He didn’t went home that night. Even though how much he wanted to, he didn’t.
Viktor burrowed further to the side of the couch as he wrapped a warm blanket around him.
“Aren’t you coming with us?” Gavriil asked while pushing his foot deeper inside his boots. “Your mama and papa will also be there, you know?”
“I’m good.” He replied with his lips slightly quivering from the cold. “I just don’t feel like celebrating.”
“Well, if you say so.” Uncle Ben, Gavriil’s stepfather, stated as he twisted the knob open. “Make yourself feel at home, Braginski.”
“Spasibo.”
The door shut quietly and Viktor felt chills crept up his spine once he realized that he was alone again. He grabbed a nearby book to keep himself preoccupied while waiting for the two to return.
“Big brother,”
His head suddenly shot up but he found nothing but crisp air. Goose bumps form on his arms and neck, and he gulped at the tingling sensation running down his spine. Was he hallucinating?
Shaking his head, he rose up from the seat and headed towards the kitchen. Maybe a nice cup of warm tea could lift his wits away from stress. It has been a very tiring day for Viktor since he just started his job from the construction and pondering whether to go home or not wasn’t helping anything at all.
In the end, he decided to spent the night at Gavriil’s warm cabin.
Who would have thought that the brave Viktor Braginski would consider what poor little Alexei had stated?
After two rounds of cup, Viktor decided to hit the sack. His eyelids felt heavy and his shoulders are stiff from getting worked up all day.
As he lay on the couch with a contented smile sprawled on his face, a figure slowly emerges itself from the window pane, smiling ear to ear as it watches Viktor slowly loose consciousness.
Oh how it was happy to see that Viktor had not spent the night at his own house.
