Distractions are nice. Dmitri's brand of distractions tend to be tasteful, well-planned, and thus to be anticipated. I'm not terribly keen on mysteries... but distractions are another matter.
I could ask him outright. It'd counter-act the surprise element and turn it around on him. Or I could get all Scooby Doo and solve the mystery myself. Hrm, choices.
Daphne/Velma incarnation, here I come.
Okay, clue number one: it's writing. That automatically means flat surface and excludes clothing, art supplies and trips to Europe. Clue two: light wouldn't help me to find it. So... dark places. Ok. Inside the closet? No, he'd avoid any sort of situation of him "coming out of the closet"... I looked about my darkened bedroom and nothing caught my eye. Nothing on the walls, no lipstick-penned missive on the standing mirror next to the dresser. Then my imagination got supercharged.
What if it were on the bathroom mirror? When Dmitri and I moved into the house, I used to take steamy showers and etch little love notes on the steam-frosted mirror wall for him to find. He'd do the same. It became a game for us. Then I discovered one could wet their finger, write a message on the dry mirror to have it magically appear during the next steamy shower.... which means light technically isn't needed to decipher the words. Since he was known to leave messages to me there, it seemed like a natural first place to search.
I butt-scooted off the bed and returned to the bathroom for the first step in my investigation. Cold tile felt good beneath my feet. Gently, I opened the glass door to the shower and cranked it on hot.
I waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Finally, billowing puffs of steam came pouring forth from the enclosure.
Nothing.
No message on the glass or mirror. Just nothing.
I am okay with being wrong. No wonderful tender words of longing nor any sentiments of naughtiness. Yeah, I'll survive.
Dammit, maybe he did write something on the wall of the closet. Willow said that something was written somewhere that couldn't be seen with the lights on... glow in the dark paint in the closet would do that.
I made my way from the bathroom to the walk-in closet located in the bedroom. Pulling clothes to the side and a touch to the wall revealed white-latex painted walls. Nothing. Dammit. Maybe on the inside of the door? No. Nothing. Ok, fine. I flicked the light switch. Perhaps the glow in the dark paint needed to be recharged. If applied thin enough, it wouldn't leave much of a tactile sensation... so maybe a brief flash of illumination would reveal the treasure trove.
I flicked the light off and hoped to see what was hidden.
Nada.
Neurotransmitters blazed through my gray-matter. Where would he hide his missive from me? Linen closet? That could be it. Hidden, yet easily accessible... That could be it, indeed.
From closet to closet. I swung open the door to the linen closet and looked for the tell-tale sign of letter-shaped smears of clear paint in the inside of the door.
Dammit.
Ok. Let's re-evaluate, shall we? Nothing in the bathroom, walk-in or linen closet. Workshop? Would he have decorated my castle of crafting with his own banner? Oh the possibilities.
But wait.
I told him I was going to bed. Vast majority of the time I mean it. Perhaps I could pass undetected, ninja-like in the summer darkness. Perhaps he wouldn't hear me open and close the door, stealthy ninja that I would like to be. Maybe, just maybe, all those World War II beach landings by the United States Marine Corps in the South Pacific Theater would hold him in such enthrall that he'd be oblivious to me moving ghost-like in the background. Then again, the man is part T-Rex. He, like the extinct theropod, possesses a visual acuity based on movement. NASCAR, sports and anything that looks nice while in motion gets the attention, consciously or not.
I decided upon the brazen approach. Screw my inner ninja.
Gee, I feel thirsty. A glass of water sure sounds refreshing.
That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
I took a deep breath, opened the bedroom door and took a peep out to ascertain Dmitri's location. He was still comfortable on the couch with his back to me and I could see his bare feet crossed on the coffee table. He propped his elbow on the couch arm and held the mostly-empty pint grasped in his hand. Beyond him, the TV blazed artillery fire and narration.
Down the hall I tread with as much ninja-like grace I could muster, making a bee-line for the kitchen. The T-Rex was still occupied with Marines kicking ass. He gave no indication of hearing the tiny slap-slap sounds my feet made on the hardwood floor.
I made it to the kitchen, passing only a few feet behind my beloved T-Rex. I walked around the island and reached the cupboard that contained glasses and tumblers for its innards. The door swung open with nary a creak. A subtle glance over my shoulder revealed him completely engrossed in the program. I reached in and pulled out a high ball glass. With nearly-ninja-like grace, I sidled to the refrigerator and lined the glass up with the tap-awakening button of power. I smirked, jolly that he hadn't noticed me yet. Maybe I do have a touch of the Inner Ninja inside.
