Tatyana digested what he said, nodding as he mentioned that was probably why she connected with the twins. She knew that was why, but it was the rest that he said that she needed to hear. Hayden acknowledged her difficult in letting people in, mentioning also that she missed a lot by doing so. Tatyana almost said something in response to that, but held back. She knew deep down that Hayden was right. She missed being with people and being connected. She may not have gotten along with the Vasiliev's as a whole, but she had had friends. The Christmas party before her dad died she had even spent some time with a young man dancing. It hadn't led to sex or anything, but it had been a fun night. She smiled a bit at the memory. He reminded her of Ashton - he had been able to make her laugh too.
It was enough to get her to talk more. "Dad...well... she wasn't sure where to begin. She had known her dad wasn't a good man. He had been an enforcer for a crime family. "He just seemed to be a natural at raising me. After mom died, he just took over. He was always good to me - never abused me or anything. He didn't even yell much. He sort of took it all in stride. He was into martial arts and when I showed interest, he got me hooked into several dojos and when I got older, he began to spar with me proper. It was our thing. He always said to me 'Zvezdochka*, your opponents will always be bigger than you, so training against me is a good idea, no?" She laughed at the memory. "One time I remember he broke through my defense. Sometimes during sparring, I'd get hit, but he was usually fairly gentle. I told him that I was trying, but he was too fast. He told me 'Zvezdochka, you are faster than I am.' It wasn't often that he was that direct with advice. He usually encouraged me to figure things out on my own, but that - that stuck with me."
Tatyana began to shake a little bit as she started to cry. Talking about him hurt, even if she was remembering the good things. She wiped her eyes again. It did feel good to talk about it though. She was still a bit confused at why everyone was being so nice to her, but she wasn't arguing about it anymore. "Thanks...for listening." she said.
[[*Zvezdochka = Little Star]]
It was enough to get her to talk more. "Dad...well... she wasn't sure where to begin. She had known her dad wasn't a good man. He had been an enforcer for a crime family. "He just seemed to be a natural at raising me. After mom died, he just took over. He was always good to me - never abused me or anything. He didn't even yell much. He sort of took it all in stride. He was into martial arts and when I showed interest, he got me hooked into several dojos and when I got older, he began to spar with me proper. It was our thing. He always said to me 'Zvezdochka*, your opponents will always be bigger than you, so training against me is a good idea, no?" She laughed at the memory. "One time I remember he broke through my defense. Sometimes during sparring, I'd get hit, but he was usually fairly gentle. I told him that I was trying, but he was too fast. He told me 'Zvezdochka, you are faster than I am.' It wasn't often that he was that direct with advice. He usually encouraged me to figure things out on my own, but that - that stuck with me."
Tatyana began to shake a little bit as she started to cry. Talking about him hurt, even if she was remembering the good things. She wiped her eyes again. It did feel good to talk about it though. She was still a bit confused at why everyone was being so nice to her, but she wasn't arguing about it anymore. "Thanks...for listening." she said.
[[*Zvezdochka = Little Star]]