I knew Dimitri was a careful driver, a good one at that. But I was holding onto the handle above the window with a bone-breaking grip. A snowstorm was an understatement. This was a full out blizzard, and our car was not taking it well. I could hear the ABS clicked in as Dimitri tried to slow the sliding vehicle. We had been driving for three hours and only made it an hour's distance from the Badica's house.

I knew Dimitri was stressed too. While he looked composed his eyes said something different, and the quiet muttering in Russian under his breath made it that much worse. I could barely see more than a few feet ahead of me. If anything, I felt like I was a powder kegs about to go off if we skidded again.

"I think that we should pull over," I said tensely, my teeth clenched together.

"I agree. It's too dangerous trying to head back to the Academy."

Dimitri managed to bring the side of the road and parked it, flicking the hazard lights on as he did so. Not that it would be much use, the snow was falling so heavy nobody would be able to see them. I was still gripping the handle when Dimitri put his hand over mine that was wrapped around my seatbelt.

"It's ok," he said stroking my hand as I relaxed. His attitude towards me had done a one-eighty. Not that I minded; I preferred to have him the way he was before than how he has been in the last few weeks. He pulled his phone out after I released the handle, and I worked my fingers out of the stiff position. Dimitri spoke quietly and firmly to whoever he was speaking to before sighing and hanging up.

"From what the Academy says, this storm isn't supposed to let up for hours, a day at most. I think there is a fast-food place a few miles ahead that we could stop at if they're open. It'll get us off the road," Dimitri said as he put his phone back in his pocket. I nodded my head and tried to relax my stiff muscles.

As Dimitri drove at a snail's pace and I kept my eyes on the surrounding area. The sun was covered by thick clouds. Strigoi could easily be out lurking too under the coverage. As we drove further a big green sign showed on the side of the road, indicating the off-ramp to a selection of restaurants and motels.

It took maybe forty minutes to get there, but we were lucky to find a small cafe open. I pulled up my hood as we made our way from the car, Dimitri keeping his hand on my back as we went. I was confused about why until a gust flew towards us. The wind was strong enough to make me stumble.

The elderly woman behind the counter of the cafe was surprised to see us and was quick to take our orders.

"You two aren't from around here, are you?" she asked as she brought us two hot chocolates and grilled cheese sandwiches.

"No," Dimitri said, "We were a few towns over visiting family. We have at least four hours drive in normal conditions back."

I let Dimitri take the lead of the conversation while I dove into my food. My stomach had been queasy since I woke up, but the sandwich and the sugar in the hot chocolate seemed to help. The woman sat down in the chair between us and kept up a conversation with Dimitri as he ate. I had all but inhaled my sandwich and was starring longingly at his. This woman knew how to make a mean grilled cheese.

Dimitri felt my gaze and smirked, sliding half of his sandwich to me. I shook my head, protesting that he needed to eat before he pushed it further towards me.

"You need it more than I do right now," he simply said before his eyes travelled to my forehead. I blushed but took the sandwich anyway. I hadn't noticed the older woman had walked away until she came back, setting two plates in front of us with pastries.

"I doubt I will have anyone else in here today, so you are more than welcome to these. Besides, I like seeing a young woman with an appetite. All I see these days are young girls with their sugar-free drinks and "skinny" treats. Nothing is better than a strong woman," she enthused, smiling sweetly at me. I chuckled quietly under my breath but thanked her. Dimitri seemed to be enjoying the chocolate chip cookies as well.

I watched the snow fall heavily over the hour that we sat in the warm café, and I kicked my boots off to pull my knees up and rested my warm mug on my knees. Dimitri had procured a book from his duster pocket and was reading quietly, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see him look up at me every so often. I had focused on the falling snow for so long that I jumped when his voice was right next to my ear.

"How are you feeling?"

I snapped my head over to look at him and was startled by how close he was to me. He seated himself in Elenore, the woman who owned the café's, spot and was leaning towards me.

"Mentally, physically, or emotionally?" I asked with a slight laugh.

"All of the above."

I set my mug down on the table and looked over my shoulder to find Elenore sitting behind the counter reading as well.

