Hello my dear all! Here comes chapter 26 where we'll all hear about Alexi's past. Hope you'll like the chapter and don't find it too dramatic. Stuff like that actually happens.

I also decided to add something new, we'll see what you think.  Let me know!!

Thanks everyone for you lovely and super funny comments, voting and support: it means soooo much to me, thank you :-))

Dedicated to all of you and especially to ASexyPenguin :-)

On the right, River --> Colton Haynes

Enjoy xox

ALEKSANDR POV

I stirred in my sleep, slowly waking up and feeling the light from the window brightening the surrounding space. I shifted a bit and immediately registered the distance from Travis, so still groggy and sleepy my hand went to look for him and touch him, but didn’t find him. I opened my eyes and he wasn’t there, in my arms. I stood up, sitting naked in the middle of Travis’ bed and looked around. No Travis around here. Where was he? Maybe he had woken up earlier.

Outside was very bright and bet very cold. I hopped off the bed and went to wash my face with cold water; I was still a bit drowsy. I think we slept only few hours, because we spent the entire night making crazy and wild love. I smirked at my reflection in the mirror in Travis’ bathroom, and see my icy blue eyes gleam and smolder at the thought. I turned my back at the mirror and checked it. I chuckled, I had Travis’ nails scratches, nothing bad, just lingering red long thin scrapes. Hmm, I liked it. Ok. We liked it, considering my other self was now completely awake and ready.

Then I remembered Travis telling me he loved me.

Hmm…I couldn’t wait to see him and have him in my arms.

I looked for my boxers or something to wear, but I left everything in the living room. Figures. I opted for a super quick shower, then wrapped a towel around my waist and walked downstairs, finding my boyfriend in the kitchen. Music was playing loud from somewhere in there and so he didn’t hear me, singing and dancing around wearing just a pair of sweatpants. He was barefoot. God, was he sexy and gorgeous.

I smirked and walked behind him, hugging him suddenly and biting his neck.

He first jumped and cursed, making me chuckle, and then he relaxed immediately, feeling it was me.

“Morning, Travis.” I breathed in his hair. They smelled damn good, hmm.

He turned around in my hug and smiled his tempting and dazzling smile.

“Alexi, you already up, I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed.” He pulled me down by the neck and licked my lips, just like a playful cat. I smirked.

“Hmm, trying to spoil me, baby?”

“That was the idea.” He grinned and pecked again my lips.

I responded and for a long minute, we lost contact with this world and fell in our personal world. Then he jumped back and cussed.

“Fuck, forgot I was making pancakes.” In a fluid and elegant turn, he was out of my arms and already checking a pan.

How he does that? It’s something I first noticed about him and had always amazed me; he could move and walk away with such elegant and fluid speed, that you wouldn’t even realize it sometimes. I looked at him busy making breakfast and felt the luckiest person in this world. I went to look for my underwear and clothes left in the living room. Shit. We left quite a mess last night. Our clothes were scattered all around, like the pillows and the coffee table, kicked far away. Our blazers were hanging on armchairs and I spotted my bag beside the sofa.

“My sexy beast, where are you?” Called Travis from the kitchen.

“Looking for something to wear.”

He popped his head out of the kitchen door and seized me with alluring and hungry eyes.

“But I like you naked; I’ll have to just tear away that towel…” He lingered his gaze on my body and saw his eyes flashing in his usual lusty light. So were mine.

We exchanged a mute look and then I shook my head and grinned. Will this ever change between us? I damn hoped it never would. I loved it.  

“I’d really love to have first some breakfast...” I said.

“Yeah, me too, hell, I’m actually starving. You completely destroyed me last night.”

My wolfish and beasty grin grew wider and darker. We loved to hear that.

“Breakfast first.” I agreed.

He chuckled and disappeared in the kitchen, singing some Backyard Babies’ song, a Swedish rock band he loved, which I got to like as well, they had an amazing sound. I threw on a pair of black boxers and a pair of jeans, and then walked back in the kitchen. The smell of pancakes and toasted bread filled the room and made me realize I was starving, too.

We sat at the table he had already arranged and ate our food talking about the imminent Christmas vacations. He said he would spend this Christmas with his mum here in New York, because her sister was going away on holiday. Apparently, they normally spent it in Boston with his aunt’s family. If I remembered well, Julie had some ideas. Bet she couldn’t wait to meet Mrs. Henderson. Argh, the thought had me freeze, if you added Nichole, I was worried of their crazy reactions.

