~ ROSE POV ~

'SHIT!'

I was late, I mean very late, for training with Dimitri. This was all Adrian's fault I got distracted talking with Adrian about Spirit and threatening him to keep his bad habits to a minimum around Lissa. The last thing I needed was Lissa being influenced by Adrian Ivashkov.

I was actually doing well with my tardiness record recently. I had managed to be on time or only a couple minutes late. One time, I was a full half an hour early. The look on Dimitri's face when he saw me in the gym before him, was priceless. So worth it. Mainly because it gave us a little extra time together.

Still, I liked Adrian and I guess he wasn't the only one to blame. We got talking and it was actually enjoyable. He was a massive flirt, I rolled my eyes and scoffed at his pick-up lines at least thirty times on our way to the library. But, he was also nice and would fit in well with our little group.

"Shit, shit, shit," I muttered as I sprinted across the academy field towards the gym. Once I was inside the doors, I threw my gym bag down on the bench and quickly tossed my hair into an untidy Ponytail. I tried to calm my rapid breathing as I made my way to where Dimitri sat across the room with his nose buried deep in his favourite western novel.

"Rose," he said without looking up from his page. "I thought you'd never come."

"So, sorry I'm late, Comrade," I panted. Dimitri placed his bookmark neatly in his book before standing up and approaching me. "I bumped into a new guest at the academy and somehow got roped into giving him a tour." I knew I was rambling my excuse, but I felt like I had let him down and Dimitri deserved an explanation. Even though he was my boyfriend he was also my mentor and the best damn guardian. I wanted him to be proud of me. "Believe me, I intended to be on time, but I just got…distracted." I sighed and slumped my head down. Dimitri stood towering above me, making me feel even smaller with the weight of my shame holding me down.

I was surprised to hear the light sound of Dimitri chuckling. I flicked my eyes up to see him smiling with his eyes full of love. I slowly moved to meet his gaze with confusion clearly written on my face. Dimitri placed his hands on my shoulders and brought his forehead to mine which was impressive considering the height difference between us.

"Roza, I'm not mad. it's winter break. All classes are on hold. These training sessions are not compulsory. Besides, you've already caught up on your training, surpassing almost all your peers. You don't need these bonus holiday sessions." He said. My eyebrows furrowed as I took in his praise.

"That's not true," I exclaimed. "I still have a long way to go. I mean, you still have many things to teach me. Especially if I want to guard Lissa." Dimitri smiled again and gently brushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"Yes. Lots of things." I couldn't help but notice the double meaning behind his words and the lusty expression in his eyes. Only a few hours ago had we both agreed to be more careful and yet, I couldn't help my body's reaction to his close proximity. His burning gaze set my soul alight and all I craved, in that moment, was him. "But all that can wait. We can take a couple of weeks off." It was like a bucket of ice water was dumped on top of me. "You can take some time off, hang out with your friends, enjoy the break like everyone-"

"No," I cut in. "I want to keep training. I want to get better so I can protect Lissa but…but I also want to see you. I love just spending time with you even if we can't be together right now. I just love talking with you and seeing you every day." I reached my hand up to cup Dimitri's cheek. He leant into my touch as his eyes searched deep within my own. "I don't care about missing out on all the menial teenage events…as long as I get to see you." Dimitri smiled and missed my palm quickly before releasing my hand.

"Well, in that case… to the track. You know the drill." I smirked and gave him a playful mock solute before I ran outside to begin my laps.

Halfway through my laps, Dimitri decided to join me. He easily kept pace beside me, even when I pushed myself to run faster. I swear, he didn't even break a sweat. He has been silent for the last ten minutes while he ran beside me but on our final lap, he slowed, indicating he wanted to talk while we jogged around the track. I slowed to match his pace and waited for him to start.

"I saw you walking with Adrian Ivashkov last night," she started, "is he the guest you were escorting?" I tensed at the way Dimitri said 'Guest'. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost say it sounded like he was… I smirked as the realisation hit me like a gust of cold winter wind.

"Jealous, Comrade?" I teased. When he didn't say anything in response, I slowed to a walk. Dimitri slowed to join me. I wanted to touch him but even in the early hours of the evening, we were out in the open and anyone could happen to walk past and see. I sighed. "I was joking. You have no reason to be jealous, Dimitri. I bumped into him yesterday and felt bad for knocking him on his ass, so I agreed to show him around." I stopped and turned to face Dimitri. I couldn't touch him, but I knew he could see the longing in my eyes. "even though I know we have to be careful and keep our distance, I am yours. No one can ever compare to you. I don't want anyone else, ever. I love you. Only you." His eyes softened and a small smile graced his beautiful lips. He nodded once and subtly scanned the area, for threats or prying eyes, I couldn't tell.

"That's enough laps for today. Let's go inside." The glint in his eyes made my heart race and I sprinted faster than I ever had to the gym. Dimitri shut the doors and pulled me into his embrace. I sighed at the feeling of hands around me once more. It had only been a day since we were last together, but with the new rules put in place, it made every touch more valuable. Just being in his arms made me feel like the most loved woman on the planet.

"I thought you said we have to be more careful," I said while still in his arms. He laughed, the vibrations from his chest sent shivers down my spine. He pulled back but didn't release me.

"We do, but right now we are alone, and I just want to hold you, Roza. I am yours and I love you too." I moved closer to him and wrapped my arms tighter around him. He kissed the top of my head as his hand drew lazy circles on my shoulder that almost sent me to sleep. Too soon, he pulled back. "Come on. We have to get back to training. Can't have you falling behind again."

"Me? in case you didn't notice, I am the top novice at the academy."

"And it is my job to make sure you stay the best," he said. I rolled my eyes and made to turn away, but he pulled me back to him. "You just earnt yourself an extra three laps tomorrow."

"Three?" I asked.

"One for distracting me and one for rolling your eyes at me," he said.

"And what about the third?"

"Ah." He said, his hand lifting my chin. His smile grew slightly as he leant down and whispered on my lips. "That one is for being so tempting that I cannot stop myself from doing this." Without another word, his lips met mine. I couldn't help but moan as his silky lips met mine. I would never get enough of this. The feeling of his lips was more addictive than the bite of a Moroi.

Far too soon he pulled back and peeled himself from my hold.

"Back to work, Hathaway. Let's see how good you really are." That broke me out of my daze. We were going to spar. I smirked. This was going to be fun.

'let's see how long he can keep his hands to himself when I have him pinned beneath me.'

So sorry for the wait. I hope you are all safe and finding ways to occupy your time in isolation. I have had the worst case of Writers Block when it came to this chapter. I know it is shorter than the other but I have been struggling with what to write. While in isolation, I have refrained from writing and instead spent all my available time reading. I thought that they would inspire me and give me some new ideas for where this story can go next. And they definitely did help but they also gave me plenty of new story ideas. This story will probably be wrapped up in the next couple of chapters so it will be a short story. I have read and fallen in love with these series which I have read and come up with ideas for new works for both Vampire Academy and other works that I have planned for the future.

I have decided to branch out more and write more fanfiction for other books instead of just Vampire Academy and that is why I have changed my user name from VAlover10 to CrescentFullMoon so I can write different works. I hope to bring you all another chapter soon and if you have any ideas for how I should wrap up this story, let me know. Please review your thoughts on this chapter even though I know it was quite short. Thank you for not giving up with Too Late. See you all soon. Stay Safe.