Alina was surprised when he lightly scolded her, but quickly did her best to hide it. "Thank you. And, sorry...I was just trying to be polite," she explained, one hand nervously fiddling with the strap on her backpack. The longer he was on his knees before her, the more color bloomed in her cheeks. Alina didn't know why, but she found herself wanting him to think positively of her.
When he stood up, it really hit her just how tall he was -- and not simply because she herself was short. She let him lead them out of the room, walking a few steps behind until he turned and caught her hand in his. Another series of flutters erupted in her stomach: his large, rough hand dwarfed her small, smooth one. Was this normal? She wasn't sure.
Alina had been raised by a single mother. No siblings or stepfathers, and her father -- along with the rest of her family - were all dead or estranged. She attended an academy just for girls, with all female teachers, and the only boy she had ever gotten close to was Mal. There was no frame of reference, other than books and movies.
The lights and sounds of Manhattan hit them all at once as they ventured outside. It truly was the city that never slept. She had never been to any of the places he pointed out, though other girls in her class would talk about fancy restaurants their parents took them to.
To her surprise, they didn't enter any of the places he had pointed to. Hand still in hers, Sasha led her to a bar -- and at the counter? She hopped up onto the stool, backpack on the ground by her dangling feet. He ordered a cosmo for her, and Alina looked nervous. "Sasha, I don't have ID...won't you get in trouble?" she asked, voice almost a whisper.
His hand touched her thigh, and she tensed...but didn't move away. Again: was this normal? Maybe most kids had experiences like this, and not every strange man was out to attack you. Maybe, some people simply wanted to be kind. After all, parents sometimes made huge deals out of nothing. He introduced her to his friend, and though she was overwhelmed by everything going on, she smiled at Ivan and politely waved. "Hello, sir! My name is Alina...it's nice to meet you."
She was soon distracted by a cosmo being placed before her, followed by fresh, hot pizza. Alina made sure to place a napkin on her lap, following all the 'rules' of how to be a 'polite young lady'. She wanted to impress Sasha. It was unlikely, but she was already hoping this could happen again in the future. If there was a chance, she wouldn't complain so much about being dragged to her mother's workplace almost every night.
The pizza was delicious -- it was hard to eat it slowly, considering how hungry she was. As for the cosmo, her nose scrunched up at her first taste of alcohol. It became easier with each sip, and it didn't take long for her pale face to flush.
Halfway through her slice of pizza, she leaned close to Sasha so he could hear her clearly without being too loud: "I really can't thank you enough! I haven't eaten since lunch...this might be the best pizza I've ever had." It was a serious claim, coming from someone who had lived most of her life in the city.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2021-12-16 07:11 am (UTC)When he stood up, it really hit her just how tall he was -- and not simply because she herself was short. She let him lead them out of the room, walking a few steps behind until he turned and caught her hand in his. Another series of flutters erupted in her stomach: his large, rough hand dwarfed her small, smooth one. Was this normal? She wasn't sure.
Alina had been raised by a single mother. No siblings or stepfathers, and her father -- along with the rest of her family - were all dead or estranged. She attended an academy just for girls, with all female teachers, and the only boy she had ever gotten close to was Mal. There was no frame of reference, other than books and movies.
The lights and sounds of Manhattan hit them all at once as they ventured outside. It truly was the city that never slept. She had never been to any of the places he pointed out, though other girls in her class would talk about fancy restaurants their parents took them to.
To her surprise, they didn't enter any of the places he had pointed to. Hand still in hers, Sasha led her to a bar -- and at the counter? She hopped up onto the stool, backpack on the ground by her dangling feet. He ordered a cosmo for her, and Alina looked nervous. "Sasha, I don't have ID...won't you get in trouble?" she asked, voice almost a whisper.
His hand touched her thigh, and she tensed...but didn't move away. Again: was this normal? Maybe most kids had experiences like this, and not every strange man was out to attack you. Maybe, some people simply wanted to be kind. After all, parents sometimes made huge deals out of nothing. He introduced her to his friend, and though she was overwhelmed by everything going on, she smiled at Ivan and politely waved. "Hello, sir! My name is Alina...it's nice to meet you."
She was soon distracted by a cosmo being placed before her, followed by fresh, hot pizza. Alina made sure to place a napkin on her lap, following all the 'rules' of how to be a 'polite young lady'. She wanted to impress Sasha. It was unlikely, but she was already hoping this could happen again in the future. If there was a chance, she wouldn't complain so much about being dragged to her mother's workplace almost every night.
The pizza was delicious -- it was hard to eat it slowly, considering how hungry she was. As for the cosmo, her nose scrunched up at her first taste of alcohol. It became easier with each sip, and it didn't take long for her pale face to flush.
Halfway through her slice of pizza, she leaned close to Sasha so he could hear her clearly without being too loud: "I really can't thank you enough! I haven't eaten since lunch...this might be the best pizza I've ever had." It was a serious claim, coming from someone who had lived most of her life in the city.