“What do you usually do for Christmas?” Asked my hot boyfriend, nibbling the corner of a toast.

“Well, since my dad is Orthodox and Julie is Catholic, we celebrate two times.” It was crazy, you have no idea; especially when my dad’s side of family was involved. He arched his black eyebrows, without understanding what I meant.

“With Julie and Nichole we celebrate it on December 25th, like most people do, and with my dad’s family is between January 6th and 7th, according the Russian Orthodox calendar. But the biggest party is on New Year’s Eve…shit, that’s almost insane and Dima’ family always joins us...have your idea.”

He chuckled and nodded, his eyes smiling and sparkling. Since last night, since he confessed me his love and I finally came to term with my issues and confessed mine, it felt like we were even more close than before, one single thing.

“Sounds funny, actually. My family isn’t big and it’s just mum and auntie Susan that are crazy, my cousin Justin and my uncle are very quiet and so is his side of family.”

“Want to spend Christmas with us?” I proposed, knowing I was digging my own grave, but also excited at the idea. My dad and Julie would like it, no doubt about it.

“Are you serious?” He asked widening his eyes.

“Yes, why should I joke?”

“Hell, that would be fantastic, thank you. Wait…will your dad be fine with that?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if he wasn’t fine with that. You know he likes you and Nichole’s family will be there as well. Do you think your mum will like it?”

“I’m sure she will.” He was positive about that. “Are you…what? Orthodox or..?”

“Theoretically Orthodox, but I don’t practice, just like my dad. My mother was atheist, though.” When I mentioned my biological mother, I saw Travis’ eyes flashing tense and worried. I knew he wanted to ask me about that and it was perfectly fine with me, I wanted him to know everything about me.

“Err..Alexi..what happened with your … mother?” His voice hesitated in asking the question, keeping his fixed on mine.

I shrugged, mostly shrugging away the annoyance her memory brought back every time I thought about it.

“She left us out of blue, without saying a word, when I was around 9 years old, more or less. She had another family and another kid.”

He gasped and froze on the spot. I took his hand.

“What do you mean she had another family and kid?” He couldn’t believe it, you could tell from his shocked expression.

“Well, it’s a bit long to explain and …” He cut me off intertwining his fingers with mine and squeezing them.

“If it’s not a problem for you, Alexi, I don’t care if it’s long … I’d like to understand everything.”

“Alright. So, you know dad is a hockey coach, right? He’s training New York hockey team since few years ago.” He nodded. “Well, when I was a kid, around 3 or 4 years old, my dad received a request from an important Russian hockey team and since it was the beginning of his coaching career, he accepted. I don’t remember much, I was too little, but from what I have heard my mother was fine with that. With my dad travelling and spending lots of time in Russia, Vania and I grew up with her and spent most of our time with her. She spoilt us in many ways and so did her mother, our grandmother.” Another person I couldn’t stand, another person that lied intentionally to us and my dad.

“You were attached to her, right?” Travis asked, with a careful and delicate tone.

“Yes, Vania and I loved her very much, like every normal brat of that age. She kept telling us how much we were precious to her, how much she loved us and shit like that.” I shook my head, shaking away my raging annoyance. “Things were fine and sometimes she would spend a weekend away, but she always told us she went to visit a distant sister. A sister she never had.”

Travis swallowed hard and kept silent looking at me.

“My dad completed his contract with the Russian team and signed another one, more important and prestigious, with an American hockey team, another city not too far from here. That was when I was around 6 years old and remember clearly he would always make sure my mother and us where fine and didn’t miss anything. He always discussed everything with us, even if we were little kids. He wanted us to know everything and my mother always supported him. Apparently.”

“Your dad is really awesome.” He was talking to himself, not to me, but his comment made me smile and calm down. “Oh sorry, hell, didn’t realize I spoke loud.” He looked away.

“Baby is fine, I’m happy you like my dad, he’s indeed awesome.”

He smiled sweet.

“What do you mean with apparently?”

