You'd allowed Dimitri to guide you back to his room, the taste of his lips still on yours, your hand dwarfed within his. You'd walked in silence, nervous about this new and nebulous accord between the two of you. As beautiful as it were fragile, you were hesitant to say anything lest the tenuous truce between you fracture. Because while you'd offered Dimitri your devotion, a willing supplicant at love's altar, your trust was a more expensive boon. Dimitri revoking his heart had wounded yours in ways even you found hard to fathom; it would take time to come back from that.
"It's not much," he'd said, opening the door and showing you into a dorm room almost as dismal and dreary as your own. Along with the usual double bed, desk, and chair, a small bookshelf and a poster were the only concessions to his hard-earned humanity.
"You still read Westerns?" you'd asked, walking into his room, your eyes raking across the neatly ordered titles.
"Always," he'd replied, his lip curling a little while his eyes regarded you tenderly. He seemed relieved you'd found something to talk about. A proverbial way to break the ice.
"Always," you'd repeated softly, the word bringing to mind a different conversation from a different time. Then the word had been given as assurance. A promise fate had proven perversely preposterous given the cataclysmic events that followed.
Sensing your disquiet, Dimitri led you to the side of his bed, motioning for you to sit before he did likewise, taking your hands within his. Apprehensively perched on the edge of the mattress, your eyes locked onto where he'd laced his fingers through yours, you'd listened as Dimitri confessed.
He'd started out seated beside you, watching you carefully as his commenced his descant. A soliloquy of self-loathing, solecism and shame, you'd been incapable of raising your eyes to meet his. His voice sounded so tortured, you weren't sure you could bear to witness his dolor – to corroborate it as proportionate and parallel to your own.
Yet somehow, more distressing than his words of repentance was the lack of confidence with which he voiced them. Used, as you were, to believing Dimitri a gift from the Gods, his hesitant assertions made him sound more like a fallen angel, 'committed to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.' The judgment he'd been convinced you'd deliver, you'd then appreciated.
It had been a revelation. In your mind, Dimitri was a strong, stalwart man who during his resurrection had realized you weren't enough for him. It had never occurred to you that the corollary of his time in the darkness might be that he imagined he was no longer meritorious or worthy of you; that he'd regarded it an act of benevolence to release you from your mutual admiration and obligation.
He'd slipped from the side of the bed, kneeling in front of you and peering up at you tenderly as he'd avowed his unaltered regard. And then, acknowledging the devastation he'd inflicted upon you, Dimitri had begged of you the opportunity to expiate the fissures he'd bestowed on your heart and soul.
Unable to answer beyond a teary sob and a nod, you'd allowed yourself to be swept into his arms; the two of you embracing on his bed as together you quietly savored the experience of simply being together once again.
"I'm going to woo you," he'd crooned. "We'll take things slow. I've hurt you, and I need to show you I'm genuine."
And rather than argue, you'd smiled; privately relieved he hadn't pushed you any further. While you loved Dimitri, and you now knew you'd always love Dimitri, you were looking forward to enjoying his pertinacity. First, he needed to convince you he was in for the long haul – then he needed to finally step forward and publicly declare his love for you. The time for furtive, recondite affection had passed. You wanted, no you deserved for Dimitri to promulgate his feelings – at least amongst those closest to you.
7:12 pm. You'd finished breakfast with Lissa and Christian, and they'd decamped upstairs to shower, dress and start their day, oblivious to your devoted preparations in the kitchen below.
Pulling out Dimitri's favored mug, you placed it beside the coffee machine, checking to ensure the latter was filled and ready for his arrival. Beside these, you settled a single plate, carefully positioning two pryaniki. Russian honey spiced cookies; a thorough reconnaissance of Court's Russian food store had provided the perfect product for your daily ritual of love.
With a final glance around the kitchen, you hurried to the downstairs bathroom. A pretty flush on your cheeks, your eyes were sparkling, and you were a little breathless, the fleshy muscle within your rib cage pumping precipitously. It had been the same every morning and evening for the last fortnight – ever since the emotional epiphany following the attack on Court.
Waiting beside the front door at 7:29 pm, right on the half-hour he knocked and smoothing your hair a final time, you answered, letting him inside.
