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"Nyet Sevan," I said, burying myself further under the covers as she approached the bed.

"You need to eat something more than crackers, Zinovia," Sevan said as she slid back into the bed beside me.

And maybe she was right.

At least my stomach determined she was right.

I'm really hungry.

But after what just fucking happened I'm not leaning towards eating anything anytime soon.

I just can't keep that up for long.

Or at all considering Sevan is now ensuring I eat.

She is unusual.

This is unusual.

I am not entirely accustomed to someone caring whether I ate or not.

"Sevan," I groaned in annoyance when she pulled the covers off of my upper body.

"I got a plain cheese pizza," Sevan emphasized as she set the large cardboard box down, "It's not going to hurt you."

I only narrowed my eyes, "Pizza?" I repeated back to her skeptically.

"The best pizza here," Sevan told me as she opened the box.

I raised a brow, eyeing the circle of cooked dough that was topped with sauce and cheese.

Very odd.

"Just try taking one bite," Sevan tried to convince me.

I pursed my lips as I eyed the pizza yet again, unsure of how I would even pick it up.

"I am not hungry," I whispered, forcing my eyes away from the pizza that annoyingly smelt good.

"Zi," Sevan said, her tone less demanding and much softer with me, which naturally made my eyes lock with hers, "One bite," she murmured with a raised brow.

Yet I still chose to stay silent.

But only for a minute.

Until I annoyingly let out the deepest sigh of my life.

"Fine," I mumbled, hesitantly reaching my hand into the pizza box.

Where I hesitated even more, unsure of where to grab the pizza from.

I think I have witnessed someone grab the crust part?

It looks cut already so maybe I just—

"Have you never had pizza, Zinovia?" Sevan suddenly asked me, clearly aware of my hesitancy.

I shrugged, "It's not my thing," I determined nonchalantly.

Which earned a dramatic look from Sevan, making my lips tilt up slightly in amusement.

I don't think I have seen her express so much emotion before.

"I genuinely can't tell if you're joking right now," Sevan said, eyeing my face in disbelief.

I shook my head, "I have never had pizza," I insisted, even if my smile annoyingly grew more.

But Sevan looks hilariously shocked right now.

"Zinovia I..." she trailed off, blinking a few times, "You're... you've never had pizza?"

An annoying laugh bubbled in my throat, shaking my head as I processed the first occurrence of Sevan being speechless.

Genuinely speechless.

"I have never had pizza—why is that difficult to believe malyshka?" I asked, smiling wider as I eyed her face.

Sevan shook her head.

Almost a few times.

"I just assumed everyone has had it once in their life," Sevan determined, pursing her lips as she truly processed this unserious news.

I raised an offensive brow, "I am not everyone," I emphasized.

Sevan hummed, "You prove that more and more every fucking day," she said, now grabbing a piece of the pizza.

I felt my brows unconsciously raise, realizing you do pick it up by the crust.

Such an odd concept.

Bread, sauce, and cheese.

"I get to feed you your first bite," Sevan murmured, gently grabbing my chin to hold in place.

I hummed almost wordlessly, "An honor," I said, holding her dark eyes as I parted my lips for her.

"All of your firsts are honors," Sevan emphasized almost in a double meaning, which easily made my stomach twist... nervously?

Her words... they make me nervous?

I felt my mouth immediately salivate as soon as I took a small bite of the pizza, chewing almost impatiently as I basked in the delicious flavors.

"Is it good baby?" Sevan asked as she set the piece of pizza down and wiped off her hands on one of the napkins.

I shrugged, "Decent," I mumbled, even if it was really fucking good.

Like I might make my chefs add that to the menu.

"You are such a liar, Zinovia," Sevan said, jokingly pushing me away.

Which immediately made me gasp dramatically as I jokingly pushed her back.

"Fine it is very good—very superior," I told her, pushing her shoulder again even if she hadn't pushed me back.

"Very superior," Sevan murmured as I purposely pushed her shoulders again.

Until she suddenly grabbed my hand and tugged me further into her.

And I oddly leaned into her even more, almost naturally, moving my legs to rest over hers.

"Feed me more," I demanded, feeling as hungry as ever now that I had tasted the pizza.

