THE OTHER WAY ROUND
Chapter 27
(DICLAIMER- I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS. THE AMAZINGLY TALENTED RICHELLE MEAD DOES)
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1 week later…
DPOV-
Things were going good…
It has been a week since the fight.
Even though their friends are trying really hard, Rose and Lissa are still ignoring each other…
After that day, rose didn't spoke of lissa- or about anything else.
We were still on talking terms but it feels like Rose is keeping a healthy distance from me, we behave like a normal student-mentor now. Rose wouldn't ask about my day like she used to, I don't make jokes about her cooking skills now. We don't smile at each other in the dining hall, she doesn't break any rules for me anymore…
Honestly, its better that rose keeps a distance, it'll be much easier for my feelings to fade… but im not gonna say I don't miss her company cuz I really do!
It feels like I just had a beautiful dream- and now im awake…
The real good thing in all this is that my father hasn't shown his face this whole week. He has definitely went M.I.A. but I know that he's still in the academy. Even vika hasn't seen him…
Speaking of my little sister… who is defiantly not so little anymore. We had our talk…
And it was a hell of a one!
"how have you been?" my little sister asked me.
We were walking in the forest behind the academy, the cold winds were blowing harshly… the weather was definitely getting colder. It was about 6 in the evening (morning for humans) the sun was slowly coming up… school was over for the day and so was my detention. Rose and I ran laps on the ground after her breakdown and sparred after school.
"I've been better" I shrugged "but nothing that I cant handle"
"how are you studies?" I asked her
"they're good… just a little more tough- but I mean that's justify able"
"don't let your relationship distract you from your studies, vika"
She let out a small laugh "I know you are still not very happy with my relationship with your bestfriend- but ivan is the best thing that ever happened to me dimka. You need to understand that"
I looked at her, her eyes were sparkling with happiness. She really was happy with ivan- I could see that.
"okay… but if he ever hurts you im not gonna spare him!" I warned her
"okay big brother!" she said jokingly, raising her hands up in surrender.
"tell me about your relationship dimka!" she said bumping her shoulder in my arms playfully.
I grew stiff "w-what do you m-mean?" vlad! Why am I stuttering?
"I mean… that-uh- Guardian Mazur seems nice" she teased. From the corner of my eye I could see her smirking.
"w-what are you talking about vika?!"
"you like her, don't you?" she said poking her finger in my arms teasingly
I felt blood rushing up my cheeks…
Don't blush…
Don't blush!
"don't be stupid vika, and get that thought out of you head!" I chastised
She rolled her eyes "I know she gave you her phone to call mama- by the way how is everyone?"
"how do you know that?"
"oh dimka! Don't forget- your bestfriend is also my boyfriend" she said
That traitor!
"its been long since I last talked to her but they are okay" I said "and just because she gave me her phone doesn't mean we have anything vika. She's my mentor."
"yeah- that's why you looked like you wanted to drown when I mentioned Guardian mazur and ashford the other day" she mumbled
"it was nothing-"
"im not a kid, dimka!" she exclaimed "I mean- you both have this weird energy whenever you are in the same room. I mean- she literally threw herself infront of a fucking strigoi to save you"
"language!" I scolded
She muttered a sorry.
"that doesn't mean that I like her or vice-versa! She's 7 years older than me for vlad's sake vika!"
"well there is no age problem in baia! And plus, mama will love her!"
I bite my lip trying not to smile. Vika is right… mama would've loved roza…
"just get these thoughts out of your mind vika! Nothing's going on between me and Rose" I said poking her head. She slapped my hand away.
"it that so?" she raised an eyebrow "then why did you ran off after Rose had a fight with Ms. Dragomir?"
Uh-oh…
What do I say?
"uh-i-"
"I followed you, you know…." Vika said quietly
I snapped my neck in her direction.
Shit! She saw me and rose hugging….
"I thought something was wrong with you so I followed you to the gym… I have to say I was surprised when I saw Rose sobbing in your arms but something felt right while seeing you two..."
