I felt sick. Like honest to God, going to bend over a hurl sick.

"I can't do this."

"Yes, you can," Dimitri said calmly.

"No, I can't."

"Rose."

"Dimitri," I said and blew out a deep breath. "Was a shopping mall the best idea? Isn't this like a bodyguarding nightmare?"

"Actually, a mall is not that difficult. This is more or less to get you in an environment that you've been in before, and with someone who you feel safe with. Baby steps. You need to feel safe before we can do anything else. If it means following you and your best friend around the mall for a few hours, I will follow you around the mall."

"I'm going to puke," I groaned.

"Take a deep breath, you'll be fine," Dimitri chuckled as he patted my hand.

I shook my head and my brows furrowed. I could see Lissa standing next to the entrance, three coffee cups balanced on a tray. I took a deep breath and opened the door, shouldering my purse and shutting the door.

Dimitri came around the car and walked beside me as we approached the entrance.

"When we are in the mall, I will be taking a normal distance. I won't be beside you, but a few steps behind, blending in. But the minute you feel like it is too much, just let me know and we'll go."

"How will you know if you can't hear me?" I asked quietly.

Dimitri turned his body towards me and gripped my hand gently, waiting for me to compose myself and look at him.

"I will know. Trust me, you'll be okay," he promised.

I nodded and took a breath to calm myself. Lissa had a bright smile on her face when we got close.

"Hi!" Lissa squealed, wrapping one arm around me. I hugged her tightly and rested my head on her shoulder. Lissa Dragomir was my best friend for as long as I could remember. We met on the first day of kindergarten and we have been thick as thieves ever since.

Lissa pulled back and pulled a cup out of her tray and handed it to me. She took another one out and extended it to Dimitri.

"I wasn't sure what you drank, so it's just black. But I have cream and sugar," she said gesturing to the small paper bag in the tray.

"Black is fine, thank you," Dimitri said kindly. Lissa beamed at him and turned to me.

"How are you feeling?" Lissa whispered. I took a long sip of my chai latte and nodded my head.

"I'm okay," I said hesitantly. Lissa looped her arm through mine and pulled me into the mall, falling into a familiar routine. Lissa kept up with a one-sided conversation, filling me in on her and her boyfriend, and how she thought that Christian was going to propose soon. I nodded and 'uh-huhed' when necessary, but part of me was trying not to freak out.

"I really like it, by the way. It's so you but not."

"Huh?" I said, tuning back into what Lissa said.

Lissa smiled at me and toyed with a strand of my hair. "Your hair? I think it looks great!"

"Oh," I said with a nod of my head, "Thanks. I just needed a change."

Lissa smiled and pulled me into a store I knew all too well. I glanced behind me and panicked for a moment, not able to see Dimitri, but spotted him after a moment, looking at some bath bombs.

"So, how do you like Dimitri? I mean, you seem to be okay around him," Lissa probed, smelling a bath bomb that I knew was her favourite.

I nodded. "He's good. He doesn't treat me like a basket case, and I don't know, I don't feel nervous around him."

Lissa nodded in understanding. "That's good though, it means one step forward. Easing yourself back into trusting people. It'll be touch and go, but I'm here for you, and I'll be there whenever you need me."

I smiled at Lissa. "Thank you," I whispered. Lissa nodded and put a few bath bombs into bags and brought them to the counter. I didn't buy any since my bathtub privileges were temporarily revoked, and I didn't feel comfortable with someone still in my room with the bathroom door open while I soaked in the bath.

We went through a few other stores, purchasing a few things here and there. I got a few new shirts and a new pair of jeans. While trying jeans on I realized that the stupor I'd been in had done more than I thought. My usual jean size was too big, and the jeans fell to my hips as soon as I let go of them, even at the bra store the bras I tried on were a little looser than usual.