Dear History Channel, you rawk with your engrossing programs. Thank you.
Ha ha ha! I might actually pull off my recon mission without unwanted attention! But in the way details make themselves known in order to distort my version of reality, the grinding sound of the ice dispenser at work blasted noise from my vicinity.
Shit.
Cover blown.
The T-Rex's head swung around, and he leveled me in his predatory glare.
I smiled sheepishly in his direction as I tapped a finger against the dispenser mode-selection button. "Sorry. Thought I pushed the water button, not crushed ice."
Dmitri's gaze softened and he asked, "Couldn't sleep?"
Sure, that works.
"Yeah, kinda stuffy in there. Shut the windows, got myself a glass of water," I held my half-filled glass aloft, "and was going to turn the AC on for a bit." I never liked lying. So, I looked upon this as an exercise in creative Easter Egg hunting. The elusive Golden Egg was lurking somewhere, left by the buff Hunny Bunny.... he might not tell me its location, but if approached in the right manner, there's a decent possibility of him giving me an idea of where it could be found.
Those blue eyes of his bored into mine. I was sure he could see right through my ploy. The smirk on his lips didn't quell the sensation of being busted in action.
I held the glass to my lips and took a long drink of the refreshingly brisk beverage. "Ah, that hits the spot."
"You know you make a lot of noise rummaging around closets, don't you?" His eyebrow quirked upward with a superior air.
"I wasn't the one who decided paper-thin walls would be a good choice when this house got built... by you." Aww, screw it. He'll dish it out and I'll serve it right back. Banter was a fun game.
He laughed aloud at my audacious reply. "Looking for something?"
"My sanity, have you seen it?"
"No, really. Did you lose something?"
Okay, contingency plan time. I understood why I was never a passenger in the Mystery Mobile-- I'm too blunt. "Yes, I said. My dear, sweet, addled mother told me you have a surprise lurking about. I'm on a quest to find it before my brain implodes from what the possibilities could potentially be." I finished swilling my water. "Hence. me trying to find my sanity."
Dmitri uncrossed his legs and sat up. He rested the pint on the coffee table and then stood with a smirk on his face. "So," he drawled, "you want me to reveal the location of this surprise you assume me to have ready for you?"
"I don't assume, I was informed. However my source is borderline iffy at times... but I can see by that shit-eating grin on your face that you do have something up your sleeve. You don't smile like that for nothing, and that's a fact."
"Maybe I do have something... maybe I don't. How much do you want it?" Dmitri's eyes glinted mischief.
I shrugged my shoulders. "However much you want to give it."
"You will either have to find it or earn the answer."
"I want to find it. May I have a clue?"
His hands rested on his hips as he smirked. "You have to pay for the clues, since clues fall under the 'earn the answer' category."
I frowned. "No 'I Love My Fiancée Discount' available?"
He cocked his head to the side as he considered my query. "I suppose you can get a freebie question. Anything else past the sample must be paid for in full at time of transaction."
I laughed. "You rehearsed that, didn't you?"
"Yep."
"So I get one free question... hmmm..." Oh, the possibilities. Gotta make the freebie count. "What's the surprise?"
He flat out laughed. "A declaration of my support and adoration for you." He raised his eyebrows and grinned. "How's that? You like that, don't you?"
I would have preferred a straight answer, but I'll take what I can get. It was a sweet sentiment. "What's the price for another question?"
"You might not want to pay. It's a stiff price."
Ahh. Double entendre time. I know what's on his mind... "Stiff, hmmm? How stiff are we talking about?"
"I'd have to say pretty stiff."
"Anything else I should be aware of regarding these negotiations?"
Dmitri eyeballed me something fierce. "Yes, there is something you should know... you are the definition of what happens when curiosity gets the best of the cat."
I laughed. He was right. When he and my curiosity intersect, I have no willpower. "Okay. I think I'm ready to pony up for the next question."
"I'll give you a discount because I like ya."
"Aww, thanks. I'm liking you more too."
He stepped closer to me and wrapped an arm around my bare shoulder. "The price for the location of the surprise is a kiss."
