"Dimitri, will you just calm down?" Rose asked exasperatedly, snapping Dimitri's mind from where he sat opposite her buried deep in his thoughts.
He looked up from where his fist was clenched tightly around his glass of water in front of him, to see Rose's furrowed brows and glaring eyes boring into his. He took a deep breath in an effort to calm his anxiety, relaxing his grip slightly.
"I can't calm down Roza, not when –"
"Dimitri, I get it. This is our plan, remember? I know you're not exactly happy with the situation, but I at least want to have a good night with you before it all goes down – if it goes down," Rose snapped. "When was the last time we went out like this? I want to enjoy it."
Dimitri knew she was right – no matter what was going to happen tonight, he could still relish in being in Rose's company. He let go of the glass in front of him, reaching across the table to take her hand in his. Stroking his thumb across the back of her hand, he took calming breaths, focusing his attention on the softness of her warm skin.
After much convincing from Rose, Dimitri had agreed to take her out of the safety of the wards and into Harrisburg for their date – much to his reluctance. If it wasn't for the fact that the sun was still shining in the early evening, casting a warm glow into the safety of the restaurant, he would have completely tensed up. Rose's safety was everything to him and here he was, practically throwing her to the wolves.
They had chosen a small Italian restaurant not far from where Nathan had been sighted, so that Rose could, of course, have her pepperoni pizza. They had arrived in the early evening so that they could enjoy a meal together before the sun set and the safety of daylight escaped them.
Rose, wearing a simple outfit of skinny jeans, a blouse and a leather jacket, was doing everything she could to ignore the niggling feeling of fear she felt deep down. This was her idea, after all, and she knew this would be their best chance of ending this ordeal. With Nathan still out there, somewhere, she wouldn't be safe – he would always be after her, and she would never be able to fully get over the pain he inflicted on her soul. This was her chance to finally move on.
Sensing her nerves, Dimitri squeezed her hand in reassurance – a silent 'I'm here for you', which in an instant calmed her down and brought her thoughts back to the love of her life sitting opposite her. Rose was right - they almost never went out like this, even before everything happened with Nathan, and Dimitri knew he needed to savour the moment before the inevitable danger arrived.
"Roza," he began, clutching her hand tighter in his. "I want you to know that I love you with everything I have."
Rose shook her head. She had a feeling she knew this was going to be another 'I promise to protect you' speech, and while she appreciated the sentiment and knew Dimitri's words held truth, she also knew the extent of Nathan's power, and didn't want him making promises he couldn't keep. "Dimitri –"
"Roza, let me, please," Dimitri continued nervously. "Without you, my heart stops beating. Whatever happens tonight, just know that I plan to spend the –"
"Are you ready to order, handsome?"
With a sigh, Dimitri looked away from Rose and over to the blonde waitress that had untimely interrupted what he wanted to say. To say he was annoyed was a clear understatement.
"Yes we are, thank you," Rose interjected through gritted teeth, a scowl plastered on her face. "I'll have the pepperoni."
"Mhmm," the waitress replied nonchalantly before turning her attention back to the God in front of her. She had noticed him from the moment he walked in – his dark hair was tied at the nape of his neck, and his dark shirt did nothing to hide his chiselled muscles. She couldn't care less if he was obviously on a date - she thought she was much prettier than her anyways, and would definitely be able to get his attention.
"And what can I get you?" She asked, licking her lips in an attempt to be 'seductive', leaning down towards him and exposing the top of her cleavage in the process. Dimitri instantly looked away with a roll of his eyes, unwilling to be subjected to her embarrassing behaviour. He only had eyes for one woman, and she was, thankfully, sitting across from him.
"I'll just have the Chicken Parmigiana, please," he replied coldly.
"Anything else you might want?" the waitress pushed.
"No," he stated simply. "We're good, aren't we gorgeous?" He asked with a wink, making a point of showing his affection towards Rose, and Rose only.
Rose smiled and nodded her head in agreement and with a dejected sigh, the waitress turned away and headed to the kitchen with their order.
"Can you believe that?" Rose asked exasperatedly. "Who openly flirts with someone when they're clearly on a date?"
"People who have no respect for themselves or for others, Roza."
Rose chuckled, a rare twinkle in her eyes. "What were you saying before we were interrupted?"
"Oh, nothing," Dimitri sighed, "just that I promise I'll protect you tonight. Nothing's going to happen to you."