"Guardian Belikov," you greeted breathlessly, your eyes meeting his in yearning.
"Guardian Hathaway," he acknowledged, the ghost of a smile on his plump lips. "Anything to report?" he asked, his knuckle skimming your cheekbone before traveling down to your chin.
"Nothing," you whispered, transfixed by the need in his eyes.
"I missed you," he murmured, keeping his voice low so Lissa and Christian would not bear witness to your stolen moment. "I liked your photo," he praised, drawing a blush to your cheeks, "although it made it hard to sleep."
Your upper teeth bit gently at your lower lip. Once your charges had retired of an evening, you and Dimitri had taken to texting, spending the hour or two before he fell asleep trading sweet words and reassurances. But it wasn't enough; you both needed more. Last night you'd sent Dimitri a photo of you sitting on the sofa in uniform, your hair out and the top two buttons of your shirt undone. But rather than satiate his prurient thoughts, apparently your impudent image had stimulated them.
"Today's the day to ask them. I can do it if you'd rather?" he whispered, referring to a previous topic of conversation between you before pushing you back against the doorframe, his lips and hips pressed against yours tenaciously.
"I'll do it," you replied, eagerly parrying his kisses with your own. You knew Dimitri was modest when it came to matters of the heart, and while his restoration had brought him closer to Lissa, he still didn't share the comfortable familiarity derived from fifteen years of intimate friendship.
You heard footsteps on the landing above, so pulled apart with annoyance, establishing a professional, dispassionate distance between you.
"I'll be back at 7:30 am," you murmured, hiding your desire and dissatisfaction by fixing your eyes on the carpet.
Turning without looking back, you opened the door and walked down the front steps and onto the street, hearing Lissa's sigh as you departed.
It would be nice if they could find their way back to one another, she thought as Dimitri hung his coat and walked through to the kitchen to pour himself a coffee.
And you chuckled. If only she knew.
You were sitting at the dining table some thirteen hours later, wondering quite how to phrase your unorthodox request.
There was a fresh bunch of flowers cut from the garden in the room that you used to change and store your belongings. A guest room Lissa and Christian rarely, if ever, entered. You knew without being told that Dimitri had put them there for your enjoyment; another silent offering illustrating his ardor.
"Lissa?" you asked during a lull in the dinner conversation. "I was wondering whether sometime next week I could have a guest over after you're upstairs for the evening?"
Lissa's eyes immediately flicked to Christian who gave an almost imperceptible shrug. You skimmed Lissa's mind with your own and could tell that while she didn't like the idea of a stranger in her home while she slept, she was curious who you might want to see urgently enough that you were willing to ask for permission to do it on 'her' time.
"I wouldn't ask, except he's on opposite shifts to mine, so I won't get to see him otherwise…"
The bond delivered you Lissa's decision before it had opportunity to cross her lips.
"I'm sorry, Rose. I'm just not comfortable with someone I don't know here while we sleep. But I'll speak with Guardian Belikov and ask if he'd be willing to do an additional shift. You can take a leave day to meet with your friend."
Lissa looked at you genially, expecting you to be grateful for her gesture. So you nodded and mumbled that you'd think about it, giving her a wan smile.
"I'm not sure that will be much help," Christian said. While Lissa was your best friend, he was the more observant of the two, noticing the little changes in you and Dimitri over the last few weeks. Lissa might be indifferent to what was playing out in her home, but Christian, evidently, was not. Lissa regarded him questioningly.
"The friend you'd like to invite over is Guardian Belikov, isn't it, Rose?" Christian asked candidly.
Your eyes dropped to your plate as you gave a small nod of confirmation.
"Oh my God! Are you two back together?" Lissa squealed. "When did it happen? Has anything happened?"
"No we're not together," you said with quiet dignity. "We're just working out how things stand between us. And of course nothing has happened - we only ever see each other for a few minutes at handover each day."
You tried and failed to conceal your despondence.
"It's fine if Belikov would like to visit," Christian said decisively, giving his girlfriend a look to quell her intrusive queries. He could tell you were apprehensive about your burgeoning reacquaintance with Dimitri, even if Lissa couldn't. "We trust Guardian Belikov absolutely, and he's welcome to visit you here at any time. You don't need to ask."