I didn't notice that I looked different after everything that happened, and it bugged me. I was letting my fear of Mason change my life. I didn't want to be scared, I used to be confident and determined. I used to be known as the girl not to mess around with. I used to look fantastic. But now, I wasn't that girl anymore. And I hated it.

Lissa sensed my mood change after I came out of the changing room and switched my size for a lower one but didn't comment on it. She just gave me a smile and asked if I wanted to hit the pretzel stand before leaving, knowing that I would always say yes to one.

I glanced behind me every once in a while, mostly to see if Dimitri was still there. A part of me was also looking for the telltale curly red hair that belonged to Mason. After a moment of not seeing Mason, I turned back around, only to be bombarded by someone else.

"Hey, how are you guys?! I haven't seen you in forever!" a man exclaimed, coming to a stop beside us, a girl trailing close beside him. I tensed up and Lissa gripped my arm tighter.

"Um, do we know you?" I asked.

The guy shifted so that we were in front of us. "No. But there's a guy following you. My girlfriend noticed it a few stores back."

I sighed and sagged in relief. "Thank you, but we know. He's…hired."

The guy raised his brows. "Oh? He is?"

Lissa nodded. "Yeah. Something happened a few months back and he was hired to keep an eye on us, for our protection. But thank you, I appreciate you saying something out of concern," Lissa said smoothly, going so far as to smile at waving at Dimitri. Dimitri's eyes moved from the man to me to Lissa and then canted his head.

"Oh. Well, glad to know he's not a stalker. I'll be on my way then," the man said with an embarrassed expression.

"Thank you," Lissa said again and I relaxed as he walked away.

The scream was stuck in my throat as I lurched upwards in bed, making a strangled cry instead. My chest was wet with sweat and my hair clung to my neck as tears crept down my cheeks. I wasn't sure what woke me from my nightmare, but I was grateful for whatever it was.

I gasped for breath when a hand tentatively rested on my shoulder, and I flinched.

"Easy, it's me. Just breathe," Dimitri whispered gently, squeezing my shoulder. I gasped for small breaths and nodded, gripping the hand that rested on my shoulder. It took a few moments to compose myself before I took a slow breath and wiped my face.

"What time is it?" I asked thickly.

"It's a little after one," Dimitri said as he sat on the edge of my bed.

"What are you still doing here?"

"Your parents called and said that they were going to be out longer than anticipated, I said I'd stay until they got back," Dimitri explained and I nodded and leaned back against my pillows, shaking my head slightly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Dimitri asked. I shrugged. I wasn't sure if I wanted to talk about it, or if I didn't want to burden Dimitri with my issues. I rolled onto my side and toyed with the string on my pillowcase.

Dimitri didn't push for me to talk, but instead, stayed with me while I tried to clean my mind. Dimitri had taken his hair out of its ponytail and his hair hung loosely around his face, just brushing his chin. It was strange to think that Dimitri was as young as he was, because he didn't look it. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties, but maybe it was because of how he carried himself.

"What's your mom like?"

Dimitri raised his brow at me. "My mother?"

I nodded. "Is she the home-cooked meal kind of mom, or is she like my mom?"

A genuine smile crossed his lips. "My mama is the home-cooked meal kind of mom. She raised the four of us on her own."

"Did she bake?"

Dimitri canted his head. "She did. Didn't your mother bake for you as a kid?"

I shook my head. "No. Mom can barely boil water," I said quietly.

Dimitri chuckled quietly. "My sister is like that," he said, "But not everyone can master the art of burning water."

I chuckled and rubbed my face against the pillowcase. "Do you think I'm being dramatic about all of this?"

Dimitri shifted on the bed and shook his head. "No. What you've gone through is traumatic. I don't blame you for being scared, but you're doing the one thing some people can't do."

"What's that?"

"Fight through it. Look at how well you did today at the mall," Dimitri said encouragingly but I just shrugged.

"I hate feeling like this," I said quietly.

"I know, but it passes," Dimitri said.