"Physically, I'm fine. My head hurts a little bit but other than that I'm fine. Mentally… I don't know how I feel. I thought I would fully prepared to face my first Strigoi, and if it weren't for Andrew clinging to me, I would have froze," I admitted quietly. I didn't want to admit that I almost hesitated to Dimitri, but I needed it off my chest.

Dimitri nodded his head as I spoke and waited for me to compose myself before speaking again.

"Emotionally, I just feel like so much has happened in the last few months that I need a reset. I've just felt too many things and want to shut everything off for a while," I said looking back out the window again. "How are you doing?"

He seemed shocked at my question, which made me laugh a little bit. "Oh, c'mon Dimitri. You've had a rough couple of weeks too. From being forced into something you didn't want to do with the lust charm and then Victor, and now the attack at the Badica's? You must feel out of sorts too."

I watched him as I spoke and frowned when he flinched when I brought up the lust charm. If he thought he had taken advantage of me, I had taken just as much advantage of him. He watched me for a few moments, his lips twitching before replying with a simple, "I'm fine."

I shrugged and sighed, tipping my head back against the chair and closed my eyes. I was so tired. Footsteps came towards us and I pulled my head back up, smiling at Elenore.

"With this storm, I think I'm going to close up. But I know that Belmont down the street will be open, and I called to see if they had rooms available," Elenore said, her weary eyes warm. Dimitri looked from me to Elenore and nodded standing up and handing her a few bills.

"Thank you, Elenore," he said as he extended his hand to me. I looked at it for a moment but took it, standing up and putting my boots back on. Dimitri walked towards the door and looked outside as he pulled his coat on.

Elenore tapped my shoulder and looked over my shoulder for a moment before looking at me again.

"He didn't do that to you, did he?" she whispered. I raised my brow before her eyes flaked to my forehead. I knew that Dimitri could hear her from his place. Given the fact that I had a fresh bruise on my head and that I had seen her observing Dimitri's knuckles that were a little bruised and torn, I could see why her mind went there. I was quick to reassure her though.

"No. I was playing with my cousin and tripped. I ended up hitting my head off their liquor hutch. I'm fine. But thank you," I said kindly, giving her a smile. Elenore relaxed and scurried back to the counter and handed me a bag.

"These won't keep long, so you can take them as well. I hope you make it back home alright," she said. I zipped up my coat and stuffed my hands in my pockets, looking up at Dimitri.

"What are we doing?" I asked. Dimitri did up his duster and pulled a hat from the pocket, pulling it on to cover his ears.

"We'll go to the Belmonte. It'll be warmer than sitting in the car. We may have to stay the night if this keeps up," he said.

The idea of spending a whole day with him outside the Academy made a part of me sing in praise, but the still hurt part of me whined and protested. What ever God that was up there was taking joy in my pain.

We decided that it was safer to walk to the Belmonte and made the slow trudge to the run-down motel. Thankfully it was clean when we got inside. The kid behind the counter looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here but perked up as we approached. I pulled my hood down and shook my hair out from under the collar.

"What rooms do you have available?" Dimitri asked, pulling his license and credit card out. I looked around the lobby as he spoke with the kid, wandering around and inspected the dingy décor. A quick look at the lock told me that it was sturdy and it gave me a little bit of comfort.

"That's it?"

I turned around to see what the issue was. Dimitri had a peculiar look on his face and I came closer, brushing my arm against his.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Dimitri said, signing the slip before pushing it back to the kid. I sighed and followed him after taking the key and handed it to him. He said something under his breath in his native tongue and opened the door, holding an arm out for me to go first. I stepped through and realized what the problem truly was.

There was only a bed and a small couch.

I groaned quietly and let Dimitri do the usual check with the windows and locks as I sank down on the couch. This could be problematic.

"You can take the bed, Rose," Dimitri said locking the door. I snorted and shook my head.

"I can take the couch, Comrade. It's far too small for you," I said, putting a hand up to stop his protest. He sighed and started pulling the comforter off the bed and set it down on the couch and placed a pillow there as well. I gave him a small smile and kicked myself mentally for letting the term of endearment slip, but I don't think he noticed it. And thankfully he knew better than to argue with me on this. Dimitri fiddled with the thermostat on the wall and gave another sigh.

