Chapter 6


Belle POV

"I hope I didn't make you wait too long," I said breathlessly as I sat my purse down on the small bistro table. Dimitri looked up at me with a crooked smile and waved his hand at the empty seat across from him. We had agreed to meet at Francesca's for an early dinner. It was one of the better café bistro's in the area. I walked here as fast as I could from the bookstore, but clearly that still wasn't fast enough.

"No, of course not. I've barely been here five minutes." He reassures me as I claim the seat his hand is gesturing towards.

"You're probably just saying that." I retort, as I dig my phone out of my bag to shoot Harlow a quick message. But Dimitri's hand lands on the screen of my phone – lowering it down to the table until my eyes land back on his icy blue.

His lips cut up into a smirk and my heart skips a beat in my chest. How is this man so fucking perfect? And why is he here with me? "I would never lie to you, Bella." He says in a low voice – his thick Russian accent coloring his words. His hand retreats back to his side of the table, and I'm left feeling breathless for a very different reason. "It might seem like a trivial matter to you, but I want to make it clear now. I'm not here to waste your time – or mine for that matter."

My eyes stay fixed on his, and I know from the way his smirk stays fixed on his face that the blush spreading across my cheeks must be as obvious to him as it is to me.

"T-That's comforting to know." I manage to choke out as I pick up one of the menus that were laying before me. My eyes scan the items as I wait for my heartbeat to find its normal rhythm again. I hear a low chuckle drift my way from across the table and I have to once again remind myself to breath. This isn't the first time you've been alone with him, Belle. Get your shit together. I lower the menu to steal a glance at the man before me.

He had taken my silence as a chance to peruse the menu himself. I couldn't bring myself to tear my eyes from him. His dark hair wasn't tussled or in disarray as I remembered it from the night before. Instead, he had expertly styled it back in a way that made it seem as though he could have been mistaken for some famous movie star.

He had said he'd just gotten off work and wouldn't mind grabbing a bite to each when he'd called me at the bookstore. I'm guessing his job didn't involve much manual labor if he could leave looking that well groomed still. My eyes drifted down to take in his white button up dress shirt and the dark grey tie that had been loosened around his neck. No, definitely no manual labor for this guy.
The waiter came to take our orders, and once he was finished he took our menus with him. Well, there goes my one line of defense, I thought to myself as I watched the waiter depart with the laminated paper I'd been using to hide my face for the last several minutes.

"So, Bella," Dimitri said, pulling me from my thoughts and causing me to jump just a little. "I'm curious. Tell me about yourself." He says, as he carefully unbuttons the wrists of his dress shirt and slowly pushes the sleeves up his arms.

"What would you like to know?" I try to muster as much confidence into my voice as humanly possible, but even I could hear the slight nervousness that lined my words. Dimitri shoots me an apologetic smile. He must have been used to women reacting this way to him. But, I internally kicked myself anyway. I needed to pull myself together.

"Why don't we play the question game." He says simply.

"The question game?"

"Yes. You ask a question, we both answer. I ask a question, same thing." There's a slight glint of mischief in his eyes as he picked up his drink and takes a sip, his eyes never leaving mine. "Why don't you start?" He says, sitting his cup back down on the table.

"Okay…How old are you?" Lame. I know it's a lame question as soon as it leaves my mouth, but it was a safe one.

"Twenty-nine." He says. I couldn't hide my shock. He was seven years older than me! Was that a lot? I wasn't sure. Until now I had only dated guys my own age, maybe a year older. I guess even Dimitri picked up on my surprise, because he just laughed softly and shook his head. "Well, don't keep an old man waiting. What about you?" he asks.

"I'm twenty-two." My hands fiddle with the cup in front of me, and I open my mouth to say something else just as the waiter returns with our food. I didn't know how I even planned to eat anything with my nerves this frazzled. It seemed almost impossible to me. But, my stomach let out a small growl at the thought of food. I knew I should have eaten more when we went to breakfast, but I just couldn't. I just hoped Dimitri hadn't heard my traitorous stomach.

"Can I get you anything else?" The waiter asks, eyeing each of us. I just shake my head and say something along the lines of being good.

"No, everything looks delicious. Thank you." Dimitri says to the waiter, and the waiter departs. And he has manners too. Of course he does.