"what do you mean?" I asked her. I was confused… ivan also said something like this a while ago…
She smiled "its going to sound soo cheesy but it looked like a beautiful fairy tale… I mean- the time I saw you two in the hospital I knew that there was a spark and then today… you both looked perfect there- in each other's arms"
I felt happy listening to what vika thought about us but I have to remind myself that there's no chance that rose and I will ever have anything more than friendship…
"fairy tales are never real viktoria"
"they are… If you want them to be" she answered smiling "look at me and ivan. Never in my entire life I thought that I would fall for a moroi- a zeklos… but I did. It wasn't easy at first but eventually we found a way to make our fairytale true. If you really want her then try to make your fairytale true, dimka. Ive seen the way you look at her, you've never looked like that at anyone before. So, 'brother dearest' you need to do something about it. And just so you know- I totally support and ship the two of you"
"why?" I couldn't help but ask
" Because I know that you two are meant to be."
She patted my shoulder and walked away, leaving me alone, standing on a cliff. I took a deep breath and sat down on the edge.
The sunrise was really beautiful from here… I wish that rose would be here to see it with me…
Vika's words came repeatedly in my mind. She said that rose and I were meant to be… maybe that's true or maybe not…
Its been days since we've had that conversation but I remember every single word of it. I still cant believe my little sister gave me a 'love talk'
It was 5th December today. First week of Christmas... the whole academy was no doubt in the Christmas spirit. I on the other hand was missing baia and my family very badly. All I wanted for Christmas was to see my family but I know its not possible… I have too much to catch up on.
The one good thing is that im getting really good in my training. I am beating Rose constantly now, but I still think she's going an bit easy on me. I was on cloud 9 yesterday when Rose told me that my forms and reflexes were getting better and that I would surely pass this year's novice practise exam.
It was 8 pm right now (am for humans) and I was on my way to the gym. Now that Rose is no longer Lissa's guardian, that means we will have more sessions together. And even though my body was hurting like a bitch from our after school sparring I didn't say no. I don't want to disappoint her in any way or make her regret her decision for leaving lissa for me.
I was met with Rose hanging in the air.
She had her fists wrapped around the pull up bar, hanging 5 feet up in the air with her back facing towards me, she did not hear me entering.
She pulled her body up on the bar, her back muscles flexing in the process. Beads of sweat glistening down her tattoo filled back. Her molnija and nazar tattoo was visible clearly because of the backless blue sports bra she was wearing.
She started swinging her body and then suddenly did a 360 degree rotation around the bar and landed on the ground after doing a backflip (a/n just like how Dimitri did in the movie).
She turned around and her face lit up when she saw me.
"sorry, didn't hear you" she said pulling out the earphones out of her ears
"didn't took as a showoff type, Miss Mazur" I teased the stunt she just did.
She rolled her eyes and started walking towards the wall I was leaning on. Her black eye had faded a bit over the past week, it didn't disappear completely, just got lightened. Black eye or not- she still looked gorgeous.
My breath suddenly got stuck in my throat. Yours would too, if you see Rose Mazur walking towards you in a black fitted pant and blue sports bra with sweat down her abs looking breathtakingly hot. God definitely took out extra time for her, she had curves just in the right places.
She stopped right in front of me, a small teasing smile playing on her lips as she bent down to pick up the black tshirt lying next to my foot which I don't know how I havent noticed yet.
Maybe because you were too busy checking out your mentor my subconscious suggested.
It took me all my strength and self control to not grab her and push her against the wall, to kiss her beautiful plump lips.
She put on her shirt and walked away from me. I released the breath I didn't realise I was holding.
Things this woman does to me…
"we'll start with laps and then a bit of weight training and then sparring." she said while stretching her "shall we start?"
"lead the way" I said
Soon we began running around the ground. Rose ran a bit ahead of me so that gave me time to gawk at her (note the sarcasm) . No matter how much I try to not check out rose or think about her… I always end up doing it.
The little rays of sunlight hit her lightly tanned body making her glow, meanwhile the harsh breeze made her long hair dance in air.
Great! Now im a aesthete because of her!
"keep up with me comrade!" I heard her calling out to me.
A smile crept up my face. Its been days since she called me with my nickname.
Even though my muscles were on the verge of giving up I sped up and started running next to rose.
"you are in good mood today" she said smiling
"just in the holiday cheer" I lied to her. Im so not in the holiday spirit but I don't want her to worry.
