*Trigger warning for distressing themes/content
The drive was short, less than thirty minutes when we both pulled up to the entrance of underground parking. I found a spot in the visitor park and got out, pulling my bags out of the backseat and shouldering them.
Dimitri met me halfway and gestured for me to give him the bags, but I shook my head no. Dimitri rolled his eyes and took one from me and carried it, leading me up to his condo. I wasn't at all surprised that he lived in a penthouse in the west end of Manhattan, but I was trying to hide my amazement.
Once we reached the penthouse I stepped out and dropped my bag to the floor. It was even more amazing than I thought it would be. The living room had a raised skylight that would give an amazing view of the sunrise and sunset.
"Wow," I whispered, taking in the beauty of the living room. There was a marble fireplace in the middle of the room separating it from the dining room. I took a few steps forward so I could look under the skylight.
"I take it that you're impressed?"
I turned to find Dimitri watching me with amusement as he watched me look over his apartment. I chuckled and scratched the back of my neck.
"Sorry."
Dimitri chuckled and gestured for me to follow him, leading me down the hallway and stopping at one of the doors.
"You can stay in here, my room is next door in case you need me in the night," Dimitri said setting my bag down on the bed. I followed and set my bag down too, toing my shoes off and wiggling my toes against the soft white carpet.
Dimitri then showed me the bathroom I could use and gave me a short tour, leaving a key to the building's gym in case I wanted to go while he was away.
"There is food in the fridge and cupboard, but if you want to order out you can order it to the front desk and they'll send it up to you," Dimitri said before he left. I plunked myself on the couch after he left and curled up, finding that the pillow and blanket smelled like Dimitri.
Picking a movie and curling up, I let the long day wear off. The penthouse was cozy despite the size. I could see his personality in the décor and I spotted his large bookcase across from me, right between the two sets of double doors leading out to the terrace. Once the movie ended I wrapped the blanket around me and stepped onto the terrace, leaning against the brick wall.
Once upon a time, I had a view like this when my world hadn't crumbled down around me.
I jumped when a bottle of water was set down next to me, a gasp escaping my lips loudly. Dimitri put his hands up in a cautious gesture.
"Sorry, I called your name. Have you eaten?"
I shook my head and tucked the blanket tighter around me. "It's fine. I'm just tired and that makes me really jumpy. And no, I was going to order something but lost track of time."
Dimitri nodded and went back into the house before bringing out a folder and handed it to me. I opened it to find it full of take-out menus. I laughed and sat down on one of the sun chairs and started going through them. Not a lot of them jumped out at me, but one did and I was practically drooling over the menu.
"Do you eat pizza?"
Dimitri smirked and nodded, pulling his phone out and asking me what I liked on my pizza. I named off a few toppings, also asking for garlic bread. Dimitri had an amused look on his face as he gave my order and then named his. I scrunched my nose up at his veggie pizza to which he rolled his eyes. I let out a sigh and propped my feet up on the odd-looking stone table between us.
"How was your meeting?"
"Tedious. I wanted it to end the minute it started. But we were going over the final details for our charity event in a few weeks."
"What charity?"
"I started a charity to help domestic abuse victims and their families. We provide go-between houses and necessities. In special circumstances, we help hide families too. We can't help every family, but we help as many as we can," Dimitri explained, folding his hands in his lap. The look on his face made me think that there was something else about the charity, but I decided to keep the idea to myself. I didn't want to pry on him or make him uncomfortable.
"It's a good thing to do," I said quietly. Dimitri nodded as he looked at the odd table in front of us, deep in thought when there was an odd buzz/ring from inside the house. Dimitri didn't notice it so I got up and went to the door. I opened it to find a staff member for the building holding the boxes of food.
"Oh, thanks. How much?"
"Don't worry about it ma'am, it was charged to the penthouse account."
I thanked them and took the boxes, turning back to go outside. When I came out I realized that the table was actually a fire pit, and Dimitri had lit a fire in it. I set the boxes down on one of the chairs, which seemed to pull Dimitri's attention from the dancing flames.
"Dinner's here," I said sitting down beside him on the couch, flipping open the boxes and taking a slice. Dimitri blinked and looked up, giving me a half-smile and reached up at his tie, loosening it and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.
I think I preferred him without the tie. He seemed I don't know, more his age without it. Dimitri leaned over and grabbed a slice from his box and leaned back in his seat. I could see him relax as he ate, his shoulders becoming less tense.
