a/n: Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to review! :) I hope you enjoy this chapter.


Dimitri forced back his surprise and studied her for a moment before nodding. "Of course." He gave Hattie's leash a slight pull. "Come on, girl," he said as he ascended the steps. He pulled his keys out and slid the right one into the lock.

"I was hoping we could talk out here," Rose said.

Dimitri turned to look at her. "Have you had breakfast yet?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

He grinned at her. "Well, I am."

"I won't take much of your time," she promised.

"You can have all the time you want," he said softly, troubled by what he saw. Her lack of makeup revealed the dark circles under her eyes. That, coupled with her paler than normal skin, weren't just from too much to drink last night. She was exhausted. He stepped through the entry and held the screen door open for her. "Rose?" he prompted when she didn't move.

She took a deep breath and walked up the steps, then followed him inside.


Rose was jarred from studying the masculine décor of his apartment by the sound of the door shutting behind her. She turned around as Dimitri reached behind his neck and tugged his sweatshirt off over his head; his t-shirt rose up over his stomach, giving her a glimpse of his perfectly sculpted abs.

He hung the sweatshirt up on the hook behind the door, then turned around. "Can I take yours?" he asked her as he held his hand out.

Rose took a step back. "I won't be here long," she insisted.

He shrugged and started walking away.

"Dimitri-"

"I liked it last night when you called me professor," he said without breaking stride. Rose had no choice but to follow.

"Are you sure you're not hungry?" he asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"I'm sure," Rose answered as she watched him pull a pan off a hook on the wall, spray it with some olive oil, and then put it on the stove.

"Suit yourself," he said as he ducked into the fridge and came out with a carton of eggs, pre-chopped onions and peppers.

"Look—"

"Did you go home with Tony last night?" he asked without looking up from cracking open an egg, then separating the white from the yolk.

Rose didn't bother to try and hide her surprise. "Not that it's any of your business, but no, I didn't go home with him."

Dimitri nodded. "Good to know."

Rose shoved her hands deeper into her hoodie pockets and stood there. "Are you going to cook, or are you going to talk to me?" she asked.

"I'm going to do both," he said as he poured the egg whites in the pan and stirred them around with a black, plastic spatula.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea," Rose said. She wanted answers, but he seemed intent on ignoring her.

"You said you have questions, Rose," Dimitri reminded her. "I'm guessing I'm the only one who can answer them."

Rose took a deep breath, and then absently licked her lips. "Were you with me because of what happened with Mark?" she asked.

"Who?"

"Don't play stupid," Rose said angrily. "I know Christian told you everything about what happened to me the night I was attacked. Including who did it."

"Why would you think that was why I was with you?" he pressed.

"Because one minute you were telling me I was a mistake, and then the next minute you were in my apartment cooking me dinner and you wouldn't leave," she pointed out. "Until that happened, you were insistent we never see each other outside of the classroom again." She hated rehashing anything from their past; it was a testament to how much she remembered about her time with him. The last thing Rose wanted was for him to know how much time she'd spent thinking about him.

"Roza-"

"Rose," she persisted.

"I knew I needed to stay away from you, Rose. I tried to stay away from you," Dimitri reminded her. "And for a little while, it worked. Until I either ended up drunk or...until Mark happened. Those were just reasons to be with you again," he informed her.

"So it was about sex," she stated.

Dimitri laughed. "No. Except for the first time, Rose, it was never about sex."

"I don't believe you," she said.

He turned the burner off and dumped his scrambled egg whites with onions and green peppers onto a plate, then walked over to the table and sat down. "I don't blame you. I gave you every reason to doubt me."

When she didn't say anything, he looked up from his plate. "Rose?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Christian said he broke your nose," she said so lowly he barely heard her.

"And gave me a black eye," he confirmed.

"You didn't fight back."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I deserved a broken nose. And the black eye."

Rose fisted her hands in frustration, her nails digging into her palms. It was like his words were bolts of lightning striking all around her, but his tone was so flat she wanted to scream. Instead, she laughed miserably. "This is just like when you told me you were leaving. You're just sitting there like it's a...typical Saturday morning. Like we're discussing the fucking weather. I don't...I don't even know why I came. I'm sorry I wasted your time. And mine."

She'd barely taken two steps when she heard the legs of his chair scrape across the floor, the sound of his footsteps as he advanced. He grabbed her arm and swung her around, then pushed her against the wall of the kitchen. She gasped when he stepped forward, his body pressing into hers. She had to tilt her head back to look at him.

"Is this the kind of reaction you want, Roza?" he asked.

All she could do was blink as she stared up at him. Her breaths started coming in little pants as he lifted his hand to her face, his fingers tangled in her hair while his thumb caressed her cheek. She bit her lip in an effort to hide her reaction from him.

"I thought you would forget me," he said.

Rose was surprised by the desperation in his voice.

"I thought you'd think about me for a few months, then move on. I was pushing you; I knew I was pushing you. Hell, I think I could have talked you into telling me you loved me before you were ready. You were young, Rose; for all I knew, I was an infatuation for you."

Rose had to choke back a sob at his words.

"I didn't realize that five years later, you'd still be thinking of me. Hell, I didn't realize that a year later you'd be thinking about me. If I'd known, I swear to fucking God, Roza I would have found you!"

The sob she'd been so desperate to hold back finally escaped, and she used every ounce of strength she had to try and push him away; Dimitri, of course, didn't budge. "For what, Dimitri? I may have still been broken, but I wasn't desperate! A year later? God, I was probably in bed with someone else, because there have been a lot of someone elses since you," she announced.

"I don't care about that, Rose—"

She laughed miserably. "I didn't care about any of them, either. Hell, I didn't even know some of their names."

"Roza," he rasped as the hand on the back of her head tightened.

She tried to shake him off; he wouldn't let go.

His thumb resumed stroking her cheek, and his eyes darkened as they locked on hers.

"Please don't kiss me."

Her words were a desperate plea; she hated herself for the way they sounded.

With a resigned look, he dropped his hand and took a step back.

As soon as she gained physical space, she pushed away from the wall and fled.