Chapter 20: Developments

October 2, 1982, McKinley, Ohio

"Mishka!" Tasha squealed.

She flew across the lobby to where I'd just stepped off the elevator and threw her arms around me. I hugged her, and then she kissed me, turning a soft kiss into a fierce French kiss, pressing her body against mine. It was a good minute before she broke the kiss and released me.

"Hi, Mike!" Sasha laughed.

"Hi, Sasha."

Her eyes twinkled, and she gave me a very nice hug.

"I don't think Tasha would like me kissing you the way she did!" she whispered in my ear.

She released me and gave me a quick peck on the cheek, then turned and stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Tasha spoke firmly, "Behave, Sasha!"

"If dad saw how you kissed Mike and how you plastered your body against him, YOU would be in trouble! And he'd never let you see Mike again!"

"Ladies," I chuckled. "Please don't fight over me!"

"You wish!" Tasha laughed.

"She knows I would win!" Sasha teased.

"Let's go meet my friends," I replied, trying to defuse the silly, and phony, 'cat fight'.

I signed them in, and we went up to my room.

"Damn, White Boy," Clark said, shaking his head, "do you know every hot chick in Ohio?"

I laughed, "Clark Brody, meet Tasha Antonova and her sister Sasha. Girls, this is my roommate Clark."

He made a flourishing bow, then took each girl's hand in turn and kissed it, causing them both to giggle and the rest of the gang to groan and roll their eyes. I introduced the girls to everyone, and Clark left to go hang out with Carter, Larry, and their three girlfriends.

"He's a real trip," Robby laughed. "But Amy has him totally under control!"

"Don't be so sure," Sandy laughed. "He manages to keep his other 'hotties' entertained without getting into trouble!"

"Is that all that goes on at college?" Tasha asked with a silly smile.

"Sex, booze, and rock-and-roll!" Lee declared. "Anything else is unAmerican!"

"I think college is going to be fun!" Sasha laughed.

"Do NOT let your dad hear you say that!" I chuckled. "He'll lock you in your room until you're thirty!"

"You don't think he already planned to do that?" she laughed. "The only reason Tasha is allowed out of her cage is because my dad trusts you! And after that kiss downstairs, I think he's VERY much mistaken!"

"Sasha!" her sister reproved in a stern voice.

"Oh, please! You kissed and hugged him like you were married to him! In fact, I don't think I've seen Mom and Dad hug and kiss that way!"

"Aren't little sisters 'fun'?" Robby said ruefully. "I have TWO."

"I have one as well," I said. "You all met her last week."

"And I have one, too," Sophia laughed. "And she's just as bad!"

"Bad?" Sasha asked playfully. "Tasha teases me just as much! I bet you teased your sisters, Robby!"

"Perhaps," he grinned. "Though Lee was MUCH better at it! He could wind them up so fast it wasn't funny. But they took it out on me!"

"What grades are you in?" Lee asked.

"I'm a Junior, and Sasha is a Freshman," Tasha said.

"So, sixteen and fourteen?" he asked.

"Seventeen and fifteen. We just had our birthdays recently. We were born two years and two weeks apart. Do you all hang out together all the time?"

"Pretty much, except when we're in class or sleeping," Lee answered. "Well, Mike and Angie go to church, which none of the rest of us do, and Robby, Angie, Mike, and I go to karate. But yeah, this is the main gang. There are others like Clark, plus our friends Jason and Pete and their girlfriends, and Jeannette, Marie, and Melody. And some others, too. You'll see them when we go to the lake this afternoon. Are you having lunch with us?"

"No. Mike and Angie are taking us to lunch."

"We know Mike wanted to spend some time with you, so we'll leave you guys alone for a bit," Angie said. "Sasha, you can come with us."

"No," she smiled. "I'm required to stay with Tasha at all times!"

Tasha sighed, "My dad's idea for ensuring I don't get into trouble!"

