Okay, so here is chapter 19. There will be a lot of back and forth text messages between Rose and Dimitri in this chapter. Aside from the letter at the bottom, everything in (italics) will be a text message from Dimitri, and everything in (bold) will be a message from Rose. Hope it's not too confusing.

Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the recognizable characters

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Enjoy!

Dimitri POV (written by Bethismyname)

Dinner had just ended, the children were asleep, and we were gathered in the lounge when my phone went off.

I reached into my pocket to see a text from Roza.

It was short, but nice to hear from her.

"Who was that?" Mama asked, leaning forward in her seat with a glint in her eye.

"No one." I said hastily, hiding my phone.

"Show me!" Vika said gleefully, reaching for the phone. I pulled my hand back and quickly put it in my pocket.

"She must be special to make you smile so brightly." Karo mused.

"She's just a friend." I said defensively.

"So it is a 'she'!" Sonya joined in, giving Karo a high-five.

"Can't you just leave me be?" I asked, "for once?"

My three sisters looked at each other then turned towards me.

"Nope." They said in unison.

I sighed loudly and fell back into my chair.

"You guys suck." I said as I sent a light hearted glare their way.

"Are you going to get married?" Karo asked, "Is it someone from your job? Do we know her?"

"First, I don't feel about her that way!" I said, to which they replied with a sarcastic 'Mmm-Hmmm' and a raised eyebrow. "Also, I've been talking to her for over a year, and no, you don't know her."

"Over a year and you haven't told me!" Mama said, "Why haven't I met her yet?"

"I haven't exactly met her myself…" I replied awkwardly.

"WHAT?" the four women yelled, looking at me in an incredulous manner.

After a long explanation and many awkward questions, I left.

As soon as I was in my car, I sent a reply.

She doesn't sing originals? Why not?

I hope you're okay Roza, you didn't bring up your mother and I hope I didn't offend you over my last message.

But, as for my job, it isn't definite yet. I've sat an interview, but I'm currently going through training. Every day I train with my partner. He is a nice guy and showed me the ropes when I first arrived.

-Comrade

I finished it and pressed send.

The drive home went by slowly. I wanted nothing but for Roza to reply. I found myself glancing down at my phone every few seconds, and felt a wave of disappointment wash over me every time I realised that I hadn't received a text.

I eventually arrived home and the moment I was inside I heard my phone chime. I pulled it out of my pocket, and found myself smiling when I realised who it was from.

I didn't bring up my mother because I don't really want to talk about her. I trust you, I do, and I'll tell you about her one day, but not today.

I'm hope your training turns into a job. I'm proud of you, Comrade.

-Roza

I smiled and quickly began typing my reply, while closing the door with my foot.

I don't want to pressure you into telling me anything Roza. Take your time. We can talk about something else if you'd like?

-Dimitri

I pressed send and went upstairs, deciding to take a shower after my long day.

I stepped out, and found myself with 3 new messages – all from Roza.

Thanks Comrade.

Hey… you know so much about me and I know nothing about you.

Do you want to play 20 questions?

I chuckled slightly before replying.

Okay then.

It didn't take long to receive a reply.

I'll start. What's your favourite type of music?

Definitely Country. What do you do in your free time?

Ugh, Country! How can you stand that Comrade?! I tend to write songs… I find it relaxing. What's your favourite time of year?

December. My fondest memories as a child was playing in the snow on Christmas day. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Baia. The way you've described it, and from the picture you sent… it just looks so beautiful. I would love to go there some day! On the topic of your childhood, what were your dreams when you were little?

I wanted to protect someone. It was the way I was brought up, I guess. Where do you see yourself in a few years?

That's so sweet! As for your question, I like to think that people are still enjoying my music, that maybe I've had a successful career. What makes you smile?

You. Whenever I get a message from you, it always warms my day. You've helped me through so much. What's your favourite movie?

Well, I'm guessing as you like country, so your favourite has to be a western? For me, it's the Notebook. It's such a beautiful love story. I want something like that someday. What's your biggest pet peeve?

Perfect guess Roza! Whenever someone makes up a nickname for me that doesn't suit me. I just find it so irritating when someone calls me something that bears no resemblance to me as a person, and then it catches on. What about you? Do you have any nicknames?

Yeah, I do. Some of my friends call me Rosie. I hate it so much, they know I don't like it but keep calling me it anyway. Are you currently seeing anyone?

