Sequel: The City of Chance

From Russia...

Hookah Bars Bring People Together

I couldn’t keep my mind off of him for the rest of the afternoon. There was just something about his eyes, or just him in general that I was being attracted to. God this as going to be a long trip.

“You ready to have some fun?” Brandon stuck his head into the bedroom as I sat up continuing to write in my diary. Hey there was no way I was going to forget what he looked like, every detail of him was on that page.
“Of course I am ready,” I jumped down off my bunk.
“This is why I brought you with me, no one else is this pumped up about going out,” he slung his arm around my shoulder.
“You brought me? If I recall this whole trip was my idea.”
“And what a beautiful idea it was,” a group of Russian girls walked passed and his eyes followed them like a dog and its bone.
“You are terrible,” I pushed his arm away.
“Just a warm blooded male,” he growled.
“Who I have no idea how he gets girls to like him,” I rolled my eyes at him.
“Because I am adorable.”

He was right on that one. Brandon was pretty adorable but he was Brandon and that was weird. But the strange Russian guy I had run into he made Brandon seem like nothing.

“I don’t know what kind of girls you expect to pick up in here,” I looked at Brandon confused as to why we were in a hookah bar.
“As hard as it to hear it coming from me tonight is not about picking up girls,” he slapped my shoulder and headed over the others waiting for us in the booth.
“Yeah right,” I followed quickly behind him.

“Um guys how do you?” Kim looked at the pipe like it was a creature of the unknown.
“Just breathe in,” Brandon coaxed her and soon Kim was coughing.
“And breathe out you idiot,” Emma laughed at her as Brandon patted her back.
“Yeah Kim you breath in,” Mark showed her.
“Love the taste,” Brandon elaborated with his hands, “and breathe out,” he explained as Mark finished.
“Should have come out in Amsterdam,” Emma shrugged going for it.

“What about you?” Mark gestured as I sat having not touched.
“Yeah I will soon when you bring out the lemon flavor I will go, first I am going to the bathroom.”

I hadn’t exactly signed up for smoking hookahs tonight but I was stuck now and after all it wasn’t that bad I just couldn’t get that guy off my mind.

“Ayren come on hurry up you are missing out on Kim,” Emma laughed from outside the bathroom, “besides there is a really cute guy out here that you should totally come hook up with.”
“Yeah no thanks,” I washed my face, “but Kim I have to see.”

Although when I walked a noticed who the cute guy was I suddenly didn’t care about Kim who was spaced out and having fun, she was weak.

I wasn’t sure if he was smiling at me but I could feel his eyes on me as we walked passed back to our booth.
“Damn it if you don’t hook up with that then shame on you,” Emma was being loud and I could only hope they didn’t speak English or something to save me from her.

“Ok you just need to relax,” I pushed Emma down into the booth with Mark, “look after her, she is losing her mind, I am going outside for some fresh air,” I waved the smoke away from my face.

It was hard to be friends with them sometimes because they got a bit much. Granted other times they were a lot of fun to hang around but they are the kind of people that if you aren’t drunk or high too they are just plain annoying.

“здороваться,” I heard a very thick Russian voice behind me.
“Oh um I don’t speak Russian, no Russian?” I was begging to panic as I turned around and saw him standing there.

Oh god what do I do? What do I say? What if he doesn’t understand me? What do I do?! I was seriously freaking out now.

“American?” his accent sounded even better when he spoke English.
“Yes I am American.”
“Not like hookah?” of course everyone in the world knew the word hookah, it was universal.
“Yes just not smoking the flavor I like,” I winced hoping he understood.
“Flavor?” he copied the word it sounding so foreign and right now I wished I had brought my phrase book with me.
“Taste?” I offered.
“Oh yes, what you like?”
“Lemon.”
“Fruit, Lemon, yes,” I had no clue what he was on about but he was waving me back inside so I followed.

Emma was smiling at me as I sat down with him on a sofa, “Lemon da?” now that word I did know.
“Da,” yes, see I could do this, sort of.

I zoned out watching a couple sitting in the corner looking more than happy to just be soaking up everything going on around them rather than the smoke coming out of the pipe. I had to admit there is no way I would be complaining about being that couple.

“Evgeni,” was all I heard as I was ripped from my thoughts.
“Pardon?” I don’t think he understood the word but my facial expression said it all.
“Evgeni,” he repeated gesturing to himself.
“Ayren.”
“Pretty,” he smiled.

How was this making me blush? One word, all he said was pretty and I could feel my cheeks flushing red, I was pathetic. People had called me pretty before, guys had called me pretty before. But it was the way he said it, maybe just the look in his eyes. I don’t know but it was torture being this close to him and not being able to touch him.

We sat there on the sofa and didn’t really talk, smoked the hookah as he kind of just looked at me. He smiled every so often and he said a few words. I think he wanted to talk more but with the language barrier we couldn’t really do that.

My friends were all getting up to leave and I didn’t really want to stay here with him. As much as I did, I didn’t as well.

“Wait,” he got up and headed over to his friends before reappearing and grabbing my hand.
“Call me,” he scribbled his number out on my arm, “bar next day, 9?”
“You want me to meet you at this bar?” I pointed to the name he wrote on my hand.
“Da, yes.”
“At 9 tomorrow night?”
“Yes tomorrow night,” he smiled.
“Ok sounds good, cya,” I got up and left in a hurry running to catch up to the others.

“What are you doing?” Brandon screeched as I jumped onto his back for a piggyback ride.
“Tomorrow night we are going here,” I pulled my sleeve up to reveal the name of the pub.
“Why?”
“Because Evgeni invited me and you guys are coming.”
“Oh go Ayren,” Emma smiled.
“Yeah, yeah.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Ok guys so this is a little different then normal but they are teenagers doing whatever it they want so just keep an open mind