“We can’t tell Vanya. About either of our secrets,” said Nikola between bites. Sadik agreed with him with a nod, and they resumed eating. Silently. When they finished, Nikola placed the rest of the breakfast in two boxes.

“One is for Vanya,” he clarified when Sadik was just staring at him. “The other for father Sergei.”

“So, we are going to church after Vanya?” Sadik had nothing against it, really. But he had not known that Nikola went every day.

“No, on Thursday’s there are no morning sermons. Father Sergei will be visiting Vanya too. After the morning crowd at the soup kitchen,” Sadik thought that it was fair. After all, the crowd had been small yesterday. Mostly retired people and small children.

“And thereafter, you need to work?” Nikola nodded.

“For eight hours. So, I can still visit you, but it will be a bit late at night,” Sadik grinned. This was the perfect excuse to have Nikola stay at his house after they had dinner and watched a bit of TV.

“And, do you still want to visit the mosque?” Sadik didn’t know why he brought it up. But he wanted to know if Nikola’s decision had been a spur of the moment thing.

“Tomorrow? There isn’t a sermon then, either. The sermons are only on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Although, the church is open during the entire week. And, father Sergei is not the only priest there. He is just the head one,” Sadik nodded. So, four out of seven days he would have to go to church? That would be a problem. He opened his mouth, but Nikola beat him to it.

“I don’t expect for you to come to all the sermons. You can’t understand a word. Unless you read my understanding in my mind?” Sadik smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry?” But Nikola was already shaking his head.

“It is ok. I want to avoid keeping secrets from you,” Sadik wanted to kiss Nikola then. However, that would just end up with him being pushed away. Patience, he needed to be patient.

“Niki, do you have to take something else?” Nikola went to the fridge and pulled some apples from the bottom.

“Want one?” Nikola handed one to Sadik regardless. They were a nice golden hue and were very aromatic.

“For later, maybe,” Sadik pocketed the apple in his pant’s pocket and took the two boxes with the banitsa.

“Now, we can go,” Sadik looked down at his clothes. He couldn’t go to church commando style. The imam was going to find out, and then he would need to slave away in the soup kitchen.

“Let us just go to my house for a change of clothes for me first, maybe?” Nikola nodded and Sadik picked up his bag with his underwear. Nikola was waiting outside of Sadik’s house, in the car. Sadik picked similar clothes to yesterday and put on cologne. He decided not to shave. He didn’t want for Nikola to be late for his visit with Vanya.

Furthermore, he looked at himself in the mirror, ruffled his hair to make it messy in a sexy way, and went outside. Getting in the driver’s seat, he looked back at Nikola, who was staring out of the window.

He was wearing a shirt today. A green one, almost the shade of his eyes. Maybe a bit darker. And dress pants. What would Sadik need to do to get him in casual clothes, he wondered.

“Ok, ready. Let us go,” Sadik drove them to the hospital in silence. Nikola hadn’t spoken to him during their drive rounds yesterday, either. So, he must be one of those that didn’t like distracting a driver as he drove.

Nikola picked another set of peonies from the flower shop, even when the ones he had gotten yesterday must not have wilted. Sadik send him a questioning look.

“You got him flowers yesterday,” Nikola nodded and then got sad.

“There is this coma patient that Ivan likes visiting. An old lady who has been in the hospital for twenty years. She is Russian, like him. And her children don’t visit. Father Sergei took us both to her, once, and Ivan took it upon himself to visit her as often as he could. He can’t pick her flowers, himself, so, I do it for him. He keeps one bouquet for himself and then has the nurses get him to Tatiana’s room so that he could give her the next one,” Sadik thought that awfully sweet.

“And you? Do you visit someone in the hospital besides Ivan?” Nikola seemed the type. Nikola smiled brightly.

“Sometimes, I visit the children’s wing. I bring them coloring books and pencils, and we have a blast. The nurses have gotten used to me,” Sadik didn’t like the guilt that sipped into Nikola’s voice by the end of the sentence.

“Have you lost a child?” Nikola looked too young to have had children. But, what did Sadik know?

“I used to have a younger brother. However, he died of cancer. Rositza went into the mafia to make money for him. Although we caught the cancer too late. Thereafter, she used her bitterness to jump rang. She became cold and cutthroat after Boris’s death. I can barely recognize her, anymore,” Sadik vowed to change that. To reunite the siblings and make them see eye to eye.

He couldn’t judge this woman, Rositza. She had made a hard choice in a defense of a sibling. Probably kept Nikola out of trouble, too.

“Is she the oldest?” Nikola nodded.

“She is older than I by five years. Older than Boris by eight. I hated being the middle child, growing up. Mother was proud of Rositza, as she was very bright academically, and expected me to be the same. She doted on Boris with no reservations, and I wanted that. Then, Boris died and she closed up. She never forgave me for the fact that I just stood by and didn’t take the initiative. Like Rositza,” well, Sadik’s own mother had thought him a disappointment. So, he could relate.

“You kept your nose clean. She should have been happy for you,” as Sadik said that they found themselves in front of Ivan’s door. Nikola send him a look and the conversation ended. But, Sadik was going to start it up again. Nikola needed to unload some of his baggage. And, Sadik liked finding more about him.