“She began to spend more weekends away, creating problems for my dad. But luckily, we had auntie Masha taking care of us, my dad’s sister. Things got tenser and dad confronted her, asking if she was ok, if anything was fine, if the problem was his working away, but she would always say there were no problems with that. What a fucking liar she was. I remember, me afraid of losing her, going and ask her if she still loved me and Ivan, telling her to not leave us. I have no idea why I did that, now thinking about it makes me feel pathetic, I hate it.” I fell silent a moment. Travis moved from his chair and sat on my laps, touching his forehead with mine.

“It’s not pathetic, Alexi. It’s normal. You loved her and as a kid you were worried to lose her, because you sensed something was wrong.” He chuckled humorlessly. “Hell, if I think about my father, I never loved him or missed him. He actually scared me, because he had a very sick and violent controlling issue. Fucking bastard.”

Hearing that made me growl in annoyance for that bastard, even though I had no idea who he was.

“Has he ever … beaten you?” Just asking enraged me, my blood boiling restless.

He sighed.

Not a good sign.

“A couple of time, when it was already clear mum wanted to divorce and official I hated his guts.” I groaned in rage. Travis pecked my lips. “Alexi, it doesn’t matter. We are talking about you, tell me what happened.”

“Travis..”

“No, no Travis. I want to know what happened with your mum.” He insisted; was he stubborn. “You said she kept going away. Where?” I sighed, I had to continue, he wouldn’t let me drop it.

“We didn’t know. After few months, she disappeared. For three weeks, we didn’t know anything about her and my dad began to freak out, calling hospitals, police stations, engaging detectives. He didn’t know what to think or to do. My brother and I missed her very much and were scared someone had killed her or kidnapped her. You know, when you are a brat, your imagination runs wild and stupid. Then she came back, like nothing.”

“What? You mean, she just left and then got back?” I know, it was crazy to explain.

“Yes. She told us she needed time to think and shit like that. My dad was out of his mind, but the worst part was that he felt guilty for that. He thought it was his fault, because he spent much of the time working. Well, but thanks to that we had a fucking huge house and all we wanted.”

Travis gulped and his expression grew darker, I could tell he was getting angry and pissed. Something flashed on his face, but I didn’t understand what it was; it seemed like some past resentment, as if betrayal pained him and made him sick.

“She just came back and said she needed time to think?” He hissed with strained voice. It sounded crazy to him, which was normal, his mum and him had a special bound.

“Yes, but the she kept telling me and Vania that she loved us and that she missed us and that she would never leave us again.” I rolled my eyes. “What a joke. Things apparently got finally settled and for almost a year everything seemed ok. But she was different, she was … I don’t know how to say it. She started be very nervous, lose it and flip for nothing. She has never lifted a finger on us before, but then she began to slap us for nothing.”

Travis tensed on my laps and swallowed hard and angry.

“Until she disappeared again. For months. But this time she left a note saying to not look for her. Shit, as if that helped. Dad kept calm, but was imploding, because he would never break in front of us and believe me, it felt horrible. I felt like what I knew was just a fucking huge lie. I felt it was my fault, because maybe I did something wrong and made her run away. God, it fucking enrage me like hell to think how pathetic I behaved.”

Travis hugged me and said nothing.

I wasn’t missing her nor I was sad for her leaving. I couldn’t give a shit about that. I was mad for what she put us through, for what my dad had to suffer and stand, for how she made us feel, all guilty and all terribly scared something had happened to her. While she was just having the time of her life with another man. I’ll never forgive her. Never.

“What happened then?” He asked, seeing I was a bit lost in thoughts.

“My dad found her, almost a year after. He just wanted to know what happened, but he didn’t involve police or anything else. Vania and me insisted to go with him, we wanted to see her; well, my brother actually hated her already. I still didn’t understand well what happened. I was barely 9. We drove to fucking Washington, to find her there married to another man and pregnant with his child. She told us she never loved us, that we were just a nuisance to her, because my dad was always working and never cared for her, because she never wanted to be a pathetic housewife, just after her stupid child. She told us to leave her alone. I remember clearly all the words. I remember I walked to her, wanting to hug her and she just slapped me and yelled me to leave. Her new husband wasn’t at home, I don’t know if he knew everything. She just said she had never wanted kids and there she was, pregnant and defending her belly from us. Disgusting whore. My dad didn’t say much. He told her he wanted to annul their marriage and that if she weren’t to do it, he would sue her. Then took us and left her.”

