I changed into jeans and a plain black top before I went over to Lissa's, something more comfortable and casual than my Guardians outfit.
"What time do you want me back for dinner?" I asked Dimitri as I slipped my stake into the waistband of my jeans and put my phone in my pocket. I was very careful not to call tonight a date, simply dinner.
He looked up at me from where he was putting his wallet in his pocket. "About 5ish?" He asked.
I nodded as we headed towards the door; he was going food shopping while I was at Lissa's.
"Sure, thanks Comrade. See you later." I said as I locked the front door and gave Dimitri the spare key, he would be back before me and would need it to get in.
I saw the smile spread across his face as I used my old nickname for him again.
I didn't look back as I crossed the lawn to get to Lissa's front door, but I could feel his gaze burning into my back.
I had spoken to Lissa on the phone this morning before I came so she was expecting me, and she had kicked Christian out so we could spend some girl time together.
I had also followed her very specific orders and brought a bag full of clothes and makeup.
After a quick glance through the bond, I saw that Lissa was waiting in the living room for me, and so I let myself in through the front door.
"Hiyaaaaa." I shouted as I shut the door behind me.
"Come through!" Lissa replied as I slipped my shoes off and headed down the hall to the living room. She got up and hugged me as I entered the room and I dumped the bag on the couch.
She dropped her arms from around my shoulders and unzipped the bag before rifling through the bag muttering comments such as good and very nice, but words like not sexy enough worried me and I stopped her.
"What the hell is all this stuff for?" I asked as I watched her pull dress after dress out of the bag.
"Your date with Dimitri of course!" She shrieked as she took my hands and started bouncing up and down on the sofa like an excited kid.
"Hey, he never said it was a date, and I didn't agree thinking it was a date. He's just thanking me for letting him stay at my house." I tried to convince her, although it wasn't working as well as I hoped.
"Of course, he's staying with you! How long for? You're not sharing a room are you? Did you eat breakfast together?" She asked, her words tumbling out of her mouth so quick I could hardly distinguish what she was saying. She seemed a far cry from the Royal Princess she was.
"One question at a time!" I joked. "I don't know how long he's staying for, he's sleeping in the spare room, and no we didn't eat breakfast together. Was that it?" I asked.
She ran through the answers in her head and seemed satisfied.
We spent most of the day catching up and gossiping just like we used to back at the Academy, we also made lunch, I had really missed spending time with Lissa, just the two of us, and I told her just as much.
"Oh Rose, I've missed you too." She said as she pulled me into another hug. "Now it's time to get you ready!" She exclaimed as she stood up and pulled my makeup out of the bag.
She sat down opposite me on the sofa and told me to close my eyes and stay still.
"Now, nothing too bold or bright, Liss, and I mean it. This isn't a date, just dinner between two people, I'm not even sure I could call us friends." I said, I realised half way through that I was rambling. I wasn't sure if I was trying to convince her or myself.
"Oh shut up, it'll look great." She said as she got to work on my face.
I felt her apply foundation and powder, as well as a little bit of contour to my face, and then moved onto eyeliner and eye shadow for my eyes, before finishing off the look with a lipstick of her choice. I hadn't seen anything she was putting on my face, and so I only hoped it looked ok and she hadn't gone too wild.
"Perfect!" She said as she put the makeup away and admired her work.
"Can I see now?" I asked.
"Nope! Not until the look is finished." She declared as she moved onto my hair. "I still can't believe you cut all of your lovely hair off." She said as she ran a brush through my hair.
"You know why I did that, and said you liked it at the time." I said as I turned to look at her. She simply faced me forward again.
"I know why you did it, and it always looks lovely. But it is getting longer again, are you growing it out?" She asked. I wondered if she was insinuating that I was growing it out again now that Dimitri was back.
"Not really, I just haven't gotten around to having it cut recently." I said dismissively as she ran her fingers through my hair and pulled half of it up into a bun on the top of my head, leaving the other half down.
Once she was finished she moved on to the dresses that were laid out across the room.