"I take it that your charity is personal to you?" I asked cautiously as I gnawed on the crust of my pizza. Dimitri had just started on his third slice when I asked. Dimitri looked down at his pizza for a moment, and I wasn't sure that he was going to say anything.
"I wish that this type of charity was around when I was a kid," he said quietly. I frowned and set my pizza down on the napkin, leaning towards him in my seat.
"Your family?"
Dimitri kept his eyes on the flames in the pit. "It went on until I was old enough to put an end to it," Dimitri said, setting his pizza down on his napkin as well.
"How old were you?"
"Thirteen. I was taller and bigger than my father by that age."
"What? Thirteen?!" I exclaimed, "Please tell me you kicked his ass!"
Despite the grim discussion, Dimitri cracked a smirk. "I did," he replied, an undertone of a chuckle present in his voice. I smirked at him, the idea of a younger version of him avenging his family. It made me even happier that I was helping him, knowing that his family would come first no matter what.
It made me smile to myself. But something had poked in my brain since my very first meeting with Dimitri.
"Can I ask you something personal? I mean, other than what I just asked?"
"Sure."
"Don't let this go to your head, but you're hot. I mean, you're extremely attractive and you have such a good personality. You're funny, caring, charming, and just overall a good person. Why did you go down this route and not do it the more 'traditional' way?"
Dimitri licked his bottom lip. "I was married a few years ago."
My brows raised and my mouth gaped open before I composed myself. "What happened?"
Dimitri chuckled humorlessly. "What didn't happen? We got married young. I wanted children, she lied about wanting them. She got pregnant and went behind my back and had an abortion. I was devastated and our relationship was rocky after that. At the end of our marriage, I was doing a lot of travelling for work, and my ex-wife felt that the appropriate way to deal with her loneliness was to have multiple affairs, amongst other things."
I pursed my lips and blinked repeatedly to keep my tears at bay. I wasn't usually an emotional person, but the pregnancy hormones were wreaking havoc on me lately. Not to mention, nobody deserved to feel that pain.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, reaching my hand out and placed it on his. Dimitri nodded and was quiet for a few minutes. I didn't push and kept quiet too, letting him get his composure.
"How come you don't want children?"
The question took me off guard and I cleared my throat. "It's not something I talk about often," I said softly. I shifted in my spot and crossed my legs in front of me.
"I lived on campus when I started at Queens," I began, "and I went to a party during rush."
Dimitri turned his body towards me, but I kept my gaze focused on the wall across from us, using it to keep me grounded.
"I was stupid and left my drink unattended. And by the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late. I don't remember much other than walking up in the hallway hours later, one of the sorority girls leaning over me."
"Oh Rose," Dimitri softly and I took a deep breath.
"And then I found out I was pregnant," I said quietly. Dimitri shifted beside me but didn't seem to know what he wanted to do. He didn't seem to know if he wanted to physically comfort me or not.
"I had a girl; her name was Jennifer. But when she died, my mother told me that it was my fault."
Dimitri's hand rested on my shoulder in a comforting gesture. "She told you that it was your fault?"
"Yeah. Said that it was 'was to be expected after having a child out of wedlock. She kicked me out after that and cleared out my bank account. Including my personal savings account."
I licked my lips and could taste the salt of my own tears but powered through the last of it.
"My mother said that with the reputation I had at school she wasn't surprised that I got pregnant, but I was a virgin. And when my mother kicked me out, my father did nothing. The man who I looked up to and thought would protect me, just walked away. I haven't been back since."
I took a deep breath and turned to look at Dimitri, whose expression was almost unreadable. Dimitri looked me in the eye as he reached up and wipe a few tears from my cheek before gently pulled me towards him, wrapping his arm around me. I leaned into him and enjoyed the comfort, closing my eyes with my head against his shoulder.
"I've only told a few people about this," I whispered. Dimitri wrapped his other arm around me and held me gently.
"You don't want children because you're scared something might happen again?"
I nodded my head against his shoulder, feeling relieved that he knew exactly why without me needing to say anything.
"I don't think I could handle that again. I loved Jenny so, so much. I had a life planned out with her."
"How come this didn't come up in your file?"
"All that was relevant was that I had had a previous birth and her death wasn't anything that could be genetic."
"Can I ask what happened?"
"Sudden Infant Death Syndrome," I said quietly, "Jenny died in her sleep. The doctors never figured out what caused her death. You usually can't. She was four months old."
