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He lived in the apartment across the street. The man with the ocean blue eyes that sparkled like sapphires and the dirty blond hair that looked as soft as puppy fur. The man with the laugh that could only be described as musical. The man with the smile that could light up New York City. Mister Alfred "Fantastic" Jones. The love of Ivan's life.
He always had his living room window open, and Ivan could see him through his own living room window. He made a conscious effort not to stare at Alfred's window too often, but every once in a while, he found that he absolutely could not help himself. He'd end up staring out of his living room window and into Alfred's apartment, watching him play his video games or do whatever else he happened to be doing in the living room at that time.
Alfred never seemed to notice him, but that was okay. It was probably for the best. Ivan was sure that Alfred would think him to be a creep if he ever caught the Russian man staring at him. Besides that, Alfred already had a girlfriend. The thought of the cute and peppy girl who seemed to spend as much time with Alfred as possible made Ivan incredibly jealous, but there was nothing he could do about it. Alfred loved her, and Ivan just wanted to see him happy.
So Ivan watched Alfred from afar, the feelings in his heart steadily growing day by day until he felt that he would burst. Oh, the things he would do to that man if given the chance. Every glance he took at Alfred made his heart ache with longing. He wasn't sure how much longer he could take the silence.
It wasn't like they had never spoken to each other, though. In fact, Ivan liked to think they were friends. They worked together, after all. Both of them worked in customer service for a rather large electronics company. Just like their apartments, their cubicles were right across from each other. They often talked to each other while neither of them were on calls, and they would take their lunch breaks together. Their workplace was where they met, and it was there that Ivan first realized he was in love with Alfred.
It was three o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, and Ivan had found himself staring into Alfred's window once again. He was sitting on his coffee table, an infectious smile on his face as he mashed the buttons on his video game controller. Ivan couldn't see what Alfred was playing, but judging by the look on his face, he was kicking ass at it.
Behind Alfred, his girlfriend was sitting on the couch. Her name was Ellis. Her arms were wrapped loosely around his neck, and soon, she was resting her chin on his shoulder, which blocked Ivan's view of his face. Ivan's stomach churned, and he looked away from the window. These days he couldn't look at the girl without starting to feel sick.
Something had to be done. Ivan had fallen too deeply in love with Alfred to be able to pull himself out. His heart ached whether he was with Alfred or not, and the thought of Ellis made him sick. He didn't want to ruin Alfred's relationship with Ellis, nor did he want to make his friendship with Alfred awkward, so he didn't have the courage to tell Alfred how he felt. However, he knew that if he didn't let his feelings out soon, they would consume him, and he'd be ten times more miserable than he already was.
There had to be a way that he could tell Alfred how he felt without having to suffer the consequences of it. People did that sort of thing all the time, right? They sent anonymous letters and gifts, telling the people they loved how they felt?
It was a simple concept, and Ivan could pull it off easily. He wasn't sure how much it would actually help him or if it would make him feel any better at all, but at this point, he was willing to try anything. He couldn't just send a letter to Alfred, though. No, it had to be special. Alfred deserved nothing but the best, and Ivan knew just how to give it to him.
~*~
It was nine-thirty on Monday morning. Alfred had just walked into the office and was heading towards his cubicle. Upon entering it and sitting down in his chair, he noticed something out of place on his desk. Sitting in front of his computer keyboard, there was a small matryoshka doll with a woven bracelet tied around it, and a rolled up piece of paper held to the doll by the bracelet.
Alfred picked up the doll and untied the bracelet from it. He set the bracelet and the piece of paper down on his desk and looked at the doll. It appeared to be hand-painted, for the colors and details were of such high quality that there was no way it could have been made from a machine. Alfred had to admit, it looked rather cute.
Once he had finished looking at the doll, he picked up the piece of paper and unrolled it. There was a letter written on the paper in elegant calligraphy. Alfred wasn't used to reading such fancy handwriting, but after a while of staring and figuring out which words made sense and which didn't, he was able to decipher it.
