From Russia With Love

The day that followed was long and drawn-out. Dominika faintly remembered stirring from her slumber as Gerard slipped softly out of their bed in the early hours of the morning, before the sun had even begun to kiss the fields of the estate beyond with its golden rays. He leant over her in the darkness, her hair spread out across the pillows like a curtain of corn silk.

His lips touched the side of her face gently and she sighed in contentment “I love you” he whispered, “I’ll be home as soon as I can”

“Good luck” she murmured softly, her eyes still closed “I love you, too”

The dog tags he always wore clinked together, almost like wind chimes, as he gathered his things from the corner of their room and closed the door behind him. Sleep pulled Dominika back into its embrace within seconds and by the time she next awoke the sun was shining brightly through the thin veiled curtains and casting rays in muted patterns on both the floor and her bedspread. She spread her fingers out beside her, feeling the empty space in juxtaposition to the warmth of Gerard’s body that usually greeted her. She wondered where he was, what he was doing, and the sad realisation ebbed at her as she realised this feeling was something she would once again have to become accustom to. Gerard would soon be far away again, across the ocean in her homeland. Their relations would once again fall back to the finite phone calls and the pages and pages of endless letters, his messy writing scrawled across crisp white pages, folded over and over again and stuffed inside thick ivory envelopes.

Dominika dreaded his departure every day of her existence, but the comforting thought was always in the back of her mind, reminding her their separation was only temporary. Distance did not define their love, if anything it only strengthened it.

She was at least grateful that he would there to see her debut as the Lilac Fairy. She had poured so many hours into the rehearsal of her performance, the sweat, the pain, the blisters. The blood that had stained the soft pink of her pointe shoes, like red wine on pink satin, would all come to a head and finally pay off. The days had slimmed into single digits now and the anticipation of what lay ahead played on her mind almost every minute of each day, butterflies that beat their wings against the lining of her stomach. Her costume had finally arrived from the tailor and now hung in its own pride of place at the ballet academy, waiting patiently for her dance to bring the movement of its fabric to life.

Dominika reluctantly filled her day with her lone rehearsal, repeating the same movements and motions again and again, her eyes trained on the reflection in front of her as she attempted the never ending strive for perfection. Would she ever be good enough in her own eyes? The lean muscles in her legs ached in protest, begging for relief from the gruelling schedule she had followed now for months on end. Sweat beaded against her skin, her practice leotard almost welded to her, strained with the effort that had become her. Chest heaving, she paused for rest, folding her legs beneath her as she sunk to the floor. She reached out and took hold of her water bottle beside her, chugging the clear liquid greedily as if it would erase the pain of her spent body. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was tired.

A quiet tap came at the door and her head snapped in the direction of the noise.

“Come in” she called, her chest still heaving.

Gerard appeared around the doorway, dressed in his drill pants and a white singlet. His skin gleamed with sweat and his hair was slicked back with perspiration. Heat prickled in the base of Dominika’s stomach at the sight of him and her heart swelled in her chest.

“Hey” she said softly, “I missed you”

Gerard closed the space between them in a few short strides and pulled her against him before kissing her deeply. He tasted of salt and cigarettes and the heat from her stomach slowly rose up her throat, like a finger tracing up her spine from the inside out. He pulled away and grinned at her coyly.

“I missed you too, baby” he gleamed, “is this what you’ve been doing all day?”

She nodded in exasperation, “Yes, I’m exhausted”

“Me too” he replied.

“Maybe I should take you to bed right now”

The butterflies were back, their wings tickling Dominika’s insides as she pondered his words for a moment.

“To sleep” he clarified, raising a dark eyebrow, “you sure have a one-track mind”

“Maybe” she giggled, “but I’m afraid I’m in the same boat. I’m utterly exhausted. Bed sounds like a good idea”

Without another word Gerard scooped her up in his arms, holding her close to his chest as he carried her out of the room and down the dark hallway. They had been sleeping in her room for weeks now, sharing the same bed. The thought of sleeping alone now was a daunting one and her heart ached knowing that was indeed in her future.

Gerard laid her on the fluffy, lofty white bed with care before he stripped off his singlet and allowed it to fall to the floor beside them. As she curled into his arms she laid her head on his bare chest, the rise and fall of his even breaths providing an even tempo.

“So how long will it be till you leave me again?” she asked quietly.

“There’s good news and bad news” he replied, kissing the side of her neck “which do you want to hear first?”

“The bad news, may as well get it over with”

“Hmmm” Gerard hummed softly, stroking her back with the tips of his fingers, “lets put it this way. I’ll be here for the opening night of your production, but they’re going to ship me out three days after that”

Dominika’s heart dropped in her chest, like a stone in the cool, calm waters of a pond. So soon? She had hoped they’d at least have another month together. She had grown so accustom his presence, beside her in the long, cold nights that had befallen them now that winter drew nearer and nearer. He was the bonds that glued her broken heart back together, what would she do with such a large piece of her missing? Thousands of miles away across the dark oceans.

Gerard was quiet for a moment, allowing Dominika to process her thoughts and turn the reality that faced them over and over in her head. He turned to face her, stroking her soft, pale skin with his thumb and forefinger, his eyes burning into hers.

“There’s something I wanted to ask you”

Dominika could feel the intensity that simmered beneath his gaze and she searched his eyes for the meaning behind it. Without responding, Gerard ducked into the side table on his side of his bed, opening the drawer and then closing it again in almost the same moment. He took her left hand in his and effortlessly slipped something cold and hard over her ring finger.

Shocked, Dominika glanced down at the beautiful, shining ring, with its colossal pretty stone that shimmered up at her.

“W-what’s this?” she stammered.

“I love you, Domi. I promise to always love you, till the very end of our days. And even then I’ll love you in the next life, and the one after that too”

He paused to kiss the finger he had placed the ring on as Dominika stared at him, dazed.

“Will you marry me?”

Notes