"Magic word," Sevan reminded me, staring down at me.

I huffed dramatically, "I threw up and I am—" I faked a few coughs, "Very sick, and so I deserve princess treatment."

Sevan's lips twitched up, eyeing me for a moment before she leaned down closer—

And kissed me.

"You deserve that even if you aren't sick," Sevan clarified as she briefly kissed my lips two more times in a row, "I just like hearing you say please."

I hummed, "You have to drag that out of me," I determined, motioning my head over to the pizza.

"I have," Sevan subtly added, immediately sending me back to the night I had repeated the degrading word like a fucking chant.

She managed to drag it out of me that next morning as well.

"Here," Sevan said as she grabbed the piece of pizza again and brought it to my lips.

I felt my lips twitch up almost happily, parting my lips for a bigger bite than my last.

"First tacos and now pizza—what am I going to do with you?" Sevan murmured as she watched me chew a few times.

"Have you not done enough?" I countered back, my tone nothing but teasing.

Sevan briefly glanced down to my lips, "Not even close," she said, holding the pizza back to my lips for another bite.

Which she watched me take, chewing happily as I satisfied the hunger in my stomach.

"I like this pizza concept very much," I determined as I chewed some more.

Sevan immediately laughed, "Zinovia," she said, blessing my ears with another laugh as she revealed her perfect white teeth, "Pizza concept is an insane way to word it."

I felt my lips twitch up yet again, but I quickly shrugged it off as I took another bite.

"I feel like you in America would be really fucking interesting," Sevan determined, which immediately made me scrunch up my nose in disgust.

"I never go there," I said, hating even the slightest idea of that.

Which naturally made Sevan raise a curious brow, "I'm taking you then," she said almost purposefully.

I swear she just likes a fucking challenge.

"Nyet," I mumbled with a narrowed look, taking another bite of the pizza she held at my lips again.

"Okay," Sevan murmured, watching as I chewed more, "I'll just kidnap you again."

I felt my jaw clench at the distant memory of that café, "I don't speak to you again then," I countered back, attempting to pull my legs off her lap.

But she immediately stopped me using her free hand.

"Just for a weekend," Sevan tried to convince me, her dark eyes almost softening to get her point across, "I'll take you to New York—it's a big city baby, you would like it."

I only remained silent, taking another bite of the pizza.

Which naturally made Sevan anticipate my next words.

Especially as I chewed purposely slowly.

Until finally I finished, attempting to take another bite—but Sevan quickly leaned the half-eaten slice of pizza away from me.

I sighed in response, "I have Russian mafia to take care of," I reminded her.

Sevan only shook her head, "It's only a weekend—I'll make sure everything is handled while we're gone, you know this," she assured me as she leaned the pizza back closer to my lips.

I remained silent yet again as I contemplated the idea of America.

And... New York.

I shook my head, "The flight is very long—"

"Not as long as Colombia," Sevan cut me short with a raised brow.

I narrowed my eyes at her in response.

She is making this very difficult.

To a point where all I could do was sigh and say—

"Fine, I go."

The words were reluctant and almost sounded like a threat.

Yet all Sevan could do was smile slightly, making me tilt my head.

Mostly because of the similar nervous knots that tied in my stomach.

Blyat.

"We're going to New York," Sevan murmured as I took another big bite of the pizza.

"Da," I mumbled dryly as she lowered the pizza from my lips.

"This weekend," she determined.

I sighed dramatically, falling back on the bed as I pretended to faint, "You are exhausting," I said, earning a chuckle from Sevan.

"You've had all your life to get plenty of sleep," Sevan concluded with a nonchalant shrug.

I rolled my eyes, "Controlling Colombian," I mumbled under my breath.

"Stubborn Russian," Sevan countered back with an amused smile.

I sighed, "Da—but I am not so stubborn after second piece of pizza," I told her, lying back up from the bed.

Sevan raised a brow, "And you claimed it was decent," she just had to fucking point out, grabbing another slice for me.

I shrugged, "And then I say it was superior," I corrected her as she brought the piece of pizza to my lips, "I can eat it all."

