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Piers Morgan had not been Olena's first choice. She doubted that Morgan was anyone's first choice. But when one's country was at war, one couldn't be very picky about one's interviewees. Olena couldn't say she particularly liked Morgan. She thought he smiled a little too slimily and too much. He was loud and rude. But as said, you couldn't be picky in war.
Surprisingly, the interview had been less awful than she had feared. She and Volodymyr knew what topics were coming, so they could prepare. And Olena was grateful that Volodymyr was by her side. Her husband's presence helped her. Of course, he noticed her nervousness and always casually sought proximity to relax her or do the talking.
By early September, Olena had already forgotten about the interview. She was busy with the Independence Day celebrations, various other interviews and the new attacks.
Olena sat on her sofa in her office. She had returned from an out-of-town appointment only an hour ago, having been out all day. Olena had carelessly tossed her high heels next to the sofa and put her legs up. Leaning against the back cushion, she read through reports on her projects. She didn't look up when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!" she merely called out.
Few people had access to her rooms or to her, and since Andriy had already told her that Volodymyr would stop by later, she could guess who the visitor was.
She heard someone enter the office and approach quietly as she continued reading. Volodymyr's hand gently stroked through her hair before he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Olena smiled, put the papers aside, and looked up.
"Am I interrupting?" asked Volodymyr, smiling gently.
Olena shook her head and returned the smile.
"No, not at all. I just finished."
"Well, in that case ..." said Volodymyr.
He lifted her legs and sat down before resting her legs on his thighs. Olena looked at him questioningly and giggled.
"What are you doing!"
"What does it look like?" asked Volodymyr back with a cheeky grin, pulling her close enough, so she was basically sitting on his lap.
"That's what I'm asking you."
"I want to cuddle with my wife," he replied, gently stroking her back while his other hand rested on her legs.
"Ah," Olena only said, putting both hands on his cheeks and kissing him tenderly. "Did you imagine something like this?!" she murmured between two kisses.
"Mhhh," Volodymyr simply hummed, putting both arms around her waist and pulling her tightly to him. "Perfect," he breathed as he briefly stopped the kiss.
Finally, Olena snuggled into Volodymyr's arms, sighed deeply and closed her eyes. He gently kissed her forehead and stroked her arm.
"Did you have a nice visit?" he asked softly, and Olena nodded.
"Yes, it was really, very nice. The kids were insanely cute. And I got this as a gift," she told him, showing him her wrist with a colourful bracelet.
"Oh, how pretty."
"Yes, isn't it! You should have seen them, Vova. They all have so much courage and strength after all they've been through."
"They were kids from Mariupol, weren't they?"
"Yes. And some from Luhansk."
She felt Volodymyr nod.
"I'm glad you had a good day," he replied after a moment.
Olena looked at him and smiled before giving him a small kiss.
"Speaking of children, what about ours?" he asked, frowning.
"Aleksandra sent me a picture earlier. I don't even know who was happier about the reunion. She and Kyrylo or Lenny, Zheka and Sasha."
"Will they still be there when you get home later?"
"Yes, they said they'd wait for me."
Volodymyr nodded.
"Do you have to leave soon?" he asked after a while, and Olena shook her head. "So, if this is the case ..." he started, and Olena heard his voice suddenly become agitated.
Olena looked at her husband and saw his eyes sparkle.
"Vova ... what's going on?"
"Since you still have a little time, I have a surprise for you."
Olena frowned.
"A surprise?!"
"Yes," replied Volodymyr, trying to sound innocent.
Olena knew her husband better than that.
"Didn't we say I wouldn't be surprised anymore?!" she said with a smirk, and Vova laughed softly before swaying his head back and forth.
"Actually, yes. But I promise you'll like this surprise."
He looked at her expectantly, and Olena hesitated briefly. There were not too many possibilities of what he had planned. There was no way they were leaving Bankova. His security team would never allow him to leave the office for a surprise for his wife. So the surprise had to be here. Finally, Olena's curiosity conquered her scepticism.
"All right. I'm curious," she said with a smile and stood up.
"Very well. It's just the two of us too, I promise," he said before taking Olena's hand and walking out of her office with her.
As Olena had guessed, they stayed in Bankova. Confused, however, she realized they were going toward Volodymyr's office. Just before they got there, they ran past Andriy. He seemed to be coming from that same direction but was engrossed in his cell phone and waved at them more casually as they passed. Finally, they stopped in front of Volodymyr's office.
"Okay, close your eyes," Volodymyr said to her, and Olena heard that he was almost bursting with excitement.
She looked at him in confusion, and he had a big grin.
"What?"
"Close your eyes."
"Okay ..." Olena answered uncertainly and slowly but finally closed her eyes.
"And hold out your hands."
"Vova ..." she said admonishingly, but he just laughed.
"So I can lead you!"
Olena sighed and stretched out her hands. Immediately Volodymyr grabbed one and squeezed it gently. Next, she heard him open the heavy office door. Then, carefully and gently, he pulled her with him, and they took a few steps into the room.
"Okay, stop right there," she heard her husband say, and he let go of her hand.
Reflexively, Olena reached for it, but she felt only air.