"Hmm, this one would go with your hair and lipstick, but this one fits better. Oh but this one! This one is perfect! You haven't worn this one in a while have you?" She asked as she held up the black dress for me to see. And then my heart stopped completely. And then it started again at a rapid speed.
That was the dress. The dress from all the way back at the Academy. I didn't realise I still had it. I could have sworn I threw it away before we moved to Court.
"No way. I can't wear that." I said.
"And why not?" She asked as she put her hands on her hips, she looked a lot like me when she did that.
I racked my brain for a reasonable excuse. "I haven't worn it in years, it won't fit. And it's way too formal for dinner between friends. If you could even call us that." I said finally.
"Oh come on Rose, live a little!" She exclaimed.
"No way, Liss. I'm sorry, I just can't." I said finally, almost disappointed in myself.
Her face fell for a moment before she moved onto another dress that she liked almost as much.
It was burgundy in colour and was tightly fitted around the waist and chest, but flowed out slightly by my hips down to just above my knees. It was graceful and elegant, it would do.
Once the dress was on and I slipped my strappy flat shoes on, I was ready to go and I was finally allowed to look in the mirror.
I had to do a double take. I barely recognised myself.
I hadn't made a real effort with my looks in a very long time. Sure I dressed up from time to time, but I hadn't been pampered by my best friend in a long time.
My hair was casual and yet it looked like I had made a bit of an effort with it. My makeup was dark and kind of sexy. And the dress just finished the whole look off. I still felt too dressed up for the dinner tonight, but there's no way Lissa would let me change now.
I gave Lissa and hug and thanked her profusely for making me feel girly again before picking up my bag and crossing the lawn to get to my house.
Oh my God, do I knock on the door or just walk in?
I knew Dimitri was in there already, but surely I don't knock if it's my own house?
I decided I was being stupid and took a shaking breath before walking straight through the door. I dropped my bag by the front door and walked into the kitchen.
The sight I saw before me was one I hoped I would never forget.
The dining table was set for two, a vase of flowers were in the centre with a bunch of candles lit.
And then there was Dimitri.
He was dressed in black pants and a black tight-fitting shirt done up to his chest so the edges of his collarbones were peeking through.
He was facing away from me stirring something in a pan on the stove.
Soft music was playing in the background and his hips shifted slightly along with the music. I smiled at the sight.
I realised he still didn't know I was there, and so I leant against the doorframe and cleared my throat. His head snapped up and he turned to face me at the sound.
His jaw actually dropped when he saw me.
I felt almost uncomfortable as his pupils dilated and his heated gaze ran over every inch of my body.
He took a few steps towards me and stopped just in front of me. The crisp scent of his aftershave hit me like a wave and I had to hold back the sigh that wanted to escape.
"You are... you look... Wow." He said finally.
"At a loss for words, Belikov?" I asked jokingly as I stood up straight, his eyes followed my every movement.
"You have no idea." He almost whispered.
I brushed past him and went further into the kitchen, I had to stop myself from running into his arms when our arms brushed against each other and my skin tingled at the contact.
I picked up the spoon in the pan and stirred, sniffing. "What's for dinner?" I asked.
It looked like pasta filled with something meaty in sauce. Dimitri came up behind me and took my hand off the spoon and instead held it in his. "It's a surprise. And no touching before it's done. You're dangerous in a kitchen." He said, I could hear the smile in his voice even if I couldn't see his face.
He spun me to face it and held my hand in his for a moment before he placed it on his chest and then twirled a strand of my hair around his finger.
"You're so beautiful, it hurts me sometimes." He said, his voice hoarse.
"I suppose you brush up pretty well too, Comrade." I replied. His smile lit up the room.
"That's twice in one day you've called me that, I must be in your good books." He said as he lowered his arms and carefully, slowly, slipped them around my waist.
"Don't push your luck." I said mockingly as I joined my hands behind his neck, twirling my fingers in the soft strands of his hair that he had left loose.
