BOUND TO HIM BY FORCE

“Kane, come on, ask Isha for us,” I said, my body floating down on to the bed with all my pillows making some space for me. My eyes lay on the black ceiling that I had painted once upon a time and never regretted since. We had done it when mom was out for a meeting in France and when she came back, the fit she threw was beyond anything I had imagined but dad was there to kiss and whisk her away; rescuing me as he always did and I never told that he had helped me. “Masha, I seriously don’t like her, don’t make me do this,” Kane said back as I giggled. Isha was a girl Kane had been having an intimate relationship with. She thought they were dating, but Kane said otherwise. She wrote his assignments, which was how I benefited, copying from Kane and getting better grades just like that. Don’t judge, we all have to hustle to get by. “Pss, then why did you sleep with her? Don’t make me the bad person here. Do you want to get a C grade because I don’t, you know my mother?” I answered with my body turning around as I lay on my belly, picking a strand of hair to twirl around my fingers. “You know your mother thinks we are dating right, every time I am there, she gives me the eye,” Kane said with both of us laughing out loud, burying my head in my pillows. “Masha.” My dad’s voice called for me, wiping my tears with my free hand while turning around in bed to stare at the door. “Yes, dad,” I answered back politely, smiling at him while pressing my phone to my ear. “Are you busy, help with dinner please?” Dad asked with my smile getting brighter. “No, I am not dad. I am coming down now, now.” I said back with him nodding his head and walking out to close the door. I shifted on the bed and slipped to the floor with my feet searching for my slippers which I slipped on my feet. “Sorry, that was my dad, I am just about to go make some dinner with him. I will bring some for you tomorrow since I know you are obsessed with his cooking.” I told Kane and I knew he was just more than excited at that point. “Yes, please, beautiful lady. Anyways, I will talk to Isha. I am going to Rax’s party and I will see her there. What will be one more night with her?” Kane said back as I groaned and laughed, my hand running through my hair, rolling my eyes. “Yeah yeah, later, call me when you get home.” “You know I always do,” Kane said back with my heart drumming as if to escape me. I closed my eyes to clutch my phone. “Okay, bye.” “Bye, princess.” The call was dropped as I turned and threw myself on the bed to shout into it. The scream turned to a giggle with my whole body just in flames. Kane and I had been friends for a full two years and I was utterly in love with him. We had met on the first day of orientation at school. We sat next to each other, both knew no one there. He had just flown miles and miles away to attend his dream school with a full baseball scholarship. The next day, he had been there, the same spot we had sat in the previous day and I did not waste time sitting next to him. “My name is Masha, by the way,” I had said with my heart nearly killing me. “Kane, nice to know your name.” He had said back with me smiling. “I had so many questions last night with no one to ask and you just came to mind, but damn me, I had not taken your number.” He had said back with me turning to stare at him and smiling, not able to help myself. “Me too,” I said back as he gave me his phone. I logged my number and then texted myself to get his number. He had slipped my phone from my hands and saved his number. MY HEART That’s how he had saved his number with my face turning red. I had laughed, taking his phone and resaving my number. MY HEART We never changed it after, all through the two years and he had rather broken up with his girlfriends than change my number ID. I don’t know why we never dated, but part of me was afraid that if we did, we would break up and I would lose him forever. I could not do that, he meant too much to me than to lose all of him. I would rather have a part of him than none of him. His looks never made it easy for me to stay away from him. He had that bad boy look with his messy yet so-hot- hair thing going for him. His body was all muscle, his voice something I could not sleep without hearing, and his touch my drug. We spent too many times sleeping in each other’s arms to just be friends. I attended all of his games and when I say all, I mean all. One time they were playing in a different city, I had took a twelve hour flight, running from the airport straight to the stadium to scream my lungs out with a large banner in hand. I was absolutely and utterly in love with Kane Lismore. I rolled on the bed to fall on the carpeted floor with a thud, giggling. My body shot up, jumping to get a hold of myself and rushed to the door. I opened it and went through it, running down the stairs of my home. It was a three-story large mansion that was amazing in every way. It was a house many would dream of and I had lived there all my life. There was a large crystal chandelier glistering as if made of diamonds. The stairs came on both sides, arched on each side of the large receiving room, facing the large mahogany front doors. White tiles littered the floor, the light reflecting and making it look like something from a magical world. I was grateful for everything that we had and I was grateful for the life I had been given. The house already smelt divine, my dad at it again. He always just made everyone hungry with his cooking. I could not wait for dinner. I was dancing while walking, my phone in hand, doing a little shimmy while walking through the kitchen doors. It was a large kitchen, grand as if belonging at the white house. I was sure it was