"Vova, what ..."
"It's all right. Keep your eyes closed. I'm here. Just a little moment," he said reassuringly and again briefly grabbed her hand to squeeze it gently. "All right?"
Olena nodded slowly.
"All right," she confirmed.
The kiss on her cheek came out of nowhere but made her smile. Then, Olena heard Volodymyr go back to the door and close it.
"I'm still here," she heard him say before he crossed the room.
She tried to listen to what he was doing but had no chance. It sounded like he was going to his desk but only stayed there for a few seconds. Then he went to another corner of the room. Olena heard some kind of rustling before she heard his footsteps again, leading back to her. Gently, he grabbed her hand and spun her around with him. Olena guessed that she now had her back to the office. The strange rustling sound was heard again, this time directly in front of her and thus louder. Olena frowned as Volodymyr's thumb stroked her hand reassuringly.
"You can open your eyes," he said softly.
At first, Olena saw her husband's smile, looking at her in love. Then she noticed the dim light. It took her a moment to realize that Volodymyr was holding something in his other hand and towards her.
"Vova ..." Olena breathed, gasping for air.
She looked from the large bouquet of white and pink roses to her husband's smiling face before looking back at it.
"Oh my God ..." she whispered, and Olena felt her breath quicken.
Tears gathered in her eyes, and Volodymyr gently pulled her close.
"Did you really think I'd forgotten what day it is?!" he asked, kissing her gently on the corner of her mouth as he handed Olena the flowers.
"No. I just assumed you had enough other things to do right now," she sniffed, looking at him with a smile.
"As if I'd forget one of the most important, beautiful and best days of my life," he replied before putting his hands to her cheeks and gently caressing them. "Happy wedding day, my sweetheart."
"Happy wedding day to you, too, darling."
Olena felt her whole body tingle as Volodymyr kissed her repeatedly. And the butterflies fluttered a little more each time she returned the kiss. He stopped the kiss when he felt Olena smile against his lips.
"What?" he asked, so softly that Olena almost didn't hear him.
She just shook her head slightly and smiled wider.
"After all these years, you still manage to give me butterflies."
His smile widened, and he kissed her softly again.
"I'm glad to hear that," he murmured, giving her a little kiss on the nose.
"Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers."
"You're very welcome. There are 19 roses, by the way," Volodymyr replied, and when she saw how proud he looked at that, Olena had to grin.
"How clever. 19 years of marriage ... 19 roses ..."
"I have my smart moments," he replied, which elicited a loud laugh from Olena. "And ... the surprise even has a second part."
Olena raised her eyebrows. After a short kiss, he gently put his hands on her hips.
"Vova ..." she said slowly, and he rolled his eyes playfully.
"Not what you think. Mrs Zelenska ... I'm shocked," he replied playfully and slowly turned her around.
He heard her gasp for air a second time that evening. Volodymyr put his arms around her middle, his chin on her shoulder, and hugged her tightly.
"You're crazy, you know that?" she murmured.
"Only for you."
Olena looked at him, and he saw tears glistening in her eyes.
"I figured since we had our last real date on your birthday ..." he started before Olena interrupted him with a smile.
"Well, we had one on Valentine's Day, too. I thought our sweatpants, hoodies, and ordering food were very romantic and sexy."
Volodymyr grinned at this memory.
"True. Valentine's Day it is. Since our last real date was Valentine's Day, I figured it was time for another one. However, I can't go anywhere without seemingly throwing the whole country into chaos, so ..." he explained, looking back into the room. "... tadaaa."
Olena smiled at Volodymyr before following his gaze. He had spread a tablecloth on one of the desks covered with dishes from the office kitchen. Several containers of delivered food waited. Three tablets leaned against several stacks of files, playing videos of burning candles.
"Shall we?" he asked quietly.
Olena looked back up at him and gave him a kiss.
"I'm starving."
Olena had no idea how long they sat there, but it was beautiful. To her surprise, she found that Volodymyr had managed to order food from her favourite Italian restaurant, although she didn't know how he had done that. Since they couldn't find a vase, she put the flowers in a bucket filled with water and placed it next to the stacks of files and tablets. They held hands when they weren't eating, and Volodymyr's thumb gently stroked her fingers. Olena also couldn't remember the last time she talked so much with her husband, and it wasn't about war, Russia, or some other horrible topic. Instead, they reminisced and exchanged tender kisses every now and then. They continued to sit there long after they had finished eating.
But Olena knew that inevitably the moment would come when she would have to leave this peaceful, beautiful bubble again. And her husband seemed to feel the same way. She felt him growing more and more restless, downright nervous.
"One more thing belongs to this surprise ..." he suddenly said at some point, after they had just looked into each other's eyes in love.
To Olena's amazement, he stood up and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. She saw him typing away on it for a moment before the music started playing, and he put the phone on the table. Then, he held out a hand to her.
"I promised you at our wedding that I would dance with you through the rest of our lives. So may I ask for this dance, Mrs Zelenska?!"
Olena smiled broadly at him and took his hand.
"With pleasure."
