The moment I heard the knock on my door, my heart started racing. Gosh, I felt like I was sixteen again. I opened the door, and smiled at him. He was dressed in jeans and a dark t-shirt, and had his hair pulled back into a neat pony tail at the nape of his neck. He smiled.
"Hello Rose."
"Hey." I said, looking away from his eyes.
"Are you ready to go?"
"Sure." I said, walking out and shutting my door behind me. As we got outside, and too the vans, he walked around and opened the passenger's side door for me.
"You look beautiful tonight." He said. I smiled.
"Thanks." I said, getting in and allowing him to close the door behind me. He walked around and got in, heading off. "So, where are we going?"
"It's a surprise." He said. I sighed.
"I hate surprises… Although I'm sure you already know that." I said, a bitter edge to my voice. He smiled, and nodded.
"I do." He assured me.
"Of course."
"So… anything you want to know about us, since we're on the subject of things I know and you don't?" He asked. He was trying to keep the situation light, and I could see that. I played along.
"How long did we know each other before we started falling in love?" I asked. He shrugged.
"Your timing might be different than mine. I knew you were something special, different the moment I found you and Lissa. As we trained, and I got to know you more and more, I guess is when it started happening. I can't exactly speak for you, although… you really can't say either, huh?" I sighed.
"Nope." I said, popping the 'p'. He smiled.
"Anything else?"
"Did anyone… like adult-wise every find out about us at school?" I asked him. He nodded.
"Alberta knew."
"And she didn't turn you… us in?" I asked. He shook his head.
"No. She didn't. She trusted that me and you were a good team. She watched us grow as a duo, and as friends, and knew me and you were perfect for each other. She gave me her blessing before we left."
"Woah." I said. He smiled.
"She trusted me. She trusted that I'd take care of you and keep you in check, which I have. It's not easy keeping a Hathaway under control." He said, poking me. I smiled.
"Hathaway's aren't meant to be controlled."
"Tell me about it." He muttered. I smiled. When he pulled into a parking lot, I looked to notice the restaurant we were at. I smiled. It was a small Italian restaurant just outside of town. It was quaint and had a homey feel to it. It was definitely my favorite place to eat.
"This is my—." He cut me off.
"Favorite restaurant." He finished. I rolled my eyes.
"Of course." I muttered. We went in, and sat down. The waitress took our drink order and disappeared.
"So, how have you been doing? Your head been hurting anymore?" He asked. I shook my head.
"No. My heads just fine, thanks." I said, smirking.
"You're heads never been fine, Rose. You've always had something wrong with you." He said.
"Ouch." I said. He winked at me. It was fun being with him when he was in a light mood like this. It made this feel normal, easy. I wondered if this was how it was before I forgot everything.
"I'm glad you decided to come with me tonight." He said.
"I'm glad I came."
"I was worried you were going to turn me down."
"I would have been worried too if I were you." I said, smirking. He rolled his dark eyes at me. The waitress brought back our drinks and took our orders. I couldn't help notice she was a little bit too friendly with him.
"So… anything else you would like to know about your past?"
"That's not a question most people hear." I said. He shrugged.
"We've always known you were different." He said. I growled a little at him. He smiled.
"It's still so weird, not knowing."
"I would imagine so." He said. "An entire part of your life's been taken."
"And I hate it."
"Me too." He murmured so low I could barely hear him. I ignored the comment. It wasn't long before the waitress brought back our food; he looked over at me, and smiled.
"What?" I asked. He shook his head.
"Nothing." He murmured. I rolled my eyes, but nodded.
"Why was it you decided to step in for me, when Kirova was ready to throw me out?" I asked.
"From the moment I met you, out on the street when we caught you and Lissa, I saw this flame, this spark in you that I'd never seen in another novice. I saw the potential in you that Kirova was so ready to throw away. I wasn't going to let that happen. I knew you had the potential to be amazing, and you've done nothing but prove me right so far." He said. I smiled. The way he talked about me was so endearing, it made my heart swell. I hated that I had nothing like that to say to him.
"What made you fall in love with me?" I asked. He looked up from his plate of food, and met my eyes. I smiled timidly.
"Everything about you. You're amazing in every which way I can think of. You're perfect." I felt my cheeks get hot, and suddenly, I was very interested in the food on my plate. He reached across the table, and touched my cheek gently with his hand. "You're what I've been looking for my entire life, Rose."
"You found me." I said, smirking.
"I did. I found you in the last place I thought I would."
"The academy?" I asked. He nodded. After we finished eating, he paid and we headed back to the van. The drive back was pretty silent. When we got back to court, he walked me back to my room.
"Thank you for tonight. I had a really good time."
"Me too. Thank you for going. I was honestly surprised you didn't turn me down." He told me. I chuckled.
"No. I wouldn't do that."
"We'll I'll see you around." He said. I nodded.
"I guess so." I knew if I was going to do it, I couldn't think about it. If I did, I'd chicken out. I reached up on my tip-toes, and pressed my lips gently to his. When I pulled away, he smiled and touched my face.
"Goodnight Roza." He murmured. I chuckled.
"Goodnight." I whispered, before walking into my room, and closing the door behind me. I stood there for a second with my back against the door. I reached up and touched my lips gently, smiling to myself. The moment my lips touched his, this electric current shot through my body. I could still taste him. I shook my head, and giggled walking into my bedroom, and getting comfortable. I lay back on my bed, and before I knew it, I was asleep. I only knew this because I was on a beach again with Adrian. He smiled.
"Hey little Dhampir." I smiled.
"Hey."
"Heard Dimitri had a hot date tonight?" He said. I nodded, twirling my hair around my finger.
"Yeah, he did." I said, giving him my best man-eater smile. He chuckled.
"Hot indeed." He said. I grinned. "How are you doing with everything?"
"I'm coping." I told him.
"And you and Dimitri?"
"We're… working." I said.
"Working?"
"We've been doing good so far. He's been helpful." I said.
"Helpful?" Adrian asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not that kind of helpful." I said, picking up a shell and throwing it at him. He smiled.
"I'm glad you're doing better."
"I still can't remember anything though." I muttered. It still bothered me a lot more than I showed. He shrugged.
"Your memory might come back soon. You never know."
"I hope so." I murmured.
"I'll let you get your rest. I'll see you around." He said. I nodded.
"Goodnight Adrian."
"Night little Dhampir." He said, as the dream world faded and I was back in my own bed. I curled up underneath my blankets, and closed my eyes, slowly falling back to sleep.
