AN: Hello everyone! I'm really sorry for going MIA on you guys! I've been busy with work and school, the usual. :/
I was also stuck writing this chapter. I guess 3rd times the charm, right?
Well anyways, a HUGE round of applause goes out to my awesomely wonderfully fantastical beta hbarker. Not only did she keep me on track, she always makes these chapters sooo much better, TRUST ME! If you haven't done so already, please check out her awesome story, Sunsets & Roses. It really is a page turner!
I'd like to give thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this story, and a special thanks to those of you who have followed, favorited and especially reviewed! I love hearing from you guys!
Shout out to bondjinjit, taybaby2111, and who checked in on me and made sure I continue!
And I'm going to go total fan girl right now! I just recently noticed this humble story is being followed by Mitrioselove and I got reviews from Gigi256! I feel so incredibly special guys! So thank you!
Well anyways, I'm done boring you with my thoughts. Here's the next chapter:
"I'm really sorry, Dimitri," Lissa said apologetically, eyes brimming with unshed tears. While Lissa is a kind person, she never shows too much emotion, unless alcohol is involved.
Hating to see Lissa upset, I sigh and place a hand on her shoulder. "Lissa, I'm fine, really," giving her shoulder a light squeeze for further emphasis.
Though Lissa looks skeptical, she nods and informs me she is going to look for Christian, leaving me to my thoughts. I am not left alone to brood for too long; as soon as Lissa leaves, an inebriated Adrian and a tipsy Ivan join me.
"Hey man, who was that hot little number that you were talking to before?" Ivan asks. Though not standing very close, I can smell the vodka-soaked breath.
This comment elicits an eye-roll from me and a wolf-whistle from Adrian. Not wanting to get into it, I evade Ivan's questioning with a non-committal shrug. Ivan, not having it, presses on, much to my chagrin. I'm surprised that Ivan doesn't know Rose, and I realize that Lissa has kept that information to herself, to help me save face in front of my friends. For that, I am grateful.
"Come on man, who is she?" Ivan asks, giving me a nudge with his elbow, encouraging me to speak.
Knowing they're not going to give up until I give in, I finally respond, "Rose."
"Rose? Hmm…," Adrian taps his chin in a mock contemplative manner. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet," Adrian slurs jovially, emphasizing the word Rose, much to my annoyance.
"What was that?" Ivan snickers, while I stare unabashedly at Adrian.
Adrian holds his head up regally. "That was Shakespeare," he replies, as if it's a crime that we don't recognize it. Though I do, I just can't believe Adrian was quoting Shakespeare in his drunken stupor, although I shouldn't be too surprised.
Ivan snickers at Adrian's response and turns back to me. Like the inquisition, no question will be left unanswered tonight. I have warring feelings of amusement and annoyance. Though my face betrays nothing; I only show cool indifference. "So?" Ivan says, coaxing me to continue.
Though, not wanting to reveal much, I mimic him. "So?"
"Well, did you get her number?" Ivan spits out, as both he and Adrian stare at me expectantly.
Looking at both Ivan and Adrian, I decide whether I should tell them the truth or a lie. I decide on the truth. "Yes."
"And?"
"And, what?"
"So, when are you going to call her? Ask her out. Don't do it right now, Dimitri. You don't want to seem desperate. I know it's been a while since you've got some, but she doesn't have to know that," Ivan chides, very much like a father would do to their son.
"I don't want to have sex with her, Ivan," I say deadpan. This statement elicits loud snorts from both men, while they look at me incredulously. I sigh in exasperation and frustration. It shows in both my eyes and the pinching of the bridge of my nose. Both men are well versed in my nuances.
"Well, what's the problem?" Ivan continues.
I feel as if I'm being interrogated. "There is no problem," I grit out, though my tone betrays me.
"Obviously there is," Ivan says.
It's almost as if he can read my mind, I muse. I decide to tell them the truth, because if I were honest with myself, I know they will find out sooner or later. I'd rather just get it over with at this point. I clear my throat and take a large swig of vodka before setting it down. I turn to signal Mia that I would like another drink. I catch her eye, and she nods in understanding. I then turn to my expectant friends and tell them what I've been avoiding since they approached me. "She's dating Jesse."
