I'm rushing around today so haven't had the chance to respond to reviews yet. I will do that tonight along with the reviews for this chapter.

Thank you readingmama for the help clarifying some terms :) xx

Chapter Eight.

17th March 1961.

Rose breathed shakily as she fingered the envelope that contained two letters. She'd just finished playing the hotel's lunch service, and was trying to relax while she waited for Dimitri to finish his shift and join her.

She hadn't expected a private response from Dimitri's mother, but here one was, brief, but heartfelt.

Roza,

You're more than welcome for the dress. I'm so glad you liked it, my dear. You're all that Dimka's talked about in his letters lately, so I knew that you needed something that truly showed our appreciation. And to hear that you're going to wear it at your wedding, it eases the sadness I felt knowing that I wouldn't be there to see you both get married. Thank you for making my son so happy and I also can't wait to meet you in person. Welcome to our family, Roza.

Much love,

Olena Belikova.

But Olena's sweet words weren't been enough to chase away the uncomfortable churning in her stomach.

Another letter, if you could call it that, had been in the envelope.

Cherish the time you have.

That was all it said, written on a scrap of paper. And it frightened Rose more than she could understand. The writing wasn't Olena's, so she wasn't sure who had written it. But it had been in the envelope, and the envelope hadn't shown any signs of being tampered with, so surely it must have been slipped in before Olena sealed it, or Olena knew that someone had put it in.

But surely she wouldn't let someone send a- a warning like that, would she? With no explanations, no clues, nothing to clarify and set Rose's fears at rest?

Cherish the time you have.

What time? How much time? Who needed to cherish it? Rose? Dimitri? Both of them? And why?

Rose's throat clogged with unshed tears and her head spun as she clenched her fists. She didn't even know if she should tell Dimitri, or whether she was just overreacting and being paranoid. He wouldn't laugh at her, but she would feel stupid for saying it if it was something that could easily be explained away. And what if she was interpreting it wrongly, and it caused a rift between him and his family? After knowing what it was like to have no family, Rose didn't want to do anything that could potentially lead to Dimitri losing his.

A soft knock sounded at the door, and Rose hastily stuffed the letter into her underwear drawer, hidden amongst her stockings and pantyhose. Though she always called out for Dimitri to come in straight away, in that moment, she was glad that he always waited outside the door for her permission to come in. It gave her time to compose herself and make sure everything looked like it usually did.

"Are you okay, Roza?"

Rose nodded and smiled, forcing the worry from her eyes as she pushed up onto her tiptoes so she could kiss him lightly.

"I'm fine. Just a little worn out by today's performance."

Concern immediately filled Dimitri's eyes. "Do you still want to go out for dinner? We can stay in and relax if you'd prefer?"

Rose grinned. "I'm fine. I just can't believe how much people like my addition to the band. And I've been looking forward to tonight all month."

They'd scrimped and saved so that they could go out to dinner at the diner in town, without having to worry about cutting back on the wedding.

Dimitri's lips kissed a slow path from her temple to her ear as he grinned. "You look beautiful."

"And you look very handsome." Rose's eyes raked over his form with interest, noting the way his shirt was tight enough to show the muscled definition of his arms, the crisp white colour a sharp contrast to the black of his trousers and shoes.

Rose was dressed simply in a white, button down blouse and a pale blue skirt, teamed up with her former work shoes. They were flat and comfortable and meant that her feet wouldn't ache as they walked to or from the diner. She giggled as Dimitri offered her his arm, and then smiled as she placed her hand in his.

"Let's go."

Rose sighed as she burrowed even further into Dimitri's bare chest, a soft smile pulling at her lips as he snored a little, stopped, tightened his hold on her and then started again.

Their dinner had been filled with excitement and laughter. Dimitri was a little subdued as he told her that he'd been asked to work longer shifts, which meant that his work hours would overlap with hers , meaning they would see each other very little up until the wedding. The hotel was trying to create a new menu, and since he was one of the head chefs, he was expected to be there at all times to keep note of what was successful and what wasn't. Once Rose had smiled and reassured him that spending less time together wouldn't change her mind he'd relaxed and allowed himself to truly enjoy their evening together. The hotel, their jobs, their finances, none of that was mentioned or thought about as they ate, talked and teased each other throughout the evening.

Rose was glad that she'd asked Dimitri to stay the night again. He'd done it a few times since that first night, and she'd even snuck into his room in the dead of night, loving the way his arms wrapped around her waist and held her close, making her feel anchored. Secure. Protected.

If she woke up during the night, or early in the morning before his shift started, she liked to watch him for a few minutes. The stress of his job didn't show on his face as he slept, his face was free from worry lines, his eyes weren't shadowed with responsibility. He looked young and carefree, like a child who still had all their hopes and dreams.