The Romanov Diary

Chapter twenty three

June 4, 1918

Maria and Theo are standing in her bedroom against the wall, kissing and holding each other as if the sun won't raise the next day. They smile and laugh between the kisses, saying how happy they are to have found each other but also trying to keep quiet to not get caught. They break apart and Theo looks into Maria's eyes. Her lips are red and swollen after all the kissing, her cheeks are blushing and her love for the blonde tall man standing against her is rushing through her veins like water. She wants all of him.

Feel all of him

Know all of him.

Kiss all of him.

"I wish I could take you back to my time and show you my world." Theo whispers without moving his gaze from her eyes.

"Me too. I'd get out of this prison and be free, with you. Maybe I could even meet your parents." Maria giggles and bites her lip.

"I'd love that." Theo takes her hand. "My mom would adore you."

"Really?"

"Of course! You two have a lot in common actually."

"Well, my parents already adore you so..."

"Yeah, and I like them." Theo giggles and plats more kisses onto her lips.

Theo cups her chubby face in his hands while caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. She hugs his wrists with her hands, testing every possible flavour she can find on his lips. They explore each other's bodies, breath heavily and laugh.

Maria stops and smiles. "Wait, what exactly do I have in common with your mother?"

"Hmm... you're both caring." Theo says and plants small kisses on her face after each and every word. "Smart. Kind. Loving. Funny." He steps back and grins. "And you both love me."

"She sounds lovely!"

"She is, but so are your parents."

Maria sighs and sits down on her bed. Theo sits down next to her and takes her hand.

"Yes, they are lovely... as parents. But I can't ignore everything they've done. I love them, I really do. But I'm not stupid. I know what they did for Russia."

"Perhaps they just weren't fitting for the job, then?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I'll always love them, I mean, they're my parents. I just can't let go of the fact that perhaps all of this happened because of them and their mistakes."

"Trust me, Russia without Nicholas isn't much better." Theo eyerolls and thinks of the future of the country: more wars, Lenin, Stalin, Gulag...

"I just hope the government and God will have mercy on us and let us go."

Theo takes Maria's cheek and turns her face towards his.

"Whatever happens, I'll do everything I can to help."

They lean in for a kiss once more, far longer and more passionate than before.

A knocking on the door startles them and Theo quickly stands up from the bed and walks off. He wipes off her lipstick on his lips and she straightens her skirt as she rises. Anastasia comes in, and stops when she sees Theo and her sister.

"Oh, hey guys. What are you doing?" Anastasia asks.

Theo and Maria exchange looks nervously.

"We're just talking. Theo told me about his life before all of this didyouwantanything?" She says quickly with a nervous tongue.

What if Anastasia suspects anything? And far worse, what if she tells Alexandra and Nicholas?