I could still see those images in my mind, I could still remember her words, her face, her lies and her family lies, telling us everything was ok, when they knew what was going on.

Travis shivered and hugged me tighter. I snapped out of it and hugged him back. He was shocked and enraged.

“What a fucking bitch…that…that…hell, I’m so fucking mad right now, how could she do that to you, Ivan and your dad? That shitty bastard fucking….” He was ranting a stream of curses, unable to properly name her.

I never really told anyone all of this. Only River, Derek and Dima knew something, simply because I knew them since…since we were in kindergarten. We grew up together. But they didn’t know everything. Travis was the first person I told everything.

“Baby, just calm down, please, I don’t want you to be upset for me.”

“But it’s..it’s…unforgivable, it’s fucking sick. Now I see why you hate people telling you they love you.”

My Travis. I loved him so much.

“I’m sorry for telling you that last night…” He looked down, like beat and tired.

“Travis, stop it.” I ordered with a harsh tone, shaking him. He looked at me immediately. “Stop it. You have no idea how fucking happy I am you told me. You just made me the happiest man on this world, you crushed my last pathetic memories and made me forget about them. I honestly don’t care anymore. It won’t change my personality, that’s who I am, and won’t change the fact I’ll never like other and random people telling me so. But with you … Travis I love you. Do you understand what I mean?” I wasn’t exactly sure I made sense.

He didn’t say anything, he just crushed his lips on mine and kissed with all he got. I did the same and we just kept there, kissing lost in our love, for I don’t know how long.

We broke the kiss in need of air.

“Thank you for telling me everything.” He whispered. “I love you like crazy, Alexi.”

I kissed him again. I couldn’t stop it.

Then I remembered our date. I needed to call my, well, our friends and find a ticket for Travis. Then I had an idea to cook for him, even though I wasn’t the best cook.

“Baby, need to call the guys for the game. Do you want to ask Jasper?” I’m sure me or Dima would find a ticket for him.

“Hell, yeah, I hope he can come.” There, his breath-taking smile was back again. I loved it. “What time at is the game?”

“It should be around 5.” He hopped off.

“Gonna call Jas.”

I sent a message to my friends. Hayden had already asked Diane, Derek followed suit just to piss off Hayden. River and Dima had their season tickets, so no problem. Dima asked himself about Jasper. Looked like they were becoming good friends. Travis shouted me something from the leaving room.

“Cutie asked if he can bring also his brother.” He made a strange face and rolled his eyes. “Hell, you are cute, so deal with that.” Bet he was arguing with Jasper. I chuckled, poor kid, Travis would never change his nickname.

“Yeah, no problem.”

Well, not sure it was exact to say no problem. I found a ticket for Travis, it was my brother’s ticket, and now had to find two extra tickets. Better ask River and Dima.

RIVER POV

Sasha and Travis were late. Now, that’s a first, because Sasha is never late. I smirked, bet I could guess the reason they were late. I knew yesterday they had their first date and knowing how they can’t keep hands off each other … hmm, up to you to guess it.

Jasper arrived with his brother and Dima. Again, how interesting. Was now his turn? Not sure about that. Jasper was terribly shy and Dima terribly dense. Worst combination. Ok, not as dense as Hayden, now lost in Diane’s eyes. They looked good together. Dee was sulking about that and I couldn’t help my laughing. He had no reason to mope, he knew himself Hayden was perfect for his sister.

“Dude, where are Alex and Travis?”

“Bet they stopped somewhere and hit it off.” Joked Dima. Well, that could be actually true.

Jasper giggled and blushed, bet he knew what my friend was talking about. I peeked again at his brother. They didn’t look much alike. Jas was shy and cute; Nicholas was outgoing and very handsome. Well, he was already twenty-six, so he long passed the teenager stage. He wasn’t very tall, probably an inch taller than me, with messy dirty blonde hair and dark chocolate eyes, just like cutie. But Jas had sweet eyes, Nicholas had smug and sexy eyes. He shifted his gaze on me and winked when he saw me looking at him.

Hmm, was he gay like his brother?

I winked back, I was a natural flirt.

“Man, finally.” Said Hayden.

We turned in his direction and saw Sasha and Travis walking towards us, holding hands and with a obvious happy and satisfied smirk on their faces.

Something was anyway different.