A piddly price to pay. I'd give him kisses for free. I faked a deep sigh. "A kiss. Oh, that's a horribly stiff price to pay. I'm just happy you don't need to wear a paper bag over your mug in order to get laid."
"I dunno, Kaylis. You border on the freaky sometimes. You might actually like it if I wore one. We'll have to test that theory sometime."
I giggled. "Yeah... I don't think so. That's along the same lines as a pork chop tied around your neck so your parents could get the family dog to play with you. That's just not my cup of tea."
"So be it, your loss. Pucker up, buttercup. Time to pay the piper."
My eyes closed and I leaned towards him, face upturned. Our lips met while his hand grabbed mine and pressed it to his jeans fly. Beneath, he throbbed under my touch. I caressed him through the denim and smiled with his oral onslaught. Stopped and stepped away from his intoxication before I said, "Take me to the location. I paid my sugar, time to ante up."
That wide and sensuous mouth smirked. "Gladly." He walked towards our bedroom.
Now my curiosity was stoked. I just came from there... where and what was it he had hidden?
I followed behind, my eyes searching everywhere for the secret. Dmitri stood at the foot of the bed, bare chested and smiling. His pants rode low on his hips.
He gestured wide and smiled. "Taa daa."
"Thanks, Sherlock." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked to him.
"Do you want another hint?" Dmitri probably would give himself a stroke if he stopped grinning.
"What's the asking price this time? I know let me off light in the living room."
He hooked his fingers in the elastic waistband of my boxers and pulled me to him, hips against hips. "Yeah, you were let off light. Ok, this time you're gonna have to be more into it... make me believe you want me."
My eyebrow quirked. There were a lot of possibilities available in that statement. So I opted for the smartass answer. I pushed Dmitri down onto the bed and straddled his lap while wrapping my arms about his neck. Kisses were rained up his lips, jawline and shoulder. I nipped at his collarbone, licking and sucking and teasing. My body writhed against his while he rocked his hips back and forth.
I pulled away after a couple minutes of fun and asked, "Convinced yet?"
"I'd have to say so."
"Ok... reveal the location of the idol, Doktor Jones." I tried out a German accent.
He leaned back on his elbows and chuckled. "I can't show you when I'm held captive. You'll have to let me go and I'll take you to the treasure. You can hold onto my whip if you want to..." Dmitri fought back a chuckle.
"I am glad you are amendable to my vill." I rolled off of him and he stood up on the bed to reach for the silken canopy. Dmitri removed it from its hook and handed it to me. I wrapped the silk yardage around the hoop to make it manageable, then settled it on the dresser.
"Hey babe, hand me that flashlight."
I reached for the LED light between his side of the bed and his nightstand. "Here you go." I handed it to him. He then turned off the bedroom light.
Dmitri smiled down at me and said to close my eyes. I sat upon my pillows and covered my peepers as requested.
I felt him plop down beside me and then the click of the flashlight. About thirty seconds later, another click. Dmitri's calloused hand held mine.
"Okay, take a look."
I looked up to see constellations emblazoned upon the ceiling. Where the canopy had hung moments ago got replaced with a spiral of words made to look like a galaxy with tiny stars, meteors and planets sprinkled about in various shades of glow in the dark paint. I read the spiral and gently smiled.
"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you." -Winnie the Pooh
My heart swelled at his surprise as I drank in the sight. Awe and flabbergasted.
Dmitri broke the silence. "I, uh, found the paper with a part of that quote in a pair of your jeans when I did laundry." He scratched the side of his nose with his pinky finger.
"The therapist wrote it down when I told him about Mike. I didn't know there was more to the quote. It's beautiful. Kinda morbid, but beautiful." I couldn't take my eyes from the ceiling. It must have taken hours for him to do it... he stunned me once again.
"Yeah, I find the thought of not being in your future a total bummer, too." His hand squeezed mine, and then he drew it to his lips. A kiss lingered on the back of my hand. I studied Dmitri's face, so familiar to me yet changed by time. The corners of his eyes gained faint crows-feet. Fine lines etched his brow, and near his temples, a tiny sprinkling of silver amongst dark brown hair. His face tanned by the sun and weathered by exposure to Middle East summers. But the blue of his eyes remained the same.
I looked upon the cosmos he created for me, humbled by the way he gave me the sun, moon and stars for my very own. "Why do you love me so much?"
