A/N: Again, thank you for the reviews, I just came back from my holiday to Italy :)

'I'm turning in early tonight, Adrian, see you tomorrow…' I smiled and went upstairs, collapsing on my bed out of exhaustion from my early start and my surprisingly achy defeat. Sleep's murky depths enveloped me and I fell into a deep unconsciousness.

DPOV

I woke early the next morning, rushing around to collect my bags so that I could get to work on time. I had to see that girl, no matter what it took. I dressed quickly and rushed out the door, not even giving Adrian a second glance as he lay sprawled on the couch. I jogged down the sidewalk and spotted the sign for the gym.

I stopped and laughed at myself. So much for no relationships, Dimitri, I thought, but then it occurred to me to ponder why I actually ever thought that. What was so bad in having someone admire and adore you? I slowly made my way to the far side of the pavement and leaned against the wall, dropping my bag. I sighed; maybe this wasn't such a great thing to think of…

I tilted my face to the sun and closed my eyes, imagining the orange light lighting up the streets as people woke up. I half-smiled, thinking of my sisters when they were children. They were always so obstinate about getting up in the morning. I supposed all teenagers hated mornings, especially when they were being shaken awake by their older brother.

I wonder if she has any siblings…

No, Dimitri! You can't think of her! I scolded myself and shook my head to clear my mind of her.

She stood and the bedsheets ruffled around her before falling to the floor.

It was no good; I couldn't keep my mind off of her.

She shook out her hair and it fell in waves by her shoulders.

My heart rate increased and I opened my eyes, standing straight and using the wall as a support. I inhaled deeply and continued my walk to work.

The morning light illuminated her partially tanned skin.

I pushed the words out of my mind and grumbled, walking in and nodding at Lucy. She smiled,

'Morning, Dimitri, sorry to say but we're short staffed today… mind helping out at the desk?' she said cheerily. I looked up at her, glaring at her, before realising that it wasn't her fault that I kept having troubling thoughts. I shook my head and smiled,

'Sorry, I'm not feeling great this morning. Sure, I don't mind, you go get a coffee or whatever; I'll do it for you…' I needed to be alone; I'd only offend everyone in my way.

'Oh, no it's okay, I can stay…' she grinned and flipped her hair back in an attempt at flirting. Damnit, I'd forgotten her stupid crush on me. I eased myself into a seat and she leaned across the desk, her blonde hair cascading down and over. I leaned back,

'Uh, Lucy, I have to do this uninterrupted… you go get a drink, I'll be okay without you…' I rolled the seat backwards as her smile faltered.

'We don't have to do work today, Dimitri… everyone's out… I have you to myself…' she winked and placed her hand over mine. I flinched, pulling it away and pushing her back by her shoulders.

'No, Lucy, I don't feel that way towards you, maybe you should just go next door and help with the filing there…' I said slowly, enunciating every syllable as if talking to an obstinate child. She fluffed her hair and moved out of my grip,

'Fine, whatever. Your loss' she said, walking off, vexed. I exhaled loudly, nice one, I thought. Having sex with Lucy was so noton my list of things to do before I die. I shuddered at the thought, so much for her being the innocent one.

I logged on the computer and began to type in figures blindly. My mind strayed back to my previous thoughts and I sighed

She turned and smiled, her brown eyes looking down fondly.

I stood and swigged from my water bottle. Today was pretty quiet; it occurred to me that this wasn't that weird. There was a large heavy metal concert in the next town and most of our members were fans of that genre. I made a face at the thought of the noise that was going to be caused. Great, no sleep for me tonight. Adrian would be okay, he could sleep through a hurricane, I was sure.

As she moved, her slim, toned body captured my interest and I couldn't keep my eyes off of her.

Oh lord, this waking dream was not doing me any favours. I rolled my eyes and rushed to get a cup of espresso. I downed it in one, the hot liquid burning my mouth, but I didn't feel it amidst the waves of bliss coming from my thoughts.

She turned and laughed, a musical sound that made me smile,

'What are you looking at, eh?' she stuck out her tongue and laughed again.

I ran a hand through my hair and smiled at my wandering subconscious. This must be what happens when you don't date and see beauty for the first time, I thought. When I got home, I'd talk to Adrian about it. He was a surprisingly good adviser when it came to matters of the heart. I closed my eyes and savoured the sweet reverie.

She approached me and lay back down next to me. I smiled and reached out, touching her hair.

If I could get through this day without going insane, of course.

'Morning…' she smiled.

I smiled just like in my dream. Like I would ever end up sleeping with her; I'd only met her yesterday. I seriously needed to get a grip on myself.

'Morning!' she said again, louder. I frowned…

'Morning!' I opened my eyes and looked down, to find none other, but my personal obsession.

'Uh... hi…' I grinned after recovering from my dream, 'I wasn't expecting you to be here…' she smiled,

'No, I wasn't really thinking about coming back… but I, uh… wondered if you wanted to spar again? I'm not really that good all the time…' she blushed and I couldn't help but notice how it lit up her features.

