"That high school kid sure has a strong grip," Christian complained as we finished wrapping our classes up for the night.
He was rotating his shoulder as we put away the last of the practices dummies.
"Can't handle someone who has a few more muscles than you?" I asked smiling.
The best thing about the fact that I'd hired someone like Christian as another one of the instructors is that he always adds an element of light heartedness to the class. And in a self defense studio where there're a lot of people dealing with dark points in their life, a little laughter is always nice to have a round.
I definitely appreciate him more since he was able to get Rose out of her shell a little during our late dinner.
I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised that Rose doesn't see herself as being brave. Hopefully after a while she'll see in herself what so many others see in her.
"I can handle regular muscles," Christian says as he folds the last of the mats, "What I can't handle are unnatural hormone induced muscles of teenagers trying to prove have strong they are in my Stay Fit class. This kid is probably taking steroids or something. He came back from "buying a bottle of water" and suddenly he was able to kick my ass."
"Maybe you're just getting soft," I joked.
"Or maybe these teenagers are really intent on one upping each other."
"Speaking of teenagers," I say folding the last of the chairs, "are you okay with Rose working here?"
He looked a little surprised by my question. He shrugged. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" He helps me close the storage closets along the studio wall. "She seems like a pretty cool gal, especially with everything she's been through. Why do you ask?"
I start shutting down the front lights while he locks the studio doors. "I just know that since she's going to be around here more often, you might feel like you have to tip toe around what you say or something. She's kind of having a hard time right now, emotionally I mean," I add when I think back to her crying in the doctor's office today.
In a way, her breakdown was good. It just means she's that much closer to letting go of all the pent up emotion she's been holding on to. She's that much closer to not letting her fear hold her back any more.
"I kind of got that vibe after our whole 'bravery' conversation today. Can you blame her though? With everything she's been through with Ivashkov and the pictures-"
"Have you seen them?"' I asked scared of the answer.
He was already shaking his head.
"I haven't seen them and I really hope I never do."
That makes two of us.
"A few of the guys in my class today were talking about them. And it has to suck for her even more now that it's all over the news."
I stop in my tracks after shutting off the last of the front lights. "What? What're you talking about?"
"Some girl was watching it on her cell phone during class. It's all over the news, Dimitri. I thought you knew..."
I start heading toward the back office to see if the news has some how reached Rose, if maybe Stan called and warned us. Christian follows behind me and nearly bumps into me when I stop in my tracks and see the office empty. Rose is gone.
"Maybe she's in the bathroom?" Question offers but we both lean out and see the door to the bathroom wide open. "Maybe she realized that working here is gonna suck," he suggests.
He flips through the work that she finished, done pretty nicely, almost as close to perfection as I would've done.
I silently curse to myself, picking my phone up off the table. I'd forgotten to turn it on after we left the hospital today. When I turn it on there're multiple calls from Stan.
"Damn," I murmur scrolling through all the calls.
"What is it?"
I show him all the calls from Stan.
I try calling Stan back but the line is busy.
"You think he got a hold of her first? Maybe she didn't take the news well and took off," he said sounding as worried as I did and then I remember Rose mentioning something earlier about her phone not charging all the way.
"There's always the internet," Christian said when I mention it to him. He pulls out the chair and types in Rose's name into the search engine. The first link refers to the situation surrounding Rose but her name isn't mentioned. No one's is as Christian and I skim the article, the title standing out on the page.
"Damn," I say again pushing my hair back from my face.
She had to be freaking out if she knew everything is in the news. I scrolled through my contact list on my phone until I found her name and hit call hoping she'd pick up right away and that maybe she's already home and has plugged her phone in. I realize I don't have her home number.
"She couldn't have left too long ago," Christian says after she doesn't pick up the first time. "She probably isn't home yet."
"Keep trying to call from your cell," I instruct him as I write down her number for him. "I'm going to go see if maybe she hasn't gotten that far."
"That's a good idea. It's a little late to be walking home so late alone. Even I'm a little scared walking to my car alone," Christian says dialing Rose's number.
I head around the building from the back door which is how she must've left and walk a little ways down the street. When I still don't see her I start to panic even more. I'm starting to feel like one of those parents that's lost their child. Rose doesn't feel like a child to me but she does feel like my responsibility.
My stomach sinks with fear each second that passes thinking about her alone and freaking out in some part of the city. I remember her telling me she'd never really been in the city and I start having horrible thoughts of Rose being lost in the city crying and alone.
