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In The Rain.

Chapter 29.

The car ride was suffocating. Dimitri was riding up front, Christian behind the wheel and Lissa curled up in the back seat, but even this far back she could not deny that she could feel the tension radiating off of Dimitri. It was palpable, hanging so thick in the air that it almost felt like a physical force that was searching, searching for someone to wrap around and strangle to death.

Lissa knew why. Rose had texted her a while ago to tell her what'd happened when she'd stopped at Dimitri's office to make dinner plans. She strangled a sigh and stared out the window, trying to ignore a silent and brooding Dimitri. Christian met her gaze in the rearview, his expression seeming to ask: what the fuck? Oh if only she could've told him, but she was sure Rose wanted to tell Dimitri first. Her mind flashed back to when Christian was in the hospital and how she'd kept her secret from all but Rose and Dimitri, and she had to work hard not to get dragged back to that dark place. Christian was here. He was safe. Placing a hand on her small bump she rubbed soothingly and closed her eyes.

Rose could not relax. She'd been home for what felt like ages but could've only been 30 minutes, and from the moment she'd walked in the door she'd dropped her purse and started pacing a steady track through her living room, glancing occasionally at her phone. Sighing she checked the phone again. Nothing, not even a simple message. Goddamit. Why the fuck did he have to be so difficult?

Of course she knew why, and for the first time true terror seized hold of her. What if he didn't believe her? What if he thought the baby was Adrian's and she was just trying to pass it off on him? What would she do then? Shaking her head, she decided that it didn't matter. She'd cross that bridge when and if she got to it.

The phone vibrated in her hand and there was no stopping the frisson of elated anticipation that shot through her. Only when she looked down at it, the screen flashed with the low battery warning. Fuck. This was just getting ridiculous. She plugged it in once in her bedroom and decided to take a shower. She'd give him until she was out to text her. If he didn't, she was getting in her car and driving across town to his apartment, consequences be dammed. She could deal with a pissed off Dimitri later.

They sat on opposite sides of the table, the air between them tense and stretched so tightly Rose was tempted to reach up and swipe a knife through it, certain that she'd be able to breathe easier. The restaurant was nice, almost too nice for the kind of dinner they were about to have. It was somewhere in the middle of Rose and Dimitri's apartments, and for a fleeting second, Rose contemplated calling the whole thing off and going home. Dimitri was so cold and distant and it was making her uncomfortable so much so that she couldn't sit still, but then the server came for their drink orders, and her plans were foiled.

"Water, please." Rose requested wishing she could've had something stronger. The waitress nodded, but her eyes were on Dimitri. Why Rose should be jealous she didn't know, but she found herself taking some satisfaction in the fact that, Dimitri wasn't paying the girl any attention in spite of all her flirty flourish.

"The strongest whine you have." He said, though it sounded more like a growl than anything else. The waitress nodded once more, scampering away on a pair of too high heels and a too revealing skirt.

"Christ," Rose snapped during dinner. The pasta salad on her plate looked and smelt so good, but she could hardly taste any of it. Her appetite had completely vanished, and it had everything to do with Dimitri. "This is just ridiculous. Can't you just relax?"

"Relax?" Dimitri asked, testing the word and Rose couldn't help but pay close attention to the way he rolled the r. "Why are you even here, Rose? What is so important? Trouble in paradise again? Because I don't feel like playing mediator tonight."

Rose dropped her fork and sat back in her chair, the coldness of his voice leaving her reeling. He had never ever spoken to her like that, and she decided she didn't like it. She stared into his eyes, searching for some insight as to what he was feeling but got nothing. His eyes which were usually so expressive were now cold and hard, oddly void of any reel emotion. His beautiful face was now set into that guardian mask he wore so well.

"Because," Rose stopped. There were a million things she could say, because she wanted to talk, because she was sorry, or she could blurt out the truth. "Because I need to talk to you, Dimitri."

