Chapter 44

Ava.

The feeling of something wet ran over my face, and I fluttered my eyes open, waking up from a deep slumber and immediately being slammed with a headache.

Bright lights forced me to shut my eyes as something wet ran down my cheeks once more. Panting noises filled my ears, and I opened my eyes again to meet black, beady ones staring at me.

A huge white husky stood above me, panting excitedly and revealing his long pink tongue and a row of sharp teeth.

I screamed immediately, jerking away from it as it whined.

"Oh my God! Stay back!" I yelled, standing on the bed and putting my hands in front of me as the dog took a step towards me.

It stood almost to my hips. It had white fur around its body that looked like a soft blanket I'd cuddle, but I was absolutely terrified of dogs after one had chased Avery and me one summer. Its huge black eyes stared at me as it cocked its head to the left, as if confused.

I staggered backwards, carefully trying to avoid its line of gaze when the door opened to reveal Mikhail.

He was wearing black joggers and a white polo. His eyes were terrified as he looked around fearfully from me to the dog before he let out a sigh of relief.

"Calm down. It's only Zeus," he said, walking towards the dog who jumped at him as his head was being scratched.

"Yeah. Nothing to be scared of. A huge white dog almost scraped my face off!" I yelled fearfully.

"He was just trying to wake you up," Mikhail said, not turning to me as he petted Zeus softly. "I told you not to disturb her," he scolded, and I scoffed when Zeus whined, nudging his head towards Mikhail's hands.

I looked away from them and finally at my surroundings. I was in a huge room with black drapes falling from the ceiling, a huge bright chandelier dangling at the center of the room, and a desk and chair situated at the left, with a closet door and a bathroom door.

"What am I doing here?" I asked as a headache slammed into my head, forcing me to fall back onto the bed.

Mikhail was at my side in an instant. "Sit. You're going to have the worst hangover," he said before reaching for a bottle of water and aspirin beside me.

"What happened?" I asked. What was I doing here? Why was Mikhail here? And this dog? Who owns this room? And where is Jayden after I called him?

"You got drunk," Mikhail answered.

Suddenly, the memories of last night came flooding into my head. From getting to the club, to Mikhail calling me about going out with him for some cash, and then Willow coming in and announcing her birthday and the tradition of celebrating it, getting dressed, getting drunk, dancing, almost being harassed by an older man (he got thrown out), more drinking, singing the national anthem and laughing, more drinking and laughing, calling Jayden...

I looked at Mikhail, who was pushing out a pill of aspirin.

No. Calling Mikhail to take me home!

Why the hell did I do that?!

He must have taken me to his place. I looked around the huge room, almost the size of Jayden's penthouse. The room was gorgeous, big, and extravagant.

My cheeks flushed red when I felt Mikhail's eyes on me as I turned to him.

"Take. It should help you feel better," he handed me the drug and water before standing up.

"Thanks," I muttered shyly, as something passed in those cold blue eyes of his before he turned away and waved over to Zeus, who hopped from the bed to stand beside him.

"I'll get you something to eat. You can use my bathroom and come downstairs," he said, before leaving the room and shutting it behind him.

Why was he acting all nice when he was just an arrogant jerk? I huffed, gulping down the drug and standing from the bed, when I staggered a little as the room spun.

"I would never drink again. Curse you, Willow," I whispered as I staggered towards the bathroom door, using the table as support. My gown felt itchy and uncomfortable as I walked. I noticed my shoes had been taken off and were left at the foot of the bed.

Mikhail must have taken them off for me. I blushed red and looked away from it as I pushed the bathroom door.

Even the bathroom had class. I noticed as I turned to look at myself in the mirror. I gasped in horror. My eyes were bloodshot red, my brown wavy hair was all over my face and in a messy bun. Dark circles surrounded my eyes, and lipstick ran across my cheeks.

I peeled off my gown from my body and stepped into the shower. Hot water poured against my skin, and I noticed bottles of body wash by my side.

"Who would have figured the CEO of Ivanshov Constructions would use mint and chocolate?" I smiled before taking Mikhail's shampoo and scrubbing down my hair, and then finally washing off.

When I was done, I came out of the shower and found a spare towel in the cabinet, wrapping it around myself. I peeped out of the bathroom to still find the room empty. I picked up my gown and stepped out.

A cold gush of air from the AC hit my wet skin, and I shivered.

"What do I wear now?" I looked down, confused at my dress. "It's too sticky and uncomfortable." Frowning, I put it on the floor and tiptoed to Mikhail's closet.

"Maybe I could find one of Karina's clothes in there or something," I whispered, glancing anxiously at the door as if expecting Mikhail to burst in at any moment.

This was a bad idea, Ava!

Just go wear your gown.

But it's itchy and dirty with drink stains on it. I grumbled inside, ignoring the voice of reasoning in my head.

I pushed open the closet door, and a gasp escaped my lips. The size of the closet was almost the size of my room at Jayden's place.

A row of expensive suits hung in a glass wardrobe with blue lights. From black to grey, red, white, and green. Underneath it was an open drawer of designer watches and ties.

I walked past it to see another set of clothes: shirts and trousers, with another wardrobe of shoes with red lights underneath them.

I found an open wardrobe of casual clothes and searched through it to find something small to fit me because there was no single female clothing in here.