I start to remember the one time I'd lost Victoria in a crowded mall when we were younger and the five minutes I couldn't find her. Immediately I try and push those thoughts away and focus on just finding her without lingering on the 'what ifs'.
I even drive a few blocks in my car past the closest bus stops but she isn't there.
It isn't until I get back to the studio that I start to feel a little relieved when Stan finally calls me back. My relief fades quickly though when he tells me he hasn't talked to Rose but has been trying to get a hold of both of us all day.
"I should've tried calling your studio's phone but things have been crazy around here since the story broke and I wasn't thinking." Concern is just as heavy in his voice as it is in my own.
"Neither was I," I sigh. "I forgot to turn my phone back on and Rose's phone is dead. I'm really hoping she went home."
"Me too. I've spoken to her mother. She sounded a little...sloshed to be honest but she said she's been looking for Rose too."
I had a feeling things didn't go well when Rose talked to her mother but I hadn't wanted to push the topic. She'd tell me when she was ready. I don't know how I can be so sure about that though when she can't even talk to me about her reaction to the news. I just have to hope.
"And Rose didn't say anything to you before she left?" he asks for clarification.
"No, she was just gone when the last classes ended, probably read about the story in the news."
"Probably." He sighs tiredly.
"I was thinking of driving to her house," I tell him already clenching my keys in my hand again.
"You should stay at the studio in case she ends up going back there. You said she doesn't really know her way around the city. If she's lost she might find her way back to your studio. I'll keep trying to call her. Hopefully talk to her mother to make things a little easier. Didn't sound like she was handling things well. It can't be easy finding out something like this has happened to your daughter and having to find a lawyer..."
"I gave Rose a lawyer's number today, an old friend of mine. Maybe that'll help."
"Maybe. I'll keep trying and then one of us will call you once I get a hold of her."
We hung up and I ran a hand down my tired eyes leaning on my desk.
"Nothing?" Christian ask.
I shook my head.
He patted me on the shoulder in a rare moment of seriousness for him. "Don't worry, we'll find her."
"I hope so," I mumble.
"We will and soon she'll be back here and complaining about the work the same way I do," he tried to joke.
I managed a small smile.
"Want me to stick around, keep calling maybe?" he offered.
I could see how tired he was from going to school and working more hours here since I was gone so often. I appreciated one of my closest friends.
"No, you go home. Get some sleep."
"Ok. Call me when you find her okay?"
I nodded and he left, noting that he said when I find and not is. I want to feel as certain as he does again. For a second I think about driving to Rose's house despite Stan telling me it'd be better if I wait here but I realize he's right. I don't want to miss her is she ends up coming back here.
While I wait for a phone call or for Rose to come back I start thinking about that time I lost Victoria again. I remember picking her up and spinning her around when I finally found her. All my worries of telling my mother that I lost my sister and that she was lost or hurt somewhere immediately disappeared the second I saw her. That was one of my favorite days with my sister.
Despite the fact that I'd lost her for a while, before that it was just a simple day of us going to the mall to buy Christmas presents for everyone. I remember we laughed and didn't bicker as much as we did at home.
I guess in a way I lost my sister again with this whole situation with Adrian. I just hope I'll be able to hug her and spin her around again and we'll have more days like that one - without me losing her of course. I hope she'll smile again the same way she did in the photo that Rose found in my glove compartment today. Maybe she'll come to her senses, help us put Adrian in jail, and she'll find a better friend in Rose than the ones she has now.
Wishful thinking I guess.
Just when I think I'm going to go stir crazy the cell phone rings and I'm already hitting the 'accept' button on my phone when I see Rose's name on the screen.
"Are you alright?" is the first thing I say into the phone.
My hearts pounding, waiting for her to tell me she isn't okay and that she needs me to pick her up from some dark dangerous part of the city. I already have my keys in hand and getting ready to stand when she assures me she's fine.
I let out a long sigh of relief and lean back in my chair dropping my keys onto my desk. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath until then. Relief floods through my body so fast making me feel so relaxed I feel like I've had one too many shots of Vodka.
In the silence that follows while I enjoy the joys of relief she tells me about an encounter with one of the students here, a teenager that apparently goes to her high school and on top of that is friends with Adrian. All of my relief from before starts to fade. She tells me how before the guy, Charlie, even came into the office she was already freaking out over finding out the public word was out on the Adrian situation.
"I was already panicking over finding out the news was talking about me and when he came in he just ended up scaring me more...I just had to get out. I had to leave."
Her voice shakes a little, trembling at even the mention of it all. She sounds apologetic though for making me worry. The last thing I want to do is make her feel guilty.