Alfred,
For a long time, I was not sure how to tell you this. Even now, I still cannot tell you in person. I fear the results would be disastrous to our friendship, and I do not wish for any harm to come to our relationship, for I value it very much.
There was no way I could keep silent for much longer, though, so I must give you this letter, that I may get my feelings out of my mind and out into the open where you may know of them. Even if you don't know who I am, at least being able to tell you how I feel will make the pain of not having you with me that much more bearable.
When I look at you, my heart goes crazy. It is beating so hard that I feel as though it will jump right out of my chest. I am happiest when you are speaking to me. I think you are the most beautiful person in the world, and there's nothing I want more than to be able to hold you in my arms and kiss your beautiful lips.
I know that you are already seeing someone, which is why I could not tell you this in person. I do not want you to have to worry about me. Please, don't let this letter cause you any stress. I won't reveal myself to you unless I am sure that you want me to. Until then, I am just a secret admirer. Please do not think of me as anything else.
I hope you enjoy the gifts I have made for you. I painted the doll myself, and I wove the bracelet together, also. I wanted to give you something special, since my feelings are too strong to have just given you a letter. I hope you will cherish them.
Alfred pursed his lips as he read through the letter, and he could feel his face heating up. He'd never received anything like this before. He'd never had a secret admirer. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it.
On one hand, the doll, the bracelet and the letter were all beautiful, and he would cherish them, just as whoever had written the letter had asked. He wished that he knew who had given them to him so that he could thank whoever it was for them. On the other hand, like the letter said, he was already seeing someone. He was very happy with his girlfriend Ellis. He didn't want to have to reject whoever the letter was from. Whoever they were, they sounded very sweet, and Alfred knew it would break his heart to have to hurt that person.
Even so, Alfred was still curious. Even if he never confronted his admirer and his admirer never confronted him, he wished that he could at least know who it was. He wished he had some clues, but who could give them to him...?
Alfred noticed out of the corner of his eye that his coworker Ivan was in the cubicle across from his, just like he was every day. Alfred wasn't sure how long Ivan had been there, but it was probably for longer than Alfred had been in his cubicle for. If anyone had seen who had given Alfred the doll, it would have been Ivan.
Alfred leaned back in his office chair and peeked his head out of his cubicle a little. "Hey, Ivan!" he whisper-shouted to the man across from him.
Ivan looked away from his computer and turned his head to look at Alfred. "Da, Alfred? What is it?" he inquired.
Alfred held up the doll so Ivan could see it, shaking it a little as he did so. "Did you see anyone else come by my cubicle before I got here? Someone left me this doll and a really sweet letter, but I dunno who it is..." he explained.
Ivan had to hide the smile that was threatening to take over his lips and forced his voice to stay steady as his heart began to pound. He shook his head subtly and shrugged a little. "Nyet, I'm sorry, Alfred. I didn't see anyone," he lied.
Alfred frowned, but only slightly. "Aw... Well, thanks anyways, Ivan," he said, then sighed a little.
Ivan frowned as well upon seeing Alfred looked so distressed. "Is everything alright, Alfred?" he asked.
Alfred nodded quickly, staring at the doll in his hands. "Yeah, yeah, everything's fine, Ivan. I just kinda wish I could thank whoever it was who gave them to me," he admitted.
"Well, who knows? Maybe you will be running into them someday, da? And then you can be thanking them," Ivan said.
"Yeah, maybe..." Alfred mumbled. "But I dunno. Maybe it's for the best that I don't find out who it is..."
Ivan tilted his head, his frown growing a little. "Oh? Why is that, Alfred?" he asked.
"Well, whoever it was is kind of in love with me, apparently... So if I met them, I'd have to reject 'em. I've got Ellis... And I'm in love with her," Alfred explained.
Ivan steadied his faltering lips by forcing them into a soft smile. "Ah, that's right," he said quietly. "But I'm sure everything will be working out the way it is supposed to. There is no need for you to be worrying, Alfred. Just do what makes you happy, da?"
Alfred smiled softly at Ivan and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Ivan. You always know how to make me feel better," he said.
