The Ice in Russia

"I can squeeze up on my seat here and you can stretch your legs out on this side," she said, gesturing with her hands to demonstrate what she meant.

He shook his head, however appealing the idea may have been. He couldn't let her sleep that way while he was all cozy on his side. He said as much out loud to her.

"It's OK," she said. He watched in fascination as she toed her shoes off her small feet and curled her legs under her. She rearranged her blanket and relaxed back against the pillow she had wedged against the plane's side. Her whole body was turned towards him now, and he had to fight the urge to yank the blanket away to see more of her tantalizing figure. "See? I fit just fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," she said, her eyelids already beginning to droop. "You need the room more than I do."

That was true of course; his six foot two frame easily topped her by at least eight inches. So he turned himself and nudged his pillow into place behind his head as he pushed his legs out along the front of her seat.

"Thank you," he murmured, letting his eyes close.

Within minutes, they were both asleep.

***

When Lena woke up, she was somewhat disoriented at first. Then she heard a faint 'ding' and then a voice came across the plane's speakers, announcing that they would be descending towards Moscow in a half-hour. The voice continued in another minute in what Lena guessed was Russian, but her language skills were seriously lacking. Other than a few regular words and phrases, she knew nothing.

She shifted, stretching her arms and wiggling her toes. Her warm toes that were resting against something unexpectedly soft. She wiggled them again and opened her eyes to see her handsome Russian seat-mate gazing blearily back at her.

Gasping, she tried to sit up and move her feet but she only succeeded in driving her heel into something less soft, still as warm, and definitely more tender.

"Oh my God," she breathed and covered her face with her hands as her cheeks flamed. Without looking at Anatoli, she tried to lift her feet again. Anatoli made an inarticulate noise and his warm hands came down to grasp her ankles.

"Stop," he murmured, his voice heavily accented and husky with sleep. "It's OK."

"I kicked you!" she exclaimed, risking a peek at him through her fingers.

"I'm fine," he assured her, smiling and giving her ankles a gentle pat. "Just don't move."

She decided to obey, mainly because she was extremely comfortable and didn't mind the way he was holding her feet on his lap.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked her after a few seconds.

At his words, she let her hands drop from her face and she smiled. "I did. What about you?"

He shrugged and rubbed at his eyes with one hand. "I'm still tired," he told her. "But we're almost done."

"Yes," she agreed and twisted in her seat to look out the window. It was light outside and she tried to recall what the local time would be when they landed. A yawn took over and she covered her mouth, glancing back at Anatoli in embarrassment. She lifted her hand to brush a strand of hair from her face and froze, her fingers discovering something much worse than a mere loose strand.

"Oh God," she moaned and reached for her purse. She dragged it into her lap, avoiding looking at Anatoli until she pulled out her little mirror. She was relieved to see that it wasn't as bad as she'd originally thought. Her hair was mostly still in order, but one side was rather gnarled. She carefully worked her fingers through it, giving the man beside her a rueful smile.

"I like it," he told her, his deep voice sending a shiver down her spine.

"Thanks," she murmured, feeling her cheeks color yet again. What was it about this guy that threw her off so much? She couldn't stop blushing like an adolescent girl. I'm twenty-three years old! she reminded herself. Old enough to not be blushing at every glance.

Anatoli shifted, adjusting his position so he was sitting more upright. She tried to lift her feet, but he held her still, giving her a sideways grin as he did. Her stomach flipped right over and she bit her lower lip, looking away before she did something ridiculous; like invite him to the washroom to get to know her better.

That thought made her blush even more.

Thankfully, he looked away, glancing up and down the rest of the plane, giving her a minute to study him. He wasn't classically handsome but he had a very masculine profile, with a sharp chin and low straight brow. His hair was a light brown and overlong for her usual tastes but she thought it suited him. She found herself wondering what it would be like to run her fingers through it. Shaking her head, she looked away from his head and took in his tall frame. He was quite tall, but broad through the shoulders and chest, which evened him out and kept him from looking like a bean pole.

Then she met his eyes, his piercing and inexplicably warm blue eyes, and she grinned, responding to the impish look on his face.

"I think I'm sad the flight is over," she said before she could think about her words.