Everyone laughed, and they left the room. I was surprised that Angie gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek on the way out. I almost laughed when the thought 'marking her territory' crossed my mind. She was last out and closed the door behind her.

"I want to talk to Mishka in private," Tasha declared.

"Mom said I was not, under any circumstances, to leave you two alone and that anything you did, I was supposed to do! In fact, I'm due a proper kiss!"

"You are NOT!" Tasha growled menacingly.

"Don't worry, Tasha," I grinned. "I don't have a death wish! It would only be a matter of who killed me — you or your dad!"

"And you remember that!" Tasha declared.

"Then no more kisses for you, big sister!" Sasha smirked, sticking out her tongue.

"Sasha, we'll just go into my bedroom and leave the door wide open. We'll talk quietly with the music playing. OK? Please?"

"And then I get my turn?" she teased.

"Sasha," I said gently. "Please?"

She sighed theatrically, "I suppose."

I took Tasha's hand, and we went into my bedroom, where I put on a Mozart album, and similar to how I'd done with Liz, we sat cross-legged on the bed facing each other.

"She's enjoying herself," I grinned.

"Too much!" Tasha groused, but she laughed. "Mom was quite adamant about my proper behavior!"

"I think your mom made a GRAVE error!" I chuckled.

"Oh?"

"If you and I were to make love, your sister would keep quiet if she got HER turn!"

Tasha frowned, "You would do that?"

"No, I said your sister would keep your secret in exchange for the same treatment! You heard her ask for the proper kiss!"

"You're right, Mishka," Tasha declared flatly. "I WILL kill you if you kiss my sister!"

"And I acknowledged that fact!" I chuckled. "She is cute, though..."

"It would be the last thing you ever did in this life, Mikhail Petrovich! And don't think I didn't notice Angie telling me you belong to her!"

"The kiss on the cheek and the hug?"

"Yes, but I'm not worried. Blonde Russian girls are FAR more interesting than red-headed Irish girls! And way more fun! You've met plenty of «бабушки» (babushki), so you know not to mess with a Russian girl! And Angie goes to church, so SHE knows, too!"

I laughed, "You're too funny, Tasha!"

"If you allow me, I'll show you I'm right!" she teased.

"First, you told me not to. Second, then I'd have to show Sasha, too!"

"Don't be «некультурный» (nekulturny), Mikhail Petrovich!" ("rude")

"I thought you wanted me to!" I countered.

"With ME, you «придурок» (pridurok)!" she laughed. ("moron")

"Can we be serious for a moment?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Are you bothered by Angie? And forget the silly comments we made before."

Tasha shrugged, "You have to decide what you want, Mishka. I can't make you do anything. You know what I want to happen. I told you from the very first time you spoke to me. I am yours if you want me. I want to be yours. I want you to want me to be yours. But I won't force you. On the other hand, I CAN do my best to convince you!"

She leaned forward, and we exchanged a soft, quiet kiss. She took my hand and, placed it over her sweater-clad breast and squeezed. She held my hand to her chest for about thirty seconds before releasing it.

"A very compelling argument," I said with a smile.

"I have a MUCH better one," she said impishly, "but we agreed to wait for the marriage bed. Of course, if you wish to become betrothed..."

"Tempting," I grinned. "Very tempting. But if I ask you today, then I have to ask Sasha, too!"

"Will you stop!" Tasha said, trying to sound stern, but she was laughing.

"You know, the more I think about it, the more I like your mom's idea!"

"You are VERY «некультурный» (nekulturny) today! And if I said 'yes'? You would have us both in this bed? Together?" ("sassy")

"There is no possible truthful answer to that question which allows me to leave this room alive!" I chuckled.

"You are learning, Mikhail Petrovich!"

"As you pointed out, I know full well from church who is REALLY in charge!"

"You seem very happy and very playful. You were kind of down when we talked."

"Jocelyn," I replied. "But my friends, the ones you met earlier, have helped. Especially Clarissa."

"You get along very well with her, don't you? Like you did with Jocelyn?"