"Thanks, Sparky," you said, blessing him with a rare, genuine smile. "We'll just watch a movie or hang out for an hour or two. He won't stay late, as he needs to rest for his shift. Working days means I never get the chance to see any of my Guardian friends as I'm always working when they're not. It gets a little lonely," you confessed.
Christian nodded, moving the conversation along with artful aplomb. You half listened as he discussed the latest gossip from around Court with Lissa, your mind engrossed on your upcoming assignation with Dimitri.
A slew of dinner engagements kept Lissa and Christian, and hence Dimitri, out of the house over the next few days. While you were so desperate to spend time with Dimitri, even a night together guarding a Royal dinner party would have been welcome. Instead, you drew Eddie as your guarding partner.
"You're looking a lot happier these days," he'd observed astutely as the two of you stood beside one another, silently supervising Moroi pick at their minute meals.
"I'm feeling a lot happier," you'd confided, appreciating it as the truth. You had the unmistakable blush of love on your cheeks, and it was no secret to you who'd put it there.
You'd just finished dinner when there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it," you eagerly announced, jumping out of your seat before Lissa or Christian could respond. You could feel Lissa's amusement through the bond, and while you were mildly annoyed that your love life was a source of entertainment, you were too grateful for a few hours in Dimitri's company to be genuinely irked.
"Good evening, Guardian Hathaway," Dimitri greeted, his voice resonant and certain, smiling when you opened the door.
"Dimitri," you replied, using his first name since he was not working.
You let him in, gazing impassively as he hung his duster in the usual spot. How a mere mortal could make such a perfunctory performance look so poised was genuinely beyond you. He was dressed in dark jeans and a light sweater. Casual but not too casual. In a way, it was a relief that you were on duty, hence wearing your black and whites. Although you had chosen to wear the fitted black jeans you wore on more casual evenings instead of the tailored black pants you wore when Lissa was going out. A subtle nod to your comfort, you weren't inconversant that the jeans also showed off your figure to advantage.
"I brought you something," Dimitri said, ceding a large box of chocolates. "I thought you might enjoy them while we watch a movie?"
"Thank you," you murmured, knowing you'd have to get the next few awkward moments over and done with before you could relax and enjoy each other's company.
"Liss? Christian? Dimitri's here," you announced, the two of you walking through to the kitchen where your charges were stacking the dishwasher for possibly the first time.
"Leave that; I'll do it." It was one of the jobs you'd habitually do to fill your time while they slept.
"It's ok, we're done now," Christian declared. "Hi Belikov," he continued, acting as though Dimitri's presence at this time of day, wearing casual clothes, was not unusual. "Rose? Lissa and I are having an early night. We'll see you in the morning."
Lissa smirked as she wished you both a pleasant evening, trailing Christian upstairs, despite the early hour.
If things get hot and heavy you can use the spare room, she trilled through the bond.
You snorted to yourself. That wouldn't be happening. Watching a movie and some hand-holding was one thing, but you wouldn't be having sex while you were on duty.
"Oh God!" you moaned. Straddling Dimitri's lap, his hands were on your hips pushing you down against his hardness as the end of 'Deadpool' played on the screen behind you, neither of you paying it any regard. Lips suckling at the pulse point on your neck, Dimitri growled as you ground against him, the heat of your core rubbing against the bulge in his jeans. Your shirt was unbuttoned, your breasts thrust upward in the sexy lace push-up bra you'd chosen to wear today on the off chance things got this far. Lifting his lips from your neck, Dimitri buried his face in the crease between your breasts, reaching up under your shirt to unfasten your bra. You pulled back. If his lips met your breasts, you wouldn't be able to stop. You were already so close to saying yes, restraint and prudence be damned.
"We can't," you whimpered, wincing as his hands faltered. It wasn't that you didn't want to. But you knew you shouldn't. Couldn't. It would be the ultimate dereliction of duty.
"I know," he grumbled. "It's just been so long. I need you!"
He flexed his hips upward, forcing his cock against your clothed crotch, leaving no ambiguity about what he wanted. And you were so close to giving in. To saying yes. Anything to alleviate this acrimonious affliction of abnegation. It had been six months, almost to the day, since he'd claimed you in the cabin. Your solitary sexual experience, to date, you felt the burden of abstinence every bit as much as he did.