"Why?" he asked, leaning his head back against his seat as he studied her.

She shook her head at her stupidity. Why had she said anything at all? Well, I might as well own up to it, she thought. "I... because we're not going to see each other again," she said quietly.

"You think we won't?" he replied, his dark brows lifting up.

"Well, you're going to be with your family and I'll be with my host family," she said, waving one hand between them as if that would explain everything.

"Yes," he agreed. "I can give you my phone number. I can take you on tour."

She laughed and nodded, thrilled that he'd been the one to suggest it. "I'd like that."

At last, she lifted her feet and settled herself in her own seat, looking around the plane. Almost everyone was awake now, and there were a couple flight attendants moving up and down the aisles. She reached into her purse and pulled out an elastic for her hair. She gathered her hair up into a ponytail as she worked her feet back into her shoes. All the while, she tried to ignore the weight of Anatoli's eyes on her. No matter what she did, he made her feel hot all over.

She realized in that moment that he turned her on. No man since she'd first been with Eddy had made her feel this... electric.

And he'd offered her his phone number.

This was turning out to be the best vacation ever and it had barely begun.

Lena turned her head and looked out the window beside her, catching a glimpse of tall buildings reflecting the sunlight. She sucked in a sharp breath at her first real look at Moscow. There it was, just waiting for her.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, realizing after a second that she'd spoken out loud.

"It is," Anatoli agreed from his side as he peered over her shoulder. "I love coming home."

"To live in such a place as this..." she said and shook her head, looking back at him. "How can you bear to leave?"

He smiled at her and lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. "I think Washington is beautiful. It makes it easier."

Lena recalled the grand political buildings of her home city, and the historical structures that dotted the landscape. Yes, D.C. was an impressive city in its own right. But Moscow... Moscow was ancient and lovely.

"I can't wait to see it all!" she exclaimed and laughed as the plane banked.

In a short while they were descending and landing on the Russian tarmac. Lena was practically vibrating in her seat as the plane taxied around the runways towards the airport. At last, the plane opened up and Lena was on her feet before Anatoli had even moved.

"You are excited?" he asked with a smirk.

She flushed and sat back down. "I am," she admitted. "I've wanted to come to Russia my entire life."

"Why?"

She shrugged, not knowing how to explain it. She couldn't even explain it to herself half the time, never mind her family or this captivating stranger. "I just... I need to see it. To be here. I've always felt that I should come here." Again she shrugged, smiling at him. "I have no reason why. It's just how I feel."

He nodded, the smile still on his face. His blue eyes were shining at her and she leaned her head against her seat, gazing across at him.

"I think I'm going to miss you," she murmured.

His eyebrows shot up and his smile widened. "I think we will see each other again," he told her, his voice deep.

He shifted in his seat and leaned close enough that she caught a whiff of his cologne. Stronger than that was his natural masculine scent. She inhaled deeply, enjoying it. Her eyes felt heavy and she looked up at him through her lashes, biting her lip when he leaned even closer. His breath stirred the hairs on her forehead and she braced herself for the brush of his lips against hers.

A flight attendant stopped by their row and asked if they needed assistance getting their bags out of the overhead compartments. Lena sat back, watching Anatoli as he turned to face the flight attendant. A few minutes later, they were standing and shuffling down the aisle towards the exit.

Lena used the time without him in her sight to clear her mind.

What the hell was I thinking? she wondered, blushing hotly at the thought of what had almost happened. I don't even know him!

She was so utterly drawn to him and admitted that she longed to find out how his kiss felt and tasted; what those long, lean hands would feel like on her body. She shuddered and took an extra long step as they exited the plane, hoping to put some extra distance between them.

It was useless, of course; he had to be over six feet tall and, while she was slightly above average for a woman, there was no way she came close to his height. His long legs ate up the distance beside her and they strode silently through the tunnel towards the airport terminal.

The signs all around the airport terminal were in Russian and Lena stopped just outside their arrival gate, gaping at them. The alphabet was so different and foreign that she stared at the first sign for a minute.

"Are you all right, Lena?" Anatoli spoke up from her side.

She looked over at him and nodded. "I just love the words," she said, gesturing with one hand.