"My turn again." Dimitri says, popping a fry into his mouth. He remains quiet in thought for a moment as he chews, and as he swallows his eyes light up and turn my direction again. "Are you currently seeing anyone?"

At first the question startles me, and I bristle a bit in offense. What an odd thing to ask me after what transpired between us last night. Did he honestly take me for the kind of girl who would knowingly do what we had if I in fact did have someone in my life? I look at him in confusion before the realization dawns on me. He did see Alec's message. There was no doubt about it now. He must not have drawn the connection between Alec and the message, because he had most certainly met him last night. However, I had Alec saved in my phone under multiple middle fingers, so there's no way he could have. I breathed out a sigh of relief in regards to that. The only way of identifying Alec would have been from his initials at the end of his message – A.T., but of course Dimitri didn't know his last name.

"N-no, I'm not seeing anyone right now." Dimitri seems to chew on my words for a moment before seeming to accept them with a nod.

"Good. Neither am I." His words are paired with a slight smile, and I feel my heart do another little flip in my chest.

"My turn." I say, as I pick up my glass and take a sip. I look back over at him and again my focus lands on his business attire, and my curiosity peaks. "What do you do for work, Dimitri?"

Surprise takes over his features, and he leans back in his chair – picking up a napkin that he rubs between his hands. He's quiet for a moment before finally deigning to answer my question. "I'm involved in a bit of entrepreneurial work. I manage people. It's pretty boring stuff." When his eyes meet mine again I couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't giving me the entire truth, but I push the feeling back. "And you, Bella?"

I launch into an explanation of how I'd just recently graduated from college with a degree in Literature, and that I was currently working at the public library while I was working towards my Masters degree. Dimitri nods in response. "I knew you were intelligent." He said, causing blush to rise to my cheeks again. "I could tell from the mountains of books piled around your bedroom."

"Yeah, it's pretty messy." I said sheepishly. "But, in my defense I wasn't exactly expecting company."

"Is it weird for me to say that I'm glad to hear you say that?" He asks, a smile tugging at his lips as he takes another sip of his drink.

"Maybe a little." I say, and we both burst out in laughter, and I feel my nerves finally begin to relax. Right, Belle. Remember how easily you'd talked to each other this morning? Stop stressing out. This is the same guy.

My phone begins buzzing, interrupting our laughter, and I scoop it up off the table to read the text. But, when my eyes land on the screen, and the multiple emojis used in place of a name, my smile falters. A slight shift in my demeanor that isn't missed by Dimitri.

"Is something the matter?" He asks, a bit of concern coloring his words. I shake my head, and tuck the phone back into my purse after switching it to silent.

"No. Nothing's wrong at all."


Alec POV

I must be losing my mind. I looked back down at my phone again, thinking maybe I had missed the notification or something, but again, nothing was displayed on the screen. She must have been ignoring me again. Or maybe she's too occupied to answer. I push back those thoughts and slide my shoes on.

It was already getting sort of late. Late for Belle anyway. I knew she had class in the morning because tomorrow was Monday. She never stayed out late on a school night. I glanced at my phone again to check the time. 8pm. She had to be home. I slipped out of the house and locked the door behind me. If she was adamant about ignoring me I would just have to make that impossible for her.
I dropped into the drivers seat and listened to the car rumble to life as I turned the key in the ignition. The drive from my place to Belle's was a measly five minutes. Something I used to cherish during our friendship. She was always right there. Close by. It was something she used to appreciate too back then.

As I pulled onto her street I could see her driveway, and my hands tightened around the steering wheel when I saw an unfamiliar car in the drive with its lights on. No fucking way. I turned my lights off and drifted to the side of the road. Parking outside an unfamiliar house, a couple houses down from Belle's, as I watched her step out of the passenger side. My eyes drifted to the other side of the car just in time to see the guy from the night before emerge.

I could tell Belle was nervous from the way she was clutching onto her purse as they made their way up to her door. Don't invite him in, Belle. Don't. I watched as they talked for a moment on the front porch, before he pulled her into a hug that was much too intimate for my liking. They separated and Belle offered him a small wave as he made his way back to his car. She lingered on the porch until he pulled out of the driveway and drove in the opposite direction. And then she slipped into the house.

