Thank you for the reviews! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

CHAPTER 11

RPOV

"Christian, I need your advice."

"Oh no. What did you do this time?" he said warily.

"Nothing," I exclaimed. I realized how loud I was talking and added in a hushed voice, "I didn't do anything!"

I was sitting on the bathroom floor while Dimitri was reading in the other room. I hadn't wanted him to hear this conversation so I'd moved to the bathroom for some privacy.

"What's wrong, then?" Christian asked.

"Dimitri's acting strange," I said sighing.

"You mean the tall guy?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. And will you please stop calling him that?"

"Fine, fine. What do you mean, he's acting strange?"

"Well, we had this little incident yesterday and now-"

"What kind of incident?" Christian asked slowly.

Damn. I really didn't feel like telling this to Christian. He would probably laugh his ass off. "He… He saw me naked," I whispered at last.

"He what?!"

"It was an accident," I said quickly. "He walked in on me while I was in the bathroom. He thought I'd left."

Christian snorted. "Yeah right. He's probably a pervert."

"That's not true. He kept apologizing over and over again and didn't even dare to look at me the rest of the day until I finally said something about it," I said, hugging my knees to my chest. "He was all flustered."

Christian started laughing. "Maybe he's never seen a naked girl before."

"Don't be silly. He's twenty-four," I snapped. "He's just being respectful. And you're one to talk. Like you've ever seen a girl naked before."

"Why are you even calling me about this? I don't really feel comfortable talking about this, you know," he said, quickly changing the subject. "I mean, it's you we're talking about. I don't want to think about you…naked. That's weird."

I groaned. "You wanted to know what happened so I told you. It's your own fault. Now, listen to me. I wasn't finished yet."

He sighed. "Okay. Carry on."

"So when I told him to get over it, he started acting normal again," I continued. "But later that night… We were at this café and we were talking and then, suddenly, I don't know… He was leaning towards me and I think he wanted to kiss me, but I'm not sure."

"This is girl talk," Christian complained. "I can't help you with this, Rose."

"Yes, you can! You're a guy and so is Dimitri. You know how men think," I said, leaning my head against the wall.

"Fine, but I'm only continuing this conversation because you're my best friend," he grumbled. "Remember that."

I smiled. "I will."

"So, what happened next?"

"Dad called so Dimitri pulled away and I went outside to talk to my dad. When I got back, Dimitri was acting all strange again. And it's the same today."

"Well, it seems to me that he likes you, but isn't sure about his feelings yet," he responded.

"You really think so?" I asked, surprised.

"Well, if it's true and he was about to kiss you…"

"I don't know. I might've misread his signals."

"Why are you concerned about this anyway? I thought he was just your friend," Christian said. There was a silence and then a gasp. "You like him, don't you?"

"No," I said quickly. Too quickly.

I could almost hear him grinning through the phone. "Yes, you do."

"Fine, I do," I admitted. It was true. I did like him. A lot. "What am I going to do now?"

Christian sighed. "Well, you could talk to him about it, but…that could get very awkward if he doesn't return your feelings."

"I can't do that. He might leave if he knows I like him," I said. "I don't want to scare him away. And it probably means nothing. It's just a crush."

"Just a crush," he repeated.

"Yes!" I insisted. "I can't help it. The guy is perfect."

"I'm sure he has his faults, too, just like every human being – oh hey, your old man's here. He wants to talk to you."

I frowned. "What? I talked to him last night. And are you at my house again? Are you living there now or what?"

"I'm sorry, Rosie, but I've got to go. Good luck with you know what," he said, a little too cheerful.

"Christian! Come back-"

"Hey Rose. How are you?"

"Oh hi, Dad! I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I miss you, though."

"I miss you too," I mumbled.

"Why was Christian wishing you good luck? Did something happen? Are you in trouble?" Dad questioned.

"No, no," I said quickly. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

"I'd feel so much better if you'd just let Mikhail or-"

"No!" I interrupted. "Don't start again, Dad."

He sighed. "Fine. I won't talk about it. This time."

"I'm sorry, but I have to go now," I said, glancing at my watch. I'd been in here for over half an hour. "I'll call you back later. Unless you're going to start whining about your stupid bodyguards again," I added warningly.

"Why are you so stubborn, Rose?" he sighed. "Anyway, have fun."

"Thanks."

I got up and walked out of the bathroom. Dimitri was sitting on his bed, but instead of reading he was just staring at the wall.

"Umm, Dimitri?" I said, waving my hand awkwardly in front of him.

His head snapped up and he blinked. "Oh, you're back," he said, clearing his throat.

I nodded. "I'm sorry it took so long."

"It's fine," he said, getting up. "So… You ready to leave?"

"Yes, let's go," I said as I followed him out of our room.

DPOV

I let out a heavy sigh as I looked back at where Rose was sitting on a bench. I was waiting in line for ice creams and from here, I had a perfect view to watch her. I kept telling myself I was just watching her because I had to keep an eye on her and see if nobody was bothering her, but I knew I was only watching her because I wanted to and not because of my job.

