Thank you very much for the reviews! From now on, there won't be any flashbacks anymore. The focus will now be more on Rose's and Dimitri's relationship in the present.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

CHAPTER 21

RPOV – JULY 20, 2015

Not everyone liked the idea of me staying longer than planned. Mason refused to leave without knowing why I wasn't going home just yet.

"She just needs a little more time off before she comes back," Lissa said patiently.

"We went over this three times. Can we go now?" Christian asked, not so patient.

Mason looked at me. "Are you sure you want to stay, Rose?" he asked again. "What are you going to do here all alone anyway?"

"I'm not alone," I told him. "I have Dimitri."

Mason scowled at that, but the scowl disappeared quickly. "Would you like me to stay with you? To keep you company."

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. His protectiveness was starting to drive me crazy. "I'll be fine, Mason," I answered bluntly. "I can take care of myself."

Mason looked taken aback. "I know you can take care of yourself, but I thought…you might want company."

"Dimitri will be here if she needs something," Eddie spoke up. "She'll be alright, Mase. Let's go now. Christian is getting a little impatient."

Christian nodded vehemently. "Just a little," he said sarcastically.

I smiled reluctantly. "I'll be fine here with Dimitri," I told Mason. "We'll see each other again when I get back home."

"Okay," Mason said unwillingly. "I guess I'll see you at home, then."

"Aright, now everything's settled, we can finally leave," Christian said, already making his way to the front door. "Dimitri, thanks for letting us stay here! See you in a few weeks, Rose. Bye now."

"Bye," I called as he walked out, followed by Eddie and Mason.

Lissa hugged me one last time, thanked Dimitri again and hurried after them. Dimitri and I waved at them as they backed out of the driveway and took off. I felt a little jittery now that I was alone with Dimitri. I'd spent a lot of time with him alone the past few days, but now that my friends had left we were completely alone.

Before something could happen, though, I needed to clear up a few things. I needed to finally tell him the truth.

"Can we talk?" I asked, looking up at him.

He looked surprised by the serious tone in my voice. "Sure," he answered after a pause.

"Let's go take a walk on the beach," I suggested. I didn't want to sit down for this; I was too nervous.

Dimitri nodded, a curious look crossing his face. "After you."

The first ten minutes were quiet. I was still trying to work up the courage to tell him what was on my mind. After lying so long to him – and to myself – it wasn't so easy.

Just get it over with, Rose.

"I lied," I blurted out.

Dimitri stopped walking, confusion written all over his face. I stopped as well. Looking into his eyes, I said, "Remember when we had that fight in my car? ? It was a few days after I kissed you…"

Dimitri nodded. "I remember," he said quietly, a pained expression on his face.

"I lied," I repeated. "When you asked me if I had feelings for you, I lied to you. I did have feelings for you. It's why I kissed you." His eyes widened in wonder. I looked away and continued, in a softer voice, "But I loved Adrian too."

"I know," Dimitri murmured.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking at him again. "I shouldn't have lied to you." I paused, reconsidering. "Hell, I shouldn't have kissed you. Even if I did have feelings for you…"

"I liked it when you kissed me," Dimitri said, his eyes honest and sincere.

"I liked it too," I admitted. "But I felt so guilty afterwards, you know."

"Because of Adrian," Dimitri said, nodding.

"Yes, but also for leading you on like that," I continued. "I was confused, but that's no excuse. I crossed a line and-"

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself," Dimitri cut me off gently. "I crossed a line, too, when I kissed my best friend's girlfriend back. Besides, if I hadn't told you about my feelings, nothing would have happened."

"Says who?" I sighed. "I mean, it's not like I had feelings for you just then. I already had feelings for you way before…that kiss. So it easily could've happened another night." I shook my head, sighing again. "Looking back now, I realize how selfish I was. Leading you on, staying with Adrian even though I had feelings for someone else…"

"You said you loved Adrian," Dimitri said. "So why would you have left him?"

"Because I cheated on him with you," I muttered. "It would have been the right thing to do…to break up with him…but I was a coward. I was afraid I'd lose you both. And that I'd ruin your friendship. That's what scared me most of all."

Dimitri was quiet as he looked out over the sea. Sighing, he sat down in the sand. I didn't know if he was frustrated, angry or sad. Hesitantly, I sat down next to him. My eyes drifted to his face, trying to find out how he was feeling right now.

"Can I ask you something?" Dimitri asked, looking up at me.

"Of course," I said cautiously.

"If it's true that you had feelings for me back then, why did you say yes to Adrian?" he choked out, looking hurt. "When he asked you to marry him… Why did you say yes?"

"I'd convinced myself that Adrian was the only one I loved," I said honestly. "I'd convinced myself that I was sad because I was losing you as a friend, not because you were moving on with someone else. When I saw you were happy with Tasha, I wanted that as well. So when Adrian popped the question I said yes."