Dragging yourself off his lap, breathing heavily, you started to button your shirt, your hands trembling. Dimitri leaned back against the sofa's back, closing his eyes and breathing through gritted teeth in a blatant attempt to regain his apocryphal control. Because no matter how often you'd heard the stories of Dimitri's legendary restraint, it had always been tenuous, at best, when it came to you.
"You deserve better. We both do," he allowed, his voice stronger than his resolve. You knew he didn't want your second time together to be on a sofa or a spare bed in your charge's home; a quick, furtive coupling, one ear listening out for footsteps on the stairs. You wanted time to cherish each other; to spend long, languorous hours intimately connecting over and over again as you finally avowed the physical side of your love. Even the thought of it reduced you to tears. The desire was so strong, yet the possibility remote.
"I should go," Dimitri said, looking at the time. 11.15 am. He would be back in just over eight hours to start his shift.
"Yes." The word hung heavy between you. It's not that you wanted it. Neither did he. But it was the way it had to be.
"I had a wonderful night," you offered, your voice shaking. "Dimitri? I've missed us so much."
"I've missed us, too," he replied, pulling you into a kiss that was every bit as sweet as the previous ones were not. "We'll work something out… We'll be together soon."
"Soon," you reiterated, leaning your forehead against his, a feeling of hopelessness washing over you. "We'll be together soon," you muttered without any degree of conviction.
"I want all the details!" Lissa demanded bouncing down the stairs to breakfast the next morning.
Expecting you to reveal every titillating, intimate happening, she settled herself at the table as you served her Lady Grey tea.
Somehow last night had been simultaneously too much and not enough. After Dimitri left, you'd found yourself in the downstairs gym, taking your frustrations out on the punching bag for hours. So this morning, all you found yourself with was sore knuckles, a tiny love bite on the upper curve of your left breast (thankfully concealed by your blouse), and a decidedly sour disposition.
"We watched Deadpool. It was ok. A bit violent but you know I like that."
"I don't want to know about the movie! What time did he leave?" Lissa pushed.
"I don't know? Eleven?"
11.26 am. Four minutes shy of three hours after he'd arrived. You'd spent the last five minutes kissing at the front door, not willing for him to stay, yet also not wanting him to depart.
"So what did you do?!" Lissa pushed. "Did you…"
"We talked!" you butted in, giving her a half-truth before her words led your mind to places you weren't yet willing to revisit. How could you explain your mixed feelings at how strong your desires had been? How disgruntled you were to have to deny them because of your duty. Your duty to her.
"We haven't really spoken since he was restored, Liss. I was so in love with him back at the Academy, but he was stolen from me. Then there was Russia, and I thought I'd killed him. He came back, and we restored him, but he wanted nothing to do with me. So much has happened, and I have so many questions. So we talked, ok?!"
You were harsher than you'd intended to be. Christian regarded you shrewdly before giving Lissa a reproving look that told her to butt out.
"Well, as long as it went ok?" she fished, looking at you carefully.
"It did," you confirmed. "Thank you. We both really needed the chance to talk things through."
"Do you think he might visit again?"
"I'm not sure." And you weren't. Lissa, who had everything she wanted, could not understand how painful last night had been. That every kiss, touch, and caress had reminded you of the futility of your situation.
You were beyond grateful when Christian distracted Lissa by reminding her that Tasha was due to visit for a weekend in a fortnight. While she'd visited for lunch, on occasion, this was the first time she'd be staying with the young couple. You just caught Lissa's apprehension through the bond before she put up her defenses, concealing something. But since you didn't get the sense it had anything to do with you, you let it go.
The days after Dimitri's visit were misery. You knew he was as frustrated as you. In fact, Christian noticed and took you aside in a novel attempt to see if everything was ok.
"I know there's more between you and Dimitri than you're letting on," he said in a candid moment while Lissa was upstairs changing into pajamas before coming down to watch a movie. "Are you ok? And is he? You both seem so… tense."
You snorted cynically.
"You can tell me," Christian said with sincerity. "I won't tell Lissa."
His eyes had the look of honesty, so you spilled your guts.
"We're both really frustrated."
"Frustrated?"
"Yes Christian. Frustrated!"
