Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows and favorites! I can't believe I got such a huge response for a first chapter! Thank you! :D

Like some people have already guessed, this story is based on the movie Chasing Liberty. It won't be completely the same, though. If you like to watch a good chickflick movie, you should check it out ;)

RozaNessa: I can't PM you so I'm going to reply here. Thank you so much. I'm glad you liked it! And I'm from Belgium, too ;D

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

CHAPTER 2

DPOV

When I arrived at the club, I immediately made my way to the bar. I sat down on one of the stools, ordered a drink and waited. If Mazur was right and his daughter would show up here tonight, she would have to pass the bar at least once if she wanted to have a drink.

In the meantime I scanned the crowd, hoping I'd find her and see what I 'was going to have to deal with', as Mr. Mazur had put it, for the next two months.

After almost an hour of waiting, I was about to give up and go home. Not just because I was bored, but three women had already come up to me, trying to get me on the dance floor with them. I had to flee to the bathroom to get rid of them. Thank God they'd disappeared when I'd come back ten minutes later.

Just when I was about to leave, I saw her. Rose. She was sitting at a table with a black-haired boy. They were talking animatedly. I figured he was the friend Mazur had been talking about.

Leaning against the bar, I looked at Rose. The picture hadn't done her any justice. She was even more beautiful in real life. Her hair was down, just like in the picture. She was wearing a strapless black dress. It clung to her body, showing off her curves. It kind of surprised me her father had allowed her to wear this since he's so protective of her.

I realized I was staring at her and quickly averted my eyes before she or her friend would notice. After a few more minutes, they got up and made their way to the dance floor. I watched them dance together. The boy was a little uncertain, but Rose grabbed his hands and placed them on her waist as she swayed her hips to the beat of the music. The boy said something to her and she laughed. I didn't know why, but I felt a pang of jealousy. I wondered what the boy could've said that had made her laugh. It lit up her face, making her even more beautiful.

What are you doing, Dimitri? Stop it. Stop thinking things like that.

Suddenly, Rose's friend turned and looked right at me. Shit. He'd caught me looking at her. Maybe he thought I was some kind of creep, checking out his girl. I looked away and took a sip of my drink. When I looked up again, I almost choked on my drink. Rose was walking towards me in quick strides. I prayed she was just going to the bar for a drink. But no, she was still coming right towards me.

I looked away again and breathed out a sigh in relief when she turned to the bar and ordered a drink for her and her friend. I felt her eyes on me as she waited for her drinks.

"Hey," she said, over the music.

Fuck. She was talking to me. "Hey," I said, clearing my throat.

"Are you here alone?" she asked. Her voice was just as beautiful as she was. "You've been sitting here for quite a while."

Oh God. Had she seen me watching her all along? How was that possible? I'd never even seen her look in my direction!

"No, I came with a friend," I lied. "He's somewhere on the dance floor."

"Why aren't you?" she asked.

"I don't like to dance." At least that wasn't a lie.

"What's your name?"

"Dimitri," I said, trying to appear casual. "What's your name?"

"Rose."

"That's a beautiful name," I said lamely.

"Thanks," she said smiling. "I like your accent. Where are you from – if you don't mind me asking."

I was a little surprised by this, but answered anyway. "I'm from Russia."

"Really?" she said, sounding interested. "Did you move here or are you on a holiday?"

"Umm…"

"Oh, I don't mean to be intrusive. I'm sorry."

"You aren't," I said quickly. I racked my brain, trying to come up with something good. "I…umm… I'm a freelance photographer." What the fuck did I just say?

"That's cool," she said. The bar tender gave her her drinks and I'd expected she'd leave, but she stayed where she was and continued our conversation. "Are you working on any projects?"

I took another sip of my drink to stall. "Yes," I said at last. "I have to take pictures of all the big cities over the world. Including New York."

If she would ask me any details of what exactly in the big cities I had to take pictures of, I was a dead man. I had no clue what I would say then. Architecture maybe? But I didn't know much about that...

"Ah, so you're here for your project," she said.

I nodded and she smiled. Her smile was really beautiful. I could stare at her all night. Snap out of it, Dimitri.

I averted my eyes and downed the rest of my drink. Rose was about to say something, but then she stopped mid-sentence and looked at something behind me.

"Oh my God!" she said, looking furious all of a sudden. "I can't believe this."

I turned around to see what she was looking at when I noticed two guys standing near us, dressed in black. They looked like deers caught in headlights. Just then, Rose's friend appeared behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay, Rose?" he asked, a worried look on his face.