Before I knew what was happening, we were swaying in time with the music and he was twirling me round the room.
I was smiling without even trying.
As the song came to an end, he dipped me low and close to the floor.
If it were anyone else, I would probably worry that they would drop me. But Dimitir's arms were so strong and secure around me, I knew he could never drop me. We had sparred together for years after all, I knew his body almost as well as I knew my own.
He held me there, suspended just above the ground for a moment as his eyes scanned my face and I laughed. It was exhilarating, I felt alive.
He lowered his face so it was inches from mine before he pressed his lips gently against my cheek, just beside my mouth. The stubble of his cheek brushed against my lips.
I was breathing heavily by the time he pulled away and looked at me again.
And then a timer dinged and I was standing firmly on my own two feet again.
I felt cold where his hands had just been firmly gripping my waist.
He stirred whatever it was in the pan for a moment longer until before he turned to face me with a bottle of wine in his hand.
He raised it in his hand and quirked an eyebrow in a silent question.
I got two glasses down from the cupboard as a way of answer and watched his strong hands as they poured us both a large glass of wine.
He lifted his glass to mine and looked like he was thinking for a moment before the glasses clinked together. "To new beginnings." He said.
I was about to take a sip of the wine when I stopped myself. "What about us?" I asked. It seemed more appropriate.
His answering smile told me I had said the right thing. "To us." He corrected, before we clinked our glasses together and we drank from the glasses.
"This will be done in a minute if you want to go and sit down?" He asked as he set the glass on the side and went back to the stove.
"Sure." I said as I took my glass and sat down at one of the settings at the table.
I let out a shaky breath and wondered what the hell I was doing.
We danced together for God's sake. Dimitri made me feel like the most incredible woman in the world and I had no idea what I was supposed to do about that.
Dimitri walked through carrying two plates of food, he set the first down in front of me, and I had to admit, it looked incredible. It was like squares of pasta filled with something in a delicious looking sauce with bread. "Wow." I said. "It looks incredible." I admitted honestly.
He set his own plate of food down before going and coming back with his own glass of wine and the bottle we had opened.
"It looks and smells great; will you tell me what it is now?" I asked as I topped up our wine glasses.
"It's a Russian dish called Pelmeni. Mama taught me how to cook it when I was younger. And the bread is rye bread, we eat that a lot back home too." He explained and watched me take my first bite, waiting for my opinion.
"Hmm." I moaned as the flavours filled my mouth. I saw his eyes widen slightly at the sound and couldn't stop the smirk that made its way onto my face.
"Does that mean you like it?" He asked as he forked a piece of the pasta onto his own fork.
"God, yes. It's incredible." I said as I took another bite and washed it down with more wine.
"Did Olena often teach you how to cook?" I asked curiously as I watched him eat.
A smile graced his face as he thought of his Mother and home town. "Yes, when I realised I was actually alright at it, I helped her cook most meals."
I took a bite of the bread and knew it was familiar. "I think I remember the bread from when I was in Russia." I said before I realised the topic I had brought up. I looked up, panicked, to gauge Dimitri's reaction.
His fork paused mid-way to his mouth for a moment as he froze before he recovered himself and took the bite. "I forget that you spent time there, with my family." He said. I couldn't work out how he was feeling by the tone of his voice, and his face was almost unreadable.
"It that... okay?" I asked hesitantly.
He looked up then, shocked. "Of course. I'm glad you met them, and I know they all loved you. I just wish it was under different circumstances." He said as he looked at me once more.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes. I wish I could have taken you there and introduced you to them properly. I always used to imagine taking you as my... as my girlfriend." He said finally, struggling to get the words out.
His words stopped me short. His girlfriend? I had never thought of him thinking of me as his girlfriend. I mean sure, he had taken my virginity all those years ago at the Academy, but I had never actually considered myself to be his girlfriend, there had always been something stopping us.
That is, until now.
Now all that was in our way was my crippling fear of commitment. I couldn't bear the thought of giving him enough power to hurt me again.