'Sure!' I said a little too keenly and she laughed, 'Just give me one second, I just have to do something quickly' she nodded and I ran into the back office where Lucy sat, sorting through some papers.

'There's a woman who wants me to spar with her, can you take over, please?' I asked politely and Lucy looked up at me, still pissed off.

'Why should I? It's your job' she turned back and I frowned, folding my arms,

'Did you know that there's a zero-tolerance on sexual harassment here?' I raised an eyebrow and she looked up at me, shocked,

'You wouldn't…'

'I would' I wasn't sure I'd actually be able to, to be honest.

'How long will you be gone?' Phew…

'At least an hour…' I said awkwardly. She nodded,

'Okay, sure, see you later then… sorry…' she hung her head and I nodded, triumphantly leaving and guiding her to the empty room where tournaments were held. All our members seemed to have been otherwise engaged today.

'So, where do you want to-' I started, before being cut off. Hands wrapped around my torso and pushed me against the wall. I was well equipped to deal with blows, but even that took me a bit to recover from. I turned and was immediately put on guard. She stood there, a grin playing on her features,

'Ah, you're funny. Cool it, Comrade; I'm not going to hurt you…' I raised an eyebrow,

'Comrade, eh?'

'Yup, well, what with you being Russian and all' she waved her hand dismissively.

'Oh, so you think I'm into communism and subsist on vodka too?' she laughed,

'Yeah sure, why not?' I rolled my eyes and approached her,

'Nope, I like coffee and I don't have anything against our president' I smiled and she inched closer, whispering,

'You're tall like most other Russians, though' she winked and pulled back. I instantly missed the feel of her breath on my ear. I smiled after a moment,

'I'm not like most…'

'I'm beginning to see that…' we were silent for a moment and I kept my eyes trained on hers.

'Y'know what? Let's forget sparring, you free for a few hours?' she said,

'I don't know… I'm needed back in an hour…' I wrung my hands together.

'It's okay… take a chance…' she smiled encouragingly and placed her hands over mine to cool my fidgeting. After a moment, I sighed and nodded,

'Sure'

'Great' she said simply, taking my hand and leading me out of the back door. I followed, grinning as the fresh air ran through my hair. She walked across the road and into the park opposite, finally letting go of my hand and seating herself in the lush green grass. I looked down at her and raised an eyebrow,

'What?' she grinned,

'Is that what we're gonna do? Sit in the grass? For a 'few hours'?' she laughed and nodded,

'Sure, why not? Would you sit down already? You're making me feel jumpy' she stuck out her tongue and I sat beside her. She lay down, her long brown hair fanning out beneath her. I looked down,

'Now what are you doing?' she didn't reply, instead wrapping her fingers around my arm and pulling me down too. I laughed as my forehead touched hers, and she smiled. She turned and looked deep into my eyes.

It was like she was reading my soul.

'You have beautiful eyes…' I whispered and she smiled,

'Thank you…' she muttered and she leant in, before her eyes moved and she gasped, standing,

'Oh my God… I forgot… I'm so sorry… Jesus Christ, I'm so dumb!' she scolded herself and turned to me, 'I'm sorry, I have to go… see you around…' she turned and fled faster than I'd ever seen anyone run. I sat up and frowned, pondering why she had to go at such a critical moment in our developing relationship… if you could call it that. Damnit, Dimitri, I thought, you're not in a relationship! I shook my head and stood, rounding the corner out of the park and walking into Adrian.

'Oh hey, man!' he said cheerily, 'I was just going for a walk in the park… fresh air and all' he winked and I smiled,

'Heya'

'What are you doing here? Don't you have a job to do?' he stuck out his tongue and I laughed,

'Mmm it would seem so, but I kinda… left without permission…'

'You did that?' he said shocked and I nodded, laughing again.

'I'm not that much of a responsible adult, Adrian' I rolled my eyes and he shook his head, awed,

'It's just weird hearing you say that… ah well, anyway, want to grab a drink before you head back? I'm meeting Rose again tonight…' his eyes lit up and I was about to agree when it occurred to me…

'That's her name? Rose?' I grinned, 'I knew I'd find out sooner or later!' Adrian's eyes widened,

'Damnit…'

'Haha! Don't worry, I won't do anything, promise' I winked and he sighed,

'Don't know if I can trust you now you know…' he ran a hand over his tousled hair nervously,

'Promise!' I laughed at his paranoia, 'Now, how's about that drink?' I smiled encouragingly and he nodded,

'Sure…'

'And you can tell me all about Rose…' I muttered winking, but before he could protest I held up my hands, 'Joking, joking…'

'I hate it when you're annoying…' he mumbled and I shook my head,

'It doesn't happen often, savour it'

'Whatever…' and we walked to the bar in lighter spirits.

Sorry about the shortness but I have a bit of jet lag and I need my sleep! Lol

Reviews would be much appreciated, thank you

BelikovsRoza1697