grander even than that one. My phone was placed down, rushing to wrap my arms around my father. He stiffened, he did not like being touched, but I knew no boundaries seriously. My father had owned a mafia cartel just before my brother and I were born. I would like to think he left it all because of my mother but I knew a large part of it was that it was not something he had wanted to do. He was not born into the mafia life like most. He had began as a corner boy selling drugs and killed his way up so he could save his sister who had been trafficked. He did find her but it was too late for her, she killed herself as soon as he saved her. Even thinking about it made me hug him tighter. He had such a good heart even after all the things he had went through. I loved and treasured him so much. I lay my head on his back, my eyes closing, then opening to pull back. He was my hero; he was everything to me and I loved him more than life itself. In everything I did, I took after him. It was as if he had wanted to claim that I was not his in the way I looked so much like him. I was the female version of him, that was what most said and I was proud of that. “You were talking to that boy?” Dad questioned as I giggled. “His name is Kane Dad and can we save some food for him? You know he adores you and your cooking,” I said smiling, my teeth out with my puppy eyes. How could he say no to that? I was his weakness. “You are old now, that doesn’t work on me, you look like an old ugly chicken,” Father said back as I laughed. “Of course, you would say something like that.” I shot back, moving to wash my hands. In all our similarities, I had taken his cooking skills. Thank the lord because the other members of the family sucked when it came to cooking, blah, it was bad. “What are we making tonight? I tried making beef stroganoff when you were in Spain and it was delicious, not as good as yours but still delicious,” I said, picking up my cooking apron and wearing it over my t-shirt. “Too bad I missed that; you will have to make it for me again.” He said, with me nodding my head. “I will dad, tomorrow,” I said, with him smiling at me. I saw that he was making borscht, having my mouth water already. His borscht was the best I had ever tasted. I was biased, of course, but seriously, his was the best in the country. Yes, I said it, and Kane was my witness. “Can I do some Pelmeni? I kind of crave them,” I said to him. “Okay, you can make them, I am almost done here,” Dad said with me smiling and getting out all the ingredients. “So, you and Kane, still not dating?” He asked, with me wishing the ground could open up and swallow me. It was always awkward for me having these conversations with him. “No dad, we are just friends, best friends,” I added. Kane was not even my best friend; he needed a label of his own because ‘best friend’ was not even suitable. My father rumbled a response with that being that. The sound of the front door opening echoed all through the house, my head picking up to see who it was. I was already so excited. It seemed the person wanted to keep me in my torture as I waited and waited until he walked into the view of the kitchen. I could not help it, bubbling like a five-year-old as I placed my flour down and walked up to the door. I missed him. “Hey, you.” I greeted him, not wanting to be extra, but I just wanted to squeeze the hell out of him and pick him up. “Masha, hi.” My brother greeted me back, dropping his bags with his arms coming around me. He scooped me off my feet as I giggled, hugging my brother even tighter to me. He had gone for business, a whole week without him, he was trying to kill me. “You know how much I missed you?” I asked as he lowered me to the floor, my feet touching, my heels last to kiss the floor. “I know, you basically tell me every hour and call me at such inappropriate times.” Ivan said, with me laughing out loud. “Did you greet Becca for me? I hope you did. I love her. When will you bring her home?” I cried out, shaking my head. Becca was a girl he had been dating for a year but he was hiding her for some reason. “Don’t hide her from us, Brother.” “Who is Becca?” It was dad, Ivan staring down at me as if to kill me as my face paled. I had forgotten, apologizing to him with my eyes while taking a step away from him. “Dad.” Ivan greeted. Dad walked to embrace Ivan and it was a long embrace. They had not seen each other in two weeks. When dad came back from Spain, Ivan was just taking off to Japan. I watched with a drumming heart as Ivan closed his eyes and just relaxed, then they both pulled from each other yet hands still clutched in a firm handshake. Dad ruffled Ivan’s hair, with him bowing his head low in respect and shyness. Just seeing them had my heart work overtime. I had never seen a family love each other as we did. “How are you son?” Dad asked. “I am good dad, what about you? How was your trip?” He asked. “It was good, I made the deal and I heard you bagged yours. I think you are just showing off now.” Dad said as we all burst out laughing. “I learned from the best dad,” Ivan said back, with the men hugging each other again. “Where is mom?” Ivan asked, with me jumping up to answer. “She is on her way, she had to run to the office,” I said, with Ivan smiling and coming to whisper in my ear. “Just wait until you see what I got you.” He said, leaving me all giddy. “Go, go shower and come back, I am making our favorites,” I told him as he nodded his head, kissing my cheek, then nodding at dad to rush away. “And so, you can tell us about Becca!” Dad shot through with Ivan running even faster up the stairs as I laughed and walked back into the kitchen. Dad helped me with the Pelmeni and soon we were ready for dinner.