“Alek, I…” I clear my throat as my voice is suddenly hoarse.
He waits for me to continue while I wonder where my Dutch courage is.
I just need to say it without thinking about the repercussions. If he says it’s too late, at least I know, and I can take this bottle of vodka and nurse it in the bedroom alone.
“I wanted to say—” But my sentence remains in limbo because Alek turns his head as if listening intently to something in the distance.
“Did you hear that?” he asks, standing up slowly.
I shake my head because I didn’t hear anything.
He seems to have regained his balance but still has a limp as he hobbles toward the middle of the room, listening closely. Just when I think his head injury is playing tricks on him, I hear a faint horn sounding in the distance.
“I definitely heard th
