The Long Weekend

"You think?"

"Definitely," Mimi said with a nod. "He's hot and clearly interested in you. You don't have to marry him, but you can definitely enjoy what's he's offering."

"I mean you make a valid point. But I wasn't really trying to get into something this summer with someone, especially with my roommate's brother."

Mimi's reddish eyebrow was cocked, the dreaded side-eye look evident in her aqua gaze.

"Charlie...that is some bullshit. Don't sit up there and act like you aren't feeling him. I'm sure Katia wouldn't mind, and even if she did, you don't have to tell her."

"That's another valid point." She sighed loudly, pushing her plate away. "Alright...so maybe I kind of have a slight, tiny, insignificant crush on him."

"I'm gonna move right now, to avoid that lightning that's bound to strike from all the lying you're doing."

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Okay so I'm feeling him. So what? It's not like any good can from it."

"Other than some nasty 'hair pullin', toe curlin', sweat all my curls out' sex?" Mimi shrugged. "Yeah. Of course you're right."

A small chuckled escaped as she pondered her predicament. It really wasn't that serious. She was single, Gavril was single (hopefully), and they were obviously feeling each other. And Mimi was right; no one had to know. She wasn't desperate, but it was the summertime and she was supposed to be enjoying herself.

"Hmm, you might be right" she said, taking a sip of her sparkling water. "I deserve some fun."

"There ya go! Speaking of fun, Topher's having a party tonight. He texted me this morning about it."

Topher was one of the guys they worked with at The Attic. Charlie wasn't super tight with him, but he was a pretty decent guy. "Really? I didn't get a text."

"I don't think he realized you were still here.

Everyone thought you were going on vacay."

"Fair enough."

"You should come tonight. And you should bring Gavril."

"I'm not sure what's he's got planned, but I'll see if he's up for it."

Mimi winked. "I'm sure he's up for something all right, it's just probably not a party."

Charlie shot her a look. "And that's enough of that, missy." She glanced at her watch. "We should probably head out. You have work in twenty minutes and you still have to drop me back home."

With a large sigh she heaved herself from her chair. "Ugh, I hate feeling like a goddamn invalid, being chauffeured around everywhere."

Mimi giggled as they stepped out of the small café. "Well this time-out is the price you pay for hitting a deer."

********

"Thanks for coming with me," Charlie said.

Gavril glanced at her. "Thank you for inviting me. I would have sat there all night, watching Cartoon Network like a nerd."

"Oh hush, Gavril" Mimi called from the front seat. "I doubt you have any nerd tendencies at all."

His smile was demure. "I am a huge Battlestar Galactica fan. But if that gets out, I will deny it to my grave."

Charlie grinned. "Your secret is safe with me."

She was glad she invited him. He looked like a lost child sitting on the couch alone, flipping through the channels. She enjoyed his company and though she was loathe to admit it, Charlie was excited about the possibility of being alone with him in a party setting. Especially if said party involved alcohol.

She didn't know where Topher lived, and because she assumed Gavril would be drinking, she opted to ride with Paul and Mimi, as Paul, who didn't drink, was permanent DD and would give them a ride to and from the party.

Gavril was grateful for the invite. His plans to hang out with old friends fell through and he was stuck inside the house during his vacation. It wouldn't have been so bad if Charlie hadn't avoided him for most of the morning and afternoon. When he left for his morning jog, she was still sleeping and didn't stir even after he returned and showered. He cooked breakfast, did some online work and finally left to meet with the head of the athletic division of the alumni association.

When he got back she wasn't there. He was sorting through his camera equipment when she bounded in, muttered a quick hello and practically ran up the stairs. He entertained himself for the rest of the evening until she finally emerged, looking absolutely stunning in a multi-colored print dress. The summer dress was thin, the lightweight fabric clinging to her hips and flaring out quite nicely in a ruffled hem that stopped an inch or two above her knees.

It was a watercolor blend of dark blue, lavender, and royal green with just a touch of golden yellow. The colors were woven in intricate patterns and when she moved, it seemed as if the colors swirled too.

She paired it with a simple cardigan, a long gold necklace with an owl pendant, and simple smoky makeup. The effect was stunning. She looked very ladylike and becoming and when he glanced down at her feet and saw black motorcycle boots he couldn't help but grin. Charlie would be the kind of girl to wear a nice dress and boots together.