"It looks like this is controlled by a main switch. I don't think we can turn the heat up any further."

I shrugged. How cold could it possibly get?


I was freezing and my toes felt like they were going to fall off. While Dimitri had given me the comforter off the bed and I was wearing all my gear except my boots, I was still freezing. I could only imagine how Dimitri felt with the thin blankets. Sighing I got up and wrapped the comforter around me, slowly getting onto the vacant side of the bed. Body heat would work, and I knew that it could blow up in my face, I did it anyway.

I flung the comforter over both of us and curled up in a ball far enough away that if he woke, he wouldn't pretest and wiggled my feet under the blanket he had. As I started to warm up, I shed my coat and scooted a little closer to him, his face only a foot or so from mine. His breathing was slow and even as he slept and I tucked my nose into the blanket, trying to keep it warm.

When I woke, I was facing the couch and I was toasty. My back was warm, and I burrowed deeper into the comforter, stretching my legs out from my stiff position. As I stretched my legs down my feet brushed against a leg and I froze.

I had fallen asleep further away from him.

I peeked over my shoulder to find him laying right behind me, his arms slung over my waist under the blanket. Peering at the clock I found that it was early, or late in our case, but closed my eyes again. I could sleep for a few more hours.

I was almost asleep again when Dimitri's arm tightened around me and pulled me back against his chest, his face coming down to nuzzle my neck. I froze and waited for him to settle again before relaxing. He was still sleeping. Being wrapped in his arms made me melt a little and I sighed to myself. I had dreamed about this for weeks. But I knew that when he woke it would be a different story. But I let the feeling of his embrace wash over me as I lulled back to sleep. When my eyes opened again it was a little brighter out, but the grey hue still hung in the air. And I was boiling but didn't want to move. I shifted in my spot only to find that I was still wrapped in Dimitri's arm.

I stuck my leg out from under the blanket instead and sighed, repositioning my head against the pillow. While Dimitri's face wasn't pressed against my neck anymore, it was resting against the top of my head, his breathing even but a little lighter than before.

"I know you're awake."

My eyes bugged out of my head and I tensed up but was happy to hear that his tone wasn't angry or condescending. It was calm and…content? I turned slightly and peaked up at him, stifling a yawn as I did so.

"Sorry, it got really cold in the middle of the night," I said apologetically. He smiled softly and shook his head, resting his chin on my hair.

"It's fine Roza."

My heart flipped in my chest at the nickname and a small smile crossed my lips. I rolled and in a moment of weakness, burrowed my face into his chest, wanting to hold onto this moment a little longer. What I wasn't expecting was for him to tighten his arm around me and roll onto his back, bringing his other arm around my shoulders too.

"I lied," Dimitri said quietly.

I pursed my lips as I tried to decipher what he meant but came up empty. I tilted my head up and met his gaze. I raised my brows in a silent what?

"About the charm. About how I feel about you." I sat up and turned my body towards him, sitting on my knees before him.

"What do you mean?" I asked him tersely. He sat forward and fixed me in place with his gaze, his eyes. He bit his lip while he gauged me before speaking.

"The charm only works if both parties have a level of attraction. When I explained the charm, I told you that it was simply that, a charm. But in reality, it plays on emotional attachment. Victor had to know that I had feelings for you that matched yours. If it wasn't twisted, it would have been brilliant observation."

I stared at him as what he said sunk in. I must have had a blank look on my face because he spoke again.

"You said that I was forced into something I didn't want to do. But that couldn't be farer from the truth. If I could be with you, I would!"

I listened to his finish as I gaped at him. I balled my hand into a fist and punched him in the chest.

"That is for lying to me!" Punch in the chest. "That is for making me feel like a complete idiot!" Another punch that he tried to block. "That!" I exclaimed as I aimed to punch him again, but he caught my fist in his hand, tugging me towards him to pin my arms down. My anger started to fade and tears built in my eyes as he held me close to him and I let them slip.

"You let me think that it meant nothing to you for weeks! That I meant nothing to you! I was humiliated," I cried into his chest. My fingers were twisted tightly in his shirt as he held me tight, his face pressed into my hair. I had let myself cry about this only a few times after our conversation despite not wanting to. He squeezed me to him tightly as he whispered his apology over and over. I pulled away and wiped my hands across my face, trying to remove evidence of my tears even though his shirt held most of it.

