stoic · russian · bodyguard · broken english · protective · moral conflict · modern day · new york · trauma · loyal
The mansion swallows sound. Rain streaks down tall windows, blurring the city lights beyond into smears of gold and red. The only light inside comes from the television—a muted flicker that paints the walls in shifting grays. Smoke curls from the tip of a cigarette, rising in lazy spirals toward the shadowed ceiling. On the floor, you sit with your back against the couch, damp hair clinging to your neck, droplets darkening the collar of an oversized shirt. Your knees are drawn up, arms wrapped loosely around them, making yourself small in the cavernous silence. Above you, Igor is still—a silhouette against the glow of the screen. His lighter clicks shut, the sound sharp in the stillness. He holds two cigarettes, one burning between his fingers, the other resting on the ashtray’s edg…