Rose and Dimitri had both managed to dispel their anxieties as they ate, but the moment Dimitri payed their bill and they stood from the table, their fears came crashing back into them like a tidal wave. The sun had finally set and a cloak of darkness had trapped the world outside – they were no longer safe, and anything could happen from here on out.
Instinctively, the pair reached out for one another, their hands intertwining together perfectly as they walked towards the exit in a tense silence. When they reached the door, they paused briefly, as if taking one final moment to relish in each other's company.
"Are you ready?" Rose asked, a small shake in her voice that only Dimitri could have noted.
"I am," he stated reassuringly. "Are you?"
"I think so," she whispered.
"Don't worry," Dimitri urged, removing his hand from hers and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He placed a gentle kiss on the side of her head, inhaling the comforting scent of his Roza. "I'm here."
With deep breaths, they pushed open the door and stepped out into the chill of the night, starting in the direction of their car parked a few blocks away. They walked in silence, each of them scanning the area around them and looking for potential threats - looking for him. The only sound around them was their footsteps on the sidewalk –the streets were empty, and it only added to the eeriness and feelings of dread. They knew there was no way they could get this close to his location without him coming for her – it was only a matter of time before he emerged from the darkness.
When they reached their car and no danger had made itself known, Rose began to wonder if they had been wrong. Maybe Pavel was mistaken - maybe it hadn't been Nathan spotted in Harrisburg. Maybe Nathan had actually given up in the last month or so, no longer fuelling his desire for Rose. Maybe they were safe, after all.
Looking over to Dimitri, Rose saw that his confusion mirrored hers – he thought for sure that Nathan would come for her if he had the opportunity. His narrowed eyes darted around them, seeking out the threats in the darkness.
"Maybe we're wrong. Maybe he's not here after all?" Rose questioned, barely audibly. "Maybe Baba was wrong?"
"Harrisburg is quite big, Rose," Dimitri replied, his voice low and quiet also. "Maybe he moved on."
"I thought he would come," she replied with a sigh. "How are we ever going to find him now, if he's not going to come for me when I'm literally a walking target?"
Rose was beginning to let her fears get the better of her, working herself towards a panic attack and Dimitri knew it. He quickly stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, knowing the urgency of calming her down – she couldn't panic, not here, not when danger was still potentially lurking around the corner. She instinctively leaned into his embrace, wrapping her own arms underneath his duster and around his waist.
"Roza, I promise you, we will find him," he stated. "I promised to protect you and I will, and that means hunting him down no matter what it takes."
"But it's taken us this long to –"
"Rose. It's okay," he interjected her worries, refusing to let her succumb to them. "Let's just go home, we can find him another way. A safer way."
"Okay," she sighed sadly, stepping back from Dimitri's warmth, attempting to recollect her confidence. "Let the others know."
Dimitri pulled out his phone as Rose continued to search the area with her worried eyes. He sent a message to Pavel informing the team to stand down before returning his cell to his pocket, turning back to Rose, checking to see if she was ready to leave.
"Dimitri?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for a lovely date," she stated with a genuine smile, grateful at having the opportunity to spend such valuable time with Dimitri, even if their plan hadn't worked out.
Not needing words, Dimitri simply leaned down and placed a tender kiss on her soft lips. He was about to pull away when Rose's hands came up and gripped the lapels of his duster, pulling him flush against her. She stood on her tiptoes, deepening the kiss and sending a wave of warmth through their bodies. His hands reached out and rested on her waist, gripping her hips tightly as their lips tangled together.
In that moment, it was just the two of them. The true picture of love, each found themselves lost in each other's touch.
It was a shock then, when neither had expected Rose to be physically torn from Dimitri's arms.
In a flash, she was snatched from his embrace, letting out a blood curdling scream as her heart leapt into her throat. She was violently dragged away from him, with no time to react.
Confused and disoriented from their kiss suddenly breaking, Dimitri barely registered what was happening before a blow to the head found him crashing to the ground with a mighty thump, the darkness of unconsciousness consuming him. They had expected an attack, but what they hadn't expected was to be ambushed before they had a chance to defend themselves.
The only thoughts racing through his mind were of Rose – he had broken his promise.
He hadn't protected her – again.
Hello! Once again I need to apologise for the super long wait for this chapter! Life has gotten pretty crazy over the last few weeks - uni work and job interviews have taken over and I've had no time to write. Thank you for your concern - I am fine, just very busy!
Please remember to leave reviews, as they always help with my motivation to write.
Hope everything is okay with you, especially with all that is going on in the world at the minute. We're okay as of right now, just can't buy toilet roll anywhere!
H x