"Well I guess that explains why you left so suddenly," I say. "I wish you told me."
"I should've," she mumbles so low I barely catch it.
"At least now that I know I can keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't come near you again. He didn't hurt you did he?" I ask, that worried feeling starting to creep into my body again.
"No, he just scared me."
I let out a slow breath. Her answer only makes me feel a little better. He didn't hurt her but scaring her is just as bad. I think what irks me the most is that Christian and I were less than a few yards way and this was happening. I should've checked on her. I could've done something to prevent her from feeling any worse than already does.
I realize playing the would've, could've, should've game won't help her now. I can't change the past I can only learn from it and help her now. That's the lesson I'm hoping Rose will eventually see.
I have to focus on the good parts of this evening to keep myself calm.
"Well I'm glad you made it home safely. You did a god job with the organizing," I tell her. I figure hearing about her good work will hopefully that today ends on a light note. "Think you're up for working tomorrow?"
The more time spent here and keeping busy, while I keep an eye on Charlie and looking out for Rose, will be good for her. Hopefully it's finally starting to sink in that she doesn't have to run when she's afraid. She can come to talk to me.
Her answer makes me feel even more better.
"Yeah it sounds good. I'll ask my mom to drop me off after we get back from the police station."
She tells me pretty much the same thing Stan told me about agreeing to try and having Stan talk to her mother about the situation and what was going to happen from here on out. Rose even vaguely mentions wishing she'd told me more about her mother's less than desired reaction to everything going on.
I guess slowly she's starting to see she can talk to me.
"I hope it goes well."
"Me too," she says sounding a little worried but relieved to have everything out in the open.
"I'll see you when you get done and you can tell me about it then."
"I'm looking forward to it."
I have to know for sure. I have to know that she knows that running and not talking won't make things any easier. She has to know things will get better once she faces them and talks about it all.
After a second of silence I tell her, "No more secrets, okay Rose? You have to let me on what's going on."
Her response is almost immediate and full of a note of relief, most likely remembering that I'm here for her to talk to.
"No more secrets. I promise."
She sounds more than genuine in her response and I realize she might finally understand that she isn't alone in this. I really want today to end on a light note for her, especially since it's been a lone one. I glance out the window in my office and see the moon.
"The moon is out by the way."
There're the sounds of her trying to see it for herself.
"I see it. It's beautiful."
She sounds grateful for this small moment. I'm glad I could give it to her, one good thought to go to sleep with after one of the hard days.
"Goodnight, Rose."
"Goodnight Dimitri."
After I hang up, I call Christian to let him know Rose is okay.
"Thank goodness!" he exclaims. "I honestly couldn't sleep thinking she was out there like that."
"I probably wouldn't have been able to either," smiling to myself.
This was why I liked Christian. Even though he'd just met Rose, he already worried over her as much as I did.
He yawns into the phone," Well we should both try to get a few hours of sleep without any drama. See you later man."
We hang up and I head to my car planning on getting a few good hours of sleep myself.
A/N: I have to say you guys are pretty amazing especially regarding the last chapter and the mean comments and everything! You guys are so amazing that I have to respond to a few of my reviewers right here:
Evy201: I'm glad that there's someone out there that really appreciates Officer Alto and that he's finally portrayed as a good guy and that you've recognized Rose's growing strength so thank you! (Also, you pretty much review every chapter so that's just awesome in itself)!
rivereq: your reviews never fail to make my day (especially because 'Welp' IS an awesome word and one that I use a lot). Glad you liked the 'no more secrets' line 'cause it's one of my favorites too!
bobbytobby23 and aj davis: I actually love your ideas. I actually hadn't even thought about bringing Abe into the story but after reading both of your ideas I just might so thank you!
Mrs. Belikov3369: This chapter is actually dedicated to you since it was your idea to do a Dimitri POV!
ClauILoveDimitriBelikov: After reading your review (and every review you leave for my chapters) I felt a little better about the mean reviewer and you pretty much almost always review for every chapter so I thank you because I honestly don't think I would've update so soon if it weren't for you.
tbrett29: You always leave a nice, simple review for nearly every chapter. It's nice knowing I have people that follow the story every chapter so I thank you a million times over!
Lastly, for those of you I failed to mention by name I appreciate the reviews/views and the ideas and suggestions and even the small short straight to the point comments that just tell me you love it and to update :) I'm glad you guys like the slow pace and of course there'll be more moments between Dimitri and Rose! I'll post the next chapter soon!
-ladierock
P.S. Twilight407501: You're definitely right, Dimitri is always our favorite character! 3