Truth be told, he wasn't really looking forward to hanging out with a bunch of strangers. Gavril wasn't a social butterfly by any means, but he wasn't exactly a loner either. He saw tonight as an opportunity to get to know Charlie better. The thought of what they could get into made his heart jump with anticipation.

Fifteen minutes later they pulled up to a ranch style home. There were already several cars in the driveway so Paul parked on the street. As they emerged from the car, the sound of people talking and loud music could be heard.

Thankfully, the closest neighbors were about a mile away on either side.

"Are you ready?" Charlie asked.

Gavril nodded. "Yeah. Let's have some fun." She grabbed his arm and they fell in step together, her arms clutching his. He liked having her close.

Mimi studied them, her blue eyes twinkling but didn't say a word. Something was definitely going to happen with them tonight.

They walked up the gravel path to the house. As they stepped inside the sounds of Sleigh Bells "Riot Rhythm" ripped through the sound system.

There were plenty of people milling around, sipping from the standard red plastic party cups. It was a typical college party, but Gavril didn't mind; he was looking for a little mindless fun.

Charlie turned to Gavril. "Let's go get something to drink" she shouted above the noise. Grabbing his hand, she walked down a hallway that hopefully led to the kitchen.

They hit pay dirt at the end of the hall, which opened up to a fairly large kitchen. There was a giant clear container filled with something that was no doubt jungle juice.

She filled two cups and handed him one. "Down the hatch," she said, tipping the cup back. It was surprisingly pleasant, the punch and alcohol mixing just right to produce a sweet burn that was effective. Gavril winced.

"I'm not used to drinking such sweet shit."

"What, you graduated college and suddenly you're too good for jungle juice?" she said playfully.

"I never liked the shit, even when I was in college. I prefer the alcohol without all the sugar."

"Oh poor baby, having to suffer through the cheerleader punch."

"Charlie! Hey! I'm so glad you could make it!"

Charlie glanced up as Topher stumbled into the kitchen.

"Hey Toph," she said with a grin. "Glad you invited me. Oh wait..."

Topher chuckled as he refilled his cup with jungle juice. "I'm sorry babe. I thought you were out of town. Change of plans?"

Charlie nodded. "Something like that. Hey, this is Katia's brother Gavril. I hope you don't mind that I dragged him with me. He's crashing at the house for the week."

Topher shook his head, his warm brown eyes shining from the alcohol. "Nah, it's cool." He extended his hand in greeting for Gavril. "Nice to meet you, my dude."

"Likewise." Gavril gripped the younger man's hand in a firm handshake.

"Nice accent," Topher remarked. "Russian?"

"Da," Gavril replied.

"Wait a sec, your last name isn't Denisov is it?"

"Yes it is."

Topher's eyes widened. "Dude, you know my brother. Nick Raynor."

Gavril smiled. "Nick is your brother? He's a good guy." He turned to Charlie, who was watching the interaction with curious eyes. "Nick and I were on the hockey team together."

Charlie shot Topher a look. "Your brother was on the hockey team?"

"What, a black guy can't play hockey? It can happen, you know." Topher and Gavril chuckled.

"Man, wait until I tell Nick I saw you. Matter of fact, he should be here soon. I take it you're in town for the Terrific Tigers banquet?"

Gavril nodded. "Unfortunately."

Topher grinned, his dark skin shining under the bright lights in the kitchen. "Nick said the same damn thing. You know he's trying to go pro."

"I heard something like that. Tell him I said good luck."

"Tell him yourself," Topher replied. Tipping his cup back, he drained the rest of the jungle juice. "He just got here. Yo, Nick! Look who's here!"

Charlie's eyes widened as a carbon copy of Topher stepped into the kitchen. Nick Raynor was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. Like his brother he was a rich cocoa color.

They both had dark brown eyes and close-cropped black hair, but where Topher was tall and skinny, Nick sported some serious muscle. He was built like a typical hockey player. When he smiled at Gavril, Charlie nearly swooned. He was ridiculously good looking.

"Oh shit, look who it is!" Nick exclaimed. He threw an arm around Gavril's shoulders before pounding fists. "What's up Mishka? It's been a minute, man."

Gavril smiled at his former teammate. "Hey grandpa. You're still hanging around these college kids?"

"Well you know I always have to keep track of the talent on campus." Nick's gaze fell to Charlie, who was watching the men's interaction with amusement. "Hey beautiful."

Charlie burst out laughing while Topher shoved his brother playfully. "Yo leave my girl alone, man."

"Oh word? That's how it is, little brother? Is this you?" Nick reached out and tilted his brother's glasses.

