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"Mr Morozova? It's your ten minute cue."
"Aleksander, Alina. How many times must I tell you to call me Aleksander?"
"At least once more," Alina grinned cheekily. She couldn't call a prestigious older man by his first name! No matter how many times he asked her to. Ana Kuya would climb out of the audience, never mind she'd retired five years ago, and smack Alina with her walking stick. It was only ten years, but Ana would still insist that was enough to count.
As she helped Aleksander with his microphone, helping attach the pack to the back of his waistband under his suit coat - and trying not to be distracted by how well-shaped his butt was - she asked curiously, "Are you disappointed to be singing 'Sleigh Ride' and 'Jingle Bell Rock'?"
"Why would I be?" Aleksander asked, turning to face her. "They're both great songs."
"But didn't you want 'Holy City' to show off your range?"
Aleskander's eyes widened. "You caught that?"
Alina nodded, abashed. Apparently she'd given away how closely she watched him. For professional purposes, not because he was the most gorgeous man she'd ever met. And very talented. And incredibly nice.
"Well, Botkin's been performing it here for twenty years, so he has seniority," Aleskander shrugged. "It's a little disappointing, but he's an excellent singer who's always done the song beautifully. It's not like they gave it to Pytor Lantsov or something."
Alina giggled. Lantsov had irritated everyone on the stage crew with his incessant demands, acting like the superstar he hadn't been for twenty years. He'd irritated almost as many of the performers, acting like the sex symbol he hadn't been for twenty-five.
"You've been a wonderful assistant, Alina, but that ends in an hour or so. I was wondering... well, it is lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you."
Alina looked up at him. "I'm sorry?"
"Or maybe supper after the show? Or lunch tomorrow before I head back to Os Alta?"
Alina blinked at him dazedly.
An explosive sigh came from behind, making her jump and turn to look at her brother, and Aleksander to look slightly murderous.
Mal rolled his eyes and told Aleksander, "Sorry, excuse us a second." Then he put his hands on Alina's shoulders. "Alina, I know you have trouble seeing this stuff, so let me make it clear for you. This man looks at you like you're the Christmas star, and you're apparently the only person on the crew who hasn't noticed he's been simping over you like a shepherd over a baby lamb. He is asking you out on a date."
"Oh!" Alina exclaimed. Why would he do that? Well, if Mal said Aleksander was interested then he probably was. Mal was very good at detecting that sort of thing.
"Do you want to go out with him?"
"Oh yes, absolutely," Alina immediately replied.
Mal turned her around by the shoulders to face Aleskander again. "So tell him."
"I'd love to. All of those!" Alina answered, giving Aleksander the smile that she genuinely didn't realise turned her into the human equivalent of a sunbeam.
Aleskander smiled back, and Alina would swear afterwards that she heard angels singing - only to be reminded that it was the Kermazin Children's Choir finishing their set. His smile was so dazzling that Mal took two steps backward from the impact, and remained in deep denial about it for years to come.
A frantic voice came on over Alina's headphones, and she gasped. "Aleksander, you're on stage in sixty seconds!"
Aleksander said something un-Christmassy and dashed off to the wings, though not before pausing to blow Alina a kiss.
All the reviews said later that Aleksander was the most joyful performer of the night, radiating a happiness that infected nearly all the audience.
When the whole cast came out at the end to sing 'We wish you a Merry Christmas' and throw streamers at the audience, Aleksander pulled Alina on-stage with him, hidden behind Tamar and Tolya and Nataschka, and took a selfie with her with the fireworks above their heads.
A week later, Alina watched the New Year's Eve fireworks from the balcony of Aleksander's penthouse, after an absolutely wonderful ride in Aleksander's sleigh bed.
