"Ohmigod! It's Dimitri Belikov!"

Both Rose and Lissa looked startled as the words escaped Natalie's lips like a squeal. They both looked at each other in confusion.

"Oh Rose, please pinch me, please tell me it's not a dream!" Natalie was barely holding her excitement.

Rose was super confused now. Was Dimitri some kind of celebrity or something? She knew he was popular among the students of St. Vladimir's, but then how Natalie did know him? As far as she knew, Natalie had stayed all her life in Europe, studying in some German school, St. George's.

"No Nat, you're not dreaming," Lissa said sweetly, still trying to decipher the situation.

Rose turned to look at Dimitri, finding his eyes already on her, or more specifically, on her chest. Looking around the table, she found the eyes of every boy, Christian included, glued to her chest.

Really? She thought. Seems like Natalie's earlier comment didn't go unnoticed!

Rose snapped her fingers in front of her chest, "My face is up here!"

She looked around amusedly as Christian, Mason and Eddie averted their eyes, looking flustered and at anyone but her. Lissa elbowed Christian, having caught his line of sight too. Poor Christian looked like he had swallowed fire!

However, Dimitri's eyes never left their source of amazement. Eyeing her boobs, he bit the corner of his lips. Rose found herself worrying her bottom lip between her teeth too. He slowly looked up to meet her eyes, holding her gaze in his powerful hold. Giving her a saucy wink and an appreciative nod, he clearly declared that he liked what he saw. A thick blush covered Rose's face and neck.

"Natalie, you are not dreaming. This is Lord Belikov sitting in front of you, in all his glory!" Christian said gesturing towards Dimitri, knowing well of his reputation as a god among girls. Natalie must've known him from court or some party.

Dimitri finally looked up to see he had a fan on the table. Giving Natalie his trademark smile, he took satisfaction in seeing the girl swoon. He saw Rose rolling her eyes in his peripheral vision. His smile grew,

"Hello Natalie, It's nice to meet you," he said extending his hands.

Natalie took his hands shyly, blushing like a cherry tomato.

Lissa continued from where she was interrupted, "This is my boyfriend, Christian. My other friend Eddie, and Mason – Eddie's friend."

Each one of them raised their hand and muttered a 'hi' as their name was called out in the introductions.

"Everyone – This is Natalie Dashkov – my cousin," Lissa said. Although everyone knew they weren't real cousins, they still acknowledged it. Royals often used the term to recognize another royal. As for Natalie and Lissa – they've been friends from the start as their fathers were best of friends and acknowledged each other as brothers, therefore Natalie in a way was Lissa's surrogate cousin.

Conversation flowed easily after that, Lissa and Natalie shared the gossip of court while Christian and Eddie engaged themselves in some sports gossip. Mason wasn't wasting any chance he got, to touch or compliment Rose (even about trivial things). This seemed to be pissing Dimitri off highly.

Every time Mason did something remotely affectionate, Dimitri's hand around the glass he was holding tightened to the point that his knuckles turned white. He had barely touched any food and was glaring at his foot constantly aware of Mason's attempted affectionate anything but subtle touches.

"So, Daddy has some business in Montana and therefore he'll be staying and guess what? I'll be completing my senior year from St. Vladimir's!" Natalie's squeal triggered an excited shriek from Lissa too. Rose was looking quite happy too. Natalie might be a little handful at times but she was a good soul and Rose appreciated it. She also wasn't one of those stuck up royals, although she did go on and on about herself.

Every one finished their dinner and decided to call it a night, it being a school day, the next day. Natalie was staying at the guest accommodations with Prince Dashkov until the transfer procedures were cleared and then she could claim a dorm room in the moroi dormitories. Lissa and Christian volunteered to drop her off, the latter getting no say in that.

"Rose, may I drop you to your dorm?" Mason asked looking at Rose hopefully. Before she could object, someone else beat her to that.

"No," Dimitri's sharp voice was hard to miss as he stood up in his full intimidating height glaring at Mason.

"I'll be dropping Rose to her rooms, you may retire to yours. Come Rose," and before Mason could object, Dimitri was out with Rose in his tow.

"Was that necessary?" Rose asked not looking annoyed but frowning a little, as soon as they exited the dining hall and out of earshot.

"He started it!" Dimitri said defensively. Rose shook her head. Boys!

Unconsciously, they took the longer of the two routes towards the female Dhampir dorms. Dimitri shivered a little, recalling his dream earlier. Conversation flowed easily between them; there wasn't a single awkward moment. Despite being two very different people, they still found common grounds to talk. As usual, they found each other's presence as peaceful as silence.

Reaching the door leading the lobby, Dimitri stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Thank you for dropping me off. Good night!" Rose said backing a little. Dimitri smiled, "Good night," and was just about to turn when a "Wait!" had him halted on his steps.

"Yes?" he asked looking at a nervous Rose standing on the stairs awkwardly.

"I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow?" she said it like a question.

"I'll be there if you want me," he said sweetly.

"Right. I'll see you tomorrow," she said backing a little again. He smiled and turned to walk back to his room when a "Wait!" caught his attention again. He smiled his rare full smile and turned around to see Rose shifting her wait from her one foot to another nervously.

"Yes?" he asked still smiling. She didn't say anything but walked closer to him. His smile slowly turned into a look of confusion as he saw her approaching him. In no time, she was standing right in front of him. He raised an eyebrow in question. She took a deep breath and stood on her tippy toes, leaning slightly towards him.

His eyes widened but he stood there frozen, not daring to move or breath. He wasn't sure if it was happening for real or he was still dreaming.