Volodymyr led her a few steps into the room before pulling her close. They slowly waltzed around the room briefly before he gently spun her. Olena giggled as he pulled her back against him. She kissed him before resting her head on his shoulder and a hand on his chest. Volodymyr clasped her hand and squeezed it lightly while his other hand gently caressed her back. Olena felt him lean his head against hers. They continued to sway like this to the beat of the music for a while. Olena barely noticed that a second and third song began to play at some point.
"Maybe I should reconsider my ban on surprises ..." she whispered, feeling Volodymyr chuckle.
"Yeah?"
"Mhhh."
Olena opened her eyes and looked at him.
"I told you you'd like this surprise," he said with a cheeky grin, and Olena playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"You were right," she finally replied, and Volodymyr put on a surprised expression.
"I'll have to mark that day on my calendar. My wife admits that I'm right."
"Well, that day had to come sometime, too."
Volodymyr laughed and stopped swaying. He took his hand off her back and placed it against her cheek, smiling wider as Olena put her head in his hand.
"This date is definitely going in my top five," she joked.
"You're beautiful," Volodymyr replied out of nowhere, and Olena blushed. "So beautiful," he repeated, looking at her with an amorous look.
Then he took a step away and released his hand from her cheek. Olena's hand slipped from his chest, but he continued to hold it. She suddenly saw something in his eyes that she couldn't interpret.
"You know, Piers Morgan was right."
Olena's eyebrows moved up, and she laughed.
"What a strange thing to say at such a romantic moment ..."
"Yes, true." laughed Volodymyr. "I asked you twice if you wanted to marry me ..." he continued speaking.
"I know. I was present," Olena replied with a smile.
"Every day since we've been married ... I've woken up as the happiest man in the world and gone to sleep as the happiest man in this world."
Olena felt her heart beat faster, skipping a few beats.
"You make me fall in love with you a little more every day. With you, I'm happiest and most myself."
"Vova ..." he heard her whisper.
She looked at him with wide eyes, and a tear rolled down her cheek, a big smile on her face.
"You are so many things to me. My wife. My lover. My best friend. The mother of our children. The most wonderful First Lady anyone could ask for. My fighter. My safe haven in every storm. There are almost 8 billion people in this world, yet you are the only right person for me. Because you, Olena Zelenska, are my person."
Volodymyr faltered for a moment before continuing, and Olena saw him swallow.
"Eight billion people, yet you are the only person I would ever want and ask to marry me."
Volodymyr reached into his pants pocket and pulled something out, but Olena was so touched she didn't notice it. All she could do was look at her husband. Tears were running down her cheeks, and it took her breath away when Volodymyr suddenly went down on one knee in front of her.
"Oh my ..." she breathed, unable to say more.
"Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska ... would you do me the honour of marrying me again and love me, for better or for worse, in sickness and in sorrow, no matter what comes, and continuing to spend with me the rest of our lives?"
Olena nodded over and over again as the tears kept coming, and she had to swallow a few times until she found her voice again.
"Yes, I do," she said, sobbing, and pulled Volodymyr up.
He put his arms around her and kissed her deeply. Salty kisses because of Olena's tears, but they had never seemed sweeter to Volodymyr. Then Olena laughed, and her whole face radiated when Volodymyr showed her what he had just pulled out of his trouser pocket. From a delicate golden chain hung an equally golden ring. A small diamond was set into it in the shape of a heart. Olena wiped the tears from her cheek as she turned around, and Volodymyr put the necklace on her before turning back to him. No more words were needed. She put her arms around his neck, he put his arms around her middle, and Olena kissed her husband.
Their kisses were interrupted by an air raid alarm, and no sooner had they broken away from each other than the soldiers rushed in to take them to the bunker. For a moment, they stopped and looked at the strange picture.
"I just asked my wife to marry me," Volodymyr explained, though this led to visibly more confusion.
"He asked me again to marry him," Olena added.
"It's our wedding anniversary today."
The soldiers nodded slowly, though still seemingly unsure how to respond.
"Um ... sir ... the alarm ...," one of them finally stammered.
"Right. Shall we?" asked Volodymyr, addressing his wife.
Olena just nodded and took his hand.
They sat in the bunker for a while, but at least Olena could continue spending time with Volodymyr. As they walked through the bunker, they passed Andriy. Olena put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.
"Thank you," she said.
"I don't know what you mean ..." Andriy answered innocently, but she saw him smirk when his eyes fell on the necklace with the ring.
Later, Volodymyr told her that Andriy had helped him with the organization. He had even managed to schedule him several hours without appointments. They finally retreated to Volodymyr's private quarters and waited for the alarm to end.
"I love you, Len," Volodymyr said at some point into the silence, gently stroking her hair while she was snuggled against his chest.
Olena had to smile.
"This comes as a bit of a surprise now, after 19 years of marriage and three marriage proposals," she joked, hearing him laugh. "But it's still good to know. Because I love you too, Vova. Now and forever. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"What did you say in the interview? Right answer."
She nudged him in the side and heard him giggling. Then Olena sighed deeply.
"I can't believe I now have to send Piers Morgan, of all people, a thank-you card for making my husband propose to me properly."
Volodymyr's laughter could be heard throughout the bunker.