I nodded and bit my lip. "I think I might try to go back to sleep," I said after a moment.

Dimitri gave me a soft look and stood up. "Try and sleep, I'll see you in the morning," he said quietly. He walked to the door and started to close it behind him when I called out.

"Wait! Can you leave it open?"

Dimitri stopped and nodded, leaving the door open enough to let some light from the hall into the room.

I felt antsy without Dimitri being here. Don't get me wrong, the guy deserved a day off from babysitting, but it felt weird being all on my own. It got to the point where I called Lissa and begged her to get me out of the house.

I officially starting to go stir-crazy.

Lissa sweetened the pot and organized our friends to meet up at a favourited spot, hoping that I'd be able to ease into it in a familiar place. It was going okay, I was jumpy and jittery, but I was okay.

Eddie was his usual happy himself, seating himself beside me in the booth so that he was on the outside, Mia on my other side, making himself a shied of sorts. He was the first friend to believe me when I told them what was going on, even though he was closer to Mason than anyone else. Maybe that was why he believed me before everyone else. He knew him better than anyone. Adrian and Christian kept up their usual banter while Mia, Sydney and Lissa chatted.

"You look better. Got some colour back," Eddie commented as he sipped his milkshake.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm feeling a bit better. It helps that the person I spend every day with insists on making me eat the most disgusting healthy foods," I said with a laugh.

"Yeah, your dad mentioned the last time I swung by that he was thinking about hiring some kind of security," Eddie said, "And she's helping you out?"

"He. Funny enough. And he's great. You know, he actually broke the rules for me, but made his own at the same time?"

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, I'm not allowed to have razors, he said that I could have them as long as I was supervised. And when I lifted his pocketknife and hacked my hair off, he didn't rat me out to my parents."

Eddie nodded and put the cherry that was on top of his milkshake in his mouth, pulling the stem off.

"Well, I guess that's an upside," he said, "But how are you sleeping? You were restless for a bit."

I furrowed my brows at him. "What do you mean?"

"When you were admitted to the hospital last, they had you sedated because you were hysterical. The night you thought Mason was outside your window? Your dad asked if I could swing by your place and grab a few things and then I sat beside your bed for a few hours. Lissa, Adrian and I cycled out."

"You guys sat with me?" I asked quietly, feeling embarrassed and grateful at the same time. Embarrassed that they saw me like that, but grateful that I had friends so amazing that they'd camp out beside my bed for sixteen hours.

"Of course, we did," Adrian said, butting into our conversation, "We were all worried about you. We are worried about you, Rose. After what happened with that car accident, we're all worried."

I shifted in my seat and glanced at the eyes that were all turned on me.

"Thanks, guys," I said quietly, twisting the base of my milkshake glass. The bell over the door chimed and I looked up out of habit, seeing Teenie walking in with a blonde-haired man. Teenie stood with her arms crossed as she looked over the menu above the counter, tilting her head to the side to talk to the man before looking around the diner. Her eyes moved over me before flicking back, a small smile on her face.

I waved hesitantly and jumped when I heard Mia squeal.

"Oh, my God! Aren't you to sweetest floof! Look at you!"

I scoffed a laugh and followed her line of sight, seeing a beautiful Saint Bernard.

"I just want to love you," Mia cooed, kneeling on the booth to get a better look at the dog. I craned my neck as well and smiled before looking at Eddie.

"Can you let me out for a second?" I asked Eddie. He nodded and slid out, holding his arm out in a gesture for me to follow. I snorted and slid out of the booth, heading towards the door. Eddie looked at me with an alarmed expression, but I gave him a calming look.

I pushed the door open and squinted against the sun. I crossed my arms over my chest out of habit as I walked towards the dog and owner.

"That is a big dog for a big guy," I chuckled.

Dimitri looked up from where he was crouched next to the dog, a smile on his face.

"Hi Roza," he said.

"Roza?" I asked with a furrowed brow.