Sevan hummed in approval, "Go for it baby," she said, watching as I took another bite, "You need to eat."

I chewed happily, nodding my head a few times as I grabbed one of the slices of pizza.

Very awkwardly at first.

But once I got the hang of it, I brought it to Sevan's lips.

Which immediately made her take a bite, chewing a few times with a content hum.

"It tastes better when you feed it to me," she determined, leaning in to take another bite.

"Better than Mireya?" I purposely asked her.

Which made Sevan's brows immediately raise as she chewed a few times.

It almost felt like my words had caught her off guard for once.

"We grew up together—she's a sister to me," Sevan tried to explain yet again.

But I trust no one.

"I do not like her," I mumbled with a narrowed look.

Sevan only shook her head, "Well she likes you," she told me, easily making my brows furrow, "You made a good first impression which is hard with her."

I blinked a few times, "I didn't say anything to her," I pointed out.

Sevan lips twitched up slightly, "You never have to say anything, Zi," she told me, leaning back in to take another bite, "Your presence speaks volumes."

I remained silent for a moment, analyzing her words.

Because they are constantly nice.

Very nice.

Weirdly nice.

I am unsure of how to react.

"More," I mumbled, glancing down to the pizza she held for me.

And almost immediately Sevan lifted it back to my lips for a bite.

Which I took, chewing a few more times in thought.

Very deep thought.

"New York," I suddenly said as I swallowed slightly, "Have you ever been?" I asked curiously.

Sevan nodded, "Yeah," she said, taking another bite when I brought the piece of pizza to her lips, "I think you'll find the city... stimulating."

I raised a brow, "I find enough stimulation here," I countered back.

Which immediately made Sevan's lips twitch up slightly, "And I'll show you more there," she emphasized almost with a double meaning.

Which we're both aware of.

"You enjoy taking me out of Moscow very much it seems," I said, setting the pizza down in the box as I wiped my hands off using one of the napkins.

Sevan lazily raised her brows, "Randomly leaving Moscow makes it hard to be watched," she determined, putting down the piece of pizza she held in the open box, "And by the time the executioners are aware of our location, we're already wrapping up."

I nodded almost hesitantly, "But they ask questions. Like where we are," I pointed out.

Sevan shrugged, "We're doing business—that's all they need to know," she said, wiping her hands on the napkin.

I raised a brow, "So this right now is business?" I purposely asked her.

"Yeah," Sevan said, tilting her head when I pulled my legs away from her lap.

But only so I could straddle them on either side of her body.

"Zinovia," Sevan said as I settled on her lap, running my hands around her neck.

"This is business?" I asked again.

Sevan's jaw visibly tensed, "Yeah," she said, sliding her hands past my waist.

I leaned down closer to her, barely grazing my lips against hers, "And this?" I whispered, staring into her eyes as her hands naturally squeezed my waist.

"Is business," Sevan said, briefly glancing down to my lips as I leaned in to kiss her.

"Just business?" I murmured against her lips as she ran her hands up my back, kissing me back even deeper.

"Just business, Zi," Sevan said, which weirdly made me feel standoffish.

It made her lips no longer seem appealing and the lack of space between us feel suffocating.

"Good," I forced out in a low murmur, pulling away from her and off of her lap entirely.

Which left Sevan visibly confused.

"What are you doing?" she asked, sliding out of the bed when I got up to walk to the bathroom.

"I get ready for bed—I want to sleep," I said as I walked into the bathroom with her following close behind me.

"Just like that?" Sevan asked, noticing the shift in my mood.

I nodded almost forcefully, "Da," I mumbled as I grabbed one of the toothbrushes, "Privacy would be nice—you never give me time alone," I purposely added, my tone coming off harsher than I intended.

"If that's the thanks I get for taking care of you then I'll fucking take it," Sevan said with a narrowed look, crossing her arms over her chest.

And I could tell she expected me to contribute something more to this weird conversation.

But I didn't.

I only silently brushed my teeth, causing her to back out of the bathroom and close the door behind her.

Which left me with a hollowness in my stomach that I was entirely unaccustomed to.

It will fade.

Along with these weird thoughts and feelings.

Because she clearly isn't experiencing the same thing as me.