I paced in front of my apartment building, my heels clicking on the cement walkway. Lissa had left with Christian earlier, and I promised that Dimitri was picking me up. He should be. He said he would.

I gave him my number after class and told him where and what time, but he was almost ten minutes late and I was getting antsy.

What if he wasn't coming?

Then not only would I have to explain why I didn't show up at the party, but I would have also been stood up by my fake boyfriend. This was a low that I never thought I would reach.

I checked my phone again and groaned. I didn't get his number, so I couldn't call and ask where he was.

I felt like an idiot.

Of course, he wouldn't want to go to this stupid party, with the crazy girl that stares at him four hours a week and made up a lie that he was my boyfriend.

My shoulders sagged and I pulled my leather jacket tighter around me.

I had even spent extra time on my hair and make-up, changing my mind on what to wear as if it was a real date. But I was just an idiot standing outside their apartment in a red cocktail dress, waiting for a guy that wasn't going to show.

Giving up, I turned to the glass doors; there was a pint of ice cream in my fridge with my name on it.

The sound of a loud engine drew my attention; it was familiar and made me look over my shoulder. There, on his black motorbike, was Dimitri pulling up to the curb. He quickly shut off the bike, removing his black helmet with a look of regret. "Hey, I'm sorry I'm late. I forgot your helmet and–" He stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening as I turned to face him.

A heat spread through me as his eyes travelled down my form and then back to my face. I felt a small sense of victory that I was able to make him speechless for once. While the dress didn't cling to me like a second skin, it hugged my chest and hips, flaring out around my legs; a pair of red heels and stockings that made my legs look smooth and long. Again, I would prefer my boots, but I was already pushing the dress code with the jacket.

Dimitri swallowed, eyes snapping to mine. "You look amazing," he complimented, hand patting the dress shirt under his duster. "I hope my suit will be okay. It's kind of old." His eyes dropped as if ashamed.

I stepped towards him with a small smile, "I'm sure it's perfect. I was starting to think you weren't coming."

He reached behind him, fiddling for a moment and then produced a half helmet. "I had to go back to get this, though now I'm realising I should have asked before riding over here." His eyes dropped down and I followed his eye line to my short skirt.

Showing up on a motorbike, wearing a dress this short would give half of the mothers at the party a heart attack, especially Galina. A smirk pulled at my lips, "It's alright." I held my hands out for the helmet, grateful that I didn't put my hair up.

All I could think of as I approached the bike was the number of times I'd imagined riding on the back with him, arms wrapped around his waist. I pulled on the helmet, securing the chin strap before I placed my hands on Dimitri's shoulders. He directed me where to put my feet, glancing over his shoulder as I swung my leg over.

My dress rode up my thighs, my heels scarcely balancing the foot peddles. Dimitri's fingers curled around mine, guiding my hand from his shoulder to his waist.

"Hold on to me," he instructed in a low voice that made my toes curl.

I shifted closer to hold on, effectively blocking anyone from seeing up my dress. I could feel his body heat through his duster; smell the scent of pine. His body felt firm under my hands; I knew he was in shape, but he was solid like a rock.

He put on his helmet once I was seated, patting my hands before he turned the bike on. A rush went through me; I couldn't tell if it was nerves about the party or excitement about being so close to him.

I took a deep breath and pressed against his back, his broad shoulders blocking the wind from whipping my face as he revved and pulled out of the parking lot. I would allow myself just this day to bask in the pretend.

Tomorrow we would go back to just being classmates.


I directed Dimitri on where to drive once we got closer. As the houses around us became grander, the more he looked back at me. When we spoke after class, I'd mentioned I was well off, but I didn't go into detail. My parents weren't flashy compared to some other families we knew, but it was still a lot when he pulled up to the entrance gate.

My parents didn't choose an extravagant house, but they liked their privacy, which included a ten-foot fence and trees to block the view. The guard stationed out front eyed us as we pulled up. Dimitri tensed under my hands.

"Mr Mazur isn't taking visitors today."

I stuck my head out from behind Dimitri, grateful that my face was covered by the helmet. "It's okay, Emil. We are just running late for the party."

Emil raised his eyebrows in surprise, eyes shifting to Dimitri, the bike, and then back to me. With a sharp nod, Emil waved to the other guard to open the fence. I gave Dimitri an encouraging smile when he peered back at me before he continued down the driveway.

Our house was built on the side of a mountain, looking down at the city. Watching the twinkling lights from my room at night was my favourite thing to do. The paved driveway led up to the white double-storey home, flower bushes framed the driveway on either side. There were attendants out, directing the cars and guests where to go.

