"Petr, are you sure?" I ask, surprised. "This is Mikael's room."
"It's yours for however long you want to stay." His back is to me. He's crossing the room to lower the drapes on either side of the windows.
There's a sudden lump in my throat. I'm not usually at a loss for words like this. The meaning behind letting me stay here runs soul deep.
"Baba and I talked about it," he says, glancing at me. "It only seemed right."
"It's an honor," I manage. "Really."
"I owe you everything. The least we can do is give you a place to stay whenever you come back to the States."
I'm so accustomed to being alone, to having nowhere but my rack in whatever country the Corps sends me to, to a childhood where I was moved around every year at least …
The idea of having a real home, one I can always return to, isn't one I can really digest after the long day.
But I like the idea. A lot.
At my silence, Petr smiles. "Bathroom." He points to one of the doors along a wall and then to another. "Closet. You're welcome to move anything around that you want."
I nod.
"Get some rest. I'm sure Riley and Carson will be up at some point tomorrow to drag you out."
He leaves.
I set my gear down and absorb everything he's said.
Home. It's not something I ever expected to find or in this case, have dropped into my lap. I can't help wishing I felt better about this trip. If Katya hates me, this isn't going to be home for long.
Too tired to dwell on it, I take a quick shower and drop into bed.