I downed the rest of my glass of wine before refilling it and topping Dimitri's up as well. I didn't say anything, which left us in silence for a few tense moments while we both ate.
"Anyway, where did you go so early this morning?" He asked politely, clearly trying to fill the awkward silence.
"I went with Jill to see the Queen." I said.
His head shot up in alarm as he looked up at me again. "How come?" He asked.
"The Queen wanted to meet her, asking her about Court and what it would be like to be a Royal, basically grooming her to be related to the next Queen." I said with a roll of my eyes.
"And how did that go?"
"I don't really know, Jill was nervous and the Queen was too pressurising. And I of course was caught in the middle, running ridiculous, life-endangering errands for Her Majesty while trying to be there for Jill at the same time." I said as I rested my head on my fist on the table as I realised how much responsibility was really being thrown on my shoulders recently.
He put his knife and fork down onto his plate and focussed all of his attention on me as my words finally sunk in. "What?" He asked, entirely serious now.
"What bit are you struggling to understand?" I said a bit more bitterly than I should have. He didn't even flinch at my words.
"You've been running life-endangering errands for the Queen?" He asked.
I thought about what to say for a few minutes. I wasn't going to tell him that I had to go and find Victor and Robert; I was just going to leave without having to explain.
"Well, going to get Jill was one of them. And just things have been happening, which she wants me to sort out." I said dismissively.
"Such as...?" He prompted.
"My dreams have been visited, several times, but Victor Dashkov, and his brother Robert Doru." I finally admitted to him. His face hardened with pure protective anger.
"How long have you been keeping this to yourself, Rose?" I knew he was angry because he didn't use my Russian name, although his anger wasn't directed at me.
"I don't know, it's happened a few times over the past few weeks." I told him.
"A few weeks?!" He exclaimed as his fists clenched atop the table.
I reached across the table and covered his large hand with my own smaller one. "It's okay." I tried reassuring him.
"No it's not, it's not okay. Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" I rolled my eyes before responding.
"I didn't think it was important." I said.
He laughed humourlessly. "Of course you didn't. She's not sending you on anymore life-endangering missions is she?" He asked in total seriousness.
I thought about my answer for a moment. I wasn't planning on telling him about leaving to find the brothers, but surely I couldn't outright lie to him? I knew he would insist on coming with me if I told him, and I really couldn't let him come with me, I couldn't put him in danger too.
"No." I lied. "She hasn't asked me to do anything else."
I felt my heart break just a little as I saw such a look of relief come over his features when he realised I wouldn't be leaving, I would be staying with him.
I wasn't even sure when I was leaving yet, there was no point worrying him about it now.
"Promise me something, Roza." He said as he held my hands in his, his calluses brushing against my own.
"Alright." I said hesitantly.
"Tell me, next time anything like that happens again. I want to help you; I want to be there for you. You shouldn't have to deal with these things on your own." He said as he brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it gently, slowly. "We're a team." He declared.
"Okay, I promise." I lied again. It was unsettling how easy it was for me to lie, but it was for his own good. I wouldn't endanger him. "Are we a team?" I asked carefully. I knew we definitely used to be a team, but so many things had changed since then.
"Of course we are. Always have been, always will be. It's us, Roza." He said before I rested my head in my hands as Dimitri cleared our plates off the table and went to get dessert.
Dimitri had been so good to me and now I was throwing it all back in his face. But it was for his own good, wasn't it?
I had once again gotten myself into a mess. I would tell him when I was leaving, I would tell him just before I left so he didn't have time to come with me and put himself in danger. I would find the brothers and we would take them out before any damage was caused. I could do this, this would work.
There we have Chapter 21! Don't hate me just yet, the date isn't over, it will carry onto the next chapter and maybe we'll get a Romitri kiss?! I'm really looking forward to Rose telling Dimitri that she's leaving to find the Brothers; Dimitri is literally going to tackle Rose to the ground to get her to stay, imagine the sexual tension! Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and for following, favouriting and reviewing the last chapter, I appreciate you all so much. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think!