I could feel Dimitri shaking his head and he heaved a quiet sigh like he had a heavy burden on his shoulders. I sat up and wiped my hands over my cheeks, feeling the crimson flush over my skin.
"I'm sorry," I said awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed for getting so emotional. Dimitri shook his head and squeezed my hands.
"Don't be. I'm sorry if I pushed," he said, but I shook my head with a tight smile. He didn't push, but I was relieved to be able to talk about it, about Jenny. I squeezed his hand back and let mine linger in his, enjoying the spark that ran through me at his touch.
I reached for my phone and opened the gallery, scrolling through my cloud before finding the picture I wanted. It was the very last picture I took of Jenny before she died. I smiled down at the photo before turning it to Dimitri, waiting for him to look.
My girl had my dad's hair and my face, but the bluest eyes I had ever seen. I loved this picture of her cuddled up with her baby blanket and stuffed giraffe, a gummy smile on display. I had only been able to get her to really smile for a few days before then.
Dimitri looked down at the photo with a soft gaze, a small smile gracing his face.
"She's beautiful," Dimitri said, handing me back the phone.
It wasn't long after that that my eyes started to droop, much to Dimitri's amusement. We cleaned up the boxes and put the last of the pizza into the fridge. I said goodnight to Dimitri and went to get ready for bed.
I smoothed my pyjama shirt over my stomach when I stopped. A thought crossed my mind and I padded out of my room and knocked on Dimitri's door. He called out for me to come in and I poked my head in. I was happy to see that he was still awake, lying in bed with a book.
"Hey," I said coming in. Dimitri watched me carefully as I came to the side of the bed he was laying on and took the book out of his hands.
"I want to try something."
"Okay?"
I walked to the other side and climbed onto the bed, laughing at the peculiar look Dimitri had on his face.
"Oh relax, Comrade, I'm not going to try anything inappropriate. Come here," I said as I laid down beside him. Dimitri raised a brow at me and I took his hand, pulling him down the bed and closer to me. I got comfortable on my back and lifted my shirt up so my belly was bare.
"I get to talk to the baby all day long, but you don't. I figured that maybe since I'm staying here, you could have some bonding time with the baby," I explained. Dimitri looked hesitant but humoured me, moving down so that he was face level with my stomach. He looked at my stomach for a few moments before shaking his head.
"It feels weird," he said with a laugh. I laughed too and rested my head against the pillow.
"Then talk to them in Russian. That way I don't know what you're saying."
Dimitri looked at me for a moment again before giving me a small smile, whispering in his native language and gently placed his hand on my stomach. I folded my arm behind my head and closed my eyes, silently taking in the pleasure of hearing him speak in Russian.
Within a few minutes of his soft, unfamiliar words and warm touches, I was sound asleep.
I rubbed my eyes and wandered out into the kitchen, wincing at the bright sunlight that poured through the windows. Dimitri was standing at the counter with his back to me, and I practically drooled. His back was muscular and the honey-coloured skin shone in the morning light.
I don't think I've ever seen him in something other than a suit or a hoodie. T-shirt and sweat pants were Definity on my list of clothes he looked good in. I continued towards the kitchen and pulled out a chair, plopping down with a sigh.
"Good morning, did you sleep well?"
"I did," I replied, "How come you didn't move me?"
Dimitri turned around with his cup of coffee and shrugged. "I didn't want to risk waking you, you need your sleep."
I smiled and then covered my mouth as I yawned. "What are the chances you'll give me a cup of the delicious smelling bean juice?"
Dimitri chuckled into his mug before turning back around and got another mug down, pouring coffee into it and setting the cream and sugar in front of me. I smiled happily and fixed my coffee, taking a long drink before thanking him.
"Hey, if I fell asleep on your bed, where did you sleep?" I asked over the edge of my cup. Dimitri's eyes met mine when his phone buzzed along the countertop and he groaned, reaching his long arm over and picked it up
"Ivan has been bugging me about bringing someone tomorrow," Dimitri complained, setting his phone down again. I chuckled before swallowing my second mouthful.
"Oh? Why's that?"
"Because I haven't brought anyone to an event since my marriage ended. Even then I didn't always bring Tasha. Ivan said that people have been making comments about it," Dimitri explained exasperatedly, rolling his eyes.
"Awwe. There is nothing wrong with going alone."
