Past, Present, Future

Thirty

        When you reach Yelena and Natalia, they both turn to look at you.

        "Ooh~"

        You roll your eyes at Yelena.

        "C'mon, большая сестра! Your cheeks are all flushed." Yelena points out. ("Big sister")

        You clear your throat and sit beside Natalia, who instantly places her hand on your cheek, feeling the heat radiating from your skin.

        She grins, "Adorable."

        You swat her arm away, "Молчи." ("Shut up")

        "Aw. It's adorable... You have someone to chase, except it's chasing for looove~" Yelena teases.

        "Отъебись!" ("Fuck off")

        Yelena puts her hand over her heart in fake hurt.

        You raise your eyebrow, "Really?"

        Yelena scoffs, "Yes, really. I am hurt, I am offended, I am... angry... Whatever."

        You laugh.

        You three sit in silence for a moment, watching children play outside.

        "Did you ever look for your parents? Your real ones?" Yelena suddenly asks Natalia, knowing that you want nothing to do with your biological family.

        She knows what they did. She knows what happened.

        "Well, my mom abandoned me in the street like garbage," Natalia reveals.

        You put a comforting arm over her shoulders.

        "What about you?"

        "They destroyed my birth certificate, so I reinvented it." Yelena admits, holding her beer bottle up to her face in the most adorable way, "My parents still live in Ohio. My sister moved out west."

        Natalia smiles, "Is that right?"

        "You're a science teacher." Yelena grins for a moment before continuing, "You're working part-time, though, especially after you had your son. Y/N, your wife, she renovates houses."

        You laugh.

        "That is not my story."

        Yelena chuckles.

        "Darling... our story." You take a sip of your drink, "We're married with a son. How could you forget about him?"

        Yelena laughs again before continuing her questioning, "What is your story?"

        Natalia shakes her head with a smile, "I never let myself be alone long enough to think about it." She purses her lips, then shrugs.

        A brief silence hangs over you three before Yelena starts again.

        "Did you ever wish for kids?" She inquires while she stands, reaching over the table for her vest.

        You bite your lip, hating Natalia's silence.

        You knew she did want kids.

        "I want a dog," Yelena speaks up.

        Natalia smiles, a bit of a pained one from the looks of it, allowing another silence before turning back to Yelena.