They looked…closer. If that was even possible, but that’s the sensation they gave me. Sasha was more relaxed and at ease than usual and Travis completely melted on his arm. Hmm, they didn’t just have crazy sex last night. I’ll have to ask my friend later.

“Dude, you’re late, where the hell have you been?” Dee fired, showing the time on his phone.

“Relax man, we’re on time.” Said Sasha, hugging Travis from behind, so tight that it seemed they were glued together.

“You just stopped somewhere and got some, right?” As usual Dima talked without connecting his brain first.

Travis burst out laughing and so did Sasha.

“You mean, in a car?” Asked Travis between laughs.

“Too small.” Said Sasha.

“Fuck, can’t believe it, my friend is a kinky sex addicted.” Joked Dima.

“You mean, Travis, right?” Asked him with a dark smirk. Travis rolled his eyes and elbowed him. “Ouch, it’s true, baby.”

Travis snorted and then smirked.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Then he went to jump on Jasper’s neck and they almost fell down on the floor; he sure was an enthusiastic guy.

“Cutie, so happy to see you.” He nuzzled his hair. I peeked at Sasha, to see his reaction. He was fine, so he came to accept they were friends. Just like him and me.

“Boy, me too Travis.” He hugged his friend back very tight. Aww...he was so cute. They were sort of cute together, but you couldn’t use the word “cute” with Travis.

“Easy Jas, my back is a bit sore, Alexi is a sex beast.” I chuckled at that and so did Nicholas and Dima. Sasha grinned satisfied and evil. Hmm, he liked claiming Travis was his. He was so gone for Travis.

Jasper blushed redder than a tomato. To think they were best friends.

“Jasper, that’s Travis, your best friend?” Asked Nicholas with a surprised and slightly amused face.

“Boy, yeah, that’s him…”

“Why, I like him.” He said, patting his brother’s shoulder.

Sasha automatically shot him a dark and menacing glare, then just let it go. I didn’t know he could be that jealous and possessive, but he actually was.

“Hell, that’s your brother?”

“Uhm, yep. Travis meet Nic, Nic that’s Travis ..uhm..”.

“Nice to meet you, Jasper talks a lot about you, thank you for taking care of my little brother.” Said Nicholas, stretching his hand. Jasper stuttered something and blushed.

“Nice to meet you, too. Hell, I heard quite a lot as well.” They shook hands and Travis went to lace hand with Sasha.

“You must be Alex, right? Boy, Jas wasn’t joking when he said you guys look like huge bears.”

Sasha arched his eyebrows and then chuckled.

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

We let them walk before us, Sasha kept quiet beside me, knowing I wanted to ask him something. We always had this very special connection.

“I take you just didn’t have a romantic date and crazy, wild and hot sex last night, right? You two look different, closer than before, like something has been lifted away from you.”

He snorted and then chuckled.

“You are always the super smart bastard, aren’t you?”

“Why, yes, I’m sure not dense. So? What happened?”

“Well, we indeed have a romantic date and wild sex, or love, and then … Travis said he loves me.” I took in a big breath, waiting to hear the rest. This was big stuff for him, I knew it perfectly. He shook his head with an idiotic happy grin plastered on his face. Hmm, he wasn’t gone, he was completely in love. “And after behaving a bit like a glacial asshole, I told him I love him like crazy.” He stopped and looked into my eyes. “River, you have no idea. I do really love him. What happened in the past doesn’t matter anymore with Travis.”

I smiled to my ear, not happy, but way more than happy for Sasha. He had had enough shit in the past; I knew what happened. He had told me enough, not everything, but enough. I hugged his shoulders with my arm and nudged his head with mine.

“I’m happy for you, Sasha. For both of you. I take you told him about your … mother?” I couldn’t really use that word to call that woman so. She only gave him birth, but had no right what so ever to be called “mother”.

“I told him everything.”

I stroked gently his short hair.

“This is wonderful, Sasha.” And I meant it.

“Thank you.” He ruffled a bit my hair and then leaned close to my ear, whispering something. “Someone is checking you out.”

I turned my gaze in the direction of Sasha’s and saw a pair of inviting dark chocolate eyes glancing me discreetly, but purposely daring.

Hmm ... that was indeed interesting.

Auhtor's chit-chat:

I think now we can all understand better Alexi and see his reasons. I personally think that someone like Travis is perfect for him.