I groaned inwardly and turned away from her. I hadn't slept at all last night. I'd kept thinking about what had happened yesterday. About how I'd almost kissed her and when I'd walked in on her in the bathroom… It was frustrating and I wanted it to get out of my head. I wanted her to get out of my head. I didn't want to feel this way about her.

But…was that true? I couldn't give it much thought right now, because it was finally my turn. Rose was still sitting in the same spot when I got back with our ice creams. She didn't look so happy as usual. I wondered if it was my fault.

I'd been acting strange all day. I was trying to keep my distance – and failed sometimes – and I wondered if that was a good idea. I'd become a good friend to her and now I was acting all weird and she probably thought she'd done something wrong while she hadn't at all. It was my fault I was acting like this, because I couldn't figure out what I was feeling for her. I should just act like I always did around her and try to keep my feelings in check. She shouldn't suffer because I was confused about my feelings for her.

"Hey," I said, nudging her shoulder. "Here's your ice cream."

She gave me a small smile. "Thanks."

I tried to come up with something to tell, something that would make her smile some more, but I didn't know what. So instead, I ate my ice cream in silence.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked after a while. "You've been really quiet. Did I do something or-"

"No," I said quickly. "No, of course not. I just… I didn't sleep well."

"Oh." Rose looked up at me and said, hesitant, "So we're okay?"

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know," she said shrugging.

Before I could stop myself, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her to my side. "Smile, Roza. I'm not mad at you if that's what you think," I said. "Like I said, I didn't sleep well. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"You didn't. I was just wondering why you were so quiet," she said, licking her ice cream.

After we'd eaten our ice cream, we went back to the flea market because we hadn't seen everything yet. And Rose wanted to see everything. She didn't buy anything, though.

As we walked around the market, I suddenly came across something I knew she would like. She was a few feet away from me, looking at some jewelry. If I was quick, I could buy it without her seeing it.

I'd just tucked it in my pocket when Rose walked back to me. I quickly steered her away from the booth. She looked back so I tried to distract her by dragging her to a candy booth. Like I'd hoped, she forgot all about the other booth when she saw all the candy in front of her.

When we arrived at the hostel later that evening, Rose collapsed onto her bed. "I think I ate too much candy," she moaned.

"Then why are you still eating candy?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Because it's yummy," she said grinning as she popped another gummy bear into her mouth.

I sat down on the edge of her bed. "I've got something for you."

She shot up. "You got something for me? Really?"

I smiled. "Yes."

"What?" she asked, curious and excited.

My smile grew wider and I took the temporary tattoo out of my pocket. "I saw this at one of the booths and I knew you wanted a tattoo, but you told me your father would kill you if you got one. So I thought you could get a temporary instead."

"Oh my God, Dimitri," she gasped, looking at the tattoo.

"This was the only decent one," I said. "The rest was all kid stuff. Hope you don't mind a butterfly."

"No, not at all," she said grinning. "It's actually really pretty."

I smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

"Thanks, comrade," she said, throwing her arms around me. "When did you even buy this? I was with you the whole time!"

"Not the whole time," I said with a grin as I wrapped my arms around her.

"But why did you buy it? I mean, you didn't have to…"

"I thought it would make you happy," I murmured. And it did. It really did make her happy and seeing her like this… It made me happy, too. Slowly, I pulled away from her. "So, where do you want your tattoo?"

"On my lower back," she said grinning.

I stared at her. "On your lower back?" I repeated, hoping I'd misunderstood her.

"Yes. I've always wanted a tattoo on my lower back."

You got to be kidding me. "Umm, you want to do it yourself?" I asked, hoping she'd say yes.

"Hell no. I'd probably ruin it. You do it," Rose said.

She lay down on her stomach and lifted her shirt a little. "Is that far enough?" she asked.

"Yes," I said quickly before she started taking off her shirt completely. I didn't think I would be able to handle that. "Um, I'm going to get a washcloth. Be right back."

I closed the bathroom door behind me and rested my head against it, letting out a heavy sigh. What had I gotten myself into? Why did I buy that tattoo? Why did she want it on her lower back? Why couldn't it have been on her shoulder or her arm?

I took a deep breath before returning to Rose with a damp washcloth. She was still lying in the same spot I'd left her. Her head was resting on her arms as she stared at the wall. I looked down at her, trying to figure out how I was going to do this.

"What's taking you so long?" she asked.

"Nothing," I mumbled. I cursed myself in silence before I placed my knees on either side of her legs and leaned over her. "Stay still."

I peeled off the plastic surface protecting the tattoo and then placed the tattoo on her lower back. Next, I firmly pressed the damp washcloth against the tattoo. I felt a jolt of electricity when my fingers touched her skin. Goddammit, this was driving me crazy. This woman was driving me crazy. And she didn't even realize it.

I counted the seconds in my head until I thought it was time to take the washcloth off. Slowly, I started peeling the paper away and took a look at the tattoo. It looked good so I continued to peel the paper off.