I nodded, "Yes. But don't worry about her. She's not interested, and neither am I. We're simply friends."

"But you are interested in Angie."

A statement, not a question.

"I certainly was when I first came to Taft last year. We dated briefly, but then she pushed me away, at least romantically. We've become close, but I can safely say that that kiss on the cheek is the limit of what she's done. And I don't see that changing anytime soon, if ever."

"But if it did?" Tasha asked, staring directly into my eyes.

"My honest answer is I don't know what would happen. Right now, I'm concentrating on school and friends and, as I said, not getting into any serious dating relationships. I see you when I'm home, or like today, when you come to visit. I see Katy about once a week, but we're just dating casually. Remember, I promised not to make any commitments without having a conversation with you first. And no, this is NOT that conversation."

"We will have that conversation when you come to my graduation," Tasha said firmly.

I nodded, "I've expected that from the first date. That is the day when you and I have to decide."

"You know what I want, Mishka. But I also agreed that our talk has to wait until I graduate. As much as I would love to be with you now, I know it's not practical. And as much as I want to stay talking with you, we can't leave Sasha too long."

I nodded, got up from the bed, and took Tasha's hand to help her up. She got off the bed, stepped close, melted into my arms, and we exchanged a soft, sexy French kiss.

"Aha!" Sasha squealed gleefully from the doorway.

We quickly broke the kiss, and Tasha put her hands on her hips and glared at her sister.

"You shouldn't spy!"

"Mike has to kiss me, or I'll tell Mom!"

"«Ты паршивец!» (Ty parshivets)" Tasha exclaimed. ("You brat!")

"Well, Mike?" Sasha smirked.

I looked over at Tasha, who was looking daggers at her sister, and saw her slightly roll her eyes. I took that as instruction and moved over to Sasha. I hugged her and gave her a quick, soft, closed-mouth kiss on the lips. She squeezed me tightly, rubbing her lithe, sexy body against me, but I quickly released her and stepped back.

"Enough!" I said. "And that's it, Sasha. No more blackmail. That's the first AND last kiss you'll receive from me. Do you hear me?"

"I never get to have any fun," she complained.

"And you are NOT having fun with Mishka!" Tasha declared, then turned to me, "Shall we go find your friends?"

We left the room and found some of the gang in the common room of the dorm. We joined them and hung out until lunch when Angie joined Tasha, Sasha, and me as planned. We had a nice lunch, and the girls chatted amiably, though Sasha made 'goo goo' eyes at me the entire time. I knew she was trying to get Tasha's goat, and I was pleased that Tasha simply ignored her.

The afternoon at the lake was fun, though we had to leave as soon as the Sun began setting as the temperature dropped fairly quickly. We mobbed the local pizza place and, after we finished eating, went back to campus. I walked Tasha and Sasha to their car, and Tasha and I hugged and exchanged a soft kiss. I warned Sasha off with a look, and she pouted, but I didn't care.

"I'll call you soon," I said. "And I'll come visit before the end of the month."

Tasha gave me a quick kiss, then got into the car and drove away. A few minutes later, Angie came down to the parking lot, and we got in my Mustang to head for church.

"Watching those two was hilarious," Angie laughed as I pulled out of the lot.

"I teased Tasha quite a bit about it," I grinned.

"I bet! She's madly in love with you, but I know you know that."

"Tasha? Or Sasha?" I asked with a grin.

"Tasha, you dope! Sasha just has a serious crush on you. It'll pass. It's normal for younger sisters when their older sister has a boyfriend. You saw something similar with Emmy and Mindy — their good friend's older brother. That's normal, too."

"And that kiss on the cheek?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral.

Angie laughed, "Just me being silly."

"Was it?"

Angie sighed, "I have no idea. I guess I just saw the way she looked at you and realized what it meant. And it's my fault, really."

"Your fault? What do you mean?"

"All this stuff we do together? Church, karate, running, talking, hanging out? I lose it all if you marry her. Well, anyone, really. And I don't want to lose it."