They looked bewildered, unsure where to park the bike so I pointed to the garage. "Park in there," I directed Dimitri. He did as I said and pulled in beside my father's Cadillac Town Sedan, his pride and joy. He liked to show it off, a hint of the gangster he wished he was.

My fingers dug into his shoulders as I climbed off the bike, trying my best to be graceful getting off a motorbike in heels and a dress. I smoothed out the material and avoided Dimitri's eyes.

"Who's house is this exactly?" Dimitri asked, taking off his helmet and looking around.

"Well–"

"Hey, you can't park there!" an attendant from the front ran towards us. I spun on my heel and removed my helmet.

"It's okay."

The attendant paused, eyes widening. "Oh, Sorry, Miss Mazur. I didn't recognise you." They quickly backed away, leaving me with a very quiet Dimitri.

I looked back to find him staring at his hands, expression guarded. Slowly he stood and swung his long leg over the bike, kicking the stand, before he turned to me. "I thought your last name was Hathaway?"

"That's what I go by now, so I don't get recognised," I explained. My fingers caught the ends of my hair, twirling them anxiously. "Mazur is my real last name."

"So, this is your house."

"My parents," I replied lamely. "Look, I should have told you. It's just that when people find out who I am, they get weird. But it's no big deal, we just pretend to be dating for a couple of hours and then we go back to normal. Okay?"

Dimitri looked hesitant, studying me as he considered my words, and for a moment I thought he was going to back out completely. Instead, he fiddled with the collar of his shirt, "Are you sure what I'm wearing is okay?"

I breathed a sigh of relief, taking his helmet and placing it on the table against the wall, placing mine beside it. "You look great," I promised. I took his hand and led the way to the front door; I would go through the kitchen, but it would look better coming through the front.

My hand curled around his arm, "Remember, if anyone asks, just say we've been dating for two weeks and it's still new. If they corner you, say you were meant to be getting me a drink. Oh, and don't let anyone called Kirova get you alone. She will eat you alive."

He nodded his head along with everything I said, though his eyes were taking in the house's towering structure. It was an older style, wood panelling, painted white with red accents. I decided against telling him that compared to others, my house was small.

Dimitri came to a halt at the foyer, wide eyes taking in the large room with the winding staircase leading up to the second floor, an iron railing with gold leaf decorations. A glittering chandelier dangled from the ceiling, lighting the room. There was a man at the piano playing soft music to greet everyone, another holding a tray of drinks to give to the new guests.

"May I take your coats?" a woman in a black suit offered.

It shocked Dimitri back to himself, helping me out of mine before taking off his duster. Without the long leather coat on, I could see the suit he wore. It was a dark blue jacket and dress pants, with a crisp white shirt underneath. His shoes were real leather, appearing almost blood red in the light. The suit must have been tailored to him, fitting nicely across his shoulders and chest.

Again he brushed a hand down the front of the shirt as if unsure. I met his eyes and let out a low whistle, "I think you look better than me."

Instantly his demeanour changed, his usual confidence showed when the corner of his lip twitched. A hand rested against the small of my back, a move done so casually you would have assumed he had done it before. "That's not possible, Roza. Shall we?"

Dimitri concealed his shock at the rest of the house, following as I led him to the back of the house, stepping past the glass doors to the paved patio. My parents had gone all out, the large grass area was covered with fake flooring so bar tables could be arranged and space made for a dance floor. The infinity pool was off to the side, lit up and with flowers floating in the water.

People were wandering about, some in crowds discussing work or hopes for the ceremony. I already hated it here and I hadn't even spoken to anyone.

I eyed the bar across from us, "Did you want something to drink?"

Dimitri shook his head, "No thanks, not when I'm riding."

"Oh, that's good. Very responsible," I replied. "I need a drink."

"Are you old enough to drink?"

"I–"

"Rose! You're here." I was interrupted by my father. Abe and Janine approached us, and I tensed up. Abe pulled me into a side hug and kissed my forehead, "You look lovely."

"Thanks." I shot Dimitri a pointed look. His expression became serious, standing tall. "Mom, dad, this is Dimitri," I introduced, "Dimitri, these are my parents."

My father offered his hand, giving Dimitri's hand a firm shake, "Call me Abe." He studied Dimitri, "It's nice to meet the man we've heard so much about."

"And so recently," Janine added with a cool expression. Both of my parents enjoyed giving every guy I introduced the third degree; my father was better at concealing it. She gave me a once over, "You're late."

Dimitri began to speak, but I cut him off, "My fault, I was being fashionably late."

Her lips pressed into a firm line. "I'm assuming your hair looks like that because of the motorbike you arrived on. Do you think that is safe to be driving my daughter around on?" she directed to Dimitri.

He swallowed thickly. "I can assure you, I have a lot of experience and am very attentive when on the road. Rose's safety is always my main concern." His response seemed to please Abe, though Janine narrowed her eyes.