Topher adjusted his askew black frames. "Nah. Charlie's just a friend. We work together at The Attic."

Nick smiled. "Oh okay. Well hey, Ms. Charlie. I'm Nick and it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Charlie said, her smile genuine.

"What did you just call Gavril? Mishka?"

"It is Russian for 'bear'" said Gavril.

"Right. We gave him the name back in the day. My man was a fucking beast on the ice. Had all our opponents all shook up."

"You were pretty nice yourself," Gavril remarked.

"True, true. But I wasn't captain like you. So where are you staying in town?"

"At the old house," he replied. "With Charlie."

Nick's brown eyes widened as he glanced from

Charlie to Gavril. "Oh...I see how it is. Say no more, brother. Well come with me. Since you're here you can partake in it too." Nick turned to the fridge and pulled out a large bottle from the freezer. "I know you aren't satisfied drinking that cheerleader shit. No offense," he said to his brother.

"Fuck you, it gets the job done." Topher turned to Charlie. "Refill?"

"Please," she said, handing him her cup. Charlie watched as Nick set out four shot glasses on the black granite countertop. "What the hell is that?" she asked as he filled each shot glass with the clear liquid.

"This? This will put hair on your chest, sweetheart. Mishka here put me on to it, back when we were but young grasshoppers." Grinning, he held out a shot glass to Charlie. "Pure Russian vodka," Nick said.

Gavril chuckled. "Now this is what I'm talking about. None of that other dreck."

"Well excuse the hell out of me, Mishka" Charlie said sarcastically. "I'm sorry if my drinking choices are too pedantic for your palette."

A knowing smirk crossed his grizzly features.

"You are so sexy when you're sarcastic," he replied jokingly.

Charlie rolled her eyes, despite the smile beginning to form. "Stop trying to flirt with me." She took her now-filled cup back from Topher.

Nick watched their small exchange with a knowing grin, but didn't say anything more than "alright, let's do this." He handed a glass to Topher and Gavril before raising his own. "Cheers!" he said excitedly.

Everyone clinked glasses, tapped them on the counter once and tipped them back simultaneously. Charlie felt the smooth burn of the vodka slide

down her throat and she sputtered slightly.

"Jesus!" she exclaimed, her voice slightly hoarse. "That was fucking strong."

"I'll say," Topher gasped out. He coughed before taking a huge gulp of jungle juice. Charlie did the same, finding that the sweetness of the juice alleviated some of the burn for her.

Gavril did the shot easily, banging down the glass. It felt fucking awesome. It'd been a while since he did shots. He felt as if he were right back in college. The vodka moved quickly through his system, spreading like wildfire in his veins. He growled lightly.

"Goddamn that was good!" Nick said, beating his chest. "Makes you feel like a man!"

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Okay, that's enough for me. You two have fun in here, beating your chests and being cavemen." She turned to Topher. "Let's go dance!"

"Absolutely!" He grabbed her hand and took off for the living room.

As Gavril lined up another round for Nick and himself, his friend turned an inquisitive eye his way. "I see you, my dude."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Nick sucked his teeth. "Don't play dumb with me, Mishka. You're feeling her, aren't you?"

"Her who?" He handed one of the shots to Nick.

"Charlie."

"Oh. Is it that obvious?"

Nick grinned. "Motherfucker, are you serious? If Topher and I weren't here, you would've probably had her spread out all over this counter."

Gavril's mind went rampant with that image before he shot his friend a look. "Maybe; I like her. She's cute and fun to be around. She's Katia's best friend though."

"Word? Seems like a tough spot to be in. But if she's cool with it, I'd say go for it. It's not like your sister has to know. She's single, you're single. Do the damn thing."

"I hear you, moi drug (my friend)". Nick was right; it was time to act on what they were both obviously feeling.

"Alright. Let's toast to both of us getting it in tonight." Nick said with a wink.

Gavril winced at his crude expression but chuckled at him nonetheless. "Let's do this."

They both downed the shots clean.

He didn't know how many shots he'd done, but by the time he and Nick emerged from the kitchen, it seemed like the house was even more crowded. They pushed through the throngs of people and by the time he reached the sitting room, he'd lost Nick. He spotted Mimi and Paul on a couch, talking to a group of people. Grabbing a beer from a large bucket in the corner he waved to them.

Mimi looked up from her conversation. "Having a nice time?"

"So far, it is not bad" he said with a shrug.

"Have you seen Charlie?"