Ivan's fake smile quickly turned into a real smile, and he nodded back at Alfred. "It is no problem, Alfred. You're very welcome." He turned his face away from Alfred and back towards his computer to hide the light blush that was beginning to spread across his face.
~*~
Ivan made it a point to give Alfred a new matryoshka doll with a different gift and another letter attached to it every Monday for the next six weeks. Each doll was bigger than the last, and each doll after the first one was able to be opened. Inside of the dolls was where the gifts and the letters were kept from then on, and Alfred found that the dolls were meant to be stacked inside of one another once they were emptied.
Alfred would bring the gifts home with him every day. He had started stacking the matryoshka dolls on an empty shelf in his living room. He wore the woven bracelet every day. He saved the letters and kept them in the bottom drawer of his bedside table. He put the other gifts wherever he could find a place for them.
The second gift was a pair of nice earbuds, which Alfred had been ecstatic about, seeing as how his old pair had broken a few days after he'd gotten the first doll. The third gift had been a matryoshka doll full of M&M's, which happened to be Alfred's favorite candy, and had also put an enormous smile on Alfred's face. The fourth gift was a gift card that would give Alfred special items inside of his favorite online game, which Alfred had been talking about almost non-stop the weeks before. The fifth gift was an extremely fluffy blue teddy bear, which Alfred seemed to think was the cutest thing in the world. The sixth gift was a doll full of gingerbread cookies. The seventh gift was a doll being used as a vase to hold a small bouquet of chamomiles and red roses.
After the first letter, the notes left by Alfred's secret admirer were considerably short. None of them were more than a paragraph long. Even with so few words, the messages they contained were still so sweet. Each one brought a smile to Alfred's face, even on his most stressful days.
A little birdie told me about your broken earbuds. I know how much you love your music, and I could not stand the thought of something so beautiful being deprived from you. I'm sure that your life without music must be like my life without your laughter; miserable. After all, your laughter does sound quite musical to me. I hope this gift will help you to enjoy your music once again.
---
You are a very colorful person, Alfred. You are so unique and different compared to anyone else I've met. A lot of your views and ideas are not things I had thought of before, or if I had thought of them, I was not very interested in them. But you get so passionate about the things that you love that I cannot help but be interested in them as well. You are also very kind, to me and to everyone else, even if they don't deserve it. That is a lot more than I have seen in other people. I hope you enjoy the colorful candies I've given you today, though they are nowhere near as sweet as you.
---
You know, I have never really understood video games. I have tried playing a few before, but I found that they were too simple, and I was bored of them easily. You seem to enjoy them a lot, though. You talk about them all the time. You seem to be very good at them, too. I think, if I ever had the chance to play one with you, I might enjoy it a little more. Until then, I saw this game card when I was shopping the other day and it made me think of you. I think it will do you some good.
---
I couldn't help but think of you when I saw this stuffed bear, so I had to get it for you. I know your favorite color is blue, so that in itself made me think of you, but of course there are other reasons. Its fur looks fluffy, just like your hair. It looks so sweet and cuddly and cute, just like you. I bet that if it could speak, it would say the kind things that you always do. You're just a big, sweet teddybear, you know?
---
I'm not sure if you like gingerbread cookies or not, but I hope you will enjoy these. I baked them myself, from a recipe that my mother gave to me many years ago. It's been a while since I have given you a gift I made myself, other than the dolls, but I only painted those. I don't get a chance to share my cookies with other people very often, and I thought you were the perfect person to give them to. I made these just for you.
---
I'm not sure if you're a flower person or not, but flowers are a typical gift to give to the person that you love, are they not? I must admit that I've always been fascinated with the meanings that certain flowers hold. I learned about them from a friend of mine. Red roses represent love, but I think everyone knows that. They represent other things as well, such as passion and courage. The chamomiles represent patience. I do not know how much meaning they will hold for you, but I must say that they hold great meaning for me.
