Chapter 173 - The Envelope

"Your father," Nowicki said calmly, "accepted me. I was surprised myself, but he explained that he doesn't want to lose you for years to come, and if getting you back means we are going hand in hand, he agrees to it. Remember, he wished us luck before."

"Yes but…"

"I think your father understands. The most important thing for him is your happiness. He really regrets that he was not there when you needed him and would like to fix it somehow."

Dominik smiled, although Nowicki saw tears in the corners of his eyes. After all, his lover also wanted to return to his family and feel oneness with them for the first time in years. By isolating him from her, Marek Marczak caused enormous damage, which, fortunately, was not irreparable.

"You know" continued Andrzej "I would like to drink with your father one more time. And with Olek. On Christmas Eve it is not appropriate, moreover Martynka is still a child and it will be difficult for her to understand why I am not at the dinner together, so maybe on the second day ...

The actor nodded vigorously. He rubbed his eyes just as quickly.

"The second day will be perfect," he replied with a smile. "Usually then families go to visit and Christmas Eve is the most beautiful where there are children."

"Are you sure?" Nowicki asked with concern. "You don't look happy."

"To tell you the truth ... I'm a little scared of both these days. I do not know how Paulina's mother will react, after all, she does not know me, and my own mother ..."

Andrzej put his arm around him. Strong, masculine.

"You have nothing to fear," he announced to cheer him up. "Mother is mother, everyone is the same. She might be mad, she might be angry, but she loves her kids and even when they are grown up, she wants Christmas to be perfect. So no worries."

But he wasn't too sure himself either. He knew Paulina's mother. A quiet and gentle woman, who in her youth was not always treated well by her husband, now she devoted herself wholeheartedly to watching soap operas and her beloved granddaughter. She did not get involved in business, and although she was not yet old, she lived a quiet life on her pension. It is true that he has not talked to her for a long time, since Easter, but she always gave him a little motherly attitude and asked when he would get married. She did not insist that it was with Paulina, although she did not hide that this was her hope. She knew young people had their own accord.

Mrs. Śliwińska was a separate case and Andrzej was actually afraid of this one. Andrzej was afraid not that she would reproach him with anger or that she would try to beat him again, but that she would do it in front of Dominik.. It was obvious that she would not become a close friend of Nowicki, so a certain hostility was natural and he was prepared for it, but he did not want his beloved to suffer because of these relations. He hoped, however, that the Christmas would slightly soften the explosiveness of her temperament and that, for the sake of her son, she would not cause any trouble. Zygmunt Śliwiński promised that he would take care of it.

"It will be an interesting Christmas" Andrzej summed up his reflections aloud, still wrapping his arm around Dominik. "But the coolest thing is that we will have the first day all to ourselves."

And that was just too good for them to not smile.

***

Dominik rewound the recording of the world ballroom dance championship once again. One of the scenes in which he was to act required him to dance the Charleston, and although he knew that a choreographer would prepare him for it, he wanted to know about movement and rhythm by now. He had never danced it before, so he watched closely as the couples on the dance floor bounced vigorously as if difficult footsteps were second nature to them. He smiled. It will be a challenge for him, but he will definitely meet it. It might not turn out as perfect as they did, but it wouldn't be embarrassing either.

He hoped so, because he really didn't want a double.

He was rewinding the movie once more when he heard the doorbell. He paused the recording and went to open it. He was surprised to see Marczak on the threshold.

"Marek?"

"Hey Dominik. I came to see Andrzej."

"He's gone," he explained, confused. "'He's on a private commission. But ... Why to Andrzej?"

"Disappointed that it wasn't for you?"

"Don't be nonsense!"

"It's okay, don't get angry. I brought him something. Can you pass it on to him?" Marczak handed him a quite thick, brown A4 envelope.

"What is this?"

"Certain materials. They might be useful to him if he wants to fuck that bastard."

"'Fuck the bastard'? What are you talking about?"

The manager looked embarrassed, as if he had shot a blunder.

"It's nothing. A little joke on my part..."

"Marek" growled Śliwiński. He was concerned and angry. What is he playing at? "What is happening between you and Andrzej?"

"Nothing," came the simple, indifferent answer. "Absolutely nothing."

"Don't lie, please ..."

"Nothing. Look ... I'm going away for a while and we won't see each other before New Years Eve, so I wish you both the best. Merry Christmas!" He left the step and headed for the driveway where his car was standing.

"Marek!" Dominik called after him, but he didn't go any further. He was barefoot and there was a thin layer of snow outside.

Marczak waved to him and in a moment he was opening the door of his car. Śliwiński was surprised to lose his speech when he saw a familiar male figure on the passenger seat.

Really? No… He put the thought out of his head immediately. He had to see it wrong.

He went inside, carefully closing the door so as not to let any more cold air in. He looked at the envelope in his hand, which, apart from its dimensions, also had its weight. Paper weight. Could there be a fragment of Marek's secret documentation inside, where he collected compromising materials on the world's fame? But if so, why did he pass them on to Andrzej? And what did "fuck the bastard" mean?

What bastard?

Dominik did not like the fact that there was a shady relationship between Andrzej and Marek. The fact that Marczak had dealings with the criminal underworld was no secret to him. He knew about his naughty parties and the compromising photos taken there, and that they were sometimes used to advantage Mark's interests. Andrzej, however, was someone completely different, chivalrous and pure, not communing with the criminal world ...

Śliwiński sat down heavily on the couch. The envelope in his hands was a ton. His head was heavy, too, and hung helplessly over his chest.

Andrzej also had his shady contacts.

Then, when Werner kidnapped Dominik, not only the police but also the criminal underworld were looking for him. Nowicki's friend from school was leading an organized criminal group which, although not one of the bloody criminals, did not have a clear conscience. It is true that Andrzej's contacts with these people were not constant, but they could make it easier to "punch" someone who was an obstacle.

An obstacle in what?

Dominik felt an unease come over him. Was Andrzej involved in something dangerous during the few days he was in the States? Or maybe it was someone who wanted to make trouble for Dominik and Nowicki, in cooperation with Marczak, decided to do something with him before the actor found out about it? But then Andrzej was lying to him, or at least he wasn't telling the whole truth.

A heavy boulder lay in the heart of Śliwiński. He loved Andrzej with his whole being and trusted him, which is why it hurt so much that Nowicki did not trust him. They promised each other honesty, and meanwhile there were some secrets. When did this happen? Why?

What is he going to do with it now?

He didn't want to be lied to. He went through it all with Marczak. He was happy to pretend not to see anything and not to want to know anything, but it was superficial and so shallow that it broke on the first try, revealing the enormity of the suffering. Dominik didn't want to go through this again, but what else could he do? He will not force Andrzej to confess the truth, he will not threaten that if he does not, he will leave, because his whole heart screamed that without Andrzej there is no existence.

So what? Accept the lies?

It hurt, it hurt a lot, but what was the other alternative when you wanted to stay with your loved one? Afraid of losing him, Dominik would accept anything, even the greatest pain.

Anything to be with Andrzej.