From Lukov with Love

by Mariana Zapata

“Just checking out pictures of you naked.” I leaned into a stretch even more as my palms walked me forward until my forehead hovered just an inch above the floor. “I needed a laugh.”

Eat shit. His tongue tapped at the inside of his cheek. Then he opened his mouth. I’m looking at it.

but it had caught me telling Ivan to suck my dick after he told me the only way I was going to get better at a spin I’d been working on was to be reincarnated.

“I don’t want to see your junk either.” The idiot winked. “Aww, it’s not junk, Meatball. It’s the good stuff.” I gagged.

“What is Ivan’s favorite color?” I glanced at Ivan and made a face. “Black,” I answered, but mouthed like your heart.

He glanced at me at the same time the woman looked away, “Red.” Then added like the blood of the children you eat.

“Don’t sound so excited,” he replied. Then he smiled. “Which bridge do you live under and how do we get there?”

“The only reason I give you so much shit is because you were a pain in the ass, and then you were the only one who dished it back to me. You know you’re beautiful.”

“There’s my Meatball,”

“Nobody else is going to take as good care of you as I will.”

Something warm touched my mouth later, and I’d swear I heard, “Drink it, baby,” whispered to me.

“I want you to be safe because you matter to me. You think I bring my partners to my house? You think I let them into my life? You think I spend time with their families? I don’t, and I never have.

“You. Matter. To. Me. You. I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you because of me,”

“I wanted you to be my partner for years, dumbass. When Karina had told me you were thinking about switching to pairs, I had thought you would say something to me, even in passing as a joke. I thought you would say you were going to kick my ass, and I had planned on talking to you over it. But you never did. The next thing I knew, you had a partner. Some dipshit that wasn’t half as good as you.”

“You’ve been in my life for thirteen years. How could you not think I don’t care about you? We fuck around with each other because we both like it. Because there’s nobody else we can fuck around with that can handle it.”

“I don’t want anything to happen to your stubborn, mouthy, mean ass. My partner or not my partner. Do we have that clear?”

“I believe in you. In us. Regardless of what happens, you will always be the best partner I’ve ever had. You’ll always be the hardest working person I’ve ever known. There will only ever be you.”

“Don’t you dare do it,” he hissed again, the arm around my shoulders tightening. “You don’t want anyone to see you do this. Hold it, baby, just hold it….”

“Let’s get ’em, baby,” Ivan whispered into my ear, with a squeeze to my upper arms.

Ivan didn’t let go of my hand as he nodded and took a step back to get into place. Whatever happens, he mouthed to me. But then his lips kept forming words. Three words exactly. I love you.

“You suck, Meatball,” he called out a second before I knew the music was about to start. But I love you, his lips formed.

Because even though you drove me crazy, I wanted to skate with you.”

“I love you so much I spend all day with you, and it still isn’t enough for me,”

“I love you so much, if I can’t skate with you, I don’t want to skate with anyone else.”

“I love you so fucking much, Jasmine, that if I broke my ankle during a program, I would get up and finish it for you, to get you what you’ve always wanted.”

“You’re not ever going to be anyone else’s partner. Not while I’m alive, Meatball. I will drag your stubborn, beautiful ass kicking and screaming back to me because nobody else will ever be good enough for you.”

“Because I’m okay with you having ten other people be your favorite. But you’re always going to be my favorite person,” he finished. “Always. No matter what.”