We ran in silence for a while until she said "you done with the Christmas list?"
I shook my head smiling "I don't have one…"
She stopped abruptly, breathing heavily "you cant be serious! You don't want anything for Christmas?"
I shrugged "what I want is not really possible to get. and anyway- I have everything I need right now" I said smiling.
She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest "tell me. what do you want?"
"Roza-"
"No, tell me!" she insisted
Now to come to think of it… I want more than just to see my family…
I wanted a break from all this drama and chaos…
a little vacation far-far away from the academy…
mental peace…
maybe a new pillow since mine feels like a rock…
but more than that I needed freedom…
freedom to love someone without worrying about the consequences or the society…
I wanted freedom to be with the woman I love… I wanted a Christmas miracle.
But Christmas miracles are not real… they are, just for those cheesy romantic Christmas movies.
"maybe a book" I shrugged "what about you?"
"a little vacation…" she answered sheepishly
We started walking towards the gym "where?"
"I don't know… I just want to get out of here" she had a sad look on her face. She would never admit it but I knew she was very upset about her fight with lissa and she missed her badly.
"hey! Maybe one day we can sneak out here and have a little getaway!" I joked trying to lighten up her mood.
She looked at me with an unrecognizable sparkle in her eyes…
"maybe… one day" her voice was down to a whisper.
Honestly speaking… the idea of us running away didn't sound so bad…
Maybe we can just get away from this freaky vampire world and live somewhere far-far, where no one would know us… where we arent a student-mentor…
We didn't say anything during the rest of the walk back to the gym.
"okay go and get the 25 kg weights" rose instructed as soon as we stepped in.
My arms and legs were sore but im not giving up right now.
I nodded and walked towards the dumbbell rack. 25 kgs is normal for me and can easily pick it up and that's when I made the biggest mistake ever.
I encircled my arm around the small space and jerked it up from the stand in one go. Pain shot in my arm and I cried before letting go of the weight.
RPOV-
I turned around to tie my hair again when I heard a loud thud and a cry.
I quickly turned around and saw Dimitri grasping his right hand, muttering some Russian words which im pretty sure were curses.
I ran towards him.
"A-are you okay!" I asked frantically. My eyes fell on the weight lying on the floor.
Shit! He must've hit his leg!
"its okay… its alright- come here" I said grasping his shoulders softly, making him sit down with his back against the wall.
I kneeled down next to his leg and removed his shoe trying to check for any injury. He has very nice feet!
Shut up! This is not the time to think about his feet!
"did you hurt your leg?" I asked while rubbing his toe looking for a reaction on his face
He shook his head "no… but my arm hurts!" he croaked out
I crawled next to him and hovered upon him. I stretched out my hand and gently touched her arm.
"does it hurt badly?" I asked him
"it stinges a bit here" he replied pointing towards his bicep.
I pressed the area around where he was pointing at "does it hurt much here?"
"just a little"
"its nothing severe… you just pulled a muscle" I said calmly.
Thank vlad he is alright!
For a second there I was just about to cry…
"lets get you to the hospital." I said getting up
"no its okay, I don't need to-"
"dont think that ill let you go like this Dimitri, even if its nothing severe we still need to get an ice pack there." my voice came out more harsh and protective than I had intended but I didn't care, I cant just let him go with a pulled muscle!
"fine" he said. I helped him get up and walked straight to the hospital.
DPOV-
"hey doc!" Rose waved in Dr. Olendzki's direction.
She waved back and walked towards the waiting area where we were sitting, with a warm smile on her face.
"hello Rose" she said "long time no see- not that im complaining"
Rose let out a small chuckle "my student here seems to have pulled his muscle, I was hoping if you would check it and see if its anything severe."
She looked at me "of course, I see you have already compressed the area with an ice pack" she said pointing towards the ice pack rose was pressing against my arm.
Rose and I looked at each other before she broke the contact. I could see the red tint rushing up her cheeks
"that's good" Dr. Olendzki broke the silence "come in the observation room Dimitri" she said
Rose and I got up and walked behind her.
"not you Rose" Dr. Olendzki stopped her from following "just Dimitri"
Rose looked sad and confused "are you sure? I mean- I think I should come" she tried her best to convince Dr. Olendzki but that woman already passed her final statement.