"Did it work?" Rose asked.

"Yes, but don't move yet," I said quickly. "It needs to dry first."

"Seriously? How long will that take?" she said.

I didn't know, but I wasn't going to keep sitting here like this. I hesitated for a moment and then continued to lean over her, my face almost level with her ass. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. Come on, Dimitri, you can do this. Just don't look down at her ass and you'll be fine.

I leaned closer to her, gently blowing on her skin, hoping the tattoo would dry faster like this. Rose stiffened and I stopped for a second.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm making it dry faster," I said, a little nervous.

"Oh. Okay," she said, like it was no big deal. Like it wasn't affecting her as much as it was affecting me. Maybe it really didn't affect her. Maybe it was just me.

I swallowed heavily and leaned over her again. Who would've thought I would ever get into a situation like this? If I'd known, I would have never bought the damn tattoo. It was already hard enough, just being around Rose, but being so close to her… Doing this… It was excruciating. And it was kind of turning me on. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't help it. I was sure that, if Mazur knew what I was doing right now, he would kill me.

"I think it's dry now," I said, clearing my throat.

"How does it look?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

Sexy as hell. "It's…umm… It's really beautiful," I responded, my voice a little hoarse.

"Really?" she said as she tried to get a good look at her tattoo.

"Yes, it's beautiful," I repeated as I touched the tattoo.

Rose looked up at me and I couldn't help but stare back at her. I realized I was still leaning over her, but I couldn't move. I didn't want to move. She half turned around, giving me a questioning look. A voice inside my head told me I should get up, but I ignored it. Instead, I did what I'd been dying to do since last night.

I kissed her. She was caught off guard, but kissed me back. Oh my God, she's kissing me back! She rolled over onto her back and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer.

"Roza," I whispered breathlessly before attaching my lips to hers again.

My tongue traced her lower lip and her lips parted, granting me entrance. She moaned softly as my tongue caressed hers. Slowly, I moved my hands up and down her sides as our lips continued to move in sync. I pressed myself closer to her, never breaking the kiss, and tangled one of my hands in her hair. This was even better than I dreamed it would be.

"Dimitri," she moaned, pulling me even closer.

My eyes shot open when I suddenly realized what I was doing. I abruptly pulled away from her and sat up, trying to catch my breath.

"Dimitri? What's wrong?" Rose asked, looking confused.

I looked at her, my eyes wide in shock. Oh God… What had I done?

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice hoarse. "I shouldn't have done that."

She frowned. "But…"

I got up from the bed and started pacing the floor. Shit. Shit. Shit. I'd crossed the line. If Mazur would ever find out about this…

"I don't understand," Rose said. "Just two minutes ago you were fine and now-"

"Rose, that can't happen again," I interrupted.

Her eyes flashed in anger. "Why not? I don't know if you realize it, but you kissed me."

"I know, but I shouldn't have done that," I said, uneasy. "It… It was a mistake."

I'd definitely said the wrong thing. If she hadn't been angry already, she certainly was now. She shot up and strode toward me.

"A mistake?!" she exclaimed. "Why? Because I'm younger than you?"

I hadn't even really thought about that. The only thing I'd thought about was that she was my boss's daughter and that when I'd bring her back to him, she would hate me forever.

"Rose," I started.

"I don't understand you!" she said angrily. "One moment you're all sweet and you do nice things for me and the next you are distant and barely even talk to me! What's up with that?"

"Roza, please…" I didn't know what to say to her. The only thing I could do was apologize, but I knew that wasn't enough. If only I could explain why nothing could happen between us. But if she knew… If she knew the truth, she would hate me forever. "I don't want things to get complicated. It's better if we just stay friends."

"You should've thought about that before you kissed me!"

I looked down. She was right and she had every right to be angry at me right now.

She sighed. "Why did you even want to come with me in the first place? If you don't like me, then why-"

"I do like you," I said quickly. "But not like that. I like you as a friend. I was just…caught up in the moment."

She stared at me for a few seconds before shaking her head. "You know what, I don't care anymore."

She turned away from me and I reached out for her arm. She looked up at me, her eyes blazing with anger, and pulled her arm away.

"Rose-"

"Shut up, Dimitri. I don't want to hear it."

Rose crawled into her bed, pulled the covers over her and rolled onto her side, away from me. I returned to my bed and sat down on the edge, burying my face in my hands.

"Dimitri?" Rose said in a muffled voice.

"Yes?" I said, hopeful.

"Turn off the lights, please," she said curtly. "I'm trying to sleep."

I sighed and turned off the lights before sitting back down on my bed. I stared at Rose's back for a while, hoping she'd turn around and talk to me, but she didn't. I sighed again, realizing I'd really fucked things up and now I was going to have to pay for it.

Don't hate me! Please :P And hey, you got a kiss so it's at least something :D And they'll make up soon enough. All my stories have a HEA so don't worry ;)

Hope you have a nice day/evening! :)