"Oh." His eyes widened as he discerned your meaning. "So you and he have…"
"Once," you whispered. "The day before he was turned at the Academy."
"And you think you might want to again?"
"I don't know," you moaned. "What's the point of starting anything if we can't spend time together? I should just let him go so he can find someone he can go on a date or hang out with," you snapped, walking out of the kitchen indicating the subject closed.
Your whole shift you were troubled. Maybe that's what was preordained to happen? Perhaps fate had decided to disregard your dreams, vindictively reminding you every twelve hours, on the dot, of what you were never meant to claim?
"You're looking a bit… tired?" Lissa probed over breakfast when she woke the next day.
"Can't sleep," you growled into your breakfast cereal, hoping she'd drop the topic.
"Is something worrying you?"
You couldn't tell her your waking hours were long and lonely, primarily spent pondering the pointlessness of your passion, and that your nights were charged with unfulfilled longings – that even your dreams consisted of red-hot desire and a deep Russian baritone voice moaning your name while his hands possessed and claimed every inch of your flesh. Enforced abstinence not a lack of sleep was causing your disquiet.
"It's my dorm window. It's jammed two inches open, and my room faces the Guardian courtyard," you explained, giving a plausible explanation rather than the opprobrious truth. "It's noisy."
It wasn't even a lie. Your third-floor dorm room window had been jammed open for months.
"Have you reported it to maintenance?" Lissa queried sensibly.
"Of course I have," you said glaring at her. Did she think you were stupid?
"Then why hasn't it been fixed?" Lissa asked naively, not comprehending a stuck Guardian window didn't rate on Court's maintenance regime.
"I'm sure they'll get to it," you sighed. Yeah. Sure. Sometime around the second coming.
Lissa pursed her lips disapprovingly. If you didn't know better, you'd think she was censuring you for the lack of action from maintenance. Your suspicions were proven correct the following day. Lissa was lying in wait when you arrived. Secretly cursing her presence, you went through a banal greeting with Dimitri, your eyes the only hint that there were other words you wished you could say to him.
"Guardian Belikov? A moment, please?"
Your eyes flicked to Lissa with trepidation, but try as you might her mind was closed to you.
"Rose has had trouble sleeping. She said her dorm window is stuck open and the noise outside is interfering with her rest. Would you mind taking a look? Rose? Give him your key."
Your eyes widened in dismay, frantically trying to recall the state in which you'd left your room.
"It's really not necessary," you argued. "Maintenance will get to it."
"How long ago did you first report it?" Lissa challenged.
"A while," you admitted with a sigh.
"I'd be delighted to take a look for you, Guardian Hathaway," Dimitri said, a slight smile skirting the edge of his lips, his eyes twinkling.
Recollecting you'd taken time to make the bed, and even put your washing away, you grudgingly handed over your key.
"Thank you, Guardian Belikov. That's very kind."
The Moroi night passed slowly. Usually, Dimitri would text between 9 am and midday, but today there was nothing. You wracked your brain, hoping you'd not left anything incriminating out in your room. Your journal was well hidden, and in any case, you hoped Dimitri would not invade your privacy to that extent. By the time 7.30 pm rolled around, you were almost climbing the walls, your imagination creating increasingly incredible scenarios to explain the lack of messages.
"Guardian Hathaway," Dimitri greeted, right on the dot of half past seven.
"Guardian Belikov," you replied, checking his face for any sign of emotion. However, his face was annoyingly bereft of clues.
"I was able to fix your window," he said casually, eyes locking with yours.
"Oh! Guardian Belikov! That's good news," Lissa said smugly, rounding the corner from the kitchen and stepping into the living room to witness your artless exchange. "Say thank you, Rose."
Through the bond, you could feel Lissa's disapprobation. Despite all but ordering his assistance, she saw Dimitri's act as a kind gesture and believed you to be unduly unenthusiastic in response.
"Thank you, Guardian Belikov," you said formally, your eyes declaring a more animated rejoinder as you took your key from his outstretched hand.
"It was my pleasure," he replied, his voice lingering suggestively on the final syllables. "Anything to report?"
"Nothing. I will be back at 7.30 am," you said, once again the model of decorum and efficiency. "And Dimitri? Thank you."