"No," she said, clenching her jaw. "Look who's here."

The boy looked up and then sighed. "He'll never learn," he muttered.

Rose looked back at me. "I'm sorry, Dimitri, but I have to go. It was nice meeting you."

"You too, Roza," I said, giving her a small smile.

She looked like she was going to say something else, but then shook her head and made her way to the guys. I guess they were Abe's bodyguards. He'd probably sent them after her to keep an eye on her in the club. And boy, did she look pissed about that.

I noticed they were pretty young too. They couldn't be much older than Rose. And they certainly didn't look older as Rose yelled at them for following her to the club, like they were naughty children. Especially the red-haired guy looked like a chastised child.

Rose shook her head at them and then stormed away, her friend following her hastily. The two bodyguards looked at each other briefly and then hurried after them.

I finally understood why Mazur said I should see what I was going to have to deal with for the next two months. Rose was certainly not someone I wanted to piss off.

Well, now that she'd left, I didn't need to be here anymore. I could finally go home and get some rest. Sighing, I put my glass back down on the bar and made my way toward the exit.

RPOV

Without knocking, I stormed into my father's office. Christian, Eddie and Mason followed suit. My father looked up in surprise when he saw the four of us in his office.

"Rose," he said, standing up. "What-"

"You promised!" I said angrily. "You said I could go with Christian. Alone. But then I see those two dipshits-" I pointed at Eddie and Mason "-in the club watching me!"

"I'm sorry, Rose," Dad said. "It's for your own safety."

"But I am safe!" I said, exasperated. "I'm with Christian. He can protect me too, you know. And the club is full of people. Nothing's going to happen to me there."

"You never know what could happen, Rose," he said sternly. "You're still young and-"

"I'm eighteen, Dad!" I interrupted him.

Christian took a step closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Calm down, Rose," he said quietly.

I nodded and took a deep breath, looking back at my father. "You can't protect me forever."

"Yes, I can," he countered.

"But I don't want you to. I want to take care of myself," I said stubbornly.

He sighed. "Rose…"

"You broke your promise," I said, crossing my arms.

"I'm sorry," he said, giving me an apologetic look.

"How do I know you won't do it again?" I asked.

"I'm just worried about you," he said, walking around his desk. He stopped in front of me and took my hands in his. "You're my daughter and I want to protect you."

"I know. You keep telling me that, but I need to learn how to be independent," I said. "If you keep doing things like this, I'll never learn. I'm not your little girl anymore."

I let go of his hand and turned around. Eddie and Mason stood near the door and they quickly stepped away to let me through.

"I'm sorry I called you dipshits," I said. "I was angry."

Eddie tried to hide his smile as he said, "It's fine, Rose."

Mason gave me a small smile before looking down again. I sighed and walked past them. Christian followed me, closing the door behind me.

"Are you okay, Rose?" he asked hesitantly.

I shrugged. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine to me. In fact, you still look mad," he noted.

"That's because I am still mad," I answered curtly.

"At Eddie and Mason?"

"No, of course not. They're just doing their jobs," I said, opening the door to my room. "It's just my dad. Why doesn't he get I want to be free? Even if it is just for a few hours."

"You'll be free for two months soon," Christian said as he sat down on my desk chair.

I snorted. "Yeah, right. I bet he's going to send Mikhail or Eddie with me. Or maybe he'll let them follow me in the hopes I won't notice them."

"Is it so bad if they come with you?" he asked. "To be honest, I can understand why your father is so worried. I wouldn't like it either if my daughter was going to travel to foreign countries on her own."

I frowned. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

"I'm just saying that I can understand where he's coming from," Christian said. "But I understand you, too. Abe's been smothering for years and you want to get out. I get that. But I think it's a little dangerous to go all alone."

"But I want to go alone. I don't want someone with me who tells me what I should and shouldn't do," I said. "And I will never be able to feel really free if he sends the guards with me so…" I walked to my closet and opened the doors. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave now."

Christian shot up from the chair, alarmed. "What?"

"I'm leaving tonight," I said firmly as I started to take out my clothes and threw them on my bed. I was lucky I hadn't bought my ticket yet. "Dad thinks I'm leaving next week. If I leave now, he won't notice until tomorrow morning and then I'll already be on the plane. It'll be too late to send Mikhail – or whoever he has in mind – after me."

"You're not even sure he's going to send someone with you!"

