and sweetly. 

   "Yuri." I breathe softly before my lips are captured, my mind temporarily forgetting how to form words. 

   "I love you," He whispers before kissing me again. "Victor." A warm breath washes across my face sending chills to race over every inch of my skin with a tantalizing slowness. I open my eyes and find Yuri's skin has reddened to a warm rosey color that I want nothing more to touch. "Victor." he whispers. I can feel my self control beginning to fade away.

   "Yuri."  My heart feels as if it will beat its way out of my chest as he rises to his feet, continuing to hold my hand as he does so. I slowly rise to my feet in response, mirroring his every action as he guides me out of the kitchen. I glance over at Makkachin who is fast asleep with our new puppy sleeping peacefully at his side. Yuri regains my attention as he pulls me into the bedroom and closes the door. My heart falters as the lock clicks into place and it is just me and Yuri. 

   Alone at last.