There was a spring in your step as you walked through the twilight back to the older Guardian dorms and your room. Smaller and more dilapidated than the block where Dimitri was accommodated, you knew you were quartered there as one more punishment for your previous transgressions. But it didn't bother you. It was a place to sleep.
A place to sleep that was redolent with the scent of fresh flowers! Opening your door and staring at your room in wonderment, it was vastly different to how you'd left it twelve and a half hours ago. The intractable window was closed, and in front of it on your table was a gorgeous bunch of gardenia and lilac filling the space with a delicate ambrosial scent.
Next to the flowers was a single white plate with a paper bag on top. You smiled, hopeful about its contents. You opened your closet door, happy to discover everything within undisturbed. Finally, your eyes rested upon a folded note situated in the middle of your pillow. Shucking off your jacket and kicking off your shoes you flopped back onto your bed. Almost instantly you were surrounded by Dimitri's intoxicating aroma. He must have laid down here.
Holding the note aloft, your eyes scanned the decorative Russian cursive - unfamiliar yet beautiful to the eye, even in English.
Roza,
I have lined the tracks of your window with candle wax, so it opens and closes easily now. I also oiled the doors, changed the washers in your bathroom and put graphite in your lock so it should operate more smoothly.
I missed our texting. I hope you've had a pleasant shift.
Sweet dreams, my beautiful. My thoughts will be with you,
Dimitri
Dimitri must have had your key copied, because every few days after that, you'd come home after work to find a new treat. More flowers. Doughnuts. Once he'd washed and folded your clothing, your sheer lace underwear neatly folded on top of the stack of other items. Knowing he'd been touching the sheer scraps of fabric that covered your most intimate places did things to you, and as you'd carefully put away your washing you'd wondered whether he'd been likewise affected.
Yesterday you came home to find a cute teddy bear with fur the exact same shade as Dimitri's hair. You were relieved you didn't share a room, so no one was there to attest you'd spent the whole night cuddling it. After the first visit, he never left a note, but you knew it was him. And you couldn't help but love him all the more for it.
You sighed as you shimmied into your fitted black pants, selecting a white lacey bra and a slightly transparent white top. Professional but pretty. Everything had been going so well. While you'd not had another movie night, your texting had resumed and was getting more loaded with each passing day. You were scheduled to dine together this evening at Lissa and Christian's, which would have been perfect if Tasha was not going to be there.
You grimaced, already envisaging Tasha's verbal barbs delivered with her usual impeccant demeanor. You just hoped Dimitri would be able to see through it because you were already not in the mood.
Taking the time to do your hair in long loose curls before pulling it back into a half up, half down style with a barrette, you added mascara, a little eyeliner, and a pretty lip gloss. Just because you were on duty didn't mean you had to look like you hadn't tried.
Mentally girding for Tasha to try her worst, you walked over to Lissa's place, arriving a moment or two before 7.30. You were about to knock when you heard Tasha's contrived giggle through the front door. A series of trilling tones that were meant to indicate amusement, Tasha made it sound more contrary than convivial. Tapping with a little more vehemence than required, you were gratified that it was Dimitri who greeted you.
"Good evening Guardian Belikov," you said softly, a tender smile on your lips.
"Guardian Hathaway," he replied, his eyes drinking you in. "You look beautiful tonight," he complimented in an undertone.
"Thank you. I thought I should dress up a little since we have guests this evening." You looked up at him through your eyelashes.
"Dimka?! Who's at the door?" Tasha called out. You suppressed the sarcastic comment you were about to make, letting Dimitri take your coat and hang it beside his own before the two of you walked through to the living room.
"Guardian Hathaway is here," Dimitri said sonorously, his lips caressing your name.
"Oh good! Then you're off duty! Come sit down, Dimka. We haven't had a chance to chat in ages!"
"Nice to see you, Lady Ozera," you said cordially, refusing to allow her to ignore you as you walked through to the kitchen to let Christian and Lissa know you were there. Tasha muttered something that with a generous spirit might have been interpreted as a greeting before focusing all her attention on Dimitri.
In the kitchen, Christian was cooking while Lissa was pulling out the best crystal, flatware and her parents' fine china.
"I haven't used any of it since they died," Lissa said a little sadly. "I sent for it the other day. Since it's a family dinner tonight, I thought it was time."
