From Lukov with Love

by Mariana Zapata

“Ivan,” I started to say, knowing the last thing I wanted to do was ruin this moment, but also wanting an answer. Wanting to know just what the hell was going to happen so I could plan, even if everything hanging in the balance wasn’t for months away. But I didn’t want to run from this anymore. I wasn’t going to be a pussy. “Hmm?” he asked, still rubbing my arm up and down. I held my breath and got my words together before spilling them out. “Whenever you and Coach Lee get around to finding me another partner—” His hand stopped moving, and I felt him turn his upper body to look down at me. “What?” It made me a coward for sure, but I kept my head on his shoulder, even knowing he had his total attention on me. “When worlds are over and you try to find me someone else to—” “Jasmine.” Now that tone had me glancing up at him to give him a crazy look, and the expression I faced was another version of crazy. “What?” He blinked. “You think I’m going to find you another partner?” It was my turn to blink. “Well, yeah. That was the deal, wasn’t it?” One eyebrow went up. So, I made mine go up too. “I’m not going to find you another partner,” he said, his face and voice both telling me he was insulted. But I didn’t get why. “Why the hell would I do that?” “Umm, because that was the deal. Because you were the one that said like a hundred times that we were only pairing up for a year.” I almost added “dumbass,” but managed not to. He blinked. Both of his eyebrows went up. Then he blinked...