“Where would I even go? Vegas?” she said sarcastically. “Maybe I could get drunk, find some hot dude to marry, have some amazing sex, then get it annulled a week later. Isn’t that what people do on the rebound around here?”
Henderson, Nevada, was only twenty minutes away from Las Vegas and was the second largest city in the state. People were always going to Vegas when things went wrong in their life out here, then slinking home weeks later with their tails between their legs when they’d made it even worse.
“Actually…” Kat peeked around the corner from the kitchen, a mischievous look on her pretty face. “My cousin Sven has to go to Brussels for business for a few months, and he’s looking for someone he can trust to house-sit for him.”
Elena shot her an incredulous look. “Sven? As in… ‘I-live-in-Moscow’ Sven?”
Kat grinned broadly before disappearing into the kitchen once more. “Yes, that Sven. But, think about it, Lena. You’ve got no job to worry about right now, no rent, no utilities…You have money saved up, and a place to stay when you come back.”
Elena listened idly as Kat continued to rattle off the list of pros from the other room, not entirely put off by the idea.
“You wouldn’t have to pay for lodging,” her friend pointed out as she strolled back into the room and sat down on the arm of the sofa at her side. “You already have your passport from when we went to Mexico last year, so you’ll really only need to pay for airfare and food, and whatever else you decide to do while you are there.”
“But… Moscow? By myself?” Elena had never traveled alone, especially not to a place like Russia. Being friends with Kat had taught her a lot about the country, and it wasn’t anything like most people thought. On the other hand, she’d always loved the architecture in Moscow, and she’d never been anywhere so daring.
Kat was right. When else would she get a chance to take a trip like this and not pay an arm and a leg to do it?
“Wouldn’t it be… I don’t know, dangerous?”
Kat snorted. “Moscow is one of the safest places in Russia. It’s a big tourist destination. They make special effort to keep people safe that are visiting, so no one talks shit on them when they go home. I think it could be good for you, yeah?”
Elena chewed her lip. Kat wouldn’t suggest it if she didn’t believe it was safe.
“You know what? Screw it. Yeah, I’ll do it!”
Kat clapped excitedly. “Really? Oh, yay! Sven will be so excited! I’ll call him right now. I’m off tomorrow, so I can help you start planning!”
Elena grinned, caught up in Kat’s excitement when she jumped off the couch and trotted into the other room to get her phone, squealing all the way.
Maybe today wouldn’t be a total loss.
*
True to her word, Kat dragged Elena into planning right after breakfast the next morning. Sven’s employer had provided him with an allowance to find a house sitter, which he said he’d apply to Elena’s ticket instead.
They spent the first half of the day researching flights. Sven was leaving the following weekend, so they scoured every date and time for the cheapest fare.
In the end, they settled on a flight that would have her touching down in Moscow two days before Sven left for Brussels. His contribution to the ticket cut the cost of a round trip pass almost in half, making it a much more manageable number.
Though it would set back her goal of getting a car, Elena happily pressed the “purchase now” button on the website. Now there was no backing out.
She ignored Jack’s numerous calls and texts, and eventually put her phone on silent after Kat took it away from her and answered one of Jack’s calls by promptly telling him to fuck off and stop calling. Then she hung up and casually handed the device back to Elena.
Around mid-afternoon, they took a trip to her apartment to get the rest of her things. Kat, ever the protector, went up first to make sure Jack was gone. When she came back down with the all-clear, they unloaded several empty boxes and trudged up the stairs to pack up her life.
When they’d finally packed up their last box, Kat took a marker from her purse and pulled an envelope out of the trash. She set it on the kitchen counter, scrawling a note for Jack in angry red ink.
“Okay, Lena.” She extended her hand, palm-up. “Give me the key.”
Elena pulled her keyring out of her pocket and worked the one in question loose. She knew there was no fixing things with Jack. She didn’t want to fix things with Jack. Still, giving up the key to the apartment they had shared seemed so final. Not knowing what tomorrow would bring, it felt like she was stepping up to a ledge. Frowning, she dropped the key in Kat’s palm.
Kat slapped it down on top of the envelope, tapping the paper with her finger and smiling before she ambled toward the door.
On her way past, Elena glanced over to see what her friend had written.
Jack, you are a worthless piece of shit. Don’t ever call her again.—Kat
Elena smirked. Kat was incorrigible.
*
Kat’s neighbors helped them unload the boxes into her spare bedroom, and it only cost them a twenty-four pack of beer. College boys were easy, Kat said; it didn’t take much to gain their compliance. Elena didn’t think that it hurt that Kat was a hot, twenty-something woman with an exotic Russian accent and more charm than she had a right to.
Once the moving was done, they ordered takeout—Indian this time—and went back to planning Elena’s trip. With so little time to iron out all the details, they would have to use every spare second they had. The fact that she was arriving before Sven left made Elena feel a little better about the whole thing, since Kat had assured her he would show her around and give her the rundown on where to go and what not to do while she was there.
Near midnight Kat opened a video chat with Sven, who spoke very little English despite Kat’s claim that a lot of people in Moscow used the language.
If Elena hadn’t known they were related, she never would have guessed. He had a mop of shaggy auburn hair, a pale complexion with freckles across his nose, and was surprisingly broad and stout, like someone who went to the gym. He didn’t look anything like the rest of his fair-haired family.
Kat spoke to her cousin as if she were his mother, bossing and giving orders as she laid out a list of things she wanted Sven to do before Elena arrived. Elena was embarrassed and apologized profusely, but Sven only laughed and waved off her concern. He was used to Kat, he said, in a surprisingly deep and pleasant voice. All the women in their family were like her. Bossy and loud.
By the time they ended the call and settled into bed, the reality of the situation finally hit Elena. In a matter of days, she would be halfway across the world in a brand-new city, far away from all this mess. She would be on her own for three whole months.
She couldn’t decide if she was excited or terrified. But the ticket was nonrefundable. She was going.
She was really going.
Chapter Two
The next few days flew by in a haze. Elena was so busy making plans and shopping for her trip that she had very little time to be sad about the lost job or cheating boyfriend.
She and Kat spent the evenings making their own lists of places for Elena to see, things for her to do, and getting Elena familiar with the sort of local traditions she might benefit from knowing. Kat was just as excited as Elena. She suspected it had something to do with the fact that Elena would finally get to see where she came from, even if Kat couldn’t go. If her friend hadn’t already used up her vacation, Elena had no doubt she would have been getting on the plane with her.