Remembering My Childhood Crush

Kira’s POV
“How are you?” Alex smiled through the computer, his big head taking up the whole screen on Skype.
“I am good.”
“How is it going with Evgeni?” he winked.
“It’s been 2 months, nothing is going on with Evgeni,” I rolled my eyes.
“If I was you I would be onto that.”
“We aren’t all Russian whores like you Alex.”
“That didn’t seem to stop you,” he teased.
“I thought we said we weren’t ever going to speak of that again?”
“I am trying to prove a point to you here.”
“And what point is that exactly?” his brain had a weird way of going about things.
“That you aren’t always the conservative type.”

He was killing me here. Alex knew that other side of me. The one where I would do something without even thinking twice about it, where I would jump into bed with anyone to get back at someone or just because I simply felt like I needed that release. Yeah Alex knew it all too well.

“Yeah but I don’t want to ruin our friendship at the same time.”
“Fine, well then you talking to the wrong person,” he shrugged.
“You asked,” I defended myself.
“You are right on that one,” he smiled, “oh well, still can’t help you.”

“Kira?” Evgeni called through the door.
“Come in,” I rolled over.
“Dinner is ready… are you talking to Alex?”
“Yes I am,” I smiled as he came over to the bed and laid down next to me.
“Zhenya,” Alex smiled, “How are you? Are you her kitchen bitch too?”
“She is lazy can’t do anything,” Evgeni smiled at me before continuing the conversation with him.

“Come on Evgeni, you said dinner was ready 10 minutes ago. It will be cold by now. Say goodbye to Alex,” I felt like a mother getting ready to close the laptop down on her son who wouldn’t stop playing games.
“Yes it is, cya Alex.”
“Cya,” Alex waved like a child.

“You and Alex are good friends aren’t you?” Evgeni sifted through his pasta and chicken.
“Yeah, why?” I took a bite of my food, “Mmm this is really good,” I pointed to the dish he had made.
“Thanks, I just wonder. Alex have lots of girlfriends but never really just girls who are friends,” he shrugged before digging into his food.
“Alex is a great guy don’t get me wrong, but I am not interested in him.”

“Are you interested in anyone?” he looked up shyly.
“I have my eye on a certain someone,” I took a sip of my beer.
“Really?” his eyes widened almost choking on his food.
“Yeah,” I laughed at his reaction.
“Who?”
“I don’t know if I should say it, Jeffrey might tell,” I looked at the dog asleep by our feet.
“Jeffrey doesn’t care.”
“Ok well you can’t tell then,” I made him cross his heart.
“I promise,” he turned towards me ready to listen.
“… You,” I quickly kissed his cheek and got up heading out to the kitchen.
“What?” he was hot on my heels.

“Evgeni I have liked you since we were like 8 years old,” I couldn’t hide it from him any longer.
“Really?” he stood on the other side of the island counter.
“Yes, and that stuff with Oksana. I want to apologize for,” I put my beer down on the bench.
“What stuff? When we were 18? I should apologize for that,” he shook his head, “I didn’t mean to be such a jerk…”

“Zhenya, why do you keep doing this?” I yelled at him as we stepped out into the bar garden.
“Doing what?” he frowned gripping his drink.
“You keep pushing me away. I get you have a girlfriend but I thought we were best friends.”
“We have grown up Kira,” he went to walk away.
“So that’s it,” he turned back around, “You think just because you play hockey for a living and are fucking some whore that you are grown up? If that is being grown up then you can keep it to yourself.”
“You’re just jealous because you don’t have anyone,” he crossed his arms.
“Fuck you,” I hit his drink from his hand and into his face, “you can keep your apple pie life, I don’t want to be a part of it,” I stormed off.

As I walked back through the club I turned around to look at him one last time, it was the worst mistake I could have made. Oksana had her lips locked onto his, her long bony fingers running through his hair.

“Kira?” his eyes studied me as I came back from my daydream.
“What?” I shook my head and pulled away from him.
“Did you not hear anything I just said?”
“I am sorry, I just have a headache,” it killed me to remember what it was like to imagine her with him. Everything about her gave me the chills, “Why did you do it?”
“Do what?” he stood on the other side of the bench as I sat up on the stool.
“Push me away like you did.”
“Honestly? I was afraid you would find out and we would stop being friends.”
“Find out what?” now I was confused.
“That I liked you. Everyone expected some big show woman because I played hockey but I didn’t want to, I wanted to be with you and you were in America I couldn’t have you,” he admitted putting his head down.

Wow, Evgeni liked me. He was about as ideal as it got for me when it came to a boyfriend and he liked me back. He was slowly becoming my best friend again and now he liked me.

To be honest that freaked me out a little.

Evgeni’s POV
In a space of a few months I had gotten my childhood best friend back, the person who meant so much to me and never knew it. Now she did, she knew how I felt and it wasn’t even that hard to tell her. Why couldn’t I have had the confidence to tell her like that 5 years ago.

Evgeni you are stupid. I went through all that for nothing, all the heart ache for nothing, all the regret, all for nothing. Now I had to live with the way I treated her for the rest of my life, if she would let me.

“Well what are we supposed to do now?” she asked as I sat next to her at the bench.
“We could think about it for a while, I don’t want to rush into it and lose you again,” I admitted sheepishly.
“Neither, maybe we could go out, date pretend we are two strangers. Our lives have been really different for the past few years I think we need to catch up first. Besides it could be fun or we can skip the cheesy introduction and awkward first dinners and go straight for it.”
"Awkward first dinners sound like the way to go, that way if it’s weird we don’t have to ruin this,” I gestured between us.
“Exactly, we know we can work as friends but we might not work as something more.”
“Exactly,” I agreed getting up.

Kira’s POV
I was relieved to say the least that this was all out for us to both see. Nothing important was hidden anymore.

“What are you doing?” he pulled me from the stool and sat me at the dining table.

He began rustling through the cupboard before pulling out a candle and found some matches to light it. I had no clue what this crazy boys mind was up to but I was interested.

“Going for dinner and desert is hard, too many people and we don’t have much free time. So,” he reached into the freezer and grabbed out a tub of ice cream and two spoons, “we have first date now, unless your busy?” he stopped by the light switch.
“No I seem to be free,” he flicked the lights off.

“I should have gotten another candle,” he poked the excuse for lighting in front of us.
“Who needs light,” I shrugged.
“I do, to see your pretty face,” he raised an eyebrow with a smile.
“Shut up,” I was glad it was dark otherwise he would see I was red like a tomato from his flattery.

"So my name is Evgeni..." he started making me laugh.

I loved this guy, he was my best friend and I could forgive him for everything he did in a heartbeat. The past was the past as far as I was concerned.