You dropped an arm around Lissa's slender frame, leaning your head against hers.
"Your Mom would like that," you reassured her. "Remember how she always said you should use the good china for family, not guests because they're the ones who really matter?"
Lissa nodded, her wistful eyes meeting yours before forcing a smile to her lips.
"Come on, then. Help me set it all up."
The two of you moved everything to the dining room, carefully laying the table.
"Since there's five of us, I thought Christian at the head of the table, me on one side, Tasha on the other? Then Guardian Belikov next to Tasha and you beside me?" Lissa's tone was cautious, giving you the opportunity to object.
"That sounds great, Lissa," you with a distinct lack of alacrity. Lissa's plan would place Dimitri beside Tasha, but he'd be opposite you. Since you were willing to wager Tasha would attempt to monopolize all his attention at dinner, at least this way you could watch Dimitri without being overt about it.
In the end, dinner was not as bad as you'd imagined it. It was so much worse. It started with Tasha's feigned surprise that there was a place setting for you, given you were on duty. Put in her place by a none too subtle rebuke from Christian, Tasha spent the next hour excluding you from the conversation at every turn.
"You're very quiet tonight, Rose," Christian noted facetiously after Tasha yet again spoke over you. "Is everything well in your room since Dimitri fixed it?"
Your eyes met chocolate brown pools across the tabletop, and a smile graced your lips.
"It is. No more door squeaks, stuck windows, leaky taps or sticky locks. Guardian Belikov was very thorough, thank you."
Your words were for Christian, but the message was for Dimitri.
"You asked Dimka to play handyman in your room? Surely that's what maintenance is for?" Tasha said sharply, the look you and Dimitri shared not lost on her.
"I suggested it," Lissa said guilelessly, incognizant to the undercurrent in the room. "Guardian Belikov has been so helpful fixing things around here, and I knew he wouldn't mind."
"I didn't," Dimitri immediately confirmed. "It was my absolute pleasure to be of assistance."
Tasha bristled, so Christian quickly introduced another topic of conversation.
"So Tasha – you didn't tell us why you've decided to visit Court for the weekend? Usually, you make it a day trip."
Tasha's eyes lit with triumph, and you could tell she was about to reveal her winning hand.
"Well actually, an old friend of mine is visiting Court for a few days. A friend of Dimka's, too, as it happens. I thought I'd come visit you lovebirds for the weekend, and Dimka and I could go out tonight with our old friend Pyotr."
"Pyotr is in town?" Dimitri asked with the first glimpse of genuine enthusiasm he'd displayed all evening other than his greeting when you had arrived.
"Yes!" Tasha squealed, clapping her hands. "I'm meeting up with him and Anna at The Shark Bar at 10 am, and I promised them I'd bring you along!"
"I'd like to see them," Dimitri said with a grin. He looked across the table to you and explained, "Pyotr was Ivan's favorite cousin, and Anna is his wife. He's a lot older than me, but we always got along well."
A tightening of Tasha's face was your only satisfaction. Tasha had played her part to perfection, and there was no doubt Dimitri would be escorting her out on the town this evening.
"So how do you know Pyotr, Lady Ozera?" you asked with saccharine sweetness. "Were you in the same year at school?"
"Yes, we were at St. Basil's together," she said archly, the lack of denial about the year confirming your suspicion. Your victory, alas, was shortlived when she grabbed Dimitri's arm, stroking it as she cooed, "I can't wait to go out and see our friends! It's been too long!"
You dropped your gaze to the dish in front of you, seeking bitter consolation in Christian's excellent raspberry and white chocolate pudding. Plans were made around you as you ate; Dimitri was to return to his dorm and change while a feeder arrived for Lissa, Christian, and Tasha. When he returned, Dimitri and Tasha would leave for their night out with friends.
You were clearing the table when Dimitri left, so you let the feeder in and started on the dishes, having long ago been taught by Rhea that the gold-rimmed dishes needed to be washed by hand. However, it was all you could do to stop yourself pitching a plate in a fit of pique when you overheard Lissa's voice drifting through from the living room offering Tasha first visit with the feeder.
"Thank you, sweetie! I will go first if you don't mind? That way I can get ready for my date with Dimka!"
Many thanks to ohorpheuss and martianeskimo for pre-reading!