I pulled my knees up and rested my head on them as I sat across from him. "What changed your mind?"

"About?"

"Me? About telling me the truth?"

He sat up straighter and leaned against the headboard, rubbing his palm over his face. The room was still cool and I wanted to cuddle back up to him, but I wanted to see his face as he spoke.

"While waiting for you to wake up I realized how much of an idiot I was being. I was barely able to conceal how I felt about you before the charm, and it was damn near impossible after. I knew I hurt you and I wanted to console you, but I thought it would be best. And then I watched you struggle with it silently. Did you really think I didn't see how puffy and red your eyes were? Or how you couldn't look me in the eye after? It killed me because it was like watching you retreat into yourself."

I pursed my lips again and punched him in the shoulder for good measure before practically flinging myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He caught me and held me gently, his hands warm on my back.

"I hate you right now," I grumbled into his neck. He sighed as if a weight had been lifted off his chest and he turned his head to kiss the bruise on my temple.

"I can live with that for now."


It was still cold when we got up, but we were stuck here for at least ten more hours because of the snowfall. The snowplows hadn't gotten out yet but there was some activity out and about in the small town. Dimitri instructed that I stay here while he went to get some food and I was left behind with shitty cable and his book. After flipping through the channels for twenty minutes only to find absolutely nothing of interest, I picked up his book.

Maybe reading it would bore me to sleep?

So I bundled myself back under the covers and propped myself up with the book. It wasn't completely terrible. The characters were actually kind of good and I could see why Dimitri enjoyed this dog-eared book so much. I managed to get through the first quarter of the book before Dimitri got back, carrying to bag with him. He froze after shutting the door and smirked at me before he shook his head.

"Enjoying yourself?"

I snorted and shrugged. "It was better than the TV channels they have," I smarted, extracting myself from the bundle of blankets. Dimitri shook his head before pulling something out of the bag and tossed it at me. I caught the soft bundle and unfolded it, realizing that it was sweat pants.

"I didn't think those jeans would be comfortable for much longer," he explained as he pulled the groceries from the bag. I ducked into the bathroom and changed out of the jeans and into the sweats. Leave it to Dimitri to buy ones that fit perfectly too. I came out of the bathroom to find him reclined back on the couch with the book I abandoned. I flopped onto the bed and thumbed the magazine that Dimitri thoughtfully bought me, but I couldn't pay attention to it. I had so many other things going through my mind. Things like what was said in the courtyard. He said that if he could be with me, he would be. But that doesn't mean anything about the other things he said.

I was never one to pussyfoot around, but my ego had been wounded by him once. I bounced my toes off the carpet as I regarded him.

"Since you're all about telling me the truth today, can I ask you something?"

Dimitri looked up from his book and nodded. I bit my upper lip and rolled it for a moment before letting go and looking at him.

"Was it a mistake to you?" I asked timidly. Dimitri furrowed his brows for a moment before coming closer, kneeling before me, and cupping my cheeks. Dimitri ran his thumb over my bottom lip softly, a tender expression on his face.

"It wasn't a mistake to me, Rose," he said, "it was far from it."

I sighed in a bit of relief and sagged slightly. While he tried to make amends for what happened, his words were still hurtful and stung. "I only said those things because I wanted you to think that I didn't want you. It was a lie," he promised quietly. I gave him a flat smile and he rested his forehead against mine before tentatively brushing his lips over mine.

I pressed my lips against his and sighed when his hand slipped into my hair. This was what our first kiss should have been like. The thought was shoved out of my mind quickly as a warm feeling seeped through my body and all I could taste, or smell was Dimitri.

I pulled away to breathe and smirked to myself before licking my lips. For good measure, I leaned forward and pecked his lips before pulling away enough to look at him. His hand was still twined in my hair but I could feel him rubbing it between his fingers.

"When we get back, don't push me away again. Please?"

Dimitri kissed my forehead. "We won't be able to be in an open relationship until graduation, but I won't push you away again."


Not going to lie, I rewrote this chapter ten times.

The next one will be much happier, I promise.

Let me know what you think!:)