"Then talk," He said coolly. Rose sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she took a sip from her water. Dam how she wished there was whine in that glass instead. Lord knew the alcohol would've done wonders for her nerves.

"Well," She started, took a hesitant pause and then continued when Dimitri glared. Dam he was mad. "Adrian and I broke up yesterday."

"So?" Dimitri spat. "What does that have to do with me? You want my sympathy?" Rose's temper spiked at his tone. Tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she was determined not to cry, not here. Couldn't he see she was trying to tell him?

"No need to be an asshole, you know. That's what I'm trying to tell you." Dimitri's glare intensified. "We broke up because,"

"Because?" Dimitri asked. Could she really tell him? Sighing she knew she had to. This was what he deserved.

"Because, I'm-I'm pregnant, Dimitri, and the baby is yours."

Dimitri froze. "What?" He stared at her as though she'd gone crazy. How could that be possible? She was on the pill. She'd assured him of that. Had that been another lie, too?

"We're having a baby, Dimitri." She said again.

"I heard you the first time, you know." He snapped. Tears pooled in her eyes and he shook his head. "How?" He asked. "How do you know it's mine?"

"Because Adrian and I were on a no sex pact," She said: her voice small, vulnerable. She ran her fingers through her hair again and drained her water. Dimitri followed suit and waved a waiter over for a refill.

"Please, Dimitri, say something." But what could he say? He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off the incoming headache.

"How did this happen, Rose? You said you were on the pill." His tone was more accusatory than he meant for it to sound and Rose obviously picked up on it.

"Are you saying that this is my fault?" She snapped. "And I was, I just forgot to take them in the time Adrian was in California with all the madness going on at work and with everything else." She forgot? How the fuck was that possible? They'd fucked like animals that week.

"Look Dimitri, I'm not expecting you to wrap me in your arms and promise me the world because I'm having your baby, ok? I'm just telling you because I feel like you deserve to know. I know how you feel about kids," She said, her voice getting softer near the end. "And I want my kid to have both parents around, even if-even if they're not together."

Dimitri could do nothing but sit there and stare stupidly for a few minutes. Every single time they had been together flashed through his mind, and with it came the hurt of her always going back to Adrian. His mind flashed back to that day in the parking lot. He'd told her off, and now here she was again. But now things were different. Now Rose was pregnant. The baby was his. He was going to be a daddy. He was going to be a daddy! The thought brought a huge smile to his face and filled him with so much excitement that he wanted to reach forward and wrap her in his arms. Hell, he wanted to kiss her like there was no tomorrow, but with restraint he didn't know he had, he stifled the urge.

"Do you know how far along you are?" He asked. Rose glanced up, seeming surprised to hear him speak. She reached for her purse and pulled something out.

"The doctor said about a couple weeks," She said: fiddling with whatever she'd taken from her purse. "I went today." Realization lit up within Dimitri. That was where she was going when he'd seen her earlier in the day. He'd been so surprised and unreasonably happy to see her after her weekend away that he couldn't muster the energy to be mad at her.

"Here," She said: thrusting the sonogram at him. Dimitri couldn't make out the different parts. It simply looked like a blob to him, but the fact that that was his baby filled him with so many emotions. Excitement, joy, and love, love unlike anything he'd ever felt before, and a protective streak which rivaled Abe's. It was so tiny, so precious and yet so unbelievable.

"Well, congratulations." He said, his voice oddly strong, betraying none of what he felt. Rose flinched making him soften his tone immediately. "Now eat. You're eating for 2 now, you know." Rose nodded and smiled, more than a little surprised and relieved by his obvious change in attitude. She still didn't know where they stood, but for now she was starving.

Dimitri didn't know how he felt about Rose. Ok that wasn't true, he dam well knew how he felt about her, but that wasn't the point. The point was he didn't know if he could trust her again. He loved her that much hadn't changed, but will she stay if he gave her another chance? Could he honestly let her in again only to have her walk away? He didn't think he could survive if she left again.