Did rose really wanted to come with me so bad?
She really does care about me…
A smile spread on my lips… Rose is worried about me, and it feels so good to be cared by someone like this.
"ill be okay" I assured her
She hesitantly nodded. "see you soon" I whispered in her ear and left her standing there in the passageway blushing.
"she really cares about you, you know" Dr. Olendzki mentioned once we entered the room
"yeah she does…"
RPOV-
it has been about 15 minutes and Dimitri and Doc still hasn't returned. I mean- she isnt taking a X-ray right? so then what's taking so long!
After a while the door finally opened and they came out. I breathed out a sigh of relief.
"is it too bad?" I asked Dr. Olendzki curiously
"no its not. He just pulled a muscle due to the excessive training you put him through. But no need to worry, he will be fine in blink of an eye. Just don't let him do any training tomorrow." She said.
I nodded quickly. She smiled and walked over to another patient, leaving me and Dimitri alone
I felt so guilty… I had been pushing him so hard for this past week. Its all my fault that he pulled his muscle… he is in pain because of me.
"Im so sorry" I said arching my head up, looking at him.
He looked at me confusingly "why are you sorry, Roza?"
It feels so good whenever he calls me Roza…
"its all my fault- I pushed you so hard for practise, I really shouldn't have done that."
"its not your fault" he said softly "if its any ones fault- its mine. I just ignored the pain when I shlould've told you about it"
Now I was confused "well- why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't wanted you to be disappointed or regret your decision" he said quietly.
I knew exactly which decision he was talking about.
I grew angry. How could he think that I would regret my decision for being his mentor and resigning as lissa's guardian!
I grabbed his left his arm tightly and walked out of the hospital doors and took us at the back of the hospital.
"Rose what are you-" I already had him glued against the wall before he could continue.
I was feeling so raged and now a bit more when I saw how taller he was than me.
Yeah… I admit it- im a shortcake!
DPOV-
Okay! So there I was- up against the hospital's back wall, with Rose in front of me looking like she wanted to eat me alive.
She grabbed a fistful of my shirt and pulled me down. My face was still hovering over hers, but we were much closer now. If it would've been a guy in rose's place I would've punched that guy before he could do anything but right now, I just forgot everything… I didn't know what I was suppose to say or do. I just kept looking at her… I felt hypnotized by her beauty which was on another level under the harsh sunlight.
She looked at me straight in the eye and said "don't you ever think that I regret my decision! It was my choice to make and I wouldn't have made it if I thought I that I would ever regret it! I will never be disappointed in you Dimitri Belikov. I don't regret anything- Any-fucking-thing!
I don't regret meeting you, I don't regret saving you from that strigoi. I don't regret saying yes to be your mentor. I don't regret breaking any rules for you. I don't regret giving up my post as lissa's guardian to be your mentor and I don't regret falling-"
She stopped whatever she was about to say and took a deep breath.
What did she wanted to say?
'Falling' what?
I didn't knew that my words affected her so much…
Even though im a little bit scared right now, im also very happy that rose does not regret anything.
"I'm sorry rose" I whispered "I didn't knew my words would anger you. I really didn't mean to hurt you. Im sorry if I have ever hurted you in the past too."
She let go of my shirt and said "its almost past curfew. You shouldn't be seen outside your building"
I nodded and began walking towards my building, rose was walking by my side.
"goodnight" she said quietly when we were standing infront of my building
She turned around but I stopped her just as she was about to walk away
"do you forgive me?" I asked her slowly
She didn't turn back "of course I did" she said and walked away.
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author's note-
hey there peeps!
You guys are not dreaming! I actually posted another chapter even though I posted the last one yesterday.
Well… this chapter was a surprise even to me. I think it all started when I was laying in my bed- wide awake at 3 am, when stupid thoughts and ideas started entering my head.
I already had things planned out for the next chapter 27 after I wrote 26, but the things in this chapter was not at all planned (except for vika's love talk).
I had a free period in school today so I just sat down and started typing… and before I knew- I had written a full chapter!
And that's how I got a chapter I did not expected.
Anyways I hope you enjoyed it!
Please consider this as a little surprise and a thank you for being such amazing readers!
Until next time…
~K.