Cause I'm Five Minutes Older

She pulled me down the sidewalk and then into another store. Her blonde hair a trailing ponytail whipping my face. She paraded around the store pulling things off the shelves and racks crazily. I quietly searched for a dress to wear. I settled on a light blue, knee length dress and a white button up sweater. Anya came over and looked at me shaking her head.
“You don’t know how to have fun do you?” She took the clothes from my grasp. Then pulled me over to a rack and handed me things. I followed behind her and she loaded things onto my pile. Until she drug me to a changing room and closed the door behind us. She starts changing and trying stuff on. I stand there awkwardly waiting for her to leave so I could change. She gives me a look. “Why aren’t you changing?” She asks sinking her head through the hole of a shirt. I sighed quietly.
“I don’t know I guess.” I really didn’t want to change in front of someone. I am strong. I am beautiful. Nothing he did makes me ugly. I am fearless. I am strong. I am beautiful. Nothing he did makes me ugly. I am fearless. No one can knock me down. I turn away from Anya and pull off my shirt. Which I learned was a mistake as soon as I did it because she noticed something.
“Oh cool. I never knew a prude like you would have tattoos. They look just like real scars. Fate brought us together. I didn’t know you had a special lover. I didn’t think you did those-” She stopped talking when she put her fingers on my scars. It was too late I was already crying. “Oh Abbi! I’m sorry I didn’t realize.” She pulled me in to a hug. “I’ll get you that dress you liked. You should get it.” She rushed out of the changing room and came back minutes later with the outfit I picked out. I slid the dress and sweater on and fixed my makeup. I met Anya at the front desk and paid for the outfit. “You know what? Let’s go have lunch. I know this café. I’m just craving the food there.”
So we caught a cab and road to the other side of the city. To this café, it had tables out front and waiters bustling in and out of the door. Anya and I stepped up on to the sidewalk and a voice called out. I don’t know what they said, but Anya led me over to a table and sat with two boys. Anya whispered to me for me to sit in a certain seat. The boys were the exact opposite each other in looks. The one introduced as Luka was blond green eyed and short where the other Mikhail was tall, dark, and blue eyed. Mikhail smiled at me and a current surged through my body. I smiled back at him. Luka took my hand and started talking to me in fast Russian. Anya replied probably saying that I was American and couldn’t speak Russian. He nodded, but still kept my hand. His hands, clammy, held to tightly for me to get away. I looked to Anya, but she was flirting with Mikhail. So I was stuck. Luka played with my hair and smiled. He had I nice smile, but not to the same effect as Mikhail’s did. Anya spoke to both the boys.
“They’ve asked us to the club tonight, Abbi.” I nodded at her.

We reached the door of the hotel after the club. Mikhail nodded to Anya and patted her shoulder and I assume said good night. Luka on the other hand killed me on the mouth and hugged me tight awkwardly before saying something and going off with Mikhail. Anya sighed angrily.
“Why didn’t Mikhail kiss me?” She asked opening the door.

For the next few dates Mikhail never did kiss Anya. Luka kissed me whether I wanted him to or not. Eventually I gave in to him and kissed back. I actually started to like him a little. Even though it wasn’t even close to that first smile I got from Mikhail. Electric. I'll make do with Luka. He's an okay guy.