"What?" She asked glancing up and setting her fork down. He shook his head. She had sauce on her face. Grinning, he reached for a napkin and wiped it clean.

"I don't know if I can trust you again," Dimitri blurted. "I'm not sure I want to, but I do want to be a part of my baby's life." Rose nodded, glad he at least wasn't raging at her. He had accepted the baby, their baby.

"I don't blame you," She said. "I have been awful to you, after all. Dimitri wanted to agree, but his mama had done too much of a good job raising him for him to rub her mis-deminas in her face now. So, he said nothing.

"Do you want dessert?" He asked sometime later. Rose shook her head. She wanted to go home. She wanted to cry. She had no idea why, but the urge to curl up into a ball and sob was strong. Dam, must be those dreaded hormones.

"What is it?" Dimitri asked, soulful, dark eyes boring into hers. She blinked, hoping he couldn't pin point exactly what was wrong. Hell, how could he when she didn't even know herself?

"Can we go?" She asked, forcing her voice to not waver. Dimitri nodded his eyes fill of concern. She stood, waving the waiter over. "We're splitting the check. That's final. She added when he opened his mouth to argue. Right now arguing was the last thing she wanted to do. She was tired physically, and emotionally she was drained.

"Text me when you get home?" Dimitri asked watching her climb into her car. "I know you can take care of yourself, but this is just so that I know you're safe. Please, Roza." Well shit. How could she say no now?

"Ok," She agreed. "I'll text you." Dimitri flashed her a small smile and headed to his own car, fully aware that something was wrong, but he knew better than to try to make her talk. They pulled out of the restaurant's parking lot, each going in opposite directions. Rose put in the hands free and dialed Lissa. Right now she needed to talk, and who better than her best friend to do that with?

"Rosie," Said the snarky voice. Shit. Not him, please god anyone but Christian.

"Hello, Christian." She said simply. It was proof of her emotional state that she didn't immediately go off on him for the nickname. "Where's Lissa?" She could practically hear his smirk on the other line, but then she heard Lissa's angelic voice.

"Phone, baby," Christian called and Rose waited as Lissa said bye to whoever she was talking to before taking the call.

"Hi, Rose," Lissa said excitedly. "Everything ok?" Was everything ok? Rose didn't know.

"I-I don't know, Liss. He knows, and he doesn't trust me."

By the time Rose pulled into her building's garage, her mood had managed to get lower still though she didn't think that was even possible. She'd told Lissa everything, and her friend had been excited through it all, quick to reassure Rose that it was going to be ok. She said that Dimitri needed time, but Rose didn't know if that was true or not, and the uncertainty was driving her crazy.

She knew there wasn't really anything she could do now, she had made her bed, now she had to lie in it. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her temples trying to quieten the hammer pounding in her skull. God why couldn't she have done this the right way? Dimitri probably thought she wanted him because of the baby. Did she want him because the baby? Well, the answer to that was more than a little obvious. She did want him because of the baby, but only because she wanted her child to have the perfect life, and the truth was that, she really did love Dimitri. Now that there was no ring on her finger forcing her to think of her fiancé she could see that quite clearly. Sighing she turned over in bed, telling herself that she was over thinking everything. Perhaps Lissa was right. Maybe all of what went down tonight would look better in the morning. Letting these thoughts comfort her, she let herself give in to the pull of sleep, a pull she wasn't even sure she could've fought in the first place. She was exhausted, but just before surrendering completely she pulled out her phone and sent a voice note to Dimitri, because typing was far beyond her capability.

Well, there you go, the long awaited chapter. Now let me know what you thought. Was Dimitri's reaction what you were expecting? What about Lissa's assumption? Could time really be all he needs?

Review lovelies and Dimitri just might meet you at a restaurant for dinner ;)

XXX

Roza