unchanged by age

Poor Sergei. Chills when Irina and him met. Sasha beard - yes!!

Finland.

Томление [tom-LE-ni-ye] Describes a state of sweet agony, restlessness, or languorous pining. It is the specific ache of yearning or desiring something so deeply that the anticipation almost becomes pleasurable.

Summary: Margo feels clammy in her own skin, a thin line of sweat gathering at the back of her neck that has nothing to do with the Florida summer or the kitchen’s steam. Her blouse clings uncomfortably, she’s painfully aware of every seam and stitch of her pantsuit, and she has to resist the urge to fan herself with the drink menu. It’s all a little overwhelming – the noise, the heat, the words still glowing hot at the edge of her thoughts – and she isn’t sure anymore whether she wants to escape it or sink further in.

She wonders what Sergei’s doing right now back in Houston—imagines him at his desk, trying to focus on some report and failing spectacularly, glancing at his inbox every few minutes. Margo almost feels bad for him, picturing him having to sit through some team lunch with his colleagues an hour from now, forced to make normal conversation, having to adjust his pants to hide his er—Knowing him, he’s probably rereading his own d-mails, second-guessing every line, wondering if he’s overstepped.

Or; Margo has to go on a business trip. Sergei is not taking it well. Neither is she.