---
Of course, Alfred couldn't keep the gifts a secret from Ellis for long. Not that he was trying to; he kept the gifts in plain sight. He didn't care if Ellis saw them or not. Unfortunately, when Ellis did start to notice them, she started to become jealous.
"I told you, babe. I don't know who it is. All I know is that it's someone from work," Alfred had answered in response to Ellis having asked him who was giving him the gifts for about the hundredth time.
"Well, can't you tell them to stop?" she asked him.
"Babe, how can I tell them to stop if I don't even know who they are?" Alfred replied.
"I don't know. Can't you like, call a meeting or something? So that everyone's there? And then you can say that you don't want whoever it is to do it anymore?" Ellis asked.
"Babe, why do you even care so much? They're not hurting anything. They're just being nice to me. I don't even know who they are," Alfred said.
"Well what happens if you find out? Are you going to leave me for them? Or see them in secret without me knowing? You keep all the letters they send you and you love the gifts. You wouldn't do that if you didn't like the person!" Ellis exclaimed.
"Do you really think I'm a pig like that, Ellis? Do you seriously think I would do something like that to you?" Alfred asked, the tone of his voice sounding hurt, as well as resentful.
"I don't know!" Ellis shouted.
Alfred glared at her. "Yeah? Well maybe you should leave me alone until you do know."
~*~
When Alfred came into work the next morning, Ivan immediately knew that something was off. Alfred wasn't smiling like he normally did. There was no spring in his step. He was quiet, and didn't greet anyone when he entered the office like he normally did. Overall, he looked miserable.
Ivan furrowed his brow as he watched Alfred enter the cubicle across from him. The young American man sat down in his chair with a heavy sigh and turned on his office computer. Ivan watched him for a few moments before deciding to speak to him. "Are you alright, Alfred...?"
"H-hm?" Alfred looked away from his computer and leaned back in his chair a little so he could see Ivan. "Oh, uh... I-I dunno, buddy. I dunno."
Ivan frowned deeply. "What's the matter, Alfred...?" he asked concernedly.
Alfred ran a hand through his hair and smiled sadly. "Uh, Ellis and I had a fight last night... And I dunno what to do about it..." he answered.
A silent gasp escaped Ivan's lips and his eyes widened slightly. He felt horrible for it, but the thought that Alfred and Ellis had had a fight made him strangely happy. Sure, couples fought all the time and Alfred and Ellis would probably be back together in no time, but if they didn't get back together, then maybe... Maybe Ivan had a chance with him.
Still, Ivan was concerned for Alfred. He hated to see the other upset and wanted to make him feel better, somehow. "Oh dear... What happened, Alfred...?" he asked.
Alfred sighed heavily again. "You know those dolls I've been getting with the letters and the gifts inside of them?" he asked.
Ivan nodded slowly, a pit beginning to form in his stomach at the mention of the dolls. Had Ivan had something to do with Alfred and Ellis' fight...? "Da, I know them..." he answered.
"Well, I've been keeping them on a shelf in my apartment and when Ellis saw them, she asked me about them. I wasn't going to lie to her about them. I mean, I didn't have any reason to, right? So I told her about the whole 'secret admirer' thing, and now she thinks that I'm seeing someone behind her back. It doesn't matter how many times I tell her that I don't know who the hell this person is, she still thinks that I'd choose them over her or that I'm secretly seeing them behind her back. It's like she doesn't have any faith in me at all!" Alfred hissed, and his lip began to quiver.
He pounded one fist down in his desk before propping both elbows onto it and holding his face in his hands. He took a deep and shaky breath. "S-so I told her to leave me alone until she decided if she really thought I was a pig or not," he muttered.
Ivan's worried expression quickly turned into one of anger. He couldn't believe that Ellis would accuse Alfred of something like that! Ivan was no longer worried, nor did he feel bad that his gifts had caused a fight between Alfred and Ellis. He was furious with Ellis for having accused someone as loyal and wonderful as Alfred of cheating on her.
Ivan stood up from his chair and walked out of his own cubicle, into Alfred's. He put his hand on Alfred's shoulder and rubbed it consolingly. Alfred lifted his face out of his hands and looked up at Ivan with a miserable expression on his face.