"I was never really happy with Tasha," Dimitri muttered. "I was just trying to move on so I thought I'd give her another chance, but I broke up with her a few weeks after I moved out. I could no longer be with someone I didn't love."

"I'm so sorry, Dimitri," I whispered. I had tears in my eyes. "I never meant to hurt you. You have to know that."

"I know," he murmured.

"I'm sorry that I made you leave," I cried. "And I'm sorry that I blamed it all on you. It wasn't your fault. I am the only one to blame for what happened."

"Stop, Roza," Dimitri said softly. "You didn't make me do anything. I chose to leave."

"But it's my fault you had that fight with Adrian," I said, my voice unsteady. "Isn't it? And then you left."

Dimitri glanced away. "No, that wasn't your fault. I was jealous of Adrian. Because he had you. And then he proposed to you…and I couldn't handle it. I was angry at him, not at you."

Sniffling, I wiped at my eyes. "I'm sorry."

Dimitri grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. "We were both at fault. We both made mistakes." He paused. "And so did Adrian."

"Yeah, I guess so," I mumbled.

It was quiet for a long time. Dimitri was still holding my hand as he processed things. I wanted to know what he was thinking, what he was going to do with this information. What if he'd decide I was a selfish bitch after all and send me home?

Before I could start to panic, Dimitri asked, "Did your feelings for me ever go away completely?"

His voice was so quiet, I barely heard his question. But I did hear it and I had no idea how to answer it. Because, honestly, I didn't know.

"I'm not sure."

His eyes flicked to mine, confused.

"I…" I paused. "I had a hard time when you left and I spent a lot of days wondering if I'd made the right decision when I said yes to Adrian. But as time passed, I realized I had a good life with Adrian. My thoughts became less about you and more about him. I'll admit, it was easier to love him with you gone."

Dimitri looked away. His jaw clenched and he let go of my hand. I tried not to take it personally.

"I refused to think about you because I was finally in a happy place," I said softly, "and I didn't want to ruin that. I knew that if I allowed myself to miss you, I would break and try to reach out to you again." I let out a sigh. "And then you came back , and everything I'd ever felt for you came rushing back to me. I'd worked so hard to forget you, to mash my feelings all down and ignore it and finally be completely happy with Adrian." I realized I was rambling, but I didn't care. I just needed to say it. I needed Dimitri to know how I'd felt. How I felt right now. "But then he died and you showed up at my door and…it seemed as if no time had passed at all. As if those feelings had never really faded away. They'd just been buried and seeing you again after all that time…" I paused to catch my breath. "I didn't want to admit it to myself at first, but all of my feelings resurfaced the moment you walked back into my life," I finished.

Dimitri was staring at the ocean again, his face unreadable. "Really? Cause I never seem to be able to figure out what you're thinking, what you're feeling… When it comes to me, at least."

I was surprised. "Huh. I thought I was too obvious about it."

Dimitri smiled reluctantly. "No, you're not."

I nudged him. "You're one to talk, comrade. You are hard to read as well." His smile widened at my playful tone. I was relieved he was looking at me again. "You always have been," I said, serious again.

Dimitri was quiet. As I waited for him to say something, I got nervous again. What was he thinking?

"Are you mad at me?" I whispered, a little scared to know the answer.

He looked at me with surprise. "Of course not."

"Should I not have told you?" I asked, biting my lip.

"No, no, I'm glad you told me," he said.

When he saw the worried look on my face, he took my hand again and gave me a reassuring smile.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "So…we're okay?"

His smile turned warm. "We're okay." A pause. "Roza."

My heart swelled at hearing the nickname come from his lips. I smiled back automatically. His arm wrapped around me as I snuggled into his side and closed my eyes.

"Thank you," I said softly.

I felt him press a kiss to my forehead and I got butterflies in my stomach. My smile widening, I buried my face in his neck and inhaled. God, he smelled so good!

I don't know how long we sat there on the beach, just the two of us, huddled together, but it was nice. Very nice. I wouldn't have minded to stay there all of time, but unfortunately my stomach had other plans. It was growling loudly, telling me that I needed food.

Dimitri smiled. "Something tells me you're hungry."

I blushed. "Only a little."

He stood up and pulled me up with his hands. We walked close to each other, arms touching. When we got to the house, neither of us was in the mood to cook so we ordered pizza.

"I have to meet a couple of clients tomorrow," Dimitri said after dinner, "so you'll be alone for a few hours. You don't mind?"

"Oh." It surprised me that I was a little disappointed. But I realized I was being silly. Dimitri would be gone for just a few hours. I could do without him for a couple of hours. "That's fine. Of course you have to work."

"I'd rather spend time with you," he said, making me smile. "I should be home in the afternoon."

I nodded. "Okay."

I paused as I considered my next question. I wasn't sure if I should ask him, but he was the only one I knew who could give me more information about this.

