Breathe

                   “ i’m very proud of you for that,  i really                      am.   it’s a hint  of progress  after two                      centuries.   i’m not  trying  to act  that                      way  ——  i’m just  ——  are you sure                      that you want me? i’m sure you must                      have    some   kind    of     new     toy.                      i  do not feel  love the way  i used to. ”

       “katerina,   what  do  you take me for?   i'm not a  man         who    jumps    from   beautiful   woman   to   beautiful         woman.  i  can't  believe  you've  become so insecure         to think  that  i  wouldn't  want  you.  i  don't  care  how         you've changed kat, i don't expect you to be the same         as you were two centuries  ago,   for  i  am  no  longer         the same man i used to be.”

         “ fine. what does his highness             need so much attention for?             attempts at going for my lips             will result in a very high pitch             scream. & this time, it won’t             be coming from my mouth. ”

        “for once, i don't feel like ripping every          human i see apart limb for limb. all i          want to do is cuddle and you're acting         like it's the worst thing in the world that         i'm actually in a good mood. i really         don't understand you sometimes.”

         “ are you just going to            pester me until i give            you the attention you            want like a whining            child? ”

   “that's the plan.”

       “ touch me again & you           won’t have a finger to           poke me with. got it? ”

       “but kaaaaaaaaat…”

         “ you & i both know that this is not at all a mere             ‘coinsidence.’ i know you well enough to              properly assume that you have followed me all             the way to new york. this city’s only big enough             for one royal & that’s the one without the muffin             top. ”

                 “nice try, katerina. your rambling no longer phases me. i'm                   here because we need to talk. and not the throwing things                   at each other, ridiculing the other, accusatory talking. no-                    we need to talk, like civilised people, about the elephant                   that has been in the room for over two centuries now. also,                   i didn't stalk you. i had a witch do a locator spell for me.”

         “ a  simple  ‘hello,  dmitry’ doesn’t cover two centuries            of  not seeing someone. it’s not exactly a ‘hi, how are            you?’ situation as if you’ve seen the person two days            before.  & it’s not just convenient that you magically            show up in the same place at the same time.   so you             will  answer  my  question.   how   did  you  find  me? ”

     “oh, katerina, you haven't changed a bit. always so       suspicious and accusatory. have you never heard       of coincidences? because i assure you, our meeting       here is nothing but pure coincidence.”

         “ Silence  yourself  &  stay  exactly where             you are.  How  did  you find me & what               do you want? Have you been following             me? ”

      “a simple 'hello, dmitry, it's been nearly        two centuries. how are you?' would have        been really nice. not an accusation of me        being a stalker.”