"Alfred, listen to me," Ivan said to him. "I know you would never do something like that to Ellis. I know how much you love her. But if Ellis cannot see how good you are to her, and if she would accuse you of something like that even after you explained to her what was going on, then maybe she doesn't deserve to have you in her life."
"Y-you think so...?" Alfred asked quietly.
Ivan nodded. "I know so, Alfred. Listen, you should probably give her today to cool off from the fight, but if she doesn't call you tomorrow or come to see you to tell you that she believes you, I wouldn't bother with her anymore. You deserve someone who will choose to have faith and you and believe what you say," he said.
Alfred smiled weakly and placed his hand over Ivan's. "Thanks, buddy. I knew I could count on you to give me good advice. You always do..."
~*~
The next day was Saturday, so Alfred and Ivan didn't see each other. Well, Alfred didn't see Ivan. But Ivan saw Alfred from his window, just like always. He watched Alfred as he sat in the living room all day, constantly checking his phone. Ivan guessed he was waiting for a message from Ellis. A message that would never come.
Saturday passed and turned into Sunday. Alfred had slept on the couch that night. As far as Ivan could tell, Ellis hadn't messaged him on Saturday, and didn't message him on Sunday either. On occasion, when Ivan had a clear view of Alfred's face, he could see that Alfred had been crying. It pained Ivan to see Alfred so miserable. He was so tempted to visit the building next door to comfort Alfred, but he didn't. Instead, he stayed inside his own home and put the finishing touches on the matryoshka doll he had planned on giving Alfred tomorrow morning. It would be the last one.
Sunday passed and turned into Monday. Ivan and Alfred would get to see each other again at work that day. Ivan had come in early again, just as he did every Monday, to put the matryoshka doll on Alfred's desk before Alfred got there.
Ivan carried the doll inside of his coat, just as he did every Monday. He walked towards his and Alfred's cubicle, and when he was near them, he stepped into Alfred's cubicle and unzipped his coat. He pulled the matryoshka doll out of his coat and set it down gently on Alfred's desk. After he had done so, he stepped out of Alfred's cubicle and began walking over to his own, but he was stopped by an unfamiliar voice.
"So you're the one who's been giving Alfred those stupid dolls!"
Ivan stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned his head towards the source of the voice. Though he hadn't recognized the voice, hedefinitely recognized the woman it belonged to. Long, raven-black hair and forest-green eyes to go with the fair complexion of a tall woman. Ellis. Alfred's girlfriend.
"What...? I-I am sorry, but who are you...?" Ivan asked stupidly, not knowing how he should react in this situation. He hadn't expected to be caught, and least of all by Ellis. How had she even gotten into the building, anyways?
"Don't play dumb with me you son of a bitch! I'm Alfred's girlfriend!" Ellis shrieked.
Ivan flinched at her harsh words. He didn't know what he was supposed to say to her. Part of him wanted to lash out at her for being so heartless and making Alfred cry, but the other part was quite frankly too shocked and frightened to do anything other than mumble an incoherent response that sounded something like "I'm sorry."
"Sorry doesn't cut it, you pig! What the hell were you thinking? What's wrong with you?" Ellis demanded.
"Wh-what do you mean what's wrong with me? All I did was-"
"What kind of selfish jackass sends creepy love letters and gifts to a man who's already in a happy relationship? You almost ruined our relationship, you heartless jerk! You're a real creep, too! How do you know all these things about my boyfriend, anyways? Are you some kind of stalker?" she accused.
"I-I'm not a sta-"
"You know what, I've seen you before! You're that creep who lives across the street and is always staring out your window into Alfred's apartment! You are a stalker!"
Ivan's face turned a deep red color. His eyes started to water as Ellis kept yelling at him, continuing to embarrass him even more than he already had been.
"Couldn't you see how stressed out you were making him? How unhappy he was because of what you were doing? For God's sake, you made me think he was cheating on me! What kind of douchebag makes someone's girlfriend think he's cheating on her??"