"I know my father," I muttered. "He won't let me go alone – even though he promised." His promises didn't mean anything. He'd proven that tonight. "I'm leaving tonight and you can't stop me."

"And how exactly are you going to leave?" Christian asked, arching an eyebrow. "You don't own a car."

I bit my lip. "Well… You could drive me to the airport?"

"No, I can't-"

"Please, Christian," I said, looking at him pleadingly.

"I don't want to anger your father."

"He doesn't need to know you helped me escape."

"Escape?" Christian said. "You make it sound like he's keeping you imprisoned here."

"It might as well be!"

He crossed his arms and gave me a defiant look.

"Come on, Christian!" I pleaded. "You've got to help me. You're the only one who can help me."

He didn't say anything so I kept begging for his help until he sighed and held up his hands in defeat. "Fine! I'll help you," he gave in. I grinned and opened my arms to hug him, but then he added, "On one condition."

I dropped my arms. "What condition?"

"You call me immediately if something's wrong," he said, "so I can come and bring you home – if that's needed."

"Okay," I said quickly.

"I mean it, Rose. And I want you to call me at least once a week to tell me you're fine."

"Christian-"

He shook his head at me. "It's under these conditions or you won't be going anywhere tonight. It's your choice."

"Fine," I growled.

"Okay, then I'll help you escape," he said, looking satisfied.

"Thank you!" I said grinning. "Now you can help me packing."

When we were ready and about to leave, there was a knock on the door. I looked over at Christian, who put my suitcase back down.

"Rose, I know you're in here. Please open the door." I recognized that voice. It was Mason. "I need to talk to you."

"Shit! Hide the suitcase," I whispered to Christian.

But before he could do so, the door opened and Mason walked in. Christian and I quickly moved in front of my suitcase, hoping Mason wouldn't notice it. His cheeks flushed red when he noticed Christian was also present.

"Oh, I didn't know you had company," he mumbled. "I – I just wanted to apologize, you know. I know you don't like us following you around, but…" He bit his lip. "Well, I'm sorry. I didn't want to ruin your night."

"You didn't," I said quickly, hoping he'd leave. "It's not your fault, Mase. You were just doing your job."

"So you're not angry at me?" he asked, hopeful.

"Of course not," I said, giving him a small smile.

He smiled, relieved, and looked down at me in awe. I wish he didn't. My dad had hired him two years ago and from the very first day he'd taken a liking to me. At first, I thought it was just a crush, but he was still giving me the same look after two years.

At last, his gaze shifted and a frown appeared on his face. "What's the suitcase for?" he asked.

I bit my lip. "Umm…"

Then it dawned on him. "You're leaving?" he said, incredulous.

"Mason," I started.

"What about your father?" he said. "You weren't going to tell him, were you?"

"No," I said honestly. "I wasn't. And you know why."

"Rose," he said earnestly, "you can't do that to him."

"I don't have a choice," I said. I turned back to Christian. "Let's go, Chris."

"I can't believe you're helping her with this!" Mason said to Christian.

"She's my friend," Christian simply said.

"I'm going to have to tell your father," Mason said warningly as he followed us out.

"Please don't, Mase," I begged him. "You can't do this to me."

He looked hesitant and I grabbed his hand. I knew I shouldn't, but all I could think about right now is to get out of here without my father finding out.

"Please, Mason," I whispered. "Please do this for me."

He looked torn. "He's my boss, Rose."

"Please."

"I suppose I could give you a head start," he said at last.

I realized this was all I would get and it was better than nothing. I hugged him and whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Mase."

I let go of him and then walked with Christian to his car, dragging my suitcase along. Mason followed us and I used the opportunity to ask him one more favor.

"Will you please distract Eddie and the rest of the guys?" I asked. "So they won't look at the camera's and see me leave."

He sighed. "Fine."

I thanked him and was about to get into the car when he suddenly pulled me back. I gave him a questioning look.

"Please be careful," he said softly.

"Of course," I said, giving him a reassuring smile.

He let go of me and let me get inside the car. Before closing the door, he said, "Bye Rose. Have a nice trip."

Christian started the car.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked as he drove toward the gate.

"Yes," I said quickly before I could start to feel guilty for leaving my father like this. "Just get me out of here."

So, Dimitri has met Rose and now she is leaving. Will Abe find out in time? If he does, will he let Dimitri know? Please leave a review and let me know what you think of the chapter ;)

Have a nice day/evening! :)