He laughed, drawing the gazes of several people nearby. "The words?" he repeated. "You mean, 'this way to toilets' or 'baggage claim over here'?"

Lena blushed and laughed too, unable to stop herself in the wake of Anatoli's amusement. He had a wonderful, rich laugh and she knew that he laughed often. He was one of those genuinely cheerful men. She didn't know how she knew, she just did.

"Come," he said after another moment. "I'll take you where you need to go."

She trailed after him, looking around as she went. Sometime after gathering her suitcase, they came to a greeting area where people were standing around waiting for their families or friends to arrive. She spotted a sign with her name on it in ragged lettering, with the Russian equivalent underneath. Smiling she started for the small party with the sign, then paused and turned her face towards Anatoli. He was smiling at her and she felt a pang at the thought of not seeing him again. He hadn't even given her a phone number yet.

"I... uh, I have to..." she stammered and gestured feebly with one hand towards the waiting family.

His smile widened and the glint in his ice blue eyes turned positively wicked. Lena's stomach gave a turn and it was not entirely unpleasant. She swallowed hard when he moved close and reached a hand out towards her.

"Perhaps I should come and play translator, hm?" he suggested in a low tone, bending his tall form so that his mouth was very close to her face.

Lena stared at him, transfixed by his closeness, and felt herself nodding along with his suggestion. He straightened and cupped his hand under her elbow, gently but firmly leading her right towards the excited party.

The older man and woman standing there Lena assumed were the mother and father of the little clan. The woman was waving her arm frantically at them, a huge smile splitting her face. There were a couple others standing with them; a man who looked a few years older than Lena, and a young man who looked to be about the same age as her.

Their sons, maybe? Lena wondered distractedly as Anatoli brought her closer to them.

Then, when they were a few feet away, the woman launched herself towards them and Lena shrunk back, afraid of being bowled over. She needn't have worried.

The woman threw her arms around Anatoli, causing his hand to fall away from Lena. With a surprised gasp, Lena stepped away, watching with wide eyes as the woman went on and on in Russian, kissing Anatoli's face and cupping his cheeks in her hands. For his part, he was laughing and hugging her back, speaking Russian to her with equal enthusiasm.

"Hello," the older man said in English on Lena's other side and she whirled around, startled to find him beside her.

"Hi," she replied, feeling her cheeks color. She cleared her throat and tried again, testing her minimal Russian knowledge. "Zdrastvitye," she said slowly.

The man before her laughed and clapped her on the shoulder. "Privyet," he replied.

Lena shook her head with a smile. "I'm sorry," she said in English. "I don't understand."

"Privyet," he repeated and waved one hand as he considered. "It's less... formal."

"Oh, like 'hey,'" Lena said and nodded. "Privyet!"

He winced at her accent and she laughed. "I am Maksim," he told her in English.

"Lena." She offered her hand for him to shake.

He took it in his much larger hand and shook it firmly. "Welcome to Moscow."

"Thank you," she breathed, the realization sinking in. She was here. This family was her family for the next few weeks, and she was finally in Russia.

"Spacebo," he corrected in Russian.

Lena repeated it and he laughed, saying it over and over for her until she repeated it back with the correction intonation.

"You learn quickly!" Maksim exclaimed and clapped her on the back again.

"Be nice to her, Father," Anatoli spoke up, stepping close with the older woman clutching his arm.

"I am," Maksim replied, an expression of mock indignation on his face.

"Lena, you have met my father," Anatoli said as he looked down at her, his blue eyes dancing.

She flushed and nodded. "I have," she replied and raised her eyebrows at him. "You knew the name as soon as I said it on the plane, didn't you?" She sounded casual to her own ears but she was reeling from this new development.

And to think, she thought silently. I was worried a few minutes ago about never seeing him again. Now we're going to be spending the holiday together!

He laughed and nodded. "It's my name, of course I knew it." He winked at her. "I'm sorry I lied to you. I thought this would be more fun."

Sighing, Lena hiked the strap of her bag higher up on her shoulder. Maksim waved a hand at her, while sending a pointed look to his son. "Anatoli, take her bag."