"No," Mimi replied with a shake of her head. "The last time I saw her was like twenty minutes ago. She was dancing with Topher. I think they mentioned something about playing a game." Mimi glanced behind him. "Speak of the devil. Here they come."

Charlie and Topher pranced into the room. Gavril immediately zeroed in on their clasped hands. What was that all about?

"Hey guys!" she said brightly. Her light brown eyes were shiny and there was a slight flush under her creamy dark cheeks. She was more than likely a little buzzed. Her gaze fell to Gavril and she bit her lip. "Hey Gav. Are you enjoying yourself?"

"I'm good. You two seem cozy."

Charlie stifled a giggle. "Jealous, Mishka?"

Gavril bit back a groan. There was something about the way Mishka rolled off her tongue that drove him a little crazy. Still, he was determined to play it cool. "Intrigued, to be honest."

"Alright people, we're getting a game of Spin the Bottle going if anyone's interested!" Topher drunkenly shouted to the room. "Shut the fuck up!" he said, amidst the groans.

"What, y'all too grown now? We're doing it down in the rec room. Single people only. We ain't trying to break up happy homes in this bitch tonight!"

Mimi chuckled. "Guess that leaves out me and Paul. But we'll come and hang out any way."

They got up and headed down with Topher. Charlie eyed Gavril. "Are you coming?" she asked.

He stepped to her, his body mere centimeters away. "Why, you want me?" he whispered, his voice a tantalizingly low rumble in her ear.

Charlie could smell the fresh scent of his cologne mixed with the vodka he drank earlier.

She shivered as his words made her throb all over. With a grin, she traced a single finger along his jawline, feeling the surprisingly soft hairs of his beard.

"That's a loaded question, Russian. You sure you can handle the answer?"

Gavril reached out, curling his arm around her waist, pulling her close. Charlie moaned softly when she felt something hard pressed against her.

"Mmm," he hummed quietly, his hardness grinding slowly into her. "I think I can handle it just fine." There was a dark gleam in his hazel eyes and it spoke volumes, luring Charlie with promises of all the naughty things this man was capable of.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but Charlie found herself thoroughly soaked from his words. She was throwing pretense out the window. Sorry Katia,

but I am SO gonna destroy your brother tonight.

"Let's go, Gav" she husked. Sliding out of his grasp, she headed for the stairs with Gavril on her heels.

When they got downstairs, there were a good number of people already there. Topher's drunk ass was trying to organize everyone into a boy-girl-boy-girl formation. Finally everyone who wanted to participate was seated and Topher produced an empty handle of whiskey to serve as the official bottle.

"Okay dudes here's the rules: Everyone takes a turn and spins the bottle. First round, you give the person a nice little peck. Second round, you add some tongue. Third round, you get two minutes in that closet behind me. Two minutes to do whatever you want. But please no questionable fluids on the floor. That's where I hide my Christmas presents."

There was a smattering of chuckles at his joke. Topher grinned. "Everyone clear? Let's do this!" Topher spun the bottle, and it landed on a cute little blonde girl. She hopped up, kissing him eagerly before stumbling drunkenly back to her place on the floor.

As it got closer to her turn, Charlie couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach. Gavril was sitting opposite of her. She knew it was just a silly game but a small part of her was hoping to get a little something from him. The forehead kiss wasn't enough. And if that shit he pulled upstairs was any indication, he was definitely willing to give a little more.

"Ay yo, snap out of it girl! It's your turn." Charlie looked up to see Topher grinning at her.

"Spin the bottle, Charlie."

Charlie did as she was told. Round and round the bottle went until it finally landed. Oh fuck, she thought as the bottle stopped right in front of Dale. Of course. The circle let out a chuckle as she looked up at Dale, who was trying not to blush. As if shit wasn't already awkward between the two of them.

It wasn't that Dale was unattractive. He was extremely cute. With his golden brown skin, dark hair, and warm brown eyes the color of rich coffee, he was swoon-worthy. He was tall and gangly, with a nose that would have been hawkish on anyone else but suited him just fine. Dale was a great practical joker, a little awkward when drinking, but overall an absolute sweetheart.

He reminded Charlie of Dev Patel, the actor from Skins, except a lot less nerdy. There was just no spark between them, and for that Charlie always felt a little guilty.

Everyone knew about Dale's crush on her. She tried to avoid it (if you didn't count that one time they made out a little after too much wine) in order to keep him from getting his hopes up, but of course fate had other plans.