She dropped it and nodded at my hair again. "You should go clean up."

If we weren't surrounded by others, I would have scoffed, instead, I forced a small smile. "I guess I'll give Dimitri a small tour of the house."

I took Dimitri's arm and pulled him away before they could come up with a reason for him to stay behind. We walked back through the living room and into the foyer where I swiped a glass from the offered tray.

"Come on, it'll just take a second," I nodded to the staircase. We made it halfway up before I heard a bout of laughter.

"Rose, isn't it a bit early to be sneaking off?"

I glanced over the railing at the family room on the opposite side of the foyer. My friends were gathered in a group, including Lissa and Christian. Mason shot me a playful grin, making kissy lips. I flipped him off and continued up the stairs, dragging Dimitri after me.

The only ones that knew it was all fake were Lissa and Christian. She just had to tell him, and he spent a good five minutes laughing.

Once on the second floor, I waved my hand around, "This is where the bedrooms are, and five of the bathrooms. Gym through there." I pointed to the door on our left and then walked in the opposite direction down the hall. "Master bedroom, study, spare bedroom," I listed off each door as we passed until I reached my door.

My room was on the opposite side of the house; I wanted to be as far from my parent's room as possible. The windows overlooked the backyard, with built-in seating under them with cushions and pillows arranged. My bed sat against the wall; a terrible rose-patterned quilt laid over it.

Despite my photos and things filling the shelves and dresser, it didn't feel like my room. It was more for show.

My room in the apartment I shared with Lissa and Meredith was more mine than this room ever was. I had great memories of living in this house and being with my parents, but living in the spotlight was never what I wanted.

I left Dimitri in my room and walked into the ensuite, picking up my brush and attempting to tame my curls again. Janine might have been right; the wind was not kind to them.

I could hear him moving about, hesitant footsteps around my room. "I think your pool house is bigger than my house."

"Yeah, it's a bit much," I replied, gathering my hair over my shoulder and attempting to make it look presentable again. With a once-over of my make-up, I returned to the bedroom. I leaned against the door frame and watched him look out the window. "I really should have warned you."

"Are your parents always that–"

"Intrusive?" I offered.

He dipped his head with a slight smile, "I was going to say protective."

I pushed around from the frame with a sigh, joining him at the windows. "My dad can be nice but is definitely overprotective, and my mom… Well, she has expectations for me and makes them known. Such as who I should date."

"The asshole?"

I smirked. "That's the one. If I didn't say I was bringing you, she would have set me up with him." I cringed, shaking my arms to rid myself of that thought. It was bad enough that I ran the chance of seeing him at the party.

"What are you going to do after the party?" he asked, "Won't they push you to date him again."

"Probably," I shrugged, "but at least I'll have another year before there's another one of these parties." I scowled out the window. It was all fake. Very rarely was there real emotion between the people that took part.

At sunset, they would make the couples line up and someone would fasten our hands together with a strip of silk fabric, a candle held between our hands. If you both focused on the candle, it would light up to show you were soulmates. But it was reliant on if your souls resonated together, so the candle would light even if there was a small chance—the flame would be tiny and weak, but they accept it as good enough.

I had only seen two instances where the candle burned brightly; Eddie and Mason last year, and Adrian and Sydney the year before that.

"I've never been to an actual party for a ceremony. I'd heard of them," Dimitri commented, glancing out the window again. "I've seen a few. The last one was at my friend's wedding last year."

"Wow, waiting for the wedding. That's risky," I joked. I had heard of people doing one within the first week of meeting because they didn't want to waste time.

"They believed they were meant to be and didn't need the proof. It was more for the tradition of it."

I picked up the drink I had brought up with me, throwing it back for a little liquid courage. "Hope you're ready to go back down. Just a few more hours and then we can get out of here." I told myself more than him—this wasn't my world, at least, not the one I wanted.

"Rose, can I ask a question?" I tilted my head, nodding in approval. Dimitri stepped towards me, hands in the pockets of his pants. "You have all of this, and yet I knew you work constantly, and you live in the cheaper area of town."

"Are you asking why I don't live on my parent's money?" I asked with a laugh.

He grimaced, "I don't mean to offend you, I'm just curious."

My fingers tapped on the stem of the glass. "I don't mind. I guess I'd always seen it as their money. I would rather build my own life instead of it being handed to me."

A smile graced his lips, eyebrows raising in surprise. "That's very mature of you."

I wasn't offended by his reaction. Compared to some of the others I had met at University, some were immature. I knew he was a couple of years older than me and probably expected me to be the same as them.

I placed the empty glass on my dresser and shot Dimitri a flirtatious smile, "I'm full of surprises."