He laughed. “Now you want me to move to Boston?”
“We don’t have earthquakes,” she answered into his chest.
“No. You just have ice storms.”
“We know about those days in advance,” she reasoned.
“True,” he was forced to agree. “So you’re okay with me moving to Boston now?”
She didn’t answer which suggested she still wasn’t fully on board but was at least getting closer to it.
“Just close your eyes and try to relax,” Viktor suggested. “I’ll order room service in a couple hours and we’ll start getting ready.”
She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of his heart beat. After a few minutes she drifted off in his arms and didn’t wake again until after 5:00 when Viktor was forced to move because his arm fell asleep.
“Was I asleep the whole time?” she asked as she rubbed her eyes.
“Pretty much.”
“Did you sleep?”
“A little.” He reached out and caressed her face. “You’re beautiful in the morning.”
She laughed. “That’s a lie.”
He grinned and then objected to her accusation, “It’s not.”
“Have you had your eyesight checked lately?” she asked, but only half-jokingly.
His smile grew. “My eyesight is perfect.”
“Hmm,” she looked suspiciously at him. “I don’t know.”
“We have a long day.” He gently squeezed her knee. “I’ll order room service.”
“Okay,” she agreed, lacking the energy to fight him on it.
It was almost noon when they picked up their rental car in San Francisco. They grabbed a quick bite to eat, which Amanda insisted on paying for, and then they went to Crissy Field which offered good views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
They parked and walked along the shore towards the bridge, enjoying the warm California sun and cool breeze coming off the water. They followed the San Francisco Bay Trail down to the SF World Monument, taking pictures along the way. Then they crossed over Long Ave and walked up a stepped pathway to some scenic viewing spots and then to Battery East Vista where there was an unobstructed view of the bridge. After snapping a few selfies, they headed back to the car.
“Thank you for bringing me,” Amanda said as they neared the car.
“My pleasure,” he smiled. “I was thinking we could check in to the hotel now and then head to the winery for dinner. We can stay and watch the sunset there.”
She squeezed his hand and snuggled up to his arm. “Sounds wonderful.”
“I did book you your own room. But if you’re nervous about being alone, there are two bedrooms.”
“You booked me a room with two bedrooms?” she said with a tone of disbelief and a mild disgust that she hadn’t intended to express.
He took a breath and explained, “I had points to use. I thought I would use them for something nice. It was either that or the honeymoon suite which I thought might be a little inappropriate.”
“Viktor, a simple room would have been fine.”
“I know you weren’t expecting it. But I wanted to do it.”
Amanda sighed and shook her head, thinking his spending habits were frivolous. Viktor had hoped that by booking expensive rooms, it would make it easier to disclose his wealth. But it had the opposite effect. Hearing the disappointment in her voice made him feel even less sure of the outcome his confession would bring.
He thought maybe he should just blurt it out, like tearing off a bandage, but worried it might be too abrupt. Over the past few weeks and days he had played out dozens of conversations in his mind where he tried to gently break the news. He just couldn’t get the words right. Every time he got close, his fear stopped him. He had a pit in his stomach that grew worse with each failed attempt.
Amanda suddenly stopped and tugged on his arms, pulling him towards her. “Viktor, you don’t have to impress me. I love you. I love being with you. I don’t need anything more.”
He looked in her eyes, feeling racked with guilt for not telling her the truth. He glanced away quickly. The emotional turmoil made him feel sick.
Seeing his distress concerned Amanda. “We never finished our discussion,” she reminded him.
“What discussion?” he asked.
She placed her hands on his shoulders. “The first day, when you asked if my feelings were the only ones that mattered,” she jogged his memory.
“Oh, that.”
“Talk to me.” She ran her fingers through his hair and looked into his eyes, waiting for a response.
He shook his head. “Now is not the time.”
“Viktor, you’re upset. I can see that you’re upset. What’s wrong?” When he didn’t respond, she asked, “What am I doing wrong?”
“You’re not doing anything wrong,” he quickly assured her. He took a deep breath and decided to try and explain. “You want us to be equals, but we’re not … at least not financially.”
“Well, Viktor, I already know you make more than me. That’s obvious.”
“I do make more than you,” he concurred. “And I don’t think it’s fair that you insist on paying for things that I know you can’t afford.”
“Like what?” she asked defensively. “Fair to who?”
“Like the zoo.”
“I can afford zoo tickets,” she objected. “As it is, you’ve paid for my flight out here and more than half my meals so far.”
He huffed in frustration. “That’s exactly what I don’t like.”
“What?”
“You keep a constant running tally of what you and I have spent. It doesn’t matter. Just let me pay for it. Why do you have to keep track and match me dollar for dollar?”
Amanda took a step back. “So you say I’m not doing anything wrong but you clearly think I’m doing something wrong,” she angrily replied, feeling a little hurt and like he wasn’t being honest.
“This is what I didn’t want,” he complained.
“A discussion?” Amanda asked, with a little more sarcasm than Viktor would have liked. The look he gave her clearly expressed his displeasure with her tone. She could see he was upset with her and it rattled her. “Viktor, I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. Please forgive me.”
Without a word, Viktor reached out and pulled her into
