I stare at them, and the picture overlays reality. Two tall teenagers I saw… good heavens, the last time was seven or eight years ago.
Maksim and Kostya. The sons of the Pozharskys—my friend Anya’s. The boys who looked at me then with a mix of embarrassment and admiration. Their gazes changed completely. Now they burn through with their confidence, mockery… something predatory. Very male.
After my divorce, I decided to be alone with myself and nature at a ski resort on the eve of New Year, but at the airport I meet my friend’s sons. They’ve grown a lot. They look at me in such a way that I’m sure: this vacation will blaze on the snow with forbidden feelings. They’re scoundrels who have turned my life upside down.