Dimitri noticed the look on my face and asked, "What's wrong, Rose?"

"I, umm," I stammered, looking down at my hands. Taking a deep breath, I looked up at him and said, "I have to move out of my house. I can't afford to live there by myself. It's too expensive. So I'd like to sell it, but I don't know how to start, where to find the right buyers and…" I bit my lip. "I was wondering if you could help me out. Do you know a good real estate agent-"

"I can help you," Dimitri cut me off. He smiled. "You don't need to hire a real estate agent to sell your house. I can do it for you."

"But…" I hesitated. "Won't that be too weird?" I cleared my throat. "I mean, won't it complicate things further? With all that's happened in the past…"

"No, it's fine," Dimitri said. "Unless you really want someone else to-"

"No," I said hastily. "You were my first choice because I trust you, but I thought… I thought that you might not want to do it," I admitted.

"I'll do it," Dimitri said.

"Yeah?" I asked, still a little unsure.

He nodded. "It's not a problem."

I smiled, relieved. "Thank you."

"So where are you going to go?" Dimitri asked after a few moments.

"I can stay with Lissa and Christian until I find a place for myself," I answered.

"Does Christian know that?" Dimitri asked, raising an eyebrow.

I grinned. "I'm not sure. Lissa said she would tell him."

Dimitri smiled. "I'm sure he'll be fine with it. And if not," he added, his voice quieter, "you can stay here if you'd like."

He looked at me carefully, gauging my reaction.

I was caught off guard. "Dimitri, I…"

"Y-you don't have to," he stammered quickly. He looked embarrassed. "I was just saying…if you can't stay with them, you can always stay here. I don't mind." Before I could answer, he said, "I'm going to take a shower. I'll see you later."

Then he was out the door, leaving me speechless. While I appreciated his offer, I didn't think I could take him up on it. I knew I was the one who'd asked him if I could stay longer, but I didn't want to stay here indefinitely. I wanted to take things slow with him and I knew that if I'd move in here we wouldn't be taking it slow.

When Dimitri didn't return after an hour had passed, I figured he was still a little embarrassed about earlier. I decided to give him some space, but the more time passed the worse I felt about the whole situation.

After tossing and turning around in bed for about half an hour, I decided to get up and talk to Dimitri. Quietly, I slipped out of my room, then remembered that my friends had left this morning so I didn't have to be this quiet anymore.

It was past eleven and wasn't sure if Dimitri was still up, but I softly knocked on his door and then peeked inside to see if he was awake.

He was.

He was staring at the ceiling, lost in thought, but when I closed the door he glanced away from the ceiling and looked at me. I couldn't really see the look on his face because it was dark.

"Hi," I said awkwardly, my voice quiet. "You never came back after your shower."

Dimitri flicked on the bedside table lamp. Finally I could see his face clearly. He looked a little surprised to see me.

He looked away again and sighed. "I'm sorry about before. I should never have said what I said to you."

I took a few steps forward and sat down on the edge of his bed. "No, please don't apologize. It was a kind gesture, but…"

"But it was also a very stupid idea," Dimitri finished for me, still not looking at me.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything. It was just…unexpected."

"I'm sorry," Dimitri apologized again.

"Don't," I told him. I lay down beside him so I could look him in the eye. "Don't be sorry." I let out a sigh. "It's really nice to hear that you want me to stay, but I… I have to go back home eventually. I have a job I need to go back to and all my friends are there."

"I know," Dimitri muttered. "I know you can't stay here. I shouldn't have suggested it."

"It's not that I don't like it here. I do. I love it here," I said. "But I don't want to rush things. Now that I have a real chance with you, I don't want to do anything that could ruin it. Let's just take things slow, okay?"

"You're right," Dimitri said softly. "We shouldn't rush it."

I smiled at him. "Thank you for understanding."

He smiled back. His eyes flicked down, then back up at me. There was a hesitant look in his eyes. "Can I hold your hand?" he asked at last, almost nervous.

As he looked at me, I felt the butterflies in my belly again. Unable to talk for a moment, I nodded and placed my hand in his. Dimitri smiled softly.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" I asked. "I don't want to be alone."

In all honesty, I didn't want to be without him. I knew I'd just said to take things slow and I would do that, but I didn't want to leave him. Although I knew he'd just be in the next room, although it was just for one night, I didn't want to miss him.

"Sure," Dimitri said.

I smiled gratefully and rolled onto my back, still holding his hand. With his free hand, Dimitri pulled the covers over us and turned off the lamp.

"Good night, Roza," he whispered.

I smiled again, even though he couldn't see it, and closed my eyes. "Good night, comrade."

I hope you liked the chapter. Soon the Belikov family will be joining Rose and Dimitri and of course there will be lots of Romitri moments ;)

Enjoy your weekend! ^^