Free Bloom by Marilyn Grey

don’t believe he meant to. Otherwise he wouldn’t have looked down so nervously when I caught him.
    Anastasia left the room to take a brief nap after dinner while the rest of us sat around the table sipping tea and talking. Finally Sophia brought up the plans and everyone began to contribute their thoughts.
    “Who are the actors for the play?” Natalie said as Eleni perked up.
    “Actually, a few nights ago Anastasia wanted to decorate the Christmas tree and afterward we watched It’s a Wonderful Life . I casually asked who, out of our family, she’d want to see in those roles.”
    Phew. Not me. Couldn’t be me. I wasn’t part of the family.
    “She said she wanted Vasili and Sarah as the main couple.”
    My heart plummeted.
    “Vasili? He’s never acted a day in his life.” Kyriakos picked up some kind of Greek pastry. “I’ll do it.”
    “She wants Vasili and Sarah. We aren’t going for an Oscar here, just a fun experience for our little one.”
    Everyone looked at me. I wanted to evaporate.
    “I’m beyond honored that such a precious girl considers me family,” I said. “Spending time with her the last few weeks has been life-changing for me. But I can’t. I hardly have the stamina to endure a night like this, much less a lead role in a play.”
    “Please, Sarah.” Sophia’s eyes welled with the sorrow of a mother losing her baby.
    How could I say no to that?
    “You don’t have to,” Yanni said. “But it would mean so much to her.”
    I noticed Vasili and Kyriakos were no longer in the room.
    “Okay,” I said. “For Anastasia.”
    I excused myself to go to the bathroom and overheard Vasili’s voice through a bedroom door to the right. I leaned in.
    “Why do you care so much anyway?” Kyriakos said. “You’re engaged.”
    “I’m not in love with her, but unlike you I care about her like a true sister in this family. That would crush her. I still can’t believe you would consider doing something so horrible.”
    “It’s not like I was going to tell her the truth. I would treat her like a princess and she’d never know the difference.”
    “What’s the truth, huh? That you don’t consider her worth actually dating?” Vasili’s tone hardened. “She’s more beautiful than you will ever be.” Something slammed. “She won’t fall for your scheme anyway. Even if she went on a few dates with you she’d never do the rest.”
    “She would if I made it seem like she was doing good for others.”
    “Get out of here before I do something I regret. And if you so much as look at her with false intrigue I will make sure you regret it.”
    I slipped into the bathroom and avoided the mirror. He wanted to use me. For what? I think I would have been more hurt had Vasili not defended me so much. And the fact that he didn’t have romantic feelings for me lessened my apprehension with him. I could confide in him. Like the brother I always wanted.
    God knew I could use a friend like him right now. Someone who didn’t pity me. Someone who believed in me.
    I know Ella did, but something about Vasili felt different. I needed a brother figure. He is a brother figure, I tried to convince myself. Only a brother.

Twelve
    I managed to avoid Ella for a few days. Not that I didn’t forgive her. Honestly, I had a hard time asking forgiveness for my rudeness. She tried to do something to make me smile, and instead of smiling I ruined her day. I didn’t like being that person. The one who gets upset for people when they accidentally step on my toes. I wished I could be more like her and overlook offenses, especially when they weren’t intentional.
    My dad once told me something that resonated with me now. “Pride has a lot of masks. One mask transforms you into someone better than you actually are. The other mask paints you into an ugly person. Both masks are just that ... masks. So if you catch yourself admiring yourself, feeling sorry for yourself, or hating yourself ... remember to take off the