Grinning at Lena, Anatoli reached for her bag and took it off her shoulder. She thanked him quietly.

"This is my mother, Irina," Anatoli said, glancing down at the woman holding on to his arm.

"Nice to meet you," Lena said and laughed as the woman embraced her like a daughter.

"You are welcome!" Irina exclaimed with a wide grin. "This is Pavel, my nephew," she introduced the younger of the other two men with them.

"Hi," she said and shook his hand. He smiled shyly at her before stepping back again.

"I'm Vlad," the older man introduced himself. "You must have had a long flight if you were stuck with this guy," he added with a grin at Anatoli.

"You speak English very well," Lena commented with a smile.

"I live in Washington," he told her. "Anatoli lives with me while he's there as well."

"You're brothers?" Lena asked, looking back and forth between the two. As she did, she saw the resemblance; dark hair, blue eyes, tall, broad statures. "How come you weren't on the same flight?"

"I had to work longer," Anatoli replied after a glance exchanged with his brother. "Vlad flew over last week."

Lena nodded and they all stood in silence, smiling at each other, before Maksim announced they should go.

"You must be hungry," he said to Lena as they began to walk through the airport.

"I'm all right," Lena replied. "Just tired."

"Did Anatoli keep you awake on the plane?" Vlad asked with a grin. "He does talk a lot."

Anatoli punched his brother on the arm while Lena looked on with a smile. It was nice to see that Anatoli had such a loving and affectionate family. This vacation was turning out much better than she ever could have imagined.

***

Anatoli was relieved that Lena wasn't angry for deceiving her. Not that it had been a huge lie. He smiled to himself as the entire family, plus Lena, walked inside his parents' house. She seemed to have a good sense of humor and there was a sparkle in her eyes that Anatoli was finding more attractive as the day wore on.

On the ride from the airport she'd been gazing out the window the entire time, smiling and gasping at some of the sights they'd passed. His family had tried to make some conversation with her but they all knew very little English, and she had extremely limited Russian. He decided that he'd have to spend some time teaching her his language. Among other things.

"Lena," his mother spoke to her. "Your room is up here."

Anatoli watched her disappear up the stairs behind his mother. Someone punched him in the arm and he whipped around to glare at his brother, Vlad. He was grinning at Anatoli and walked past him into the kitchen. Anatoli followed him in there and poured himself something to drink.

"She seems very nice," Vlad commented in Russian.

Anatoli narrowed his eyes at his brother and swallowed half his drink in one gulp. "She is."

Vlad grinned at him as he sat down. "Did you guys get to know each other very well on the flight?"

"I guess so."

"Are you going to tell me anything about her?"

Now it was Anatoli's turn to grin. He and his brother had always had a healthy bit of competition between them and it gave him immense pleasure to be one up on Vlad now.

"Well, if you're not going to help me, I guess I'll just have to get to know her on my own." With that, he strolled out of the kitchen.

"Over my dead body," Anatoli muttered before finishing the rest of his juice and following his brother.

His father and cousin were in the big family room as they walked in, chatting animatedly. Pavel was asking what the plan would be in the morning, now that Lena was with them. Just then, Irina returned to the room, followed by their guest. When everyone turned to face her, she flushed under the attention.

"You are all making her nervous," Anatoli scolded in English with a smile for Lena.

She smiled at him and moved to sit down as he gestured to a chair next to him.

"We were just thinking about tomorrow," Anatoli's father spoke up.

"Oh please," Lena replied quickly. "Don't change your plans on my account. I'm sure I won't be up for anything except sleeping for a day or two anyway."

When the family gave her blank stares, Vlad gave a quick translation. Lena smiled and thanked him, much to Anatoli's annoyance. Vlad merely winked at his brother.

"No, you are part of the family," Maksim announced with a broad smile for Lena. "We go to church tonight and you are welcome."

"I'd love to!" Lena breathed, her face bright. She asked about church services after, understanding that Russian Orthodox Christmas wasn't for another few weeks. Vlad explained that there were some churches that did services on December 24th, to accommodate those not of the Orthodox faith. The Oborotenski family attended both every year, as a tradition, and because Anatoli and Vlad couldn't always be in Moscow for early January.