"But you also can't take the necessary steps to preserve it. I mean, at least as you see it."

"Come on, Mike. You would not be happy with a relationship with me that didn't involve serious physical contact, even if it didn't go THAT far. And I just can't. Not now. I nearly lost it when you kissed me the other day. I mean, I LOVED the kiss, and I LOVED how it made me feel. But it totally freaked me out, too."

"You hid that very well. And I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Sure I did! I kissed you without your permission. I didn't have consent, if you will."

Angie smiled, "I don't think it's as cut and dried as you're saying. It was the natural thing for you to do, and a single closed-mouth kiss isn't 'assault'. I could have moved and prevented it and said 'no' or whatever. I didn't."

"I see your point," I replied. "But I won't do it again without an invitation."

"And this is where I'm totally confused," she sighed. "I don't want to have to ASK you to kiss me when I'm ready, if ever, but I also don't want you to do it if I'm not ready. And I know I sent you signals by moving where I kissed you 'good night' so the corners of our lips touched."

"Now I'm confused," I said.

"I know. And I'm sorry. It's my fault, as I said. Can I tell you something?"

"Anything."

"There are days when I just want to crawl into your lap, have you hold me, then have you carry me to bed. Just to get it over with, you know?"

"And I can't see it ending in anything other than a complete disaster if your attitude is that you want to 'get it over with'."

"I know," she said quietly. "But there are days when I wonder if that's the only way forward."

"And when you have a complete nervous breakdown or some sort of psychotic break because you're completely freaked out? No way, Ang."

"I know. I wouldn't. But I can't find a way through this, and neither can Ginny."

"Angie," I said gently, "I think there's more to this than just seeing your parents having sex when you were little."

She sighed deeply, "There is, but I can't talk to you about it. Not now. Maybe not ever."

"When you're ready, I'll listen," I said. "And no judgments. I love you, and I'll help you however I'm able."

"I know, Mike. But ... no, never mind. Just let it go, please."

"Just remember I'm here."

"I know. And I'm grateful."

After church, we went back to campus and joined the gang for a late showing of Class of 1984, which was an OK, but not great, movie about a punk gang which controlled a High School by intimidation. When we arrived back at campus, Angie and I said our evening prayers, and I walked her to her room. I wasn't surprised when all that was offered was a brief hug. I turned and went back to my room to find Sophia waiting for me.

"I wanted to talk," she said. "And I thought we could do it while we cuddled!"

I chuckled, shook my head in amusement, and grabbed my bathroom kit. I was back five minutes later, and Sophia and I got into bed, and three minutes later, we were 'cuddling' her way, with my latex-clad shaft gripped gently by her internal muscles and my hand cupping her firm breast.

"So, what's up?" I asked.

"Is Angie OK?"

"Yes and no," I sighed. "She realized something terrifying today."

"That if you and Tasha marry, she loses everything she has."

"Yes."

"You can't sleep with Angie unless you're going to marry her," Sophia said firmly, then moaned softly as I ran my finger around her nipple.

"I know," I said. "And I can't sleep with Tasha unless I'm going to marry her."

Sophia laughed softly, "Her sister, on the other hand, looked like she was going to throw you on the floor and screw you in front of all of us!"

"That wasn't lost on me," I chuckled. "And I teased Tasha about it. Carefully, mind you, but I did tease her."

"Sisters? Now, THERE'S a typical male fantasy!"

"YOU have a sister!" I teased, thrusting firmly in and out a couple of times.

"Two Greek girls?" she laughed. "You couldn't handle it!"

"I promise to die trying!" I teased. "But Sasha just has a crush. It's harmless."

"Yes, so long as you don't act on it. It's like your sister's friend Mindy."

"Exactly. But back to Angie, I don't know how to help her. She won't tell me the REAL reason behind her phobia to intimate contact."

"I'm no expert, but I strongly suspect she had some sort of traumatic experience. She's seeing a counselor, right?"