At these words, Ivan's embarrassment began to disappear and was replaced with rage once again. Oh, how badly he wanted to tell her that it was no one's fault but her own and that she didn't deserve someone like Alfred after accusing him of cheating on her. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get a word in, for she just kept yelling, and her next words seemed to collapse onto Ivan like a ton of bricks.
"And it's not like you even had a chance with him, anyways," she scoffed. "He's not gay! I mean, why the hell do you think he has agirlfriend? He's not into guys, you asshat! So why, under any circumstances, did you think this was a good idea? Like, what is wrong with you? Are you really that thick? What, were you dropped on your head when you were a baby or something?"
The ever growing pit in Ivan's stomach became so deep that it was hard for him to breathe. He felt like he was drowning. He hadn't even considered that. The thought had not crossed his mind for even a moment that Alfred may not even be into men at all. Ivan had never really been concerned with gender when it came to love. He had fallen in love with people of all different genders before. All he cared about when it came to love was the person's personality. He had forgotten that not all people were the same way.
Ivan had started taking deeper and quicker breaths by now, on the verge of hyperventilating. His whole world seemed to be crashing down on him. He was confused, angry, upset, embarrassed, jealous, enraged, and above all, heartbroken. He didn't know what to do.
"H-hey, what's going on he- Ellis!?"
Both Ivan and Ellis turned to look at the man whose voice had just interrupted Ellis. Though they had already known who it was by the familiarity of the voice, they gasped in shock when they saw Alfred standing behind them. His expression looked just as shocked as they both felt.
Ellis recovered from her shock quickly and pulled Alfred into a tight hug as soon as she was able to. She buried her face into the crook of his neck and nuzzled it gently. "Oh, Alfred! I'm so sorry! I should have believed what you said!" she exclaimed.
Alfred grunted softly upon being hugged by Ellis, but didn't move. He didn't hug back, either. He just stood there, looking highly uncomfortable. He didn't say a word.
"I-I know now that I was wrong... I found out the truth... You won't have to worry about your admirer anymore..." Ellis whispered.
Alfred looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You found out who my admirer is??" he asked incredulously.
Ellis pulled away from Alfred and turned to face Ivan. She glared at him and reached her arm out as far as she could to point at him menacingly. "That douchebag is your stupid secret admirer," she hissed.
Alfred looked at Ivan in shock and stared at him for a few moments with wide eyes and an open mouth. However, upon having time to think about what Ellis had said and realized how she had insulted Ivan, he frowned deeply. "Hey, that's pretty harsh, Ellis. Ivan's my friend. You can't just call him that," he said seriously.
Ellis was about to speak again, but Ivan cut her off. "N-no, no. No, she is right, Alfred. I am a terrible person, and I am very sorry for the trouble I've caused you."
His lips were quivering, his legs were shaking, and tears began to well up in his eyes. Soon they were streaming down his face. A soft, choked gasp escaped his lips and he covered his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm sorry..." he whispered. Without another word, he turned and ran towards the back of the office and disappeared into the break room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Alfred pushed Ellis away from him and walked over to his desk. He looked at the doll that Ivan had left on the desk for a few moments before picking it up and opening it. Inside was the usual letter, along with a bottle of expensive Russian wine.
"What are you doing?" Ellis asked, stepping closer to Alfred as he pulled the letter out of the doll and set it back down on the desk. He said nothing to her as he unrolled the piece of paper and began to read the letter.
Alfred,
A little birdie told me that it was my gifts and letters that caused you to have a fight with your girlfriend a few days ago. I must tell you that I apologize sincerely. I never meant to cause you any trouble. I suppose I wasn't thinking about anyone but myself when I began to send you these dolls. I needed to get my feelings off of my chest, but I didn't think about how it would affect your relationship. I am so sorry.
I can't stand to see you upset. I want you to be happy again, with your girlfriend, just like you used to be. So, this is going to be the last doll I send you. I figured you could use the wine, no matter what the outcome of your situation is. If your girlfriend decides to call you back, you can drink the wine together and have a romantic night to celebrate getting back together. If your relationship doesn't work out... Well, a little alcohol goes a long way, does it not?
