{"id":263683,"date":"2026-07-14T14:44:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T11:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/if-im-being-honest-the-vals-cp-cabaniss\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T14:44:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T11:44:46","slug":"if-im-being-honest-the-vals-cp-cabaniss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/if-im-being-honest-the-vals-cp-cabaniss\/","title":{"rendered":"If Im Being Honest The Vals – CP Cabaniss"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The butterflies vanish and I grimace as I follow him out and lock the door behind us. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m headed to my own execution.\u201d He arches his eyebrows at me as he stows the bags under the cover on the bed of the truck. \u201cI\u2019ll try to be better company.\u201d I glare at him. \u201cVery funny.\u201d He opens the passenger door and a wave of warm air washes over me.<\/p>\n

I stall on the threshold. This is my last chance. Maybe I can convince him\u2014 both of us\u2014that this is a bad idea. But then his hand is on my face, thumb resting on the tip of my chin, and I\u2019m meeting his gaze. The butterflies return in full force and my resolve dissolves into a long sigh.<\/p>\n

How did I manage to single out someone so genuine and kind? \u201cYou\u2019ve got this, Rosenka. And I\u2019ll be right beside you.\u201d \u201cRosenka?\u201d I cock my head as I study him, his fingers soft against my skin. His face flushes with a slight tinge of pink but he doesn\u2019t look away.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what I\u2019ve started calling you in my head,\u201d he confesses. \u201cLike a Russian diminutive, kind of.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll try to be more positive\u2026Mitenka.\u201d He smiles his television smile before he kisses me. *** \u201cWill we see everyone tonight?\u201d Dmitri asks as we drive. He tried to hold my hand, but I insisted he keep all digits on the wheel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll stop by Gramma\u2019s first, so you can meet her. She insisted. Then we\u2019ll go to the rental house. I don\u2019t know if everyone is getting in today, but my parents will be there.\u201d Now that we\u2019re grown, some of us with families of our own, Gramma doesn\u2019t have space to house everyone.<\/p>\n

My cousins and I used to toss sleeping bags on the living room floor while our parents took the beds. Since that no longer works, my parents\u2014along with my aunt and uncle\u2014 decided to rent a house large enough for all of us. I was going to book a place for me and Dmitri, but then Mom called to let me know that housing was all taken care of and although I wanted to, I couldn\u2019t tell her no. Some habits are hard to break.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to it.\u201d I squirm in my seat before I tuck my hands under my thighs to keep them still. I\u2019ve gotten so good at pretending, half the time I believe my own lies. But the thought of a reunion with my parents has me reverting back to the child I used to be.<\/p>\n

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author\u2019s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, or situations is entirely incidental. No part of this work may be used in the training of artificial intelligence systems. OceanofPDF.com Contents Also by C. P. Cabaniss CHAPTER ONE A Proposition Dmitri CHAPTER TWO Desperate Measures Rose CHAPTER THREE Assignments Dmitri CHAPTER FOUR What\u2019s in a Name?<\/p>\n

Rose CHAPTER FIVE Poker Face Dmitri CHAPTER SIX Give and Take Rose CHAPTER SEVEN Let\u2019s Get Lost Dmitri CHAPTER EIGHT Failed Attempts Rose CHAPTER NINE Parental Control Dmitri CHAPTER TEN Memory Stings Dmitri CHAPTER ELEVEN Hollow Rose CHAPTER TWELVE Admissions Dmitri CHAPTER THIRTEEN Old Ambitions Rose CHAPTER FOURTEEN New Dynamics Dmitri CHAPTER FIFTEEN Mitenka Rose CHAPTER SIXTEEN Old Wounds Rose CHAPTER SEVENTEEN A New Perspective Dmitri CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Competition Rose CHAPTER NINETEEN At the Park Dmitri CHAPTER TWENTY Cookie Dough Rose CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Friendly Fire Dmitri CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Mine Was the Same Rose CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Give Thanks Dmitri CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR Another Step Rose CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE An Opportunity Dmitri CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX The Fallout Rose CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN State of Confusion Dmitri CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT A New Dawn Rose CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE New Adventures Dmitri CHAPTER THIRTY Found Rose Epilogue April Showers Dmitri Author\u2019s Note Acknowledgements About the Author OceanofPDF.com for Dostoevsky OceanofPDF.com CHAPTER ONE A Proposition Dmitri \u201cI have a proposition for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rose stands close, her face only a few inches away, an open case of blush, foundation, concealer, or some other powdery makeup I can\u2019t name resting in one hand while the other applies it to my face with quick, deft movements. I raise my eyebrows at her words, trying not to disturb her work, but if she notices the question in my expression, she doesn\u2019t show it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou like adventure.\u201d Her dark eyes shift to mine for a moment as if challenging me to contradict her words. When I don\u2019t, she says, \u201cThis would be, in a sense, an adventure.\u201d I see the slightest tension form around her lips, but it disappears as quickly. \u201cYou want the position in Rockford,\u201d she continues, \u201cand I can help you get it.\u201d I\u2019m curious, but I don\u2019t say anything. Rose is the best at what she does, and she has a strict no talking policy. I wonder if that\u2019s the reason she chose this moment to ask me whatever it is she\u2019s trying to ask me.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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