Adrian, who has mostly been an onlooker, bobbing his head back and forth between Ivan and I, almost spits out his drink. "Wait a minute. Wait one minute. You mean Jesse? As in his Jesse, Jesse?" he says, pointing at Ivan. "Ivan's cousin, Jesse Zeklos?" he says, laughing, causing my jaw to tic.
"Distant cousin," Ivan interjects.
Though distant or not, the fact of the matter is Rose is still with him. "Yes," I snap. "The same Jesse Zeklos." Just saying his name leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. To be fair, it really isn't Jesse's fault. He met her first, but I still can't help the resentful feelings that threaten to engulf me.
Lissa didn't tell me how Rose and Jesse met, though I suspect she wasn't directly involved. Jesse has been an acquaintance for several years, seeing as he is Ivan's cousin. Though I don't have any problem with Jesse, we don't see eye to eye on many things, including how he treats women, and those he considers to be 'beneath him'. Though he's never offended me, or any of my loved ones, I find the way he treats other people detestable.
Ever since Jesse was young, he's had a sense of entitlement, due to the fact that he comes from 'old money'. Both Zeklos men are set to inherit a fortune. However, unlike Ivan, Jesse has never had a stable job in his entire life. In a sense, he is somewhat like Adrian. However, where Adrian is fun loving, carefree, and a genuinely good person; Jesse is arrogant, crude, and at times cruel.
Nonetheless, he can be charming when he wishes, especially when it comes to beautiful women. He has the Zeklos physical features. He's six-feet tall with blond hair and blue eyes. His appearance is best described as "a surfer boy," for lack of a better comparison. For these reasons, many women fall prey to Jesse's charms. It seems Rose is amongst them, and unfortunately there is nothing I could do. "Where are Christian and Lissa?" I say, deciding to change the subject.
"Probably in a dark corner having sex or something," Adrian says cavalierly.
"Adrian," I chastise.
"What?" he holds his hands up in mock surrender. "Just saying what everyone's thinking."
"I think they're there," Ivan says, pointing toward the middle of the dance floor. The couple are bumping and grinding to the music, their display at little too intimate for public viewing.
"Well, they're not in a dark corner yet, but they will be," Adrian snorts. "Come on, let's go break up those love birds and have some fun."
I turn to Mia, who has left my drink in front of me and is taking care of another patron. I'm about to pick up my drink after I leave my money on the bar, when a hand swoops in and takes it from me. Before I can do anything, Adrian chugs the vodka, making a refreshing sound. He swipes his hand across with mouth with his sleeve and grins at me shamelessly.
"That was mine," I growl.
Giving me his signature lazy grin, he winks and says, "I know. Drinks always taste better free."
Shaking my head, I head toward Lissa and Christian. As they see us approaching, they subtly pull apart. It appears Lissa's mood has improved.
"Hey, Chris," I say, shaking his hand.
"Hey man, how are you?" he says, pulling me into a half hug.
I glance over at Lissa with suspicion, as Christian's hug is out of character. Judging by the guilty look on her face, I realize she told him. Though I'm not surprised, I would've preferred she not say anything. "I'm good. Though I'm surprised everyone came here tonight," I respond.
"You kidding? The fun hasn't even begun yet! Just wait until Adrian's drunk enough," he says with a smirk. "Speaking of," he says, pointing out Adrian, who is hovering over a table with a large notebook in his hands. He seems to be contemplating something. "The show is about to begin."
Adrian, who seems to have made his decision, heads over to the stage and says something to the man playing host. He then makes his way nonchalantly to us.
"What was that about?" I ask.
"You'll see," is his only response before turning to a petite blonde that walks past. "Hey, I don't think I've seen you here before," Adrian murmurs, as he starts to walk away.
However, before Adrian gets too far, the man on stage announces, "Adrian? Will Adrian please come to the stage?"
He makes his way to the front, followed by a large round of applause. Adrian proceeds to bow in every direction, and it is apparent he has done this several times before.
"So Adrian, why don't you tell your fans what you're singing tonight?" the man asks.
