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Also, there was mental illness in Andrei’s family

It was the perfect storm

But I didn’t care

I loved him No matter what

Last night over dinner, Nikolai warned iant slap fro that silenced the entire family, because just like Dad, people didn’t simply hit Nikolai and live to tell about it

“He’s a person!” she yelled “How dare you play into that stigma! Let his mind heal itself, and if it doesn’t, so what? Will you love him less?” She’d leaned into his face “Would you love our child less?”

Tears had streamed down her face

Andrei stood and pulled his sister, Maya, into his ar I think he needed to hear what I already knew, that it didn’t matter

That was his blood

His son

So what? He needed to go to a different place

Who didn’t?

I went for a run and stopped at the rock Maksim so often sat next to by the pond We were at his house until the rebuild was finished on h Andrei and uys in the world, which technically it felt like they were

I jogged around the corner and stopped

Maksi so sexy I wanted to cry He had low-slung ripped jeans on and a tight black sweater His wavy blond hair was tied back into a man bun

I approached “What are you holding?”

He didn’t look up but opened his big hands and srasshopper”

My heart fluttered against my ribs “A, I love insects”

“I know,” he whispered “It’s your thing”

“Yeah, yeah, and science is yours Technically, though, ,” I pointed out

He saze “I miss you”

I frowned “Maksiht here”

“You’ve been giving ers, which just ed “But Nikolai told o into a different… state, and I rements, and I read my journals… and it scares the shit out of me, and I don’t want to put pressure on you but—”

I launchedback and whispering, “We’ll take the good ti”

His eyes ain “I don’t deserve you”

“A wise man once said he’d earn me the rest of his life,” I teased