I paused and reread it. A small spark of hope lit inside of me that she wanted me. I pushed it down, and replied.

No. I haven't had a relationship in a while to be honest. Are you in a relationship?

I asked in the hopes that she would say no. that maybe, just maybe, she felt something for me.

No.

That one word spread more hope through my body and I finished reading the rest of the text quickly.

I haven't had a relationship in a while either, I guess. What do you see in the perfect partner?

Someone strong, bold and who believes in themself. Someone who with one look, knows that I'm upset. That with one touch of my arm, can cheer me up. Someone who knows me better than I do. How long was your longest relationship?

There was a long pause before she replied.

6 months. His name was Jesse, and he's also the only guy I've ever dated. How many people have you slept with?

Only 1. I thought we had something when we were younger, but I regret it. I wish I'd saved it for someone that I truly loved. I hope it's not rude for me to ask the same thing?

It's not rude Comrade, but honestly, I'm completely inexperienced in that department. What do you think of me?

Her question threw me.

What did I think of her?

I thought of her as someone I would be happy with. Someone I would be happy knowing, as a friend or in any other way. And I told her just that.

Roza, I see you as someone I trust, who believes in me and can make me smile no matter how sad I'm feeling. Whenever I let the guilt take over me, I just read one of your messages or letters and my day gets better. I see you as dependable, strong and bold. What do you think of me?

I let out a deep breath, and pressed send. I hoped she would understand my intentions, and not react in the way that I feared.

Rose's POV

After I sent the text telling Dimitri about my innocence and asking him what he thought of me, I felt nervous as the brief pause in his reply seemed to drag on forever. When I received his reply, I read over it three times before I comprehended what the message said.

I nearly jumped for joy as I realized that he used some of the same words to describe me as he did his 'perfect partner'. Then I realized he asked the same question that I had. I thought for a moment.

He's perfect and I'm falling for him. I decided against telling him that though; I don't want to sound like a lovesick teenager with a crush until I knew how he felt.

Maybe I'm not as bold as he thinks. Just then, I decided to write him a letter to tell him about the feelings that I've developed. That's about as bold as I can be for right now. After pondering my boldness for a moment longer, I realized that I had yet to reply to Dimitri's question. I quickly typed out my response.

A condensed version? You're one of the very few people that I have come to completely trust. You motivate me and make me smile, no matter what craziness is going on around me. At the very least, you're one of my best friends.

I hit send and waited for a response. It came quickly. Somehow, I knew exactly what he was going to say.

At the very least? What about at the most?

I'm writing you a letter with the not-so-condensed version. I'll let you decide once you read my letter.

I sent that message and began typing another message before he could reply. I didn't really want to elaborate on what I was going to write in that letter until I actually had it written.

I'm going to bed, Comrade. It's getting late, and I have to be at the studio early.

I only got one reply to both messages.

Okay. Goodnight Roza. We can talk more tomorrow.

I sent back a goodnight to him, and sat at my desk to start on my letter to him. My hands were shaking slightly as I wondered how he would respond to my feelings. Would he reject me? Or would he feel the same way? I shook away those thoughts and started writing.

September 16

Hey Comrade,

I'm going to start off by saying that I really hope that I'm not screwing up our friendship by sending you this letter. When we played 20 questions, you asked what I thought about you, and you received the 'condensed' version.

Everything I said in that message is the truth. You are one of the very few people that I truly trust. I don't even know when that happened, but it did. You are the only person that I've let get close to me (other than Baba, and that's only some of the time) since my Mother betrayed my trust. You kind of snuck up on me and took me completely by surprise.

You really do motivate me and make me smile. You've given me inspiration for new music more times than I can count, and I've even written a few songs for you. And I really do consider you one of my best friends. After you read this letter, I'm hoping we can still be friends, if not more.

The truth is, Dimitri, is that I like you. Like, I think I may be falling for you. I know that's crazy, considering that we've never actually met, but it's the truth.

You're always on my mind, and my favorite part of any day is hearing from you, whether it be by letter, email, or text message. It makes my whole day better, and I end up walking around with a goofy smile on my face.

So, Comrade, here's the not-so-condensed version of what I think about you. I hope that I haven't scared you away.

As always, I'll be waiting to hear from you.

-Your Roza

I placed the letter in the envelope, sealed it, and put it next to my phone so that I could drop it off at the post office the next morning. Then, I headed to bed, hoping that I wasn't making a mistake by admitting my feelings to Dimitri.