"Sure, Mason," Adrian replies, before taking the microphone as Mason walks off stage. "I'm going to sing 'I am not a whore' by LMFAO, for all you handsey women out there!" Adrian says with his most debonair smile. The crowd begins to cheer, shout, and I hear a few wolf whistles from some women back at the bar. Adrian seems to truly be in his element. He has a cool confident look, with his signature grin, as the music starts. Adrian begins to sing, "I am not a whore."
The crowd goes wild, though I'm not sure why. Adrian has one of the worst singing voices I've ever heard. It's almost painful to hear. When the lyrics get to the part, "but I like to do it", Adrian starts thrusting his hips. I hear a couple women yell "take it off" which only makes Adrian get more into the song. By the end, he has a thin sheen of sweat and is panting.
Mason joins Adrian on the stage. "That was Adrian, everybody! Let's give him another round of applause, and please ladies, no panties this time!" Mason jokes. The crowd claps, Adrian bows and saunters off the stage.
"And that," Christian gestures toward the stage, "was just the beginning."
True to Christian's word, Adrian's performances become more and more brazen. His demeanor worsens with the more alcohol he consumes. At one point, during one of his performances, he begins to unbutton his shirt, at the behest of the women gathered in front of the stage.
"Those are his groupies," Christian explains.
"Groupies?" I ask.
Ivan nods. "He's very popular at this bar, Dimka."
I can't help myself and ask, "Why?"
Ivan laughs at my blunt question and shrugs. "Absolutely no clue."
Once it starts approaching midnight, I decide to leave, and Ivan follows suit. After all, we do have jobs to be at in the morning. Lissa reluctantly says she's leaving too, while Christian tries to convince her to stay a little longer. "Come on babe, we've both been working a lot, and we haven't been able to spend much time together."
Feeling bad for Christian, as I hear his plea, I say, "Lissa, you should stay."
"Oh no, Dimitri, I work tomorrow, too."
"It's okay. Ivan and I will survive without you." I smile and give her a playful wink, while Ivan nods in agreement. Lissa immediately brightens and hugs Ivan and myself.
We say our goodbyes to Christian and Lissa. I want to say goodbye to Adrian, but find it rather difficult, as he was surrounded by women.
"Come on," Ivan says, leading me toward the exit. "There's no way you'll get to him anytime soon. He's too preoccupied."
We share a cab ride home, seeing as my place is on the way to Ivan's.
"So? What did you think?" Ivan asks.
My only response was, "It was different."
Ivan sighs, "It was, wasn't it?"
Ivan leans his head back in the seat, his eyes on his phone. I hear it ping several times, indicating he's text messaging someone. I don't ask who it is. I know if it's someone Ivan is serious about, he'll talk to me.
We get to my place, and as I'm about to say goodnight, Ivan interrupts me. "Dimka, I'm sorry man, but I don't think I'm going to training tomorrow morning."
I chuckle and instead arrange to meet Ivan during my evening workout. When I'm finally inside my apartment, I have just enough energy to change into my pajama bottoms and fall into bed. As sleep is about to claim me, I hear a beep from my phone. Curious, given the hour, I grab the device from the nightstand. When I see who it is, however, I can't help the unbidden smile that creeps across my face.
You still owe me that drink Comrade.
After texting back and forth for a while longer, and then wishing her goodnight, I can't help but think that maybe there's still hope for me after all. With that last thought, I let sleep consume me.
AN: What did you guys think about Jesse? And Adrian? Lol, I'm not sure about you guys, but I've been to a karaoke bar before where the singer is HORRIBLE, and they have TONS of people cheering them on, I guess it's about the energy and having fun? Right? So I figured, who better to be outgoing and fun loving than Adrian? Plus the man's a charmer.
I had to throw poor Dimitri a bone at the end after he found that Rose is dating Jesse. So what does this mean guys? Where do you want to see it go? Do you want to see more of Rose the next chapter? Maybe Tasha? Muahahahaa!
I'm open to suggestions, as the next chapter isn't set in stone.
So, I've noticed a lot of my favorite writers post questions to interact more with their readers. I love this idea, because I'd love to hear from all of you! So my question is, what's your favorite TV show of all time (old or new)?
My favorite TV show would have to be a tie between Breaking Bad [I'm a chemist and it was awesome! ;) ] and Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23. Don't Trust the B**** was HILARIOUS! They had an awesome cast, good plot, I'm sad it didn't do better. :(
Until next time!