I was late, but that was planned. I took one more deep breath before pulling the door open. The early morning light was streaming in through the high windows of the gym, giving the large room a soft, almost blue glow. The slight squeaking of my sneakers against the vinyl floor alerted the man sitting on a weight lifting bench. He glanced up and gave a small smile. An innocent smile. A smile two friends would share. His eyes betrayed his casual act, though, and I saw just how much he had missed me, but he still didn't slip up.
"Good morning, Rose,"
I smiled, "Morning, Comrade,"
He stood and strode towards me. Dimitri had always been a big guy, but it felt like in this time apart he had gotten even bigger, even stronger, even more Dimitri. I stared up at him, grinning, "Laps today?"
"Yeah, laps,"
We left the gym and walked to the oval. This stupid oval. I used to look at it and think it was so big, that I could never run it a hundred times over. As we stretched out legs out, it looked like a small patch of grass, compared to what I had run in my time. Once we were warmed up, Dimitri and I started jogging.
It was amazing. It wasn't like I hadn't gone for a run lately, with my job running is a daily task, and you have to be good at it. This wasn't stressful running, not the kind that had a life depending on it. It was just nice. I could feel my legs pumping and my lungs being worked. That feeling of ease combined with Dimitri by my side was more than enough to make me crack a smile.
I'd missed him so much. We knew that we'd only get to see each other every now and then, off duty that is. But when we were on duty, even though we weren't focusing on each other, we still got to see each other's faces. Lissa's trip to Transylvania meant that I had to leave Dimitri for two months. Even now, we only had a few hours before I had to go back to Lissa.
"How was detention last night?"
I glanced at Dimitri. Detention? What detention? Then I laughed and replied with, "It sucked. Stan made me stay a whole hour and made me watch him enjoy his dinner,"
"If you behaved then you wouldn't have detention,"
"You know all too well that I don't behave," I said cheekily, smirking at him through my breathing.
Dimitri let out a laugh, "That I do, Roza,"
We continued our steady running for thirty more minutes as the sun came up. We came to a stop, and Dimitri needed a moment to catch his breath. He never needed a moment for anything.
"Take your time, old man," I giggled.
"Don't call me old man," he glared slightly.
Dimitri's 30th birthday was approaching fast. I was excited, but Dimitri wanted nothing of it. 30 is when it starts stopping, Rose. I'll lose what makes me a guardian. He would say that to me all the time. He was a firm believer that his youth, and that advantages that came with it, were what made him the great guardian he was. Which was utter bullshit.
"A thirty year old and a twenty-four year old...you know, I might just be too young for you after all. I might go and get me a young piece of a-"
"Rose, please," he groaned.
We entered the gym again and I took a seat on the floor, on one of the yoga mats. Dimitri opted to stand and warmed down his legs and arms.
"You know I would never leave you,"
"You could do better than a middle aged man like me,"
I laughed, "Thirty isn't middle aged, Dimitri. And I probably could do better than you," he huffed, "But I want you, I want you more than any other man in this world,"
He looked at me on the floor and frowned. He must have seen something in my eyes, because I could suddenly see a few tears in his.
"I really missed you, Rose. This was a long time apart,"
"I missed you too," I stood and went quickly to his open arms, "Everyday. During the day Lissa was everything, but when I slept, or tried to sleep...Dimitri, I hate being away from you,"
He sighed as he hugged me close to him. It had been six years since we had become full time guardians, but it was still hard. I still wished that it was easier, but it never would be. They come first.
I tilted my head up to Dimitri and he tried his best to smile. Forgot smiling. I pressed my lips to his and felt my heart heat up. Eight years since our first kiss, and I still felt that fire. Dimitri responded eagerly, running his hands down my waist to rest on my hips. Just as I felt the kiss heating up, a buzzing noise interrupted us. It was my watch, telling me that I had ten minutes to be at Lissa's door to take over surveillance duty.
"Really? God damn it," I groaned.
"When is your next break?" Dimitri asked.
"Tomorrow night, nine till twelve, then I'm pulling an all-nighter until some fill in guards arrive from St. Vlads,"
"I can catch you for a late night dinner," Dimitri smiled, "I'll find you,"
He kissed me once, twice, before letting me go. I grabbed my jacket, which I had thrown to the ground, and reached for the door handle. I turned back to Dimitri.
"I love you,"
His brown eyes, the strong eyes that could tame fire, looked back at me, "I love you, Roza,"
With a last look, I left the gym.