Act Two

XXII

Mentions of emotional abuse and body image are present in this chapter. Read at your own risk.

"Are you sure you don't mind Yasha staying with us? We can always go to a hotel." Lilia asks her sister while they have breakfast at the table. "I don't mind at all, plus, I need to keep an eye on you two." Larisa responds, pouring a little more cereal into Ilya's bowl. "Keep an eye on us? Why?" Lilia tilts her head, not fully understanding. "You know how I am, Lilya. When he gets here I'll move you into the nursery and he will be staying in the guest bedroom." Lilia immediately sighs and sinks back into her chair. "I'm a grown woman, Lara." "That's not what you said about having a child though." The elder sister hums with a cheeky grin, blowing on her bite of egg.

Why is she always right?

Lilia is quiet after that comment. She meant that she's too young to have a family and too old to be babied by her sister. Why can't they find a happy middle? There's no need to worry about an awkward silence, Ilya keeps the space anything but quiet with his noise and talking. "He holds conversations now, huh?" Lilia mentions, glancing towards her sister and nephew. Larisa nods, smoothing his medium-to-dark hair back and away from his face. "He's so big already. I feel like he was just born." She mumbles, only wishing her husband could have been there for a majority of his milestones. "Sorry I missed his birth." Lilia looks up again to face her sister. The elder sits back in her chair to meet her sister's gaze, shaking her head. "It's okay. I'm sorry I missed your opening night. I would have loved to be there." Lilia purses her lips, eyes falling back to her plate. "You didn't miss out." Her whisper is barely audible.

Both of them feel guilty for missing important occasions for the other. Lilia was caught up in rehearsals and last minute fittings that she was unable to make it to the hospital when Ilya was born. By the time it was Lilia's debut, Larisa's husband was on a business trip, and she was left alone with a newborn, still figuring things out. Lilia completely understood, she never expected Larisa to come anyway. Still, if she had been there, maybe someone could have been by her side during recovery. Larisa feels more than guilty for not only missing her sister perform but for hardly supporting her in the long recovery process. She would have done much more to help out.

"You're okay, right?" Larisa has to ask. Lilia pauses before answering, wondering why her sister would ask such a question. "Well, yeah. I'm here. Of course, I'm fine." Larisa gently shakes her head. "No, I mean, are you really okay? You never told me what your doctor said after the fact." "There's not much other than I'm fine now." Really, there is. Lilia's held onto something that not even Larisa knows about. The reason being, it makes her feel like less of a woman. She does not want to be honest this time. Truth be told, she's embarrassed. "Lilya," Larisa gives her a face of pity. She knows. She always knows when Lilia hesitates. "I'm okay." Larisa scoots her chair a tad to where she is facing her sister at a better angle. "Look, I know it was a rough experience and I wish I could have been more helpful but you can talk to me. I'm your sister." Lilia is quiet as usual, focused on finishing her breakfast. "When is your husband returning?" She mumbles.

She does realize that the more she diverts, the more Larisa will suspect something but she will do whatever she can to not tell her. Not everything is easy to share with the one you are closest to. "Sometime this afternoon." Larisa finally answers, eyes glued to her son now. Lilia couldn't care less about her brother-in-law. She only asked to distract Larisa and get the attention off of her. "I better get going." Lilia rises from her chair to clean her dishes before she has to leave. "Okay. Try not to seduce your partner too much." The comment makes the younger sister roll her eyes, still craving to know why he feels as guilty as he does.

You never caused the accident.

"Yasha, pull your head out of your ass!" Coach Grigory shouted from across the rink. The young man skidded to a stop to listen to his coach, letting out a held-in breath. He was right. He really needed to pull his head out of his ass and focus on his skating rather than being half there. "Sorry, coach." The dirty-blonde mumbled before starting over. "Whatever is up with that boy, he better get over it quick." The older coach said to himself while he kept an eye on his student. Little did he know was that the young man had just gone through heartbreak and was trying to cope with his confusing emotions. Things had ended mutually but he was still hurt in the process. It was the first person he loved and he was ready to start a life with her. Even though she did not feel the same way, in the end, he knew it was for the best. However, his heart was in la-la land the entire time and enjoyed the idea of having a partner.