From Russia...

Walking around Moscow hand in hand with him was nice. In fact it was more than nice, I didn’t think I could possibly feel anymore safer than I did with him right at this moment.

We walked behind the group as he continued to glance and each time I caught him a smile spread across his face.

“What are you doing?” I laughed.
“You pretty, I look,” he shrugged.
“Oh really? Is that what you do with all the girls?"
"Only you." 
"Yeah yeah," I let him pull me closer.

Normally I wouldn't let flattery like that get to me but I couldn't deny him. He was doing everything right and a whole lot more to be making this the best holiday ever.

Once I pulled my camera out I soon discovered he like taking photos too. 
"How?" He looked at the device like it was a foreign object.
"Oh um well it is difficult to use this one, maybe just," I pulled out my digital camera thinking it would be better than trying to explain to him.
"No," he pushed it away, "do, I watch."

I didn't really like people touching my cameras and especially my good one but I couldn't say no to Evgeni and his adoring eyes.

I was beginning to think this was just another plot of his to closer to me as he put his arms around me and rested his head on my shoulder.
"If you guys don't want that camera I will have it," Brandon snatched it away before I could protest. 

If there was one person I hated touching my camera even my digital one it was Brandon. He was notorious for filling up my camera with dumb things, like his foot. Maybe if I have him a lesson or two the pointless photos wouldn't be so bad. A photo of an ant on a microlens is pretty cool.

"Show," he was getting impatient as I was distracted by his body pressing into me.
"Oh yeah, what do you want to take a photo of?" 
 
He rearranged me to face all the people walking through red square with the buildings in the background.
"That," he pointed to everything going on in front of us.
"Ok but it looks a little too busy," I mumbled to myself.
"Photo," he grumbled pressing his cold nose into my cheek.
"Fine," I grabbed his hand, "now," I tried to encase his hand with mine but they were to small.

"Hold," I put the camera in his hands keeping the strap around my neck for safety and moved his hands to where he had to hold it.
"Press down," I pushed his finger on the button on top, "wait for the beep and press all the way."
"Not hard," he frowned.
"Not show you everything yet. For a start when you do it you have to look through that little box," I showed him the view finder.

"Your turn," I took the camera and put the strap around his neck.
He looked at me questioningly as if I had to give him a play by play to use the thing which right now I probably did.
"Go," I put the camera dangling around his neck into his hands and watched as he continued putting it up to his eye and prepared to take a photo.

"Ayren," he took the camera away without even taking a photo.
"Yeah?" I stepped forward as he looked a little shy all of a sudden.
"Hockey game next day..."
"Tomorrow," I corrected.
"Yes tomorrow," he closed his eyes and I could almost see the clogs ticking over in his head, "you watch?"
"You want me to come watch your game?"
"Yes," he looked hopeful.
"Of course I will," he looked relieved when I smiled.
"Good," he pulled me in for a hug, "friends come if want," he said as he pulled away.
"Only so I am not lonely," I looked up at him and it that moment I wanted to kiss him but I didn't, "how about you take that photo already?" I turned my attention back to the camera.

We spent the whole afternoon looking at all the things in just this area alone, according to Dimitri we had a lot more exploring to do.

Evgeni pointed out buildings and things to take photos of and I showed him the best way to do it.

I made him climb things I couldn't get up on to take photos from different angles and when it came to lying down on the cold pavement he didn't want to unless I did it with him. Apparently in Russia sitting on the ground was wrong and no body did it but he wanted to learn how to take photos and I was doing my duty of showing him.

With my three different lenses I was helping him turn photos of seemingly boring pebbles into something worth talking about, fences that led to a treasure and explaining my fascination with eyes in more detail then necessary.

"Use computer?" He pointed out as we got back to the hostel.
"Yes I have to put them on here to edit and save them on this," I pulled out my hard drive.
"I see," he climbed up onto the bunk next to me as I fiddle around with my stuff.

"I like, you good," he flicked through some of the photos on my computer.

"Pittsburgh?" He found a picture of my hometown from up on Mt Washington.
"Yeah that's where I live," I was surprised he had noticed it.
"NHL play soon."
"Really?" I looked at him surprised, "Your going to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins?"
"Da."

I felt a sudden surge of excitement run through me as I searched my computer for the photos of Mellon Arena and all the ones I had taken at practices. 

"Here," I found the album.
He took my laptop and searched through them smiling widely at everything on the screen.
"So you would know him?" I pointed out Sidney Crosby.
"Da and Sergei," he pointed to the Russian next to him.
"Wow," it was like my world had just been flipped around. 

Emma was smiling at me and I knew she was thinking the exact same thing I was. Maybe this thing we had now could be more then just a holiday fling. If he came to Pittsbrugh then we could... No we couldn't be together because I wasn't going to be there, my parents where disappointed in my choice of music and arts as a career so I was leaving to go to Univeristy in Georgia with Brandon who was doing the same thing I was, escaping our parents.

"Guitar," his attention was gone from the computer to my guitar on the ground in an instant. Why the short attention span?
"Oh yeah I love to play guitar too."
"Photos, guitar," he looked rather impressed.
"I suck at sport so I got to do something to keep myself busy," I shrugged.
"Play," he handed it up to me.

Really I had been playing it a the time on our trip, when I was alone, with my friends, trying to sleep, just always.

"Ok," I gave up as he climbed back up and sat next to me.

I sat there got a few moments thinking about what song I could sing, everything was a stupid love song or something ridiculous and the only one I could bring myself to song was Smile by Uncle Cracker.

It was torture to sing with him around. I could feel him watching me with eager eyes but I couldn't really just stop.

"You good," he lent over a kissed my forehead.
"Yeah and I am never doing that again," I breathed away my nerves.
"Sing at bar."
"No! I am not singing at the bar," I shook my head putting it down.
"Da, sing at bar," he looked at Dimitri.
"Too bad Ayren, once Zhenya gets an idea you are stuck with it."

There was no way he was getting me to sing and play guitar in front of a huge crowd, it was hard enough just him and Dimitri being new. I only played for my group of friends.