She leaned some more. Damn his freakish height! She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his cheeks. His lips parted as a soft gasp broke through them.

"Don't let Mason get to you," she whispered sexily in his ears, pressing her lips once again to his cheeks noticing as a shiver ran through his body.

"Good night comrade," she said skipping to her room, leaving a flustered and a very surprised Dimitri back on her wake.

"I can't believe it!" Dimitri sighed lying back on his bed, a goofy smile painted permanently on his face.

"There's hardly anything unbelievable in a girl kissing you in the cheeks," Christian snickered from where he was sitting lazily on the couch, working on his laptop.

Dimitri snorted, "You won't understand!"

Christian looked up, "And you do now? Remember three days ago you were jumping nervously in this same couch, begging me to teach you how to properly apologize to a girl?"

"You gave me wrong answers and besides you didn't even tell me Roza doesn't like roses," Dimitri threw a dirty look at him.

"That's because….okay, you got me there," Christian said in surrender. Dimitri hummed knowing well that he did it because Lissa asked him to. He took out his mobile phone and logged into his facebook. There wasn't much to do so he thought he could idle a little before going to bed.

"What are you doing anyway?" Dimitri asked Christian as he was typing furiously on his laptop.

"I'm just checking the Website of Lehigh University. Lissa said she wanted to go there after graduation. I'm just checking out their facilities," Christian murmured distractedly.

"Hmmm," Dimitri replied, knowing it was none of his interest. He was supposed to head back to Russia as soon as he graduates, so no Uni for him in America. He would still attend one in Russia, of course.

"Bingo! They have culinary science," Christian said happily. Dimitri just listened to him, scrolling down his facebook news feed. Apart from some memes, there was nothing interesting there!

"Oh look, there are good options of sports scholarships too!" Christian grinned tapping on the keyboard. Dimitri whipped his head to look at him.

"Why would you be interested in a sports scholarship?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Not for me, for Rose of course!"Christian said still not looking up from the screen.

"Rose?" Dimitri asked confused. Was Rose supposed to head to Lehigh after this too?

"Your Roza…" Christian teased.

"Why would Rose go to Lehigh?" he asked. Didn't she have to graduate to become a guardian and then they are allocated to their charges? If so, what are these early preparations for?

"To guard Lissa of course! Mitya, you can be quite thick sometimes," Christian said in a 'duh' tone.

"Is she slated to become her guardian or something?" Dimitri asked. "Coz, as far as I know, Guardians get their charges and allocations only when they graduate!"

And then another thought struck to him as lightening. He was to return to Russia! And Rose was supposed to be allocated somewhere, Lehigh by the looks of it. That would mean…That would mean he could hardly see Rose again!

"You think Mama would allow me to attend Lehigh after graduation? She was hell bent for me coming back to Russia as soon as the school finished," Dimitri asked nervously.

"If you tell her, you're just going there to follow your little Dhampir girlfriend, I'm hundred percent sure, she wouldn't!" Christian smirked looking at Dimitri's annoyed face. He probably wanted to say 'She isn't my girlfriend' but thought better of it. "And Olena may not, but Tatiana might be helpful there, if she knows Lissa is going there too. If you really want to go, then raise the subject now. There are many things to look before you start, like they have to find you a suitable guardian. They couldn't just assign you to some thirty-year-old badass, just because he is a badass!" Dimitri thought about it and decided that calling his mother was the first thing he would do in the morning.

"And to answer your previous question, No Rose isn't officially slated to be Lissa's guardian. But they've been together since they were four and Eric and Rhea wanted her to be Lissa's guardian and also….." Christian trailed off.

This seemed to catch Dimitri's interest, "Also…?"

Lowering his tone, as if telling some secret, Christian said, "Andre likes to keep Rose around."

Dimitri's confused look changed into fury as he detected the hidden meaning of his words. Andre and he had never seen eye to eye and the knowledge of him having any romantic interest in his potential girlfriend, ruined any aspect of further treaty too.

"Isn't he like three years older than her?" he spat in disgust.

"Yes, but they've been friends from the very start. They've probably known each for their entire lives. Andre even asked out Rose when she was fifteen, but got a straight no," Christian explained. Whatever peace Dimitri had felt at the last part of the statement, shattered as Christian spoke again, "Although they were found next day in her room sucking faces."

Dimitri's eyes turned into slits. He knew he was being ridiculous seeing his past record could bring anyone's to shame, but Jesus he was feeling jealous!

"And," Christian began unsure to give this piece of information as Dimitri's eyes were already full of rage.

"And?" Dimitri bit out, gritting his teeth.

"And, according to Lissa, he was the first man to kiss Rose," he said. Dimitri's nostrils flared and Christian pitied the cell phone in his hands.

"Nothing happened ever again," Christian explained hastily, to calm him down.

An odd look marred Dimitri's face, like he was thinking about something very hard. After a few minutes, it changed into a look of smugness. He smirked, "Nothing happened and nothing will happen ever again in future. Not with Mason, Not with Andre or anyone else," Dimitri said proudly.

Christian's surprised looked took no time to change into one of shock as he detected his motives. "Oh no!" he exclaimed shutting down his laptop. Dimitri saw him, eyes wide open looking at him. "I know that look!" Christian said accusingly.

Dimitri's smirked never died "What look?" he asked reclining back on the bed rest.

Christian moaned, "My girlfriend just lost her future guardian!"

…..so there you go.

Rose and Dimitri are hitting off aren't they? But what else could one expect? Those two are made for each other!

Liked it? Loved it? Hated it?

Please let me know in the reviews!

Love,

Lara.