"Sorry. It's your name in Russian. I spend a lot of my time speaking to Ivan in Russian, it's easy to slip back to it," he said as he stood up, rubbing the dog's head. The dog whined and tried to move toward me, but Dimitri pulled back on the leash.

"Is this Bailey?" I asked, reaching my hand out so the dog could sniff it.

"Yes, it is. I'm surprised you remembered," Dimitri said as Bailey tugged hard against the leash and jumped up, leaving a slobbery kiss on my face.

"Bailey!" Dimitri exclaimed but I laughed and waved him off. "It's okay! Hi Bailey," I said, and I crouched down, rubbing the fur on their face and kissing its nose.

"God, he's so pretty!"

"She," Dimitri corrected and rubbed behind her ears. "I see you ventured out on your own, that's good!"

I stood up and shrugged. "Yeah. I was going a little stir-crazy at home. I asked Lissa if she wanted to go out."

"That's good, Rose. It's an improvement."

I shrugged and rubbed my arms as I stood up. "I should probably get back inside, I didn't say much to my friends before I came outside," I said with a chuckle.

Dimitri nodded and his eyes wandered over me before going back to my eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Dimitri said with a smile when the door opened behind me. I stepped aside to let the people pass by, but they just came around to where Dimitri was.

"Hi, Rose!" Teenie said as she handed Dimitri an ice cream cone while Ivan extended a cup to Dimitri.

"Hi Teenie," I said with a smile.

The blonde guy looked between all of us while he licked his ice cream.

"I'm missing something."

"Ivan, this is Rose. Rose, this is Ivan," Teenie said with a roll of her eyes and cuffed the back of Ivan's head. "Happy now?"

"Oh! You're Rose."

"And you're the roommate," I said with a bob of my head. Ivan gaped at me and then at Dimitri, faking a look of hurt.

"Roommate! I am more than just a roommate!"

Dimitri rolled his eyes and shook his head a bit. "Get over yourself," Dimitri said dryly. I chuckled and nodded to myself before jerking my thumb over my shoulder, stumbling over my words.

"I should get back," I chuckled.

"Bye Rose! Have a great day!" Teenie said before Ivan could continue with his antics. I shook my head and opened the door to the diner, heading back inside. My friends were all looking outside the window and then looked at me.

"What?"

"I think that is the most relaxed I've seen you around anyone in months!" Sydney exclaimed with a smile, "Who was that?"

"The bodyguard," Lissa snickered, "But in all honestly, he's really nice."

"He's hot!"

"Easy, tiger," I said as I got back into the booth, stirring my semi-melted milkshake. Eddie, Adrian and Christian all looked at me with confused looks before Adrian made a dirty comment and was promptly smacked in the back of the head.

I laughed at the look of disaproval on his face, whining at Sydney for smacking him on the head, but something outside caught my attention again. I tensed up in my seat and gripped Eddie's arm in a death grip.

"Ow, shit! What?" Eddie exclaimed, whipping his head to look at me. I could take my eyes off what was across the street. Eddie said my name before following my line of sight.

"Son of a bitch!" Eddie hissed before lurching out of the booth, hightailing for the door.

"Eddie!" I called after him, Adrian bailing out of the booth after him. I followed and pushed the door open, torn between going after Eddie to stop him or staying put.

"Rose?" Dimitri called out. I turned and looked at him where he sat on the bench, concern on his face. I took a shaky breath and pointed across the street. Dimitri looked over his shoulder and handed the leash to Teenie, getting up and heading after Eddie.

Lissa came out and gripped my shoulders gently, wrapping her arm around my shoulders.

Eddie was confronting Mason while Adrian was trying to pull him off of him. Dimitri wasn't far behind, trying to intervene when Eddie punched Mason square in the mouth.

"Well, fuck, here we go," Christian said dryly as he stepped out behind us with Sydney.

Let me know what you think!:)