hey there! I think you guys will enjoy this chapter! I'm not gonna elaborate because well, just read it.
Don't forget to review!
Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the recognizable characters
Enjoy!
Rose's POV
It's been two days since I put that letter in the mail to Dimitri, and because I used priority mail, I knew for sure that he'd get it today. To say that I was nervous would be a huge a understatement.
We had been texting back and forth over the last two days, but we have conveniently avoided the topic of my mother and the letter. I wondered if he was as anxious about it as I was for him to read it.
I knew that I wouldn't be able to focus on anything until I heard from Dimitri, so I decided to call Baba and ask for a personal day. He picked up on the second ring.
"Hello?" He answered.
"Hey, Old Man." I replied.
"To what do I owe this pleasure, Little Girl?"
"I was wondering if I could take a personal day. I'm not feeling very inspired, and I want to just relax for a bit." I lied smoothly.
"Ah, I see." He said, almost making me think that he caught on to my little white lie. "You can have your personal day on one condition."
"Okay..." I agreed hesitantly.
"I've decided on your personal body guard, pending your approval. He's completely qualified, and will probably end up as the head of your security team. He's been working closely with your two friends in training."
"What if I don't approve?" I challenged.
"Then we'll try again, but I do hope you approve. He's perfect for the job, Rosemarie." Abe rebutted.
"Don't. Call. Me. That. Old man." I hissed.
There was a pregnant pause that lasted longer than my nerves could allow. "So, what exactly is this condition?" I asked, unable to stand the silence any longer.
"You've got a meeting with him at the gym at 10. Have a chat with him, and let me know whether or not he gets the job. Although, he doesn't seem like the type who just sits around to chat, so you may have to do most of the talking." Abe informed me.
"So, that's it? I meet the guy and give you my opinion? Then I'm free to have my personal day?" I asked, suspicious of the meager task he's given me in exchange for my temporary freedom.
"That's it." He replied.
"Okay. I'll do it. How do I know which guy to talk to?"
"He's tall and Russian. He will probably be the only one in the gym aside from the staff."
I took in the description and hung up. I glanced at the clock, which read 8:32. I had just enough time to get ready before I had to be at the gym to meet my new body guard.
Ugh. I hated the fact that I would now have a shadow everywhere that I go. That's just a huge invasion of privacy. I hope he's not some creep that tries to follow me into the bathroom.
I hurried to get ready, but still ended up being five minutes late. I walked into the gym, which was empty aside from a few staff members and a guy sitting on a bench. I assumed that he would be the guy that was supposed to be my bodyguard. He had his back turned to me, and he looked to be reading something.
I quietly made my way over to him, and looked over his shoulder trying to see what he was reading. I recognized the handwriting on the paper as mine and my heart froze. I read the first sentence and knew immediately that this was the letter that I had written and sent to Dimitri a few days ago. My mind spun as I wondered how this man, this stranger, ended up with it. Had he or my father somehow managed to steal it after I delivered it to the post office myself?
Before I realized what I was doing, I snatched the letter from his hands, effectively ripping it past the point of unreadable. He turned around and began to say something before I cut him off.
"Who are you and how did you get this letter?" I shrieked, not caring if the staff heard my outburst. "That letter contained personal information that only the person it was addressed to should have been able to read! You can forget about-"
My voice trailed off as I finally got a good look at the man sitting in front of me. Although his face was marred with confusion, surprise and awe, I recognized him. He was the man from the article and my dreams.
No. No, it couldn't be.
My pen pal, my Comrade, my Dimitri was sitting in front of me, just as speechless as I was.
I had dreamt of finally meeting him face to face, and envisioned almost every scenario that I could think of, but never did I imagine that I'd meet him this way. The moment that I met him, I snatched my letter from him, shredded it, and screamed in his face.
How could I not have realized who he was before I went crazy on him? He did have the letter sent specifically to him after all. How much of the letter did he read, and what does he think of me now? Did I just ruin every chance that I could of had by reacting the way that I did? Does-
My mental rambling was cut off abruptly when he spoke, a faint Russian accent lacing his tone that made me want to melt.
"Roza?" He asked cautiously.
"Comrade?" I asked in return when I was able to speak again. "You...you're... my new... bodyguard?" I stuttered after a moment.
"You're the daughter of the infamous Abe Mazur?" He asked in return.
I nodded. "That would be me." I paused. "This isn't exactly how I expected us to meet."
Dimitri's POV
*Yesterday*
"Belikov, I've come to a conclusion."
I looked at Abe Mazur in confusion. Conclusion? To what?
"To what Sir?" I asked cautiously.
"To the bodyguard position." He replied smoothly.
Shit. He's going to chuck me out. I'm lucky I got this far, I mean-
"I think you're perfect for the job." He said, interrupting my inner rambling.
"I'm sorry?" I asked, shocked.
"You're perfect." He repeated, "But to finalise this agreement, you need to meet my daughter, and have her approval to be her head of guard and personal bodyguard. You're meeting her at 10 tomorrow in the gym." He said before walking out.
I rolled over and looked at the time. It was 9 o'clock.
Shit.
I jumped out of bed, and hurriedly put on my work clothes before rushing downstairs. After a quick breakfast and coffee, I ran to the door, tripping over something on my way out.
I scowled down at the offending object. It was a letter. I picked it up, recognising the handwriting on the front immediately.
I tucked it in my pocket before running out the door, promising myself to read it later.
I arrived at the training centre at one minute to ten, and ran inside, rushing into the gym.
The clock ticked to ten.
The room was empty.
I sat down on a bench facing the wall, and took out the letter.
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.
I paused in reading.
Since her mother had betrayed her trust?
Suddenly, I understood why she didn't want to go into detail about her mother. I still didn't know what happened, but I empathised with her.
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 -
The letter was snatched from my hands before I could read any more.
I turned, ready to shout at whoever had taken it from me, but was interrupted before I could.
"Who are you and how did you get that letter?" a very feminine voice shouted. I stared forlornly at the remnants of the letter – my letter – on the floor. If only I could find out what she was going to say. "That letter contained personal information that only the person it was addressed to should have been able to read! You can forget about-"
I finally looked up at her and I swear my heart skipped a beat.
I knew this girl.
I had dreamt about this girl.
And by no way in hell had I expected to meet her like this.
"Roza?" I asked, not sure if it was really her.
"Comrade?" She replied after a pause. "You...you're... my new... body guard?" She looked confused and shocked.
"You're the daughter of the infamous Abe Mazur?" I asked, just as surprised as she was.
"That would be me." she said with a nod. "This isn't exactly how I expected us to meet."
I cracked a smile.
"Me neither."
"So…." She trailed off.
Within moments, we were surrounded by an awkward silence.
"Well then," I said standing up from my seat on the bench. "My name is Dimitri Belikov and I'm here for the position of your new bodyguard." I held out my hand for her to shake.
She lifted one of her hands, and placed it in mine.
"Nice to meet you Mr. Belikov, I'm Rose Hathaway." She said with a giggle.
I looked down at her, and marveled at her beauty.
She was shorter than me by at least a foot, about five-seven. Her large, brown eyes stared up at me; emotions that I couldn't place swirled through them. She had long brown hair that looked so soft, I wanted to run my hand through it and-
Stop, I berated myself. You can't think of her that way anymore. She's your charge now.
"Do you want to go get a coffee?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.