Personally, I prefer vodka, but this is not about me. It's about you. I just want you to be happy. So I'll leave you alone. But remember that my feelings for you will not die away so easily.
"Alfred, answer me!"
Alfred put the letter back inside the doll and turned his head to look at Ellis. He glared sharply at her, which caused her to flinch. "Alfred... Wh-what's wrong...?" she asked him.
"Ivan was right," he mumbled venomously.
"Wh-what...? He was right about what? What are you saying?" Ellis asked.
"I'm saying that it was bad enough that you had to accuse me of cheating on you and that you didn't call me for three days after I told you to leave me alone until you decided if you trusted me or not, but now you have to come to my workplace uninvited, take it into your own hands to solve a mystery that had nothing to do with you and make a scene in front of my coworkers! You've thoroughly embarrassed both me and Ivan, and you said such horrible things to Ivan that you made him cry! And you know, I don't really wanna be with someone that cruel," Alfred hissed.
"Wait, so, y-you're breaking up with me!?" Ellis asked, outraged.
"Yeah, I guess I am."
Alfred glared at Ellis one last time before turning on his heels and walking quickly towards the break room at the back of the office. He opened the door swiftly and quietly and stepped into the room. He let the door shut behind him.
"I-Ivan...?" he called out softly, looking around the room for the tall Russian man.
His ears picked up the sound of faint sniffling coming from the back corner of the room, which was currently obscured from Alfred's vision by the large round table and the office chairs that were in front of it. He quickly maneuvered around the table and chairs to find Ivan sitting in the corner, between the left wall of the room and the last section of cabinet-counter that was built into the back wall. He had his knees pulled up to his chest and his face buried in them. Alfred was amazed that Ivan could even fit into the tight space.
Alfred walked over to Ivan and knelt down in front of him. He placed his hand on top of Ivan's gently and rubbed the back of it with his own thumb. "Ivan... Hey, look at me..." he whispered.
Ivan looked up at Alfred slowly and wiped his tears away with the back of his free hand. His eyes were red and puffy now from crying. "A-Alfred...? Wh-what are you doing here...?" he asked quietly.
Alfred smiled softly at him. "I took your advice..." he said. "I broke up with Ellis..."
Ivan's eyes widened in shock and he looked almost frantic and fearful. "A-Alfred, why would you do that? Y-you were happy with her! I-I ruined it! Oh, this is all my fault, I-I'm so sorry! I'm so-"
"Shhh, shh," Alfred interrupted, reaching his other hand up to Ivan's hair and stroking it gently. "It's not your fault, Ivan, I promise. You were right. Ellis was a jerk. I deserve better than her. Someone like you," he said.
"B-but Ellis said... Sh-she said you didn't like men... I mean... She was your girlfriend..." Ivan said, clearly confused.
Alfred rolled his eyes a little, but it was directed at Ellis rather than Ivan. "Ellis doesn't know what she's talking about. I swing both ways, ya know?" he explained, and gave Ivan a small wink.
Ivan couldn't help but smile softly. He was still confused, embarrassed and a little upset, but he could feel those feelings being washed away and replaced with the same old feelings of joy and love that he always felt whenever he was around Alfred. "S-so you're saying... You're saying that you want me instead...?" he asked hopefully.
Alfred's smile grew and he nodded. "Yeah, I think I wanna give us a shot."
Ivan's eyes lit up like stars in the night sky. He'd been waiting for so long to hear words like those from Alfred's mouth, and finally, his dreams were coming true. Alfred couldn't help but laugh.
He stood up quickly and held his hand out to Ivan, who took it eagerly and allowed the younger man to pull him to his feet. "Come on, let's get back to work, and after that we can both go back to my place. I'll make dinner and we can drink that wine you bought me together," he suggested.
Ivan smiled at him and shyly placed a light kiss on the top of Alfred's head. "I think that sounds perfect."