I clutched onto the steering wheel a bit tighter. Trying to steel my nerves. I had come to talk to her. That fact hadn't changed. I cursed under my breath and pushed the drivers side door open. It was a short walk up to her house, but still my pulse quickened with every step. I'd been such a fucking idiot these last couple months. The last couple years, honestly. I should have just told her how I felt from the very beginning. If I had, things would never have become how they are now.

I made a fist and reached out to knock on the door, but I paused and slowly drew my hand back. Why should I knock? My sister lives here too. I've always been allowed to come and go as I pleased. Why should any of that have changed just because Belle couldn't look me in the eye anymore?

"Fuck it," I muttered, turning the knob and pushing the door open. To my surprise Harlow and Christopher weren't snuggled up on the couch like I thought they'd be. The only face that greeted mine was currently standing in the kitchen. Her cheeks were flushed and she stood on the other side of the island with a glass of water poised in her hand and a dumb smile on her face. But her smile didn't last long after her eyes met mine. Her face twisted into the usual mask of disgust that I had become accustomed to lately.

"Harlow isn't here." She sneered, setting her glass down on the island countertop. I guess I should have recalled not seeing Harlow's car in the drive on my walk up to the door, but I shrug it off.

"I didn't come to talk to Harlow." I try to keep my tone even, as I use my foot to kick the door closed behind me. Belle scoffs in response and shakes her head – her long brown hair dancing back and forth.

"Can't imagine anyone else here would have much to say to you." Her reply is clipped, and I can hear the acid lacing each word as she steps from behind the island to make her way into the living room.

"If you'd have just replied to my message –"

"I was busy with my date." She said, lowering her body onto the sofa and picking up the TV remote.

"Your date? You mean that pompous jerkoff from last night?" Her eyes dart to mine, and I could feel the agitation rolling off of her in waves. But I couldn't stop my words. "And here I thought you couldn't bare to speak to a one-night-stand again."

That did it.

"Fuck you." She said, rising from her spot on the sofa and taking two long strides towards me. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but even still I could hear the hatred coating it. "Fuck you, Alec." She'd closed the distance between us and gave a hard shove against my chest causing me to stumble back a step. "Get out of my house!" her voice was louder now – the unbridled anger plain on her face. But I didn't make a move to leave.

"What the fuck, Belle!" I yelled back, running one hand through my hair and shoving the other into my pocket just to keep them busy. "You were my best fucking friend! Can't we just talk about what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about that night ever again in my life." She hissed – her words stabbing right into my heart.

"If you'd just listen to me – give me a chance to explain."

"Explain what, Alec?" she said, wrapping her arms around herself. "How you treated me no different from your usual line of whores?" her voice was frantic now, and the volume of it was causing a ringing in my ears. "Or maybe you want to talk about how you didn't even care that you'd stolen my first time from me."

"Belle, please just listen to me!" I raised my voice too, trying to get a word in edgewise with Belle had always been a feat in itself, but I'd never been on the receiving end of her wrath before.

"I'm done listening!" she screeched, pulling the front door open, her eyes never leaving mine. "I'm just fucking done. Now I'm going to say it again – get out of my house."

My mouth went dry when my eyes focused on the open door, and the frame that was now standing poised with his fist ready to knock. Confusion and concern coloring his features as he stood with Belle's wallet in his other hand. Of course.

Belle's head swiveled around to follow my line of sight, and her eyes widened as she took in the man before her. "Dimitri…" she breathed, and I felt a wave of rage roll over my body from hearing his name spill from her mouth.

"You left your wallet in my car." He said, stepping into the house, his eyes never leaving mine. He was sizing me up – it was an open challenge. "Is everything okay?" he turned his attention back to Belle as he handed her the wallet.

"Everything's fine. Alec was just leaving." She said, her voice a bit softer.

"Best to be on your way then." Dimitri said, turning his cold gaze on me. There was something about the way he carried himself that both pissed me off and scared me. Scared me for Belle. There was something not quite right about this guy. I just couldn't place it.

"We aren't done talking about this, Sullivan." I said, as I started making my way to the door.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we are, Tiers." Her of voice was bitter and restrained, but I could sense the tidal wave of anger she was holding at bay. I just shook my head and pushed my way past the both of them. This conversation was far from over.


I hope you're liking the story so far! Things are finally heating up and getting interesting.
I always love hearing reader's input, so please feel free to leave a review!
- Poetic