Dimitri gave me a small smile and his gaze lingered on me for a few minutes before I chuckled. "What?"
Dimitri's ears turned pink and he looked…shy?
"Will you come with me?"
"Are you serious? I don't have anything that would look ok for an event like this," I chuckled, thinking about the nicest dress I owned being a short, black cocktail dress. Dimitri shook his head with a chuckle, brushing a strand of hair out of my eyes.
"I think you'll look fine. All you need is the right dress," Dimitri said, pulling out his phone.
It took about an hour before we made it to wherever Dimitri was leading us. We walked into a store that screamed money and class. A store that realistically, I couldn't afford much in. I rolled my eyes and followed behind him as he approached a saleswoman. She obviously knew who he was and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I haven't seen you here in a long time," the woman said with a kind smile.
"Yes, well we need help finding a dress," Dimitri said, turning and pulling me closer. I smiled politely at her and the woman turned to face me, looking me over before her eyes landed on the swell of my stomach that was visible through my shirt. She raised a brow and turned to Dimitri and gave him an amused look.
"Have some news to share?"
Dimitri shrugged with a laugh. "Yes, we're keeping things quiet for now. But we would like to find something that will compliment Rose's figure."
The sales lady had a twinkle of delight in her eyes before she pulled me further into the store, asking me about fabrics and such. I told her that she could take the reigns. I eventually found out that her name was Ella and she walked through rows with me, taking dresses down that I liked or she thought would look good. At one point Dimitri had to carry some because Ella and I didn't have enough hands.
Once I got to the dressing room I started trying on dresses. A few I put in the discard pile solely because my breasts were spilling out the top of them. The dress I liked the most didn't cover the bump as much as I had hoped, but it was still pretty. Navy blue dress with halter straps with the skirt shorter in the front than it was in the back. The chiffon was floaty and felt weightless, moving with me as I moved. When I turned and looked at my profile in the mirror, I was pleased that the chiffon concealed my bump, but if you really looked at my midsection, you'd notice the bump.
I opened the door and stepped out to get a better look in the bigger mirror. Dimitri's head came up and his jaw dropped a little bit.
"Does this look okay?" I asked, turning to face him. Dimitri nodded and stood up.
"You look stunning," he said softly, "But I didn't realize how short you are," he continued, chuckling a little at my expression. I gasped and narrowed my eyes at him.
"I'm not short, you're just freakishly tall. Really, it's abnormal," I replied tossing my hair over my shoulder and placed my hands on my hips. Dimitri laughed and stood up, practically looming over me, looking down at me as I peered up at him. I could smell his cologne so heavily with him this close and it made me slightly weak in the knees.
Ella came into the dressing area holding a shoebox. She smiled at the two of us before bringing the box over.
"I thought these shoes would go nicely with that dress, I put some sole cushions in to help your poor feet," Ella said handing me the box. I smiled at her when Dimitri took the box out of my hands and opened it, revealing beautiful gold heels inside. I took one shoe out of the box, placing my hand on Dimitri's shoulder to steady myself as I slipped one on. I teetered slightly but Dimitri steadied me by placing his hands on my waist. I took the other one out and did the same, smirking up at Dimitri as I did so.
After I got the shoes on comfortably, I turned and appraised myself fin the mirrors. I had to admit. I looked really good. Maybe I would be able to pull this off after all.
Ta-dah! Again, I'm early, but after the amazing news I heard today, I just had to update!
It looks like we will finally get to see more of VA onscreen! We're getting a TV show peeps!
Rose finally told Dimitri why she didn't want children. This chapter is what started the whole story. Apparently, all of my great story ideas come to me right as I'm about to fall asleep, and when this hit me I actually got up and wrote a few chapters!
On a side note, I had a few of you reach out and wish me luck with my doctor's appointments and I really appreciate all of you. I ended up getting some good (well not really, but good for me) results. Good because we got results, not so good because they aren't great.
I've been struggling with chronic back and knee pain for about seven years, and I finally got my doctor to take me seriously. After 15 X-rays, I found out that I have an extra lumbar vertebra (Usually you only have five!) Which is really cool because that only happens to 10% of people.
Now usually, having an extra one would be no problem at all, except mine is partially fused to my tailbone and that is part of my cause of pain. I also found out that I have arthritis in my spine. Who knew you could get that at 23?!
But back to the story, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter despite the sad bits, and I am excited to post the next one for you all!
Let me know what you think!:)
