"'Happy.'"
Viktoria leaned her head to one side. "You say that like you're surprised."
Nikolai shook his head, and he let out a soft chuckle. "Not surprised. Just... relieved.
Viktoria didn't get the chance to ask him what he meant, because the music suddenly changed. The violin slowed down and the accordion softened, the lively rhythm of the dance came to a stop. The dancers slowly stopped moving, their boots scraping the ice as the circle around them drew closer.
Viktoria blinked, looking confused. "Uh... Nikolai?"
The man who had been dragging the sled stepped forward, tapping his boot twice on the ice as if he were calling the whole group to attention. The voices stopped, and one of the older women stepped forward with a smile on her face. She glanced at Viktoria and then at Nikolai before she began to speak in Russian.
"Мужчина не приводит женщину танцевать на зимний лёд, если она не та, с кем он хочет проводить жизнь."