"There's nothing my size here!" I said tiredly, sitting on a huge pillow at the center of the room. The towel around me was starting to irritate me.

"I guess I'll just wear one of his shirts," I said, pulling out a white shirt that was discarded in a bag that said 'old clothes.' I took off the towel and buttoned up the shirt. It fell to my knees, and I was grateful for being short. I couldn't worry about wearing anything under it; the shirt was long enough.

Smiling proudly, I left the closet and ran my hands through my wet hair that laid on my shoulders.

My stomach grumbled, and I remembered Mikhail telling me to come downstairs to eat. I shivered inside and went to the door, pulling it open as I walked down the hallway. Two landscape paintings hung on the wall, and I ran my fingers through the gold frame and continued my journey until I reached a staircase.

From here, I could see the sitting room and the dining room, but there was no sign of Mikhail. I walked carefully down the stairs, admiring his home.

It was so beautiful, and a part of me regretted saying no to staying with him.

I heard the sound of plates in the kitchen, snapping out of my thoughts. I started to feel nervous.

"What would Mikhail say about me wearing his clothes?" I thought worriedly.

"Nah, he won't say anything. I took it from the old clothes section. He doesn't wear this anymore." I laughed awkwardly, swatting the air.

"But he didn't give them to you. You invaded his privacy and stole his clothes." Another voice said in my head, and I bit my lip fearfully.

Yeah, I better go wear my clothes.

I nodded and turned around, heading for the stairs when a voice stopped me.

"Where are you going?" Mikhail asked from behind me, and I shut my eyes.

Shit. Too late.

What should I do? Do I turn around? Answer him? Sprint up the stairs and ignore him? Or should I just...

"Ava?" Mikhail asked again, and I took a deep breath before turning around. My fingers found the hem of the shirt as I tugged it nervously, keeping my head down.

The sound of plates dropping a little too carelessly on the dining table made me look up. Mikhail's eyes ran down my body, and I coughed awkwardly before he blinked and went back to the kitchen.

"Huh?"

The scent of the food had me taking a step towards it when Zeus ran out of the kitchen towards me.

"Oh God!" I screamed, running to the sitting room and hopping on one of the sofas, but Zeus followed, panting and wagging his tail excitedly behind him as he looked up at me waiting for me to come down.

"Go away. Shoo!" I said, waving my hand at him in dismissal as goosebumps filled my body. Zeus didn't move; instead, he stepped closer as if wanting to lick my feet.

I staggered backward, hitting the back of the sofa and having nowhere else to go.

"Go away. Go and meet Mikhail. Go on." I said again, but Zeus only looked up at me with wide eyes.

"He's not going to bite you. You can come down from there." I heard Mikhail say. He dropped a tray of food on the dining table before walking towards us.

"Come on, boy. Don't scare Ava." He said, getting to his knees as Zeus ran to him excitedly.

I breathed out a sigh of relief but didn't come down from the chair. Seeing Mikhail pet Zeus sparked something in me, and a small smile broke out on my lips. So someone like Mikhail could have feelings and take care of someone else?

"What are you doing?" I asked fearfully, stepping back on the chair as Mikhail and Zeus stepped closer to me.

"Come on. He doesn't bite. Unless I tell him to."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked, glancing at Zeus and back at Mikhail.

"Hold my hand and come touch him." Mikhail said, stretching his hand to me.

I bit my lip nervously. "He doesn't bite?" I asked.

"Yes, I promise. Zeus likes you. See how he's wagging his tail excitedly. He couldn't wait for you to wake up." Mikhail assured me, and there was something in the way he looked at me so reassuringly that made me reach for his hand.

I felt a spark when our hands touched, and I could feel my cheeks getting hot as Mikhail helped me down from the chair, his eyes never leaving mine. I was so lost in them that I had forgotten about Zeus, who had come to stand in front of me.

"Touch him." Mikhail said, his hand still holding mine as he pulled it towards Zeus's head. I whimpered and tried to pull away, but Mikhail kept his eyes on me.

"Trust me." He said.

And I did.

I didn't know why, but I just did. All my doubts, worries, and fears fell apart, and I lost myself in Mikhail's blue orbs. Soon, the feeling of fur filled my fingers, and I quickly turned to see Zeus's head under my hand.

He was so soft, and I squeezed his fur as he purred, nuzzling closer to me as I went down to my knees along with Mikhail.

"Wow. He's so soft and fluffy." I giggled, pulling Zeus closer to me as he moved around me excitedly.

"Yeah, he is." Mikhail laughed, watching both of us as he ran his hand along Zeus's back too.

"And he's cute too. Okay, I think I like dogs more." I laughed as Zeus licked my face and tried to get closer to me. He was already touching me, but he seemed to not want to let go.

"Zeus, stop it." Mikhail laughed, pulling Zeus's face away from mine, and I laughed excitedly.

"It's fine, I don't mind." I said, rubbing my hands over Zeus, who had come to snuggle against me. His head rested on my lap.

"So you like him now?" Mikhail asked, his eyes glittering under the bright lights, and I smiled.

"Yeah, I do." I answered.

I felt Mikhail's hand squeeze mine, and I looked at our intertwined hands, feeling butterflies in my stomach for the second time today. The way Mikhail's eyes bore into mine, our intertwined hands... I felt something. Something strong, powerful, and soft at the same time.

"Well, he does too. He certainly likes you too."