𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑥 ✔︎ || 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑑

55

WARNING: steam train coming through

~ phoenix ~

It was freezing.

Trembling from the cold, I snuggled deeper into the warm embrace. I didn't need to open my eyes to know who it was.

But I didn't fight. What was the point if we were 1000 feet in the sky?

My fingers traced indistinct shapes on his broad chest as I lost my mind to thoughts.

It wasn't hard to remember yesterday's events and with the memories came sorrow and guilt. A tonne of it.

I sighed against him. "Ilya?"

Carefully, his chin came down to rest on my head and his arms wrapped more tightly around me. "Hmm?"

"Do you love me?"

Gently, he peeled me off his warm skin to look into my eyes. "Я люблю тебя больше чем что-либо."

"What does that mean?"

He sighed pulling me close again. "It means I love you more than anything."

I do too but-

-I inhaled a deep breath-

"Is it true? You kidnapped Gianna and Tabitha to blackmail the Italian mafia?"

He stiffened beneath my lazy touch.

"Yes," was the wary response.

Closing my eyes, I exhaled a shaky breath. A hot tear trickled down my cheek, falling onto his forearm. He did.

So why was there still guilt sitting on my chest? Like gasoline in my head, it riled up all sorts of toxic emotions, dragging me under a wave of depression.

"O-okay," I whispered.

Then, my eyes moved to the window of the jet. The dark clouds outside mimicked the ones in my head.

It's fine, I told myself, he's taking me home.

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to cry. The prospect of goodbye was too painful to consider but the betrayal to my best friends... my family?

I buried my face in his chest, hating the view outside. I didn't want to be in the sky.

I wanted to be on the ground, safe with-

Hot tears soaked his shirt.

The silence was unbearable.

Then, Ilya began to hum.

My ears perked at the low, soothing sound. The melody was soft and sad, like it bore the brunt of a thousand memories. Closing my eyes, I listened. His chest vibrated beneath my cheek, lulling me back to darkness.

—

I opened my eyes again when I felt a strong just of wind that threatened to blow me away.

Thankfully, Ilya's hands were secure around my waist and my legs wrapped around his.

We were surrounded by snow that glistened beneath the glare of the moon. Behind us, the pilot stood at the jet, watching us disappear into the thick night.

This wasn't Chicago...

My cheeks were stinging in the frosty air. Having no other source of warmth, I buried them between his neck and shoulder. His grip tightened when my lips grazed his pulse point.