Dmitri harrumphed. "Why do you love me so much?"
I bit my lip as I contemplated the answer. "I love you so much because when bad shit happens, you're there. You anchor me in the stormy seas of life." I gestured towards the ceiling. "You do amazingly sweet stuff like this. Even when I don't want your help, you're there offering it, or going behind my back to get things done for my benefit. You are a genuinely nice guy-- I mean my mom adores you and Jet tolerates you better than I thought she would. You are an excellent kisser, and have other awe-inspiring qualities of a related nature. You inspire me. And support me and my messy-artsy ways... the list goes on. There's more positives than negatives when it comes to you... you're just that fucking awesome to me, Dmitri. If only you liked cheese as much as I do... alas. And although it galls me to say it, I thank Lorryn for bringing you into my life. Without her, there'd be no us."
He looked deeply thoughtful. "I love you because you're sweet. Funny. Intelligent. Witty. You like the Cure as much as I do. You're clever... to name a few things. Not a lot of people are as easy to talk to as you are. I can tell you anything. Sometimes you like to play with shovels but that can be overlooked."
I smiled. Playing with shovels means me asking for further clarification to something Dmitri thought he answered sufficiently the first time.
He continued with the ego stroking. "And you're very easy on the eyes. That's like icing on the cake. You're beautiful and strong and never change, Kaylis. Grow old with me. Get gray hair, some wrinkles and dentures. Just never change being you." He cleared his throat. "I'm not as generous in spirit as you towards her. I don't know if I can forgive her for what she did. It was hell thinking I could die in the big sandbox and you'd never know I was sorry things happened back in the day. She didn't want me to apologize to you, she didn't want you to know. She stole years from me, from us. I don't know if I can forgive her for that."
Years.
If Lorryn hadn't done what she did back in the day, would Dmitri and I stayed together? "Honestly, those stolen years served a purpose, hun. If I hadn't gotten involved with Mike, I'm not sure if I'd appreciate you as much as I do, having seen the ugly side of man's nature. I think I needed that reality check so that when something good came along, I'd know."
Dmitri smiled wide and changed the subject. "I'm glad you like the night sky you now have for your very own."
"I like it very much, thank you."
"You know what I like very much?", he asked with a soft smile on his face.
I looked deep into the blue of his eye, enjoying his gentle gaze. "Tell me what you like very much..."
His smile grew bolder. "I'd rather show you." Dmitri trailed his index finger against my lower lip. I retaliated by licking and then sucking on said finger. My tongue caressed the digit with enough skill to make him gasp. His eyes locked onto mine and a fizzle of lust surged through my extremities, so I sucked even harder.
"You need to not do that, Kaylis." The words would have been cold water to my libido had his tone agreed. Instead, his tone told me, I like that, but I'd love it somewhere else.
I stopped my oral tribute and asked, "You don't like me sucking on you?" I batted my eyes and interjected surprise into my voice.
"I didn't say that." Oh, the audacity of me to insinuate he didn't enjoy my tongue massage.
"Then you should explain yourself. Otherwise one could construe your words to mean I should stop getting my oral fixation out on your person."
"You got work early in the morning and it's pushing eleven-thirty right now. I propose that we continue this tomorrow."
My jaw dropped. "You are a tease. A horrible, horrible tease."
"You know how it is, babe. I gotta keep you in your place on occasion. And you haven't been sleeping well. You need your rest. I feel you toss all night."
My jaw somehow found another inch towards the earth. "Wow. So, you get me all frisky and then tell me to cool my jets. You so owe me." I wasn't jesting.
He laughed. "Actually, I wanted just to snuggle. You always get frisky when we snuggle, sometimes it's just cool to chill with each other. Nookie is awesome, but so is just hearing you breathe on my neck."
"So we cuddle beneath the stars tonight. I like that idea. And the bonus is no mosquitoes."
"That is a bonus. Come on, babe. Gimme some sugar."
I lay in the crook of his shoulder, my arm thrown across his torso. My toes pushed against the sheet-clad mattress and boosted me the wee distance to plant a kiss on his stubble-roughened cheek. Dmitri's head leaned towards mine.
He bent his head towards mine to bestow a gentle kiss upon my forehead. Dmitri's voice whispered softly in my ear, "You need to pick a wedding date," before the Sandman stamped my ticket to Slumberland.